City of Hampton VA 22 Lincoln Street Meeting Minutes Hampton VA 23669 www hampton gov City Council
W H Billy Hobbs Jr Christopher G Stuart Will Moffett Donnie R Tuck Chris Snead George E Wallace Molly Joseph Ward Mayor
Staff Mary Bunting City Manager Cynthia Hudson City Attorney Katherine K Glass CMC Clerk of Council Wednesday April 24 2013 7 00 PM Council Chambers 8th Floor City Hall
CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL
MOLLY JOSEPH WARD PRESIDED
PRESENT W H Billy Hobbs Jr Will Moffett Chris Snead Christopher G Stuart Donnie R Tuck George E Wallace
INVOCATION Councilwoman Chris Snead
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Mayor Ward welcomed everyone to the meeting for the Public Hearing on the Budget
Prior to the beginning of the Public Hearing Mayor Ward reminded the speakers to alternate between the podium and the free standing microphone as she calls their names in the order in which they signed the sheet She also noted that everyone is welcome to use their entire three minutes of speaking time however if it s possible to make their point in less than three minutes it will be appreciated as this may help ensure that everyone who wishes to speak has an opportunity to do so
Mayor Ward welcomed special guests Senators John Miller and Mamie Locke and Delegates Mamye BaCote and Jeion Ward to the meeting She stated this team works for us in Richmond every day most diligently during the General Assembly Session and provides important support for us She thanked them for their service and for all they do for the City of Hampton
Delegate Jeion Ward greeted those on the dais and made the following statement It is a pleasure for us to bring you greetings from the Virginia General Assembly My name is Jeion Ward and I stand here before you playing a dual role first as the President of the Hampton Federation of Teachers and also as a State Representative from the 92nd House District I am joined here by members of our State Delegation who also represent portions of the City of Hampton First my seat mate Delegate Mamye BaCote who represents the 95th House District and Delegate Gordon Helsel who wanted to be here but had a scheduling conflict We also have with us Senator Mamie Locke from the
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Second Senatorial District and Senator John Miller from the First Senatorial District This evening we are all here in support of the School Board s Budget I was in attendance at one of the meetings hosted by the School Board in the City of Hampton was there when every potential budget cut was discussed By the end of the evening it was obvious that the citizens did not want any cuts in City services and they definitely did not want any cuts to the Schools Budget because over the past four years Hampton City Schools HCS have lost a total of 376 members of its workforce six schools have been closed there has been a reduction in funding for capital replacement plans there have been salary reductions and elimination of some supplements employee benefit reductions health insurance cost increases increases in class size reduction in the number of Advanced Placement AP tests that are paid for by the division and the list goes on and on So you can see that all of that has long been cut from the budget and now we are cutting down into the bones This is totally unacceptable to us because our children our teachers and all of our support personnel deserve better Teachers have plenty on their plates already just trying to get through a day They spend hours outside of their school day grading papers creating lesson plans communicating with parents and participating in school activities In spite of all these cuts you will see that these same teachers are still teaching because of their dedication and their commitment to our children Teachers are not the only employees that were affected by these budget cuts There were also instructional assistants whose job it is to help those teachers reach their goals There are bus drivers who are up early in the morning before the crack of dawn delivering our children safely to and from schools every day custodians who maintain a clean and safe learning environment for our children school nurses clerical staff central administration principals cafeteria staff all working cohesively to ensure the best education for our children That is why it was an easy task for all of us to go before the General Assembly and fight for every dime we could get for the education of our children This year we were so pleased to be able to bring home 122 733 028 however also in spite of these tough economic times we were even able to bring increased funding because of the student ratio This year we were just pleased to be able to do all that we can do This is really a significant contribution from the State however it is still not enough so I am proud to say that this entire Hampton delegation stood shoulder to shoulder to make sure that we received every education dollar that we were entitled to receive Now that we are out of session we have done all that we can do Now we ask that you stand shoulder to shoulder with us and fully fund the School Board s Budget By doing so you will be making an investment not only in the lives of our children but also in our community We do thank you so much for your time this evening
Mayor Ward noted that she does not disagree with Delegate Ward and that she appreciates everybody s enthusiasm however asked everyone to keep the enthusiasm clapping to a minimum so that we can get through the evening in a timely manner She then thanked Delegate Ward for her comments and all of the Senators and Delegates for being present
Mayor Ward recognized members of the School Board who were in attendance and wished to make comments
Mr Joe Kilgore Vice Chair greeted those on the dais thanked them for the opportunity to speak and made the following statement Earlier this afternoon our School Board Chair Ms Martha Mugler did an excellent job presenting the School Board unanimously approved FY14 budget so I won t go over any of the details that she presented this
City of Hampton VA Page 2 of 20 Printed on 5 15 2013 City Council Meeting Minutes afternoon What I do want to say is that it was clear to me based on the comments that you all gave and the detailed questions that you gave that you care about our students and our staff and our schools and that you understand the vital role that the success of our schools play in our community I want to personally thank each of you for all you do for the City of Hampton I also respectfully request that you support the School Board Budget as presented
Ms Monica Smith School Board Member greeted those on the dais and made the following statement As a Hampton City School Board Member I voted for and fully support the Hampton City School Budget that you heard this afternoon Our Board unanimously approved this budget because we all agreed that we can t continue yet another year with cuts to our schools Staff parents students themselves and even citizens without children in our schools have contacted me and addressed our Board to express their concerns with the cuts that will be required if we don t get the funding requested As a parent myself with a child in HCS and as a longtime volunteer working in our schools I know that all of their concerns are valid Our schools belong to our entire community even those without kids in school Not only are schools a primary economic driver but our kids our young adults are also the ones that are going to be our policemen our doctors designing buildings and serving us in businesses They are going to be running our City and we need to make sure that they are prepared Hampton has the opportunity to stand out as a community to make the bold move to invest to unite to keep our City vital I respectfully request support for our budget and an investment in our kids Thank you so much
Ms Phyllis Henry School Board Member greeted those on the dais and made the following statement I am here as a former teacher and principal and grandmother of a future kindergartner to ask you to continue to be thoughtful I know that you are always responsive and responsible I ask you this evening to begin the process of also being very courageous and supporting the tax adjustment that is needed to invest not only in the School System but in our City services We need it for this City s future I have enjoyed being a citizen of Hampton for over 40 years We need to keep the quality of life for our citizens and the quality of programming for our students Thank you very much
