Stanley Coffey, one of two members of Buena Vista City Council to vote against this year’s budget, said he did so “mainly because we never discussed the cigarette tax.” He opposed this tax when it was first proposed several years ago and he hasn’t changed his mind now that the proposal has come before the city once again.
The fiscal year 2026 budget that was adopted in the spring included projected revenues from a cigarette tax in the second half of the fiscal year. Council this fall is to consider imposing such a tax to take effect Jan. 1.
“It was already in the budget when they voted for the budget,” explained Coffey. “I was not pleased [with] the way it was handled. I know the [budget and finance committee] worked hard on the budget. It just hit me wrong the way it was handled. I don’t like taxing the citizens but this tax targets one part of the city’s population. I’m totally against that. Personally, I don’t think it’s going to make the money they think it is. It will also hurt businesses that people come to town and buy cigarettes from. They also would buy gas and other products when they were buying the cigarettes.”
Coffey, who served six years on City Council before being defeated in the 2023 election, was returned to Council last year when he prevailed in a special election. He said he wants to be reelected because “There are things that we have going on in the city and [I] want to see them through. I want to continue to help the people of Buena Vista in any way I can. I want to make Buena Vista thrive again and be the city we once were. It will take us all working together to do that. My goal is to make Buena Vista a destination for people to come to. If we work hard, we can achieve this goal.”
Asked his thoughts about replacing the city’s aging middle school, he said he favors using the former Mountain Gateway Community College building on Vista Links Drive. The city already owns it and not much work would be needed, he said. He doesn’t think the city can afford the $65 million-plus new school that’s been proposed.
As for other capital projects, Coffey said, “We definitely need to get the wastewater plant upgrade started. We need to set up a plan for paving our streets. Public works needs to budget for this every year. Start with the worst streets and pave a couple a year. One mile of paving costs $1.5 million. We need to find a way to do this.”
Asked if he’s satisfied with the city’s economic development efforts, he replied, “No, not really. I have questioned our efforts to bring industry here and have never got a good answer. We have a lot of small businesses here, but we need industry that will generate capital for the city and also generate more business for restaurants and stores. I think that we need to go after industry full force. I think that needs to be worked on weekly.”
Coffey, a lifelong Buena Vista resident who retired as a wastewater treatment plant operator, has two children, four grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. He was an active member of the Buena Vista Rescue Squad for 25 years and is a charter member of the Rockbridge Community Church of the Nazarene.
As for other issues he’d like to tackle, he said, “I would love to see Glen Maury Park utilized to its potential. They do a good job now but there are so many other things that could be going on over there. If we would have someone come in here and set up concerts or national cook-offs such as chili cook-off or national barbecue.”
COFFEY
