Loudoun County Administrator Kirby M. Bowers today presented a proposed
fiscal year 2009 budget that would require a 25.6-cent increase in the
real estate tax rate and $23 million in reductions to the adopted school
budget.
If the board of supervisors were to approve the budget at Bower's
recommendation it would mean a 13.6 percent increase in the average
homeowner's tax bill, an increase of approximately $640.
"The party's over," Chairman Scott K. York (I-At large) said. "The party
that we've had over the last few years is probably over for a little
while."
Bowers is proposing a $27 million increase in spending for general
government programs and an $81 million increase in school spending. A
$99.6 million increase in local tax funding represents an overall 12
percent increase, Bowers said. Bowers called the upcoming budget cycle a
"balancing act between affordability and the public need," a sentiment
that many supervisors echoed.
"It appears to me we obviously have quite a tight rope to walk,"
Supervisor Susan Klimek Buckley (D-Sugarland Run) said. "The schools are
putting up something that funds a world-class school system and we are
here looking at the affordability of all that."
Even with the large increase in the tax rate, the proposed budget does
reflect an amount of fiscal restraint on the part of the county, Bowers
said. In anticipation of the upcoming budget, county departments found $5
million in cost savings in their current budgets. Of the $31 million
county departments identified in new resource needs by county departments,
only $4 million are included in Bowers' budget.
Most of the enhancements included in the county budget are for public
safety, staffing for the Brambleton public safety center, both sheriff's
office personnel and fire and rescue staff, staffing for the Eastern
Loudoun Substation, staffing for the planned expansion of the Adult
Detention Center and an additional for supervision of the school resource
officer program. The Department of Animal Care and Control also received
enhancements for a mobile animal adoption unit and an animal control
dispatcher. The total suggested additional local tax funding for public
safety is $3.696 million. Two social workers were added to the budget of
the Department of Family Services, one for adult protective services and
one for child protective services.
The $81 million increase in the school operating funds for fiscal year
2009 represents a 5 percent increase per student, but school system
leaders and members of the school board are still hoping they can get full
funding of their proposed budget.
"We think this is what we need to meet our needs," School Board Chairman
Robert Dupree (Dulles) said following the presentation. "We have a budget
we've approved and we would like the opportunity to make our case."
Some supervisors, however, indicated they were not convinced that the
school is still growing at the projected rate of 3,000 new students
annually. Supervisor Jim Burton (I-At large) said he did not understand
why the number continued to be high when the number of building permits
given in the county has continued to decrease over the past few years.
"Appears to me now for many, many years, the number of school children was
related to the number of building permits, and now it appears unrelated,"
he said. "I don't understand that and I would hope that we would get a
good explanation for that."
While proposing a $1.15 real estate tax rate and a 6.6-cent emergency
services tax rate that also is assessed against real estate, Bowers
included proposals to impose a meals tax, fees for ambulance services and
changes to the business license tax that could generate additional
revenue.
Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling) also said he would like to see an
overview of the fiscal year 2008 budget and how the previous board arrived
at its decision. He also asked if it was possible for the board to get a
listing of how different tax rates could be achieved. "It would help board
members and the public to have some of those options for a lower tax
rate," he said.
Regardless of what the board ultimately decides to approve as the fiscal
year 2009 budget, supervisors are aware of the tough road that lies ahead
of them and that their ultimate responsibility it to the taxpayers.
"We have to recognize the tax rate, the ability to pay is a lot about the
affordability, the ability to live in Loudoun County," York said. "We have
to be well aware that things are serious. It's going to take some
restraint on our part."
