The Shadow
WARM SPRINGS – The Bath County Board of Supervisors has amended its 2009-10 budget to offset deeper cuts to constitutional officers from the state.
The action taken by supervisors Tuesday night will allow constitutional officers to avoid a one-day furlough and overcome the loss of three months of fringe benefit reimbursements.
In a report to supervisors, County Administrator Bonnie Johnson explained that the Compensation Board is taking away more revenues for the current year. The cuts in Comp Board revenues this time amount to $30,685 and bring the total reductions for the year to $75,883, or eight percent of the original Comp Board appropriations.
Broken down, these cuts include $2,463 for the commonwealth’s attorney, $18,498 to the sheriff, $3,165 for the commissioner of the revenue, $2,951 to the treasurer’s office and $3,608 for the clerk of circuit court.
“We went into discussions with the constitutional officers, and we looked through their budgets to see where we could find cuts,” Johnson explained. “It has been a very difficult process this time to find cuts.”
Johnson used the sheriff’s office as an example. She said that $6,231 of the required $18,498 in cuts could be made from personnel positions which remain unfilled. The remaining $12,267 are cuts to budget items which affect the everyday work of the office.
Supervisors approved a resolution reflecting these cuts and amending the current budget.
“It is legal for you to take action on this by resolution without placing an ad or public hearing because of the small amount in relationship to the size of the budget,” Johnson said.
The resolution was approved by a vote of 4-1 with Richard Byrd dissenting.
“This gets to the core of where it really hurts,” Byrd said. “These are the offices that make daily contact with our constituents each and every day.”
Byrd continued by placing direct blame for these cuts on the state.
“The state takes on these things,” Byrd continued. “They say they’re going to do so much and all of a sudden they decide to drop the ball and make the localities pay. They have the authority to do that. When it gets to us, then we have nowhere to turn.
“I feel sorry for the constitutional officers and their staff,” Byrd concluded.
Chairman Stuart Hall relinquished the chair to introduce a motion authorizing a letter to state officials and Gov. Bob McDonnell expressing their displeasure with these cuts to the constitutional officers.
“I’m not happy with our legislators,” Hall said. “Our governor tried to restore these cuts, and it was removed again in this last short session.”
Hall said he understood that several localities across Virginia were contemplating a class action suit against the state.
“I certainly think we need to pursue that and see how that thing is progressing,” Supervisor Percy Nowlin said.
Also Tuesday night, supervisors entertained a presentation on the Adult Career Pathways program at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College from Joyce Broughman, Adult Career Pathways consultant, and Gail Johnson, assistant to the president of DSLCC for marketing.
This new program assists adults in career planning, helping to define new career goals and connecting these goals to new career pathways in order to secure employment.
The program also provides financial assistance for adults to enroll in college programs so that they may improve abilities and skills in order to return to the workforce or secure new employment.
Unemployed individuals, underemployed individuals or others desiring a career change can benefit from this program.
Adults can utilize these services through DSLCC’s main campus in Clifton Forge, the Rockbridge Regional Center in Buena Vista or at selected sites by appointment in Bath County.
DSLCC is one of 16 community colleges in Virginia receiving grant funds to offer this new endeavor.
The program is needed because of the high unemployment rates in the DSLCC service area, Broughman explained.
“Our purpose is to give you information so you can spread the word,” she said.
For more information on the program, contact Broughman at (540) 863-2923 or e-mail her at jbroughman@dslcc.edu.
In other business Tuesday night, the Bath County Board of Supervisors:
– proclaimed May 16-22 as Emergency Medical Services Week;
– received an update from Millboro Supervisor Carol Hardbarger on an application for grant funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in the amount of $60,000 to $70,000 regarding preparation of a watershed plan for Cabin Creek in the Millboro area;
– authorized a request to balance the books prior to the end of the current fiscal year;
– ratified an application for a Virginia Litter Grant;
– voted to initiate the process of selecting a Board of Equalization in September;
– approved the reappointments of Mike Grist and Mary Lynn Riner to the Bath County Planning Commission and John Hodge to the Bath County Industrial Development Authority.
