I made a fair proposal to the Board of Supervisors (BOS) to cut expenses dollar for dollar with tax increases. If our goal is to be fair, why can expenses not be cut?
The BOS criticizes the School Board’s spending and offers extensive suggestion for cutting school spending. That seems ironic since the BOS has no cuts to their budget.
Could the BOS and the School Board meet? The School Board and BOS would agree to cut positions and salaries one for one. That would be fun to watch.
When was the last time the county’s budget was not increased? Or asked another way, how long have we had a county budget?
Is the County going to fall apart if we do not pay the supervisors? I agree with Supervisor Boyce, “cut it!”
If Patrick County has not run a deficit, will someone please return the $2,600,000 that was in the contingency fund at the beginning of 2018?
In finance the equation is simple. Revenues minus expenses equals income/loss. Could the supervisors please cut their expenses to reduce MY losses?
County Administrator Rose proposes cutting the volunteer rescue, fire departments and the library. He wants to hit us where it hurts!
I wonder what, in the words of Supervisor Weiss are the, “things are that I want that I do not have to have”? A library? A rescue squad? A fire department?
Supervisor Weiss holds $886,000 in land value in Patrick County. Supervisor Weiss is running for re-election and opposes a real estate tax increase.
Supervisor Boyce holds land in Patrick County valued at $4,500,000. Supervisor Boyce is running for re-election and opposes a real estate tax increase.
If a Supervisor opposes an increase in real estate tax to cover the deficit, shouldn’t they support cutting the county spending? We need to have a balanced budget.
Supervisors Fulcher, Harris and Fulk collectively hold less land value than either Weiss or Boyce. Fulcher and Harris are in favor of a real estate tax increase. Fulk is undecided.
To collect the equivalent of 11 cent real estate tax increase through a 5 percent food tax the people of Patrick County would need to spend $30,000,000/year dining out! I call that eating high on the hog!
The county’s financial advisor reports that the deficit for the current 2020 budget will be $3,100,000. The Supervisors have proposed a tax increase of $1,500,000. How will they payback the $1,600,000 they will have to borrow?
County Administrator Tom Rose says cutting the County’s expenses is “unsavory.”
Paying more real estate taxes is “savory”?
The county’s financial advisor reports that the county cut “real” expenses for 2020 by $77,000. That is 1/10 of 1 percent of the county’s expense budget. Now that is unsavory!
The $77,000 expense cut amounts to $4.40 per person in Patrick County. The 11 cent tax increase is $85.71 per person. Expense increases are 20 times the expense deceases!
Supervisor Weiss wants taxes to be “fair.” He also wants to be able to “unfairly” raise the meal tax without the consent of the voters.
We are told the jail holds no state prisoners yet the budget for the jail contains revenue of $200,000 for holding state prisoners.
The real estate reassessment for Patrick County is estimated to cost $416,000 but the 2020 budget has only a $100,000 in expenses included for that line item?
The county has lost money for six straight years (soon to be seven). County Administrator Rose received an extended employment contract and a raise in 2018.
The supervisors claim to have saved $400,000 by “cutting” new spending requests. That is akin to the money my wife saved me by buying the new dress on sale.
The county could save $400,000 by refinancing the debt (again). “Catch 22,” the county may not be able to refinance because of its poor financial condition.
The county “saved” $1,800,000 in 2015 with the school bond refinance. Wonder if anyone would like to still be driving on two miles of dirt road?
Why is the county’s spending considered untouchable, but MY money subject to THEIR needs?
Does the BOS represent all the people in the county or just those who work at the county government? How much is enough to support the government? Apparently it is always just a good bit more!
As more and more people are driven from Patrick County by the abject failure of county government there will be less and less people to pay more and more taxes. A day of reckoning will come. Then we will see.
Bill Moore
Woolwine
