Around 40 Prince William County residents weighed in on the county’s proposed budget Tuesday night at the McCoart administration building, most of them telling the Board of County Supervisors that the county needs more robust programs and not the cuts some supervisors are mulling.
Supervisors have, thus far, been split on both the proposed real-estate tax rate and whether to enhance or cut county programs. But many who showed up Tuesday said that cuts to the blueprint laid out by County Executive Melissa S. Peacor — which provides funding for additional police and firefighters, upgrades school fields, buys voting machines and hires school resource officers to safeguard the county’s middle schools, among other initiatives — would prove harmful.
If one reads the local conservative blogs one would think that most of the county wanted to cut the budget and move to a flat tax plan. Not so.
All sorts of folks weighed in and implored the supervisors to not cut the budget any more. Melissa Peacor had been directed last fall to create a budget that included a 4% tax increase. Obviously the supervisors had their fingers crossed behind their backs because they did not approve a posted rate of 4% increase, but rather a 3.5% increase. It does make you wonder why they told her 4%.
I don’t think some of the supervisors realize the teams of people it takes to develop a budget. PWC Budget Congress is a BFD.
I remember the Gainesville supervisor suggesting last year that they should just go back and create budgets at all sorts of different rates. This continual switch in rates is time consuming. It puts the county staff through all sorts of gyrations on their antiquated software systems (not enough money to change) to come up with different financial scenarios.
It seems to me that if the BOCS says plan for 4%, then just do it. advertise that rate. Negotiate later. Otherwise the supervisors are just posturing BS. There are some pretty compelling reasons to not be an under funded county. Perhaps one speaker summed it up best:
“Prince William is a really under-resourced community. It has not kept pace with the demand and it’s very discouraging,” she said in an interview.
That’s just not the reputation one wants, regardless of the subject. I can'[t wait to see the spin from the conservative hero worship blogs.
Read the full account in the Washington Post.
Linda S. Johnston from Write by the Rails, the Prince William Chapter of the Virginia Writers Club, was one of the residents who commented, asking the supervisors to support the proposed budget support of the Prince William County Arts Council at the same level as last year.
Linda is from Gainesville, and has a book coming out in August. There is and has been a vibrant literary community in Prince William, it’s just that we drove to Richmond or Charlottesville or Washington DC to network. Now, thanks to the help from the PWC Arts Council, we are not only networking here in PWC and becoming a clearinghouse of information for the manuscript groups and author fairs going on in libraries, schools and churches around the county, and creating partnerships with businesses and non-profits, we are drawing regional attention. Even the Fall for the Book Festival, which has a week-long programming radiating from the Fairfax Campus of GMU in the fall (and throughout the year), is planning a literary event on Sept. 26 on the Prince William Campus. The return on investment that taxpayer money extends to the arts is well documented by the arts council liaison to the county. Please come out to Arts Alive this Saturday, April 13, at the Hylton Performing Arts Center from noon to 8 pm and sample the arts, from dance and music, to art, quilting and writing. Lots of hands on activities for youth (Write by the Rails will be doing two story writing/poetry activities in one of the rehearsal rooms). All of it is free admission for the whole day, thanks to United Bank, Target and other sponsors.
http://www.inreads.com/2013/04/10/intown-local-authors-poetry-open-mic-at-arts-alive-on-april-13/
Thanks, Cindy. That is actually exciting news.
Feh, the only people who show up since they wen from multiple hearings to one and moved it from larger venues at each of the county to the Board Chambers are those with a request for funding for a specific program. If you deduct those speaking on behalf of the Chamber and people who came for funding the dam, Bluebird program and the teachers, your sum total of residents is in the low single digits. Nobody goes anymore and nobody speaks out as the budget process in Prince Willy is a joke and a disaster. There is no transparency, accountability or rational basis for a significant part of the budget and given that a substantial carryover balance is built into the budget for each year’s Christmas in July, its damn near fraudulent.
