Fauquier supervisors approve FY25 budget amendments, move remaining $600,000 for school turf fields

Fauquier County staff presented and the Board of Supervisors approved amendments to the FY'25 budget on Feb. 13 that reallocated nearly $2 million to capital projects, including additional funding for the school division's turf-field replacements.

Finance staff described a package of recommended transfers totaling $1,978,161. The largest single transfer is $1,400,000 moved from the school division asset fund to the capital projects fund in support of turf-field replacement projects at Fauquier High School and Kettle Run High School. The resolution also returns $84,000 from the county's asset replacement funds to the capital projects fund (unused funds originally allocated for a circuit court sound system), transfers $367,598 from the debt service fund to general fund balance due to savings in the 2024 debt-series bond sale and interest, and appropriates $126,563 to the Environmental Services Fund related to the sale of two leachate evaporators (purchase original cost listed as $1,008,891; reported loss $882,328).

Separately during the regular agenda, staff recommended and the board approved transferring the remaining $600,000 requested by the school division from capital reserve to the turf-field project code so staff can encumber the full purchase order at one time; staff said the contractor can perform both fields simultaneously and encumbrance of the full amount was required for procurement. Staff reported the capital-reserve balance would be a little over $9,000,000 after the transfer.

Budget staff explained there is no statutory minimum capital-reserve requirement but noted internal carryover processes typically allocate a percentage of unexpended balances to capital reserve. A supervisor asked whether the county is required to retain a certain percentage of the general fund for reserves; finance staff said only the carryover process is prescribed and there is no fixed minimum requirement.

Several supervisors asked questions and were answered about the evaporator sale, the source of the returned circuit-court funds and the debt-service savings. The package of amendments also included a transfer of $367,598 to general fund balance representing realized savings in the debt issuance.

Board members approved the consent agenda, which included these budget amendments, and later approved a separate regular-agenda resolution to move the remaining $600,000 for the turf fields. County staff said the FY'26 budget will include recurring costs for projects previously funded in part by one-time transfers.

No objections were raised to the recommendations presented and staff said they would provide further detail in budget documents as the FY'26 process advances.