New Kent supervisors to evaluate budget after Monday night’s public hearing

Monday night’s regular board meeting and public hearing on New Kent’s Board of Supervisors FY2023-24 budget left pondering thoughts among local leaders.

County Administrator Rodney Hathaway proposed a revised budget of $106,603,017 for county operations at the public hearing, adhering to suggestions from the board at a March work session. That amount is $1.265 million less than the original recommendation ($107,868,017).

Hathaway rehashed information about the new figure, including $12,948,542 in expected new revenue. That revenue also includes a two-cent tax increase in the county’s real estate tax, bumping it up to 69 cents per $100 in assessed value from the current rate of 67 cents per $100 of assessed value.

Of the increased revenue, Hathaway is proposing that $1,921,998 go into personnel adjustments. That includes the hiring of two New Kent Sheriff Officer deputies, two new firefighters, a new position for the county attorney’s office, decompressing of salary scales, and a cost-of-living adjustment raise of two percent. The county will also have a Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) of $16,680,570, with $7 million dedicated to a new fire station that plans to be constructed in Bottoms Bridge.

Hathaway also presented new and increased fees. These fees will appear in areas that include building and construction fees, parks and recreation, public safety, and public utilities. While new fees will appear in public utilities, the Bottoms Bridge Service District Tax Rate will dissolve.

After receiving the new update, the public hearing opened up, with only J. Joseph McLaughlin III speaking, voicing his concerns about keeping employees in New Kent.

“I don’t disagree with the budget, but we have to find a better way for county employment compensation,” he said. “I feel like we have done the salary study, and it said we were so far behind in regards to compensation.

“We did get phase one to address the issue and that got us to the minimum,” McLaughlin continued. “But that was the minimum for 15 years ago. We are steadily falling behind.

“I’m tired of training employees and them leaving to go somewhere else,” he continued, referencing his job in New Kent Sheriff’s Office. “Health insurance is $1,000 a month for employee with family. A two-percent cost-of-living will not do. There is no incentive for employees to stay here. We got to do better.”

After the public hearing closed, supervisors also expressed concerns about increasing taxes with a struggling economy.

“I heard all the chatter about the tax increase and about putting the Colonial Downs money into the general fund,” said District 1 representative Thomas Evelyn. “We have had a history with Colonial Downs, but we don’t know a lot about the new owners.

“State legislation has a lot of say in what they do,” he continued. “I’m concern about putting the Colonial Downs funding in the general fund. If they wipe that out, where are we going to go get money [if something happens to Colonial Downs]?

“I am sure there are going to be changes within the next 10 days to this budget,” Evelyn concluded.
For District 4 supervisor Ron Stiers, he voiced his opposition to any tax increase and offered ideas how to address helping county employees.

“I was looking at where we could go into this budget and what could be cut at the very minimum,” Stiers said. “I thought we could cut a half-percent from each department but when we looked at those things that I thought we could cut, it was at least 9.8 percent minimum in each department. That’s not a road I’m willing to go down.

“We are living in tough times and it will only get worse,” he continued. “I’d like to take $9.2 million (instead of $10 million) of the Colonial Downs money aside and put the $800,000 in general fund. By doing this, we wouldn’t have to raise taxes and this is not the time to raise taxes.”

Hathaway said that the board did have the option to do that, but he cautioned that the $800,000 removed would be something they would have to contribute yearly.

New Kent supervisors must wait at least 10 days before they can vote on the budget. Further discussion and possible adoption of the budget could take place as early as their April 25 work session.