Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 5, 1990 TAG: 9004041369
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-5 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: MONICA DAVEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BEDFORD LENGTH: Medium
Among other cuts, the supervisors reduced the School Board's proposed spending plan by $245,000.
Some school officials and parents had urged the board not to lower the school system's budget this year, after what they had considered large, ruthless cuts in the past two years.
But School Superintendent John Kent called Wednesday night's cuts - small relative to last year's reduction of $800,000 - "fair" and "reasonable." "I feel like the adoption of this budget puts us in good shape," Kent told the board.
Even with the cuts, the school system will be authorized to spend $35.8 million, an almost 11 percent increase over spending allowed this year. About $11.1 million of the schools' money will come from local sources, 17 percent over this year.
Within the school budget, the supervisors cut about $100,000 from the instruction area, $68,000 from transportation, $48,000 from operations and maintenance and another $23,000 from facilities. The School Board will now have to determine which specific proposed expenditures are dropped from its budget.
The supervisors cut another $315,000 from other proposed spending in the county next year, including decreasing next year's allotment for a new landfill by $100,000 and dropping $180,000 from a fringe benefits fund and contingency fund.
They also dropped $25,000 already set aside for the county Sheriff's Department that was to go towards buying a boat to handle crime on Smith Mountain Lake. The supervisors had given the $25,000 in this year's budget, but Sheriff Carl Wells requested an additional $19,000 in next year's budget to buy the boat.
The supervisors turned down that request last month, and decided Wednesday to take back the original $25,000 if Wells did not believe that was enough to pay for a boat. "If he's not going to use it, I don't see any reason for not taking it out," said Supervisor Calvin Updike.
The total cuts meant the supervisors will not be dipping into some funds the county will get next year in a one-time windfall caused by a change in the way real estate taxes are collected. Twice-a-year collection starting in June meant that the county showed collections from June and December 1990 and June 1991 in next year's budget.
So for this one fiscal year, the county will show three tax collections, instead of two - increasing expected revenues by about $4 million. With the cuts, the county will keep a cash reserve of the same amount.
The supervisors unanimously approved the total budget as well as a 2-cent real estate tax rate increase to 62 cents per $100 assessed value.
Several board members said they hoped in the future to look elsewhere for new money. "We should try other sources of revenue other than totally relying on increasing the real estate rate," said Supervisor James Teass. No county residents spoke against the proposed increase at a public hearing on it last month.
The increase will mean, for example, that the owner of a $50,000 home will owe $310 next year instead of the $300 paid this year.
by CNB