Ms Jennifer Phillips School Board Member greeted those on the dais and made the following statement I am a proud member of the HCS Board Malcolm Forbes said Education s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one First I would like to thank all of you for your service and for the time that you all have spent for the last 90 days talking with us about budget issues and attending the public forums regarding the City and School Board Budgets Public education is a right it is freedom All of our children deserve the best education that we can give them If you choose private school or home school that is your choice just as public education is a choice and our children deserve the best possible education that we can give them These children are our future Our schools are tied into the economic improvements and development in our City If you want people and businesses to come you need to have a successful School Division Our staff has been asked to do more and more over the last few years while bringing home less Also our staff is the only staff and I know you heard this earlier that chose to take a pay cut in 2009 but they did this in order to save jobs of some of their co workers These are the types of people that we are blessed to have working with our children I fully support the budget that the Hampton City School Board has presented to you today and ask for consideration for our children and their needs when
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making the tough decisions that lie ahead of you I want to leave you with one more quote Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom That was George Washington Carver Thank you so much for your time and your consideration it is very much appreciated
Mayor Ward noted that Ms Martha Mugler School Board Chair gave an excellent presentation of the School Board Budget at the afternoon meeting She further noted that that meeting will be aired on Channel 47
Clerk of Council Ms Katherine Glass read the protocol for the Public Hearing items
AGENDA
1 13 0133 Public Hearing to obtain the views of citizens on the FY2013 2014 Consolidated Annual Action Plan for Housing and Community Development which includes the Community Development Block Grant CDBG and HOME Investment Partnership Program Budgets
Mayor Ward noted that a thorough presentation was given on this item at the afternoon meeting She then called upon City Manager Mary Bunting for additional comments Ms Bunting noted that she had no additional information or comments unless the Councilmembers had questions There were no questions posed by Council
PUBLIC HEARING
Mr Hugh Bassette 117 Rip Rap Road President of the Old Northampton Community Organization greeted those on the dais and made the following statement I have read this report so much that I can almost recite it verbatim without even looking at it What we are saying in Old Northampton after reading this report is that not only do we say we are not getting a slice of the pie but if you go through this report I know you can t answer questions and Ms Bunting said they will later our question is what in this budget is going to Old Northampton You have a whole lot of projects listed and we would like to know On page four they talk about low to moderate income The Virginia U S Department of Housing and Urban Development HUD has a formula for determining how much Community Development money comes into a City It is supposed to go to low and moderate income housing What we are saying is that you all are doing alright on the moderate but you are not doing so good on the low Look at the three major neighborhoods you are talking about Pasture Point is not a low income minority neighborhood Old Hampton is Sussex is doing so well that you said today at the Public Hearing that they no longer are a minority middle income neighborhood so they are out So now you are left with Pasture Point and Old Hampton We are saying we would like for you to put our name in to take Sussex s place We have a problem in Old Northampton Mr Bassette then showed a list of 27 vacant houses in his neighborhood I live at 117 Rip Rap Road The three houses next to me are vacant The house across the street is vacant So we are saying that we would like to replace Sussex on this list
Mr Bassette continued his statement on a different subject They talk about the Master Plan The only Master Plan that affects us Old Northampton is the King Street Master Plan So far the only money that has been spent on the King Street Master Plan is for a stop light and some street improvements The other improvements that you talk about
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are not even mentioned As a matter of fact you are going to run a street right through my front door They tell me don t worry about it you Mr Bassette will be dead before that happens but I don t know They also talk about foreclosures 15 The way it is listed is that there have been 15 foreclosures in the City in Wythe and Old Northampton That sounds good but when you break that number down it winds up to 14 in Wythe and 1 in Old Northampton
Mr Bassette continued his statement on a different subject I would like to commend Housing and Neighborhood Services Manager Ms Angelique Shenk Angelique also You need to read this report there is some real important information in here One of them is that for the first time this City is now majority black 49 4 of Hampton residents are black 44 are white I know you are saying asking what difference that makes Believe me it is going to make a difference If you look at the unemployment rate in this country its 7 6 in the black community it is almost 14 Things are going to change in this City I was going to attack the Redevelopment Agency but I m going to let that slide
Mr Bassette continued his statement on a different subject There is a map in here that tells you also where low to moderate income people live Our neighborhood is low and moderate income I would say we might be the lowest income neighborhood in this City The bottom line is they have a list of projects that are broken down with the redevelopment projects and Community Development Block Grant CDBG projects acquisitions and different ones I can t think of one single project that I have seen in Old Northampton I know my time is up but let me say one more time We want our fair slice of the pie at least a piece
Mayor Ward called for additional speakers in the audience who wished to address Council on the CDBG and Home Program Budgets There being none she closed the Public Hearing
Councilman Tuck stated he had requested information from Ms Shenk earlier and wanted to know if it was available Mayor Ward noted that perhaps she could provide the information after the meeting however the purpose of the Public Hearing meeting is to allow those who signed up to speak an opportunity to do so
HELD PUBLIC HEARING Hugh Bassette spoke requesting that the Old Northampton neighborhood take the place of the Sussex neighborhood
2 13 0129 Public Hearing to Receive Citizens Comments Relative to the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget and proposed taxes and fees including
General Operating Budget General Fund
Capital Improvement Fund
Solid Waste Management Fund
Stormwater Management Fund
Wastewater Management Fund
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Fleet Services Fund
Risk Management Fund
Information Technology Fund
Hampton Coliseum and Arts Fund
Hampton Roads Convention Center Fund
The Hamptons Golf Course Budget
The Woodlands Golf Course Budget
Economic Development Fund
Hampton Roads Convention Center Budget
Proposed Personal Property Tax Rate
Proposed Real Estate Tax Rate Increase
PUBLIC HEARING
Ms Teresa Seekins 25 Holiday Drive greeted those on the dais and made the following statement I m here on behalf of Robert R Moton Early Childhood Center We were told that we are not on the budget to be here next year I have a group of people who have come here to support our school Our children are four year olds and they feel safe at Moton At the other schools we are the little people but at Moton we are the big kids If you come to Moton which you came to read the other day the chairs are that tall small and your knees get used to it I just wanted to say that I think Moton is a school that needs to be saved because we are the only ones here
