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ME.[00:21:15]
OKAY.[00:21:15]
GOOD[00:21:15]
EVENING.I'M SUSAN, SUPERVISOR HERE IN DISTRICT ONE.
WELCOME TO OUR WONDERFUL HERE.
UM, WE HAVE, UH, SEVEN PEOPLE HERE.
I'D LIKE TO MAKE SURE WE INTRODUCE, UH, KEN PETERSON HERE FROM DISTRICT FIVE SUPERVISOR ALL THE WAY FROM THE OTHER END OF THE COUNTY.
UH, WE HAVE SHERIFF
I'LL LET YOU INTRODUCE SERGEANT, AND THEN WE, AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE OUR COMMUNICATION SUPERVISOR.
AND OKAY, WE HAVE CHIEF FERGUSON, FIRE S CHIEF.
YOU WANNA DO CITY OF YOUR FOLKS HERE IF THEY'RE HERE.
WE HAVE, UH, DEPUTY CHIEF ON BOARD.
DEPUTY CHIEF, MIKE, THE CHIEF.
AND YES, THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
SO, UH, WE ALSO, THIS SEGMENT, SEGMENT WILL BE ON THE COUNTY, AND THEN THERE WILL BE A SEGMENT ON THE SCHOOLS.
HE'S HAD BOARD MEMBERS THAT ARE HERE TONIGHT AS WELL.
UH, I'LL LET YOU INTRODUCE THEM, UH, WHEN YOU COME UP, IF THAT'S OKAY.
SO, HEARING IN DISTRICT ONE, WHAT WE HEAR ABOUT THE MOST THINGS LIKE BROADBAND PHONE, SO SERVICE ROADS, THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE HEAR ABOUT OUT HERE THE MOST.
TONIGHT, WE'RE GONNA HAVE, UH, BIG CARPENTER FROM STARK COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR GOING OVER THE, THE ISSUES THAT THE COUNTY IS FACING RIGHT NOW, PRIMARILY IN, IN THE SPRING.
OUR TOWN HALLS HAVE TO DO WITH THE BUDGET.
SO WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT THE BUDGET, WHERE THE REVENUE'S COMING FROM, WHERE WE'RE SPENDING THE MONEY, AND WE'RE ASKING YOUR OPINION.
IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT YOU SEE IN HERE STILL THINK WE SHOULD BE DOING, WE SHOULD BE DOING MORE OF.
THAT'S WHAT THE TOWN HALL'S ALL ABOUT.
PLEASE ASK QUESTIONS AT ANY TIME THAT YOU, AT ANY TIME.
SO RIGHT NOW, I'D LIKE TO TURN IT ALL OVER TO, UH, MR. CARPENTER AND I'LL BE RIGHT HERE.
WE'LL ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE.
THANK YOU, MS. LAS WELL, GOOD EVENING.
WELCOME TO THE WESTERN TOWN HALL FOR GUIN COUNTY BURB SCHOOL.
I APPRECIATE ALL Y'ALL TAKING YOUR TIME TONIGHT TO COME OUT.
UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE AN ORGANIZATION THAT EMBRACED THE TRANSPARENCY, STUFF LIKE THIS IS FUN, IT'S ENJOYABLE.
YOU LIKE TO GET OUT AND TALK TO PEOPLE TO SEE, TO LISTEN, TO HEAR, TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS THAT'S IMPORTANT TO THEM.
WHEN WE BUILD A BUDGET, WE'RE TRYING TO BUILD SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO ACCOMPLISH THE GOALS, THE DREAMS, AND THE OBJECTIVES THAT OUR CITIZENS HAVE.
YOU KNOW, BUDGET IS THE TOOL THAT WE USE TO ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISH GOALS.
AND PEOPLE SAY, I WANT BETTER PUBLIC SAFETY.
WELL, HOW DO YOU DO IT? WELL, YOU SEE IN YOUR BUDGET, SOMEONE TOLD ME A LONG TIME AGO THAT YOU CAN TELL WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO A BOARD OF SUPERVISOR BY WHERE THEY SPEND THEIR MONEY WHEN THEY GO TO MEETINGS AND SAY, WELL, WE'RE GONNA DO THIS, THIS, THIS.
