York Supes Buckle Down for Budget Talks

By WYDaily Staff Tuesday, March 02, 2010

The York County Board of Supervisors starts its examination of the coming year's proposed budget tonight at a work session that begins at 6.

Supervisors are faced with a budget shortfall, the full extent of which won't be known until the General Assembly signs off on a state budget. That's expected toward the end of this month.

At a recent budget briefing County Administrator James McReynolds called the initial budget, which represents $124.6 million in revenues, "a starting point."

"I think there is concern all around, because there are fewer dollars to accomplish the same goal," he said.

Supervisors have committed to keeping taxes level, and to keep steady the amount of money funneled to the public schools. That will mean county employees likely face another year - their third consecutive - without pay increases.

McReynolds said he's hopeful any shortfall will be addressed not through layoffs but a continued hiring freeze, attrition and, if necessary, furloughs.

York's supervisors will roll up their sleeves to tackle the budget at a series of work sessions, regular meetings and public hearings, and the public is encouraged to make its views known sooner rather than later.

An overview of the budget, along with budget information for the York County School Division, can be found here. The county is also providing a way to comment on the budget online.

Here's a link that provides answers to frequently asked questions about the York County budget.

The tentative agenda for meetings is:
March 2, 6 p.m. - Work session at regular meeting, York Hall East Room
March 9, 6 p.m. - Work session, York Hall East Room
March 18, 7 p.m. - Public hearings on the budget and proposed tax rates, York Hall Board Room
March 23, 6 p.m. - Work session, York Hall East Room
March 30, 6 p.m. - Work session, York Hall East Room (tentative)
April 6, 6 p.m. - Regular meeting, York Hall East Room, budget adoption