[HenleyMatters] Budget Update

[Hashisaki]

I know that this has been a tumultuous week for everyone and I hope  
you and your families are all preparing for a relaxing Spring Break!

I want to try and give a brief and short summary of where we are in  
the current budget process:

-On Jan 17, Dr. Moran presented a $149 million Funding Request to the  
School Board.  The division worked for four months to develop a  
funding request based on the real estate tax rate of $0.74.  At the  
Board of Supervisor insistence, Bob Tucker the County Executive  
advised the school division to present a funding request based on a  
real estate tax rate of $0.72 just days before the Funding Request  
was to be presented to the School Board.  Therefore the $149 million  
Funding request was based on a real estate tax rate of $0.72.

-On Feb 13, the School Board approved a $151 million Funding Request  
to the Board of Supervisors.  This request assumed that the real  
estate tax rate of $0.74 would not change.

-On Mar 21, the Board of Supervisors voted 4-2 (Yes - Boyd, Wyant,  
Rooker, Dorrier; No- Thomas, Slutzky) to advertise the real estate  
tax rate at $0.70.  At this point the tax rate CANNOT increase but it  
CAN decrease again.  Some members of the Board of Supervisors remain  
interested in a lower real estate tax rate.  They also raised the  
decal fee for county vehicles and will base the personal property tax  
on vehicles at "re-sale" value, a higher figure than the presently  
used "loan" value.  The personal property tax rate did not change.   
The final vote on the real estate tax rate will take place on April  
11 after the public hearing on April 4.

-The changes to the recommended budget currently provide $149 million  
to the School Division.  This is approx $350,000 less than Dr.  
Moran's Funding Request on Jan 17 and approx. $2.5 million less than  
the School Board's Funding Request.  You can view the County budget  
information at
http://www.albemarle.org/department.asp? 
section_id=1827&department=budget.  You can view the School Division  
Budget updates at http://schoolcenter.k12albemarle.org/education/ 
components/docmgr/default.php? 
sectiondetailid=50594&catfilter=6921#showDoc.  These updates will  
provide you with more detail concerning where the reductions may  
occur in the budget.

-On Apr 4, the Board of Supervisors will hold the final Public  
Hearing on the Board's Proposed Budget and the 2007 calendar year tax  
rate.  The hearing will be at the County Office Building in the Lane  
Auditorium at 6 PM.  Sign up starts at 4 PM.  I know that many school  
families will be out of town.  If you cannot attend the meeting  
please consider contacting your representative and/or the entire  
Board of Supervisors.  If you wish to contact the Albemarle County  
Board of Supervisors, you may use the following group email:  
bos at albemarle.org.  Otherwise click on each Board Member's name to  
contact them individually.

BOARD MEMBERS:
Lindsay  G. Dorrier, Jr.  riverstreet4444 at yahoo.com  (Scottsville  
District)
Dennis S. Rooker dsrooker at earthlink.net   (Jack Jouett District)
Sally H. Thomas sthomas at albemarle.org  (Samuel Miller District)
David Slutzky  dslutzky at albemarle.org   (Rio District)
David C. Wyant dwyant at albemarle.org   (White Hall District)
Kenneth C. Boyd kboyd at albemarle.org  (Rivanna District)

(If you do not know who your representative is you may use the link  
below.)

Click here to view a map detailing the Albemarle County Magisterial  
Boundaries, Voting Precincts and Polling Places.
(You will need Acrobat Reader to view and print the the map.)


Thank you for your interest in the ongoing budget process.  Teresa  
Hashisaki
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