AMHERST — Amherst County has passed a $72.2 million budget that keeps all current tax rates the same until at least July 2010.
The Board of Supervisors, with member Vernon Wood absent, voted Tuesday to set the rates and adopt the budget after a two-hour work session that led to cost-cutting measures for balanced figures.
Among them was a $200,000 cut to the county’s school division, a reduction of more than $35,000 to the planning and zoning department that will affect one position and a reduction of nearly $38,000 for volunteer fire and rescue services.
Heading into Tuesday’s session, supervisors were facing a deficit of nearly $305,000 because of revenue shortfalls recently brought to the board’s attention.
Losses included wine tax revenues and Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control tax revenues and drops in lodging taxes, building permits and emergency services fees.
The general fund, as approved, is $36.3 million and is virtually the same as the current year with a 0.1 percent increase. It includes a $14.1 million contribution to the school’s $50 million budget.
The Amherst County School Board was asking for about $490,000 from the county to balance its budget, which the board reduced by $200,000.
The non-school portion of the county’s budget is $22.4 million.
The board discussed the option Tuesday of setting tax rates before adopting the budget, which County Attorney J. Vaden Hunt said was “highly unusual” but allowed under state law.
However, the board was facing a state law requirement of making a local contribution to the school division by May 1, which led to the budget’s adoption Tuesday.
Supervisors said during the work session that next year’s financial situation could be even worse and possibly lead to a tax increase with no backdrop of a federal stimulus, which positively impacted schools this year.
“If anybody had a crystal ball, they would be rich,” said Chairman Leon Parrish. “I like the surprises when they come on the top side. I don’t like them when they come on the bottom side … we’ll have some hard times.”
In other business:
After meeting in closed session, the board voted to begin advertising for a new county administrator following last week’s resignation of Rodney Taylor, who served in the position the past three years.
Taylor, 49, stepped aside at the request of the board as a result of what he said were personal conflicts with several supervisors in which he said he believed he wasn’t treated fairly. He said he plans to open a business in downtown Lynchburg while Parrish said the county will search for a more “seasoned” administrator.
“We instructed staff to advertise until the position is filled,” Parrish said Tuesday.
The county is hoping to receive applications by June 1 to begin the interviewing process, Parrish said.
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