New Kent unveils $51.7 million budget proposal

No tax increases are proposed for funding New Kent’s $51.7 million budget for the next fiscal year. The proposal heads to public hearing later this month.

County Board of Supervisors members ironed out a final proposal with a series of work sessions held over the past two weeks. Now the document is bound for public scrutiny during an April 29, 7 p.m. hearing inside the county administration building’s board room.

County real estate tax levies are to remain at the current 73 cents per $100 of assessed value. The personal property rate is unchanged at $3.75. Compared to the current year’s $54 million budget, the 2009-10 proposal is more than $2.3 million less.

The budget includes just over $9.4 million in local dollars slated for county school operations, a figure about $1.1 million less than the $10.5 million schools received for the current year.

The $9.4 million is also about $460,000 less than school officials expected. But the county is moving to fully fund two existing School Resource Officer (SRO) positions. Previously, school officials had reduced one position in half as a cost saving measure in light of ongoing economic woes.

The SRO move, in effect, frees up $88,000 in the schools’ budget that can be used to close part of the $460,000 gap, said Ed Smith, a school associate superintendent. That leaves $372,000 that school officials must trim from their $26.1 million budget, provided there is no change in the county’s proposed contribution.

Reducing the school budget could mean more job cuts. Already, schools have eliminated 36 positions including 18 custodial workers (outsourced to a private firm), four special education teaching posts, nine teacher aides, two bus drivers, one elementary secretary, an associate superintendent, and the clerk of the works.

If more jobs cuts are deemed necessary, the targets could be another four teaching posts along with two positions each in the secretary, teacher aide, and clinic aide categories.

“The School Board will have to meet to discuss where to make cuts,” Smith said on Friday.

Nothing is on tap for this week since schools are on spring break. The School Board is scheduled to meet for a work session on Monday, but Smith said he is unsure if the budget and potential cuts are on the agenda.

The proposed overall county budget, meanwhile, balloons close to $90 million when utilities, pegged at just over $38 million, are factored in. Of the utility figure, $27.1 million is targeted for upgrade and expansion of the county’s Parham Landing Wastewater Treatment Plant.

In addition to the April 29 public hearing, supervisors have scheduled a May 5, 6 p.m. town hall meeting to discuss the budget proposal with county residents. Supervisors are slated to take final action on the budget during their May 11 meeting.

The entire budget proposal can be viewed on the county’s web site at www.co.new-kent.va.us.