Lynchburg City Council candidates take on school funding cuts

Editor’s note: Each Sunday and Thursday through May 1, The News & Advance will publish answers from City Council candidates to questions about issues ranging from taxes to schools to development.

To see other questions and answers in the series, go to http://www.newsadvance.com and type keyword: “council.”

The Question:

A proposal during this month’s city budget talks would have supplied funding for five new police officers and one new firefighter by making a corresponding reduction in funding to city schools, which have also been planning to add six new positions in the next fiscal year.

A minority of City Council supported this plan, while a majority came out against it. The council eventually decided to approve the single firefighter’s position through unspecified cuts to other budget areas. The request for new police officers was postponed for later years.

Explain whether you agree or disagree with the decision made. If you agree, specify why you feel it’s preferable to delay the hiring of additional police. If you disagree, specify why you feel the schools are best able to absorb the suggested loss of funding.

The Answers:

Mike Gillette, Ward I
“I believe that education is a core service, just like public safety. We put $32.4 million into schools, and a like amount into public safety ($16.8 million for police, $14.9 million for fire). I will not jeopardize our children’s future by reducing school funding. The police asked for 15 positions over three years, and we approved seven of them last year. We also approved a medic unit with five fire fighter positions. This year we reinstated the requested fire fighter position. We are on track to meeting our public safety needs, on the requested schedule, without sacrificing our educational system.”

Jim Martin, Ward I
“Budget issues always involve tough decisions. As a long-time businessman I am used to setting priorities and balancing income and expenses. The firefighter position involved basic public safety and needed to be funded to make sure our community has proper fire protection. As regards the additional police officers, I would point out that there have been recent additions to the police force, therefore I agree with the delay in hiring additional officers until we have a better idea of available revenue. The City budget should not be balanced simply by cutting the budget of the school system, our future.”

Tom Shahady, Ward I
“With all these proposals it is essential we consider good information. In a budget cycle I promise to unequivocally support education and public safety finding money to support requests. I disagree with current decision because we must specify cuts when we take action. Unspecified cuts only hide eventual council action. As a leader I will tell you directly my thinking on any budget decision. Consider environmental protection – we have one full time enforcement officer for the entire city! We need a budget that reflects our values as a community. Read more at http://www.tomshahady.com.”

Ceasor Johnson, Ward II
“I voted in favor of filling the firefighter position. I would never fund the police force at the expense of our School system. The city is in the process of hiring a new police chief. I voted to delay hiring new police officers until the new chief is hired and has time to evaluate the department and assess the needs. I have supported the police departments request over the last four years, as my voting record will show, and will continue to do so in the future. Public safety is one of the most important things we provide our community”

David Johnston, Ward II
“I do agree with the decision to delay any extra hiring. A tight budget is only one concern. The main reason to delay this is the coming change in leadership. Since we are getting a new chief soon, concentrate on that process first. Let that person settle in before making any major changes. They can then determine what the needs are based on their own leadership style. If it is still a need in the next budget then we can begin to plan accordingly.”

Jeff Helgeson, Ward III
“Both Schools and Public safety officials have asked for additional funding to hire 6 new employees. Our city population has grown by 4,000 people from 2000-2007, and rising 1,000 per year. School enrollments are down nearly 5% during the same time period, and declining an additional 3.3% next year. This is why I proposed hiring the 6 public safety employees instead of the 6 new school employees. This proposal would still provide an increase per pupil funding to public schools of 6.4% instead of the 6.8% requested. In today’s inflationary environment, that is more than a reasonable increase.”

Nat Marshall, Ward III
“I agree with the decision made. While public safety is important, public education is also. We must make wise use of our resources and set priorities. The education of our children should be our first priority. When there is a budget issue, we should not use education funds as a piggy bank. New developments will bring over a thousand housing units to the city. There has been a dip in enrollment, but do we wait until ours schools are busting at the seams to give them due attention? Pay for education now, or pay for unemployment, crime, and jails later.”

Turner Perrow, Ward IV
“This question strikes at the heart of our quality of life. Education is the backbone of our community and cannot be compromised, yet we jeopardize the safety of our citizens if first responders are not fully funded. It takes an experienced problem solver, with the ability to build consensus, to lead our community through these complex problems. As a small business person, I am accustomed to making these difficult decisions and stand prepared to develop solutions while on City Council. Join us at a Town Meeting today,  at Huntington Learning Center, Forest Hills Plaza from 2:00 to 4:00 pm! http://www.TurnerPerrow.com”

Marie Waller, Ward IV
“Securing the publics safety and ensuring excellent public education are essential city responsibilities. Both entities were asking for additional personnel in this tight budget season. The school was asking for support personal to better provide services for the government mandates. The police department needs more personal because of the increase population and services required. Rather than provide either one funds exclusively, I would suggest that each receive some funding for needed personal. Each department will then decide how to best allocate the funds. I would encourage compromise about sharing funding for needed positions.”