Ms Seekins then recognized those in attendance in support of Moton by having them stand She also introduced two Moton Early Childhood Center students Jessica and Makayla who were in attendance Ms Seekins concluded her comments stating Moton needs to be saved because our children do feel safe there and everything there is their size
Ms Eileen Adams 3900 Roadside Avenue greeted those on the dais and made the following statement I ve been a homeowner here 3900 Roadside Avenue since 1991 and I ve been an early childhood special education teacher with Hampton since 2003 I m speaking in favor of a tax increase to support the HCS proposed budget If the budget cannot be funded we are facing devastating loses cuts and services to our students As you heard earlier all the fat has long since been cut out of HCS expenditures and now we are facing the loss of bone and muscle which is meant to sound gruesome because that is how I feel about it We II see a reduction of 20 in the hours of instructional assistants in Kindergarten along with increases in numbers of children in those classrooms This will affect students learning significantly and it will also make a huge impact on the personnel in those positions They may be unable to remain in those positions they may take their experience and devotion and faithfulness
City of Hampton VA Page 6 of 20 Printed on 5 15 2013 City Council Meeting Minutes to the school system away with them because they won t be able to afford to stay losing hours and their benefits Our resource teachers of Music Art and Physical Education P E that will be shared among schools reducing their time for individual students and resource instruction in those areas is not fluff it is critical it is an integral part of the instructional day in our schools Our guidance counselors will be shared among schools reducing their availability to students They fill a lot of roles within each school including crisis management crisis intervention and supportive counseling to kids who have an array of complex needs and issues Our registered nurses RNs will be replaced with licensed practical nurses LPNs Our custodial staff will be outsourced again losing important employees faithful employees and there will be no cafeteria monitors or crossing guards I m not only here for myself I m not advocating an increase in my own salary It s much more important to me to see that our schools maintain their integrity Finally I want to tell you something that Garrison Keillor who is one of my heroes said When you wage war on the public schools you re attacking the mortar that holds the community together I am asking everyone here not to be vandals Don t vandalize our schools Let s become the heroes for HCS Thank you again
Ms Linda Lawrence 14 Lake Ontario Court greeted those on the dais and made the following statement I am the Coordinator of Health Services with HCS and I am here to represent the school nurses as we come united to support the tax increase that would maintain RNs at all our schools as well as restore other cuts that have been proposed RNs are professionals licensed in the Commonwealth to assess patients develop individual healthcare plans and emergency action plans and respond to medical emergencies An RNs training goes beyond task orientation They receive a deeper knowledge base with skills to do critical thinking They must supervise an LPN and make an initial assessment before a task can be delegated The number of students with special care needs has also increased dramatically over the past decade Students are coming to school with increasingly complex medical problems and technically intricate and complicated treatments We have over 4 000 asthmatics over 1 300 reported food allergies over 200 with seizure disorders and over 60 with diabetes This is barely the tip of the iceberg on the number of special needs issues an RN addresses and therefore must be able to work independently and use critical thinking skills since they are the only healthcare professionals in the building and sometimes the only healthcare provider a student ever sees RNs help keep working parents at work by assessing treating monitoring and returning students to class when possible allowing working parents to miss Tess work which adds to the economy If 50 of the RNs are replaced by LPNs it would also affect our local nursing schools such as Medical Careers Institute MCI and Hampton University HU Currently nursing students at these institutions have clinical experiences with our RNs to help them complete their pediatric experience that is required by the Board of Nursing Children s Hospital of the Kings Daughters CHKD can only handle so many students these nursing schools yearly struggle to meet this requirement for the RN students An RN in training can only receive training from the same level of professional status or higher so to replace the RNs would greatly affect the clinical rotations available for these schools As previously stated the number of families with children with medical needs during the school day is increasing and our surrounding school systems are presently maintaining RNs in every school which is a desirable asset to prospective citizens looking to buy a home Citizens that do not have children in the School System do not realize the overall consequences that will come about due to the constant downsizing and the budget cuts in the School System When others move to the area they compare us to our surrounding
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communities and we want our School System to stand out above all others The School System is one of the largest employers in Hampton in the heart of the City Maintaining RNs help students to learn by providing safe and ready environments to help meet their medical needs in the educational environment and save lives when emergencies occur through their professional knowledge and skills they have obtained as licensed RNs in the Commonwealth We feel every student staff member and our families deserve to have an RN in every building and support the tax increase to invest in this City Thank you
Mayor Ward reminded those standing that there were available seats in the front if they wished to be seated
Ms Tonya Hutchinson 27 Lavender Trace President of the Hampton Education Association greeted those on the dais and made the following statement I am here tonight to speak in support of the budget requested by our School Board Since 2008 the School Board has made numerous budgetary cuts severely impacting our ability to nurture and provide basic elementary studies to students attending HCS Some of the cuts include school closures discontinuance of year round schools and mass reduction of HCS employees specifically teachers Additionally school employees who are residents bear the brunt of most of these cuts with no raises in four years slashing health benefits stipend reductions and money for afterschool programs The proposed budget merely keeps school employees making the same salary as this year With significant increases in healthcare costs for next year most school employees will end up taking home less pay than this year Some of the cuts that are on the table if the budget is not approved include conversion of fulltime kindergarten assistants to part time employees with no benefits loss of cafeteria monitors and crossing guard jobs high schools on a seven period schedule and an increase in classroom sizes If our School System continues in the downward spiral of the past four years then the best and brightest new teacher recruits for the upcoming years will think twice about coming to Hampton Military families will move to surrounding cities as opposed to this one The School System has done everything possible to limit the impact to our students however without increased funding for the current budget it is the students who will be negatively impacted We must remember the students are our future They are our future Mayors Councilmen lawyers doctors engineers and most importantly teachers Respectfully we request you support our motto Every student every day whatever it takes Thank you
