City of Williamsburg “State of the City” address

The City of Williamsburg held a public “State of the City” address this evening and also presented the city’s published Biennial Goals, Initiatives and Outcomes for 2009-2010. Mayor Jeanne Zeidler presided over a standing-room only group of well over 100 attendees.

Of note in her address: lodging and hospitality revenue has experienced a severe drop-off as recessions tend to shrink a family’s discretionary spending, especially for travel.

State funding will decrease and assessments will drop, negatively affecting tax revenues. The City is bracing for an estimated $1 Million shortfall and is deferring planned spending.

The decision packages for the City Council’s upcoming budget exhibit permanent spending and service reductions. The City is in good shape, though, as cash reserves are safely invested and debt is low. There has been no real decline in residential real estate thus far, and new developments are still in the works.

Colonial Williamsburg has experienced a decline in conference revenue, and The College of William and Mary has become a state-assisted instead of a state-supported school. The City of Williamsburg is a city of historic and academic renown and will continue to thrive. Comments and suggestions from citizens are encouraged.

The City continues important and significant projects such as community beautification and tourism promotion. The City has a $2.35 Million budget in destination marketing with the goal to protect the City’s character and to encourage the Arts, including Virginia Arts Festival.

The City of Williamsburg is engaged. In the recent Presidential election (Nov 08), Williamsburg was one of the top three (3) cities in Virginia with new voters and voter turnout.

The rental issue is a “hot topic,” with 55% of residential housing listed as renter-occupied. Homelessness and affordable housing remains important.

The City of Williamsburg is safe, rating well above the national average for public safety and fire services. The City is “green government” certified for its environmental sustainability efforts.
Williamsburg Area Transit (WAT) continues to improve, adding Sunday service on November 23rd and working on reduced stop times from one hour to one-half hour.

The City thanked Colin Campbell, President of Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, for his efforts on the Jamestown 2007-Historic Triangle Collaborative.

The city’s first Economic Development Director, Michele DeWitt, was introduced, and it was noted that the City Manager has added a Communication Director to his staff. One of the first communication initiatives has been interactive web-based citizen discussion.

As a regional effort, the City of Williamsburg is exploring a long-term agreement with the City of Newport News on water usage, recognizing partnerships are important, including those with other localities.

You can watch a video of the event and download the complete State of the City report online HERE.