Live Updates: FY 2013 Budget Hearing

Prince William Board of County Supervisors is holding two public hearings this evening on the proposed fiscal year 2013 budget and proposed real estate tax.

The school board passed its . Teachers will be rallying outside the McCoart building in Woodbridge, where the board meetings are held, prior to the meeting in support of the advertised tax rate.

"Any lowering of the tax rate will directly impact public education as the Superintendent's current proposed budget is based on the advertised tax rate," read an email from Battlefield High School teacher Brandie Provenzano, the contact for the rally.

The proposed real estate tax rate of $1.215 per $100 of assessed value, would mean the average bill is about $3,311.

Today is the public hearing for the budget but it is not the final step in the budget process.

The future schedule for the budget planning process is as follows: 
Budget Recap: April 10
Budget Markup: April 17 
Budget Adoption: April 24 

The county has provided a budget question database online for frequently asked questions. 

Check back with Patch for live updates of the board's budget hearing at 7:30 p.m. 

Updates 7:30 p.m.:
Citizens time has opened at this evening's board meeting.  

Teachers with blue Prince William Education Association are evident throughout the room. Teachers rallied outside the McCoart building with signs “support a world class education” along the intersection of Prince William Parkway and the county complex. 

7:45 p.m.
Citizens time speakers have talked on teacher raises, funds to Rainbow Therapeutic Riding Center and a possible raise in real estate taxes.  

8 p.m.
A Benton Middle School student is speaking to the board about why education should be a priority for government funding. You can watch the board meeting live online here. 
 

8:20 p.m.
Residents have spoken again on property appraisals, the Virginia Retirement System as it applies to county employees and the funding for additional police officers and a Central District police station.

Chairman Corey Stewart has asked County Executive Melissa Peacor to clear up at the end of Citizens Time that the board is not involved in property appraisals.  

8:30 p.m.

Mary Jo Howarth, with Prince William Education Association, spoke of the $14 million put back into the state budget and sternly asked the board what they thought the state legislators would do if they provided localities with more money but the county still lowered a tax rate. 

8:45 p.m.
Public hearing is closed.  

8:53 p.m. 

County Executive Melissa Peacor is addressing some issues:

The county did not end with a $60 million surplus, they may be thinking of the undesignated fund balance, said Peacor. “It is a ‘mother of all disaster fund.’” The county’s revenue stabilization fund is a $32 million account that supports the five-year plan; it is not a surplus, said Peacor.

“County governments and city governments are required to keep assessments as close to market value.  We do not raise assessments. The budget guidance that the board provided to myself was to keep tax bills flat, which is what resulted in the advertised tax rate.

“The guidance was not a specific rate, it was to keep it flat and adjusted for inflation,” said Chairman Corey Stewart. 

“There’s obviously various scenarios that we will present to the board on April 10,” said Peacor. “The gang and drug issue, you will be happy to know we’ve continued funding for a gang response coordinator and police have been in touch with Potomac Mills.” 

The public hearing has concluded. 

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