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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.