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County finance director: third-quarter revenues up slightly; state budget cuts leave $900,000 gap on gas expansion and 1.5% bonus requires local decision
Summary
Accomack County's finance director reported major revenues up 1.7% year-to-date and noted investment earnings are running well above budget; the county faces a $900,000 shortfall after a state reduction to natural gas funding and must decide whether to extend a state-authorized 1.5% bonus to all county employees.
Accomack County Finance Director Leslie Lewis reported to the Board of Supervisors that the county's major revenues through the third quarter totaled $36,027,202, about $598,809 above the same period last year, and that investment earnings are outperforming budget assumptions by roughly $1,838,000.
Lewis said the county's FY25 revenue forecast calls for a 3.5% overall increase compared with the prior year and that the late mailing of tax bills likely depressed some receipts this quarter; she said the fourth-quarter statement should reflect correction of that timing effect.
County Administrator Mike Mason told the board there are two immediate fiscal impacts from the recently enacted Commonwealth budget. First, a reduction in natural gas project funding left a roughly $900,000 shortfall for a project intended to expand energy delivery infrastructure tied to potential anchor customers at the Tyson/Perdue area and nearby facilities. Mason said the board previously authorized him to apply for federal community project funding to cover the gap and that a successful federal award would address the shortfall.
Second, the General Assembly and governor included $83 million statewide to pay a one-time 1.5% bonus for state employees and state-supported local employees. Mason and Lewis noted that certain locally supported staff (for example, social services and constitutional officers whose salaries are state-funded in part) are covered automatically under that provision, and that historically the county has aligned local pay initiatives with state actions. Lewis said 217.5 of the county's roughly 371.5 employees already are state- or state-supported and would receive the bonus under the enacted budget; the board asked staff to return with cost estimates and options if the board wishes to extend the same 1.5% bonus to all county employees.
Supervisors asked whether the county could act quickly; staff said they could bring cost figures and funding-source recommendations back for the June meeting so the board could decide whether to fund parity for all county employees.
