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Buena Vista Vice Mayor Cheryl Hickman, running for a second four-year term on City Council, is determined to hold the line on taxes and not spend beyond the city’s means. “It’s pretty simple, really,” said Hickman, explaining how this can be accomplished. “Be frugal with the revenue. Do not spend money you don’t have. Do your best to run the city efficiently by cutting waste and having accountability.”
Such accountability extends “[from the] top to the bottom, starting with Council. The first thing I did when I was elected was go through the budget line by line. I made more phone calls and asked more questions than I could ever begin to tell you. I learned a lot of information from many different people in a short period of time.”
It was through this process, she said, that she was able to work for changes that she believes have benefited the citizens of Buena Vista. “I can assure you that it is not without effort that the tax rates are able to remain the same. However, without the extra funding during COVID none of it would have been possible. Now it is about managing the revenue properly to never be in that position again.”
One of her top priorities, now that the city has regained some of its fiscal footing, is to resume repaving streets. “We will not just be patching potholes but start paving full streets,” vows Hickman. “The project would include paving three to four streets a year as well as continuing to patch holes where needed. As an example, we hope to start with the worst streets such as 12th Street and pave from Main Street all the way back to the last avenue on that street. The avenues would be next on the project list after the streets are complete unless an avenue became a higher priority. Public works will work on determining the most worn and damaged to start, and work down the list.”
By practicing frugality, Hickman believes Buena Vista can retain its city status and continue to operate its own school system, even though it can’t afford an expensive new school at the present time. “I look forward to having a rational discussion about what the future of our schools will look like and what we can do to better serve the community and our youth. Anyone that can balance a checkbook can tell you that a $30 million loan is not something the city of Buena Vista can afford right now, but there are other alternatives that can be explored to come up with a solution that will be compatible for everyone involved.”
She acknowledges that the city has pressing fiscal needs such as a major upgrade to the wastewater treatment plant as well as improvements to the water distribution system. She praises city staff for doing “a great job working with what they have” but looming capital upgrades are going to have to be addressed.
Hickman, the mother of three with one grandchild, recently went to work for the Rockbridge Area Community Services Board, having previously been the administrator for Havenwood Assisted Living. As chair of Council’s finance committee, she keeps a close watch on the city’s fiscal outlook. She said she would like to encourage more citizens to attend City Council meetings and to volunteer to serve on city committees.
CHERYL HICKMAN