Ms Elizabeth McCoury 4410 E Claiborne Square Executive Director of Coliseum Central Business Improvement District greeted those on the dais and made the following statement We represent 650 business and property owners in a 1900 acre area Importantly we represent 752 746 000 in commercial property Our Board fully supports the City Council continuing to invest in our City and we will support you in whatever you decide Thank you for your dedicated service I would also like to thank the City employees who interact with Coliseum Central on a daily basis They are incredibly dedicated and need to be rewarded Thank you
Ms Vivian Griese 1 Harris Landing Road greeted those on the dais and made the following statement I have been a resident of Hampton since 1990 I am also the Curriculum Leader for Fine Arts for HCS I urge the Council to take the brave step and invest in our City when it comes time to vote on the budget No one likes to raise taxes at any time but by investing in our City we create the kind of place that attracts new
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businesses and professionals who choose to call Hampton home Investing in infrastructure maintaining and expanding the visual attractiveness of our City recreation and parks is making a commitment to the future growth of Hampton It is equally as important to support and fund a quality education for our children This includes recognition that a vibrant and strong visual arts and performing arts program is vital to a healthy School Division It s narrow minded to think that the visual and performing arts are only for those students with artistic or musical talent The arts provide all students with the skills needed for 21st century jobs These include creative and divergent thinking working towards a common goal realizing that mistakes can sometimes lead to greater discoveries and the ability to work collaboratively It also allows us to express emotions and feelings when words fail us When reading about the most livable cities in the United States you will always find mention of art music recreation and quality schools So it is this kind of place we would like to see Hampton become So please vote to fully invest in our City Hampton and in our School Division when deliberating on the City Budget Thank you
Mr John Michael McCormick 105 Cumberland Avenue greeted those on the dais and those in the audience and made the following statement I am speaking about the budget specifically about the School System Budget and more specifically than that about the proposed seven block schedule I attend Phoebus High School among other places I also go to the New Horizons Governor School every morning and I go to Kecoughtan High School every other day so I can take classes that were not available at the times I could take them at Phoebus This would not be possible in the seven block schedule Simply put there would be no way in the 50 minutes a block allows to go from one school to the other Fifty minute blocks are not sufficient for full rigor and they limit our student s opportunities Because of the eight blocks I have been provided with every year so far I have been able to take a variety of courses I ve been able to take more Science than required more Math than required I ve been able to take Spanish language up to level five and I have been able to take a number of pre engineering courses These have all been very important to my education and very important to making me the person I am today High School is a variable thing and seven blocks a day are not sufficient to experience it There are many students in our high school with absolutely no idea what they want to do with their lives They have no idea what career they are interested in many of them don t know whether they want a career or if they want to continue their education Schedules that are often considered elective classes are often the core classes for many students If a student plans to become a professional chef English is not their core subject they would consider it to be culinary or a student might consider art classes to be his core It s based on personal things Electives would be cut by four total one every year This would be particularly impactful in the earlier years when electives such as gym are required thus seven blocks would limit students with zero or one depending on the rigor of their course load true electives electives they could pick out of any of the pot This would significantly limit the rigor and variability of the students and the courses they are able to take In addition the seven block scheduling each would only be fifty minutes Fifty minutes isn t long enough for a good lesson to sink in Students always lose time in transitions When every class starts and when every class ends they easily lose five minutes This would cut blocks down to forty minutes For many classes such as labs demonstrations or cooking classes or large movies the teacher wishes to show can t be effectively put into a short block or even large tests the teacher wishes to give can t be given all in one sitting This is why the seven block scheduling is unacceptable and I politely request that all of you vote on the tax increase and the subsequent available extra budget to the
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School Board to make the School System what it needs to be Thank you to the Council for listening to my statements and all of the teachers here who have helped me become who I am
Ms Pam Croom 109 Greenwell Drive President of the Hampton Council Parent Teacher Association PTA greeted those on the dais and made the following statement Tonight I speak on behalf of all 5 700 of our members We are concerned about the continuous trend of budget cuts on capital spending student services classrooms classroom teachers and aides Teachers are already under tremendous pressure to successfully educate all children in their schools Every day teachers build lesson plans that incorporate ever changing content that they must deliver in new ways They and their colleagues must deal with the dynamics of the classroom students who want attention those who need attention because they are struggling students who are gifted and seeking a faster learning pace then there are children whose struggles can become disruptive to the classroom environment as well as those who are barely hanging on only because they are working very hard just to keep up With class size increases or other forms of educational support such as aides pre k and special education services are cut back or eliminated educators have less time per student to recognize and address individual needs and learning styles It becomes more difficult to provide support to a child who is struggling Once a child starts falling behind it becomes harder and harder to catch up So there is a conflict between the demands we place on our educational system and our willingness or ability to pay for everything we require Are we headed towards or already at an educational crisis I m not willing to say that yet however I am ready to say that our educational system is cracking under the pressure of having to do more and more with less and less Schools are struggling to meet the requirements of well meaning legislators For the most part educators are doing their best to find the most efficient and cost effective methods for reaching the most possible children There are bright spots as our school district is helping teachers work differently with students and using new methods to reach the majority of children Change is happening At the same time no matter how our school district is coping with the new reality the roles that educators play and the roles by which the system functions no longer align with our old understandings In an era of change where less is the rallying cry of public officials and taxpayers alike how are we going to ensure our youths success We simply have to take a stand against further budget cuts for our schools Schools are institutions that teach our children so they can be more aware and prepared for the real world Education must be promoted and not restricted City Council it is imperative that you the governing body of Hampton show you value education and our youth These students are going to be the people holding jobs and contributing to our community We should invest in them because investing in them is investing in our future After all failure is not an option Thank you very much