Let’s take it to another level, MoM. There are a hell of a lot of county teachers. Let’s further escalate the case that those teachers imply that there are a lot of parents out there who want decent schools. Some don’t give a rat’s ass but most want decent schools. Then there are the folks who want to live in a county that is not known for wanting just the bare minimum. I think those folks who showed up are fairly representative of how the rest of the county, other than the political cheapskates, really feel.
Let’s look at it like scotch…..You can drink scotch or you can drink Boone’s Farm wine. Some folks are happy with Boones Farm because it doesn’t pertain to them.
Back in the day, I clamored over soccer fields. Now I don’t care because I informed my kids that I had done my tour of duty and no I wasn’t taking anyone to soccer practice. I lived 2 blocks from fields and my kids always had the practices clear across town over at Jennie Deane or Hayden. It used to irk the hell out of me. If that happens now…not my problem. Lots of folks will do whatever it takes though.
There’s really no substance to your “eloquent” statement. It seems that eloquence, the turn of praise and sarcasam have become the analytical tools used by local armchair quarterbacks to dispute the work of county employees.
Please be clearer – I recall there was some discussion about a $2m addition to a budget in Planning which “appeared” quadrupled that budget and the banshee screams were unleashed. Then an actual read of the budget explained it and there was no conspiracy to be found. List your specific concerns and perhaps we can get to the source of your angst. We’ll read the budget with someone that understands it 🙂
Ahh, sure didn’t take long for you to come running to their defense. Like it or not, I do know how to read the budget and deconstruct it and I’ll put my real-world budget experience against yours any day of the week. As to specific concerns, here’s a few “issues” I have.
1. Historically (and it can be proven by examining a mere five years worth of PWC budgets actual and allocated) particular line items for individual and department salaries have been inflated to the tunes of hundreds of thousands of dollars in some instances.
2. Similar inflation can be found in several reserve, equipment, support lines, etc., etc., etc. ad nauseum, items in some cases to the tune of millions of dollars.
3. The Long Range Planning overage is not a red herring, you need to read the entirety of the budget more carefully and take a comprehensive look at what the money is actually allocated for.
4. Having to defend calling into question budget line items from attack by county employee apologists who wrongly assume that I don’t have the “analytical tools” necessary to understand the budget. I’ve reviewed more local and federal budgets than I care to think about and have found more than my share of questionable line items, employee assertions, false budget basis, etc., etc. etc. Don’t hate the player, hate the game.
Wonderful to have such an expert in our midst! I don’t respond to dares nor do I feel the need to brag about my self and my abilities. Again all generalities. You were simply wrong about the planning issue – you indicated I had some inside info – I recall an odd baseball analogy.
Provide some concrete examples – I’m not defending anyone – but you need to show data – lets start with item 2.
Here are but a few from the County Budget followed by some from the School Budget totaling $6.25 million for these alone.
Chief Information Officer
FY’10 Actual $520,869
FY’11 Actual $1,096,427
FY’12 Actual $1,241,981
FY’10 Approp. $846,208
FY’11 Approp. $626,465
FY’12 Adopt. $1,874,038
FY’13 Adopt. $1,603,231
FY’14Budget $1,642,000
Possible Reduction $500,000
Business Applications Support
FY’10 Actual $3,931,127
FY’11 Actual $3,198,026
FY’12 Actual $3,657,776
FY’10 Approp. $5,812,099
FY’11 Approp. $5,519,949
FY’12 Adopt. $4,643,615
FY’13 Adopt. $4,528,669
FY’14Budget $4,524,286
Possible Reduction $750,000
Planning Office Management
FY’10 Actual $1,169,122
FY’11 Actual $1,158,442
FY’12 Actual $455,600
FY’10 Approp. $1,216,411
FY’11 Approp. $1,179,626
FY’12 Adopt. $1,187,352
FY’13 Adopt. $1,205,366
FY’14Budget $1,232,834
Possible Reduction $500,000
And some from the School Board Budget so as to not let them off the hook
3203 Fuel
FY’10 Actual $4,222,575
FY’11 Actual $3,815,578
FY’12 Actual $3,379,103
FY’12 Adopt. $6,595,881
FY’13 Adopt. $6,352,272
FY’14Budget $6,286,397
Possible Reduction $1,000,000
5511 Bus Replacement
FY’10 Actual $0.00
FY’11 Actual $842,696
FY’12 Actual $2,801,317
FY’12 Adopt. $5,145,000
FY’13 Adopt. $5,145,000
FY’14Budget $6,510,000
Possible Reduction $2,200,000
3500 Misc. Projects (Facilities)
FY’10 Actual $107,849
FY’11 Actual $21,226
FY’12 Actual $6,448
FY’12 Adopt. $1,394,941
FY’13 Adopt. $1,439,461
FY’14Budget $1,475,161
Possible Reduction $1,300,000
I guess I am just not picking p what you are layin’ down.
