Apr 4, 2016 - Medical Center as a reason behind increased call volume. ... The department is considering staffing the st
County Proposes Tax Hike By NOLAN STOUT Daily News-Record April 4, 2016 HARRISONBURG — Rockingham County residents will see a tax increase under the county’s spending blueprint for the next fiscal year. The proposed budget for fiscal 2017, which begins July 1, includes a 2 cent hike in real estate taxes, bringing the total levy to 70 cents per $100 of assessed value. The hike will help fund the $360.9 million budget, which is an increase of 7.2 percent increase over the current fiscal year’s $336.5 million. A public hearing on the plan is scheduled for the Board of Supervisors’ regular meeting on April 13 at East Rockingham High School, 250 Eagle Rock Road, Elkton. The public hearing part of the meeting begins at 7 p.m. County Administrator Joe Paxton said the owner of an average home valued at $215,000 would pay an additional $21.50 in real estate taxes per billing cycle, which is twice a year. Real estate taxes increased 4 cents and personal property taxes increased 5 cents during fiscal 2016. Paxton said the real estate rate is still lower than in 2000, when it was 71 cents. “It reflects the hard work by the board to try and work within the means of our community and limit the impact of the significant increase in cost we’ve had over the past number of years,” Paxton said. “We’re in a period where costs are increasing faster than our revenue from state government.” The real estate tax increase is the only rate hike in the proposed budget. The change would generate about $1.5 million in additional revenue and help fund Rockingham County Public Schools’ digital conversion initiative, as well as investments in public safety. Supervisors will consider adopting the budget at their April 27 meeting in the Rockingham County Administration Center, 20 E. Gay St. Savings and increases in tax revenue have led to additional spending. Two Wal-Mart stores — a supercenter in Timberville and a neighborhood market east of Harrisonburg off Stone Spring Road — will contribute to a $700,000 increase in tax revenue in 2017. Both stores are expected to open in the summer. The county is also expected to save about $105,000 in fuel expenditures due to lower gas prices.
A proposed 2 percent salary increase, totaling about $604,000, for all county employees is proposed as well. Public Safety Proposed in the budget is $402,000 for four new officers and four vehicles for the sheriff’s office. “We know that our public safety system continues to be stressed,” Paxton said. Sheriff Bryan Hutcheson said the department took major budget cuts due to the 2007-09 recession, and the four additional positions would almost get staffing to pre-recession levels. The department dropped from 175 officers in 2008 to a low of 161 in 2011 and 2012, according to a 2015 county finance report, and has slowly been recovering. The department now has about 170 officers, Hutcheson said. “It’s thanks to the county and city’s support that we’re even as close as we are,” Hutcheson said. “They don’t have to step up ... but they understand the services we provide and the way we have to provide them.” Hutcheson pointed to increasing development around Stone Spring Road and Sentara RMH Medical Center as a reason behind increased call volume. “There’s a lot of stuff going out in that particular area of the county, and we’re already at a strain,” he said. “There’s a direct correlation with that and the workload we have.” The county is also investing in fire and rescue services in response to growth in the area. The budget proposes $1.2 million for the construction of a new station near Stone Spring and Port Republic roads. The station would include housing for fire and rescue crews and could be staffed with volunteers from James Madison University. Fire and Rescue Chief Jeremy Holloway said the department has been in discussions with JMU to partner on the program. “In exchange for running calls, they get free housing,” he said. Holloway said the station could replace the Hose Company No. 4 building on Port Republic Road, which was built in the 1980s, but a final location hasn’t been determined. The department is considering staffing the station with five fulltime firefighters and three or four JMU students, Holloway said, as well as an ambulance, fire engine and ladder truck. Funding is also included for nine new positions in two county stations, but that’s dependent on
grant funding. Supervisors authorized Holloway to apply for a $925,000 federal Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant in March. Six personnel would be added to Hose Company No. 4’s Rock Street station in Harrisonburg and three at the Bridgewater Volunteer Company station. The county’s budget includes local costs associated with the grant, such as uniforms and overtime, which is $2,900 for each position. If awarded, the county would cover all costs for the positions after two years. Holloway also applied for the grant last year but did not receive it. If the county doesn’t receive funding this year, Paxton said, officials will need to decide whether to fund the positions locally. The county decided not to last year. “At some point, those positions are going to become so critical that we have to find the money locally to do it,” Paxton said. “We’re not at that point yet, but we’re close.” It is unclear when the grant will be awarded. Also proposed is $584,000 for emergency equipment for the county’s volunteer fire stations. Standardizing equipment for county fire and rescue crews was recommended in a study conducted by the Virginia Fire Services Board in November. Education The School Board requested $1.6 million for its digital conversion initiative, which seeks to integrate technology into classrooms. “We have to continue to prepare the children of our system to be the workforce of tomorrow,” Paxton said. The budget includes $59.4 million in local funding for the school division, the amount requested by Superintendent Carol Fenn and the School Board. Construction projects are included in the budget as well. Among them is the relocation of the entrance to the Rockingham County Landfill. The entrance will move from Greendale Road on the southeast side of the landfill to Pleasant Valley Road on the west side. Mount Crawford-based A&J Development and Excavation was awarded a $6.1 million contract for the project in February.
Construction is anticipated to begin this spring and be completed by the end of the year. County staff have also included $6.1 million to improve water lines in McGaheysville, which Paxton said the county acquired in the 1970s. The budget includes $2 million for Middle River Regional Jail, which includes the county’s membership and share of debt and operating costs for the facility. The city and county bought into the Verona jail in May to address overcrowding at the Rockingham County Jail in downtown Harrisonburg. The deal costs $21.5 million and will be split between the city and county over 10 years. The city and county are guaranteed 250 beds at the jail, but still must manage the downtown jail. The budget proposes $800,000 to update the ventilation and lighting systems and repair the smoke stack and generator at the Rockingham County Jail. Contact Nolan Stout at 574-6278 or
[email protected] 