Ms Dianne Congrove 28 Tiffany Lane greeted those on the dais and made the following statement I have 30 years of teaching experience 20 plus of that as a Reading Specialist in Hampton elementary schools I am here to ask you to support our School Division by supporting a tax rate adjustment I m especially concerned about the possibility of increased class sizes I know it sounds easy to just put a few more students in every class but I want you to understand the impact that adding those few kids is going to make for our youngest learners Unlike some subjects that can be taught and learned in groups of 1 25 or 1 30 in the upper grades quality reading instruction in our elementary schools happens in small groups 1 5 or 1 6 This allows each student plenty of attention from a teacher to master the slippery skills of reading
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and writing HCS has a research base model in place that requires all elementary age children to receive small group reading instruction daily ensuring Tots of those all important teacher touches Our day includes a four rotation during our reading block and that means the teacher meets with each student in a group of not more than six in a perfect classroom of 24 or less Hampton has provided each school with hundreds of books all in sets of six so we can match our students ability levels to print and maximize the teaching and learning during small group time The model cannot be done when class sizes are above 24 and a class of 30 as proposed should we not receive funding means some children would not receive small group instruction on some days There are not enough books there s not enough time for groups and more importantly there is not enough teacher touch for every child learning to read I know this is true because my kindergarten and fourth grade classes at Asbury Francis Asbury Elementary School this year have 27 and 28 students and we are struggling to meet these children s needs This same problem plagues our writing instruction Having individual writing conferences with each child is a must to ensure that they learn to express themselves in writing In a class of 24 each student gets a ten minute individualized conference every other week If there are more than 24 students the teacher time lessens and so does the child s time with the teacher The difference between teacher touches in a classroom of 20 and a classroom of 30 is monumental Each class receives 50 more touches in a classroom of 20 You must protect our teacher touch time We need to be able to promise our parents that their children s class sizes stay at 24 or less Please make sure that our schools receive the funding needed because quality reading and writing instruction depend on it and our students futures depend on being able to read and write Thank you
Ms Beverly Jo Satterfield 900 E Little Back River Road Apt 12 greeted those on the dais and made the following statement In Othello the Moor of Venice Shakespeare said education is a divided duty for it bounds us for life and education and my life and education both do learn me how to respect you I would greatly respect you more if you put money enough in the purse to invest in our most valuable assets our children and education According to the National Education Association NEA there are positive correlations between school funding taxes and economic growth and development In an analysis of 50 States across America the NEA concluded an investment in our children s education improves academic performance and achievement and has long and short term economic benefits on communities including growth and prosperity in the labor market higher property value and future economic viability The NEA also found when cities and municipalities increase school funding the number of jobs created is greater than jobs lost from raising taxes to support educational spending City Council is weighing heavily on our support to raise taxes increase tax rates and bolster taxing over taxed citizens of the City of Hampton while you squander and waste taxpayers money funding felonious cigarette sting operations building a parade of unwarranted homes and expanding Ye Old Masters Plan without building a new high school and pretending foreclosure of the Peninsula Town Center is a private business matter except foreclosure is not a private matter but a legal process The Poverty and Race Research Action Council states foreclosures affect schools and mobility rates and lowers test scores and academic performance Finally educational research including Science Technology Engineering and Math STEM Programs is a 30 billion a year industry Hampton University who you just gave away a building to that you could have used for a courthouse is one of 60 colleges and universities eating from the bowl of alphabet government grant soup The City of Hampton and HCS ought to figure out how we too
City of Hampton VA Page 11 of 20 Printed on 5 15 2013 City Council Meeting Minutes might eat feed and nourish from a bowl of soup de jour a s a p rather than eating us up in taxes Thank you
Mr Jason Young 12725 McManus Boulevard Suite 2E greeted those on the dais and made the following statement I think I might be the only one here tonight who is not here to speak about the School Budget I am here tonight to say thank you to the City of Hampton for your on going support of the Denbigh House and the services that we provide for persons with brain injury This is the 6th year that the City has supported the Denbigh House and suffice it to say our program would not be where it is without the City s support I wanted to provide you with a quick update on the program In 2012 we provided long term intensive services to 60 survivors of brain injury and as an agency we provided services to over 180 survivors last year Our comprehensive services assist survivors in a variety of ways from helping them to regain lost independence helping them return to work simply helping them remain living safely in our larger community The Denbigh house as you may or may not know is a State defined core safety net service for survivors of brain injury I really wanted to emphasize those words safety net Without access to our services some of the people we have would have to enter into a nursing home at a very young age because they wouldn t have the support services in place that they need to live in the community Many of the folks that we would serve would have little to do on a daily basis Some of the people that we would serve would be at risk for homelessness or face significant and immediate health and safety risks in the community One of the more challenging aspects we face in operating our services remains the incredible demand for them that we see and the waiting list that we see and the lack of funding streams out there to serve persons with brain injuries Right now there are over 3 000 City of Hampton residents who are living with a disability resulting from a brain injury Since our General Assembly delegation was in the audience earlier I wanted to throw out another what I think is a compelling figure Last year the Commonwealth spent around 1 900 per person annually on services for persons with intellectual disabilities In the same year last year they spent around 25 per person annually on services for persons with brain injury That right there is why our partnership with the City is so critical for our ongoing ability to provide services to a person with brain injury here in the City We remain extremely grateful for your support On behalf of our Board staff and the over 180 folks that we served last year I want to say thank you for the ongoing trust that you place in Denbigh House Thank you
Ms Genie Robinson 2009 Seward Drive greeted those on the dais and made the following statement I am a longtime citizen of Hampton I am a commissioner on Hampton s Citizens Unity Commission CUC and I love serving our City I am speaking in response to a recent letter to the editor of the Daily Press The writer was misinformed about the salary of our director Her salary is not 90 000 Our whole annual budget is only 125 000 This covers salaries for two staff people and the different events and programs that we support some of which are the International Children s Festival which just took place last week the annual Dr Martin Luther King Jr Day of Service the celebration of Black History Month the Thomas Nelson Community College Institute for Diversity and Inclusion our own Diversity College and our leadership academy The CUC has assisted with establishing similar diversity programs in Lake Charles Louisiana Williamsburg Virginia Beach and Winchester Virginia Chandler Arizona I don t know how they found out about us and Tompkins County Ithaca New York The misinformed writer stated that it is up to the pastors of our many churches to promote diversity There is not a very large percentage of people that go to church every Sunday All you have to do is look on the way to church It is not
