Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 19, 1992 TAG: 9202190289
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MONICA DAVEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BEDFORD LENGTH: Medium
BEDFORD BUDGET PROPOSED
Bedford County supervisors Tuesday took their first look at a proposed 1992-93 budget that recommends spending $56.8 million - a 5.5 percent increase over this year's county expenditures.A moderate spending increase in tough, recessionary times, was how County Administrator William Rolfe described his proposed budget Tuesday night.
"I think we're about as lean as we can get," Rolfe said. "There are no extravagances here."
Still, to bring Rolfe's proposed budget into balance, supervisors will have to either cut some $760,000 from planned spending or raise taxes next year.
A nickel increase in the current rate of 62 cents per $100 in assessed value on real estate would bring in the $760,000 needed.
Bedford County's last real estate tax rate increase was in fiscal 1990-91, when the rate went from 60 to 62 cents per $100.
Though the proposed budget's revenues and expenditures don't balance, Rolfe pointed out that proposals from past years have typically shown even larger deficits.
Last year, for example, the supervisors had to cut nearly $2 million in expenditures before their anticipated income matched their planned spending.
Some people had expected next year's budget to be far worse - requiring, perhaps, a tax-rate increase of as much as 10 cents, one supervisor had suggested months ago.
That has not happened, Rolfe said, because most Bedford County departments requested the same amount or even less money than they got this year.
Most notably, the school system actually asked for less local funding next year than it received this year.
School Superintendent John Kent said Tuesday that, under a preliminary plan, the schools will seek $10.7 million in local tax dollars. That's $300,000 - or nearly 3 percent - less than it got from county taxes this year.
The schools' total proposed budget of $36.5 million would mark a 2 percent increase in spending over this year. The extra money would come from state and federal sources, given a countywide student population that's expected to jump by at least 300 to 8,960, Kent said.
Acknowledging that asking for less cash from the county was unusual, Kent said, "How many times have we been in an economic crunch like this, though? It's reasonable in light of the economic condition."
Kent and Rolfe both said Tuesday that this year's budget planning included better communication between the county administration and school administration.
In recent years, the Board of Supervisors and School Board have been at odds over the budget - on issues of salary increases, revenue estimates and how much the supervisors will let the schools spend.
"We put the focus on communication," said Kent, who noted that he had met with county officials at least a half dozen times as they drafted their budget. "There's been a need for that."
Included in the schools' spending proposal, which will be finalized March 26, are:
Plans for work on a new middle school in Forest.
The addition of air conditioning in several schools.
New buses and bus routes.
What will amount to about a 1 percent salary increase for school employees.
Rolfe's county budget proposal also recommended a pay increase for county employees.
Assuming that the General Assembly grants constitutional office employees and social service employees a 2 percent pay increase this December, Rolfe recommended that same raise for county employees.
That would amount, Rolfe said, to about a 1 percent raise for all the employees - schools, state and county - over the fiscal year starting in July.