The NewsRoom Syndicate

City Manager Ken Larking tonight submitted to the City Council a proposed budget that includes $8 million in new revenue anticipated from state-collected gaming taxes and a $4.1 million local supplement from Caesars Virginia, which will open a temporary casino this year.

The gaming tax revenue, as proposed, will pay for several activities, including economic development initiatives, new positions for Danville Public Schools, maintaining low school classroom sizes, lease and debt payments for the new police headquarters, removal of blight, and continuation of the gang prevention program.

The local supplement will be used for general governmental operations, the cost of which is increasing due to inflation and rising personnel costs, including health care and salaries and wages.

The budget includes no increase in real estate, meals, and lodging tax rates. Minor utility rate adjustments are proposed. The rate adjustments are from a biennial rate study. For the average residential customer, their monthly utility bill will go up $1.50.

A monthly sanitation fee increase of $1 from $16.50 to $17.50 is proposed because of rising costs of service. The fee change is the first since 2005.

Other fee increases are proposed for parks and recreation rentals, zoning verification letters, and the fire marshal’s office. These fees capture revenue from the customers who are using these services and reduce the subsidies that the general taxpayer provides.

The total proposed budget for the next fiscal year is nearly $322.7 million for operations, capital improvements, and debt service. This total is a 13 percent increase, or $37 million more than the current fiscal year’s budget of $285.7 million.

The proposed budget is a working draft for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. The City Council will hold public hearings prior to adopting a budget. Final adoption must take place no later than June 30.

Budget documents are available for review at www.danvilleva.gov/2024budget.

Revenue forecasts

Larking told the City Council that revenue forecasts are favorable as compared to last year. Those increases include:

• $12.1 million in casino gaming and supplemental revenue.
• $1.37 million in meals taxes.
• $1.17 million in business licenses.
• $506,420 million in personal property taxes.
• $437,950 in sales taxes. 
• $442,150 in hotel/motel taxes
• $200,000 in current and delinquent real estate tax collections.

Expenditure highlights

The guiding principles for development of the proposed budget include a focus on the City Council-identified priority areas of economic and community development, education, and public safety.

For economic and community development, the proposed budget includes money for improvements to the Danville Regional Airport; various economic development grant programs; already-approved economic development incentives and investments in sites and buildings; phase one of a splash pad for Ballou Park Recreation Center; neighborhood revitalization efforts; Riverwalk Trail improvements; tourism marketing; and continuation of the youth Experience Works Internship Program.

For education, the proposed budget includes an increase of $2.55 million for school operations, which will be used for three new behavioral specialist positions and salary increases. These funds will help Danville Public Schools maintain low classroom sizes, which is necessary to improve student achievement.

For public safety, the proposed budget includes funds to continue implementation of the federal comprehensive gang model; expand the video surveillance program; and continue community engagement efforts, including dedicated youth engagement officers for the Police Department.

The proposed budget provides funds for rising health care costs, continues the pay-for-performance system for employee raises; funds a full year of the cost to implement the state’s minimum wage; and sets aside money for implementation of recommendations from a pay study, which was initiated earlier this year and is nearly complete.

As proposed, four new positions will be created, and eight existing positions will be reclassified.

The proposed budget reflects an additional $19.9 million for utilities operations, which includes electric, gas, water treatment, wastewater treatment and broadband services. The increase includes $10 million in power supply costs, driven in part by servicing large customers such as Aerofarms and Tyson Foods. Those companies are expected to be a full production in the next fiscal year.

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Caesars Virginia is holding a hiring event March 23-24 at the Averett University North Campus at Frank Campbell Stadium. Full-time and part-time positions are available for table games dealers, cocktail servers, bartenders, and many more positions with on-the-spot offers. They also have an online application you can find with this link.

The Danville Police Department has charged a 13-year-old juvenile with the murder of that juvenile’s 4-year-old sibling following an incident that occurred in August 2022 in the City of Danville.

