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Residents raise parking, transit and site-plan concerns during public comment
Summary
Three residents spoke during public comment, raising complaints about speeding and truck traffic on Fairmont Avenue, long bus wait times, questions about the budget process and zero-based budgeting, and alleged site-plan violations and improperly planted trees at Millwood Crossing.
Three Winchester residents used the council's public-comment period to raise neighborhood and city-service concerns.
Arthur Christian (523 Fairmont Avenue) told council that increasing parking-violation fines would not increase safety on his street and urged much higher penalties for trucks he said are driving and parking illegally in the neighborhood. He also complained about up-to-hour bus wait times for local transit and suggested changing how the meeting is publicized because newspaper delivery timing makes Monday notices difficult for some residents.
Jeff Milburn (Ward 3) pressed council on the city's budgeting approach and asked when a zero-based budget would be implemented. Milburn quoted an email exchange with a council member indicating staff did not plan a zero-based budget this cycle and said he would push for zero-based reviews of one or two departments in the next cycle. He also cited data he said show full-time head count rising from 535 in 2018 to 635 in 2025 and said the city budget increased roughly 31% since 2019 while population declined 2%.
William Bealer (1403 Greystone Terrace) complained about landscaping and tree-planting at Millwood Crossing, saying some replacement trees were planted too small compared with the six-foot standard on the approved site plan, that trees had been planted on his property, and that taller trees behind his house were damaging his fence and garage. He said he had contacted city staff and property owners without resolution and asked council for assistance.
Council members acknowledged the comments and staff indicated they would follow up: city staff said they would speak to the North Cameron contractor about reported construction-site conduct (in a separate agenda item) and city staff asked for contact information for follow-up on the Millwood Crossing tree and property concerns.
