Botetourt Supervisors passed $111.5 million dollar budget for 21-22

The Botetourt County Board of Supervisors on June 22, 2021, approved a $111.5 million budget for fiscal year 2021-2022 at its monthly meeting.

The budget is a 7.2 percent increase over last year’s. The full amount of property taxes are due this year; last year the supervisors made tax payer reimbursements due to the Covid-19 pandemic. There are no provisions like that in the current budget.

Taxes remain at the same rate as before. Tax rates per $100 of assessed value are: personal property $2.71; machinery and tools, $1.80, mobile homes, $0.79, real estate, $0.79, motor homes, $2.71, wind farms, $0.99.

The supervisors held its required public hearings in April. Few people spoke.

On the revenue side, the county anticipates local revenue of $59.8 million. The state will throw in $11.6 million and the federal government will contribute $1.2 million. School revenues include $28 million from the state, $4.4 million from self-sustaining funds, $1.9 million from the school nutrition fund, $2.5 million from the textbook fund, and $1.2 million from the capital reserve fund for total school revenue of $38.7 million.

Government expenditures include $4.7 million in debt fund payments, $65.2 million in school funding, and the remainder in operations.

Those operational funds break down to $1.2 million for technology services, $5.9 million for the Sheriff’s Department, $5.3 million for correction and detention, $6.2 million for fire and emergency services, $1.8 million for maintenance of buildings and grounds, $1.5 million for Social Services, $1.5 million for Children’s Services Act (CSA), $1.3 million for library services, $1.2 million for community development, and $1.4 million for salary adjustments. The remaining money goes toward items such as the Board of Supervisors, the County Administration, Commissioner of Revenue, the Treasurer, Electoral Board and Voter Registrar, General District Court, Clerk of the Circuit Court, the Commonwealth’s Attorney, and many other departments.

 The Supervisors also approved a four-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The CIP amounts to $2 million in the upcoming fiscal year and includes $18,000 to seal and restripe the Botetourt Sports Complex parking lot, a construction project to expand the Greenfield Education and Training Center (now the Botetourt County Administration Building), and $355,485 for the Botetourt County Circuit Courthouse renovation project.

The CIP also includes $200,000 for paving, sealing, striping and improvement projects at several of the county’s libraries and the Health Department building, $230,000 for roof replacement, $150,000 as part of the Virginia Department of Transportation’s revenue sharing program, $100,000 for economic development, and $300,000 for the YMCA, which is year five of a 10-year commitment that ends in 2027. Another CIP project includes a radio system replacement plan ($225,000) for emergency services.

County residents may view the total budget breakdown on the county’s website under “budget.”

–Anita Firebaugh Special to The Botetourt Bee