12 The Hampton Roads Messenger


Volume 9 Number 6 Around Hampton Roads


Chesapeake Police Department to Host 36th Session of


Citizen's Police Academy The Chesapeake Police Department will be hosting the 36th Session of the Citizen’s Police Academy starting on April 6, 2015. This session will be held at the Chesapeake Police Academy, 1080 Sentry Drive, Chesapeake, Virginia. The Citizen’s Police Academy is open to all citizens of Chesapeake who are 18 years of age or older. This is an excellent opportunity for the citizens of Chesapeake to learn about police work and how our department operates.


Participants will be exposed to several areas of police work and receive instruction from personnel within the department about their specific function. There will be opportunities to observe demonstrations from our specialty units such as K-9 and S.W.A.T., participate in a “ride along” with a uniformed officer during a regular shift, and learn about firearms by interacting with the Use of Force simulator and shooting the departments issued weapon.


Classes will be each Monday night from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. The academy will meet each Monday night at the same times until Monday, July 6, 2015. Graduation will be held on Monday, July 13, 2015.


Anyone interested in receiving an application or would like to receive further information should contact Neil Morgan, CAP at the Chesapeake Police Academy at 382-1526 or send an email to nmorgan@cityofchesapeake. net. Applications must be completed and returned to the Police Academy before March 20, 2015. A criminal record check will be conducted on all participants; and letters will go out approximately two weeks before this session begins.


www.cityofchesapeake.net City of Hampton’s Land


Held Value in 2014 The value of all taxable properties in Hampton increased a very small amount in 2014, said City Assessor Brian Gordineer. The increase was less than one percent (0.07%) but that means FY16, which begins July 1, will see the first increase in taxable land values since FY10. The value of single-family homes still declined, though by smaller amounts than in the previous five years. While 60% of home values didn’t change, 29% decreased and 11% increased, averaging to an overall decline of 1%. Both multifamily and commercial properties showed gains in value of 2%, though most parcels did not change in value. Those gains weren’t enough to offset the decline in all residential properties, which make up more than half the value of all property in the city. The total “land book” or property valuation for Hampton is $13.8 billion. The taxable property value is $10.142 billion, up from last year’s $10.135 billion. (About a quarter of property in the city is exempt from taxes, such as churches and schools.) The numbers are preliminary and will be updated at the beginning of the fiscal year. A map of the residential assessment neighborhood value changes is posted at: www. hampton.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3924.


The assessment is the value of a property on Jan. 1, 2015. It becomes the basis for fiscal year 2016 taxes, with the first tax bills due in December. Change of assessment notices were mailed Jan. 28, only to owners whose property changed in value. Property owners can also check assessments online at www.hampton.gov/property. Statewide, assessor’s offices are required to assess property at 100 percent market value. The Virginia Department of Taxation audits their work after the fact by checking sales against assessments, known as the assessment-sales ratio. For the past five years, Hampton’s assessment-sales ratio has been between 98 percent and 103 percent.


www.hampton.gov


The $1,000 Challenge—Credit Union Encourages Savings


February 2015


Langley originally launched the Langley Saves Program in April, 2006 and was the first credit union in the country at that time to introduce the ‘Saves’ program concept to its membership. Seeing that the U.S. Personal Saving Rate is very low today at just 4.90%, Langley saw the need to enhance its current program tiers and interest rates in order to encourage even more members to start building funds to fall back on if needed. Member savings will build quickly with as little as $10 or even $20 a week. For more information on Langley Saves Challenge or to join Langley visit www. langleyfcu.org.


Norfolk Stepping Up Efforts to Collect $4.5 Million in Back


Property Taxes Right now, we are targeting over 100 businesses and private citizens that are delinquent for multiple years," says City Treasurer Anthony Burfoot.


