City Council - Regular Meeting

Thursday, April 23, 2026
Transcript
Video
Agenda

About this meeting

Government Body
City Council
Meeting Type
City Council
Location
Roanoke, VA
Meeting Date
April 23, 2026

Transcript

48 sections (from 76 segments)

0:00 – 0:540

Not. And there's still a lot of questions about exactly how this settlement came together, but for Live Nation, it was a pretty good deal. I mean, first of all, they avoided getting split up, right? That was their biggest concern going into this. They didn't want the concert part of Live Nation to be separated from Ticket Master. They did offer some concessions in their settlement. They said that they were going to loosen up the rules that they had about ticketing to allow other ticketers to work in some of their venues and also that they would make it easier for artists who were not working with them to put on shows in their venues. And there was also a pool of money of about $280 million that they were going to offer to any of the states that signed on. Now, this is a company that has revenues of about 25 billion.

0:51 – 1:270

So, $280 million. I think that caught people's eye right off the bat is gee that that seems like a fairly low amount of money especially when the government at that point in the case was kind of holding a lot of leverage for Live Nation. It potentially meant the end of the case that they were able to avoid getting broken up and that the trial might now be over. But that is not what ended up happening.

1:32 – 2:530

We'll be right back. The Daily is supported by Progressive. Progressive commercial auto insurance protects the cars, trucks, and vans that work to keep small businesses moving forward. Including protection while running errands and other tasks. More at progressive commercial.com. Rigorous reporting told through a human lens. Go deeper into the most important stories of the day with the Daily, an audio series from the New York Times. Distribution of The Daily is made possible by American Public Media. APM produces and distributes programs that inform and inspire, entertain, and engage audiences everywhere. Support for Radio IQ comes from the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech, presenting singer and actress Kelly O'Hara, bringing Broadway to Blackburg May 9th, performing show tunes and classics from the Great American Song Book. Details at artscenter.vt.edu. A small liberal arts college in Massachusetts announced it was going to close last week. And maybe you care, but more likely you don't. But we're going to tell you why you should care on the next Today Explained. Heck, I'll tell you now. Higher ed is in crisis in the United States, but there's still a way out. We'll talk about that, too, on the next Today Explained.

2:50 – 3:130

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3:17 – 3:440

This is the Daily. I'm Rachel Abrams. Back to my conversation with Ben Cesario about a major court ruling for Live Nation, what it means for consumers, and why the federal government's handling of the case is now under scrutiny. Okay. So Ben, how did this trial go from looking like Live Nation had largely escaped unscathed to them losing so completely by being declared this monopoly?

3:41 – 4:270

Well, after the settlement is announced, the state attorneys generals, these 40 states, most of them object to the settlement and they feel that it's totally unsatisfactory and they decide to push forward. Ultimately, only six out of the 40 states take that settlement deal. So the federal government was going to exit the case and the justice department had led the case. Their lawyers were the ones interviewing the witnesses, giving the opening statements, really running it. So the next Monday, the states hired a well-known antitrust lawyer who had only about a week to prepare for leading this case, but he did it.

4:25 – 5:020

And they continue bringing the case even though they would have seemed at that point to be at a disadvantage. How optimistic are the AG's feeling at this moment in time with their new lawyer who's getting this crash course? The government, as you said, has just dropped out. Those were the guys who had been working the hardest for the longest, right? That's exactly right. I think that they felt that the case itself was strong, that there was a great deal of evidence that supported the accusation that this company was a monopoly. And did they give other examples of that behavior? like what were sort of their strongest selling points in this moment?

5:01 – 5:320

Well, there were the ones about the venues when it came to ticketing, but there were also a lot of examples of things from emails where Live Nation was talking about how do we sort of keep other promoters out of our venues. There was talk about how they would rather have their venues go dark than allow other people to put on a show. They were renewing leases for underperforming venues to prevent them from getting into the hands of their competitors. Wow.

