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162 <br /> <br /> Mr. Caravati said that police response times have been brought up by <br />neighborhoods recently, and he hopes the CPU will help. Mr. Caravati said he hopes a <br />holistic approach will be taken by the CPU, and that they will be able to identify other <br />issues such as housing concerns. <br /> <br /> Ms. Richards said she is concerned about the proliferation of guns and the kind of <br />violence that perpetuates, and until we manage to get better control of the availability of <br />guns nationwide this will be difficult to get a handle on. Ms. Richards said she would <br />like to see Charlottesville become involved in that effort and would like to discuss with <br />Council at some point signing a pledge not to procure guns from gun manufacturers who <br />do not act responsibly. <br /> <br />REPORT: FINANCIAL TRENDS AND FIRST CITIES (consortium of Virginia cities) <br /> <br /> Ms. Linda Peacock, Assistant City Manager, explained that staff is in the process <br />of developing long-range financial projections in light of the many studies that are <br />coming forward which have financial implications. Ms. Peacock presented slides <br />comparing a variety of financial indicators from 1990 to 1999. <br /> <br /> Mr. Cox asked if single family versus multi-family residences could be separated <br />out in the graph showing increases in real estate assessment, and Ms. Peacock said this <br />could only be done for the early 1990's. <br /> <br /> Mr. Toscano asked if the sales tax trend indicates that previous projections <br />showing a decrease are incorrect, and Ms. Peacock said studies indicate that the City <br />needs to maintain its status as a retail center for the health of the City's economy. <br /> <br /> Mr, Toscano asked that the pie chart showing expenditures by category include <br />capital expenses, as he is especially interested in seeing this reflected in schools and <br />parks and recreation. <br /> Mr. Caravati said he would like to know how much of the expenditure growth is <br />controllable, and Ms. Peacock said that information could be provided on what is <br />discretionary and what is not. <br /> <br /> Mr. Cox said the trends show a strong argument for focusing on attracting more <br />residents. <br /> <br />Mr. Caravati said that this also means having more dense housing. <br /> <br /> Mr. Toscano said that while he agrees with attracting more residents, the Council <br />needs to be mindful that at some point the schools and their buildings could become <br />overtaxed and increase costs. <br /> <br /> Mr. Chris Cutlinan, presented information on Virginia First Cities, a coalition of <br />larger cities in Virginia that are facing challenges due to a limited ability to raise <br />revenue.. The goal of the coalition is to advocate changes to Virginia's system of <br />intergovernmental relations. Mr. Cullinan said that any recommendations of the coalition <br />will be included in the City's legislative package. <br /> <br /> Mr. Cox, referring to future trends and in the event that the economy slows down, <br />asked if staff will be able to project five years out. <br /> <br /> Ms. Peacock said that it is difficult to project five years with any accuracy, but <br />three year projections can be done. <br /> <br /> Mr. Cox questioned whether allowing for commercial development needs to be <br />met will increase the commuter community, and Ms. Peacock said that information will <br />be forthcoming in the Corridor Study. <br /> <br /> Mr. Lynch said he feels the most important number is the adjusted growth <br />income, noting that this is low in Charlottesville. <br /> <br /> <br />