Star Tribune's Article on Budget Hearing

Supervisors get tongue-lashing on tax increases
By TIM DAVIS/Star-Tribune Editor

A small but vocal crowd gave the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors a verbal whipping during budget hearings Monday night in Chatham.
"Tax, tax, tax - that's all Mr. Sleeper knows," said Nathaniel Dix, referring to County Administrator Dan Sleeper. "He ain't never cut the budget.
"Quit taxing the people to death," Dix told supervisors. "The whole budget is out of whack. What you need is a chop ax to cut and cut."
Although speakers were limited to three minutes, Dix, who has attended practically every budget hearing for the past 20 years, continued to berate supervisors long after his time was up.
Brandishing a copy of the Constitution, the feisty 92-year-old said, "I want you to listen to what I have to say, what the Constitution says and what the people are saying. Don't you vote for these taxes."
The proposed spending plan includes a 9-cent hike in the real estate tax rate, from 53 cents to 62 cents per $100 of assessed value, and 75-cent jump in personal property, from $7.75 to $8.50 per $100.
Other tax hikes include raising the vehicle license fee (formerly decals) from $29.50 to $38.75 - a $9.25 jump - and increasing the consumer utility tax on telephone, electric and gas bills from 15 percent to 20 percent.
Sleeper said the combined tax increases -$4.8 million - will go to pay debt service on renovations and new construction at the county's four high schools.
Voters approved the $70 million project in a referendum almost two years ago.
Tunstall District resident Charles Turner said he voted against the school bond, and urged supervisors to stop construction.
"The county budget needs to be cut down until it balances," he said. "If you really buckle down, you can make the budget work. The budget needs to get in line and stay there."
Turner said raising taxes seems to be an "easy button" for supervisors to push.
Mike Hudson of Ringgold agreed.
"Why do you have to keep spending money you don't have?" said Hudson.
Hudson said the county's population is declining, which means fewer students, yet the school budget keeps increasing.
"You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see it," he said. "The county is getting smaller and taxes are going up. Something's missing in the common-sense department."
Dan River District resident J.J. Moore said new schools look good, but buildings don't mean quality education.
"You spent money in the wrong place," he said. "You didn't spend it on education and quality people."
Moore sends his daughter to private school.
"I pay taxes for these new schools, but I can't get nothing out of it because I don't trust the school system," he said.
Karen Carter suggested pay cuts "from the top down."
"We can cut salaries," she said. "They are county employees. They work for us."
Carter also urged supervisors to take away cars and cell phones for county and school employees.
"I shouldn't have to pay for somebody to drive back and forth to work," she said.
Deborah Lovelace of Gretna told supervisors to stop spending money on industrial parks that are not producing jobs.
"I think that's just outrageous," she said.
Sylvia Deshazor said high unemployment and layoffs at Goodyear and Corning mean people can't afford to pay more taxes.
Deshazor and her husband worked at Dan River Inc. for 32 years before the textile mill closed. They have found new jobs, but the work doesn't pay nearly as well as Dan River.
"Our income can't handle any tax increase at this time," Deshazor said.
Richard Shumate agreed.
"Where in the world are we going to get this money from?" he said. "We don't have the money. It's just not there."
Monday night's meeting- the board's third and final public hearing on the 2009-2010 budget - was held to include $4.5 million in additional state and federal funds.
Schools received the extra money from the recently approved American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or federal economic stimulus package.
The school budget increased from $84.9 million to $89.3 million. The overall county spending plant went from $225.9 million to $229 million.
Sleeper said the additional school money includes about $2.3 million to improve the standards of quality, $900,000 for Title 1 programs and $700,000 for special education.
The board's finance committee will meet Monday to make its final recommendations.
The committee's chairman, Chatham-Blairs District Supervisor Henry "Hank" Davis Jr., hopes supervisors will cut spending and lower the proposed tax increase on real estate from 9 cents to 6 cents.
"I think a lot of people are frustrated," said Davis.
Callands-Gretna District Supervisor Fred Ingram blamed tax increases on the high school renovation project.
"There would be no tax increase this year if the $70 million bond issue had not passed," he said. "That's the bottom line. But it did. It passed. I'm sorry. And it has fallen on this board to pay the bill."
Tunstall District Supervisor Tim Barber said the budget should be cut.
"I didn't support advertising the budget to start with," said Barber. "I think it can be much better than it is. This budget can be trimmed."
Supervisors hope to vote on the budget April 6. The school budget has to be approved by May 1. The county spending plan goes into effect July 1.