CC travel, training freeze may be first of many cuts

Charles City’s Board of Supervisors has enacted a freeze on all non-essential training and travel by county employees as a first step in addressing expected revenue shortfalls. And board members are considering more cost-cutting measures.

Supervisors voted 3-0 during their Feb. 23 meeting to approve the travel/training freeze as recommended by County Administrator Jack Miniclier. Later this month, the board plans to consider other reductions including a hiring freeze, a one-day furlough without pay for all employees, and eliminating funding for a capital needs assessment.

Miniclier said the measures are necessary to offset an estimated $115,000 revenue shortfall generated by lower than expected personal property and sales tax collections. If all are approved, just over $136,000 in savings would result, he said.

The county anticipated personal property assessments would generate about $1.1 million, but as of last week, taxes collected thus far amount to $961,000. Sales tax revenue, meanwhile, had been pegged at $415,000. County officials estimate the actual total could be closer to $350,000.

Charles City’s recent reassessment, meanwhile, has revealed that land and property values in the county have risen close to $150 million or 8 percent over the previous year. Miniclier said the new overall value totals $762,617,314 compared to $612,230,314 a year ago.

Miniclier said taking the county’s current 82 cents per $100 of assessed value real estate tax rate and applying the old and new total values translates into a 65.8-cent equalized rate.

Thus far, he said, 150 individuals have come before the county’s Board of Assessors concerning the reassessment. Landowners challenging individual assessments can take their case before a Board of Equalization scheduled to meet March 17, 18, and 29 and April 5 and 6.

In another budget-related matter, supervisors decided to meet with the county’s School Board following school officials’ formal budget presentation on March 10.

Miniclier said his earlier messages to schools and other county departments saying to expect level funding from the county next year are no longer realistic.

“That’s not going to happen. It will be less,” he told supervisors.

“We’re going to have to make some hard decisions on how to deal with revenue shortfalls,” he said.

“We hope to have a budget committee meeting before March 10 to discuss revenue shortfalls and meet with schools to let them know where we’re coming from,” he added.