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The 434 Newsletter
Keeping You Informed
Highlighting Ocotber 2021
From Chris Faraldi
Ward IV Representative, Lynchburg City Council
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The Rundown
Brief Updates
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- Let's Win With Glenn
- $50 million Unassigned Fund Balance
- City Council Elections
- Zoning Updates
- Fighting to keep Lynchburg whole
- We Are Failing Our Students
- Draft 2022 Legislative Agenda
- & More
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Costs cut for Virginians, communities kept safe, reinvigorated job growth, excellence restored in education, and government made to work for you - ALL on day one.
That's what Glenn Youngkin will do as governor. That's what Lynchburg needs. It's why I'm behind him. On Tuesday, let's hire him to do just that. #WinWithGlenn
I'll see you at the polls.
www.youngkinforgovernor.com/game-plan
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$50 Million Unassigned Fund Balance
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I spoke with The Morning Jam on VTRN and discussed the $50 million Unassigned Fund Balance which was $27 million off of the initial projection, my observations about where we are, and how this confirms what three members of council said all along - this budget could have incorporated better policies.
For me, I have been considering what accountability looks like, and am thinking of some options. A total of $27 million was not projected and placed into the fund balance. No question, as many taxes as possible should go back to you all, but I know these dollars are likely to be spent by Council. If so, I will do my best to try to find solutions that cut costs for you.
- Rebate of the property tax rate increase ($5.5 million)?
- $8 million placed in a lockbox of sorts until next year to see if trends continue, with the purpose of using it for compression adjustments in key departments to help hire more public works folks, law enforcement, dispatch, EMS personnel, etc?
- $10 million for infrastructure needs that could alleviate your up-front costs for sewer connections etc?
- Leaving ~$4.5 million to maybe cut the $10 monthly trash fee for the next few years, which was also planned to spike to $25 per month by 2025 or so?
To be clear, I don't even know where I would stand on some of these options, but they should be considered. If you have ideas, please respond and share them with me.
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Council Elections
On Tuesday, Council voted 5-2 instructing staff to draft language for the City to pursue a Charter amendment through the General Assembly moving City Council election cycles off of Federal ones.
Some of my colleagues have a belief local elections should not be diluted or influenced by federal politics. I understand and respect this notion; however, this is in conflict with the legislation passed in Richmond that specifically intended for these elections to be joined.
Fundamentally, I don't believe a personal philosophy of individual preference should dictate election cycles, especially one of an elected official. In this case, I am persuaded the philosophy or preference of one should not outweigh another simply enough votes are present to justify an outcome. If the shoe was on the other foot, and other philosophies adopted, would that then be the justified course of action? Still, I would say, "no."
To summarize, my preference, as your representative, should not dictate to you when elections are.
We should also be mindful of how such a move would result in significantly lower turnout, particularly for the At-Large seats, as they would align with the years only the House of Delegates are on the ballot (in some cases, just as low participation as the May elections).
As such, it is wrong in my mind to act on the motion proposed at this meeting.
A final vote on the language will be considered once a public hearing on the matter has been facilitated. I encourage you to plan on coming out and sharing your thoughts.
The public hearing will be on November 9th, at 7:30 pm at City Hall.
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My observations and oppositional thoughts to moving elections.
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How Can I Get Involved?
Will you sign-up to automatically contribute just $5 a month to assist with promoting and advancing the conservative platform (continuing this newsletter, digital marketing for issues before Council etc.) within the City? A commitment of $5 a month over the course of a four-year term comes out to over $250, putting the conservative platform in a strong position to be successful.
Join us, today.
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Fighting To Keep Lynchburg Whole
I took some time this morning to offer public comment before the Virginia Redistricting Commission as they are considering a congressional map that splits our city.
My message - keep Lynchburg whole.
While the commission again failed to meet their deadline to submit maps for legislative approval, it was so important to advocate for our city to be unified in on congressional seat. And thankfully, later draft maps had all of the Hill City together.
Now, because of the failure of the commission, the maps will be left to the courts and we have to wait and see how they draw things. Even still, this was a major victory for our community and I was honored to lead the charge.
Here is an article highlighting my advocacy.
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My Public Comment
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Other Updates
- Council adopted the following Resolutions:
- R-21-072 amending the FY 2021 Operating Budget and appropriating funds to reflect the FY 2021 Fourth Quarter Adjustments.
- R-21-073 amending the FY 2022 Operating Budget and Capital Budgets and appropriating or rescinding funds to reflect the FY 2022 First Quarter Adjustments.
- R-21-078 amending FY 2022 City/Federal/State Aid Fund budget and appropriating $15,300 to purchase laptops carried on EMS apparatus for the Fire Department.
- R-21-079 amending FY 2022 City/Federal/State Aid Fund budget and appropriating $26,250 to facilitate speed enforcement activities.
- R-21-080 amending FY 2022 City/Federal/State Aid Fund budget and appropriating $58,785 to facilitate selective enforcement activities, equipment, and training.
- Council adopted the following Ordinances:
- 0-21-075, approving a right-of-way vacation for Manassas Street.
- 0-21-076, approving a right-of-way vacation for Poindexter Street.
- The Mayor made the following proclamations:
- October 2021 - Domestic Violence Awareness Month
- October 13th-17th - Police Week
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Draft 2022 Legislative Agenda
Council's draft 2022 Legislative Agenda has a lot of things going for it.
➡ Emergency Custody Order/Temporary Detention Order legislation revisions
I concur with this item being at the top of the list. Listen to my conversation with the Chief about how this particular law is a major barrier for police departments to be out in the community.
➡ Transportation Funding
We need to ensure the state is doing its role in assisting localities like ours in transportation improvements. I even asked for more "spicy" language, asking Richmond to remember the rest of the state, not just NoVA or the beach.
➡ Fire Department parity funding
This is a no-brainer in my mind. The state funds local police departments and sheriff's offices to a degree, and parity here is a good idea.
➡ Reclassification of Public Safety Telecommunicators as public safety first responders
Doing so will greatly aid recruitment and retention for 911 dispatchers.
➡ Requests for revisions to funding formulae for public safety agencies
With more and more unfunded mandates from Richmond taking resources away from local agencies, they need to revise how they assist us in keeping our departments up to snuff.
➡ Revisions to various water quality and environmental protection provisions
Believe it or not, some of these regulations can cost the taxpayer millions. So whatever stance we can take on this matter is good.
Not bad, right?
Yet, my main issue with this document is the inclusion of the request for a Charter Change that would move our elections. I disagree with this proposal, as you know, and had some requests on the way this would be marketed in this document.
You can review the draft online and it will be voted on in December. https://www.lynchburgva.gov/
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Follow me on my Facebook and Twitter Page
to continue to stay informed.
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We Are Failing Our Students
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We are failing these young people and have to change course. I commit to advocating for solutions that directly combat these discouraging numbers.
Grades 3-5: 56% of students are below level in Math, 43% below in Reading.
Grades 6-8: 65% of students are below level in Math, 32% in Reading.
You should be informed on this article.
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I had great fun playing for the Lynchburg Hillcats against the Salem Red Sox in the 460 Community Battle, raising money for the Lynchburg Humane Society! #ClawsUp
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Thank you for the opportunity to serve you on Lynchburg City Council as the representative from Ward IV.
Best,
Chris Faraldi, M.A.
Ward IV Representative
Lynchburg City Council
www.ChrisFaraldi.com
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