Roanoke City Council members roundly criticized Gov. Bob McDonnell and the General Assembly this morning as the council began a five-hour budget workshop.

Roanoke City Manager Darlene Burcham told council members that proposed state government cuts would cost the city the equivalent of a 23-cent increase in the real estate tax rate --  and that was before McDonnell announced his plan for even deeper cuts.

The council faces a $9.7 million shortfall in its fiscal 2010-11 budget compared to this year's.

Councilman David Trinkle said that many legislators' refusals to consider a tax increase at the state level is unfairly putting the burden on local governments.

Vice Mayor Sherman Lea expressed a similar frustration and said he'd talk more about it before the day is done: "Before this meeting's over I'm going to call names."

The council's criticism of the General Assembly comes following a similar discussion during its regular meeting earlier this week. Then, councilman Court Rosen said state politics have become "poison."

"It's no different than Congress in Washington," Rosen said. "It's purely political."

Councilwoman Gwen Mason, who unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the House of Delegates last fall, said she saw disturbing motives in proposed state cuts to schools.

"You can't help but wonder if this isn't a war on public education and a war on a generation of Virginia schoolchildren," Mason said. "The disdain for public education is quite real and there's a feeling that if they starve the beast down in Richmond, it will become more efficient. And they just don't get it."

 The budget workshop is scheduled to continue through the morning until 2 p.m. this afternoon.

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