BOCS Holds First Budget Work Session

In the first of on Tuesday, the Board of County Supervisors heard from four entities about what funds each needs for fiscal year 2012.

Among the speakers were representatives from Virginia Rail Express, Potomac Rappahannock Transportation Commission, Prince William Park Authority and Prince William Department of Fire and Rescue.

The message was the same across the board; that each group is doing the best it can with the funds available. But as Executive Director of Park Authority Jay Ellington put it, “the pressure is on.”

The board will have another budget work session on March 22 and the FY 2012 budget will be adopted on April 26.

Virginia Rail Express

Commuting by rail has proved to be a popular mode of transportation for the area. CEO Dale Zehner said in his budget presentation that February had the highest ridership and it could be expected to rise.

System improvements include an additional 200 spaces at the Broad Run in Manassas, which opened in December.

VRE’s total proposed budget for FY 2012 is $87,686,175 and which is a reduction of $4 million from 2011 due to a loss of state and federal money. Vice Chairman and Dumfries Supervisor Maureen Caddigan wanted to note that subsidy is high in Prince William County because this area has the most riders.

“We are underfunded,” said Dale Zehner, CEO of VRE. “We have standees on every train, morning and night.”

Riders face no fare increases in 2012, but that does not mean increases could not be seen in the future.

“My biggest fear is a train pulls into a station and the conductor says no one can get on because there’s no room left,” said Zehner. “We are approaching that day.”

Potomac Rappahannock Transportation Commission

In the PRTC’s budget proposal, Executive Director Al Harf said that there is a budget proposal for FY 2012 and two six-year plans in tandem with a state transportation development plan.

“We envision a general fund supplement to $1.9 million from Prince William County,” said Harf of the two options. 

PRTC has two options for the six-year plan. In a plan with the general fund supplement, fare increases would amount on average, to eight percent in fiscal years 2013, 2015 and 2017. Without that fund supplement, the fares would increase 10 percent over fiscal years 2013, 2015 and 2017.

With the fund supplement, OmniRide buses could be retired after a 14-year life; without it, buses would be retired after 15-years.

Despite the tough financial times, Harf noted that the bus fleet is in good upkeep and have procured 17 new buses. But, the system is seeing strain because of increased ridership. According to Harf, 20 trips are seeing “chronic overcrowding.”

Prince William Park Authority

Executive Director of Park Authority Jay Ellington noted that the budget for the park authority is back at 2004 levels, because of the economic climate.

As a result of the budget reductions, Ellington expressed the pressure the Park Authority is feeling, as the system has to make necessary reductions in service and maintenance.

“As we look into the future we’ve got to figure out how we can come out with anticipated funding for bond projects,” said Ellington. 

Despite a harsh economic climate, Ellington noted the importance of having quality of life amenities in the county available to residents.

Fire and Rescue

Chief Kevin McGee said the department would like to see major initiatives for the FY 2012 budget to include renovation of Station 4 in Gainesville and reconstruction of  Station 5 in Nokesville and Station 6 in Coles. The Bacon Race Fire and Rescue station construction has also been identified as a major initiative.

In the department’s proposed budget initiative, volunteer operating companies would see a five percent operating budget increase.

Chief McGee said that EMS transport service billing could be adopted as early as May 2011, but would be fully adopted by June this year. Prince William County Board of Supervisors fully supports the EMS billing program as a way to increase, stabilize and diversify revenue while considering the impact to citizens.  

From the department’s billing FAQ website:

"The EMS billing program is a revenue initiative for emergency medical incidents, which result in the transport of a patient to a hospital. The patient’s health insurance company will be billed for services rendered, similar to the process hospitals or doctors use now. Transport services are already included in insurance premium calculations. Not billing for these services, which are already paid for, results in the County losing legitimate revenue.

The EMS billing program follows a philosophy that all persons will be treated with the highest level of care without respect to ability to pay. A waiver policy addresses situations in which there may be an inability to pay or that involve other special circumstances."

Rates for EMS Transports: 

Basic Life Support (BLS) Emergency

$400

 Advanced Life Support (ALS1) Emergency

$500

 Advanced Life Support (ALS2) Emergency

$700

 Mileage (per loaded mile)

$10