VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — This week members of the Virginia Beach City Council will be taking a deep dive into previous year's city budgets to see where money can be shifted as they try to put together a budget for fiscal year 2025.
During a two-day retreat City Manager, Patrick Duhaney, is looking to get feedback from the council and the community as he prepares next year's budget.
With last year's budget being more than $2.5 billion, leaders have held community conversations on what priorities residents would like to see the council tackle.
One of those priorities is not to increase taxes.
"We don't want to cut services, we don't want to ask for an increase in taxes, could we tack on these dedications to relieve other issues," Jennifer Rouse, who represents District 10, said.
While many of the items listed in the budget have to be given to certain areas of the city, there is a small amount of wiggle room.
To avoid raising taxes city council is looking at where it dedicates city revenue and where city-funded grants go.
The annual budget provides more than $5 million in contributions to outside organizations.
"Let's do it later, where we go through each of these and make some decisions about do these continue to be the right fit for our needs," Michael Berlucchi, who represents District 3, said. "Let's look at this list."
With an updated council, some members are questioning where money is being allocated and what some standards should be if an organization receives funding.
News
Chesapeake organization helps with rising child poverty rates in Hampton Roads
One group council members brought up just as an example was Virginia for High-Speed Rail.
"That appropriation stuck out for me as well," Berlucchi said."Virginia's for High Speed Rail because I've served since 2019 and I don't recall seeing a report or a presentation from them."
If you are worried about city funding being cut from a cause you think is important, reach out to your council member ahead of the final budget needing to be approved by May 15.
