3/9/2011 Leesburg Town Budget FY 2012 cuts m…

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Leesburg Town Budget FY 2012 cuts major programming for the

community
Tue sda y, Mar. 8 by Laura Pe te rs | 14 com m e nts | Em ail this story

Town Manager John Wells addressed Leesburg Town Council with the proposed fiscal 2012 and
2013 budgets during a March 8 meeting that, if approved, will cut many jobs, community-
based organizations and programming.

The proposed budgets, including capital projects for fiscal 2012 would be $83.8 million; for fiscal
2013 it would be $94 million.

To balance those budgets, town council members must make $1.8 million in reductions.

The plan has three goals: to make a long term budget sustainable, minimize service impact on
residents and position the town for future success, Wells said.

In order to close the gaps in the budget, there will be revenue adjustments to restructure the
debt; which includes cutting many volunteer funding and community programming, along with
reducing the Town of Leesburg’s finance, town manager’s office, human resources and
information technology departments.

The R.O.C.K. program would be reduced to a summer only program, and the Thomas Balch
Library would cut staff and hours of operation along with Ida Lee Park and Recreation Center’s
cutting hours of operation.
Most Popular in News
“I think this sucks. I think we could have done a better job. I think there are things that could Sunday, Mar. 6 | 13782 vie ws
have been done differently. I’m not happy that we’re dropping support to all community-based Update: T h ree of fiv e v olunteer
organizations and we’re looking at R.O.C.K., Balch Library and Ida Lee, all things that residents firefighters resign after ‘late night
use,” Town Council Member Marty Martinez said. joy ride’ in fire truck
Frida y, Mar. 4 | 11403 vie ws
To keep a budget sustainable for the future, Wells proposed a multi-year operational budget, Police say m an jum ped from county
with a six-year capital improvements program and taxpayer affordability. parking garage, confirm suicide
Frida y, Mar. 4 | 4628 vie ws
Wells also said that this budget is a “likely budget scenario rather than worst case.” T ribby pleads guilty to stealing from
clients
“These are my recommendations to you so we can successfully move forward. This budget will
Thursday, Mar. 3 | 4621 vie ws
deal with a lot of sacrifice. But it’s an honest business approach to reach a long-term budget Leesbu rg m an sh eds m ore than 200
sustainability,” Wells said. pounds

Other deferred projects include Phases I and II of the Tuscarora Creek Trail, Morven Park Road W e dne sday, Mar. 2 | 4042 vie ws
Leesbu rg wom an dies in car crash in
sidewalk, a town branch at Mosby Drive, Phase II of the Downtown Improvements Plan, and
Fairfax
Town branch improvements.

“This budget stinks. I can’t say in full honesty that I look forward in going forward with this. I
know it was a very rough process for staff,” Town Council Member David Butler said.
Stay
Some new initiatives include permanent vehicle decals and recommending automation of the Connected
downtown Leesburg parking garage and extending it to paid parking to nights and weekends.
The budget also proposes the use of contractual services to address selected service demands,
enhanced revenue collection efforts, put in place a new vehicle replacement program, and have
workforce investments.
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“I will say as a council member that I sincerely appreciate a plan that doesn’t bring a tax on Twitter
Ne ws | Spo rts
increase,” Katie Sheldon Hammler, Town Council Member said. “I see some tremendous
benefits, like revenue collection.”

The Leesburg Airport fund will face financial reductions in operations and staffing, and
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3/9/2011 Leesburg Town Budget FY 2012 cuts m…
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significant reductions to staff resources from the Town manager’s office and other departments. on Facebook
The utilities fund will also face a long term rate structure to ensure system stability as the town Ne ws | Spo rts
approaches build-out, and will be replacing the retiring director.

For future budget meetings there will be a 9:30 a.m. budget work session March 15. There will
be a budget public hearing at 7:30 p.m. March 22 at Leesburg Town Hall. The final mark up of
the budget will be on April 11 and the Town Council will vote on the tax rate and budget on April Subscribe
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Comments

W e d, Mar 09 at 11:19 AM by A LeesburgResident: Join Our

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The fence that the Dodona Manor Foundation wants to build is an eyesore!

W e d, Mar 09 at 11:09 AM by CitizenConcerned:

I wonder how much money the Town has spent over the last seven years on a
fence application at Dodona Manor? Y es, seven years, over a fence. How much
zoning staff time? How much Town lawyer time? How much Town Council
time? How much BAR Time? The Loudoun Tim e s-Mirror

The Town needs to look at more than just staff cuts. They need to look at their
cumbersome and onerous policies and processes for a place to find financial is an inte ractive , digital re plica
savings. of the printe d ne wspape r.
Open the e-edition now.
Oh, about the fence project - it is still not decided. Do I hear eight years? Ten
Y ears? Is Wolf Furniture waiting to see if the Town can sort out a fence
Vie w our othe r print publications available online .
application before they revisit Leesburg as a location for one of their fine
furniture stores?

