http://www.fburgnews.com Fredericksburg's Community News Blog Sat, 31 Jul 2010 02:42:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 http://questeverything.blogspot.com/2010/07/courts-publics-role.html http://questeverything.blogspot.com/2010/07/courts-publics-role.html#comments Sat, 31 Jul 2010 02:17:00 +0000 Matt Kelly tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967431791857941720.post-7961957518677755561 http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2010/072010/07302010/564970 a work session on the proposal is being scheduled for the end of August. I have lost count of the number of work sessions and meetings Council has had on the courts issue.

What I do know is that to date the residents of Fredericksburg, who will ultimately have to foot the bill for whatever option is decided upon, has not been given a forum in which to express their thoughts on the project. Nor has the impact of this project on the City been adequately explained.

When the City embarked on another large capital project--the construction of two new schools--Council went to great lengths to explain to the public the need for the schools, the cost to city taxpayers, and the impact on future budgets and capital projects. They also sought public input.

This has not happened in the case of the courts project in part because a majority on the Council feel we are mandated to build new facilities by the local judiciary. I have posted links to previous blog posts on the subject of the courts project which shows that this is not the case. Also for the past year a moratorium has been in place against any court action. A moratorium Council refused to support.

But even if we were to accept the view that we are facing a court order does that justify not explaining to the public the impact this project will have on their tax rates, city services, schools, and other capital projects? Should city residents not have an opportunity to get answers to their questions and concerns? And should they not have the opportunity to voice their opinions on whether the city should move forward at the current pace?

At the Council meeting of November 24, 2009 Resolution 09-118, Approving a Concept for Courthouse Development and Authorizing the City Manager to Initiate Various Pre-Development Activities (D09-612), was discussed. It was to set the City timeline on moving the downtown fire station and using the existing site for a court complex.

I moved to defer taking action on the resolution until which time, "Council address the following with the public: financing, impact on operating budget and what the City can and cannot do with the courts project." The motion was seconded by Councilman Ellis but was defeated 4-2 with the Vice Mayor being absent. I voted against the resolution which passed on a 5-1 vote.

After the vote members of Council stated that the public would have opportunities to provide public comment as the process continued such as when funds were voted on and when plans were brought forward for approval. But what about a presentation to the public explaining the impact of the project on the city and residents?

Before another vote is taken by City Council on the courts project a public hearing and presentation should be made to explain the project's impact on the tax rate, its impact on future capital projects, additional operating costs, and its impact on other city services such as public safety and schools.

Also, those members of City Council who support moving the courts project forward need to explain why they support this project. If they believe the project is being forced on the city provide specifics as to why that is the case. What are the benefits to city residents in moving this project forward now?

Some members of Council have stated that moving forward on the courts is a, "moral obligation." They need to explain how this obligation compares to the city's obligations to schools, public safety, city services and other city needs.

City residents are facing significant tax increases during a major downturn in the economy. They should expect to have the opportunity to get answers to their questions and concerns in an open forum. Council members need to provide a detailed explanation on the long term costs of the project to the city, and their reasons for moving this project forward at this time.

How do you view the process Council has taken in moving the court project forward?

]]> http://questeverything.blogspot.com/2010/07/courts-publics-role.html/feed/ 0 http://fburg-weather.blogspot.com/2010/07/why-did-we-have-so-much-snow-last.html http://fburg-weather.blogspot.com/2010/07/why-did-we-have-so-much-snow-last.html#comments Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:57:00 +0000 Chris White tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-999090659992690769.post-6716921527460769857 article provides a pretty clear explanation of the unusual link between El Nino and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) that caused the tremendous snows in our area this past winter.  The last time the NAO was similar to this past winter was 1995-96, which was also a snowy winter for the Mid-Atlantic, but the depth of this past winter's snow was enhanced by the extra moisture that El Nino pumped into our region. 

]]> http://fburg-weather.blogspot.com/2010/07/why-did-we-have-so-much-snow-last.html/feed/ 0 http://stormsrus.blogspot.com/2010/07/still-waiting.html http://stormsrus.blogspot.com/2010/07/still-waiting.html#comments Thu, 29 Jul 2010 23:22:00 +0000 Chris White tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945108.post-7852434806293631604

I did manage to "chase" this afternoon in King George county, seeing only heavy rain and some lightning.  I mainly enjoyed the vistas I was blessed enough to witness, including a southern view of two separate cells with a rain free base between them over the Rappahannock River valley:

Turning around to the north I watched as an outflow boundary from a cell over the Potomac River snaked its way toward me, made visible by a ragged roll cloud that clearly exhibited upward movement along its leading edge and downward motion along the trailing edge:

As this feature passed over me a breeze cooled me down as I waited for the boundary to interact with the cells to the south.  I thought I saw the beginnings of a lowering but the storms were well on their way eastward at that point.
I headed home to check radar and promptly scooted out the driveway again to check out a local cell that was passing just to our north.  It appeared to show a lowering from a rain free base back of the rain shaft, but nothing clearly jumped out at me:

All in all I enjoyed this afternoon's storms, but nothing that I saw gave evidence to the severe TS watch we were under.

]]> http://stormsrus.blogspot.com/2010/07/still-waiting.html/feed/ 0