The Franklin County Board of Supervisors was presented last week with a proposed $183.8 million budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year that calls for no tax increases despite growing costs due to inflation.
Called a “stop-gap maintenance budget,” County Administrator Chris Whitlow said it seeks to sustain the county’s strategic priority area. That was made more difficult this year due to inflation being up 6.4% compared to last year.
“We know this is a significant pressure on the county budget across the board, but we also know it is a significant pressure on our citizens at home,” Whitlow said.
Due to it being a non-reassessment year, Whitlow said the county only saw a 0.65% growth in real estate as inflation increased 6.4% in the county. Property taxes based on real estate values accounts for a significant portion of the county’s revenue.
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“That is a challenge for any government to balance the budget,” Whitlow said.
Despite those pressures, Whitlow said the county’s 2023-24 budget will meet the county’s increased demands, cover inflation costs, sustains community safety and supports job creation. The budget also provides a $961,000 funding increase for Franklin County Public Schools as well as $1.5 million in additional funding that will be split between public safety for the purchase for fire apparatus, broadband improvements and support for Ferrum College’s tuition assistance program.
Supervisors thanked Whitlow and county staff following the presentation last week, but some still had concerns as they prepare to finalize the budget in the coming weeks. Blackwater District representative Ronald Mitchell has been one of the more vocal advocates for a pay increase for teachers in the county. He wanted assurances that funding would be included in the budget.
Gills Creek District representative Lorie Smith questioned the proposed funding for public safety as work is still ongoing to on a new system in the county. The system would be used to designate when new equipment such as vehicles should be purchased by the county for its fire and rescue departments.
“How can we be projecting amounts in this budget in the middle of all that?” Smith asked.
Whitlow said the amount currently in the budget is not the entire projected amount. He said some of the funding projections in the budget are based on year after year costs.
“The devil will be in the details as we dive into those amounts,” Whitlow said.
Blue Ridge District representative and Chairman Tim Tatum said it was now up to the board to move forward with the proposed budget. The board is expected to hold at least one more work session to finalize the budget for the 2023-34 fiscal year before a public hearing scheduled for March 28.
“Now it’s time for us to roll up our sleeves and get to work,” Tatum said.