5:30 – 6:060

One of the most shocking pieces of evidence, to be honest, was some Slack messages from two relatively junior employees at Live Nation. There was one who worked in Florida, one in Virginia. And it's these two guys exchanging private Slack messages bragging about how they're overcharging people for things like parking, for VIP ticket upgrades. They say we're gouging people. They call fans so stupid. They use that explicit language.

6:03 – 6:250

They use that explicit language. And actually, one of these guys was on the stand. He'd been promoted. He's now actually at a senior position at Live Nation. He apologized profusely and I'm sure he was encouraged to say this, but he pointed out he was not following company policy by doing those things.

6:24 – 7:220

But you have to imagine that people on the jury are listening to this and some of them go to concerts and presumably this confirms all of ticket buyers worst fears, these slacks. I think they were totally persuasive to the jury because when they came back with their verdict, it was a very complicated form that they had to go through and answer questions. Altogether, it was around a hundred questions and they got really into the weeds about the market definitions and was it shown that there was a anti-competitive effect on the marketplace and all that kind of stuff. And they answered yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. every question that was presented to them, they answered yes. So, there's absolutely no wiggle room or inconsistency in it. The jury was completely persuaded by the government's case and it was a real victory for the states that continued this.

7:20 – 7:430

Okay, so that's the verdict. Live Nation, Ticket Master, they're found pretty convincingly, it sounds like to be a monopoly, which as you said at the beginning of the conversation, that's a very big deal. But I think the question for everybody listening, Ben, is how does the verdict affect the concert going public? Like what can we tell people about how their concert or ticket experience might change going forward?

7:41 – 9:400

Well, first of all, this case is not over. There's going to be a whole separate trial that will happen probably in a few months where the judge will determine what are called the remedies for this. That's how is Live Nation going to be punished. Breaking up the company still is on the table. That is one option. available to the judge. There will also be monetary damages that will go to the states. That will be a heavily contested thing between the government and Live Nation. There may be appeals and so forth. So, we know there's going to be some kind of ramifications for Live Nation. I think for average music fans, the big question of what this case what this case has all been about is, will this lower ticket prices? Will this lower fees? Will this help me when it comes to my wallet? I think we really don't know that yet. For the biggest shows, for those Beyonce concerts, for Bruce Springsteen, for the Kendrick Lamar tour, that's where it really gets into that supply and demand dynamics. And it really is about those artists charging what they think they're worth and what fans are willing to pay for it. And what we've seen is that fans will go through anything to see their favorite artists. If that fan was willing to pay $1,000 for that Beyonce ticket yesterday, they might still pay that same $1,000. The question is, who gets it? Does Live Nation get it or does somebody else have the opportunity to get that now? But for the last 16 years, we've been sort of living in the Live Nation regime where they set the rules and they have all the power and prices have gone up, fees have gone up. Buying a ticket has come with a lot of hassle that really bothers music fans. I think now there is a chance for that to change that if there's more competition in this business. If Live Nation isn't the only

9:37 – 9:590

power in town and somebody else really can compete against them, there is the possibility that that could change. All of that makes sense. And given all of that and given the ultimate outcome of the case that Live Nation was ultimately declared a monopoly, how should we be thinking about the government's earlier decision to settle?

9:57 – 10:290

Well, I think there still are a lot of questions. Why did they settle? Um how did that happen? Six Democratic senators sent a letter to the judge asking for him to scrutinize this. There is a legal process that happens when there's an antitrust settlement that allows the judge to review the settlement to make sure that it's in the public interest. It goes back to a law passed after Watergate. And that will be happening in this case. M

10:26 – 11:260

one of the biggest questions here is what happened that led to that settlement, the lobbying that we were talking about that happened at the highest levels of the Trump Justice Department and may have even included the White House, who was involved, who was influenced, and was the settlement made in the public interest? Was it a fair resolution to the case that does benefit the public or was there something corrupt about the way it came about? That's what those senators were getting at when they sent the letter to the judge saying that it looked suspicious. So, this case that's already a big deal in the music industry, already a big deal for regular concert goers, may wind up having even wider reverberations in the end. Ben Cesario, thank you so much.

