Goochland County residents will sound off tomorrow night on the county's as-yet-unbalanced budget for the coming fiscal year.
The proposed $40.5 million plan -- a 7.3 percent reduction from the current year's -- requires an additional $1.5 million to be trimmed between the county and its school system.
That means a real estate tax-rate increase or additional painful cuts, says County Administrator Rebecca T. Dickson. To prevent the latter, she has presented the board two recommended options:
•a 4-cent tax-rate increase, which alone would cover the shortfall; or
•a 2-cent tax-rate increase which, coupled with the use of reserve funds, could cover the gap.
Even with a 4-cent increase, most homeowners in the county would see slightly lower tax bills this year because of an 8.2 percent decline in assessed real estate value.Dickson said that if the Board of Supervisors chooses not to raise the rate at all, the county will find a way to weather the storm in 2011, but 2012 is a different story.
"Really, our biggest challenge looms in FY12," she said, noting that assessed real estate values in the county are projected to drop an additional 4 percent next year.
That means the county would be forced to dip deeply into reserves to cover the costs of operation, she added.
"The other option is severe cuts in direct services at this point, because there's nothing really left to cut," Dickson said.
Already planned is the elimination of 11 full-time and four part-time governmental positions, and all employees would be required to take three furlough days in the coming fiscal year. The county's assessor and purchasing agent would be reduced to part time without benefits.
In addition, administrative and support staffing would be slashed, library hours reduced the equivalent of one day a week and curbside recycling eliminated.
The school system, facing a $2.6 million shortfall, plans to eliminate 22 positions and numerous programs in addition to requiring four furlough days.
Also up for comment tomorrow night is a proposal to raise utility rates and some connection fees over several years toward making the county's two struggling utility systems self-sufficient.
The county is recommending a 25 percent increase in water and sewer rates in fiscal 2011 for general county utility customers. For Tuckahoe Creek Service District users, a 15 percent water-rate increase is proposed in addition to a 45 percent sewer-rate increase. For the average residential user, that would mean a few dollars extra each month.
Under the plan, the connection fee for residential water customers would increase by $1,000; for sewer connections, by $2,000.
The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote April 6 on the budget, the tax rate and utility matters.
Contact Wesley P. Hester at (804) 649-6976 or whester@timesdispatch.com.
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