HomeMy Public PortalAbout2001_10_23_r178The Town of
eesburg,
rg nta
RESOLUTION NO. 2001-178
A RESOLUTION:
PRESENTED
ADOPTED
ADOPTING A 2002 LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM
October 23, 2001
October 23, 2001
WHEREAS, the Mayor and Council have identified legislative items that are in the best
interest of the citizens of the Town of Leesburg; and
WHEREAS, the Town Council desires to communicate these items to the elected officials
representing Leesburg to be addressed by the 2002 General Assembly.
THEREFORE, RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Leesburg in Virginia as follows:
That the attached list of legislative
representing Leesburg.
PASSED this 23rd day of October 2001.
ATTEST:
erk of Council
r:20021eg
priorities be communicated to the elected officials
Mayor
Town of Leesburg
2002 Leqislative Aqenda
1. Funding the Sycolin Road/Route 7/15 Bypass Widening Project, Route 7
Interchange Improvements at River Creek Parkway, Battlefield Parkway, and
White Gate, and Route 15 Bypass ~[nterchange Improvements at Edwards Ferry
Road. These roads are burdened with major regional traffic. Funding construction of
these projects will substantially improve the transportation system of the region.
2. Funding a Bus Rapid Transit System Connecting Leesburg and Western Loudoun
County with the Dulles Corridor. The Town supports establishing BRT service west of
Leesburg with a station in the Route 7/Route 9 corridor, and a station in Leesburg adjacent
to the Dulles Greenway.
3. Designating Leesburg as a Voting Member of the New Northern Virginia
Transportation Authority. :In 2001, the General Assembly approved a new regional
transportation authority charged with planning and developing an "integrated and efficient
transportation system". With respect to regional projects, the authority has been
empowered to issue bonds, recommend funding priorities, and allocate funds. The four
counties and five cities of the region are granted voting memberships. Leesburg as well as
Dumfries, Herndon, and Vienna were given advisory board status. Leesburg deserves full
voting rights based on its population and level of transportation responsibilities.
4. Funding a Bridge Crossing of the Potomac River. The General Assembly should take
a leadership role in establishing a new bridge crossing of the Potomac River between Point
Of Rocks Bridge and the American Legion Bridge. This would relieve traffic pressure,
especially from large trucks, along the Route 15 corridor through Leesburg.
5. Supporting the Citizens Tax Commission Recommendations Regarding Virginia's
State and Local Tax Structure for the 2[st Century. Leesburg supports the
commission's findings that: (1) state should increase substantially its support for
operational and capital costs for local school divisions; (2) state should assume full
operation cost for provision of mandated Comprehensive Services Act, public health,
Community Services Boards, local and regional jails, and local social services departments;
(3) state should return a share of state income tax to localities to broaden their revenue
base and decrease dependence on the real estate tax; (4) state should participate in the
Streamlined Sales Tax Project designed to standardize state sales and use tax provisions,
review all current exemptions to sales and use tax, and extend the tax to services; (5)
taxing authority of counties should be made commensurate to that of cities; (6) state
should review tax exempt status granted to all non-governmental property and the
· estrictions that limit the service charges that may be applied to tax-exempt property; (7)
localities should retain authority to impose the merchants' capital and BPOL taxes; and (8)
localities should be granted increased opportunity to collaborate in regional economic
development activities.
6. Sharing ]:ncome Tax Revenue With Localities ]:ncluding Towns Leesburg supports
state income tax revenue sharing with towns according to the Virginia Municipal League
"50/40/10' Plan. With respect to sharing other tax proceeds such as sales tax, the General
Assembly should abandon the formula based on the triennial school census in favor of one
based on relative share of the population.
7. Amending the Town of Leesburg Charter to Remove the Advice and Consent
Requirement for the Appointment of a Finance Director. The General Assembly
should enable Leesburg to amend Chapter 7 of the Town Charter so that the finance
director is appointed by the town manager without advice and consent of the Town
Council.
8. Enabling Leesburg and Other Localities to Use Photo Monitoring Systems for
Red Light Traffic Enforcement, and Removing the 2005 Sunset Clause. Amend
Section 46.2--$33.01 of the Virginia Code. This section allows for the usage of photo-
monitoring systems to enforce traffic violations until .~uly 2_005 in certain jurisdictions within
the Commonwealth. The law is rather confusing as to whether or not Leesburg is eligible to
participate in this program. This law should be amended to remove the ambiguity and
allow local jurisdictions the ability to enact this program if they so desire. This technology
can be an effective enforcement tool in areas such as the intersections on the Bypass. Here
there are high volumes of traffic (est. 50,000 per day) that are traveling at the fastest
speed within the town. These intersections/roadways are also where we have our greatest
numbers of accidents. While there may be plans to reconfigure the roads with cloverleafs
and flyovers, these may be many years away. This technological capability can provide a
valuable enforcement tool today that can have a very positive impact on traffic safety
throughout the town. This measure is supported by the Virginia Chiefs of Police
Association.
9. Supporting Full Funding of School Construction and Comprehensive Series Act
Programs. The Commonwealth should substantially increase funding for school
construction and fully fund mandated CSA programs to help take the burden off of county
citizens.
lO.Making Seat Belt Violations a Primary Offense. Amend Section 46.2-1094 (F) of the
Virginia Code. Currently a seatbelt violation is a secondary offense which means that an
officer must stop a violator for another offense such as speeding, red light, DUT, etc. before
issuing a seat belt violation notice. By amending this section of the code, officers will be
able to issue seat belt violations without having another violation as the reason/justification
for the traffic stop. Primary seat belt laws are a national trend that is supported not just
by law enforcement but also by all the major safety organizations. This amendment will
reduce traffic-related deaths and injuries. Seatbelt usage has increased in areas where
similar laws have been enacted. This measure is supported by the Virginia Chiefs of Police
Association.