BUT THEY DON'T PUT IT IN THEIR BUDGET.
SO THIS BUDGET IS A REFLECTION OF WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO US IN GUGEN COUNTY.
SO TONIGHT, I'M GONNA PAINT YOU A PICTURE.
IT'S GONNA BE A PICTURE THOUGH WITH NUMBERS AND STATISTICS.
UH, STORY TWO, A STORY BY COMMITMENTS.
COMMITMENTS MADE PROMISES THAT ARE GONNA BE KEPT.
UH, IT'S A STORY ABOUT OUR PEOPLE, OUR VALUES, WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO US IN GSOM COUNTY.
SO THIS IS OUR, AS WE SAID, OUR TOWN HALL MEETING ON THE EASTERN SIDE.
AND SO WE'RE GONNA START WITH WHAT'S IMPORTANT, OKAY? AND WHAT'S
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IMPORTANT.YOU KNOW, OUR PRIORITIES, LIKE I JUST SAID, UH, A BUDGET HAS TO HAVE A FRAMEWORK, YOU KNOW, BOUNDARIES, THAT IT STAYS WITHIN.
THESE GUIDE YOU WHEN YOU BUILD A BUDGET.
AND THIS BUDGET STAYS TRUE TO THAT.
SO WHAT DOES THIS BUDGET DO? WELL, I'LL TELL YOU, THIS BUDGET IS CONSISTENT WITH THE BOARD'S STRATEGIC PLAN.
IT MEETS OR EXCEEDS EVERY FINANCIAL POLICY THAT THIS BOARD HAS SET FOR US TO ADHERE TO.
AND IT MAINTAINS CONSERVATIVE APPROACHES TO BUDGET.
BUT THIS BUDGET CONTINUES TO EXPAND OUR PUBLIC SAFETY SERVICE LEVELS.
IT MAINTAINS COMPETITIVE EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION LEVELS.
IT KEEPS OUR UTILITIES SELF-SUFFICIENT, AND IT SUPPORTS GENERAL OPERATIONS BY PROVIDING NECESSARY ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO THOSE AREAS AFFECTED BY GROWTH.
SO, AS WE GO THERE, LET'S TALK ABOUT OUR, OUR ECONOMY IS A STRONG ECONOMY IN GUCCI COUNTY.
WE ARE FORTUNATE IN THAT RESPECT.
WE CONTINUE TO SEE PEOPLE WANTING TO MOVE HERE AND LIVE HERE.
PUBLIC SAFETY AND EDUCATION REMAIN PRIORITIES TO THIS COMMUNITY.
YOU'LL SEE AS WE GET INTO IT THAT WE MAKE SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN OUR C I P PLAN.
THERE IS NO INCREASE IN OUR REAL ESTATE TAX RATE OR OUR SEWER SERVICE RATES.
IN FACT, WE'RE TRYING TO LOOK FOR WAYS TO MINIMIZE AND DECREASE THOSE TAXES.
BUT IT DOES INCLUDE COST OF LIVING, SALARY INCREASES FOR COUNTY EMPLOYEES, AND ALSO A MANDATED, UM, INCREASES IN OUR, UH, COMPARISON FOR OUR, OUR, OUR BENEFITS.
SO LET'S START AGAIN WITH THE REVENUE.
THE ASSESSED VALUE OF OUR COUNTY CONTINUES TO GROW, AND THIS IS CUZ OF A COMBINATION OF NEW DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH AND EXISTING PROPERTY VALUES.
NOW, WHEN YOU PUT ALL THE FUNDS TOGETHER, THAT GUCCI COUNTY GENERATES OUR BUDGET'S ABOUT 140 MILLION.
NOW, THAT MONEY COMES FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES, BUT TAXES, TAXES ARE THE LARGEST SOURCE THAT COMES FROM.
NOW WHEN YOU TAKE OUT THE FUNDS THAT ARE NOT PART OF THE COUNTY'S GENERAL FUND, SO THAT WOULD BE UTILITIES, THAT'D BE SCHOOLS, C I P, SPECIAL FUNDS, OUR GENERAL FUND IS ABOUT 86 MILLION.
