What are Ramblings? Ramblings are a collection of short items that have caught our attention for one reason or another. We’re on the lookout for tidbits related to money in politics, data, business, civic engagement or interesting events. Think you know of something that could be a Rambling? Drop us a line at editor@roanokerambler.com and we may well write about it. Happy reading!

'Hard times' cited as council reduces school funding through policy revise

Roanoke City Council voted to cut school funding Tuesday through another change in an established formula.

It was not an unexpected move, with discussion ongoing for weeks about a draft revising the formula. The vote was 4-1, with Councilman Nick Hagen casting the no vote. Two council members, Vice Mayor Terry McGuire and Vivian Sanchez-Jones, work for the school system and abstain on such matters due to that conflict.

The council revised the formula for the third straight year. The new change: the council will increase or decrease the annual share to the schools by 34 percent of the total growth or decline of city taxes compared to the previous year. The schools could get up to 40 percent of budgeted city revenue based on the policy before the council’s Tuesday action. The previous policy was also not as specific about reducing the school funding by a set amount. 

The council made the decision as the city is trying to dig its way out of a financial hole. City Manager Valmarie Turner, in presenting a first look at the next budget Tuesday, said the city faces an $18-million shortfall based on needs for expected revenue. Other needs include a new initiative to raise the pay of all workers to a living wage.

In finally voting on the school matter, council members got their chance to speak their minds as several members of the school administration looked on. That included Superintendent Verletta White, who made a last appeal to the council not to cut school funding.

“We’ve gone through a process over this year of finding a lot of financial problems,” said Councilman Peter Volosin. “And you know, it’s incumbent on us as a council to look at the city as a whole.” 

“This is so heartbreaking,” said Councilwoman Evelyn Powers, adding that it’s “hard times.”

Powers said the council would have to raise taxes significantly to pay for the current projected shortfall, and that’s with the schools getting an increase of an estimated $750,000 for the next fiscal year, based on the adjusted policy. The council froze its school funding level for 2025-26 at $106.9 million — with the $750,000 to be added to that, should the projection be accurate.

Powers said “citizens cannot afford” a tax increase.

Councilman Phazhon Nash said the city government faces a crisis and could be in “shambles” if the right decisions aren’t made.

Before casting his no vote, Hagen said he believes the city will pay for the decision because of calculations he’s seen that every dollar spent on schools returns as much as $8 of investment.

Volosin then challenged his councilmate, saying Hagen, in conversations between the two, supported the new funding policy.

Hagen said he did not recall that.

“Yes you do,” replied Volosin.

White-Boyd seeks state Senate rematch with Suetterlein

Former Roanoke City Councilwoman Trish White-Boyd is wasting no time pursuing a second bid for state Senate next year, filing to organize her campaign this month.

Assuming Sen. David Suetterlein, R-Roanoke County, seeks reelection, White-Boyd’s move would set up a rematch in the 4th Senate District. Suetterlein won the first race between the two in 2023 with 53 percent of the vote, becoming the first Republican to represent Roanoke City in the state legislature in nearly three decades.

The two ran in the newly mapped district in 2023 that includes Roanoke, Salem and parts of Roanoke and Montgomery counties.

White-Boyd, a Democrat, operates Blue Ridge Senior Services, an in-home caregiving business. She was elected Roanoke’s vice mayor in 2020 after being appointed in 2019 to a vacant seat. She left the council in 2024.

White-Boyd positioned herself during the 2023 Senate race as a champion of abortion access. 

She touted her experience in local government, as a business owner and activist.

White-Boyd, a member of the state NAACP Executive Committee and a member of Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi’s transition team, said she has not determined when she will make a formal announcement.

“I’ve taken the responsible step of organizing so I can have conversations with the community members and supporters about the challenges facing our district,” White-Boyd, 63, told The Roanoke Rambler in a text message.

