Initial budget estimates show a $17,236 increase in expenditures and a $1.2 million decrease in revenue, requiring a 6-cent real property tax rate increase to cover the bills.

If the board makes sweeping cuts, eliminating part-time positions in the Treasurer’s office and Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office, chopping away at new equipment requests and slashing local funding to state aid organizations like Social Services, the Health Department and the Middle Peninsula Northern Neck Community Services Board, it would still need to knock some $350,000 out of the school board budget to bring the overall tax hike down by two cents.

This caliber of cuts would eliminate any raises for teachers, said Superintendent Clint Stables.

“I hope that people think the schools and teachers are worth 2 cents,” he said.

“The alternative would be to freeze everyone at their current step, give the teachers a 2-percent cost of living increase like the county employees are getting and then look at eliminating the after-school programs, cut back on athletics, and look at things we are doing outside of the regular school day,” Stables said.

Supervisors reviewed the draft budget during a work session Monday night, but made no comment on cuts recommended by county administrator Kenneth D. Eades. They plan to discuss the recommendations during a work session following their regular meeting tonight (May 8).

Eades is also scrutinizing “skyrocketing” costs at the animal shelter, travel budgets, new equipment and vehicle requests, advertising budgets and non-reimbursable part-time jobs in every constitutional office.

The total cuts he is proposing amount to $548,116 (equivalent to 2 cents on the levy).

As it stands, the budget amounts to $48,072,057, although that number is likely to change before the board advertises next week for its public hearing on May 29.


Can you afford it?

The state says that, based on property values, Northumberland County residents can afford to fund more education out-of-pocket. Therefore, Virginia is cutting its share of the county’s school budget by more than $1 million this year, forcing the county to make up the difference through budget cuts and increased taxes.

Slashing some $350,000 out of the school budget will save residents two cents on the proposed real property tax rate increase, but will force the school district to cut salary increases, after-school programs and althetics.

What does a two-cent difference mean?