The Franklin News-Post
P. O. Box 250
310 Main Street, SW
Rocky Mount, Virginia 24151
540-483-5113
Fax: 540-483-8013
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| Ervin predicts next year may be even tougher |
James Ervin |
Friday, October 30, 2009
By JOEL TURNER - Staff Writer
Town Manager James Ervin said at a town hall meeting Tuesday night that RockyﾠMount's budget crunch may be even worse in the next fiscal year than this year.
"We're trying to survive the recession,"ﾠErvin said, by leaving jobs vacant, cutting back on spending and focusing on basic and essential services.
The town's revenues may be down as much as $250,000 this budget year, he said, with an uncertain economic future.
Ervin's comments came at a town hall meeting where eight municipal department heads gave presentations of the projects that they are currently working on or are planning in the future.
The town manager said Rocky Mount is heavily dependent on business activity and retail sales to generate the funds to finance municipal services.
Only 9 percent of the town's tax collections come from real estate taxes, he said.
"The rest are business-related, and that is why we are very much dependent on business activity," Ervin said.
"Our next budget will be even harder than this year," he said.
The meals tax is Rocky Mount's largest source of local revenue.
Despite declining tax revenues, Ervin said, the town must still provide police protection, pick up garbage, fix the streets, and provide water, sewer and other basic services.
"Unlike the federal government, we have to make cuts and balance our budget," Ervin said.
Finance Director Linda Woody said that the town's earnings on its investments are projected to drop by 32 percent this fiscal year because of low interest rates. Business license revenues are expected to decrease by 15 percent, and communication tax revenues are projected to drop by 14 percent, Woody said.
Among the department heads who made presentations at the town hall meeting were Ervin; Woody; Matt Hankins, assistant town manager and community development director; Erik Mollin, police chief; Posey Dillon, fire chief and vice mayor; Jessie Jones, wastewater treatment superintendent; Robert Deitrich, water department superintendent; Cecil Mason, public works director; and Katie McElroy, executive director of the Community Partnership for Revitalization.
The meeting was a relaxed and open exchange, where citizens could hear about town services and share their views.
Town hall meetings are just one of the tools that town council and the town manager plan to use in the coming years to communicate with residents, town officials said.
Mayor Steve Angle and town council members attended the meeting.
Hankins briefed the residents on the uptown revitalization project and a proposed amphitheater in Mary Elizabeth Park.
Construction is expected to begin on the uptown project within the next six weeks, he said. It will take about nine months to complete.
As part of the uptown project, town officials will work with businesses to participate in the Facade Improvement Grant Program, which offers grants to restore and upgrade business fronts.
Consultant architects will soon present the preliminary plan for the amphitheater, and the town will seek grant funding for the project during the next few months, Hankins said.
Town officials will also be evaluating neighborhoods during the next few months as they develop a neighborhood revitalization program, Hankins said.
Mollin said the police department has started several new programs this year, increased business and residential checks, and solved criminal cases at a substantially higher rate than the state averages for similar cases.
The hiring of a narcotics officer has also enabled the police department to step up the apprehension and conviction of drug offenders, Mollin said.
Dillon said the fire department has recruited many new and younger firefighters who are doing an outstanding job. He demonstrated a heat-seeking camera that enables firefighters to locate people in blazes where smoke blocks vision.
The fire department has also formed an auxiliary group to help the firefighters, Dillon added.
Deitrich said the flow in the Blackwater River, the source of the town's water supply, has been above average this year, unlike last year when a drought triggered water conservation measures.
The water treatment plant has a capacity of two million gallons a day.
The town has applied for a grant to retrofit water pump motors at the plant, which is 28 years old, Deitrich said. The town is also working with engineers on a study to find leaks in pipes and reduce the loss of water.
McElroy briefed the residents on the coupon program to stimulate retail sales in Rocky Mount. The coupons are part of a "buy local" incentives program to help boost retail sales in the town.
The coupons will provide shoppers $5 off on a minimum $20 purchase at participating retail stores in Rocky Mount, McElroy said. The plan calls for the coupons to be distributed next month so they can be used for the Christmas shopping season this year.
McElroy said she is also working on a music grants program and a proposal for an arts and cultural district within the town.
Angle said the town has to operate with a limited staff because of financial constraints. But the departments and town employees do an outstanding job, he added.
"We appreciate the good work of the staff to make Rocky Mount a wonderful place," Angle said. |
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