Meals tax

I urge all residents, owners and workers in the restaurant and other prepared food industries in Virginia Beach to oppose the 0.5% increase of the current meals tax.

This increase is included in the proposed city budget. It places Virginia Beach as the second (currently third) highest city meal tax among the largest 50 cities in the United States. Minneapolis is the highest in the country at 12.03%.

When you add up our proposed 12% meal tax (6% city + 6% state sales tax) and an average 20% gratuity and 3% credit card fee (another unpopular trending fee), it means an additional 35 cents on every dollar spent to buy a prepared meal or beverage.

Dining out or bringing home a prepared meal is no longer a luxury but a necessity for working parents and others who work all day. Such a tax is burdensome on many with a limited budget, especially during difficult economic times.

Cities in Virginia, unlike counties, can impose a meals tax without permission from the Virginia General Assembly. Due to COVID, stressed economic conditions and disruptions in the supply chain, menu prices have spiked considerably. This has produced a significant increase in the meals tax to the city for several years now. Piling on a tax increase now is truly a burden on our residents and the restaurant industry, a cornerstone of the community.

The higher cost of dining out or purchasing prepared foods will undoubtedly force the consumer to decrease their visits and budget accordingly. Meals taxes generate over millions of dollars for the city’s revenue annually. Let’s not kill the golden goose. The city manager writes in his executive summary to the budget to council “the 0.5% increase in meal tax ties Chesapeake for lowest in the region” neglects to say it is the second highest in the country.

Lights out

One of the greatest natural wonders of the world is unfolding right now across the globe. The annual spring migration of our songbirds is in full swing until the end of May.

Millions of tiny warblers and hummingbirds, shorebirds and woodpeckers are traveling thousands of miles through the night back to their breeding grounds to start a family. This arduous journey requires a tremendous amount of energy and Hampton Roads is a major stopover destination for birds to refuel.

Turning off unnecessary outdoor lights and closing blinds and curtains are so important during this time. These travelers rely on the moon and stars to navigate and artificial light disorients and exhausts them, drawing them into the cityscape where they crash into windows and buildings that reflect the trees and sky.

Please, lights out for the next few weeks. Give our treasured songbirds safe passage through Hampton Roads. And, keep all cats indoors.

DEI in schools

Since President Donald Trump issued his directive to all local school boards to eliminate their diversity, equity and inclusion programs, it seems most Virginia boards have caved into his request. The Virginia Beach School Board decided that federal money was more important than helping people of color. Only Norfolk, Fairfax and Loudoun counties rejected compliance with the directive.

Thank goodness for those three brave school boards. They choose to place their values above federal money. Also some colleges are rolling over too, but not Harvard. That school sued the U.S. Department of Education, saying withholding federal money is illegal. Hopefully the courts will see how outrageous these demands are. I believe everyone who wants to keep Trump from becoming a dictator should stand up to him and go to court if necessary to stop him.