Lynchburg-area lawmakers lay out local funding requests

List of budget amendments

Lynchburg-area delegates have joined their counterparts throughout the state in seeking money from the state to pay for local projects, including Lynchburg’s ongoing combined sewer overflow upgrades as well as local museums and family-service programs.

Altogether, the lawmakers’ requests statewide add up to about $2 billion per year for 2008-10, but it’s not clear those requests will be anything more than a wish list.

“These are all just requests. There’s very few of them we will get, with the shape the budget is in,” said Del. Watkins Abbitt, I-Appomattox.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine acknowledged last week the state will need to review its revenue estimates in February.

Del. Shannon Valentine, D-Lynchburg, proposed a change in funding for the sewer upgrades for Lynchburg and Richmond that, for now, shows as a $40 million increase next year on the state’s budget.

Her proposal would involve financing with bonds from the Virginia Public Building Authority, rather than a direct cash outlay by the state, she said.

“Because this approach would provide funding to the cities for several years of work, there are many advantages: It would provide the certainty the cities need to plan wisely, remove CSO from budget cycles and the political process, prevent significant loss to inflation, and allow our cities to continue the work that prevents raw sewage from being dumped into the James River,” Valentine said.

Kaine’s proposed budget shows $1.5 million for each city the next two years, and Valentine said the governor’s funding is necessary in order to secure the bonds. Sen. Steve Newman, R-Lynchburg, is supporting the request along with Richmond legislators, Valentine said.

Abbitt, as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, has a close-up view of revenue and spending, and he has submitted a fair share of budget proposals. Some would add funding for projects in his district, while others would trim the budget Kaine has proposed.

The largest item attributed to Abbitt on the General Assembly’s online list of budget amendments is a $14 million annual cut that would eliminate a Kaine proposal to add $10 to the driver’s license renewal fee. Abbitt said he didn’t recall proposing that cut. “There would be no reason to do it,” he said.

Abbitt said another cut attributed to him on the state Web site is correct: He proposes eliminating $2 million annually for a law enforcement officers’ retirement fund because that fund already is covered in another part of the budget. Abbitt said he thinks Kaine put that $2 million line in the bill by mistake.

Abbitt’s other proposals would add up to more than $5 million in 2009 for measures that range from state government operations to local parks and agriculture-related programs.

In addition, he proposes about $7 million to help Nelson County schools deal with a problem related to the state’s funding formula.

The most highly noticeable budget tweaks proposed by Del. Ben Cline, R-Rockbridge, would kick the state’s motion picture opportunity fund up from $200,000 to $2.5 million to encourage movie producers to hire Virginia residents.

Cline also proposes a sizable budget cut, taking the state lottery’s publicity budget down by half, to $13 million.

Highlights:

Lynchburg-area delegates have proposed dozens of changes to the state budget designed by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine. Many of those changes would allocate additional money to Central Virginia projects, such as the ongoing combined sewer overflow work in Lynchburg, as well as to a range of organizations and historic sites.

Del. Shannon Valentine, D-Lynchburg
Academy of Fine Arts: $200,000
Amazement Square: $100,000
Virginia Center for the Creative Arts: $50,000
Del. Watkins Abbitt, I-Appomattox
Walton’s Mountain Museum, Nelson County: $35,930
Carver Price Cultural Center, Appomattox County: $10,000
Del. Ben Cline, R-Rockbridge
Central Virginia Computer Crimes Task Force: $800,000
Del. Lacey Putney, I-Bedford
Stoney Creek Reservoir dam repairs (Bedford): $5 million
Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest: $1.5 million
Avenel Foundation: $300,000
Bedford Hospice House: $300,000
Bedford Museum: $25,000
Del. Kathy Byron, R-Campbell
Leesville Lake water quality monitoring, navigational aids: $100,000 (over two years)
Sen. Steve Newman, R-Lynchburg
Central Virginia Community College, culinary equipment: $750,000