It really isn't a $1,200,000,000 Chesterfield County Budget

From this week's Chesterfield Observer...

Expenditures (excluding schools) for FY11 for county services are projected to be $1,526 per person. “On par, we’re back to the 1996 level,” said County Administrator Jay Stegmaier.

But add schools in... $2,500 more per person that the government spends on The Taxpayer's behalf. 

Multiple times nearly 300,000 people and you wind up with $1,200,000,000.  (But it is just $1,526 per person.  No need to look behind the curtain. )

UPDATE: The Taxpayer did some digging.  In 1996, there were 244,800 citizens in Chesterfield x $1,526 per person.  Yields a $373M budget. Today there are 307,594 citizens.  Those extra 62,794 follows allow Chesterfield to "justify" spending an extra $95.8M on "providing services".  The Taxpayer just thought you would like to know the story behind the numbers.  That is $95.8M more than 1996 or as the bloater-in-chief would say "On par".


Board Chairman Dan Gecker of Bloat...

“There have also been significant reductions in capital improvements that the public doesn’t see,” 

So what!! We are all tightening our belts.  He is certainly not speaking about the reduction of The Taxpayer's own capital improvements that have to be put on hold. 

We can assure the chairman that we see what it means to our own finances around the kitchen table.  To think The Taxpayer doesn't understand the economic conditions in their own house is typically of bloat-centric public officials.  They should be ashamed for taking even $1 more in these tough times and they should be apologizing for not cutting more.  What a refreshing perspective that would be!!

Marshall Trammell gets the question all wrong...

“The question is: What level of service will be acceptable to the public?”

The correct question is "How much can we afford?" or "What is a wanted service versus a needed service?"  or "What can we return to The Taxpayer in these tough times?"

Robbing Virginia's Retirement Funds to put off tough decisions

From today's Chesterfield Observer and here...

One of the school board’s last remaining hopes for a budget bailout was dashed 

So now the bloat has to deflate??  Not so fast according to BOS Art Warren...

“There are still options available to us.”

Huh? Or this quote from Dorothy Jaeckle...

“If we had a revenue neutral tax rate all along, I could support revenue neutral."

What does that mean? Obviously the hole in the bucket has a fix and The Taxpayer hopes it isn't The Taxpayer's heiney.  The CO reminds us that the property tax is only 45% of the revenue stream.

We interrupt this program for some bad bloat karoake sung by:
Tenor School Board Chairman David Wyman:

“Obviously, I’m disappointed that they didn’t consider the tax rate increase,”
“I remain uncomfortable about what kind of funding we’re going to get from the state,”
“It’s been a rough couple of months."
"We have tried to work through the issues to help people understand the difficult straights we are in."

Bass Vice-Chairman Marshall Trammell

“It means we’re going back to our second list of cuts and potentially look at some additional things as well"
“They are already taking a hit, and we don’t want to add to that,”

Alto  BOS Marleen Durfee

“The state has not stepped up to the plate and done its job,”

That sound of fingernails on the chalkboard... Yes... we have a bad case of Chesterfield Idol.

The Taxpayer needs something soothing... Jaeckle recovers nicely with a tune about fighting the bloat

“more scrutiny of expenses.” CCPS has “too many people and programs” and should be “giving back responsibilities to parents and students…We’ll come away stronger for it,”

Jim Holland hits the chorus in perfect pitch

“reductions are difficult to make…but we can maintain our core services.”

Art Warren takes us to the bridge and drives it home...

“We have to be realistic about what the future might bring…Families are cutting back, [so] this is the time to take a deep breath and become more fiscally responsible.”

Now to the heart of the problem...

The state is considering giving school divisions a “holiday” from paying into the Virginia Retirement System. If approved, that measure would save the school system $16 million for FY11. But the holiday would not be a long-term solution to the school system’s budget problems since it would only be in effect for one or two years.

The School Board is only planning for the short term bandaid fix.  Last year it was the "stimulus" funds that went right into school operations.  This year they are plugging the gap with funding that should be reserved for retirement funds.  Do you see a trend?  Instead of strategic cuts that will get us to a sustainable budget.  we get a bunch of bandaids and we are convinced it is merely a flesh wound.  We need a tourniquet stat, it just might save our life and surely we will bleed to death without it.