Delgaudio Votes "NO", Board Empties Reserves, Tax Increase for Sterling, Targets Volunteers Next?
Thursday night is the last worksession of the Board of Supervisors.
The board of supervisors worksession will end on Thursday as the board considers a move to abolish and negatively impact the volunteer rescue organization in Sterling according to the president of Sterling Rescue Squad.
"I will speak against any attempt to add paid staff to the Sterling Rescue squad, invite the reps of the volunteer squad to speak to the board and answer questions, and vote "no" to adding millions of tax dollars to drive the volunteers from the best volunteer operation in the region," said Eugene Delgaudio.
The Board at a worksession Monday night passed a motion made by Chairman Scott York to fully fund the schools' request and other last minute requests, he proposed to take the projected fund balance of $6.8 million from FY 2014 and $10.8 million of FY 2015 fund balance for a total of $17.6 million in fund balances from 2 years. The vote passed 6 yes, 3 no (Delgaudio Reid and Volpe).
"TAX BILLS WILL GO UP SUBSTANTIALLY for anyone with increased assessments above the average which means most of Sterling," said Eugene Delgaudio, "and that is why I voted no."
Leesburg Today reports:
A final vote isn't expected until April 1, but Loudoun County supervisors agreed Monday night on a real estate tax rate and local education funding for the next fiscal year as well as on a priority list for capital projects.
In a straw vote, the Board of Supervisors decided, 6-3, to set the tax rate at $1.135 per $100 of assessed value and to provide enough local revenue in FY16 to entirely fund the School Board's proposed $982.1 million operating budget.
The moves, if formally approved next month, would mean providing the school system with the exact amount of local funding it requested, an accomplishment that hasn't happened in years, while holding the line on most property owners' tax bills.
The current tax rate is $1.155 per $100 of valuation. But land values have risen so much in Loudoun that the supervisors can lower the rate to $1.135 and the county should generate the same amount of revenue as it does now...........
(Note: "this will mean a tax increase for most of Sterling that has 15% assessment increases" says Delgaudio.)
Budgeting for surplus funds from a current budget year isn't usually done, and Supervisors Suzanne M. Volpe (R-Algonkian) and Kenneth D. Reid (R-Leesburg) were wary of the strategy. They cast dissenting straw votes along with Supervisor Eugene A. Delgaudio (R-Sterling).
Reid called the proposal a "shell game" to fool the public, and Delgaudio referred to it as a "scheme."
Raiding an expected surplus shouldn't be done this year, Delgaudio said.
"We shouldn't do it any year," he said.