Is there some context here?
This is just a dump from the fiscal plan. Are you just lopping off dollars that appear to be surplus?! Appear being the operative word here?
There you go making assumptions again. The data is pulled from several years worth of budget presentations as the current one does not go all the way back to F’10, it is not a dump from the fiscal plan. As to the lopping off of dollars, If that’s what you want to call it, fine. When a line item is historically overbudgeted for a period of years something that can be gleaned from a comparison of the FY actuals to the FY appropriations I consider it a proper “budget adjustment” to lop of the surplus. There is no “appear” to it, the numbers are clear over a multi-year period.
“One is an Example, Two is a Coincidence, Three is a Trend, Four is an indictment under RICO”
You’re awful defensive over some pretty simple observations based on the County’s own data. Now if you have an explanation for how the appearance of the surplus doesn’t match reality, I would love to hear it but given the size of the carryover at the end of the year its going to be a tough sell. And please don’t parrot Dr. Walt’s staff explanation that the numbers are off because they don’t know how to budget some line items properly so they just shift the money throughout the year to cover whatever programs they wish. I won’t bother going into how annoying and arrogant I found that.
You found Walts arrogant and annoying? Just askin’
Seriously, they might have vacillating numbers because they have no idea how many students are actually going to show up. Just a suggestion.
I concede, I’m dealing with an expert that can pull context and substance from numbers. I get paid to be specific when making recommendations.
Snarkiness works for me given my history, it is however unbecoming of you.
Whats sauce for the goose is cause for the gander, MoM.
Unbecoming is something someone’s grandmother would say. 🙄
Oh by the way, if using the numbers provided by staff is the incorrect way to undertake an analysis of the proposed budget, what metric am I to use, the color of the CXO’s shoes?
Wow! No ego here! But the honesty is refreshing Most of the increases to IT are likely to be offset by shifts from other IT program areas and or agencies. Restructuring takes time. Those numbers are also from the fiscal plan and copied into a presentation.
Hey, I’m willing to have a reasonable discussion about programs and cuts and budget development. But we need to deal with specifics. New Horizons, Bluebird Bus, School Resource Officers, PW Transportation (which I find preposterous). Schools are a foreign concept to me – my experience is limited to private schools. But you can’t take appropriated $ and match to actual and go with generalities at that level.
“But you can’t take appropriated $ and match to actual and go with generalities at that level.”
Perhaps not with the BOCS Budget as presented, it is far too general and the categories too broad to get an accurate picture, all you can derive is the general location of questionable allocations. That being said, when I have worked with the entirety of the county budget data in the past, roughly 15,000 line items, the initial observations from the general data were generally borne out by the detailed data.
I actually do take into account metrics beyond simply the numbers. In my analysis of the Planning Office Management line item for example, I took into account the hiring of a new head of planning at what should have been a lower rate than his predecessor given experience, VRS costs, etc. as well as the overall reduction in staffing over the last few years and reduction in their average time in service.
As to the School Board budget, that is a different matter. The Superintendent provides a much more detailed higher order budget than the CXO which makes finding anomalies much easier. Unfortunately any time staff is asked a question regarding the basis of particular numbers, they either stonewall you (and the School Board) or act like you just shot their dog and slept with their spouse.
What do you think about PWC being in the transportation business?
I try not to, it makes my eyes bleed.
