Lynchburg City Council plans to hold its budget public hearing as scheduled next Tuesday, but the procedures will be anything but normal. There will be limited and widely-spaced seating for any citizens who show up to comment in person. To address this, the city has set up a recorded comment phone line, and any public comments up to the usual three-minute limit will be played at the hearing. You can also submit written comments. See the full news release below for details.
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NEWS RELEASE: On Tuesday, March 31, at 7:00 p.m., Lynchburg City Council will conduct a Budget Public Hearing regarding the proposed Fiscal Year 2021 Operating Budget and Fiscal Years 2021-2025 Capital Improvement Program. The public hearing will be held in City Hall, City Council Chamber, 900 Church Street. All City Council meetings are broadcast live on the City’s Comcast Channel 15, the City’s website at www.lynchburgva.gov and on the City’s Facebook page.
During the public hearing on the proposed budget, City Council will also receive citizen comments on the proposed increase to the refuse collection fee and on the proposed increases to the City’s sewer rates and fees.
A limited number of citizens will be allowed in the Council Chamber due to COVID-19 precautions. Those in the Chamber will be asked to practice social distancing and to sit in designated spaces. Anyone who is experiencing any flu-like symptoms or has been exposed to someone with flu-like symptoms of COVID-19 is asked not to attend the hearing.
Alternate methods to participating in-person at the public hearing include:
- Calling (434) 455-3998. These calls will be recorded and played during the public hearing following any in-person comments. The three-minute speaking limit applies. Phone comments will be cut off at the three-minute mark as they would be if a person is speaking in Council Chamber.
- Sending written comments on these topics to the Clerk of Council no later than March 31, 2020. Written comments can be emailed to councilpublichearing@lynchburgva.gov or mailed to Robin Craig, Clerk of Council, 900 Church Street, Lynchburg, VA 24504.