You are invited to a BURG community meeting - Sunday, Nov. 4

At 7 PM, at the Blacksburg Public Library, we will brief anyone who is interested. We need your input and your participation.

The following items will be on the agenda:

• Legal update
• The traffic study
• The proposed change in the date of town elections
• Fundraising
• What you can do
• Community Input

South Main project to go ahead on the basis of an unreliable traffic impact study

Since BURG's call for an independent traffic study, we have not received a satisfactory response from town council or staff. We have been told that neither an independent study nor an independent review of the Anderson & Associates traffic impact study will be conducted.

Our intention in calling for an independent study was not to create an adversarial relationship to the town council or the town staff. We offered to work with the town to find a way to make such as study possible.

An independent study should be done, not because we don't like the findings of the one done by Anderson & Associates, but because that study is suspect.

• Anderson & Associates have a conflict of interest, since they are the major engineering contractor on the project
• The raw data were changed across the various versions of the study, and these changes all had the effect of lowering projected traffic counts.
• No explanation has been given for the changes in the data.

BURG will be sending a follow-up letter to town council. Please write to town council, and tell them that we can only assess the real impact of this project if we have a truly independent traffic study. Please come to the town council meeting on Tuesday, November 6, and bring up this issue in the citizen comment section.

Weigh in on the proposed date change for town elections

Blacksburg Mayor, Ron Rordam, has proposed changing the date of town council elections from May to November of even-numbered years, to coincide with national elections. See the proposed ordinance.

The stated purpose of this change is to increase turnout for town council elections, and it is provided for in Virginia law.

BURG has not taken a position for or against this change. We urge our members, and all Blacksburg voters to consider all of the advantages and possible pitfalls of this change. Here are some of the concerns that have been raised:

• Although a 20% turnout in town elections is unacceptably low, Blacksburg has much higher participation in local politics than neighboring towns. We should be working on getting more people involved, so they will come out to vote in May elections.
• Will moving the elections to coincide with Congressional and Presidential elections prevent local issues from getting the attention they deserve?
• There are many questions about the process by which this change is being advanced, opening it to public input very late. Virginia Law provides for changing the election date by local referendum. It would not be costly to add such a referendum to the town elections already scheduled for May, 2008.
• Virginia Law also allows for town elections to be scheduled for November of odd-numbered years, when many state and county elections take place. This may make more sense than throwing town elections in with national races.
• The entry of many voters who have not been interested or involved in town politics may create a situation in which campaign spending may become decisive. Will we need to have campaign finance regulations in Blacksburg?

BURG is the product of a broadening of citizen involvement in town issues. Broadening democratic participation in Blacksburg issues means building a more active and informed citizenry. Any change in election date should have this goal in mind, not simply increasing the number of people who cast a ballot.

BURG is calling on anyone who can to attend a Town Council session on Tuesday, October 30, at 7:30, in the Police Department Training Room, 200 Clay St. This is our chance to hear and be heard on this important issue.

Many thanks to those who have contributed in our "100 from 100" drive! Already, over 50 households have donated at least $100 each, and many of them have given even more. See the list here. Not only does this help finance our legal efforts, but it also shows that we are determined, and together!

Here's the idea: The South Main development will hit us where we live, in property values, traffic, noise, and of course the character of our town. So we are looking for 100 households willing to donate just $100 each. We're starting with those who live closest to the project, and with you, our core membership. The 100 households will be listed on our website (unless you choose to remain anonymous).

Visit our donations page for information on how to contribute.

Cookies!

The largest corporation in the world can't stand up to the power of freshly-baked goodies! BURG will have a bake sale on Friday, Nov. 2, in front of the S. Main Kroger, from 6 to 8 PM. The proceeds might not pay all of our legal fees, but this is a great chance to connect with the community. If you want to volunteer, or bake something, contact Margaret.

Did you know you can keep up with important dates with the BURG online calendar?