MANASSAS PARK — It’s no secret Manassas Park is drowning in debt.
As candidates for the city council put it Thursday night at a voter forum at the city’s middle school, the “credit card has come due.” The more than 40-year-old city went into debt 10 years ago paying for the construction of municipal buildings it couldn’t afford.
Standing today are new schools, fire and police stations, a community center, and a bill for about $120 million. That’s a lot for a small city with a population of 16,000, according to the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Policy, about half the size of its neighboring city of Manassas.
Incumbent Manassas Park Governing Body candidates — or city council candidates as their campaign signs state — Preston Banks and Micheal Carrera took an upfront and honest approach with voters: Things are going to get worse before they get better.
“We pay high taxes, and that won’t change in five years,” said Carrera, who was first elected to the governing body in 2014. “My property taxes go up $350 every year…property taxes are still going up,” said Carrera.
But if he’s reelected, the average property tax bill “won’t go up by $300 per year,” he adds.
He sided with Banks who touted his ability to slightly lower the average tax bill while maintaining the city’s mounting debt payments.
“Every decision is important. If we make a mistake, the debt payment is still there,” adds Banks. “It’s not attractive, but I have to be honest with my voters.”
Manassas Park residents see higher than average tax bills when compared to those who own homes in Manassas or neighboring Prince William County, according to the candidates.
That’s partly to maintain an aging water system; something Banks says the city could offload to a private utility that’s regulated by Virginia’s State Commission Corporation so rates can remain in check.
“We have to get out of the water business,” said Banks. “We can’t afford to pay for a major link or break.”
Collecting some $2 million in back taxes owed to the city is one way to increase revenues, said Carrera. Cracking down on those who live in the city but don’t register their vehicles in the city is another, adds Mensing.
But what about getting out of the city business altogether? Forum Moderator Jacob Kirkland, 15, a freshman at the city’s high school and a member of the legislative page program in Richmond, asked if the city should revert and become a town in Prince William County.
“We have diversity, we have [Virginia Railway Express], we’re 30 mins away from D.C., and we maintain that small-town feel. All of that would be lost if you get into Prince William County,” said Haseeb Javed, a Realtor whose seeking a first term on the governing body.
Despite all of the city’s problems, each candidate says the public school system is a bright spot in the city. They credit instructors with maintaining test scores at the same time the city’s population has seen an explosion of students who don’t speak English as their native language.
“The school board is known for managing its money better than the city government,” said Alana Mensing, who sits on the city’s school board and is now vying for a seat on the governing body.
City students are issued laptops which allow them to take lessons online from virtually anywhere, and then participate in group discussions with other class members. This practice has become a staple of education in the school division.
Another staple city residents in which city residents are familiar is traffic on Route 28 — dubbed the most congested road in Northern Virginia linking Prince William and Fairfax counties. Manassas Park residents caught in-between these counties sit on the roadway for more than an hour each way, every weekday when commuting two and from work.
“Route 28 is everyone’s worst nightmare,” said Mensing, who said she’d be open to serving on committees to explore adding additional Virginia Railway Express service to the city.
In the immediate, getting more people on public transit and off roadways may be the answer. Carrera reminded voters of the monumental task of getting a road construction project approved in the state.
“Richmond needs to change the way it does things. To get something approved, you need to go to the Transportation Planning Board, then to [Northern Virginia Transportation Authority,] then NVRC, Boards of Supervisors… you need approval for too many committees,’ said Carrera.
While NVTA officials are studying a Route 28 bypass that would extend Godwin Drive near Prince William Medical Center to the Fairfax County line, “Construction is not going to start until 2023, and you’re not going to see anything until 2025,” added Carrera.
Javeed honed in on City Center, the failed-to-launch mix-used development across from city hall. While apartments are full of tenants, retail spaces remain empty.
Banks and Carrera said the city’s involvement in helping the privately-owned development to market itself to the region have not worked, and that there’s simply not enough traffic passing by the development to make it attractive to retail tenants.
“…it’s been vacant for years. It may be privately owned, but why not come out with a plan,” said Javeed, undeterred.
He’s pushing for the creation of an all-volunteer task force dedicated to filling the space with new retail tenants within his the first two years of his tenure on the governing body.
There are three open seats on the governing body with four candidates hoping to fill them. Voters will head to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 6.
