Christiansburg budget session: manager recommends new positions; council questions SRO costs and aquatic center funding

At a Christiansburg Town Council budget work session, Dr. Eagle presented the operating budget framework, recommended new positions across departments and flagged next steps ahead of the May 12 adoption vote. Council members used the session to question long‑running items such as school resource officer (SRO) costs, water‑loss remediation and the aquatic center contract with Virginia Tech.

Lede facts: Dr. Eagle said budget development began in January; 20 positions were requested by departments, and her recommended package included eight positions plus three police positions already in the current year budget. She said many hires would be phased in and that staff would circulate a written Q&A and cost tables at least a week before adoption.

Why it matters: Proposed personnel additions—spanning EMS/fire, parks and recreation, and finance—affect ongoing operating costs and service delivery. Council members sought detail on revenue sources, use of one‑time funding and the town’s negotiation posture on the SRO arrangement.

Key budget elements and positions Dr. Eagle described a community paramedic initiative, two additional firefighters and two paramedics to address response‑time gaps and volunteer staffing shortfalls, and a proposed HR position focused on recruitment and an employee pipeline. She said a compensation study and a rate methodology/cost‑of‑service review for water were included as next steps.

School resource officers and county contributions Council discussion focused on the SRO agreement, which one member (Miss Walls) said had been treated as a county responsibility in prior years. Miss Walls disclosed a personal interest under Virginia code because her husband works for Norfolk Southern, noting Norfolk Southern is among firms affected by the budget. Councilors noted an auto‑renew clause in the SRO contract and that a 180‑day notice period may restrict immediate withdrawal; staff said the contract language requires notice if the town intended to withdraw midterm.

Aquatic center and contractual payments Councilors questioned revenue projections for the aquatic center and whether the town is shouldering costs that should be shared with Virginia Tech under a long‑term agreement. Staff said Phase 3 substantial completion is targeted for October 2026 and reiterated that five years of free payments to Virginia Tech are written into the contract; the town will have a final arbitration on timing and payments per the contract terms.

Public works facility, water loss and one‑time revenues Council members pressed for a clearer breakdown of the public works facility schematic costs and asked for the water loss remediation status and a formal rate methodology study to guide future rate decisions. Officials clarified that recent one‑time receipts (a one‑time $1 million cell‑tower payment and an anticipated $5 million payment) should not be used for ongoing operating expenses.

What comes next Staff committed to distributing detailed position cost tables, revenue estimates and the county EMS/fire study draft to be discussed in a future session. The council is scheduled to consider budget adoption on May 12; the public hearing is set earlier in the process. No votes were taken at the work session.