Chesterfield soliciting input on budget woes

How Chesterfield County and its schools will cope with a projected $60 million shortfall in the next fiscal year is at focus in a series of public meetings.

Bracing for a difficult budget process come January, leaders are sharing the numbers they are seeing and soliciting public input on spending priorities.

The next meeting is from 7 to 8:30 p.m. tonight at Matoaca Middle School-East.

About 25 people attended the first meeting, in the Midlothian District, on Monday night.

"Without being prompted, many people said we ought to consider raising the rates to help with the revenue shortfall," said Daniel A. Gecker, the Midlothian District supervisor and a member of the county's budget and audit committee.

"This vindicates my theory that if you talk to people like adults, they'll respond to you like adults," he added. "So many elected folks are afraid to even utter the words 'rate increase.' I wish the state people would take a clue from this."

The county government and schools foresee up to a $30 million shortfall in combined revenue and $30 million in new expenditures.

The county's general operating fund this year declined for the first time in decades, dropping 4.6 percent. Next year looks to be significantly worse with declining real estate values, home sales and sales-tax revenue.

That has leaders looking for input on how to cover anticipated health-care and retirement cost increases, reductions in federal stimulus funding, reductions in state revenue, planned capital projects and equipment-replacement costs.

"I think people understand what's going on and this helps them put it in perspective locally and offers them a chance to look through our lens, so to speak," said Allan Carmody, the county's budget director.

Contact Wesley P. Hester at (804) 649-6976 or .