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Wednesday, March 12, 2014
The Journal
www.journalpress.com
King George 2014-15 budgeting process ongoing Phyllis Cook The King George Board of Supervisors has scheduled weekly meetings for the rest of the month devoted to the topic of budget development for the upcoming 2014-15 fiscal year, which begins on July 1. A recommended draft budget proposal is expected to be presented by Travis Quesenberry, county administrator, by the end of March. But in the meantime, the Board of Supervisors is still in ‘receive’ mode, with presentations taking place by various departments and additional updates being provided by Quesenberry and his executive staff. In addition to its next regular business meeting scheduled on March 18, the budget meetings currently on the calendar will take place on March 11 (this week following our press time), March 19 at 6 p.m. in the board room of the Revercomb administration building, and March 27 at 6 p.m., with location yet to be finalized for that meeting. A public hearing on a draft budget is currently expected to take place on April 15, with adoption of a budget for next fiscal year at a meeting to be set on or before April 30. Chairman Joe Grzeika has
begun each budget session telling participants that the work sessions are not decision-making meetings, with each get-together designed to provide additional overviews for the fiscal outlook for next year. Last week’s presentation from Fire & Rescue personnel was lengthy and wide-ranging. Presentations were provided by Chief David Moody and Captain Shawn Simmons, with input also provided by Deputy Chief Steve Basham and Deputy Chief Robert ‘Bo’ Black. Discussion included staffing levels, tenure and attrition, volunteer recruitment and retention, training, incident types, response times, and mutual aid. There were several options provided for additional positions. Discussion also included very preliminary talk of a fourth fire & rescue company for the future. The board also heard from and Human Resources manager Amanda Sumiel in regard to proposed personnel changes. Supervisors have previously heard budget requests from Sheriff Dempsey, the School Board, county attorney Eric Gregory, the Electoral Board, along with discussion with Economic Development director Linwood Thomas over potential allocations for the Tourism fund
In addition, 2 percent goes to General Properties, 1.7 percent toward the Rappahannock Regional Jail and Juvenile Detention, 1 percent to outside agencies, the Virginia Department of Health, and VPI Extension. Capital Improvement Fund makes up 0.9 percent, the Smoot Library gets 0.8 percent and 0.12 percent goes toward the Tourism Fund. Those all add up to 93.9 percent of the current year budget, with the remaining 6.1 percent going toward costs for the Board of Supervisors, County Administration, County Attorney, Human Resources, Information Technology, Landfill, Engineering and Inspections, Parks and Recreation & the Citizen Center, Community Development, Economic Development, and Contingency. Quesenberry said he had directed as in past years under his administration, that department heads and agencies use the previous year’s ending budget amount as their starting point for building the following year’s budget request. Quesenberry has also informed the board that department heads had been directed to strictly limit part-time employees to 29 hours per week, as per action previously taken by the Board of Supervisors.
budget. The board has also looked at outside agency requests at two of the three budget work sessions, so far, with final decisions yet to be made on many of the individual requests. POTENTIAL BUDGET GAP Quesenberry has told Supervisors that the requests from departments, agencies and the School Board for 2014-15 add up to a budget gap of about $3.7 million between the totals of requests and projected revenues, which would include a 3-cent increase for an equalized tax rate due to last year’s reassessment. That gap includes revenue projects provided by finance director Robyn Shugart. Shugart has said those revenue projections are subject to change, adding they are very conservative and preliminary, with adjustments expected as the budget process continues. The current year’s budget for 2013-14 totals $65,489,551, with 56.6 percent to the School Board and 11.3 percent toward public safety, including Sheriff, E-911, Fire & Rescue and Animal Control. Debt Service is 10 percent, with 6.4 percent going to Social Services, 3.1 percent toward Constitutional Officers, Courts and the Registrar.
Moore and Zilic elected to lead EDA, meetings set Phyllis Cook The King George Economic Development Authority (EDA) held its election of officers last month with Glen Moore reelected chairman and Tony Zilic reelected vice chairman on unanimous votes. Both men have served on the Authority for several years, with both listed as appointed from the At-Large district. The elections took place on Feb. 20. Unlike most boards in King George, which reorganize with elections in January, the EDA’s rules call for that to take place in February of each year. The agenda for the Economic Development Authority meetings is scheduled according to its adopted rules, with items inserted under set headings as necessary by Economic Development Director Linwood Thomas and administrative assistant Marcy Feltner. Thomas took over the position as director last September to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of former director Nicole Thompson,
who left the area to take a position in Colorado. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MEMBERS The Economic Development Authority has seven members appointed to four-year terms by the Board of Supervisors under state law. The other members of the Economic Development Authority are Richard Ballenger- At-Large, Dreda Newman-Dahlgren, Ike Hughes-Shiloh, Jeanne FraysseJames Monroe, and Monika Philbrick-James Madison. MEETING CALENDAR The Economic Development Authority also set its meeting calendar for the remainder of 2014. Members agreed to continue hold its meetings each month on the second Thursdays. The meetings are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. But that could change. This month’s meeting was rescheduled to take place on Thursday, March 13, with the time
of the meeting set for 5 p.m. There was discussion last month about changing all regular monthly business meetings to also begin at the earlier time of 5 p.m. That decision is expected to be discussed again at this month’s meeting, with a final decision expected. The regular meetings of the Economic Development Authority take place in the board room on the ground floor of the Revercomb Administration building (located behind the Courthouse on Route 3 – Kings Hwy). Meetings of the Economic Development Authority that have been rescheduled or are in addition to the regular monthly meeting often take place in an upstairs conference room if the board room is not available.
owner of a railroad spur that goes into the Industrial Park. The Economic Development Authority also has the ability to issue tax exempt industrial revenue bonds under state law. Fitch Ratings recently announced that the Economic Development Authority’s $1.5 million in lease revenue bonds, series 2004 have been upgraded to ‘AA-’ from ‘A+.’ In the past several years, the Economic Development Authority has also taken on the primary responsibility for authorizing expenditures for, and planning an annual business appreciation event. That event is hosted by the Economic Development Authority in conjunction with the Board of Supervisors. That date for this year’s business appreciation event is expected to be discussed and finalized at this month’s meeting later this week on Thursday. In recent years, it has been held on the third Wednesday in May. If that tradition holds, the event would be scheduled for May 21. Stay tuned.
