Prince George County Board of Supervisors Adopts FY24 Budget
For Immediate Release:
May 30, 2023
For additional information, contact:
Jackie Lipford, Public Information Officer
(804) 722-8607
jnlipford@princegeorgecountyva.gov
Prince George County Board of Supervisors Adopts FY24 Budget
Prince George, VA – The Prince George County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 budget with no tax rate increase on May 23, 2023. Residents will not see increased real estate, personal property, machinery and tools, or mobile homes tax rates. The total budget approved is $154,639,306, a 3.36% decrease from the FY23 adopted budget.
Major general fund expenditures include market-driven pay increases for County employees, a fuel management system for the fleet department, and nine (9) new positions: five (5) Firefighters/Medics; two (2) Social Services Specialists; one (1) Planning Director; and one (1) Fleet Apparatus Technician. The utilities fund includes similar market-driven pay increases for utility employees and one (1) new position, a Utility Supervisor.
The County relied on the results of a Board-approved Organizational Review and Staffing Level Study by Managing Results, LLC that identified Fire/EMS and Social Services as the organization’s leading departments with staff deficiencies compared to similar Virginia communities. The report highlighted tremendous County population growth, which, according to the UVA Weldon Cooper Center, will outpace the City of Charlottesville’s population in seven years. Social Services has seen an increased caseload over the past decade, and the Fire/EMS department has experienced a 23% increase in calls for service over the past five years.
The approved FY24 budget also includes a contribution to the Prince George County Public School division of $19,492,539. For FY24, water and sewer user charges will both increase by 5%. Based on the average residential use of 5,000 gallons/month, a residential customer’s the estimated total combined water and sewer bill will increase by about $4.55/month, or $9.10/billing period.
The state of Virginia operates under a two-year (biennial) budget cycle. The state’s budget bill is adopted in even-numbered years and can be amended in odd-numbered years. It is currently unclear whether the General Assembly will take action to amend the current budget, which mandates a 5% pay increase to state-supported local employees effective July 1. If the state budget is amended to provide a larger pay increase to state-supported local employees, the County will make any needed pay adjustments to state-supported Constitutional Officers and state-supported offices, including the Department of Social Services and the Riverside Criminal Justice Agency, as required by Virginia law.