If you are at least 65 years old as of December 31, 2008 OR are permanently or temporarily disabled and own a home within City limits, you may qualify for a tax relief.

 

Tax Relief is also available to homeowners under 65 who are permanently or temporarily disabled.  Copies of forms for Disability Certification by private physicians are available on request.  Certification for persons on Social Security Disability is available by calling 1-800-772-1213 and requesting Form TPQY.  Bring or send a copy of that form to the City with the application.

 

Click here for more information about the tax relief program and its requirements.  Download an application.  

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Celebrate Charles Broadway Rouss Day with a guided tour of historical City Hall and see all that remains of the original structure. 

 

Did you know that City Hall once housed a grand theatre in the upper level of the building and a jail in the basement?  Discover all of City Hall's hidden treasures on February 11.  The tour will begin at noon in the fourth floor Exhibit Hall of Rouss City Hall (15 North Cameron Street).

 

COMING SOON: The City will soon release the day's activities and information about Charles Rouss on its website.  Keep checking www.winchesterva.gov/rouss for the celebration's itinerary.

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Governmental budgets can be overwhelming at first glance.  To help residents understand the process, CitE-News will feature a short series over the next several issues about the City's budget, financial practices, and overall status. 

The first article in the Budget Basics series focuses on the budget process.

 

City operations are essentially budget-driven.  Therefore, the budget is one of the most important documents produced by the City.  It serves as a policy document, a financial plan, an operations guide, and a communications device.  After several cycles of preparing biennial budgets, the City Council acted in 2007 to return to annual budget adoption. 

 

The fiscal year budget process follows the below schedule:

October - Departments begin working on their budgets
November - Departments submit personnel budgets to Human Resources
December - Deadline for agencies to submit contribution worksheets
Mid-December - Departments submit revenue projection entries to City Manager
January - Finance Committee reviews agency contribution requests
February - Joint Finance Committee reviews agency contribution requests
March - Finance Committee reviews budget and makes revisions
April - Finance Committee approves budget and forwards to Council
April - Final budget revisions from Finance Committee made, and package prepared for submission to Council
May - Advertisement submitted to newspaper for final budget hearing
June - Council adopts budget
July - Budget printed and distributed to City staff and Council

 

The City's General Fund revenue projection for FY10 is $75 million. This revenue is generated from general property taxes, permits, fees, fines, interest, meals tax, lodging tax and business licenses.  Due to the current state of the economy, the City of Winchester is experiencing a decrease in meals tax, lodging tax and business license revenues and the City is making the necessary budget cuts to help make up the difference.

 

For the upcoming budget (FY10 - July 2009 through June 2010), the City will, for the first time, include the entire budget on the City's website.  In years past, only a brief summary was added to the website and citizens could see the complete budget by visiting City Hall.  Soon, local residents will have the opportunity to view the complete budget online and at their leisure.

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The City's Recycling Coordinator, Michael Neese, not only recycles plastics, paper, leaves and much more, he also recycles his hair! 

 

For the past 15 years, Michael has grown his hair long and then shaved it all off for Locks of Love, a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis.

 

Recently, Michael did it again and shaved off 10 inches of his own hair.  Michael adds, "You can do something good with minimal effort, and really have a wonderful impact on a child’s life...I don't know why more people aren't doing it."

 

Learn more about Locks of Love by visiting their website at http://www.locksoflove.org/.

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The United Way of Northern Shenandoah Valley in recognition of economic conditions and increased needs, decided to cancel the traditional campaign final report and appreciation reception scheduled for January 9 and used corporate sponsorship funds, donated items and a $750 grant from the Winchester Rotary Club to provide direct assistance to local families and individuals in need this winter.  

 

Donated light bulbs from the Winchester GE Lamp Plant, FamilyWize prescription discount cards, UW Directories and weatherization information from the Community Housing Partnership were distributed free on Monday, January 19, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, from the United Way office building at 329 N. Cameron Street. 

 

Youth volunteers from the Boys and Girls Club, Handley High School, and James Wood together with United Way and volunteers from the City of Winchester, Winchester Public Schools, and St. Paul Church distributed the items to local families in the North End community.

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Most drivers understand the importance of keeping their vehicle in good mechanical condition at any time of year. When winter comes, the condition of your vehicle is even more important than at other times of year. Winter driving conditions accentuate every mechanical problem and driver mistake.