A first degree murder charge was brought following further investigation stemming from the juvenile’s confession earlier this week about suffocating the victim. The juvenile was arrested in another jurisdiction.

In August 2022, investigators and crime scene responded to the scene of a residence where a 4-year-old child was found in a room without a pulse and not breathing. The child was transported to SOVAH Health in Danville before being airlifted to another medical facility, and later died.

The juvenile will be transferred to W.W. Moore Detention Center pending trial.

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Five teenagers were honored last week for completing life skills training and goal-setting exercises through Project Imagine. The program steers youths away from gang activity, and instead focusing on goals such as having no contact with law enforcement, improving their grades, completing school, and becoming employed.

Graduating from the program were Dre Campbell, Daequan Smith, Daeshaun Smith, Amarvion Thompson, and Tywon Wosley. 

Robert David, youth services and gang violence prevention coordinator for the City of Danville, commended the youths for taking this step.

“When you came to Project Imagine, you became warriors because you stepped into an arena that your friends did not want to,” David said, speaking to the graduating kids. “It doesn’t matter what they (friends) say to you because you are the warriors. They are haters. They are not even in the game. You made the decision, ‘I am going to get my grades up,’ ‘I am going to stay off the streets,’ or ‘I am going to do whatever I got to do to be successful.’ You are the warriors.”

David said the Project Imagine staff will serve as a support system for them from now on.

“We tag the phrase ‘your new aunts and uncles’,” David said. “What that means is we create a support system to help you navigate. That is what we do. We are serious about our relationships with the youth and helping them move from one level to the next.”

Curtis Artis, assistant coordinator, thanked the graduates and their parents for trusting the Project Imagine process and what the program has to offer.

“We are raising strong children to be good men,” he said. “Each of you has a strength that people say is a weakness. We are going to show you how to take that strength and turn it into a positive. Watch what the results will be.”

Deputy City Manager Earl Reynolds encouraged the kids to not cling to the past, and to turn their regrets for past actions into something positive.

“Today, you can see, acknowledge, and understand what you did wrong,” Reynolds said. “If you fail, then never give up. ‘F.A.I.L.’ means ‘first attempt at learning.’ Failure is not ‘F.A.I.L.’ ‘End’ is not ‘the end.’ ‘E.N.D.’ is ‘effort never dies.’ If you get ‘no’ as an answer, remember that ‘N.O.’ is ‘next opportunity.’”

Since the program’s inception, 16 classes, totaling 90 teens, have graduated.

Project Imagine started in 2018 to create a positive “image” in the youth’s mind so that he or she can “imagine” a life without gangs or crime. Initially, the program consisted of a nine-week paid work experience and mentoring while on the job with a partnering agency. 

The focus now is developing and maintaining those relationships as each teen progresses in meeting their goals, such as finishing school and becoming employed. A Project Imagine outreach worker is assigned to mentor each teen in the program for a minimum of one year.

David says Project Imagine provides opportunities for the kids, who in turn have the responsibility of taking advantage of it.

As part of the program, the participants receive strength-based assessments using the Casey Life Skills and Clifton Strengths tools that aim to set youth on their way toward developing healthy, productive lives. 

The teens in Project Imagine are chosen from referrals from the police department, courts, schools, and parents.

Project Imagine has received national recognition. In 2020, David was named a winner of the Frederic Milton Thrasher Award by the National Gang Crime Research Center. The award recognizes his accomplishments in gang prevention and intervention.

The program also received the President’s Award from the Virginia Municipal League in October 2019.

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Join everyone for a free Tournament Town concert outside of One Thirteen Brewhouse with The Breakfast Club and Muddy Creek Revival!

Enjoy food and drinks from Stumble Stilskins and One Thirteen, along with 80’s hits and country/rock tunes. Food trucks will be on hand.

The Breakfast Club® is the longest running, most recognized ’80’s tribute band in the United States. The members of The Breakfast Club® have shared the stage with numerous music legends including Whitesnake, The Romantics, Poison, Drivin’n’Cryin’, Hootie and The Blowfish, White Lion, The Smithereens, Edwin McCain, and many others.