NOW, IT HELPS TO UNDERSTAND WHERE OUR NUMBERS COME FROM.
SO WE START IN DECEMBER AND WE START IN DECEMBER.
WE START IN DECEMBER BY LOOKING AT KNOWN DATA THAT'S BUILDING PERMITS, THE ASSESSMENT VALUES, THE GROWTH RATES AND, AND WHAT'S PROJECTED FUTURE FEDS ARE GONNA HAPPEN, WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN, A RECESSION GONNA HIT, INFLATION'S GONNA HURT US.
ECONOMIC BUSTS AND BOOMS. WE TAKE ALL THAT INTO ACCOUNT AND THEN WE'VE GOTTA FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN 18 MONTHS FROM NOW.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE TRY TO DO, IS PUT ALL THAT TOGETHER AND COME UP, UH, YOU KNOW, NO PLACE THAT I FOUND SALES CRYSTAL BALLS, BUT WE DO THE VERY BEST WE CAN IN PROJECTING REVENUES, WHAT THEY'RE GONNA BE WHEN THEY COME IN, SO THAT WE CAN THEN ANTICIPATE WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO FROM THERE.
SO, SORRY, GOTTA AHEAD OF MYSELF FOR A SECOND.
ALRIGHT, SO THERE'S THE REVENUES I WAS JUST TELLING YOU ABOUT.
SO, 86.5 MILLION FROM OUR GENERAL FUND REVENUE.
SO THE COUNTY'S GENERAL FUND OPERATING EXPENDITURES OF THAT AMOUNT TO ABOUT THIR 138 MILLION.
AND YOU SEE THE WAY IT'S BROKEN DOWN, UH, BUT OF THAT ABOUT 51 MILLION IS IN OUR GENERAL FUND.
NOW, THE GENERAL FUND IS WHAT YOU SEE WHEN THE COUNTY, WHEN YOU DEAL WITH THE COUNTY, THAT'S GENERALLY WHAT YOU'RE GONNA SEE AS THE COUNTY'S GENERAL FUND OF THAT.
PUBLIC SAFETY IN COURTS IS ABOUT 50% OF THE MONEY THE COUNTY'S GONNA SPEND NEXT YEAR FROM ITS GENERAL FUND.
NOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHERE THE MONEY IS GONE, THAT'S HOW IT BREAKS DOWN.
SO THE TOTAL BUDGET INCREASES BY 11.5% OVER LAST YEAR, BUT THE VAST MAJORITY OF THAT'S GONNA COME IN OUR COMMITMENT TO PUBLIC SAFETY AND SCHOOL RELATED C I P.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA GET INTO.
SO WE SAY THAT OUR COMMITMENT TO PUBLIC SAFETY IS STRONG.
SO LET'S LOOK AT WHAT WE'RE DOING FOR PUBLIC SAFETY IN THIS BUDGET COMING UP THIS YEAR, COMPARED TO EVERY, THE TOTAL GROWTH OF 11.5%, THE GENERAL FUND GREW BY ABOUT 9.5%.
AND OF THAT 9.5%, THAT'S $4.4 MILLION.
3.4 MILLION OF THAT IS FOR PUBLIC SAFETY GROWTH.
PUBLIC SAFETY IN THIS CURRENT BUDGET WE'RE LOOKING AT IS GONNA GROW BY 18.1%.
ALL OTHER GENERAL FUND SPENDING IS GONNA GROW BY 3.4%.
SO WE MAINTAIN OUR COMMITMENT TO PROVIDING STRONG PUBLIC SAFETY, OUR SHERIFF'S OFFICE, OUR FIRE EMERGENCY RESCUE 9 1 1 IN ORDER TO COMMIT THAT.
SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY, WHAT ARE WE FUNDING WITHOUT MONEY? WELL, NINE NEW PHYSICIANS IN PUBLIC SAFETY OF FUNDED IN THIS BUDGET.
SIX OF FIRE, TWO SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES, ONE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATOR.
THESE ARE THE FULL-TIME POSITIONS THAT ARE FUNDED.
