Board of Supervisors Budget Questions & Responses

During the budget development process, staff takes note of the questions asked by Board members and provides written responses to questions for which responses were not readily available at the time the questions were asked.

View each question and its answer in the table, or view all of the Board questions and responses.

Question Number
Board Question
Response Document
1Provide an easy way to see what changes are being made to General Fund revenues and expenditures for FY 2023.  Also show what the General Fund balance is being used to fund in FY 2023.
Response
2Please provide the data on FY 2022 Mandates comparable to FY 2021 Mandates information presented to the Board in July 2021.
Response
3Provide justifications of need for the positions included in the Recommended Budget.
Response
4What is the impact of the reassessment and the equalized rate to the average residential taxpayer’s bill?
Response
5Without tax rate increases above the equalized rate during the past 10-15 years, how much less revenue would we have to work with in preparing the FY 2023 Budget?
Response
6Used vehicle values have increased according to the NADA. Does this mean the personal property tax bill on a used vehicle will be higher this year than it was for the same vehicle in 2021?
Response
7Please provide a breakdown of all the grant revenues included in the FY 2023 Budget. 
Response
8Please provide a breakdown of the total funding previously budgeted and now recommended to support broadband efforts.
Response
9Can any of the Federal or State pandemic/recovery funding allocated to the Schools be used to support teacher compensation and compression pay?
Response
10How was the Evergreen Compensation Study implemented for the Schools?   What adjustments were made, in what years, and how were they funded?  Was the Evergreen Compensation Study fully implemented for the Schools?
Response
11How many positions within the school system are currently vacant and how does that break down?
Response
12How much revenue would be lost if the Board reinstated the exemption for the first $50,000 in gross receipts pertaining to the Business License tax?
Response
13Please provide the historical comparison of County and Schools salary adjustments.
Response
14Are the local transfer funds dedicated to the Schools held in the General Fund until the time they are transferred to the Schools?
Response
15If we receive State funding for XYZ, can we do something other than XYZ?  For example, if the State gives us funding for ten counselors, can we hire five counselors and five elementary teachers?
Response
16Is the 5% salary adjustment ($11.0M) for SOQ positions only or for all positions?  If the 5% salary adjustment is for SOQ positions only, is the 5% salary adjustment for all other remaining positions part of the $8.25M gap?  If it’s not part of the $8.25M gap, how is the 5% salary adjustment for all other remaining positions funded?
Response
17Do we have a snap shot of job and business growth in the County over the last 10 years? Please provide revenue growth as well.
Response
18In reference to the School Board’s budget presentation, which items listed on slide 11 (base budget) and slide 6 ($8.2M gap) are mandates? 
Response
19Please clarify the roles between the SROs and the added School Safety Resource position.
Response
20Is the $4.6 million shown as “Other Local Revenue” for the School Food Service Fund on page 37 of the County’s summary budget document part of the local transfer?  Can those funds be used to reduce the Schools’ budget gap?
Response
21Have we experienced a reduction in food-related DSS programs and related costs since the Schools have received increased federal funds to provide food to families?
Response
22Please provide the details for the Schools’ CIP.
Response
23How many staff members are on each step of each of the teacher pay scales?
Response
24At what years of service is turnover the greatest among Schools’ teaching staff?
Response
25Why is the Schools’ carryover discussed several months into the new fiscal year and not sooner after the close of the fiscal year?  If Schools’ staff sees that there will be carryover, can it be applied to the budget for the upcoming fiscal year? 
Response
26Board members have heard from constituents that the State recommends that each County/City allocates at least 50% of its budget to the school division. Is that correct?
Response
27Please explain how steps are currently handled by the Schools.  Please explain how they will be handled if the scale modernization is put into place going forward.
Response
28If the State money were used for the 54 staff required to meet minimums, the 5% pay adjustment, and the $12 minimum wage, what would be left for use towards the teacher pay modernization?  Are the other things in the base more of a priority than is the teacher pay modernization?
Response
29What is the estimated revenue loss if we increase the BPOL threshold?  Please provide scenarios by $100,000 increments up to $2 million.  Also, please provide the estimated revenue gain if the BPOL cap is removed.
Response
30What is our $26.5M direct ARPA allocation being used for?
Response
31Please provide a breakdown of the $31.7M in School Food Service Fund revenue. How much is federal, State, local, etc.? 
Response
32What is the reason to moving to $15/hour for Library Clerks at this time when the mandated minimum wage rate will be $12/hour during FY 2023?  Have other localities expressed concerns about this increase?  Please provide data broken down for each Spotsylvania branch showing the visits per day and the hours of use.  By how much would the FY 2023 funding request for Spotsylvania be reduced if the Spotsylvania hours remained in place as they are now and have been during FY 2022?
Response
33Provide a breakdown of the calculation of the $4M included for one-time bonuses in the Schools’ FY 2021 carryover.
Response