Using the Auditor of Public Accounts Reports again and focusing on the time frame from fiscal years 1996 thru 2009….
- Revenue from local taxes and fees increased by 120.06%
- Expenditures increased by 120.32% Read the rest of this entry »
Tag Archives: town
Some Useful Christiansburg Budget Information for Citizens. Town Council Already Knows This.
Should Christiansburg Town Manager have a 3-Year Contract?
Town Manager Contract Survey: It is not just about the contract, but also about the timing where outgoing elected officials are pushing to make the decision now rather than to wait for newly elected officials to take office. The people spoke, quite loudly in the last election, as to who they trust with making such decision. Now, there is an end-run going on to try to push through this contract with the Town Manager without the chosen representatives of the people having a voice. For those who voted for Cord Hall, this means the current Council is changing a decades old pattern in order to exert the last bit of control. Read the rest of this entry »
Where did the Town Manager Contract Come From? Maybe here?
In case you haven’t heard, the most recent (of many) hot button issues in Christiansburg, VA has to do with a sudden push to get a contract in place for the Town Manager before the newly elected officials of the Town take office in September. It is at that same meeting that, historically, the Council has decided whether or not to enter into another 1 year verbal contract with the Town Manager for his services. Not only has the timing changed, it has now become important to make sure that it is in writing and for a time frame roughly 3 times longer than in previous contracts for that same position. (See these two Roanoke Times articles for further information and ‘the’ sample contract here.) Read the rest of this entry »
Christiansburg a Certified Crime Prevention Community. What’s that mean?
Well, the first stop to answering that question should be this website: http://www.dcjs.virginia.gov/cple/cpc/ccpcp.cfm (Where you will find, at the bottom of the page, that the “City” of Christiansburg … hmmm…. is one of 14 such certified jurisdictions within the State of Virginia. The website also notes that the “City of Christiansburg’s application is in progress at this time. The webpage was last reviewed on June 14, 2010.) Read the rest of this entry »
FOIA and Guesswork about Town Council Meeting
While there were a lot of unusual things occurring at the last Christiansburg Town Council Meeting (open discussion, raising of issues, asking questions, paring the budget), there was one event during the last few minutes that captured my attention because it revolved around my personal pet peeve, FOIA (Freedom of Information Act).
During the last few minutes, an event occurred which has not been seen in Christiansburg Council Chamber in decades (if not in forever). Read the rest of this entry »
Information Sources for the Budget-wise People.
The Auditor of Public Accounts provides the citizens of Virginia with a way to see what is happening financially, with their specific County, City or Town.
On a website entitled “Commonwealth Data Point: Transparency at Work in Virginia” you can find information about expenses and revenue at the State-wide level or by jurisdiction. For instance, by clicking on the Local Government tab at the top, you get a drop-down menu that allows you to choose from “Expenditures”, “Revenues”, or “Local Comparison Analysis”. Read the rest of this entry »
Easier to use copy of the Christiansburg Town Charter, but be warned things are not what they seem.
I took the existing copy of the Town Charter, inserted a copy of the Governor’s markup for the section changing the vote to November, then setup bookmarks for the pdf that match the table of contents. Well, it sorta matches the table of contents. There are a few places where the Town’s table of contents for the charter doesn’t match what is actually in the charter. Read the rest of this entry »
Christiansburg Town Council: Spending YOUR money before they get it.
Revisiting a re-visitation of the Meals Tax increase is on the agenda on the Tuesday, June 8th, Special Meeting of the Christiansburg Town Council. Rather than go through all the gory (although sickly humorous) details of why this is necessary, read the editorial at the Roanoke Times.com: Editorial: Christiansburg’s budget shenanigans. You can always watch the video at MyVAResources.com’s Videos of Public Meetings page, Part 5 on the 6/1/10 Town Council Meeting is the key element. On another note in the same sad song: Read the rest of this entry »
From the Eyes of the Future of Christiansburg
On June 2, 2009, at the Christiansburg Town Council Meeting, a presentation was done by the Christiansburg High School Photography Club. This group had volunteered to generate photographs of Christiansburg for use on the new town website. Unfortunately, these photos have not been displayed on the Town’s website as promised. Read the rest of this entry »
Source of revenue for the Town of Christiansburg; Only problem is enforcement still required.
HB619: Erosion and sediment control; may assess civil penalty.
This has just passed the House and as with the Health Care bill, has been defanged there (although maybe not as badly as the Health Care bill). Now, it is up to the Senate. Read the rest of this entry »