INDUSTRIAL PARK The Economic Development Authority owns and manages the King George Industrial Park for the county. As such, the Economic Development Authority is also the
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School Board amends revamped county facilities use agreement Phyllis Cook A completely revamped facility use agreement was distributed by school division superintendent Rob Benson on Feb. 25 during a joint meeting between the School Board and the Board of Supervisors. Benson said the draft agreement was taken from a template and customized, working with Travis Quesenberry, county administrator, and Tim Smith, Parks & Recreation director. Supervisors were enthusiastic over the proposed agreement and voted its approval of the document at their next meeting last week on March 4. This week on March 10, the School Board also approved the document, but not before amending it at the urging of School Board member Kristin Tolliver. Tolliver pushed for the baseball and softball fields at the high school to only be scheduled by school personnel and not utilized by the county because of potential maintenance issues. She said of the field maintenance, “All the work has been done by parent and booster clubs, so if they are going to be rented out, that will be very detrimental to those fields.” Tolliver got some push-back, with it was pointed out that proposed agreement addresses the issue, but the School Board ended up voting unanimously to approve the amendment. The amendment provided for that restriction by changing the wording in one of the two attachments. Now the proposed agreement will go back to the Board of Supervisors for new action. OWNER DEFINED AS PRIMARY The proposed facility use agreement redefines the term “Owner” to mean the party that is the primary custodian of the property or facility. That’s important for several reasons. One reason was demonstrated last fall when several versions of a proposed lease for Hunter Field was repeatedly tweaked and sent back and forth between boards without getting final approval. The definitions are also important because the School Board only owns some of the schools, with others being leased to it by the county as actual deed-owner. In addition, there are a couple of School Board-owned facilities, including Hunter Field, for which the county is primary user. ‘OWNER’ TASKED WITH SUPERVISION OF FACILITIES Another important reason for the redefinition, is that the ‘owner’ “is responsible for the regular maintenance, repair, and upkeep of his respective facilities.” In addition, the designated owner is to “to ensure that there is appropriate supervision of the activities on the facility by those using the facilities, including fields, and enforcing “all of the Owner’s rules, regulations, and policies while conducting activities or programs at the Owner’s facility.” Inspections of the facilities are to take place following use or rental, with repairs assessed and billed to the user/renter as necessary. Maintenance of school facilities has been a traditional problem, with maintenance often deferred by school personnel until drastic measures are needed and the county is asked to step in and perform renovations. The latest example is the high school track which has been allowed to deteriorate. Supervisors noted at the Feb. 25
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joint meeting with the School Board that they had recent complaints from students due to problems with the track not being maintained. Supervisors reminded the School Board that the $300,000 track renovation was only performed by the county nearly eight years ago, in mid-2006. At that time, the track was converted from six to eight lanes that are 42-inches wide, and from yards to 400 meters, along with installation of an all-weather surface to replace the cinder surface. Supervisors doubted there is room for a new track at the high school and suggested proper maintenance and security for the track. Fencing is an option to keep cleat-wearers and bikes off it. They also suggested the School Board take a look at a way to provide restrooms and seating, perhaps revamping the area around the track. The School Board was bluntly told that with numerous other items on the capital list, including a new fire station and courthouse over the next several years, the county would be hard-pressed to provide a new track any time soon. DIVISION FACILITIES DEFINITION, AS AMENDED The new definition of ‘owner’ is also backed up with a list of all the county and school facilities, noting which entity is the designated owner. The agreement would define “Division Facilities” as the following list: Former King George Middle School, King George Elementary School, King George Middle School, *King George High School, Potomac Elementary School, Sealston Elementary School, School Board Office Building. The asterisked footnote was amended. It was originally proposed as “*Football Stadium use is coordinated through High School Activities Director.” That was changed from ‘football stadium’ to instead insert, “High School Sports Complex.” PARKS AND RECREATION FACILITIES DEFINED The agreement would define “Parks and Recreation Facilities” as the following list: Barnesfield Park, Citizens’ Center, Hunter Field, Quonset Hut Gymnasium at Hunter Field, Sealston Sports Complex, Shiloh Park, Tennis Center, Wayside Park, Wilmont Landing.
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Sheriff’s Report Jan. 27 Casey, Daniel Dwayne – Revocation of Suspended Sentence and Probation Jan. 28 Anderson, Jamaal George – Possession of Cigarettes with Intent to Distribute McLeod, Aaron Evan – Driving Under the Influence Jan. 29 Tew, Mellissa Nicole – Revocation of Suspended Sentence and Probation, Fail to Appear on Misdemeanor Charge Jan. 30 White, Roland Keith – Driving Under the Influence, Operate a Motor Vehicle as Habitual Offender 2nd Subsequent Offense Thornsberry, Jimmy Dale – Revocation of Suspended Sentence and Probation Feb. 3 Laliburte, Mary Diana – Driving Under the Influence, Possession of Marijuana Roberts, Bryan James – Violate Protective Orders Stambler, Patrick Brian – Contempt of Court
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