Gloucester, Virginia Public Hearing On Proposed $64 Million FY18 Budget

Image the property of Internationalman.com

“Taxes” One of the dirtiest words in the English language. The word “taxes” is not dirty because We the People don’t want to contribute our fair share of money to pay for necessary services and operations. The word is dirty to us because of the extreme level of corruption, fraud, waste and abuse that is associated with our tax dollars.

Our local government is recommending a 1.5 cent increase to the current 69.5 cents rate; raising the rate to 71 cents per $100 of assessed value, but they are advertising a possible rate increase as high as 73 cents in their recent Public Hearing announcement. According to the announcement, the Board of Supervisors will hold a Public Hearing on next year’s budget at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, March 29, 2017 in the T.C. Walker Education Center auditorium.

Before taxes are raised again, our local government should make the following changes:

1) Consolidate our local government and public school system departments. This one action will result in over a $1 million reduction in yearly operating costs.

2) Eliminate the County’s department of community engagement and return all functions to social services, information technology, county administration, the school system and the various nongovernmental organizations the department facilitates. This action will save the taxpayers close to $400,000 per year.

3) Build our own libraries and health department space so the taxpayers can stop renting them. Owning our health department space will also result in an $80,000 yearly revenue stream from rent payments received from the state. All together this move will result in a yearly savings of around $210,000 and create $50,000 or so in additional revenue after expenses.

4) Limit the number of full time animal control employees to two, redirect animal control response calls through the Sheriff’s department dispatcher and cease all patrolling by animal control employees. This will result in a savings of well over $100,000 annually.

The changes we have outlined will result in a combined saving of around $1.7 million per year and create an $80,000 revenue stream. Now it is time for you, the taxpayers and citizens of Gloucester County, to decide what our local government will do. Continue to raise taxes or cut unnecessary costs and get our financial house in order? 

The March 29th Public Hearing will be the ideal time to let those who work for us know it is time to drain the swamp and set things straight. Remember, three supervisors and three school board members are up for reelection this November. Hold them accountable.

The following is a SlideShare presentation of this year’s proposed line item budget, proposed capital expenditures and a list of the nongovernmental organizations asking for tax dollars. It is best viewed in “full screen” mode. Just click on the diagonal double arrows. 

Fy2018 proposed budget gf & capital expenditure line item including exte... from Kenneth Hogge Sr

Public Hearing Agenda:

GLOUCESTER BOARD OF SUPERVISORS BUDGET PUBLIC HEARINGS THOMAS CALHOUN WALKER EDUCATION CENTER 6099 T. C. WALKER ROAD MARCH 29, 2017 07:00 P.M.

---

A G E N D A

---

Complete E-Packet

I.	Call To Order & Roll Call

II.	Invocation & Pledge of Allegiance

III.	Introductory Comments – Phillip N. Bazzani – Chair

IV.	Proposed Tax Rates and Budget Synopsis – J. Brent Fedors – County Administrator

V.	Public Hearing on Proposed FY 2018 Budget

Summary

Link to proposed budget

VI.	Public Hearing on Proposed Tax Levies for Calendar Year 2017

Summary

Supporting Document

VII.	Board Comments

VIII.

Review of Budget Adoption Schedule – J. Brent Fedors – County Administrator

FY 2018 Budget Calendar

Public Hearing Notice:

Summary from Kenneth Hogge Sr

Gloucester, VA School Board, Board Policies Questions

Armand A. Fusco, Ed.D.

About the Yankee Institute for Public Policy

The Yankee Institute for Public Policy, Inc. is a nonpartisan educational and research organization
founded more than two decades ago. Today, the Yankee Institute’s mission is to “promote
economic opportunity through lower taxes and new ideas for better government in Connecticut.


Part 2 in a 10 part series.

Question 2: Board Policies

Are there any board policies dealing with school corruption? What policies, if
any, have been adopted to prevent corruption, and what policies have been
adopted to monitor school resources most effectively?

Background: Board policies are contained in a policy manual that is a
public document, and it can usually be found on the school website. The
manual is also available in the school central office and in each school. It is
extremely doubtful that any corruption policies will be found, because school
boards do not want the term “corruption” to be found in any school documents;
they are in complete denial or ignorant that corruption could occur in the
district. Even when corruption is found, it is hidden from public view whenever
possible. For example, in the Roslyn incident, the school board voted to keep
the theft from their insurance company; and this deceit cost them thousands of
dollars more.

Admittedly, part of the problem is that school boards are not trained and
educated about the problem of corruption, and state departments of education
and their own association are derelict, even fearful, of providing such training
and education.

However, examining board policies is a critical task for any taxpayer
group or FAC to undertake because it will indicate whether the board has any
concern about preventing school resources from being mismanaged and
protected from corruption. Failure to have such policy statements would be an
unequivocal indication that the board is either in denial or ignorant about the
nature and extent of school corruption; furthermore, it is also a green light for
corrupt acts to be committed.

Proposed Solution: Demand that the school board adopt policies and
practices that clearly manage resources more effectively, and that give the staff
and taxpayers clear evidence that preventing corrupt acts has the highest
priority. Demand too that school employees be trained to act responsibly and
honestly with school resources. Unfortunately, such education and training is
hard to find. School Corruption: Betrayal of Children and the Public Trust  5
provides information and guidelines for any district to become more

responsible with school resources.

Related articles

• Gloucester, VA School Board - : Asset Management
• Gloucester, VA School Board Candidates Open Public Forum
• Gloucester, VA Blank Check Tax Election Candidates, The Blakes
• Gloucester, VA More Page Middle School Corruption?
• Gloucester, VA Page Middle School Dis Service Announcement 4 With Video
• Gloucester, VA School Information You Didn't Know

Continued Gloucester County Employee Abuses - July 26th, 2013

Gloucester County Maintenance Truck Number 63 seen at Hardee's at 7:37 AM this morning, Friday, July 26th, 2013.  This was just sent to us at 8:11 AM.  This is the Hardee's on Gloucester's George Washington Memorial Hwy North in front of the old Wal Mart in front of Tractor Supply.

  This is a county employee conducting personal business at taxpayer expense.  Using taxpayer money to gas the vehicle and we have no idea if this employee is on the clock or not.  We have reported other people's sightings of Animal Control doing the same thing at this location, County employees entering county garages during evening hours on weekends when no county employee should be there, Twitching Ted, (I'm not an attorney) Wilmot, county attorney shopping at the local grocery store during business hours.

  This is your tax dollars being wasted by the county.  You can see why the county needs to raise taxes when all the employees keep conducting personal business at your expense.  Someone has to pay for all this and you are the one getting stuck with that bill.  Are you proud?  Has Hardee's become a new extension of the county and we have not been notified?  Or is it that if it were not for Hardee's some guys would never eat like the commercial says?  Maybe Gloucester should work out a commercial deal with Hardee's to help pay for all of this?

Hardee's (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Related articles

• Naked burglar accused of threatening elderly Chesapeake couple with knife
• Wal-Mart fires Employee - Pet Lovers Beware