COUNTY OF ALBEMARLE

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

BACKGROUND:

The original FY 07/08 Operating and CIP Budget Calendar was provided to the Board on October 4, 2006. During the joint meeting between the Board of Supervisors and the School Board on November 1, 2006, the School Board requested that the second public hearing be moved so that it would not coincide with the school system’s spring break. Staff subsequently reviewed the calendar to see what changes would be needed to accommodate the School Board’s request.

STRATEGIC PLAN:

Develop a comprehensive strategy/plan for funding future needs

DISCUSSION:

There are several dates in the budget presentation and approval process that cannot be moved due to state code requirements.  The first one is that we are required by state code to adopt the tax rate by April 15^th if we have our first-half tax year collection in June. Therefore, we cannot move the adoption date forward and must stay with the April 11^th adoption of the tax rate. Working back from that date, the Virginia Code requires that there be seven days between the public hearing for the budget and the adoption of the budget and seven days between the public advertisement of the budget and tax rate public hearings and the actual hearing dates. Those dates, therefore, also cannot be moved.

During the budget calendar review, staff realized that the Board’s work sessions actually needed to be moved back a week from the original schedule in order to meet the code requirements for the seven days between the public advertisement and the public hearing. Those budget work sessions are now set to begin on Monday the 11^th and end with the 4^th or final budget work session on Wednesday, March 21^st.  

Since the adoption date for the tax rate cannot be delayed, there are only two options for changing the Board’s public hearing from April 4^th, which conflicts with the school’s spring break, to Wednesday, March 28^th .  One option is to move the whole budget process back a week and have the budget delivered to the Board the last week of February, rather than the 1^st of March.  This option would not only be very difficult for budget staff to change at this point, but the Superintendent has indicated that it would also be difficult for the School Board to move its review schedule back a week.   The second option is for the Board to condense its work session schedule by moving the work sessions back a week and completing them by March 14^th. This would allow the Board to meet the advertising requirements for a March 28^th public hearing. 

In reviewing the budget schedule, staff also determined that with all the financial preparation work being done with the “funding the future” work sessions and the October CIP session with the School Board that the February Business Plan work session will probably not be needed, so staff is proposing that it be cancelled.  

The following chart shows the revised calendar, which will be the calendar for the work sessions and public hearings unless the Board directs staff to implement the alternative calendar to meet the School Board’s request for a public hearing date other than April 4^th.

BUDGET IMPACT:

No budget impact.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

The above revised calendar is for the Board’s information and will be the official budget process schedule, unless the Board directs staff to implement the alternative calendar.   As you can see from the attached Alternative Calendar, it condenses and compresses your meeting schedule, especially for work sessions, which will impact staff preparation and Board of Supervisors’ review. 

ATTACHMENT:

Alternative Budget Calendar

Return to consent agenda

Return to regular agenda