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only up to our pastors to promote diversity it is up to the church the people to reach out to others in the community I will always remember my baptismal covenant which asks of me will you strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being Please help us live out our vision of Hampton thriving as a diverse community which celebrates supports and encourages positive people to people relations as a foundation for community success Thank you
Ms Teresa Schmidt 16 Edgewater Road greeted those on the dais and made the following statement I am here to express my views regarding the proposed budget specifically the real estate tax rate Thankfully as we have heard and read our economy seems to be showing positive signs of recovery Logically this seems to be the time to begin making bold and progressive steps to enhance our City but I ask that in doing so you use both consideration and caution Potential homebuyers are more aware than ever of the cost of purchasing a new home including the real estate taxes that go with it We want prospective homebuyers to be given every reason why they should choose Hampton for their home Along with homebuyers builders are more aware than ever of the cost to the City of each unsold piece of property Even in a good economy builders look at the real estate tax rate when deciding in which area to invest their dollars They know how stressful it can be to sit on a built but unsold home Finally look into all the citizens who are just putting their lives back in order after years of uncertainty let s give them the opportunity to invest in fixing up their own homes subsequently also investing in Hampton Although I agree that while we do need an increase in our real estate tax rate that you keep it slightly above what is necessary to maintain the current City services including the School Board Budget There are numerous considerations when approving a budget but I believe this one will contribute to a slow but steady and solid growth for our City Thank you and thank you for serving
Ms Shannon Horvath 16 Haywagon Trail greeted those on the dais and made the following statement I am 16 years old I am a high school student at Kecoughtan High School I am a sophomore I wanted to talk about the proposed budget Our teachers are already extremely underpaid for what they do I know lots of teachers that will stay until 10 00 at night grading our papers or they will give up their lunch hour to talk to a student who is having trouble With the budget cut that was proposed earlier for the school we would be having a seven block schedule 50 minutes each and I heard that we would be losing 36 teachers from our school district With the 36 teachers that we will be losing also comes a lot of emotional connections that students have I know if I lost some of the teachers at my school I don t know where I would be Also I heard electives are going to be cut I think they are one of the most important classes that we take because I have an idea of what I want to do but I m not sure yet I really want to take more electives to find out but with four electives gone from our year not only will it be harder for us to get an advanced diploma which colleges are looking for we won t really know what we want to do We are actually America s future Also with 50 minutes per block I feel like we will be in an assembly line going from class to class not really absorbing any of the information given to us I m a slow learner I will admit that It takes me a while to get things I thoroughly enjoy having an hour and 30 minutes to learn what is presented to me Also I run cross country I swim and dive I have Keyettes after school a lot I have a lot of homework I am an AP student and an honor student With seven homework assignments a night I don t see how next year I will be able to do any sports or extracurricular activities or get a job I m taking four AP classes next year I honestly do not see how I will be able to balance everything I just ask that you consider the budget that the school has proposed Thank you
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Mr Gene D Alessandro 51 Chowning Drive greeted those on the dais and made the following statement I am before you tonight with a very unique perspective One as a new homeowner and a new resident in Hampton City also as a teacher for HCS and finally as a parent When my wife and I decided to move here from New York we talked about it for several years We wanted to settle down in an area where we could raise a family One of our biggest concerns was the City s School System and whether or not it met our standards After many conversations and my mother in law convincing me to move down here and saying that the School Systems are great we took her word and we moved down here We purchased a home last summer and we are looking forward to raising our family down here Last night when I was preparing this speech and I questioned whether we had different information if we didn t think it was a good school system would we have moved down here The answer to that question would be no we wouldn t have Family is the most important thing to me and I m sure it s one of the most important things for a lot of people sitting in this room today We all want what is best for our children I also couldn t help but think about how many other people were thinking about the same exact thing thinking about moving to Hampton but didn t know whether or not it had a good School System I m assuming that we want those people to know that Hampton City Schools is a great place to raise their kids and this will only increase the amount of people the amount of business and the demand for housing This demand will also cause the value of properties to increase Even for people without children in the School System it seems like a win win to me I think we should invest in our schools and invest in the reputation of Hampton City Schools as a great place to live As a teacher I also have a very unique perspective The teachers administrators and leaders I have worked with are extremely talented and dedicated to their jobs with the goal of helping every student to succeed There are many people who think that teaching is just a 40 hour per week job Well most work if not more 50 hours and there are many that work 60 plus hours and even more This holds true for administrators and leaders in our district as well We are all trying our hardest to make a difference every day but our resources our energy and our enthusiasm cannot continue without your support This School District has great potential not only to be a good district but a great School District that our State as well as our country can look up to I think this is a possibility a possibility to invest in our schools so we can actually make this a reality As a parent I am very concerned about my children s education I want the best for them just like everyone else does I know the parents of my students feel the same way and that is why I try my hardest every single day My school principal is always talking about our non negotiable which is to treat our students as if they were our own and to work toward creating a school that we would want our own children to go to
Mayor Ward asked Mr D Alessandro to conclude his comments as his speaking time had expired
Mr D Alessandro continued his statement After the birth of my first child this took on a whole new meaning to me as I started to fully realize how a parent actually feels As mentioned earlier everyone in the room wants the best for their students and our children Investing in the future seems like a no brainer to me Invest in our schools so that we can invest in our future Thank you
Mr David Dietrich 139 Wilderness Road greeted those on dais and made the following statement There are a lot of cheerleaders here tonight and I seem to be a voice in the wilderness I am not here to support special interest but rather the public at large I have some statistics to share with you tonight The Federal budget since 2000 has more
