Chesterfield County finance staff reported the county closed fiscal year 2025 with a net surplus of approximately $3,900,000, and recommended the board appropriate $1,500,000 of that amount for a future domestic-violence resource center while placing the remainder into the county’s revenue stabilization fund.

“We are recommending that $1,500,000 of that be appropriated for future domestic and [domestic-violence] resource center,” said Mr. Durkin during the financial update. The board was told the site for the facility will not be publicly disclosed “to keep people safe,” and a board member described the appropriation as a long‑standing priority.

Durkin also told members the county’s unassigned fund balance stands just over 9.5 percent of the budget, approaching a 10 percent policy target the board set in recent years. He said the figure gives the county a buffer amid economic uncertainty and noted that one-time year‑end monies have been used previously for strategic investments.

On the schools side, presenters described a plan to smooth referendum-driven debt service through a dedicated debt service fund that uses one‑time funding to avoid crowding out operating priorities. The presenters said the voter‑approved November 2022 referendum (approved by about 77 percent) underlies much of the near‑term debt program but that the county has guardrails — including planning caps and a 10‑year payout ratio — to assess capacity.

The consent agenda includes a requested modification of a 2015 lease tied to purchases of government equipment and buses, and a resolution to authorize a line of credit up to $50,000,000 for school bus acquisition and replacement. Presenters described a plan to half‑fund a vehicle replacement program with cash and half through the line of credit and said the item on the agenda would appropriate an initial $4,000,000 of the $50,000,000 authorization to the school bus program.

Mr. Durkin summarized the bus proposal: a total authorization of $50,000,000 with staff seeking to appropriate the first $4,000,000 to jump‑start replacement while pursuing a long‑term goal of returning to a full pay‑as‑you‑go cash model.

Also discussed at the meeting were long‑term liabilities, including county and school supplemental retirement programs, and recent amendments to tax‑relief programs for elderly, disabled and veteran homeowners. Durkin said both supplemental retirement plans are funded above the county’s 80 percent target after prior one‑time payments and investment returns.

No formal vote on the appropriation for the domestic‑violence center or the bus financing items was recorded in the presentation; presenters indicated those requests were on the consent agenda for consideration by the board that evening.

What’s next: staff will bring the county administrator’s proposed FY2027 budget to the board in March, hold district community meetings, and bring the FY2027 budget and FY2027–31 CIP to the board for adoption in April.