Buena Vista’s voters will apparently be presented with a referendum question Nov. 3 on whether to approve a 1 percent sales tax that would be used to help pay for improvements to Parry McCluer High School to accommodate the city’s middle school students.
City Council this past Thursday adopted a resolution requesting the Circuit Court to authorize the referendum. The General Assembly earlier this year passed legislation allowing localities to hold such referendums this fall assuming a state budget gets passed by June 30.
House of Delegates and state Senate negotiators reached an agreement on a budget deal late last week that should pave the way for approval of the budget by both legislative bodies this week, with Gov. Abigail Spanberger expected to sign off on the budget.
City Attorney Brian Kearney prepared a resolution authorizing the Nov. 3 referendum that he presented to City Council on Thursday. The resolution actually listed two different deadline dates for petitioning the court to order the referendum because of differences between the budget bills each chamber was then considering.
Under the House bill, the deadline was July 22, or 105 days before the end of the election. The Senate bill didn’t set a deadline but state code indicates such a referendum would have to be set 81 days prior to the election. Following the language of the recent court ruling on the redistricting referendum, it could be construed that the referendum would have to be set 81 days prior to when early voting starts on Sept. 18. That would mean the referendum would have to be set by June 29.
Not taking any chances of missing either deadline, Kearney drafted a resolution that listed both deadline dates.
The proposed referendum that would be presented to Buena Vista voters on Nov. 3 is as follows: “Should the city of Buena Vista be authorized to levy a general retail sales tax at a rate not to exceed 1 percent, provided the revenue from the sales tax shall be used solely for capital projects for the construction, renovation and or equipping of schools in the city of Buena Vista to finance such projects and that the sales tax shall expire by June 17, 2046.” (The end date for the sales tax is dictated by state law, explained Kearney.)
If city voters approve the referendum, it’s estimated that a 1 percent sales tax would generate $600,000 annually that can go toward debt service on a schools capital project.
An estimated $17 million project is being planned for PMHS that includes building a new gymnasium-auditorium and a stand-alone wood shop. Financing options envisioned entail securing $5.1 million from the state’s School Construction Assistance program and borrowing the remaining $11.9 million from either the state Literary Loan program or the Virginia Public School Authority.
After Kearney finished explaining the particulars about the resolution he had drafted, Ron Cash makes a motion to adopt the resolution. Stephanie Noel-Branch seconded the motion, which passed 6-0. (Amy Gilliam was absent.)
