Spotsylvania supervisors last night provided more funding in the fiscal year 2009 budget for the schools, public safety and social services.
They also approved more tax relief for the elderly and disabled, and gave county employees a 2-percent cost-of-living raise.
But these gains all came at a cost to others, in what several supervisors said was the most difficult budget in decades.
The Board of Supervisors adopted a 62-cent tax rate--a 6-cent hike--on a 4-3 vote. Supervisors Gary Jackson, Jerry Logan and T.C. Waddy were the dissenting votes; they wanted an equalized tax rate of 56 cents to keep property tax bills flat. The county board passed a $436 million budget on a 5-2 vote, with Jackson and Logan voting no. The budget is about 2.7 percent larger than the current spending plan.
"Considering both current and projected economic constraints, I believe we have a responsibility to curb spending and direct our limited resources to meet our essential needs as efficiently as possible," Jackson said in explaining why he supported an equalized tax rate. "I also believe we can and should fulfill this responsibility without imposing an 11 percent increase in the local tax burden."
Spotsylvania residents will see a 6-cent increase with the adopted tax rate. A person owning a $300,000 home will pay an additional $180 a year. Human resources and general services departments will run without directors. And all regional nonprofit agencies will get 4 percent less than they did this year, a $330,000 cut.
"We haven't had new funding in two years," said Ben Nagle, the executive director of the Rappahannock Area Office on Youth, which provides juvenile delinquency prevention services. But, Nagle said this option is better than the 8 percent cut supervisors had discussed.
Supervisor Emmitt Marshall got support to give an additional $2 million to the school system, which was still $6.2 million less than it requested.
Supervisors approved additional tax relief for the elderly and disabled who can claim up to $134 more in local tax exemptions.
Supervisor Hap Connors made cuts so the sheriff can hire a D.A.R.E officer and school resource officer, two detectives and buy six vehicles, all totaling about $700,000. He also made cuts to fund two social workers and an eligibility worker for the Department of Social Services, and career staffing for a new fire station in the Salem District at $575,000. Supervisor Benjamin Pitts also made some cuts to assist in funding some of these positions.
"I can defend this budget and a 62 [-cent] rate," Connors said. "I know we are in an economic slump, and I'm not insensitive to the whole issue of taxes."
The director of Social Services, Loraine Lemoine, said she was pleased with the additional staffing she will get.
"This does help because of the recession and the increasing workload. This is positive news," she said.
Dan Telvock: 540/374-5438
Email: dtelvock@freelancestar.com
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IMMIGRANT WORDING GIVES PAUSE
BY DAN TELVOCK Spotsylvania supervisors tabled a resolution yesterday to adopt the mission statement of a group of government representatives studying ways to control illegal immigration. Supervisor Gary Skinner said he had concerns with the language in the mission statement that states "illegal aliens may cause increased crime." He said the statement that the Coalition on Illegal Immigrants wants "I don't think we should stipulate that an illegal immigrant is the reason for the increase in crime," he said. "Please bring me data to show that." Spotsylvania supervisors passed a resolution last year, before Skinner was elected, that used the same language. Supervisors Hap Connors asked that the resolution be tabled, and the motion passed unanimously. Spotsylvania joined the coalition last fall after an invite from the Culpeper Board of Supervisors, which started the initiative. Since then, the group has met three times. It focuses on crafting recommendations to the General Assembly to pass laws that help localities with problems created by illegal immigration. Other localities that make up the group are the counties of Chesterfield, Northumberland, Southampton, Dinwiddie, Bath, Clarke and Henry; and the towns of Herndon and Culpeper.
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