Proposed Charles City FY23 budget of $20.9 million contains no tax increase

With a reassessment that saw a 10-cent drop along with the value of a penny increasing by 16.5 percent, Charles City’s Board of Supervisors received their first look of the proposed FY2022-23 budget that included no tax increase.

Charles City County Administrator Michelle Johnson proposed a budget of $20,915,573 for the upcoming cycle. In comparison, that amount is $2,617,428 more than the current year’s budget.

The reassessment process increased the property value of many areas in Charles City County, resulting in the equalized rate dropping to 66 cents per $100 of assessed value. With each penny taxed being the equivalent of $103,826, Johnson recommended no tax increase for FY2022-23.

Of the $20,915,573, approximately $10,988,326 will be local dollars for the general fund, an increase of $1.175 million. Among Johnson’s recommendations in the new revenue include three full-time employees for the county, with one each in the human resources department, recreation department, and sheriff’s office. An additional full-time employee is also expected to be hired in the general registrar’s office. Revenue is also expected to be used to assist with providing a five-percent raise for county employees (performance-based), software upgrades, and paying off debt services.

Charles City Fire and EMS has received a budget proposal of $1,516,380, with $1.382 million being from county dollars. Four new full-time positions are being recommended, but those spots are from funds that are being repurposed from contracted services.

For local schools, Johnson proposed an overall budget of $12,438,517 for operations. Of that amount, $6,018,997 is the recommended contribution from the county. The amount proposed from the county is level funding from the current year’s budget. Charles City County Superintendent of Schools Dalphine Joppy had proposed a budget of $6,268,997, which is a $250,000 increase from the current year.

Major Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) proposed by the county administrator include $150,000 for the repurposing and redesign of a courtroom, $133,379 for a new accounting system, $130,356 for a special needs bus for the schools, and $70,000 for a mini excavator for public works.

County supervisors did not comment on the budget. A public hearing on the county’s budget is expected to take play on Thursday, May 12, at 6 p.m.

In another matter, Charles City leaders approved a proposed redistricting plan as required by law.

The redistricting plan calls for the shift of 283 people from District 2 into District 3. Areas affected by this include residents on S. Lott Cary Road, Deerfield Road, a portion of Adkins Road, and Green Oak Road. A map of the plan can be viewed on the county’s website.