NOW, WE'VE ALSO OFFERED REGIONALLY COMPETITIVE PAY SCALES TO DEPUTIES, FIRE AND RESCUE AS WELL.
YOU KNOW, THESE GUYS HAVE TO COMPETE WITH HENRICO, THEY HAVE TO COMPETE WITH CHESTERFIELD, THEY HAVE TO COMPETE WITH PEOPLE WITH HUGE BUDGETS COMPARED TO OURS.
SO WE TRY TO HELP THEM BE AS COMPETITIVE AS WE CAN AND GIVE THEM THE ABILITY TO GIVE PAY INCREASES TO THEIR DEPUTIES AND TO THEIR FIRE AND RESCUE SO THEY DON'T LEAVE US AND GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.
ADDITIONAL, YOU'RE GONNA SEE THERE'S AN ADDITIONAL COMPETITIVE,
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UM, FOR EMERGENCY COMMUNICATORS.YEAH, THAT'S THE FIRST, FIRST RESPONDER.
WHEN YOU PICK UP THAT PHONE AND CALL NINE ONE ONE, THEY'RE THE ONES WHO MAKE SURE SOMETHING HAPPENS THAT NEEDS TO BE HAPPENING.
SO BEFORE THAT DEPUTY EVER COMES, THAT THAT TELECOMMUNICATOR IS GONNA TAKE THAT CALL AND GET US SENT OUT.
WE'RE MAKING SURE THAT OUR PEOPLE ARE COMPETITIVE SO THEY DON'T LOOK SOMEWHERE ELSE EITHER AND GO SOMEWHERE ELSE AND LEAVE US DISH.
WE'RE GONNA BE ADDING A NEW FIRETRUCK, A NEW BRUSH TRUCK, EIGHT NEW SHERIFF'S VEHICLES, AND THEN THE FUNDING FOR WEST CREEK FIRE STATION IS IN THE BUDGET AS WELL.
SO WE CAN START BUILDING THAT.
NOW, WE ALSO CONTRIBUTE SIGNIFICANTLY TO OUR LOCAL SCHOOLS.
NOW SCHOOL'S GONNA TALK A LOT MORE ABOUT IT, SO I'M NOT REALLY GONNA GET INTO THE SCHOOL BUDGET, BUT THIS BUDGET ALLOCATES ABOUT 60 MILLION FOR SCHOOLS.
THE SCHOOL'S GENERAL FUND ACCOUNTS ABOUT 40.7 MILLION OF IT, ADDITIONAL 19 MILLION IN C I P.
THAT'S CONSTRUCTION AND PROGRESS OF THE 40.7.
GUC COUNTY IS CONTRIBUTING ABOUT 26.7, WHICH IS ABOUT A 5% LITTLE LESS 4.9% INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR FOR SCHOOLS.
BUT WE'LL ALSO NOTICE THAT THEY TOOK DECREASES IN OTHER PARTS OF THEIR BUDGETS.
SO THEIR BUDGET ACCIDENTALLY GROWS BY THREE TENTHS 1% FROM LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR.
RAYLEY'S GONNA COVER ALL THAT IN A LOT GREATER DETAIL THAN I'M ABLE TO EMPLOY YOU.
SO WE MOVE ON FROM THERE TO UTILITIES.
AND UTILITIES IS A BIG PART OF THE COUNTY BUDGET.
UH, NOW THE COUNTY UTILITIES ARE LOCATED IN THE EASTERN AND THE COURTHOUSE SECTION OF THE COUNTY AND UTILITIES IS WHAT'S CONSIDERED AN ENTERPRISE FUND.
IT'S A SELF-SUFFICIENT ENTERPRISE OF THE COUNTY.
IT'S A BUSINESS UNIT OF THE COUNTY.
SO IT CANNOT BE SUBSIDIZED BY THE GENERAL TAXPAYERS.
IT CAN ONLY BE SUBSIDIZED BY THE PEOPLE WHO BENEFIT FROM THE SERVICES OR FROM THE SERVICE DISTRICT.
