Lynchburg hosts budget public hearing

Level taxes, school funding and the downtown library were among the top issues Tuesday during a public hearing on the city budget.

About 30 people spoke for two hours on topics ranging from real estate assessments to public transit to local parks.

Ten people asked City Council to lower the real estate tax rate in light of the recent reassessment, which raised overall property values citywide by 5 percent.

Lynchburg’s budget proposal calls for keeping the tax rate static at $1.05 per every $100 of assessed value. The equalized rate — the rate at which the city’s revenue would remain the same — is $0.998.

“(At $0.99) I wouldn’t pay any more, I wouldn’t pay any less. I think that’s fair,” said homeowner Steve Troxel, noting his personal income has declined.

Troxel added he enjoys living in Lynchburg and wishes to remain in the city, “but I have to be able to afford it to do that. Right now, if taxes go up 5 percent, that’s going to be a problem.”

Several people suggested the city could offset the lowered tax rate by delaying further work in areas like downtown revitalization.

Multiple people spoke in support of the downtown library, which City Council is considering closing. Speakers said shuttering the downtown branch would negatively impact thousands of people, including families and low-income residents.

The repercussions of closing the library, they argued, would far outweigh the expected savings of $81,000 a year.

“Please don’t let short-term volatility impact this important, long-term investment in Lynchburg,” said Margie Lippard, a member of the Friends of the Library group.

Several people also advocated Tuesday for the school system, which requested level support from the city. Some council members have alluded to the possibility of cutting the school budget during recent meetings.

“Our children are everything to our future,” said substitute teacher and mother of two Sarah Brasher. “… I think I’ve seen both sides of our schools now, as a teacher and a parent, and I’m so glad because it’s important to see what goes on behind the scenes at our schools and see how teachers really put their heart and soul into what they’re doing.”

A few people suggested the schools should take a cut in light of the budget crisis.

“What makes the school system so special? Why hasn’t the school administration taken a pay cut like other places?” asked Carole Van Blaricam.

Some speakers expressed support for Ivy Creek Park, a new site the Parks & Recreation Department hopes to begin building later this year. The project’s budget of $2.8 million has been placed on a list of possible cuts by council.

Several people also asked the city to retain the school crossing guards, positions that are slated for elimination under the budget proposal.

Gwendolyn Carter, the crossing guard for R.S. Payne Elementary School, says she has to shepherd children as young as pre-kindergarten across the street in a high-traffic neighborhood.

“This involves our children. We have to keep them safe,” she said, adding the savings accrued by cutting the city’s two part-time crossing guards wouldn’t make or break the budget.

City Council members held no budget deliberations of their own Tuesday. Their next budget session is scheduled for 1 p.m. April 7 at City Hall, 900 Church St.