Supervisors expected to whittle down county CIP
New Kent Board of Supervisors members perused the county’s proposed $5.6 million Capital Improvement Plan ($3.6 million for countywide projects and $2 million for utility projects) for the next fiscal year and listened Monday night to explanations driving need for the projects as delivered by county administrator Rodney Hathaway.
Supervisors are charged with determining which projects, if any, become part of the 2013-14 fiscal year budget. And despite sufficient cash reserves on hand to pay for the $3.6 million in countywide projects recommended by Hathaway, supervisors are already warning that another tight budget year means those recommendations could be in jeopardy.
“All of those projects are needed,” said District 1 Supervisor Thomas Evelyn. “But unlike the federal government, we have to balance our budget. We have to pick the ones that are really needed.”
Before supervisors tackle the proposed plan, however, the document passes through the county’s Planning Commission. Planners have scheduled a Feb. 19 public hearing on the proposal and are expected to make recommendations to supervisors afterward.
Monday night, Hathaway told the board that close to $3.2 million in existing capital project fund money could be applied to pay for most of the countywide projects. The remaining $400,000 would be paid using proffers. Utility (water/sewer) projects, meanwhile, are paid for through user and connection fees and do not involve county money.
Hathaway also detailed what he termed “big ticket” items among his recommendations. Those nine items and Hathaway’s justification for need are:
–$850,000 for integrated software for the finance department (Project is an upgrade and the cost is an estimate. The figure includes a needs assessment to determine the best and most cost-effective software system to keep up with technology.)
–$450,000 for a new HVAC system in the courthouse (Current system is 20 years old, breaks down often, and replacement parts are hard to find.)
–$250,000 for a new ambulance (One unit now in service has over 121,000 miles, which is deemed beyond reliable service life.)
–$120,000 for an engineering study on the county’s radio system (Current radio system is not FCC compliant but must be by 2014. Study will fine tune an estimated $4 million cost for a new radio system and indicate the best investment for the county.)
–$200,000 for park development (County is negotiating a land swap involving 100 acres proffered for a park off Criss Cross Road and a 38-acre site off Pine Fork Road. Criss Cross site consists of rolling terrain with access problems that could cost $2 million to fix. Pine Fork site is flat, and the landowner is paying the county part of the cost to make the deal an even swap.)
–$370,672 for school bus/car replacement (Figure covers four new buses and one driver’s education car. County has a plan to replace buses after 15 years of service.)
–$350,000 for a needs analysis for renovating New Kent Elementary School and to pay for immediate renovation needs (Estimated cost for renovation is $12 million, but no definitive data exists to determine if that is the actual price tag. Study is designed to fine-tune the estimate. Study is pegged at $150,000. The remaining $200,000 is to be applied to work that can be done in the next year.)
–$342,223 for vehicle replacement (Most of the amount– $300,000– goes toward replacing vehicles in the sheriff’s department due to use of existing vehicles and county growth.)
–$112,600 for computer replacement (Involves offices countywide keeping up to date on technology. County is on a five-year replacement schedule since that’s the maximum span available for maintenance contracts.)