County faces $5.6 million shortfall

By JIM LAWRENCE
For the Stafford County Sun
Published: October 8, 2008

STAFFORD — County administrator Anthony Romanello gave a presentation on the budget for the up and coming fiscal year at Tuesday’s Stafford County Board of Supervisors’ meeting.

The county is looking at $5.6 million budget “challenge,” he said. 

Of that amount, he stated that about $5 million is a revenue shortage and $600,000 is expenditures, the latter caused primarily by increased energy prices.

In order to close the gap, he made proposals that includes no new taxes. However, it will affect county positions.

Over the past few years, he said, Stafford County has lost several positions through attrition. Further there has been a hiring “chill” in which the filling of vacancies has been delayed.

This “chill” would become a hiring freeze in which positions would not be filled.

In his plan three positions in Code Administration and three in planning and zoning would be dropped from the general fund. Nineteen thousand hours of Parks and Recreation part time work would be cut, the equivalent of nine full time jobs.

Also, expenditures on training, special events, outside legal fees, computer upgrades and repairs, vehicle upgrades and repairs, and facility upgrades and repairs would be curtailed. Woodlands Pool, normally open seven days per week, would be closed Sundays, the least busy day of the week.

The long-range future is still good, says Romanello, citing three million square feet being in the pipeline for commercial development.

The board voted to allow Romanello to begin implementation of his plan, but deferred any reductions in force until its Oct. 21 meeting.

English in the schools

Also at the meeting, it was determined that English will be the official language in county schools.

It passed by a vote of 6-1, with Supervisor Bob Woodson dissenting. Woodson called the move “unnecessary.”

SPCA

Stafford resident Bill Hoyt presented a plan to build a no-kill SPCA facility on the grounds of the former Brooke Nursing Home. He and wife bought the facility with the purpose of doing so, but were turned down for by-right development of the property into the facility. The next step was to apply for a conditional-use permit, which would cost an additional $10,000. Instead, he showed the board his plan and asked that the board submit, thus waiving the fee.

The facility will include recreational areas as well as spaying and neutering facilities, an area that the county is unable to cover at present.

Hoyt sees decreased euthanasia rates dropping from 2,000 to zero.

The board approved it unanimously.

Jim Lawrence is a contributing writer for the Stafford County Sun. Reach him at .