City Treasurer Anthony Burfoot is launching a new initiative to collect personal property taxes from taxpayers who fail to pay their bill. Beginning February 17, representatives from Virginia Auction Company will seek out the delinquent taxpayer’s vehicle and place a metal boot on the tire preventing the vehicle from being moved.


“There is more than $4.5 million in back taxes owed to this City,” said City Treasurer Anthony Burfoot. “This is money the City needs to provide services to our citizens. When my office has exhausted all efforts to collect back taxes, we will alert Virginia Auction Company. Right now, we are targeting over 100 businesses and private citizens that are delinquent for multiple years.”


Senior citizens, persons with disabilities and vehicles displaying a handicap license plate or hangtag will be issued a large sticker advising that they must contact the Norfolk City Treasurer’s office to pay the delinquent taxes.


Vehicles will be towed within 24 hours unless past due taxes are paid. The boot or sticker will be removed once the account is paid in full. Norfolk joins the cities of Chesapeake and Portsmouth who currently utilize this method of collecting delinquent taxes. For further information contact the City Treasurer’s office at 664-7800.


www.norfolk.gov Virginia Sports Hall of Fame


Announces Class of 2015 Class of 2015 features Olympic gold medalist, Super Bowl Champion, 16- year MLB veteran, NBA Champion and more.


PORTSMOUTH, VA – The Virginia Sports Hall of Fame announced its class of 2015 on Tuesday at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, as chosen by the statewide Honors Court committee. The Class of 2015 features:


• Fletcher Arritt, former basketball coach at Fork Union Military Academy who after 46 years at the helm, compiled 890 wins and won over 75 percent of his games ;


• Cherie Greer Brown, an All-American lacrosse player at the University of Virginia and National Lacrosse Hall of Fame inductee;


• Johnny Grubb, a Richmond native and 16-year Major League veteran who helped lead the Detroit Tigers to a World Series Championship in 1984;


• Paul Hatcher, a basketball coach at Robert E. Lee High School in Staunton for 43 years, Hatcher compiled 897 victories and a winning percentage of 84 percent;


• Angela Hucles, a Virginia Beach native and former University of Virginia soccer player who won two Olympic gold medals playing for the United States women’s soccer team;


• Mike Stevens, a former Sports Director of Southwest Virginia’s CBS affiliate WDBJ-7, where he served as a reporter, lead anchorman and did live play-by-play broadcasts for 23 years;


with Enhanced Program NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Langley Federal Credit Union is encouraging their members to save $1,000 by December 31, 2015 with the newly restructured Langley Saves Program. The Langley Saves Program offers a 3-tiered savings structure designed to help members save money while earning special rates of return that are higher than they would normally earn on other savings accounts. The new program provides a high interest rate to all Langley Saves account holders with members earning more money on the lowest balances to help them get started. In fact, members will earn 2.02% APY on the first $1,000 in the account.


“So many people are living paycheck to paycheck these days,” stated Langley VP of Marketing Randy Saltzman. “We want to help them achieve their financial goals by giving them an above-market, high rate of return on this special savings account. Through this challenge, we want to encourage adults, kids and grandkids to get back to the savings habit that used to be a staple of life years ago. It’s designed to reward savers and help them build funds for their financial future.”


• Ben Wallace, a Virginia Union graduate and 16-year NBA veteran who won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year four times and led the Detroit Pistons to an NBA Championship.


www.portsmouthva.gov


New Suffolk City Hall Phase II Associated Parking and


Pedestrian Traffic Changes Beginning January 2015, the U.S. Postal Mailbox and City of Suffolk Treasurer/Public Utilities Drop Box positioned outside of the old City of Suffolk Municipal Building will be relocated due to ongoing work as part of the new Suffolk City Hall project.


The U.S. Postal Mailbox will be relocated to within close proximity to its current location but outside of the contractor’s fence around the old City of Suffolk Municipal Building.


The City of Suffolk Treasurer/Public Utilities Drop Box will be moved to its’ new location in the Municipal Building parking lot.


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