The concert will take place from 1:00-5:00 p.m. on Greene Street, in front of One Thirteen Brewhouse + Rooftop Bar in Downtown Greensboro. Admission is free.

Location is 113 North Green Street, just two blocks away from the Greensboro Culture Center. More information available on the Facebook event page you can find here.

The Social Security Administration and its Office of the Inspector General (OIG) continue to raise public awareness about Social Security imposter scams during the fourth annual “Slam the Scam” Day on March 9. Social Security scams — where fraudsters pressure victims into making cash or gift card payments to fix alleged Social Security number problems or to avoid arrest – are an ongoing government imposter fraud scheme.

For several years, Social Security impersonation scams have been one of the most common government imposter scams reported to the Federal Trade Commission. Social Security has made concerted efforts to address this issue, through extensive outreach and investigative initiatives. These efforts have made a significant impact, reducing money reported lost to Social Security scams by 30 percent from 2021 to 2022.

“I am proud of the work we have done to combat Social Security imposter scams and raise public awareness,” said Kilolo Kijakazi, Acting Commissioner of Social Security.

“We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to protect the public and their critical benefits. We urge Americans to remain vigilant, do not give out personal information or money, and report any scam attempts.”

Scammers use sophisticated tactics to trick potential victims into disclosing personal and financial information. Typically, they use these P’s – Pretend, Prize or Problem, Pressure, and Payment. For example, scammers pretend they are from Social Security in phone calls or emails and claim there is a problem with the person’s Social Security number. The scammer’s caller ID may be spoofed to look like a legitimate government number. Scammers may also send fake documents to pressure people into complying with demands for information or money. Other common tactics include citing “badge numbers” and using fraudulent Social Security letterhead to target individuals for payment or personal information.

Social Security will never tell you that your Social Security number is suspended; contact you to demand an immediate payment; threaten you with arrest; ask for your credit or debit card numbers over the phone; request gift cards or cash; or promise a Social Security benefit approval or increase in exchange for information or money.

Social Security employees do contact the public by telephone for business purposes. Ordinarily, the agency calls people who have recently applied for a Social Security benefit, are already receiving payments and require an update to their record, or have requested a phone call from the agency. If there is a problem with a person’s Social Security number or record, Social Security will typically mail a letter.

“Working with our law enforcement and private sector partners to inform consumers about scammers and their deceptive practices remains a priority for my office. We will continue promoting National Slam the Scam Day to help protect consumers from these predators. Slamming the scam begins with consumers quickly taking a step to hang up the phone, or delete suspicious texts and emails, without responding to the scammers,” said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for the Social Security Administration. “That remains the easiest and most effective method to avoid falling prey to these vicious scams.”

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Danville, Virginia…a tourist Mecca? It’s not as far-fetched as you might think.

In late 2021, the city of Danville created a new Tourism Division to anticipate an influx of visitor’s from the Caesars Virginia casino, and other projects. They hired Lisa Meriwether as Director.

Since then, Lisa has been busy building up a new division from the ground up. She has been tireless in creating a “brand” to sell this region to visitors, and a lot of the legwork will be done by people like you and me!

Listen as Hampton and Chuck talk with Lisa about the unlimited possibilities the Danville area has on the very near horizon!

As Lisa likes to say, “Company’s coming! Get ready!”

You can find and subscribe to the All About Danville Youtube channel here.

Here is the second podcast from All About Danville!

Their guest this week is Telly Tucker, President of the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville.

In the course of 20 years the Institute has moved from theory to reality. They have played a major role as a catalyst for some of the biggest economic and scientific advances that are redefining the Danville region. And they’re just getting started!

Telly talks with Hampton and Chuck about the Institute’s recent big announcements, and forecasts a bright, high-tech future!

Enjoy!

You can find and subscribe to the All About Danville Youtube channel here.