Manassas approves budget, tax rate capital improvements

By: Keith Walker | Inside NoVA
Published: April 28, 2010

The Manassas City Council ran through a packed agenda Monday night when it provisionally adopted a budget, a 5-year capital improvements plan and approved a tax rate of $1.318 with a fire levy of $.154 for a total tax rate of $1.472 per $100 of assessed value.

The council also enacted an ordinance regulating the use of public streets, grounds and places.

Projects in the capital improvement plan include drainage, general, museum system, parks, transportation, airport, electric, sewer and water projects which will cost $165,000 over the next five years.

Capital improvements for the schools include roof replacement, heating and air conditioning repairs or replacements , painting, flooring, school bus replacement and IT upgrades at several schools for a total of $22.7 million,according to city documents.

The use of public places will now require an application that requires the names of the people who will be in charge of any event in a public place in the city; the date, time, duration, nature and place or route of the proposed event; an estimate of the number of people expected to attend the event; and a statement or description of equipment and facilities to be used at the event, according to city documents.

Applications for events in public places my be denied if the city has a previous event or repairs planned; it is reasonably expected that the event represents an unreasonable danger to the public's health or safety; the event cannot be accommodated in the requested location; the applicant failed to pay any costs owed to the city; the applicant fails to submit a security plan; the application is for a parade and the applicant can't gather 100 or more people for the parade; and a parade and requires street closure that would unreasonably interfere with traffic or coincides with another parade.

Council members also authorized Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission to use $315,123 from the city's gas tax fund to pay the city's share of the commission's administration, marketing, parking lot leases and debt on the Virginia Railway Express parking deck in Manassas; $197,100 for its share of OmniLink's operating budget; and $871,611 for the city's share of the Virginia Railway Express budget.

Senior reporter Keith Walker can be reached at 703-369-6751.