The Shadow
WARM SPRINGS — Fire and rescue needs dominated a public hearing on Bath County’s proposed 2019-20 fiscal year budget Tuesday evening.
The Bath County Board of Supervisors continued its budget process for the upcoming fiscal year with hearings on the proposed budget and tax rates.
County administration’s $17,108,499 budget proposal reflects an increase of $725,067 over the current budget. The draft budget contains 3 percent pay increases for all county workers.
“I made the changes as directed by the board of supervisors after the last work session,” County Administrator Ashton Harrison said. “It was very helpful to go department by department. No other changes were made to the budget.”
Harrison said the budget proposal was advertised and listed on the county website. He added that county administration is still awaiting final health insurance costs, but he remained “cautiously optimistic.”
“If there is any unfortunate surprise of any sort, we may need to ask for an additional work session with the board of supervisors and school board,” he said.
During the public hearing on the budget, only two speakers addressed supervisors. They both wanted to discuss fire and rescue needs.
“The 2019-20 budget, if approved as published, addresses the immediate needs of emergency services in Bath County,” said Harold King, president of the Bath County Fire and Rescue Association. “However, it leaves many concerns for the next five to 25 years, and we want to ensure that these needs are also in the long-range plans for the county.”
King said the budget funds all of the equipment requested by emergency services and approved by the planning commission for 2020. It funds the request through a loan with only one-fourth of the expense paid in 2020. The balance of the loan is then due over the next three years.
“There are additional requests for future years, roughly equivalent to this year’s request, that are needed to complete the five and 25-year plans required for stability of emergency services in the county,” King said. “The net effect of this year’s budget is that it increases the expense in future years while minimizing expense for this year.”
King said the Bath County Fire and Rescue Association along with the various departments it represents will continue to seek grants, matching funds or special financing to meet their needs. They will continue fundraising activities to minimize expenses on county taxpayers.
“We want to work with the board of supervisors to ensure the safety and well-being of every citizen in our county well into the future and in the most cost-effective manner possible,” King concluded.
Jeff Grimm of the Millboro Volunteer Fire Department thanked supervisors for their past and future support.
“I don’t think you get enough thanks,” Grimm said to supervisors. “Your support, this board’s support, the county’s support means an awful lot to us,”
Capital projects in the proposed budget include funding for fire trucks for the Bolar Fire Department ($25,000), Millboro Volunteer Fire Association ($62,500) and the Mountain Grove Fire Department ($52,500). The funding for these trucks is based on four-year financing for each department.
Much of the discussion among supervisors following the public hearing centered on support of the Bolar Fire Department and Rescue Squad, which is located in Highland County but provides coverage in northern Bath County.
“I hate to be the deer in the headlights sitting up here and saying I don’t want to support Bolar, but we’ve got a lot of needs in the county,” Supervisor Eddy Hicklin said.
Hicklin added that Bath County already funds Bolar with $10,000 per year, and an additional $25,000 for four years would bring that total to $35,000.
He said Highland County doesn’t provide that much financial support to the department.
“To support a fire and rescue squad outside the county, I am not in agreement with it,” Hicklin said.
Supervisors Stuart Hall and Richard Byrd offered a different perspective.
“I’m going to support what we can afford to the Bolar Fire Department and Rescue,” Hall said. “Nobody appreciates anybody that is an emergency services worker any more than I do.”
“It’s up to us to protect all people in Bath County and support all people,” Chairman Byrd added.
Byrd equated the Bolar funding to Bath County Public Schools providing education to over 60 non-resident students. He said the county spends $20,000 per student each year to educate those children in Bath County schools.
“I think we need to look and see if I should pay $1 million for out-of-county students in our educational system,” Byrd said. “I will be thinking about that for the next 30 days.”
No one from the public spoke during the hearing on proposed tax rates in the upcoming fiscal year. Tax rates will remain the same in 2019-20 — 50 cents per $100 of assessed value for real estate and 35 cents for personal property.
Supervisors dipped into the county’s $8.2 million reserve to balance the proposed budget.
Byrd reminded those in attendance that the budget may still be adjusted prior to approval.
“It’s still a working document,” he said.
Supervisors are expected to consider adoption of the 2019-20 budget and tax rates during their May 14 meeting. The new fiscal year begins on July 1.
In other business Tuesday night, supervisors:
— recognized volunteers who picked up over 190 bags of trash last weekend along Bath County roads.
“We appreciate what they do,” Byrd said;
— received an update on U.S. Forest Service activities from Elizabeth McNichols, district ranger for the James River and Warm Springs Ranger Districts;
— approved new hours of operation for the Bath County animal shelter.
Beginning next week, the animal shelter will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and closed on Saturday and Sunday.
Staff will continue to work weekends and on holidays to care for the animals. Staff will also be on call during weekend hours;
— approved the appointment of Pat Haynes to an at-large seat on the Bath County Economic Development Authority;
— approved the appointment of Jackie Baughn as an at-large representative on the Rockbridge Area Community Services Board;
— authorized county administration to release a request for proposals for consultant services on a housing needs assessment and market analysis study update;
— approved a request to waive permit fees from the Millboro Ruritan Club.