 

Key Points
• Have your vehicle serviced and inspected now.
• Get an earlier start so that you will have time to clear ice and snow from

   your vehicle.
• Accelerate and apply brakes gradually to avoid skidding and maintain

   steering control.
• Start by going no faster than half the posted speed limit. If you encounter

   extremely slippery conditions, cut your speed in half again.
• Plan as though you will have to come to a complete stop at every

   intersection and make sure you have time to get completely through the

   intersection before you begin to cross.
• Suggested emergency equipment: flashlight, blanket, flares/reflectors, spare

   tire, a few tools, shovel, sand, cell phone, etc.

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The Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia recently released its final population estimate report for the Commonwealth.

 

According to the report dated January 27, 2009, Winchester's final estimated population for 2007 was 25,946 (2000 Census: 23,585). The provisional estimate for 2008 is 26,209.

 

From this report, the City's Planning Department has made a few observations concerning Winchester's growth:

- Winchester and Harrisonburg still seem to be growing, overall, at fairly

   comparable rates (11.1 & 10.5% respectively since 2000)

- The Winchester metro area is growing at close to double the rate of the

   Harrisonburg metro area (20.9% vs. 11.4%) and somewhat higher than the

   Northern Virginia metro area (18.0%). This is mainly due to the 24.8%

   growth rate in Frederick County since 2000.

- Net migration to Winchester and Harrisonburg since 2000 is fairly

   comparable (5.6% and 6.0% respectively)

 

View the complete list comparing the 2000 Census to the final 2007 estimates.

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The City's Public Works leaf collection and yard waste season officially ended last week.  The yard-waste season will start again on March 18, 2009.

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The City of Winchester's Emergency Management division recently trained and graduated 24 residents to become members of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).  Approximately 18 of the current participants are Volunteers In Policing (VIPs) continuing their training. 

 

Interested individuals can register for the next class by completing a registration form online.  Once at least ten people have registered a new training class will be scheduled.

 

Registration form online: http://www.winchesterva.gov/ems/cert.php

 

CERT
Be prepared to help yourself, your family, your neighbors, your community in an emergency or disaster.  If you live in Winchester or Frederick County you are invited

to become a member of the Community Emergency Response Team. Citizens who attend and complete the training program will meet the criteria to assist and support first

responders during and after a major emergency or disaster situation.

 

VIP
The Volunteers in Policing (VIPs) was formed in 1998 to assist the Police Department with many special activities and community events.  With the VIPs either assisting or taking over these events, police officers are free to perform their other law enforcement duties. The main purpose of the VIPs is to help keep more officers on the street. For further information, please contact Detective William Griffith  at 545-7591.

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On January 16 and 17, 2009, City Council met in a retreat to set a course for the future.  This is the first time that this new body – comprised of five incumbent and four new Councilors – had the opportunity to convene for a prolonged discussion about its vision for the City and the means of achieving it.

 

City Council first developed a new mission statement: “To provide a safe, vibrant, sustainable community while striving to constantly improve the quality of life for our citizens and economic partners.”  This broad declaration will be the foundation on which Council makes its decisions from this day forward.

 

Recognizing the limited resources available for the upcoming budget year, Council next reviewed the complete array of programs that the City provides and the inherent delivery costs.  It identified the following as “core services” from which the FY10 Budget will be built and balanced: public safety, infrastructure, social services, education, economic development, public works, and parks and recreation.  Council also directed staff to develop and present revenue alternatives to traditional broad-base taxes for it to consider during the budget process.

 

Council discussed the need for its boards and commissions to be committed to the same vision.  Communication with citizens was another major focus for the retreat.  Council acknowledged that although an informed and civically involved citizenry is a two-way street, the City must improve the way it keeps citizens informed of its programs and services. 

 

Council spent the majority of Saturday morning identifying the quality of life elements that make Winchester a desirable place to live and work.  By setting specific targets that it will periodically measure, Council will reposition the City to compete with the other cities in the Commonwealth.  These included 3-, 5-, and 10-year targets for increasing median household income, increasing the appreciation rate of home values, improving educational attainment for all citizens in several categories, increasing the number of jobs and raising the average salary of jobs in Winchester, and increasing sales tax revenue.  City staff will develop the specific objectives to meet these targets, identify the agencies and persons to be held accountable, and prepare a regular report to measure the performance.

 

Finally, Council addressed the need to take a definitive stance on Unification.  Its first step will be to meet jointly with the Frederick County Board of

Supervisors and together decide to proceed with the study or end the discussion. 

 

“I am excited about the course we’re on,” stated City Manager Brannon Godfrey.  “This is a clear statement of Council’s vision and the means by which they want to measure achievement.”