11:230

Thanks, Rachel.

11:26 – 13:100

Ben Cesario covers the music industry for the New York Times. The Daily is supported by Bit Warden Password Manager. Designed for individuals and businesses, Bit Warden helps secure sensitive information across devices to manage passwords for multiple accounts. Bitwarden.com. For everything you need to know about the most important stories of the day, you're listening to the Daily from the New York Times, distributed by American Public Media. APM produces and distributes programs that inform and inspire, entertain, and engage audiences everywhere. The Daily is powered by the Journalism of the New York Times. It's distributed by APM, American Public Media. You can go deeper into the stories you hear on the daily at ny times.com/theaily. That's it for the daily. I'm Rachel Abrams. See you tomorrow. Hey, it's a Martinez and I want you to cast your mind back to all the road trips you've had with that car of yours. of all the miles we've racked up on the odometer, how many hours were spent listening to public radio. If mileage has taken its toll over the years, donate that car, truck, or RV to this station. You'll help everyone put more miles on their radio with hours and hours of thoughtprovoking news and information. Here's how.

13:08 – 15:030

Go to radioiq.org and click the support tab and select vehicle donation. You're listening to Radio IQ on WVTF Rono, WRIQ Charles City, Richmond, WVTU Charlottesville, WVTW Charlottesville, WVTR Marian, Wis FMYS, WQIQ Spennsylvania, WIQUR Lexington, WHC Emory, HD3 of Wurv Richmond, and on 92.5 Richmond and 94.9 Fredericksburg. RadioIQ, a listener supported community service of Virginia Tech, on your smart speaker and online at radioiq.org. Last week, Hampshire College, a private liberal arts school in Amherst, Massachusetts that I had never previously heard of, announced it was shutting down. And I thought, bummer for Hampshire College. But then I read, "This is much bigger than Hampshire." The United States currently has 4,000 colleges and more and more of them are closing every year. In an article at The Atlantic titled The Looming College Enrollment Death Spiral, the writer Jeffrey Celingo says that your Harvards and Yales and Universities of Michigan and Alabama are going to be just fine, but that smaller regional schools that you maybe haven't heard of won't be. And that means that students who can afford to go to out of state schools for their education will continue to do so. But more importantly, those who can afford it might not go to college. Good evening and welcome to our city council recess session for April 23rd, 2026 at 7 o'clock p.m. City Council meetings will be televised live and replayed on RVTV channel 3 on Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and are video streamed through YouTube live at youtube.com/roneokeva. Council meetings are offered with closed captioning for the deaf or heart of hearing. I'll invite our clerk, Miss McCoy, to please call the role.

15:02 – 15:190

Mr. Hagen here. Miss Sanchez Jones here. Vice Mayor Maguire here. Mr. Nash here. Mr. Volison here. Ms. Powers here. And Mayor Cobb here. And a quorum is present.

15:17 – 15:570

I will lead us in the invocation and the pledge of allegiance. So would you please stand? Loving Spirit, may our presence with each other tonight be a source of wisdom and understanding in our love and care for our city. Amen. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

16:04 – 17:350

The purpose of tonight's meeting is to conduct two separate public hearings. First is our recommended budget for the city for the fiscal year 2627. We'll start with that one and then following that we'll have our second public hearing regarding proposed real estate tax rate. So those will be the two items that we'll speak on. Um when you came in uh you likely signed up for one or the other. And so we will start with the first public hearing which is the recommended fiscal year 2627 city of Ronoke budget. And I'm going to open the public hearing. And before the clerk calls our first two speakers, just a reminder, especially if you haven't been to council before or spoken, uh just come up to the podium. The microphone is live. You'll see a box in the upper right hand corner. Green means go. Yellow means uh you have a minute left and red means stop. Your mid-sentence just wrap it up as quickly as you can um so that we can honor the time and then uh move on to the next speaker. So uh Miss McCoy, if you'll call our first two speakers and this is for the first public hearing uh related to the budget. Chanel Henderson, Laura Wade. There's some confusion.

