The fiscal year 2027 budget that Spotsylvania County Administrator Ed Petrovich proposed to the board of supervisors Tuesday night leaves a $5.8 million shortfall for the county’s school division.
Superintendent Clint Mitchell’s latest budget showed a funding gap of $14.6 million, and Petrovich’s proposal covers most of the difference.
Mitchell said he’s appreciative of the county’s efforts to fund the school division, and he’s hopeful the remainder will be covered by state funds. He noted that when he was hired in 2024, he said it would take approximately three years to fully fund a $46.8 million gap, and this is a step in the right direction.
Petrovich’s proposal, which must be approved by the board of supervisors, provides more than $8 million to pay for a 2.7% cost-of-living adjustment for all school employees, a step increase for teachers, paraeducators, principals, and assistant principals, and a 2% merit increase for school employees not on a pay scale.
Petrovich also pledged to align school employees with the increases for county workers.
“I am absolutely delighted to hear that the county administrator has agreed to keep us in line with the proposed raises that he’s giving to his employees,” Mitchell said. “The amount that he provided us will go a long way to ensure that we keep our employees in the division. All staff members will get either a step increase, a cost-of-living increase, and/or a merit increase.”
Petrovich noted that the additional $14.1 million he proposed the county provide to the schools is less than last year’s $15.3 million. However, he added that the two years combined are more funds from the county to the schools in the 20 years prior to FY26.
“I’d like to fund more,” Petrovich said. “But given the challenges we faced with the budget this year, it’s difficult to give everybody what they asked for.”
Petrovich said covering the school division’s shortfall would require an additional 2 cents on the real estate tax rate. His proposed tax rate of 77 cents per $100 of assessed value is 9 cents above the equalized rate of 68 cents.
Petrovich lamented the constitutional amendment that provides tax relief for disabled veterans. He said between disabled veterans and elderly tax relief, the county will lose $20 million in the upcoming fiscal year.
“We’ve absorbed these costs in the past,” Petrovich said. “We can no longer absorb these costs moving forward without raising revenue to cover these costs … I love our veterans. I love our elderly. But to try to cover a $20 million loss in revenue without raising additional revenue is impossible.”
Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Drew Mullins, who represents the Courtland District, said he feels bad as a disabled veteran that he’s a burden on the county taxpayers and wishes he could do more to assist.
Chair Lori Hayes noted that other counties are grappling with the same issue and will soon lobby the state for assistance.
“We all agreed that this was the right thing to do and that’s what we want to do,” Hayes said of tax relief for disabled veterans and the elderly. “But the state needs to pony up some money at this point.”
Petrovich said the budget process begins in August just after the previous fiscal year ends. Therefore, he said, the county did not include projected revenue from Kalahari Resorts and Conventions, the 175,000-square-foot indoor water park and convention center that is scheduled to open in the Thornburg area at the end of the year. Petrovich also did not include projected revenue from data centers.
“This is kind of a bridge year between when those projects are going to be able to be completed and being able to collect revenue from those projects,” Petrovich said. “In FY28, we’ll be in better shape to know what those revenues are going to be … We’ll have one or two data centers fully operational by then.”
The board will vote on an advertised tax rate on Feb. 24.
In other business, the board pulled two resolutions from the consent agenda for discussion.
Mullins wanted further discussion on the resolution that reaffirms Spotsylvania’s position that the county is a “Second Amendment sanctuary,” meaning that the sheriff’s office will not enforce state-level gun laws that many believe infringe on constitutional rights.
The county approved a resolution in 2019 declaring its intent, and Livingston District Supervisor Jacob Lane reiterated that stance during a meeting on Jan. 29. On Tuesday, the board voted 7-0 to approve a new resolution on the matter as the General Assembly considers restrictions on assault weapons and other gun control measures.
The resolution states: “The board of supervisors hereby declares its opposition to unconstitutional restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms, included, but not limited to, any restrictions on related firearm accessories, firearm training and other similar items, services and activities which support the safe and lawful ownership and use of firearms in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United States of America, and that the board of supervisors hereby reaffirms and renews its declaration of 2019 that Spotsylvania County, Virginia is a Second Amendment sanctuary.”
The board also voted unanimously on a resolution supporting qualified immunity for public officials and government employees, including police officers, “acting in good faith within the scope of their office and employment.”
Battlefield District Supervisor Chris Yakabouski pulled the item from the consent agenda.
Supervisor Deborah Frazier of the Salem District wanted to make it clear that she’s supporting the resolution, which protects government employees and public officials from individual liability in civil lawsuits, because it requires that they were acting lawfully.
“I want everyone out in our community to know that this is no way would support actions like what happened with George Floyd when somebody is abusing their power or going above the law,” Frazier said … “I support this, but I will not ever support something that would put our citizens in jeopardy of anyone who’s abusing the law.”
