Chamber News

Patrick Board of Supervisors Conduct Budget Review - March 9-2011

Board of Supervisors Meeting on March 9, 2011. Budget Review Meeting- Period 2011-2012. As reported by Tom Bishop

Library Budget Unanimously decided to restore the Library budget back to the level of the 2010-2011. The 5% reduction does not apply. The Library was considered as critical to education. Economic Development No changes to Economic Development Authority Budget. Included in this budget was an expenditure of $40,000 to repair the ditch line of Rich Creek Industrial Park entrance where there was a washout underneath the concrete. This work is necessary to comply with VDOT requirements in order to place under their maintenance. Fire and Rescue Association The Patrick County Fire and Rescue Association came to the Board request they maintain the capital improvement budget without reducing it by 5%. Chris Corbett spoke for the group and explained how important the program was to the 9 Fire Departments and 6 Rescue Squads to maintain their level of volunteer service. The budget includes $149,000 for fire equipment and $76,000 for Rescue Squad equipment. The Board emphasized the importance of fire and rescue squads doing soft billing. Emergency Services Director Steve Allen had requested $15,000 for a new “air cascade system� for refilling air packs. After a lengthy discussion, the decision was to replace that with a budget for a Bauer Mobile Compressor Unit at the cost of $44,000 which was considered a better solution. County Jail Budget The Jail Operations budget is 10% higher than last year taking into account a full year of operation with the new facility. Last year’s budget only reflected 5 months in the new jail. One additional item in the budget was reported by Sheriff Dan Smith for $9000 per year service contract with Southern Air for maintaining the Heating and Air Conditioning system and plumbing. Southern Air is the company who installed it during construction. Building Inspecting Fees The possibility of raising the Building Permit fee to be more in line with other comparable counties. It was suggested you could have one rate for residences of $100,000 or less and a higher rate for those over $100,000. Animal Pound The uniform budget was increased to $350, for employees. Dr. Lock Boyce made a motion to eliminate paying Vet fees of $1600 per year for spaying neutering. It was seconded by Ron Knight. The motion passed 3-2 with Karl Weiss and Crystal Harris voting no. They felt it had not been advertised to the public and they would have to consult with County Attorney Alan Black. They voted to charge a flat fee of $25 for reclaiming an animal picked up by the Animal Pond. Motion was made by Dr. Boyce, 2nd by Ron Knight and it passed on a vote of 3 for 1 against and one abstaining. Crystal Harris voted no. Karl Weiss abstained. State law says they must keep a dog 7 days if it is without collar and 12 days if it has a collar. Transfer Station Chairman Roger Hayden wanted to charge a fee trash taken to the Transfer Station but got no support for that idea. Commonwealth Attorney’s Office The budget for this department will have to be redone due to the fact it was designed based on the Commonwealth Attorney moving to the old Sheriff’s Office. At this point they will not be moving. Blue Ridge Heritage The contribution to the Blue Ridge Heritage project has reduced by 5%. Board Members Salary Reduction In the last meeting the Board voted to reduce their salaries by $3500. Roger Hayden proposed to take that saving and add it to the contribution to the Caring Hearts Free Clinic. This idea was lost for lack of a 2nd. Other Contributions Various agencies experienced a 5% cut in their contributions including: PARC Workshop, Patrick County Chamber of Commerce, The Developmental Center, Blue Ridge Airport Authority, Caring Hearts Free Clinic, Community Food Bank, etc. Tourism The Tourism Budget will be redone, due to increased collections of the Transient Occupancy Tax. It was agreed that 60% of those collections would be used for Tourism Marketing. Bull Mountain National Park Service Tower The Board voted unanimously have the National Park Service to dismantle the existing 130 ft. communications tower on Bull Mountain and deliver it to the County maintenance area in Stuart for possible future use. One stipulation was to take this to the Planning Commission for their blessing after the fact. In the February 28 meeting, they agreed to the National Park Service installing a new 150 ft. communications tower to be used by Park Police, VA State Police and Patrick County Emergency Communications, with no expense to the County, replacing the existing communication tower. Adjournment Meeting adjourned at 10:20 P. M.