We agree. I think it’s normal to want to believe that in a billion dollar budget there are a few problems. I don’t believe they’re as large as many would like to think. That’s all. I would focus on ONE area and drill it into the ground. I’d like to see a dogged campaign against local tax dollars supplanting state road funds.
Apart from any philosophical discussion as to whether the county being in the transportation business is good, bad or indifferent, there is the issue of DRPT, VDOT and the GA. I have had my fill of negotiations with DRPT and VDOT and can candidly state that DRPT never paints the full picture when it comes to funding and the ultimate operational costs that a jurisdiction can expect to bear. I guess its not surprising given that they are a sub-component of VDOT and that is their MO with regard to almost everything. Beyond that, as many small jurisdictions can attest after the most recent legislative changes, what a jurisdiction signs up for today can be quite different than the reality of tomorrow simply as a result of legislative whim. For that reason alone I would prefer to leave the transportation business to the private sector, unless you’re talking about roads which is another matter entirely and there isn’t time left in the day to go into that.
I don’t support local funding to supplant state funding for roads. A pool makes more sense to me.
@Mom
What’s your point?
@Lyssa
It would seem we agree on more than we disagree, the rest is a matter of perspective.
As to the road, the current PWC formula is maddening and costly to the residential taxpayer.
1. Residents pay all of the state transportation taxes that every resident of the Commonwealth pays.
2. Residents pay additional local taxes to support all of the County road bonds for projects that are the state’s responsibility.
3. Residents will now pay the additional regional taxes that are a part of the Governor’s Transportation Bill, taxes a majority of the Commonwealth doesn’t pay.
4. Because of the previously mentioned road bond projects, VDOT seems to take the position, why should we do anything if PWC is stupid enough to pay for it themselves.
5. Because VDOT takes that position and the BOCS is stupid enough to spend county money on state projects, the BOCS then complains often and loudly and points (or gives) the finger to the GA.
6. The Clown Show in Richmond takes offense at the finger pointing and passes legislation such as that which restricts proffer collection (followed by more finger pointing and more onerous legislation in a never ending cycle).
7. The road bond projects create the opportunity for more revenue negative development projects which the BOCS readily approves.
8. The new development creates the need for even more transportation projects which creates another round of finger pointing and new road bond projects.
9. The result of the road bonds and new developments is a need to increase other core service and infrastructure components.
10. The ability to fund those increases in core services and infrastructure components is hampered by the debt load created by the debt service on the existing road bond projects.
11. That circumstance is heighten by the BOCS when they rush to start new previously approved road bond projects so as to avoid having to risk another voter referendum.
12. As a result of all of that road debt, the precious AAA bond rating (another story for another day) and five year plan seemingly written in stone, the funding for other infrastructure improvements in the form of schools, parks, etc. is pushed back for years while infrastructure deficit grows.
13. Which brings us to the current scenario wherein the county is near its debt capacity limit and can’t afford to fund those other infrastructure improvements.
14. That is of course unless they raise taxes which creates a higher revenue limit which then increases their maximum debt capacity.
That in a rather large nutshell is the root of all evil in PWC and we have nobody to blame but ourselves because we keep electing these morons, “conservative” and “liberal” alike.
@Mom
MoM, great review of the transportation snafu. I have followed the discussion, and the other 1000 pound gorilla in the room mucking around with major transit routes is the Metropolitian Washington Council of Governments (aka COG) with their Transportation Planning Board.
COG, by agreement of DC, MD and VA serves as the Metro Planning Organization for jurisdictions surrounding DC on the MD side, and of course NoVA. It even stretches down into Stafford. In theroy, they are a coordinating entity bringing in the various governmental entities to plan for transportation….in reality, they sometimes come out with policies contrary to other plans. Or as in the news lately, step into areas like gun control where they have no business.
@Moon-howler
Whats sauce for the goose is cause for the gander, MoM.
Unbecoming is something someone’s grandmother would say.
Speaking from experience are we?
Yes. My grandmother used to say that all the time. @ MoM
@Mom
Number 12 and 13 are what will kill PWC. County infrastructure is crumbling. The recovery from that is long and painful and won’t happen – PG County…..