Boards eye budget gap

By JIM LAWRENCE
For the Stafford County Sun

Published: April 3, 2008

STAFFORD — Included in Tuesday’s regularly scheduled semimonthly board of supervisors meeting was a work session with the local school board over the proposed 2009 budget.

The county administrator’s budget calls for a $15 million cut in what they requested.

County Administrator Anthony Romanello has stated that though the proposed budget falls far short of what the school board is requesting, it still marks a 3 percent increase over last year’s budget compared to a 2.3 percent increase in other agencies’ budgets.

School Board Chairman Patricia Healy, Rock Hill District, cited fuel costs, employee health insurance premiums increases, the need to provide quality for education, and the opening of a new school as just a few of the system’s needs. She stated that teachers were increasingly asked to do more with less.

School Board member John LeDoux, Aquia District, said the new teachers are getting less than Spotsylvania County teachers. LeDoux, who now and then substitute teaches for Prince William County Schools, said several Stafford residents are teaching there as they can earn a more substantial income than in their home county.

School Board vice chairman Nanette Kidby, Garrisonville District, cited a progressive decrease in the overall share of the revenue flow that schools have been receiving since 2005.

She stated that the 2005 budget gave them 66.7 percent of the revenue flow, which has progressively declined to 60.5 percent of it in the proposed 2009 budget.

Stafford Supervisor Paul Milde, R-Aquia, invited school board members to view the entire budget

“You have to look at it from our position and ask where the money is coming from,” he said.

He spoke of the decision made by the school board to open Heim Middle School rather than delay its opening for a savings of approximately 1 million dollars.

He said he feels that a redistricting of the schools would have been more appropriate in determining the use of school space.

Included in the budget is debt service for the construction of so many schools that now have empty seats.

Delay of the opening of Heim has been a bone of contention between both bodies.

Though an estimate of saving nearly $2 million was originally issued, Superintendent David Sawyer reported that actual net savings would be about $825,000.

He stated that a school principal is already employed and that the building would still need to be maintained. For example, climate control would need to be in
constant operation.

Healy added that though there was excess capacity in schools, it translated to empty classrooms, not lower teacher-student ratios.

Public comments centered around the looming possibility of a BPOL tax. Many of the comments made were by local business owners, and there appeared to
be a consensus among them that such a tax was “unfair” in that it taxes gross receipts rather than profits.

They pointed out that Stafford uses “no BPOL tax” as in incentive to create a business friendly atmosphere in attracting new businesses, and several speakers stated that it was an incentive for them to move their businesses to Stafford.

Most touted figures reflecting big gains in the last five years in developing businesses and Forbes’ magazine’s reference to Stafford as the friendliest place to do business. One business owner referred to it as “killing the goose that laid the golden egg.”

One federal contractor stated that he was locked into long-term contracts and that he could not change its rates. Money that could be used for securing new contracts will have to be used to pay the tax.

One business owner was happy to report that he was on schedule to make $1 million dollars as of July.

Unfortunately, he said, after doing all his taxes he would be “$200,000 to the negative.” He feared that the county would now be adding another tax to this.
Louellen Whitefeather of White Oak had a different take on the BPOL tax. She related a possible 30 percent increase in other taxes, such as real estate taxes. She said retirees such as herself had no income and lived only on interest earned on money they managed to save. She stated that the BPOL tax would be levied on those who make the profits while rising property taxes would penalize those with virtually no income.

Milde, also a local business owner, opposes BPOL. He called it “immediate gratification” that in the long run would hurt the county’s growth and development.
Plans for the Falls Run Library were presented. Designs for the interior and exterior of the new building, to be located at the Plantation Drive and Lyons
Boulevard, were presented. Cost of the project wasoriginally estimated at more than $12 million but set at more than $14 million and calls for an additional 5,000 square feet.

Supervisor Mark Dudenhefer, R-Garrisonville, had questions concerning the increased cost of the project, and asked how it could be brought back to the original figures.

A great part of the increase in costs is the actually site development costs. Further, bids have not gone out and actual costs are not written in stone, which could come in lower than projected. A consensus of the board will allow the project to go out to bid.

A presentation was given on subdivision street acceptance requirements. Connectivity of various roads were addressed as well as pedestrian safety in the form of sidewalks and trails.

Also at the meeting:

— Supervisor Joe Brito, I-Hartwood, stated that a new Lowe’s is under construction at Celebrate Virginia, and Wal-mart will break ground on its new store this summer.

— Dudenhefer reported that the Illegal Immigration Task Force has been extended for a month, so any report of it will be delayed for a month. He noted that a lot of pressure had been put on county staff in the few months in responding to requests from the board. He stated that they had had to put the same amount of work by fewer people and had maintained the quality.

— The board voted unanimously to name the county administration building for recently deceased George Gordon, who “served the county for 57 years as commissioner of the revenue. 

— April was proclaimed Organ and Tissue Awareness Month

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