Lee County supervisors set $150 daily pay for board of equalization, review budget changes and funding needs

The Lee County Board of Supervisors on a June 2025 recess meeting approved raising pay for the county board of equalization to $150 per day and continued detailed review of the county budget, including state mandates, capital outlay for law enforcement vehicles, a correction to the social services budget and a request to pursue grant funding for farmers affected by a hail event.

Why it matters: the board’s budget decisions determine local spending and staffing for public safety, social services and schools. Several items presented by the county administrator carry either state mandates or dependencies on grant funding, creating near-term choices for the board before final adoption.

The board unanimously approved a motion to set equalization pay at $150 per day after discussion of parity with other appointed boards and time commitments. The motion was made and seconded on the floor and recorded as approved; no individual roll-call votes were recorded in the transcript for that motion.

County Administrator presentation and key budget items The county administrator reviewed line-item changes and asked the board for policy direction on several items. Highlights included: - A $42,075 capital outlay item for the sheriff’s office to replace the fingerprint identification system, described as a mandated change tied to the Virginia State Police. The administrator said no grant funds are available for that replacement and the county must fund it. - Vehicle capital outlay for the sheriff’s fleet: the packet lists roughly $160,000 for vehicles and equipment; the administrator said grant reimbursements from the prior year partially offset purchases and that the board could consider delaying one vehicle purchase to balance costs. - The administrator proposed using opioid-abatement funds to offset approximately half of a $112,000 program cost (the ORIX program), enabling long‑term continuation of roughly 50% of that program’s cost through 2039, subject to the availability and rules governing those funds. - An increase to 9-1-1 software and hardware expenses to $65,000 and a reported $1 million increase in jail system costs were noted as drivers of upward pressure on the budget. - A correction to the social services budget: the administrator asked the board to change the social services line from $9,000,006.55 to $9,139,941; the administrator said most of the increase is state-funded and that the county share would rise by about $80,000.

Grants, programs and other requests The administrator said he had an MOU opportunity with the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to pursue funds to assist farmers who lost trees and fencing in a hail event; he urged action quickly because the funds are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Schools and personnel costs Representatives from the school division reviewed state funding trends and personnel pay scales. The school presenters said state assistance to divisions has increased over the past decade while enrollment patterns have shifted; the school division’s total budget figure cited in the meeting packet was $66,197,211 with a requested amount (ask) of about $7,800,000 for particular items. The presenters highlighted increases in compensation scales and health insurance liabilities, noting the school health insurance fund had risen from about $3.75 million to $7 million.

Communications and infrastructure A board member reported seeing AT&T upgrades and pole work in western parts of the county, noting a target completion date of around Sept. 1. The administrator said the company’s tentative schedule had been circulated previously.

Closed session and next steps The board voted to go into closed session under Va. Code § 2.2-3711 to discuss personnel and investment of public funds; the motion and second were recorded and the board recessed to the courthouse conference room. The supervisors reconvened and set further budget workshop activity and public hearings as needed before final adoption.

The board’s packet and the administrator’s revisions will be carried forward to the regular June meeting and a separate budget/public-hearing night will be scheduled for adoption items that require advertising, such as the tax rate and the formal budget adoption.

Ending: Board members and staff said they will continue working on revenue projections, possible reappropriations and grant pursuit before finalizing the county’s roughly $102.5 million draft budget for 2025.