The Prince William County Board of Supervisors adopted an $845 million budget for fiscal 2010 Tuesday, closing a nearly $200 million shortfall in revenue by trimming services and eliminating nearly 100 county positions.
The average homeowner will pay about $430 less on his tax bill next year, based on the adopted property tax rate of $1.212 per $100 of assessed value. Homeowners also will have to pay a 7 1⁄2-cent levy for fire and rescue funding.
Board Chairman Corey Stewart, R-at large, called it “probably the toughest budget this board has faced in 25 years … or so.”
Residential property values plunged by an average of about 30 percent last year as the county saw more than 10,000 foreclosure filings in 2008, according to the online foreclosure-tracking Web site RealtyTrac.com.
The budget eliminates about 95 county government positions, but budget director David Tyeryar said all but about 25 employees have found other positions in the county.
Stewart said he was pleased that the board managed to keep much of its public safety personnel intact.
“We did not lay off one uniformed police officer or fire and rescue personnel, and it’s going to get us through a very difficult time,” he said.
County Executive Craig Gerhart said the county expected to add about $3 million to its “undesignated fund balance,” which includes the county’s reserve fund.
Under the county’s revenue-sharing agreement with the public school system, about $407 million of the county’s revenues will go to the schools.
The county government had to cover $80 million of the $200 million shortfall, while the schools had to handle the remaining $120 million.
Supervisors, though, remain concerned about the school system’s projected deficits of $126.5 million in fiscal 2012, 2013 and 2014.
The board on Tuesday established a budget committee consisting of two representatives each from the board and the school board to discuss common interests between the county and the schools.