17:37 – 17:480

Okay, that's fine. Yeah, just let let us know. So, yeah, Miss Henderson's not going to speak and then Miss Wade. All right, welcome.

17:49 – 19:460

Good evening, Mayor Cobb and members of Rowan Oak City Council. My name is Laura Wade. I am both a parent in Rowan Oak City Public Schools and a teaching assistant at Wsina Elementary. I am here to respectfully but urgently ask for your full funding of our schools. Without full funding, my position and many others like it may not exist next year. Just today, I received a call from RCPS stating that my position would be affected by the budget cuts and to come in Monday to discuss my options. Teaching assistants, reading specialists, instructional aids are not extras. They are essential to ensuring students do not fall behind. Every day, I work with kindergarten through 2 grade students in small groups and one-on-one, supporting reading and math. Many of these children do not have IEPs, but still need extra help to build foundational skills. Without that support, they risk falling behind at a critical stage in their development. Without support positions, some would struggle to keep pace with their peers. And over time, that gap can grow. In a classroom where others may say, "This is easy," these students can begin to feel discouraged when it is not yet easy for them. The support they receive now is what helps build their confidence, their skills, and their belief that they can succeed. This is about more than a budget. It is about whether every child has the opportunity to succeed. It is about meeting children where they're at, whether they need extra help from a teaching assistant or needing to be in the Plato program to feel challenged and not bored. If you reduce funding, you are deciding which students get the support they need and which do not. Without support positions like mine, the burden placed on classroom teachers becomes overwhelming. You cannot put

19:44 – 21:100

this wide range of children in an overcrowded classroom with only one teacher and expect them all to succeed without support staff to help conduct small groups and one-on- ons. Like other essential services, the cost of public education grows over time due to inflation, the laborintensive nature of teaching, student needs. Just ask any economist. We cannot expect to invest less and get the same results. I urge you to fully fund Rono public schools. I know there is still time for you to amend this budget. And let me just say that I love Rowanoke. We have many beautiful public spaces and parks and we can do without any additional murals and art installments, especially at the $650,000 expense of our schools. One other place the city can afford to cut is the 2% raises for those employees who are making over $200,000 per year. Let's put an income limitation on these raises, at least for this upcoming year. While teachers are losing their jobs and students are losing critical programs, we need to strengthen our schools, support our educators, and give every child the chance to succeed, especially if you want Rowan Oak to continue to be the thriving city that it is. Thank you.

21:07 – 21:180

Thank you, Miss Wayne. Next speakers, Jane Vandenel and Jonathan Snow.

21:24 – 23:240

Welcome, Mr. Snow. Thank you, members of the city council. My name is Jonathan Snow. I'm a political scientist, assistant dean of a school of education, government, and society, a rono city resident, and a parent of students in the city school system. Over the past few months, I've attended or watched on streaming most of the public meetings of both the city council and the school board. I followed closely the budgeting process and understand the need to make major systematic changes given the current income revenue and the myriad expenses that the city must service. Times of con uh contraction are never easy and these sorts of cuts cannot be made without people across the city feeling the effects. Most of you specifically ran on a platform that mentioned the importance of properly funding public schools. And despite the at times heated conversations, I suspect most citizens recognize that you're not proposing cuts to the schools the school funding half-hazardly. When faced with the fiscal realities of the city today, I don't see how you could avoid making some cuts to the school system budget given the large percentage that it makes up of the overall city budget. I hope though that your work that you've done now has now settled on a continuing budget-making system that allows some more certainty than has been the case over these past few budget cycles. But the shift itself is at least defensible. I have a harder time from both a policy standpoint and as a constituent justifying the reclaiming of the school's rainy day fund. While this appears legal, it is analogous to me of a parent opening a joint bank account with their child to save for future college expenses and after years of dutifully having the child place part of their allowance into that fund to then decide that the money would best be spent by the family elsewhere. Barring absolute fiscal necessity, that feels wrong. But you all know the budgeting realities better than I do and have made your decisions about the broad tactics you'll be using. So what I'm asking today is not for a full reconsideration of the budget and cuts to the school system, but rather now that you've done the yman's work of