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than doubled State budgets since that same year have nearly doubled Local government budgets have increased by more than 60 At the same time real median household income is down over 8 including this year over 1 at the beginning of the year Can you see the disconnect between our spending and our ability to pay Hampton s budget since 2007 has increased by 6 I love the word investment used by some of the people here for taking other people s money for your projects The City Manager and Superintendent want an increase of nearly 5 for next year s budget with scenario A including a 12 5 tax increase scenario B 14 4 and scenario C 22 Why do you think you deserve more money from the citizens of Hampton You don t offer a single option that mirrors the real world And that is that the people of Hampton are hurting and that you want to take more of their money Why do City and school officials need raises when taxpayers have less money We need to hear justification from City officials for their jobs and the functions that they have Using anatomy comparisons doesn t identify requirements No government should grow faster than its citizen s ability to pay You all so easily take other peoples hard earned wealth This is unsustainable and unacceptable Thank you very much
Mr Edwin Boone 48 Snow Street greeted those on the dais and made the following statement I want the public the homeowners to know that is what they are talking about a real estate increase I want you all to totally reject the budget increase I feel for the citizens of Hampton as far as living here with the tax increases They have their gang of four All they need is four out of seven votes I ve been getting involved for five years They don t listen to us they got their minds made up all they do is play the role and the four votes and it is ran through I m a product of the School System here I am one of the very first original ones here probably in the whole City not unless you are older than 58 From the first through the fourth grade I went to Robert R Moton From the fifth to the sixth grade when they had integration I went to Jane Bryan Elementary School then I went to Buckroe Junior High School then I went to Kecoughtan High School From Kecoughtan I went to Virginia State College and got a B S degree in Business Administration I went on scholarship and almost got straight A s I am one of the very first originals I worked a year at Langley and went to California for a year and I am back They say they want the citizens to come back well I am back I totally reject the increase in the taxes The money is squandered I mentioned recently about the two schools thirty five and thirty five they paid the guy 5 Million to supervise and the building was a year late That means you had two to three extra schools open an extra year and you got to pay the extra over cost which run close to 100 million The land in Buckroe was 1 8 million They sold it to some guy for 430 000 So there is a 1 430 000 drop You sold it to Bruce Smith for way lower than what his name was worth All they do is turn it over and sell it to somebody to make a big profit at the taxpayers expense Mary Bunting the City Manager I want to know how we got into the 13 million deficit in the first place No minority and women owned contractors are getting any of the work It is still close to zero percent Recently at the Purchasing and Procurement Oversight Committee PPOC Mr George Wallace sits on the board and he mentioned about the Harbor Square and all the extra land we got they tore that down he mentioned about Lincoln Park Minorities and women should get contracts The Housing Authority has nothing to do with City Hall The PPOC suggests to them My question to you Mr Wallace since I ve gotten involved five years ago how come it is still zero percent with the minorities and women getting contracts in the City of Hampton
Mayor Ward requested everyone to be respectful regardless of what opinions are being espoused at the microphone
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Mr Irvin Hall 88 Corbin Drive noted he was a teacher at Kecoughtan High School greeted those on the dais and the citizens noted that a previous speaker Shannon Horvath is one of his students and made the following statement I support the tax increase but carefully because I know how I feel when my money is being taxed and don t see where it is going Since I am an educator though this directly affects not only me it affects you and everybody else that has students in our public schools I am a career switcher so I am not a 30 year person If you are in business you would never ever cut your Research and Development R and D division because that is your future You will not be profitable if you tried to do it That is a no brainer It s not only the curriculum that we teach them but like Shannon said there are plenty of relationships We are mandated to put rigor in it but you also have to put relevance in the course work We need teachers and time to do those three effectively All students learn differently I am one of the ones that is on that front line that represents you as the City Council that represents my principal that represents the District leadership and it is difficult to tell the students we are going to have a budget cut and we won t be able to do as much when they are looking at me and saying why can t we Mr Hall We can t vote yet who is looking out for us I said well your parents are looking out for you We have an advocacy plan here in the City Your School Board leaders are looking out for you Your administrators downtown are looking out for you and I am looking out for you as much as I can I am happy to be here because I am glad that you are doing what you are doing It has to be difficult from where you sit It has to be It must be like being on the front of a freight train going as fast as you can It must be But please consider us and consider our future Thank you
Mr Sanford Pankin 7 Woods Lane greeted those on the dais and made the following statement I own the house at 7 Woods Lane I urge this body to look at a 4th option and not raise our real estate taxes one penny I want to read the following budget figures 2007 404 million 2008 435 million 2009 443 million 2010 434 million 2011 412 million 2012 428 million and 2013 431 million yet this year we could go as high as 451 million or a 5 increase First let me emphasize this is our money not the governments Every dime is money that we the citizens of Hampton cannot spend on anything else 20 million will be taken away from restaurants small businesses auto repair auto sales furniture shops etc My income has gone down 20 in my main job from 2008 yet you want to raise the City s income 10 from 2011 and nearly 15 from 2007 I did go to the budget meeting at Bethel High School Several items stood out Our schools lost 554 students yet we the citizens of Hampton have to make up nearly 2 million in lost aid from the State instead of cutting back teachers schools etc Debt service increases nearly 2 million this year with debt service of 33 million over 10 of the City s portion of the budget We were asked whether we wanted to disinvest in our City This budget had passed with the tax increase disinvest in our citizens We asked whether little items should be cut like tennis centers or libraries but there were no questions including increasing green fees at the Hamptons even though we subsidized 430 000 in the budget We are asking this budget to pay 150 000 for a compensation study yet we have 1 5 staff members for just looking at compensation 6 million goes for leisure services Our Parks and Recreation Department employs 90 people Our Capital Budget also needs to be looked at 1 75 million to demolish the Virginia School of the Deaf and Blind and 1 2 million for traffic signal updates yet I can t go on Mercury Boulevard to Coliseum Drive to come here without hitting three red lights Other items in the budget include 971 million to the Convention Center but a decrease in projected revenues of 921 000
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Mayor Ward asked Mr Pankin to conclude his comments as his speaking time had expired
Mr Pankin continued his statement I urge this Council to reject this tax increase and give the citizens of Hampton a budget we can afford Thank you
Mayor Ward noted that Mr Pankin was the last citizen who had signed up to speak and called for additional speakers from the audience There were four additional speakers
