A minority of speakers talked of the needs to pay essential county workers such as teachers, firefighters and Sheriff’s deputies, and said they would support a tax increase.
At the end of the nearly two-hour public hearing, supervisors seemed split on whether to raise real estate taxes 3 cents to the advertised 51 cents per $100, and personal property taxes on cars and trucks 32 cents to $2.57 per $100.
A final decision is likely when the board votes on the tax rate and county budget on May 2.
Augusta County Republican Party Chairman Bill Shirley asked the board members to step away from the immediate budget and look at the long-term debt picture. He said the county’s current debt wouldn’t be paid off until 2032.
He proposed attacking the debt and providing public safety and not raising taxes.
“It’s a great opportunity to take a stand,’’ said Shirley, who said the county could do what the state and federal government have failed to do – cut spending.
Fishersville resident Bruce Richmond, director of the Shenandoah Valley Tea Party Patriots, said he and other residents in that area have already paid additional homeowners insurance funds because of the ISO rating problem the Preston L. Yancey Fire Company had until a recent improvement.
“Go with a balanced budget, cut what you can,’’ Richmond said. “Go through it (the budget) line by line.”
He said school costs could be more frugal by utilizing empty classrooms, but advised not cutting public safety.
Fishersville resident Curt Lilly said while there are plenty of worthy causes it is time to take a stand “and say no to everyone asking for money. There are lots of good ideas but you still need to say no.”
Augusta County resident and Shenandoah Valley Governor’s School teacher Leonard Klein said he could afford to pay a little more in taxes so that his students could receive the benefits.
Starke Smith said staff and funding for county schools have been cut in recent years, and said it was important to fund teachers, firemen and police. “Three cents is the very minimum. I would have voted for 5 cents,’’ Smith said.
Some Supervisors are waiting to see what the state budget that was passed on Wednesday means to Augusta County before making a decision on a tax increase.
Others have decided. Middle River Supervisor Larry Wills said the county has already looked at cuts in its budget, and won’t replace Assistant County Administrator John McGehee when he retires in a few months.
“I don’t like a tax increase but I don’t like shortchanging essential services,’’ said Wills, who supports the increase.
Board Chairman Tracy Pyles said he could not support raising taxes until all options have been explored, and that includes using county capital money to meet needs in next year’s budget.
North River Supervisor Marshall Pattie read a lengthy statement.
Pattie spoke of how he had met residents in his district on the economic edge who are struggling to keep going.
“I talked to one family who stopped driving their truck because the cost of gas is too high to run it,’’ he said.
He supports using county capital reserves to pay the added costs in next year’s budget, and not raising taxes.
“We have a surplus of taxpayer money. Let’s use taxpayer money that has already been provided to us to cover our short-term expenditures before we go back and ask for more money,’’ Pattie said.
Other supervisors said they were eager to see the county’s final state funding from the General Assembly.
“I will wait to see what the state did on funding,’’ said South River Supervisor David Beyeler.
Riverheads Supervisor Mike Shull said he did not want to raise taxes, and said he would wait to see the state funding.
Beverley Manor Supervisor David Karaffa said he was concerned about specific line items he thought still needed to be cut, including the $20,000 per year the county pays a General Assembly lobbyist to advocate for Augusta County.
“This is an unnecessary expenditure and I won’t vote for a budget with this in it,’’ he said.
