Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
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Martinsville, Virginia 24115
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Thursday, October 29, 2009
By DEBBIE HALL AND ELIZA WINSTON - Bulletin Staff Writers
Few, if any, areas of the state budget will escape when Gov. Tim Kaine tries to make up a shortfall expected to approach $1.5 billion in a round of budget cuts in December, Del. Ward Armstrong said Wednesday.
Higher education has been a “whipping boy” in recent budget cuts, he said. “We’ve got to look at other areas.”
Armstrong, D-Collinsville, along with incumbent Dels. Danny Marshall of Danville and Don Merricks of Pittsylvania County, both Republicans, made his comments Wednesday at a candidates forum sponsored by the Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce.
Seward Anderson, a Danville Democrat who is challenging Marshall for his 14th District seat, and Ed Creed, a Claudville Republican who is trying to unseat Armstrong in the 10th District, also responded to a series of five questions posed by moderators Gene Teague and Phil Gardner. About 75 to 100 people attended the event.
Merricks, who represents the 16th District, is unopposed.
Armstrong said Kaine will propose a budget in December with cuts that will be “through the meat and bone ... Things are dire.” He expects no area will be exempt, but public K-12 education likely will survive with the fewest cuts, Armstrong predicted.
Marshall said he will work to protect core services, such as public safety, mental health and education, while striving to create jobs.
“If we create jobs, we can grow ourselves out of this,” he said.
Anderson said if elected, he would protect several areas from cuts, including education, economic development, job creation, public safety, transportation and services for veterans. He also supports using a “zero-based budget,” which would mean each state agency “starts from zero” each year and must justify “every cent of that budget.”
Education “is the engine that drives the train,” Merricks said. Although he does not support cuts to education, Merricks said he has learned to “never say never.”
Creed said the state budget has doubled in the last decade, and he believes spending should be reined in.
Often describing himself as nervous when it was his turn to answer a question, Creed said funding for transportation and education are “a major must for us as well.”
The chamber does not support a Homestead Exemption Act, which would allow localities to give some residents a break of up to 20 percent on real estate taxes, officials said. Chamber members believe it would shift the tax burden to businesses.
No candidate supported the proposal.
On unemployment and economic issues, Creed said that without job creation, the area could not move forward. This area has a great resource in the large number of hard-working people who want to work, he said, so it is important to bring industries in to create jobs for those people.
Anderson said there is a great need for continued work force development and coordination of work force development efforts between Patrick Henry Community College, the New College Institute and Danville Community College. Industries, he said, easily can find out the level of education in the area, and they will want to come here only if the prospective employees are educated.
The Workforce Investment Board, Merricks said, is an excellent resource. There will have to be budget cuts, he said, but he is confident the WIB will be able to evaluate which of its projects have been the most effective and should continue being funded.
The work force must be ready for new industries, Marshall said. According to Armstrong, the WIB is vital for helping workers retrain for new jobs and industries.
Also, Armstrong said, if the Governor’s Opportunity Fund — money set aside to help land new industries — was increased, industries would be more likely to come to the area. He added that the state’s current fund of $20 million should be doubled or tripled.
On the topic of health insurance, Marshall said lower cost health insurance is necessary. The solution, he said, is in creating competition to reduce costs.
Both Merricks and Anderson said more competition is needed to avoid cost increases.
Armstrong also said more competition is important, and he cited the importance of standardized electronic medical forms.
Creed also said lower insurance costs are needed, as well as jobs for those who are unemployed and unable to get insurance.
Asked whether he agreed with the Virginia Department of Transportation’s decision to fund only road maintenance, Marshall said, the “first thing we have to do is get a lock box on VDOT” so its funds cannot be diverted to other budget areas.
Creed supports a “recordation tax” and creating bonds. He did not explain his plan further but said VDOT “is in a situation that we have to help them and get them going strong.”
“Now is not a time for any tax increases,” Anderson said. “Gimmicks such as selling off the ABC stores” as Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell has proposed “and cannibalizing other agencies are not going to work,” he said, adding he would support the creation of a bi-partisan commission to study the problem and create an action plan as proposed by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Sen. Creigh Deeds.
Merricks said using “best management practices” would help state agencies such as VDOT save money and increase cost efficiency.
“We don’t have enough Jack Daniels and Jim Beam in this state” to fund transportation, Armstrong said, alluding McDonnell’s plan to sell ABC stores and use the proceeds to pay for transportation.
“If there’s one thing we need to get turned around, it’s infrastructure and roads,” Armstrong said. “But we can’t do it for free.” |
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