PRINCE EDWARD — It is only a three-member committee of the board of supervisors, but if their recommendations are adopted by the full board, many County-funded agencies could see deeper cuts in their budget requests for the coming year.

The board has gone back to the drawing board after rejecting an eight-cent real estate tax increase on a 7-1 vote May 6 and is looking to the committee to wield the budget-cutting axe. The painstaking process got underway Thursday night as the committee began to work its way through line items and departments in the budget.

“…We should go through and take a look at it because taxpayers are already hurting. I think about people on a fixed income and to be burdened with…nearly a 20 percent tax increase would devastate a lot of people and they might have to decide between medicine or food or pay taxes,” commented Board Vice-Chairwoman Pattie Cooper-Jones. “And so that’s the reason why I want to take a second look to see if there is something we can do that we could avoid raising taxes…”

When Thursday’s budget session dust had cleared, the committee had penciled in about $324,000 in possible reductions (but could be less factoring in some unknowns), often holding expected expenditure funding by department at current year spending projections. The deepest reduction would mean roughly $80,000 less for the County sheriff’s department and effectively adjusting funding for replacement vehicles.

There are, however, a host of other issues yet to be finalized, including some reductions in revenue from estimates and funding for other entities, including the largest of all, the County’s public schools, before the committee can get to a final figure.

Buffalo District Supervisor C.R. “Bob” Timmons Jr. offered that he is convinced that they need to do something differently with school funding. He would note that he’s not certainly convinced they need to give the schools more, or even fund to the same level.

County Administrator Wade Bartlett noted that the schools have more money, noting that the debt went down about $92,000, which freed up that amount to go towards about $500,000 in increased costs.

The County’s school board had asked for roughly a $1 million increase in local funding, as they have absorbed reductions in state and federal funds in recent years.

Still, as the committee briefly touched on a subject that is sure to get further discussion at their next meeting, there were concerns.

Timmons said that he is having a little bit of a problem with the teacher to student ratios, which is very, very low in comparison.

Cooper-Jones reflected that years ago they had opted to let the schools get the funds “and we really have no accountability,” but she offered that they need to go back on line items “and see exactly where the funds… are being used and so that they have some accountability of what they are doing with all the funds that the county donates” and for state funds.

The State Code only allows them to go down to the categorical level, explained Bartlett. (There are only about eight categories.)

“Now…you can always look at whatever you want to look at, you can look at it line by line, but you can only control the funding by categories,” he advised.

It is something, Cooper-Jones cited, that the board may want to consider.

Other areas the board may yet revisit for possible cuts: funding for outside entities—which cover a wide range from STEPS to Southside Virginia Family YMCA. They may also revisit the County’s health insurance options. They may want to discuss, Timmons suggested, having some employee co-pay. (The County’s health insurance does not currently require employees pay such, but it also does not provide any of the premium for families.)

A change in the plan now, Bartlett detailed, is that there is a good chance the data would not be included in the system and claims could be denied for a period of time. The same could also apply should they ask workers to pay a portion of the premium. Still, the County would need to re-run its open enrollment.

A divided board has invested some lengthy discussions in the Y funding and health insurance in previous meetings, but has not made any cuts. (Proposed increases for the fire departments and rescue squad appear to be off the table.)

While the full board may accept the committee’s recommendation(s) once finalized, they could reject them as well. Still, committee member Robert “Bobby” Jones, who had supported the eight-cent real estate rate tax increase to fund the budget, assessed that some of the things they’ve tried to cut are not going to be realistic.

The committee is scheduled to meet May 19 for their next session at 7 p.m.