Come on Town of Leesburg. Get serious about fixing what is wrong.

W e d, Mar 09 at 11:06 AM by Leesburg Citizen: W e e k ly He llo Loudoun Bridal Guide

Hom e s Guide C ounty 2010-11 2011

What the article fails to mention is that the positions Wells wants to eliminate
will all get 6 MONTHS of paid severence! Why are town employees getting paid
for SIX MONTHS for nothing??
He alth and Sum m e r 2010 Taste
Be auty 2011 C am ps 2011 of Loudoun
W e d, Mar 09 at 10:14 AM by A LeesburgResident:

If an off duty Leesburg Police Officer was involved in the Fire Truck Joy Ride,
he should be fired, period in of statement! We are still angry about the idiot
Leesburg Police Officer that gave my son a speeding ticket for doing 26 mph in a 2010 C om ing C om ing
25 mph zone. Lucky for us his attorney made a fool of the officer in open court. Hom e & Garde n Soon Soon

W e d, Mar 09 at 09:51 AM by Town Resident:

Marty Martinez is the ultimate spend and tax liberal and it is nice that he is
finally putting it our there for all to see. Mr. Wells has done the Council a favor
by putting together a realistic budget that thinks ling term. They need to heed his
advice and ignore the Martinez mode of taxing their citizens into oblivion. It will
be interesting to see if they can cobble enough votes to pass a budget that keeps
the taxpayers in mind versus the freebie handouts.

W e d, Mar 09 at 09:14 AM by t:

Leesburg police are a joke. Need to have county in there. Instead of getting rid
of the illegal crime, they give tickets to people with load music. F——-ing dicks
and discrace to the community.

W e d, Mar 09 at 08:56 AM by just saying:

Common Sense - fyi there was one off duty Leesburg Police Officer involved in
the fire truck joyride. He has been suspended. With that said I don’t think that

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3/9/2011 Leesburg Town Budget FY 2012 cuts m…
has anything to do with the budget.

W e d, Mar 09 at 08:55 AM by zzzzzz:

So remind me again why we are trying to buy a house in Country Club to make
a private access road to a small group of houses with the total cost of the project
being in excess of 500K? Let’s get real—- if you don’t want a tax increase you
need to cut the waste and this is just one example of waste.

@Town Resident—-whether or not an off-duty police officer was involved with

the drunk FIREFIGHTER escapade has nothing to do with this budget. Y ou
have off time from your job—-should your position (not you personally) be cut
because you screwed up in your private life? Go ahead and do whatever to the
off-duty cop, but don’t cut the position. Big difference.

W e d, Mar 09 at 08:42 AM by Common Sense:

DUH! ‘Town Resident’, that was the Fire Dept., not the Police Dept., and the four
MORONS who drunkenly took the firetruck were VOLUNTEERS, not paid
employees.

W e d, Mar 09 at 08:24 AM by Town Resident:

We should be making cuts to the police department! We are obviously paying

them enough money to go out on nights off, purchase alcohol for minors and
then go joy riding in stolen fire trucks. Way to go Leesburg Police Department !

W e d, Mar 09 at 07:26 AM by We're from the Govt and we're here to help you:

To quote Council Member Martinez, it does “suck.” They should cut more…...
When will people understand. We’re broke and can’t continue to spend our way
to prosperity.

W e d, Mar 09 at 06:17 AM by Catherine:

The first thing that they should be doing is cutting all downtown improvement
projects. This is a total waste of taxpayer dollars, budgetted at $7 million. Fund
the worthwhile projects with that money that people will actually use, such as
Balch and Ida Lee.

W e d, Mar 09 at 02:12 AM by Michael:

paid parking on weekends and evenings? Get real and look around at towns that
have turned into successes you fools, they have done away with paid parking
garages and instead made money for the town on increases in sales to the local
businesses because people will come to “our town” and park for free. Seriously,
do they drink to excess at these meetings or what?

W e d, Mar 09 at 12:16 AM by Common Sense Spending:

It is amazing that the government is allowed to call it “Cuts” or “Re-

allignment”. What that means is.. The government paid a contractor to
investigate where they have been WASTING money. I do not CUT spending
money from my wallet… I reduce wasteful spending. If they can continue to
function after “Cuts” then they were obviously wasting the money prior to
figuring out that they could manage without the BS they had before. Properly
MANAGE the money now, so you do not run out before fiscal year is up.
IDIOTS, and we continue to vote them in.

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