By ALANE CALLANDER

Published: April 23, 2008

“Green” is the word of the month. While some talk green as in ecologically sustainable living for Earth Day, others talk green as in dollar bills.

April is that kind of month. While trees outdoors were filling in with plush foliage, a public hearing indoors gave citizens the opportunity to voice their opinions on our county’s proposed budget and real estate tax rate.

Tax dollars help fund citizen needs, some of which include park maintenance, storm water management, and other environmentally friendly endeavors.
It’s commendable that so many citizens came out to the budget hearing, although the auditorium at Colonial Forge High School was nowhere close to capacity. That’s probably because tax conservatives were relieved the Stafford County Board of Supervisors advertised a maximum rate lower than they anticipated.

Most noticeable in the audience were the folks who showed up in red T-shirts and warned the supervisors of the ill effects the proposed budget would have on the public schools. The Stafford County School Board had requested a $15 million increase and got $500,000.

Some had thought the low amount must have been a typographical error. Nope, the county expects the schools to get by with basically the same dollar amount as last year, even though gas and food prices have increased sharply, and Stafford’s teachers now find themselves paid substantially less than Spotsylvania’s. Fredericksburg’s salaries are also higher than Stafford’s.

This is a disgrace. There was a time when Stafford offered teachers the highest salaries in the area and was only worried about losing teachers to Northern Virginia where they could get better pay and benefits.

The commute was a deterrent keeping many teachers here. However, commuting from Stafford to Fredericksburg or Spotsylvania is a breeze in comparison, and, many area teachers actually live in those communities anyway because of lower housing prices.

For years, teachers, staff and parents warned of impending doom for the highly regarded Stafford school system. It seems the majority of supervisors in recent years have been concerned with addressing other critical issues, and since county administrator C.M. Williams retired several years ago, his strong advocacy on behalf of the schools is missed.

In 1997, a fiscal conservative, David Beiler, was elected as Falmouth District supervisor and during his four-year term he got into hot water periodically with school supporters as he questioned budget requests and expenditures, even to the point one year of calling the school’s proposed budget “a pipe dream.”

However, Beiler recently did an analysis of the county budget from 2001 to now. What he found was shocking even to himself. He said that over the past eight years, in per capita “real” dollars (adjusted for growth and inflation), support for the schools has fallen 10.8 percent, while support for other county programs has risen 32.5 percent.

Some of the speakers at the April 15 public hearing pointed out how bloated such departments as finance, revenue, and the treasurer’s office have gotten. With revenues down and probably less money to keep track of, departments such as those may be good places to look for making cuts.

Other speakers made compelling appeals for support to social service agencies, such as to the cold-weather shelter for homeless people. A young wheel-chaired spokesperson courageously asked the board to maintain services for the disabled, prompting a standing ovation by the audience.

Stafford County should not make budget cuts across the board, but should remember that county government provides a safety net for some individuals and performs many critical services.

We’re fortunate that Stafford will continue to be an economically secure community because of its large number of federal and defense industry workers. We have the 11th highest median income in the country and are among the richest 1 percent of counties. Though building industries have been impacted, our citizens overall wanted building to slow down anyway.

While this is an adjustment period, we are far better off than most counties in America. Those who can contribute to government coffers should count their blessings, help maintain our quality of life, and not obsess over taxes.

Those who truly can’t pay should seek guidance on how to get exemptions. That’s a service the county should provide.

Alane Callander is a south Stafford resident who is active in many causes. Reach her at .