City Council on Tuesday night voted to adopt a budget that includes additional crime reduction initiatives, invests more money in public schools and continues projects designed to grow Danville.
In addition to costs associated with the City Council focus areas, the proposed budget maintains municipal services remain at current levels and sets aside funds for employee raises and increases in employee health insurance, employee retirement contributions and medical supplies for inmates at the City Jail.
The budget will serve as a framework for city operations for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1 and continues through June 30, 2018.
The budget includes increases in the real estate tax rate, personal property tax rate and lodging tax as follows:
- 7 cents in the real estate tax rate, from 73 cents to 80 cents per $100 in value.
- 50 cents in the personal property tax rate, from $3 to $3.50 per $100 in value.
- A one percentage-point increase in the hotel/motel lodging tax from 6 percent to 7 percent.
The increase in the real estate tax rate is the first since fiscal year 2003. The current tax rate of 73 cents is second only to Williamsburg for cities and 33 cents lower than the state average. Under the new 80-cent rate, a homeowner with a house valued at $75,000 will pay an additional $52.50 per year or $4.38 per month
In addition to adopting the budget Tuesday night, City Council voted to:
- Add smart programmable thermostats and high efficiency natural gas furnaces to the Homesave energy efficiency program.
- Authorize American Municipal Power to manage the revenue meter at the City’s Schoolfield hydro facility.
- Re-appoint Stephen Daniel as member of the Airport Commission.
- Appoint Sheila Baynes as a member of the Danville Community College Board.
- Re-appoint Tammy Warren and appoint Demetrius Crews, Sandy L. Irby and Cynthia Robotti as members of the Danville Community Policy and Management Team.
- Re-appoint the Rev. Rufus Fuller as a member of the Danville Pittsylvania Community Services Board.
- Re-appoint Vanessa Cain and appoint Helms Dobbins and Sheila Williamson-Branch as members of the Danville Utility Commission.
- Appoint Larry Toomer as a member of the Danville Redevelopment and Housing Authority.
- Appoint Jessica Griffith and Tyquan Graves as members of the Social Services Advisory Board.
- Appoint Jessica Griffith as a member of the Southern Area Agency on Aging.
- Re-appoint Alexis Ehrhardt as a member of the Transportation Advisory Board.
River City TV airs live all Council business sessions. The first rebroadcast will be at 8 p.m. Thursday. Watch it on cable (Comcast channel 10 and Gamewood channel 122). The taped broadcast is available now on River City TV’s Facebook page.
