Prince George supervisors agree to advertise FY2026 budget after schoolsreport $1.97 million state revenue increase

Prince George County supervisors at a budget work session on a night in April agreed to advertise the countyFY2026 budget after the school division reported an additional $1,970,000 in state revenues.

Betsy Drury, finance director and deputy county administrator, told the board the school board on March 24 approved a FY2026 school budget of $99,278,000, about $1,970,000 higher than the amount Prince George included in its introduced budget and entirely attributable, she said, to state revenue increases approved by the General Assembly. Drury recommended the county include the higher school number in the budget the county advertises for public hearing.

The recommendation matters because advertising the higher total will raise the countyadvertised budget from the introduced net total of $170,750,000 to $172,721,237. The board was told the difference is driven by the state increase for schools and that final action could still change depending on real estate assessment updates expected from Vision Government Solutions and other state revenue clarifications.

Drury said the total the county included in its introduced FY2026 school funds packagewhich covered operating funds, grants, school nutrition and textbook fundswas $97,300,000, about $3,270,000 more than the current-year adopted school budget. The school boardshe saidapproved $99,278,000, which Drury described as $5,200,000 more than the current-year adopted budget; the $1,970,000 difference between the countyintroduced amount and the school-approved amount is attributable to the state revenue adjustments.

"We do recommend including their revised or approved budget in the budget that we advertise," Drury said, explaining that the change represents more than a 1% increase over the county's introduced figures.

Board members pressed for detail on how the additional school money would be spent. "Is that 1.9 earmarked or anything?" asked Board member Pugh. Drury replied she did not have category-level line-item specifics in front of her and that the school board provided only categorical totals when it adopted its budget. The county will receive any formal appropriation requests from the school division if the schools request to appropriate additional state funds or to transfer between budget categories this fiscal year.

Supervisors discussed recent school carryover and capital spending. Drury said the division had nearly $3 million in FY2024 carryover, partly because of a nearly $1 million HVAC capital purchase order that was reappropriated. Board member Cox noted that the county cannot reallocate state and federal funds the school division receives; the county's discretion is limited to the local transfer amount, which Drury said the school division kept at $19.27 million in the introduced county budget (about $1.2 million more than last year).

Drury reviewed other general fund revenue items that could affect final budgeting decisions. Key points she presented: - Personal property values are declining compared with last spring, with county values about $5.3 million lower; the county budgeted $12,550,000 for personal property tax receipts in FY2026 and recommended keeping that figure. - Public service tax revenue is expected to be reduced by $350,000 from the introduced budget because one public service corporation had temporary assets removed; those values are set by the State Corporation Commission, Drury said. - Sales tax collections through March trailed last year slightly; the county recommended keeping the sales tax revenue estimate at $4,600,000 for FY2026. - Compensation Board preliminary adjustments were minor and expected to add roughly $6,190 in revenue tied to turnover in the Clerk of Circuit Court's office.

Drury said that, absent changes elsewhere, the county would need to trim about $205,000 from general fund spending to balance if revenues do not meet introduced estimates; the county holds general fund contingency just under $197,000.

Board members and staff also discussed several timing and process items. Drury said the county will seek updated real estate valuation information from Vision Government Solutions at a May 1 meeting and that the county's public hearings on property tax rates and the budget are scheduled for May 6 and May 13, respectively, with final adoption tentatively set for May 27. She noted a recent change in the advertising requirement: the budget now must be advertised twice before the public hearing.

The supervisors recorded a consensus to advertise the budget including the $1,970,000 school revenue increase. "I'll agree to advertise the budget with the additional numbers in it," said Board member Webb.

The work session also included discussion of an uncertain one-time bonus the General Assembly approved for certain state-supported local employees and school positions. Drury said the appropriations language was unclear about whether the 1.5% bonus applies to salary before or after a mandated 3% July increase and whether payment timing is FY2025 or FY2026; the county is seeking clarifying guidance from state funding agencies and the Compensation Board.

Separately, Board member Brown asked fellow supervisors to look for funding to retain school resource officers in county schools after a board member referenced a school shooting in Dallas that injured three people. Brown asked colleagues to "dig deep and think how we can come up with the money to keep these resource officers in the schools" between the current meeting and the next budget work session.

Votes at a glance: - Adoption of the meeting agenda: motion by Mr. Webb, second Mr. Pugh; roll call vote recorded as yes from Wymack, Cox, Pugh, Webb, Brown; motion passed. - Adjournment: motion by Mr. Cox, second Mrs. Wymack; roll call vote recorded as yes from Cox, Pugh, Webb, Brown, Wymack; motion passed.

The county finance office will prepare the required advertising to include the higher school figure and return to the board with updated revenue estimates and any requested school appropriations or transfers at upcoming hearings and work sessions.