23:22 – 24:340

bringing the whole budget into balance that you pause before the final budget is passed in a few weeks and ask where funds might be reallocated in order to help lift up some of the most critical education programs in a matter that could help heal some of the rift that this budgeting has caused. I know that there still will be positions cut and some programs will be affected, but two programs that have been highlighted repeatedly as important to save over the past few months. Activity buses and the Plato program deserve special consideration. Activity buses ensure that students from across the city from whatever family or neighborhood situation the student is in are given an equal opportunity to be fully involved in after school activities. The very sort of thing that helps keep these kids engaged in school and away from trouble, potentially saving the city from expenses elsewhere. If these buses are preserved, the cost of the Plato program, a critical and long-standing program that has helped produce many city leaders, becomes almost negligible in the overall city budget, giving you a twofor one way to support a wide variety of students from across the city. Binding the funds for these two programs would be an important sign of goodwill and demonstrate that even in tough fiscal times, we'll work together to protect our most valuable education programs. Thanks for your consideration.

24:30 – 24:470

Thank you very much, Mr. Snow. David Anderson, Ricardo Ricardo Graves. Welcome, Mr. Anderson.

24:45 – 26:120

Thank you, Mr. Mayor, members of the city council. My name is David Anderson. I'm a resident of Rono City and a proud parent of a third grader at Highland Park Elementary School. I came here tonight to tell you how your decision to change the funding formula for Ron Oak City public schools will affect not only my family but all children across the city. But I don't need to tell you that you have heard it from other parents. You have heard it from other from teachers. And most importantly, you have heard it from the children who attend our excellent schools. I have heard brave students who have come here to these meetings and spoken to you to your faces to tell you how your choices will hurt their lives through the loss of educational programs and activity buses. You don't need me to tell you the details again. So, I'm here to tell you tonight that we, the citizens of Rowan Oak City, that will not forget that you voted to take money away from our schools. We will remember it when we return to the ballot box this fall. You have a chance to make this right. Stand up for education. Stand up for our children. You ran for office to help our city. This is your moment to do that. We will remember your actions, but more importantly, our children will remember your actions.

26:090

Mr. Anderson,

26:170

Mr. Graves, welcome.

26:19 – 28:180

Hello. Good evening, everyone. Good to see you all. My name is Ricardo Graves and I am an advocate for a diversity and awareness and I'm here to speak on the impact these decisions have on underserved communities. I want to start by addressing the lack of clear communication. Many of us are left filling in the gaps ourselves. And if elected officials are meant to represent the people, then informing the people clearly and consistently should not be optional. What concerns me most is that education continues to take the hit when budget cuts are on the table. And I want to be clear, this is not just a financial adjustment, it's a long-term investment and struggle. With rising crime, increased exposure through social media, and growing mental health challenges, students today are navigating more than ever before. They see the gaps. They feel the pressure. And when support systems are weakened, those pressures turn into real consequences. When we reduce funding in education, we limit opportunity. Less engagement, less skill development, and fewer pathways to higher education and stable employment. And while all communities will feel the impact, underserved communities will carry the weight of it the most, and that cycle will continue. I know this firsthand. I've experienced both Rono City and Reno County Schools, and the difference in resources and support is real. But I also experienced what happens when investment is made. Through a mentorship program called the Renaissance Academy, I was exposed to opportunities beyond my environment. It was the first time I felt heard and like I truly mattered. That experience shaped everything that followed. I went on to earn my bachelor's degree. I'm currently pursuing my MBA and I've dedicated myself to advocacy and leadership, mentoring others, building programs, and helping students navigate opportunities I once needed myself. I'm not saying that to list accomplishments. I'm saying it because I'm a direct result of what happens when education and community are invested in. That's why I'm speaking today because I am a product of what