SO WHEN WE LOOK AT THE COUNTY'S BUDGET FOR UTILITIES, WHAT YOU'LL SEE RIGHT THERE IS THAT THIS YEAR'S REVENUE PROJECTIONS, IT INCLUDE A PREVIOUSLY IMPROVED INCREASE TO USERS FROM 3% FOR WATER AND 4% FOR SEWER, AND FIVE AND A HALF PERCENT FOR CONNECTION FEES.
NOW, THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE MONEY WE SPEND GOES TO PAY DEBT THAT'S INCURRED BY THE TUCKAHOE CREEK SERVICE DISTRICT, AND TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR SERVICE PROJECTS AND THEIR, THEIR CONSTRUCTION AND C I P PROJECTS ARE ONGOING AND ARE WELL MANAGED.
THE REMAINING GROWTH OF THEIR BUDGET IS JUST OPERATIONAL COST, HEALTH INSURANCE, SALARY ADJUSTMENTS, INFLATION, THINGS LIKE THAT.
C I P I KEEP MENTIONING C I P.
WELL, THE COUNTY'S C I P FOR NEXT YEAR IS 25 MILLION ROUGHLY.
NOW THE COUNTY ACTUALLY HAS A 25 YEAR C I P PLAN THAT IF WE WERE ABLE TO BUILD EVERYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WE THINK IS GONNA COST US IS ABOUT A 612 MILLION PLAN FOR THE NEXT 25 YEARS.
THAT INCLUDES FIRE STATIONS, NEW SCHOOLS, NEW COURTHOUSES, MAJOR WORK THAT HAS TO BE DONE, FIRETRUCK, SHERIFF'S VEHICLES FOR 25 YEARS.
NOT NOT MANY PLACES ARE LOOKING 25 YEARS INTO THE FUTURE, TRYING TO ANTICIPATE WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE NOW TO GET US TO WHERE WE HAVE TO BE THEN.
SO EVERY YEAR, THE COUNCIL, UH, THE BOARD GOES THROUGH AND REVIEWS AND REVISES AS NEEDED.
UH, LAST WEEK THE BOARD MET TO LOOK AT THE, UH, PLAN FOR WHERE WE'RE GOING FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS.
THIS YEAR, SPENDING 25 MILLION REPRESENTS AN INCREASE OF 53% OVER LAST YEAR, UH, ABOUT 8 MILLION MORE THAN WE SPENT LAST YEAR.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF THAT, THOSE GOING TO EDUCATION ARE SCHOOLS THE NEW GOON ELEMENTARY THAT HOPEFULLY EVERYONE'S HAD A CHANCE TO SEE DRIVE BY.
UM, IT'S CURRENTLY UNDERWAY, AND AGAIN, THEY'LL TELL YOU MORE ABOUT THAT.
UM, BUT, UH, ALSO HVAC WORK AT THE HIGH SCHOOL.
SO BETWEEN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND THE HIGH SCHOOL, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT $19 MILLION GOING TO, UH, SCHOOLS FOR PROJECTS LIKE THAT.
SO TO KIND OF SUMMARIZE WHAT ALL WE'RE DOING, WHAT DO WE ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISH WITH A BUDGET? A LOT OF MONEY.
WELL, AND LIKE I SAID EARLIER, THE TRUE MEASURE OF WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO COMMUNITIES IS WHERE YOU SPEND YOUR MONEY.
SO THIS IS WHAT THIS BUDGET DOES.
WE CONTINUE TO MEET THE EXTRAORDINARILY HIGH FINANCIAL STANDARDS THAT WE SET FOR OURSELF.
AND, AND BY DOING SO, GJA COUNTY REMAINS AMERICA'S SMALLEST COUNTY WITH A TRIPLE, TRIPLE A RATING.
EVERY SINGLE CREDIT RATING AGENCY HAS GIVEN US A TRIPLE A RATING.
NO OTHER COUNTY IN AMERICA CLOSE TO OUR SIZE, HAS THAT.
SO THAT'S THE FIRST THING WE ACCOMPLISH.
WE CONTINUE TO MEET THESE EXTRAORDINARILY HIGH FINANCIAL STANDARDS WE SET FOR US.
WE ALSO PROVIDE MARKET-BASED SALARY ADJUSTMENTS TO STATIC.
