During a busy season for many that includes filing taxes, spring cleaning one’s homes, preparing for the end of the school year/student graduations, and countless other obligations or responsibilities, The Herald encourages readers to budget and allocate their time to participate in their respective county’s budget hearings to provide input on the upcoming fiscal year budget.

Buckingham County’s budget hearing is scheduled for Monday, April 15, beginning approximately 6:15 p.m. at the Buckingham County Administration Office, 13360 W. James Anderson Highway.

Cumberland County is set to hold its public hearing on its proposed budget estimates Tuesday, April 2, 7 p.m. at the Cumberland County Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Circle.

The hearing in Cumberland will also focus on the proposed tax levies and the 5-year Capital Improvement Program.

Prince Edward is currently holding budget workshops and the public hearing for its proposed budget is expected to occur within the next month.

The previous year’s budget season came with some unique discussions and challenges to area school divisions, budget shortfalls and the best ways to allocate resources to area fire and rescue agencies, as well as to refuse and solid waste services.

The county budget allocates funds to area schools, fire and rescue agencies, and numerous other services. County administrators take an enormous amount of time and consideration to determine how best to allocate the resources that they have. County residents’ input can be insightful not only to administration in realizing the areas of focus residents care about, but to other residents as well.

Each county is fortunate to have a dedicated collective of residents who actively follow and participate in local government activity. It can only help us if the number of these dedicated individuals were to grow.

This article has been amended from its original version.