Also in the Roanoke Valley, Soren Roberts of Salem recently filed to run in the 40th state House District in 2027, a seat currently held by Del. Joe McNamara, R-Roanoke County. McNamara won re-election in November in a race against Democrat Donna Littlepage.

Roberts, 21, who will seek the Democratic nomination, said he decided to file early so he can spend time meeting with people because he wants to start now with a campaign to “advocate and show people someone cares” about those struggling with affordability issues.

Watching one of his parents worry about paying a bill is one of the reasons he’s making his first run for office, he said.

He said incumbent politicians, from his experience, “either don’t care or they’re bought out. It’s unacceptable.”

Roberts, who works at Salem’s Pizza Den, said he’s worked in the service industry for five years and sees firsthand how economic issues are impacting people. 

He said he talks to former regulars at the restaurant who can’t go out to eat as much anymore because they don’t have the money to do it.

“I want people to know that there is someone who cares,” Roberts said.

The 40th District includes the city of Salem, and parts of Roanoke and Roanoke County.

McNamara said Tuesday he had no immediate comment on a 2027 race. Suetterlein did not return a message by The Rambler seeking comment.

City to hear residents on zoning, vape stores, Evans Spring

After city officials decided to group three important Roanoke initiatives together to move them forward, they’re seeking public feedback at a series of upcoming meetings.

They include: possible zoning changes prompted by public opposition to a previous sweeping revision; a new look at the future for Evans Spring, one if not the last undeveloped tract of land in the city; and potential policies to make it more difficult to open a vape store.

The trio of initiatives involve the city’s planning department, which is understaffed with at least 10 open positions as of last month. The only path for the department to deal with the initiatives over the next few months is to merge them on one timeline, Deputy City Manager Angie O’Brien told city council at a Dec. 15 meeting. 

They are special projects outside the normal daily work of the department, O’Brien said.

“We do not have the capacity to really run separate processes for each initiative. So, by combining these three, we can maintain quality, coordination and make efficient use of our limited staffing while still moving these projects forward,” she said.

“Ten staff members is a lot of people,” said Councilman Peter Volosin, adding that he understands the need to group the initiatives.

City Councilman Nick Hagen asked to revisit the zoning ordinance. He favors a repeal of changes approved by council in 2024, which essentially did away with exclusively single-family zoning in favor of opening more options for other housing types. That prompted backlash and citizen-driven lawsuits against the city. After Hagen suggested a repeal, a council majority decided the best route would be to seek public suggestions and to potentially tweak the existing ordinance.

Councilman Phazhon Nash requested the Evans Spring and vape store initiatives. Future development of the privately-owned Evans Spring tract, located across Interstate 581 from Valley View Mall, has been debated for years and includes environmental and racial issues, with the land being adjacent to predominately Black neighborhoods. The council approved a plan in 2024 that opened the possibility to larger development. Nash wants to make changes that would ensure some aspect of preservation and that any development would be on a “village” type of scale such as the city’s Grandin area. A key would be community buy-in, Nash has said.

Another of Nash’s pursuits is to curtail vape store openings. He believes they take advantage of the city’s youth through the substances they sell and tend to target marginalized communities and people of color. The stores open quickly, often in buildings abandoned by other businesses. Nash wants to make the process more difficult, and he’s suggested a $20,000 upfront fee to any property owner seeking to open a vape shop. The city attorney’s office has been researching existing state and local law to determine what may be possible.

The public meetings start today (Jan. 21) at 5:30 p.m. at Belmont Library (1101 Morningside St. SE). Others include: Jan. 22, 5:30 p.m. at the Raleigh Court Library (2112 Grandin Rd. SW); Jan. 24, 11 a.m. at the Gainsboro Library (15 Patton Ave. NW); Jan. 26, 5:30 p.m. at Melrose Library (2502 Melrose Ave. NW, suite D); Jan. 27, 5:30 p.m., Main Library (702 S. Jefferson St).; and Jan. 28, 5:30 p.m., Williamson Road Library (3887 Williamson Road NW).

Council could vote by spring staff propose after the community meetings.