LET'S FACE IT, IT'S A TOUGH WORLD OUT THERE TOO.
SO IT REFLECTS THE COMPETITIVE AND CHALLENGING MARKET.
WE FIND OURSELF IN THIS BUDGET KEEPS PUBLIC SAFETY AT A TOP PRIORITY.
NINE NEW POSITIONS FOR PUBLIC SAFETY, NEW VEHICLES SAFETY GEAR.
IN ADDITION, MARKET COMPETITIVE SALARY ADJUSTMENTS THAT ALLOW US TO RETAIN OUR EXISTING WE EMPLOYEES AND WE HOPE ATTRACT BETTER NEW ONES WHEN WE'RE LOOKING FOR THEM.
YEAH, THIS BUDGET ENSURES THAT EDUCATION REMAINS A PRIORITY.
A 1.2 MILLION INCREASE IN OUR LOCAL FUNDING EFFORTS, AND 19 MILLION EFFORT IN INVESTMENT IN SCHOOL RELATED CIP P PROJECTS.
AND AGAIN, 15 MILLION OF THAT IS GOING TO ENSURE THAT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION IS ADEQUATELY FUNDED.
THIS BUDGET INCLUDES THE NECESSARY FUNDING FOR STUDIES THAT
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WE NEED TO DO TO UNDERSTAND THE GROWTH AND THE IMPACTS GROWTH IS COMING.SO YOU CAN BE PREPARED FOR THOSE NEXT YEARS AS THEY COME GUIDING AND MANAGING US IN THAT REFLECT.
AND IT ALSO MAINTAINS THE LINE ON PROPERTY TAX RATES, AND WE CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON WAYS TO ACTUALLY REDUCE THE TAXES THE PEOPLE AND OUR CITIZENS ARE PAYING.
SO WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? WELL, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE ECONOMY.
I MEAN, IF YOU FOLLOW THE NEWS, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A DANGEROUS WORLD WE LIVE IN.
UH, RECESSION IS ALWAYS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER.
THE FED RAISE RATES AGAIN TODAY.
SO WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO MONITOR ALL THAT TO BE AWARE OF THAT, AND SO THAT WE CAN MAKE THE NECESSARY DECISIONS THAT WE HAVE TO DO.
WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO WORK TO UNDERSTAND HOW OUR PUBLIC SAFETY NEEDS TO BE POSITIONED IN ORDER TO DEAL WITH THE GROSS GROWTH THAT WE'RE BLESSED WITH.
UM, RIGHT NOW THERE'S A FIRE SURVEY OUT THAT WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE NEEDS OF OUR FIRE SERVICES SO THAT WE CAN BEST RESPOND TO WHAT OUR CITIZENS WANT.
WE'RE GONNA REMAIN FOCUSED ON THE GROWTH OF OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM, AND WE'RE GONNA SAY STRONG ALLIES.
THE FACT THAT YOU'VE GOT YOUR BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND YOUR SCHOOL BOARD, YOUR SUPERINTENDENT AND YOUR ADMINISTRATOR IN THE SAME ROOM TALKING THE SAME THING, THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN MANY PLACES.
YOU'VE GOTTA KNOW THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN.
THAT'S AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT MAKES THIS COUNTY THIS PLACE SPECIAL.
WE'RE DOING THAT AND, AND GUYS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE IN AN ENVIABLE POSITION COMPARED TO SO MANY PEOPLE.
THAT'S JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF IT.
UM, BUT WE REMAIN, YOU KNOW, VIGILANT.
WE'RE ALWAYS GONNA DO THE BEST JOB WE CAN FOR YOU.
OUR PROMISED OUR CITIZENS IS THAT WE TAKE VERY SERIOUSLY THE TRUST THAT YOU PUT IN IT.
SO THIS IS THE SECOND TOWN HALL WE'RE DOING.
WE DID OUR FIRST ONE MARCH 8TH.
WE'LL DO ANOTHER ONE NEXT WEEK.
COMING UP ON MARCH 30TH, OVER AT THE CENTRAL HIGH COMPLEX.
AND GENTLEMEN, WE'D LOVE TO SEE YOU.
