This year, the city of Williamsburg is asking the state legislature for more tourism promotion, transportation improvements, support for funding of College of William & Mary among its list of priorities for the 2014 session.
Each year, the city submits legislative priorities to the state for legislators to consider as they craft and vote on bills. The city is expected to vote on the list at its meeting today.
According to the draft of the document, this year Williamsburg is asking the state to “continue to make the widening of I-64 (from Richmond to Newport News) a priority.” The document calls I-64 the “primary gateway” to military bases, the Historic Triangle and eastern Virginia.
The state designated $100 million for the widening of the highway in the segment from Route 199 to Jefferson Avenue and the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization voted in June to approve the project. But the section from Williamsburg to Richmond, the document says, is still in need of “legislative interest and influence” – something Mayor Clyde Haulman said city officials believe for a variety of reasons.
“We are a driving destination for a big portion of our visitors,” Haulman said. “Making it as easy as possible for them to get here is critical to the community.”
For the same reason, the city is also asking the state continue funding the Virginia Intercity Passenger Rail Operating and Capital Fund, a piece of legislation from 2011 and updated in 2013 that allows updates to Amtrak service. Specifically, the city is asking for the state to use the money to get a third Amtrak train running on the Peninsula.
Also on the city’s priority list is funding W&M has requested from the state to raise faculty and staff salaries and construction projects like the planned Arts Quarter project. The city is asking legislators recognize it “supports William and Mary’s continued efforts to secure a sustainable funding model” for the above mentioned areas.
As always, tourism is a priority for the city – Williamsburg is also asking the state use a larger portion of state money acquired by tourism to promote the Historic Triangle. Haulman said that considering the amount of money the state acquires from Virginia tourism, the amount used to fund promotion is not enough.
“The General Assembly sees an incredible amount of revenue from Virginia tourism,” Haulman said. “And only a small portion of that is put back into promoting tourism.”
An adjustment of hotel room sales tax for state Internet travel reservation companies is also listed in the document. City officials are asking the companies be taxed on gross sales instead of net sales.
An adjustment of hotel room sales tax for state Internet travel reservation companies is also listed in the document. City officials are asking the companies be taxed on gross sales instead of net sales.
Haulman said it has to do with discounted hotel room rates found online that are being taxed at a lower rate. If the hotel rooms were taxed instead for gross sales, the city would see more revenue.
Williamsburg is also asking the state to:
- Relieve for Williamsburg taxpayers from some of the costs of water quality regulations related to Chesapeake Bay preservation
- Fund the following at a rate comparable to overall state revenue growth:
- the Williamsburg Regional Library
- Williamsburg-James City County Schools
- Street maintenance
- Police support
- Correction officer salaries at the regional jail
- State Health Department and Mental services
- Williamsburg Human Services Department
- Federal mandates related to stormwater and wastewater
- City and school board public officials (and any other joint city/county “constitutional officers”