28:16 – 29:300

this city has the potential to be when we operate as one. I also understand the city is trying to make decisions around sustainability. But I want to challenge that. Is it sustainability for the fiscal year or sustainability for the years to come? Because those are two very different approaches. One solves today's problem but creates a long-term consequence. The other requires intentional choices but prepares the city for the future. If sacrifices need to be made, they should push the city forward, not just satisfy immediate needs. That means evaluating the system as a whole and being open to partnerships with community organizations that can help fill the gaps and create long-term support. At the end of the day, this shouldn't feel like the city versus the people. It should be collaborative because what's more powerful than money is hope. And if we continue to take from education, we're not just cutting budgets, we're cutting off futures. Even if this decision has already been made, what happens next is still in your control. Because at the end of the day, each of you has a choice to be a part of a system that continues these cycles or to be part of the change that breaks them. And I hope moving forward those directions reflect a commitment to doing what's right for the future of this community. Thank you for your time.

29:26 – 29:380

Thank you very much, Mr. Graves. Kinley Kinley Palma and Corbin Pridewin.

29:45 – 30:540

Good evening. Welcome. Hello. My name is Kinley. I think Plato should stay because it has changed my life and it and it and from what I heard it has changed many others. I will stay with my friends and I am going to be very sad if it leaves. It will be better if it stays because we learn how we should in Plato. And if Plato continues, I can do my gifted classes every day instead of one instead of once a week. Dr. Cartez promises to donate $500 to the Plato program if it continues next year. I got 50 people to sign my petition in only two days. And again, it has changed my life and many others. I have friends here and it will be very sad if it ends. Please make room in the budget to keep Plato going.

30:520

Did you make this sign, too? Thank you very much.

31:030

Welcome, Mr. Perwin.

31:04 – 33:040

Welcome. Thank you. My name is Corbin Pridewin. Many of many of you are new since the last time I stood here. So, I want to briefly share why Rono matters to me. I spent 20 years working in this city, revitalizing neighborhoods, supporting small businesses, helping nonprofits, feeding and housing the homeless, and stabilizing communities when they were on the edge. I've seen what helps a community thrive, and I see I've seen what undermines it. A few weeks ago, after watching how the city handled a crisis involving one of its own residents, I went back to the question I've been asking for two decades. Why does Rono never seem to have the funding to help its own people? What I found wasn't a mystery. It was a pattern documented in the own city's budget. The full blueprint outlining the pattern that has already been emailed to each one of you. This is not an opinion. This is structural reality. Rono is preparing to spend 33 million on amenities, libraries, rack centers, decorative land parks, a rail station building, while the systems that keep this city functioning are failing underneath of it. The storm water backlog is 140 million and growing. The fleet replacement bill is$19 million because we waited, we delayed. Bridges are behind schedule, schools are underfunded, and the structural deficit deepens every year. The tax base doesn't grow. As recession doesn't create these problems, it exposes them. When sales tax, meals tax, and assessed values

33:01 – 35:000

drop, the s the city loses the ability to fund anything, including the amenities outlined in this budget. If this budget passes without structural correction, the next five years follow as a predicted path. Years one and two, the deficit deepens quietly. Years two and three, recession impact hits immediately. Years three and four, emergency infrastructure fails at three to four times its perceived cost. Years four to five, neighborhoods lose assessed value and the structural gap reaches 12 to 18 million annually. So tonight, I'm asking for three actions. One, freeze new non-essential amenity spending until an infrastructure risk audit is completed. Not cancelling contracts, simply pausing new commitments. Two, order a 90-day structural review of the capital spending model using the blueprint as a reference. The blueprint is built entirely on the city's own documents. Three, begin formal engagement with the industrial recruitment pipeline. I prepared some of you have received that several companies are actively expanding and fit Ron Oak's workforce and industrial pipeline. These conversations need to happen privately. I've also outlined a step-by-step support plan to help Ron Oak senior communities and homeless at no cost. It is also included in the blueprint. Mr. These actions do not cost the city. They do not prevent the city from losing money. They do not cost the tax base, reduce long-term liabilities, and stable Ron Oak's financial future. The blueprint shows

34:57 – 35:220

the trajectory. The budget accelerates it. The choice is yours. Thank you very much, Grace Henderson. And she's the last speaker on this matter. Welcome.