AND YOU KNOW, THAT'S ALWAYS A GOOD REASON TO COME OUT HERE.
UM, APRIL 4TH, WE'LL HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING, UH, THAT'LL BE AT THE, UM, ADMINISTRATION COMPLEX IN THE COURTHOUSE AREA.
THAT'S WHEN WE'LL SET AND GO OVER, GIVE THE CITIZENS A CHANCE ALSO TO COMMENT ON IT.
UM, THEN APRIL 18TH, THE BUDGET WOULD ACTUALLY BE ADOPTED.
SO MS. LASETTE SAID EARLIER IS, LET US HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS.
YOU KNOW, UNTIL IT'S ADOPTED, THE BUDGET IS ALWAYS A WORK IN PROGRESS.
SO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE HEAR FROM YOU WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE AND WHAT'S GONNA BE HAPPENING.
SO NOW LET'S KIND OF GO INTO SOME OTHER STUFF.
WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING? WELL, WE GOT A LOT OF STUFF GOING ON IN THE COUNTY RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, AND, AND I ALWAYS LIKE TO THROW IN PICTURES OF THE ANIMAL SHELTER.
YOU KNOW, PUPPIES AND KITTIES.
IT'S ALWAYS HARD TO, YOU KNOW, TURN THOSE DOWN.
UM, ENCOURAGE YOU ALWAYS GO BY THE ANIMAL SHELTER OPEN, UH, TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY, 10:00 AM TO 4:00 PM UM, SATURDAY OPEN TILL TWO.
UM, GO BY AND AND FIND YOURSELF A NEW LIFELONG FRIEND.
SO LET'S START WITH A BOND REFERENDUM UPDATE.
OF COURSE, THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GROUNDBREAKING HAS OCCURRED AS I'M MISSING.
YOU SEE RIGHT THERE, THAT SHOT OF IT.
UH, THE HIGH SCHOOL PARKING LOT AND BULLDOG WAY IMPROVEMENTS.
THEY'VE ALREADY BEEN COMPLETED AS WELL.
AND WHERE THE HIGH, THE PARKING LOT HAS BULLDOG WAY IS ALMOST.
AND THEN THE WEST CREEK FIRE STATION, AGAIN, THE, UH, PLANNING COMMISSION HAS APPROVED IT.
THE BOARD OF SUPERVISOR WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO APPROVE IT.
AND THEN WE WILL GO OUT IMMEDIATELY THE NEXT DAY AND START WORKING ON BUILDING THAT FIRE STATION OVER WEST CREEK FIREFLY INTERNET KEEPING OUR COMMUNITIES COM UH, CONNECTED.
THAT'S A PRETTY IMPORTANT REALITY FOR A LOT OF US.
I LIVE JUST MAYBE A MILE FROM HERE AND I DON'T HAVE INTERNET.
A LOT OF Y'ALL DON'T HAVE INTERNET.
THIS PART OF THE COUNTY, UH, FIREFLY IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE COMMITMENT THAT THIS COUNTY AND REGION HAVE MADE TO TRYING TO GET HIGH SPEED BROADBAND TO ALL AREAS OF THIS COMMUNITY.
YOU SEE THE PARTNERS THAT WE'VE JOINED WITH THE GUCCI COUNTY, UH, IN ORDER TO RUN IT TO UM, THE INTERNET TO A VARIETY OF PLACES.
IT'S AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW IN THE CEX SYSTEM AND IT'S UNDERWAY IN THE, UM, R E C SERVICE AREA.
THOSE ARE THE POWER UTILITIES CO-OPS, UM, DOMINION ENERGIES, BEGINNING THEIR MIDDLE MILE FIBER.
UM, THEY'RE STARTING TO RUN THEIR LINE DOWN.
UM, THE DOMINION LINES, UH, FROM ONCE MANY GETS THAT DONE, THEN OUR CO-OPS WILL BE ABLE TO CONNECT, UH, THE FIREFLY TO UH, WHAT THEY CALL THE LAST MILE.
AND THEN YOU SEE THE DATE AND THE TIMELINES.
SOME PLACES HAVE ALREADY HAVE IT SOMEPLACE.
