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 (PDF).

Question Number
Board Questions		Response Document
1How much did FY 2013 actual revenues exceed FY 2013 budgeted revenues?  Based on FY 2014 revenue collections to date, how much do we expect FY 2014 actual revenue to exceed FY 2014 budgeted revenues? What is the full year impact of the 9 Firefighter/Medics added mid-year in FY 2014? What is the full year impact of the cost of living (COLA) added mid-year in FY 2014?  What is the amount of the local recordation tax?Response
2What is the impact of increasing the BPOL threshold from $750,000 to $1,000,000?Response
3What is the impact of eliminating the property tax on aircraft?Response
4What is the impact of eliminating the property tax on boats?Response
5Have the unpaved roads been prioritized?  What was the $1.2 million approved in FY 2014 for?  How much of that has been spent?Response
6What in the Schools’ budget are one-time items that could be funded with one-time funding?  Please provide a specific list.Response
7What are the calculation components of the Local Composite Index (LCI)?  Show the current LCI calculation and the prior two-year LCI calculation.  What is the process for challenging/disputing the calculation with the State?Response
8Are proffers applied to School capital projects to reduce debt?Response
9What will the School Board cut if the local transfer is not increased by $1.9 million?Response
10How has the Retirement Opportunities Program (ROP) benefited the Schools’ budget?Response
11Are bond funds the only source of revenue for financing School capital projects?Response
12Please provide the student/teacher ratio at all levels.Response
13Regarding slide 11 from the School Board’s presentation of its budget on Feb. 18, how does Spotsylvania’s graduation rate compare to the State average?Response
14Regarding the School Board’s presentation of its budget on Feb. 18, please provide the same display from slide 19, but provide the data for 2003 forward.Response
15Regarding slide 29 from the School Board’s presentation of its budget on Feb. 18, what is the big increase in student enrollment projections in FY 2016, and then why would the enrollment begin to decline again after FY 2016?Response
16How has actual enrollment compared to enrollment projections for both September 30/October 1 enrollment and March 31 enrollment over the past five years?Response
17Show the breakdown of step increases by group.  For example, what percentage of staff will see a 1% increase?  A 1.5% increase?  Who is receiving the step and 1% COLA?Response
18

County staff interpretation of question:  What projects in the Schools’ CIP and operating budgets are related to growth?  Does the Schools’ proposed CIP factor in growth from previously approved developments?  If so, how?  If not, when will that growth be included in the CIP? 

School staff interpretation of question:  What costs in the budget are associated with growth particularly as both the County and the Schools synchronize timelines in approving and preparing for new housing developments?  Timely and effective communication strategies will be required as well.		Response
19What steps have been taken to offset rising healthcare costs?Response
20What impact (now and in years to come) will the ACA have on health care costs for Schools?Response
21What was the increase in Federal funding for FRED applied to in FY 2015?  Is our share of costs in FY 2015 being reduced because of the Federal funds being available?Response
22How does Spotsylvania’s personal property tax rate compare to other localities in the area?Response
23Please explain how adjusting the categorical BPOL rates might affect FY 2015 revenue.Response
24Please clarify which personal property items are prorated.Response
25Provide a breakdown of $3.4 million difference in revenues and expenditures presented at 3/18 work session.Response
26Out of the Economic Development target industries; Health, Industrial, DOD, Technology, and Tourism, which BPOL category does each fall into?Response
27Provide details about term and basis of the mall incentive agreement.Response
28Why is Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center (HCA) not part of the Radio Interoperability System?Response
29What is the “equalized” personal property tax rate and how is it calculated?Response
30What steps have been taken to purchase fuel efficient buses?Response
31Modify the three-year forecast to factor in additional staff that will be needed for assumed enrollment growth.Response
32Provide a listing of benefits that are available to Schools’ part-time staff.Response
33

Send the Schools’ CIP to the Board of Supervisors and specify on which pages the following items are found:

Historical enrollment broken down by school.

Historical enrollment broken down by grade.

Breakdown of capital needs by fiscal year.  
Response
34Review the developments that have been approved in the last five years and consider what has actually been built out.  Using that information as a guide, how would the Schools’ CIP look if you were to correlate what has happened in the last five years to what might happen in the next five?Response
35Of the developments that have been approved in the past 20 years, how many units are still to be built out for each development?Response
36During the period 2003 through 2009, how many schools were constructed or added onto?  How many building permits were approved?Response
37What was FREMS turnover rate for CY 2012?Response
38Do we have time to add a referendum question on the ballot for the upcoming election in November 2014?Response
39Can we “bank” revenue sharing funds?Response provided at April 10, 2014 Work Session
40Can we eliminate property tax on agricultural trailers?Response
41In previous years was the School division’s local composite index revised due to inaccurate data either from Weldon Cooper, VA Department of Taxation or VA Department of Education?Response