Dr. Laura Poe, a small business owner, and Longwood University professor says she is running for Colonial Heights city council to be a voice for the citizens.
“I am a leader who stands for the people and will remain committed to upholding strong integrity in all actions and decisions, ensuring the citizens of Colonial Heights are valued first and foremost,” said Dr. Poe in her candidacy announcement.
Colonial Heights received over $1.5 million from the federal government in assistance amid the health crisis – but as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on and talks in Washington have stalled until after the election, there is not much of a chance that localities will receive any additional federal funding for assistance in the near future.
Dr. Poe told Petersburg Scope that working to bring new businesses into the city would be instrumental in helping Colonial Heights through the pandemic. “We have tremendous opportunities in the city, we are a prime location, the only shopping center along Interstate 95 from Colonial Heights to the North Carolina border.”
Specifically, she wants to make it more affordable for businesses in the city. “I would work with council to offer tax incentives to businesses,” said Dr. Poe. She also wants to redefine the business licensing fee structure to be more competitive with surrounding counties, particularly for professional service organizations.
The current tax rate for business in Colonial Heights is nearly three times as high as it is in Chesterfield County. Dr. Poe said that providing tax incentives for professional service organizations would increase revenue by attracting new businesses, which she says could help pay for improving the aging sewage infrastructure. Dr. Poe, the owner of a professional service business, says these businesses often yield high revenue, which she says is her reason for specifically wanting to attract this type of business.
School Funding
Colonial Heights Public Schools (CHPS) received a large chunk of CARES Act funding to help them update their building’s ventilation and make other accommodations due to COVID-19. The schools are funded by an agreement with the city council called a “Memorandum of Understanding,” (MOU) which states that the schools receive 50.7% of Colonial Heights’ general revenue.
When asked what she would want the city council to do to ensure the schools stay funded, Dr. Poe says that she would look for the appropriate money elsewhere. “If it is something that would require money to create something systematically throughout the school system, we as a city council would have to really review and see if there are other grants available that we could leverage,” she said.
She also stated that she believes the money or supplies could be found within other city departments. “Is there somewhere else we could pull from pretty quickly to attribute those dollars to them? If it is equipment they need, we may already have extra equipment,” said Poe, while noting that other departments like the Fire & EMS might have the extra supplies needed. “But really it would be a matter of us sitting down with the school board to review what the requests were.”
Dr. Poe also hinted at being open to modifying the MOU if necessary in the future. “I think we would want to do everything we could to keep the schools functioning,” she said in an interview with Petersburg Scope. “That is a priority, we want to make sure that our children are educated.” She also commended CHPS for providing an in-person and virtual option to their families. “It is difficult for everybody, there is no perfect answer in this situation.”
Colonial Heights recently had to shut down one elementary school, Lakeview Elementary, due to multiple positive COVID-19 tests. The remaining four schools in the district have remained open all year.
Infrastructure
Colonial Heights residents have likely noticed the issues on Conduit Road that arose after monumental rains hit the area one day late this summer. Crews took several weeks to repair multiple breaks in sewage lines under the road in the north end of the city, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars in the process.
Dr. Poe wants the city council to start working on making these repairs and upgrades before the problems arrive. “We need to proactively plan, instead of waiting for urgent repairs to come up.” She noted that this could be paid for from the increased revenue that she believes would come from the new businesses that come to the city after reducing the business tax.
Additional Priorities
While social justice and support of police officers have become political talking points, Dr. Poe, the wife of a police officer, was advocating for support of first responders prior to the social justice movement that swept the country this summer. “My initiatives have remained the same,” she said.
Dr. Poe also wants to enhance the boulevard, which includes more sidewalks for pedestrians. “We need to continue these efforts with sidewalks and greenery along the road,” she stated on her website. “These types of enhancements increase the value of our real estate, make our businesses more appealing to consumers, and provide a positive image for our city.”
There are six candidates running for four city council in Colonial Heights this year. You can find out more about the other candidates here, and be on the lookout for more candidate profiles from Petersburg Scope in the coming days.
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