Editorial
It seems the cost of everything is continuing to go up. This is especially true in Buena Vista, where City Council is proposing to raise the real estate tax by a considerable amount as well as establish a tax on cigarettes and increase fees for a multitude of city services.
These new sources of revenue are needed in order to balance next year’s budget. “We’re experiencing a perfect storm of bad luck,” said Steve Bolster, the city’s finance director, during a meeting of City Council’s budget and finance committee last week.
Bolster was referring to several factors that have created these fiscal challenges – health insurance premiums rising by 12 percent, or $143,000; a loss of $150,000 annually in lease payments from Mountain Gateway Community College for the use of the city-owned Rockbridge Center on Vista Links Drive; a loss of $159,648 in grant funding for two school resource officers; and a loss of $202,160 in grant funding for two community resource officers.
The proposed real estate tax rate hike is 14 cents per $100 valuation, from 91 cents to $1.05. For a house that’s assessed at $200,000, the annual tax bill would go up by $180, from $1,820 to $2,100. This isn’t small change for a typical family that’s already struggling to make ends meet.
The proposed cigarette tax is 25 cents per pack, which is the same as existing cigarette tax rates in Rockbridge County and Lexington. For the unfortunate person who smokes a pack a day, the additional costs in Buena Vista for this bad habit would be $91.25 per year.
Costs associated with dying aren’t immune from the plethora of inflationary measures being contemplated. The prices for grave plots at Green Hill Cemetery are to go up from $900 to $1,200 for Buena Vista residents and $1,200 to $1,500 for non-city residents. Grave opening fees are to rise from $750 to $1,000 (weekdays for caskets) and $1,000 to $1,350 (weekends for caskets).
Other rate changes for city services being proposed include land disturbance permit fees for new construction, curb and gutter fees, camping fees at Glen Maury Park, swimming pool admission fees, garbage collection fees, sewer fees and water and sewer hookup fees.
All of these fee increases can be easily justified. Most haven’t been raised in years and current rates are well below what’s charged in most neighboring localities. Just a year ago, prior to reassessments, Buena Vista’s real estate rate stood at a staggering $1.27 per $100 assessed value – much higher than the $1.05 rate being proposed.
It can be argued that having a tax on cigarettes offers one more reason for folks to try to break free from this dangerously unhealthy addiction and discourage others from taking up this nasty habit in the first place. And, as we’ve said, the proposed tax is the same as the county and Lexington already have. (The only exceptions to this are in Goshen and Glasgow, which have lower cigarette taxes at, respectively, 12 cents and 3 cent per pack.)
With the revenue-raising measures under consideration, Buena Vista City Council is trying mightily to be fiscally responsible. The only other options it has would be to cut services and/or take funding out of reserves. The former would be difficult because the services are already seen as fairly bare-boned and the latter City Council is trying to avoid because of a couple of looming big budget capital items – a new or renovated school and a state-mandated, massively upgraded wastewater treatment plant.
Times are tough in Buena Vista. City Council is doing its level best to cope with dire circumstances. Providing services that everyone expects is getting more expensive.
AMONG THE REVENUE sources Buena Vista City Council is seeking to tap would be from a new tax on cigarettes, fees increases on plots and grave openings at Green Hill Cemetery and fee increases for swimming and camping at Glen Maury Park.
