Chesterfield County supervisors held a restricted-access meeting March 25 that included a public hearing on the proposed Fiscal Year 2020-21 budget.
Only two persons spoke during public comment at the meeting, likely due to the restrictions imposed because of fallout from the coronavirus.
Among the items approved as part of the consent agenda was hiring Jessica Robison at the new Emergency Management Coordinator. She had been in place on an interim basis from March 7.
The supervisors also approved a resolution recognizing county planner Darla Orr for 23 years of service.
A lease for pad site No. 4 at the county airport’s north ramp was transferred from Innovation Hangar Inc. to 5G Air, the entity that Richmond Executive Aviation is using to construct its hangars at pad sites 1 and 2.
The supervisors entered into a lease with Innovation in 2018 to construct a 10,000-square-foot hangar, a board document states. Innovation recently informed the county that its parent company, Blueprint Automation, is increasingly shifting its business overseas.
The supervisors accepted the conveyance of 4.06 acres from Austin Woods Development Co. The land is located east of Iron Bridge Road and north of Tucker Road in the Dale District. A board document states that the conveyance is related to the company’s plans to build the first phase of apartments.
FY ‘21 budget
The proposed $773.2 million General Fund budget represents a 5.4-percent increase over the current budget, or $39 million.
It includes a 2-percent increase in salaries for county employees and includes $2 million to hire 12 more firefighters and $2 million for preventive maintenance of schools. It sets aside $2.5 million for future pay raises for public safety employees and teachers.
The allocation for schools is slated to increase by 5.7 percent, or by $17.6 million.
Some $350,000 will pay for a rewrite of the county zoning ordinance.
The proposed real estate tax would remain at 95 cents per $100 of assessed value, the personal property tax would remain at $3.60, and machinery and tools tax would stay at $1.
The average bill for residential water and wastewater would increase $1.29 a month from $57.67 to $58.96 under the proposal.
The budget lays the groundwork for a $642.7 million bond referendum on Nov. 3 for schools and general government improvements. This would include replacements for the Chester, Ettrick and Matoaca fire stations, the Enon library, Bensley Elementary School, Falling Creek Middle School, as well as a new middle school in the Matoaca/Dale districts.
The supervisors are scheduled to adopt the budget April 8.
