Tag: taxes
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As pandemic’s fiscal impact becomes painfully clear, city announces layoffs and other cost-saving measures
By March 13, when the health department announced Harrisonburg’s first positive test for COVID-19 and local schools were on a one-day closure that soon extended through the academic year, it was clear that the pandemic’s effects on public health and the economy would be dramatic. On Monday, city staff put some first numbers to that bleak picture in a late-afternoon press release: local tax revenue will fall an estimated $4 million short of projections for this fiscal year, which ends June 30.
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Board delays new high school project
Harrisonburg’s new high school will not open by fall 2022 as planned. In light of local revenue lost because of the pandemic, the Harrisonburg School Board voted unanimously in a virtual meeting Tuesday to suspend the project until the city attains the necessary funding.
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As COVID-19 cases increase, council looks to provide some relief
As the COVID-19 pandemic escalates in the Central Shenandoah Health District, the Harrisonburg City Council is considering emergency measures to offer relief to citizens and businesses by waiving certain late fees.
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Possibly delaying the new high school by a year hints at the city’s tough financial decisions to come
Harrisonburg leaders are looking at a starkly different financial reality now than they were less than four months ago when the city council approved the $100 million needed to build and open a second high school, which has the Harrisonburg School Board considering a one-year delay of its construction.
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How will 2020 shape Hburg’s future? Let’s play Twenty Questions
And so it begins. Hopes for and speculation about the future abound, as does list-making for a fresh year. As we set off for the next 12 months, get ready for plenty of “20/20 vision” references. In that spirit, here are 20 questions (in no particular order) for 2020 that address issues that will likely shape Harrisonburg for the next decade and beyond.
By 3-2 vote, council approves Plan A for the new high school design that includes athletic facilities
The Harrisonburg City Council narrowly approved the construction of the new high school as originally designed on Tuesday evening – with the athletics facilities included — allowing builders to break ground in time for the $87.2 million building to open in fall 2022.
It all comes down to tonight. Council’s decision on new school will decide when it opens and how it’s built.
To stay on schedule for opening the new high school in fall 2022, the City Council will have to authorize Nielsen Builders, Inc. to break ground this month. That has raised the stakes for tonight’s public hearing and vote — potentially the last chance for council to approve a design so that the builders can proceed on time or risk delaying the new school’s opening by a year.
To allow for public input, council delays vote on new high school’s design to Dec. 10
The Harrisonburg City Council postponed a vote on the new high school’s design until Dec. 10 to allow for a public hearing, while city council members also continue looking for ways to soften the blow on residents’ tax bills.
