A public hearing will be held to solicit public input on tax rates proposed as part of Patrick County‘s proposed Fiscal 2018-19 budget.

The hearing will be held on Thursday, March 29, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the third floor board room of the Patrick County Veterans Memorial Building.

The $55,708,009 total proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year represents an $888,374, or 1.62 percent, increase over the current budget that totaled $54,819,635.

The proposal includes a more than $1.1 million increase in the General Fund and a $242,262 decrease in total school funding. According to the proposal, the school budget for fiscal 2019 is the division’s actual approved budget for the current fiscal year. The fiscal 2018 amount of more than $31 million is a preliminary figure. The final budget amount of more than $30 million approved by the Patrick County School Board was not received in time to update for Fiscal 2018, budget documents stated. The $242,262 decrease does not accurately reflect a true change in the school board’s budget for this reason, the budget proposal stated.

The budget also includes a $28,310 decrease in the PSA Water Fund and a $41,160 increase in the PSA Sewer Fund. According to information in the budget book, both changes reflect adjustments made to correct debt service loan amounts; and a $2,869 increase to the Stormwater Management Fund.

Treasurer Sandra Stone said the General Fund carryover from FY ’17 to FY 18 was $2,190,746. The amount needed to balance the FY proposed budget is $2,355,161. The carryover in fiscal ’18 is $164,415 short of the amount needed to balance the proposed fiscal ’19 budget.

Following preliminary discussions, the Patrick County Board of Supervisors voted to keep the tax levies at the current levels, with the Real Estate tax rate at .57 per hundred and the Personal Property tax rate of $1.71 per hundred.

The proposed budget may be viewed in Suite 218 (the county administration office), also located in the Patrick County Veterans Memorial Building, 106 Rucker Street, Stuart.

In other matters Tuesday, the board:

* Heard from Patrick County Sheriff Dan Smith and Clint Weidhaas, lieutenant of the Special Ops Team. Both voiced support of the team, and encouraged the county to set aside funding for additional training opportunities.

* Approved a proclamation designating April 8 – 14 as National Library Week.

*Met in closed session to discuss personnel, legal, contract and real estate matters.

*Reappointed Matt Belcher and Joe Clark to four year terms on the Stormwater Board of Appeals.

* Appointed Denise Stirewalt to serve as the member-at-large on the Patrick County Planning Commission.

* Scheduled a meeting to discuss the budget on March 26, at 6 p.m. The meeting will be held in the third floor board room of the Patrick County Veterans Memorial Building, Rucker Street, in Stuart.