CUMBERLAND – The Cumberland Board of Supervisors held three public hearings last Tuesday, April 2. Although no one signed up to speak for hearings on the Five-Year Capital Improvement Program and tax rate, nine individuals were signed up to speak on the County's 2013-2014 budget.

The proposed budget is distinguished by cuts in funding to civic organizations and community development, level funding of schools and the public library and no change in the tax rate.

A main point of contention was the level funding of the schools in the proposed budget. Both advocates and proponents of level funding spoke. Calls to decrease County staff were also heard from several speakers, as well as a reduction in the tax rate.

Judy Chambliss, an eighth grade science teacher for Cumberland Middle School, said she would like her pay and step raise which would be funded in the school budget. “I make less money now then I did when I started teaching six years ago,” she said.

But, she says she can live without those things. She stated the hardest thing to deal with would be not keeping the status quo. “We're being required to do more and more and level-funding, I'm sorry, is not going to keep us at the status quo.

“Now, am I saying fund everything? No, I'm not saying that. I don't want my taxes raised…So, what I'm asking you respect-fully to do is look at it closely…so we, as educators, can at least keep the status quo,” Chambliss said.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Amy Griffin referenced a coming “perfect storm” for the school system, caused by shrinking staff who have an increased work load and less pay, rising state assessments and rigorous expectations.

“Our goal is not to ask for additional money every year. However, Cumberland County Public School had a budget of $18.8 million in the 2006/07 school year. Since 2009/10, we have cut 49 full-time staff members and employees have taken substan-tial cuts in the take home pay and, again, a much increased workload,” she said. The current school operating budget is $14.2 million.

She pointed out that although the school did receive an increase last year, it covered the Virginia Retirement System mandat-ed by the state for current staff, but provided no additional employees or programming.

She concluded, “A perfect storm is looming. We cannot continue, with success, at this pace.”

School Board Member Dr. Christine Ross, District Five, argued that the increase in school funding would be a practical in-vestment for the county.

Referencing the recent Piedmont Regional Jail bills, which the County has been struggling to pay, she said, “It's been proven over and over and over again. If we don't put money into our school system now, you'll be paying more into those prison sys-tems later on. It's a good investment of your money to take it and put it into the school system, to Dr. Griffin's budget, rather than waiting and paying for it on the other end.”

Patty Pedrick, District Two, also spoke in defense of the schools, bemoaning the cuts in school staff over the past years. She was also one of several who called for cuts in County staff, concluding. “So, I want you to look at this and remember: what's good for the goose is good for the gander.”

However, others felt that the budget was simply too tight to justify an increase in the school budget.

Karen Nyce, District Five, summarized the school's request for increased funding from the County and stated, “If we were not so heavily in debt and if economic times were better, I think that this would not be a problem for us. But, every citizen in this County is feeling the hardship of rising prices on everything…There just isn't surplus money laying around to fill every-one's request.”

Nyce encouraged the school and County administration to think outside the box, “You can't keep strangling the taxpayers with higher and higher taxes. Everyone has to learn how to do with less and make it work.”

In addition to calling for the school to reduce its spending, Cyndi Mann, District Five, called for the board to lower the tax rate so it is similar to the rates of surrounding counties, concluding “the supervisors need to stop making excuses and start mak-ing changes.”

In addition to calling for cuts in County staff, Coy Leatherwood, District Five, called for supervisors to cut their own salaries in half, stating that it would show citizens that the board were serious about the budget and reducing taxes.

On a positive note, Bill Bruce, District Four, said the board had done a great job so far by making cuts. He thanked the board for taking their time with the budget and not raising taxes. “I know you're making an effort. So, thank you,” Bruce concluded.

There was one individual who spoke in opposition to cuts to civic organizations. Teresa Stewart, District Four, spoke on be-half of STEPS, requesting the board reconsider funding the program, which provides employment for individuals with diverse abilities.

She concluded, asking the board to also reconsider funding of Piedmont Area Transit, which provides “transportation for workers since they are citizens that do have jobs and are tax-paying citizens also.”

Following the hearing, Supervisor Kevin Ingle, District Three, stated that he felt the County was experiencing a dip that is occurring throughout the country. He commended the great work of the educational staff, saying in reference to funding, “if there were more resources to pull from, I wish that we could.” He also commended the County staff, commenting that they were doing their jobs without raises.

Chairman David Meinhard, District Four, concluded the meeting with a statement. He said that he would like to make a siza-ble cut in taxes, support the schools in the amount that they have requested, fulfill other departmental requests and even fund the $4 million in capital improvement projects, “but we are living in a real world and, to put it real bluntly, I can't see how we can right now do any of those things.

“We can't give everybody everything they want in the County until we find more revenue…Until that happens, we're in deep trouble…All of us, the five members up here on the board…and the public, I'm sorry, we're going to have to live with it,” Meinhard said.

If all goes according to schedule, the board will vote on the budget, tax rate and Capital Improvement Program plan this Tuesday, April 9.

Budget Adjustments

Last week, County Administrator Vivian Giles shared with The Herald a few changes she has made to the proposed budget since it was first presented to the board last month.

Changes include $2,000 now allocated for Patriot Day, which had previously gone unfunded in the proposed budget. A re-duction in the expected payment to the State Health Department helped allow the funding, according to her report.

Giles also reported an increase in expected revenue from tax penalties, communications tax and interest on investments, to-taling $12,000. Those additional funds are being used to fully fund $2,000 needed for uniforms and wearing apparel for the Sheriff's Office and almost $10,000 to fund benefits for extension office agents.