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Rockbridge supervisors review FY2027 draft budget and approve appropriation resolution
Summary
Supervisors reviewed a first draft of the county's FY2027 budget on March 9, 2026, heard that revenues are behind last year's timing but reserves remain substantial, and unanimously approved an appropriation resolution covering $1,337,655.19 in bills while flagging major capital requests including a central-dispatch radio upgrade and a proposed jail design share.
Supervisors for Rockbridge County reviewed the county's financial report and an initial FY2027 draft budget during their March 9 meeting and unanimously approved an appropriation resolution authorizing payment of $1,337,655.19 in bills.
Mister Harrison, who presented the county financial report, told the board: "The total amount of bills this period is $1,337,655.19." He said total revenue as of an earlier January snapshot was about $38,471,009 with later snapshots showing roughly $42.8 million, while expenditures were reported near $44.1 million on the most recent internal snapshot. Harrison noted timing of second-half property tax receipts and one-time transfers (including $2,821,268 moved from ARPA) explain much of the year-over-year variance.
The nut of the discussion centered on balancing a preliminary budget gap and preserving reserves as state budget actions and final insurance numbers remain unknown. Staff described the FY2027 draft as having a roughly $1.1 million gap at this stage and said the finance committee will continue refining assumptions, citing a 97% collection-rate assumption and waiting for state actions that alter comp-board and revenue expectations.
Board members pressed staff on risks and timing. One supervisor asked whether the present variance implied a year-end shortage; staff responded that annual anomalies and the delayed receipt of certain revenues often produce midyear variances and that the county's unassigned fund balance—reported at about $31 million with roughly $13.5 million unconstrained after the county's 20% operating reserve policy—provides liquidity.
Staff singled out several notable items in the draft budget: a proposed $1,326,800 allocation for central-dispatch radio system upgrades (firmware and GPS functionality), an estimated $1,230,000 design allocation associated with regional jail planning (the county's local share of a multi-jurisdictional design request), and preliminary school division requests (about $1,128,425 locally requested by the schools). Health-insurance costs were estimated to rise about 15.6% in the draft (roughly $313,125) and a 3% cost-of-living estimate was used for staff-salary budgeting.
Harrison also described a separate $3,000,000 congressional appropriation intended to flow through the EPA to offset Rockbridge County's share of an MSA raw-water pumping station project; staff recommended keeping those dollars in a separate fund for federal reporting and tracking.
The board approved the appropriation resolution authorizing payment of the presented bills. Finance staff said the FY2027 draft remains subject to change and encouraged supervisors to send feedback to the finance committee; the next detailed budget discussions will occur at a March 19 joint meeting with the school board and at a March 30 work session.
