As the Manassas City Council is fresh off its retreat to Airlie Hotel and Conference Center in Warrenton and set to begin budget talks, Manassas City Councilwoman Theresa Coates Ellis emphasized distinguishing between wants and needs when making decisions that impact the community. She stressed that council members serve as stewards of taxpayer money and must prioritize choices for the betterment of the community.
"When it comes to the budget, we have to look at wants and needs," Coates Ellis stated. "We're going to go through the budget highlights from last year to see where we are and where we're going. There will be some wants and needs brought up from the departments."
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During a city council meeting on January 8, 2o24, after the city's utility agency presented its annual report, Coates Ellis revealed that 120 purple street lights need replacement. She said this phenomenon is not unique to Manassas, as similar occurrences have been reported nationally, in Canada, and even in Ireland.
Coates Ellis said multiple residents have complained about the discolored lights, as they fail to illuminate dark areas properly.
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Davis assured elected leaders the utilities division was working to improve the grid, which saw a 20% spike in outages in 2023, for a total of 133, up from 111.
The outages left in the dark for about an hour and a half, on average.
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Manassas residents saw 133 power outages in 2023, up from 111 in 2022, a 20% increase—the outages left in the dark for about an hour and a half, on average.
According to a city report, most outages occurred at the Battery Heights substation behind Mayfield Intermediate School.
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Manassas City Councilwoman Theresa Coates Ellis held an end-of-year wrap-up discussion focused on rebuilding Jennie Dean Elementary School and the potential loss of open park fields.
About 25 residents attended the discussion at The City Tavern Restaurant in Manassas on December 7, 2023.
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Manassas City Councilwoman Theresa Coates Ellis: "After the new Dean School construction plan was presented by the Manassas City School Board to the Manassas City Council last Thursday, I planned a Year End Wrap-Up for this upcoming [Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, 5:30 p.m., City Tavern, 9550 Center Street, Manassas], and have invited the public to hear more details and welcome questions."
"The original plan "A" would be to build the new Dean behind the existing Dean and leave all athletic fields and track in place and available for the Dean Sports Complex. Plan "E" was recommended by the School Board. This plan would eliminate the track, a rectangle field, and a diamond and possibly a second diamond."
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Insidenova.com: "With the recent departure of Manassas City Manager W. Patrick Pate, the mayor and City Council are hunting for the city's next chief executive."
"To assist in that process, the city issued a request for proposals from firms interested in providing executive search services. Following interviews, the council in November selected Tysons-based CPA firm Baker Tilly US, LLP. Baker Tilly's proposal came in just shy of $27,000."
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With the prospect of new passengers using Manassas Regional Airport in 2025 to reach their destinations starting in 2025, airport officials continue pushing for a new flight tower.
The current air traffic control tower at Manassas Regional Airport is about is 60 years old, said airport spokeswoman Jolene Berry. The tower was built at Centennial Airport in Denver. It was erected at the Manassas Regional Airport in the early 1990s and put into service in 1992.
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The Manassas City Council accepted an early Christmas gift from Amazon Data Services.
The firm will pay the city about $28 million for land at the city airport to build a new server farm. Amazon offered to purchase the 21-acre parcel at 10453 Wakeman Drive from the city government.
