By Heather Michon
Correspondent
The Board of Supervisors approved deadline extensions, new county fees, and appropriations during a wide-reaching meeting on Wednesday evening (May 15).
Tax Deadline
Supervisors approved Treasurer Deborah Rittenhouse’s request to extend the deadline for the half-year tax payments from June 5 to June 21.
Her office had difficulties getting the bills processed and mailed, with most residents only receiving them last week.
Rittenhouse said she was concerned people might not have enough time to meet the June 5 date. Teachers, in particular, would only have one pay period before the due date. “We’ve got to give them time,” she said.
FUSD Rates
Customers of the Fork Union Sanitary District (FUSD) might be looking at a rate increase in the near future, as supervisors approved a public hearing on June 20 to consider a new rate schedule.
Director of Utilities Robert Popowicz recommended increasing the monthly base rate from $21 to $24. The rate for water usage over 2,000 gallons per month would increase from $11 to $11.22 per 1,000 gallons.
The last FUSD rate change was back in August 2014, but the costs of maintaining the aging water infrastructure has increased in recent years.
Public Hearings
Four public hearings were on the agenda for the evening, with supervisors voting 5-0 to approve the following measures:
Increasing court costs to $20 per criminal or traffic court case to help fund courthouse security;
Adding a $25 fee for transportation to any regional jail following a conviction;
Establishing a $25 fee for the recordation of a list of heirs with the County Clerk’s office;
Clarification of the new dogs running at large ordinance to define a “violation” as the filing of a criminal incident report by a sworn officer of the law
School Track Renovations
Superintendent Peter Gretz requested that around $850,000 be shifted from the district’s FY25 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) budget to FY24 to FY25 to allow the high school and middle school to get started on track and turf renovations as soon as the school year ends.
The FY25 CIP budget allocated $898,000 for the high school and $1 million for the middle school, but those funds won’t be available for the school to use until the start of the new fiscal year on July 1.
Shifting the $850,000 to the FY24 budget line would allow contractors to start work in June and potentially finish the renovations before the start of the new school year in mid-August.
The motion was approved by a vote of 5-0.
Back to the Courthouse
This will be the last meeting held at Carysbrook Performing Arts Center for a while. Starting June 5, the supervisors will assemble at the county courthouse for regular meetings and use the Morris Room in the County Administration Building for work sessions.
