A leaner county government and lower tax bills are likely in store for Prince William County residents next year.
Salaries for county employees would be frozen for one year, 155 government positions — 76 filled — would be cut, and budgets would be slashed across the board in County Executive Craig Gerhart’s proposed fiscal 2010 budget, presented Tuesday. The county is facing an estimated $107.2 million budget deficit.
“We’ve been at this budget-cutting [exercise] for three years,” Gerhart said. “I think we did the right things when times were good, and I think we’re proposing the right things now that times are challenging.”
The county eliminated 101 full-time positions in fiscal 2008, 18 in fiscal 2009 and a proposed 155 in fiscal 2010.
Under a revised five-year plan, which Gerhart discussed Tuesday, real estate values are not expected to climb again until fiscal 2014.
He projected that the proposed fiscal 2010 budget cuts, reduced five-year plan initiatives and capital projects, and higher tax rates for the next several years would balance the budget through fiscal 2014.
“Say what you will about that fairly bleak outlook — we are in balance,” Gerhart said.
Next year’s budget includes a tax rate of $1.198 per $100 of assessed value — up from the current rate of 97 cents — that would translate into a 16 percent drop in the average residential tax bill and a 5 percent increase in the average commercial property tax bill.
Gerhart proposed reducing expenditures 6.3 percent from last year, and no branch of government was exempt from cuts.
About 25 public safety, 53 human services, 42 community development and 36 general government positions are on the chopping block.
Supervisor John Jenkins, D-Neabsco, said he hoped the board could advertise a “much higher” tax rate, citing the need for flexibility in dealing with “very serious cuts.”
“I’m certainly not going to lock myself into thinking that $1.19 is going to be safe,” he said.
Board Chairman Corey Stewart, R-at large, disagreed, saying the supervisors should support the proposed rate.
“I think the only right thing for this board to do is support you,” he told Gerhart. “If we leave it open and don’t adopt that rate … it becomes how much we spend and not how [we spend it].”
Gerhart said a flat tax bill for residents sounded good in theory, but the discrepancy in residential and commercial property values would make it difficult to implement.
With a tax rate of $1.43, for example, the average commercial tax bill would rise 25 percent, he said.
“We felt we needed to provide some [controls] on what would happen to the commercial taxpayer,” he said.