Mr Tony Casparriello 100 Wilderness Road Prior to making his statement Mr Casparriello commented that the School System deserves every penny they need and more He said education is the civil rights issue of this century there is no doubt about that He then made the following statement It is time to find solutions other than tax increases Here is what happens It s plain and simple You play scare tactics If you don t raise taxes we will not have crossing guards That s not fair to us We do not need these tax increases You were voted to find solutions Solutions are not raise taxes or kids walk a mile and a half to school That is not solutions Here is a couple right off the bat I asked the City Manager at the Kecoughtan briefing one of the line items was 133 000 for Bay Days and the Hampton Regatta I said does that make money or not The answer was We don t know we ve never studied it That is how budget decisions are made in this City I came back at the Hampton briefing and asked the same question We still don t know That is how money is spent in this City and that is how decisions are made There are things that we can do in this City Here is a couple Beatrice Nebraska 1862 that is where the Homestead Act started We have property in the City of Hampton that can be used We own property that can be given to people with stipulations on owning it improving it and paying taxes on it Here is another one Why do we not do public private partnerships Now there may be reasons why we can t put advertising on school buses I don t know but why not look at things that say we are going to sponsor a school bus and we will fill up the tank The fact is you do nothing to find solutions It s real simple You go with scare tactics Plain and simple If we don t raise taxes then guess what Your schools are going to go down We won t be able to do this That s not fair There are other options You re supposed to be the smart people You re why we vote for you It s not fair It s not fair to every person out here By the way if you raise taxes that is less money for teachers who buy supplies which is stupid to start with It is stupid for people to have to do that That is what will happen There is less money That is voluntary money that goes into the system Thank you
Mayor Ward reminded everyone to refrain from making comments while people are speaking
Mr Johnnie Carroll 3608 Victoria Boulevard greeted those on the dais and the citizens and made the following statement I am a citizen of this City At this time I must ask the question what resource is the most precious Gold silver platinum No It s our children These are future vessels in which we instill our hopes our dreams and yes our knowledge Yet when we close the doors to facilities to enrich our youths we break those vessels and therefore spill the witty containment of future hopes that are lost for eternity Every one of us within this chamber has been enriched in some way shape or form by an education Now we credit ourselves in Hampton of being a place where free education began If this is so then before we build a courthouse that would imprison our
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future let us beseech you let us be the people that make an investment in our future so they remain golden hopeful knowledgeable and yes free
Mr Ryan Fontes 1571 Briarfield Road greeted those on the dais and made the following statement I am here to complain about something that I have before which is something very near and dear to my heart which is history in the City I don t know if you guys ever realize but it is crazy to think of how many firsts happened here Where else in this country can you say that Blackbeard s head was put on a pole for people to look at and get grossed out Where else were astronauts Edgar Allen Poe George Washington some of the world s most famous people walked these grounds I think it is great how much history there is beneath us I don t have a washer and dryer at my house so the other day I had the lovely opportunity of doing my laundry at a Laundromat on Pembroke Avenue and there is a historic site called the Third Elizabeth City Parrish the predecessor of St Johns Not only are there some of the oldest legible graves ever in the United States here but there are some of the oldest legible Dr Pepper cans and Wendy s bags I ve seen tossed on the sides of the road I really urge this City to invest more in the history not only will it bring more tourism more tourists more money more enthusiasm from the citizens and its visitors but it is just a great thing Thank you guys for listening to me
Ms Gail Croom 504 Tappan Avenue greeted those on the dais and made the following statement What I would like to say is that all my children went to school here in Hampton They all graduated and went on to college I work for the State Prison System and I feel right now if we don t put money into our schools where it is really needed I see kids in there prison 15 years old that come from the City of Hampton Newport News all around We are getting more and more and we are going to be building more prisons instead of investing in our children s future I am a widow My income is limited but I really think we need this Thank you for letting me talk
Mayor Ward said Congressman Bobby Scott has something he says when he goes to events everything that needs to be said has been said but not everyone who needs to say it has said it She said we have gotten a full picture
Mayor Ward then called for additional speakers from the audience There being none she closed the Public Hearing She then explained that the purpose of tonight s meeting was to hold the Public Hearing and that no vote would be taken and no discussion would take place She announced that a second Public Hearing will be held on May 1 2013 at 7 00 p m after which the first vote will occur The second and final vote on the budget will occur on May 8 2013 She thanked everyone for their attendance and stated we are grateful to see so many people from the community in attendance this evening
HELD PUBLIC HEARING Teresa Seekins spoke in favor of keeping the Moton Early Childhood Center open
Eileen Adams Tonya Hutchinson Dianne Congrove Beverly Jo Satterfield Shannon Horvath Gene D Alessandro and Gail Croom spoke in favor of fully funding the budget for Hampton City Schools
Linda Lawrence spoke in favor of the budget which would allow keeping Registered Nurses in the schools
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Elizabeth McCoury Executive Director of the Coliseum Central Business Improvement District stated that their Board supports fully funding the City Manager s Recommended Budget
Vivian Griese spoke in favor of the arts in public schools and fully funding the budget for Hampton City Schools
John Michael McCormick spoke in support of funding Hampton City Schools to allow them to continue with an eight block schedule instead of a reduced schedule to seven blocks
Pam Croom President of the Hampton Federation of PTAs spoke in favor of fully funding the budget for Hampton City Schools
Jason Young thanked City Council for their support of the Denbigh House a facility serving individuals with brain injuries over the past six years
Genie Robinson a member of Hampton s Citizens Unity Commission spoke to correct an incorrect salary figure given in a recent letter to the Editor of the Daily Press She also spoke on the activities of the Citizens Unity Commission
Teresa Schmidt spoke on the real estate tax rate and urged care and caution as this is considered She agrees that an increase is needed but it should only be slightly above what is needed
David Dietrich spoke in opposition to continued increases in the City and School budgets
Edwin Boone spoke in opposition to the proposed budget
Irvin Hall spoke in favor of the tax increase but urged care and expressed the need to invest in the schools similarly to investing in research and development
Sanford Pankin asked that the real estate tax rate not be raised
Tony Casparriello urged Council to seek solutions that don t require tax increases
Johnnie Carroll stated that children are the most important resource and funds should be spent on the future
Ryan Fontes spoke about the importance of preserving Hampton s history
The meeting was adjourned at 8 20 p m
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Molly Joseph Ward Mayor
Katherine K Glass CMC Clerk of Council
Date approved by Council
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