n LOUDOUN
4 | n GENERAL ASSEMBLY
VOL. 9, NO. 18
8 | n EDUCATION
11 | n PUBLIC NOTICES
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MARCH 14, 2024
State Funding Uncertainty Looms Supervisors Reduce PDR Over Final Budget Decisions Personnel in Proposed Budget
BY ALEXIS GUSTIN AND NORMAN STYER agustin@loudounnow.com nstyer@loudiounnow.com
The Board of Supervisors on Thursday is expected to wrap up its review of the proposed $5.2 billion fiscal year 2025 budget amid continued uncertainty over one of its biggest pieces. During its budget work session Monday night, the board was briefed on the status of the state budget which includes an additional $19 million in schools funding—more than enough to cover the currently projected $10 million shortfall. However, there remain questions about whether Gov. Glenn Youngkin will sign off on the General Assembly’s spending plan. The School Board is seeking a $131 million, or 11.3%, increase in local tax funding as part of its $1.8 billion budget. The proposed county budget provides $121 million in additional funding. Budget Director Megan Bourke said the uncertainty over state funding doesn’t just impact the board’s efforts to finalize its plan March 14, it also means county leaders may not have the real numbers until after the budget is adopted. “At issue is whether or not the state revenue actually will exist on July 1. It doesn’t appear that we will know the answer to that on Thursday. It could be that we won’t know that information when we get to
BY HANNA PAMPALONI
hpampaloni@loudounnow.org
$19 million savings. Bourke said the risk of that approach was leaving the schools with $29 million gap after the tax rate was set, if they don’t get the extra state funding. Other options would be to split the risk between the schools and the county gov-
County supervisors last week cut two of the three positions proposed by County Administrator Tim Hemstreet to relaunch a Purchase of Development Rights Program. In 2020, supervisors authorized the first stages of the program, which allows landowners to sell their development rights resulting in the land being placed under a conservation easement, restricting future development. The three requested positions in the budget—a program development manager, a stewardship manager and conservation program planner—totalled $425,600. “It’s three positions in two departments,” Planning and Zoning Director Daniel Galindo told the board during the March 7 budget work session, noting the two managers would fall under the Department of Planning and Zoning, but the program planner would be
BUDGET UNCERTAINTY continues on page 32
POSITIONS CUT continues on page 32
Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now
Supervisor Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles) listens to staff presentations during a fiscal year 2025 budget work session March 7. The board is having to work through the budget without knowing if the General Assembly budget that provides $19 million in additional funding for the school system will be approved by the governor or not.
budget adoption on April 2,” Bourke said. Supervisors were presented with three strategies to address the situation. The first option, which county staff did not recommend, was to assume $19 million more in state funding would be coming to the schools. Under that option, the county could reduce the local school funding increase to $102 million and reduce the real estate tax rate to reflect the
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