35:19 – 37:060

Hello. My name is Grace Henderson. I'm an eighth grader at Woodra Wilson. I have gone through the Plato program and have participated in many afterchool activities, including but not limited to FPLA, tennis, and theater. I have had incredible teachers who have mentored me and helped shape me into the person I am now. Needless to say, the Royal Oak school system has had a huge impact on my life as well as everyone I've met. The gifted and talented programs have provided opportunities for students to be challenged and to thrive. The activity buses have provided transportation so that students can participate in valuable activities that keep them out of trouble and keep them safe, as well as making it so they can go to tutoring so they can get the chance to learn key concepts they may have missed in class. These budget cuts mean that this will all go away and there will be more unhappy students in classes. More kids getting into trouble and more will struggle in school while not getting the help they deserve. The class sizes will be larger with students being overlooked because there simply aren't enough teachers to go around. Students will no longer be thriving, but instead just surviving. Not only this, but the schools themselves will fall into disrepair. students may end up missing valuable instructional time because the schools don't have heat or water. Now, I ask you this. Does this sound like a place that families would want to move to and send their children to? Families will start moving and going to private schools. The quality of the schools represents the city and shows how they value their children. If you want a happy, thriving city, then you need to invest in the schools because without good schools, Bono will die. Thank you

37:04 – 37:390

very much. And that's all the speakers that were signed up for this public hearing. Yes. Okay. And I will close the public hearing for the Rowan Oak budget for the fiscal year 2627 city of Ronoke budget and we'll move on to our second public hearing which is uh regarding proposed real estate tax rate. And uh so I'll open the public hearing and madame clerk if you will invite speakers signed up for this. Only have one and that is Owen Maguire.

37:500

Hello Mr. McGuire.

37:52 – 39:520

Nice to see you all. Thank you for listening to me again uh talking about the tax rate. Uh little disappointed nobody else is uh talking about it, but nevertheless, Rono City has one of the highest tax rates in the state of Virginia already. Uh uh towns that are higher or that we are higher have a higher tax rate are Richmond, Nulk, Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Fairfax, Hampton, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, virtually over 90ome percent. We're paying a we have a higher tax rate. So, it it seems like uh not only that, but it seems like the city wants to dump on the homeowners, real property owners all the time. Uh we also have to pay a storm water fee. We also have to pay a solid waste fee and a rainwater runoff fee every time we pay our tax bill. So, uh, anyway, I'm just asking why are the homeowners always asked to put foot the bill for the mismanagement of of the city's financial matters? Uh, city needs to learn to live within its means. That means saying no to certain expenditures that are not seriously needed or necessary or affordable. Uh, families have to live within their means. They can't just keep borrowing and borrowing from friends and family uh and family members. So, um why didn't the city ask the real estate owners what they think about a real estate increase? Of course, you know, they're not going to want an increase, yet they are the a major source of the city's income. So, uh, I just hope you all keep that in mind, uh, when you come

39:49 – 40:040

to a decision on the tax, uh, tax matters. So, thank you for listening to me tonight. Thank you, Mr. McGuire. And that was the only speaker signed up for this one. Yes, sir.

40:00 – 40:480

Okay. I will close public hearing. Uh, two announcements regarding upcoming meetings. On May 4th, during our 9:00 a.m. informal session, we will have our budget study. And then um on May 11th at 2:00 p.m., council will consider adoption of the recommended 2627 budget along with other related measures and actions with respect to the proposed um real estate rate, which um according to this budget is the same rate that it currently is. So that will be Monday, May 11th at 2 PM. And there being no further business to come before the council this evening, this recess meeting is adjourned. Thank you all for coming.

This transcript was automatically generated from the official public meeting video and is presented unedited. It reflects remarks made on the public record by elected officials, staff, and public commenters. Transcript accuracy may vary; view the original recording for reference.