Smyth County approves $5,002,000 budget amendment including $5 million for schools

The Smyth County Board approved Budget Amendment No. 7, a $5,002,000 amendment that county staff said included a small $2,000 Community Foundation grant for the Commonwealth's Attorney's office and a $5,000,000 request from the school board to fund a variety of projects.

"This is the, budget amendment in the amount of $5,002,000," said Sean Hutt as he reviewed the amendment; he told the board the larger school request had been discussed at the budget committee and, because the amendment exceeded 1% of the county budget, a public hearing was required. No members of the public had signed up to speak.

After the committee recommendation and staff explanation, the board moved to waive the formal public‑hearing rules and then voted to approve the amendment at the meeting. Board members said they expected to revisit some line items in a revised budget later in July when the state budget and other figures are finalized.

Staff identified the $5 million as funding requests from the school board for several projects; the meeting record did not break down the school request further. County staff said they would prepare the necessary budget amendment paperwork and coordinate any required public notices and reporting.