Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget Schools topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lunenburg supervisors recommend $300,767 boost to schools, weigh tax options as reserves shrink
Summary
At a June 3 continued budget meeting, the Lunenburg County Board of Supervisors’ finance committee recommended a $300,767 increase to local school funding (total local allocation $4,252,367), warned reserves would rise to a $761,584 draw for FY22, and discussed options including an incremental real-estate tax increase and a possible fire-and-rescue levy.
The Lunenburg County Board of Supervisors met June 3 in a continued public hearing on the FY2021–22 budget and the board’s finance committee recommended increasing the county’s local school allocation by $300,767, using a FY2020 carryover of $140,900 for a total local allocation of $4,252,367 based on projected enrollment of 1,550 students.
County Administrator Tracy M. Gee presented the recommendation after meeting with James Abernathy, the school system’s superintendent of finance, and reviewing state required local match rules. Gee told the board the finance committee proposes appropriating school funds through the January 2022 Board meeting and reassessing enrollment before allocating funds for the last two quarters of the fiscal year.
The estimated increase in school funding would raise the planned use of reserve funds for FY22 to $761,584, Gee said, prompting concerns about the county’s fiscal path. "The budget cannot continue operating in a deficit," Supervisor Robert Zava said, urging that vacancy savings or spending cuts be explored. Administrator Gee also said the 911 fund could be nearly depleted by the end of FY22 and drew the board’s attention to a May 27 letter requesting funding for a full-time 911 coordinator position for the sheriff’s office.
Supervisors Edward Pennington and Alvester Edmonds told colleagues they are open to an incremental real-estate tax increase to help address the shortfall. The board voted, by roll call, 5–0 to enter the public hearing on the proposed FY2021–22 budget and later voted, again 5–0, to close the public hearing.
Buck Tharpe, chair of the Planning Commission, spoke during public comment and said he "thought the finance committee did a good job with the amount of revenue that they receive." No further public comment was recorded.
Next steps: Administrator Gee said staff will bring additional information back to the board on possible revenue options, including the prospect of a fire-and-rescue tax levy to cover future emergency services capital expenses. The board adjourned at the end of the meeting; no final budget adoption is recorded in these minutes.
