Tag: City Council
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City and school division bank on federal funds to restart high school project, make up for revenue decline
Money that Congress approved last month to help local communities in the wake of the pandemic could help restart construction on the new Harrisonburg high school soon and is expected to fill revenue holes in the city’s budget. Money from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law in March, could reach Harrisonburg in the coming weeks in time to resume building the high school even before the city approves its budget for the coming year, said Harrisonburg City Public Schools Superintendent Michael Richards.
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Hburg council offers chilly reception to jail expansion plan
Members of the Harrisonburg City Council expressed concerns about and, in some cases, outright opposition to a proposed expansion of the Middle River Regional Jail as the jail’s leader made his pitch Tuesday night. While the council didn’t take any vote on the issue, the discussion signaled that jail officials might have an uphill climb to convince Harrisonburg to kick as much as $1.2 million more a year for the city’s share of a nearly $40 million expansion.
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Just what is a housing trust fund and how might it work in Hburg?
As city leaders, organizations and advocates have debated ways to address Harrisonburg’s housing crunch, the concept of establishing a housing trust fund kept popping up. Here’s a guide to how a housing trust fund works, what other localities use one and how it might affect Harrisonburg’s affordable housing crunch.
21 questions for Harrisonburg in 2021
Yes, we have lots of questions about how Harrisonburg will emerge on the other side of this pandemic. But there’s a lot more to ponder in the new year as well.
Council approves solar farm as well as bonuses for city workers
The Harrisonburg City Council made a few steps toward increasing residents’ access to solar and wind energy on Tuesday night, as council members unanimously approved the lease for a solar farm on the north end of town, and adopted a resolution that aims to have 50% of the city’s electricity come from renewable energy by 2025.
Housing authority moving forward on plan for voucher flexibility; Mayor urges Halloween safety
Harrisonburg’s housing authority is making progress with the draft of its plan to be part of a federal program that will allow for more flexibility in using federal dollars and more incentives to low-income people in hopes of putting them on a path to “self-sufficiency,” the authority’s leader told the city council Tuesday.
Pandemic prompts different schools of thought about new building
Almost six months since construction on Harrisonburg’s second high school was suspended, the project remains in limbo, with no timeline yet established to resume work. COVID-19, though, has prompted competing takeaways about the wisdom of moving forward.
Hburg’s Halloween will feature a lot fewer treats this year
Halloween in Harrisonburg — normally a bustle of costumed kids and Skeleton Fest — is starting to feel more like one of those abandoned houses that might be haunted.