UH, WE'LL SHOULD BE HAVING IT.
I THINK IT'S ABOUT ANOTHER TWO YEARS TO FINISH IT OUT WHEN WE'LL BE DONE.
BUT IT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW AS WE SEE, UH, GUCCI COUNTY HAS COMMITTED.
I'LL POINT OUT TO YOU OVER THREE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS TO MAKE SURE THIS HAPPENS.
SO THIS IS A COMMITMENT NOT JUST AT THE STATE AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, BUT OUR LOCAL COUNTY AS WELL, TO MAKE SURE THAT BROADBAND.
AND THERE YOU SEE THE AREAS AGAIN, THE MAP.
YOU CAN COME UP AND LOOK AT IT JUST TO SEE.
UH, ALSO WE'LL BE ABLE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS SPECIFICALLY ABOUT IT.
VILLAGE PLANS HAS COMMITMENT THOSE MADE ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO TO, TO UNDERSTAND THE AREAS WHERE THE GROWTH IS HAPPENING AND TRY TO MAINTAIN WHAT IS IMPORTANT IN GUC AND COUNTY.
SO LET ME GIVE YOU THE UPDATE ON OUR VILLAGE PLANS AND WHERE WE ARE.
THE TWO VILLAGE PLANS THAT WE'RE CONSIDERING RIGHT NOW.
ONE IS THE COURTHOUSE AND ONE IS IN THE CENTERVILLE AREA.
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THAT ARE GONNA BE HELD IN MARCH.RIGHT NOW THE TIM GROUP IS PROVIDING FOR US WITH A FRESH VIEW, A FRESH PERSPECTIVE ON THESE PLANS, REVIEWING EVERYTHING THAT'S PREVIOUSLY BEEN SAID AND INPUT INTO THIS PROCESS.
A NEW FRAMEWORK THAT'S GONNA FOCUS ON, ON REGULATING PRINCIPLES THAT IDENTIFY APPROPRIATE DEVELOPMENT AREAS AND ALSO BALANCING THE CHARACTER OF THIS AREA.
SO WE MAINTAIN WHAT MAKES US SPECIAL.
YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE DESIRES OF OUR BOARD IS TO MAINTAIN THAT 85, 15% BALANCE OF 85% RURAL AND AGRICULTURE, 15% COMMERCIAL DEVELOPED.
SO NEXT STEPS, AGAIN, WE'VE, UM, HAVING A WORK SESSION COMING UP WITH OUR PLANNING COMMISSION.
OUR COMMUNITY UPDATE MEETING, UH, WILL BE, UH, IN APRIL, UH, PLANNING COMMISSION AND BOARD OF SUPERVISOR AND PUBLIC HEARINGS LATE SPRING.
THERE'S STILL TIME TO COME AND UNDERSTAND TO GO ON OUR COUNTY'S WEBSITE, GUC AND VA US VILLAGE PLANS.
YOU CAN SEE WHERE WE ARE WITH THE PLANS AS WELL.
AND THEN THIS IS IMPORTANT TO THE EASTERN CHARTER COUNTIES.
BUT JUST TO UPDATE, CUZ THIS IS SIGNIFICANT PROJECT THAT'S OUR FOURTH MAIN REPLACEMENT, UH, SEWER, UM, A MAJOR SEWER PROJECT THAT'S UNDERWAY.
IT'S BEEN EFFECT A SIGNIFICANT PART OF THAT PART OF THE COUNTY AS WE REPLACE THE SEWER LINES IN THE GROUND.
THE FORCE MAIN, UM, WE AWARDED THE PROJECT IN DECEMBER OF 22 AND WE SHOULD ANTICIPATE THAT IT'LL BE FINISHED SOMETIME THE PHASE THREE OF IT IN, UH, JUNE OF 24.
SO PHASE 1 23, YOU SEE THERE, TALK ABOUT TRANSPORTATION AND ROADS.
IF YOU DRIVE DOWN 5 22 THE COURTHOUSE, YOU SEE THE, UH, TRAFFIC CIRCLE THAT'S UNDERWAY RIGHT NOW.
IT STARTED IN JULY AND IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE FINISHED IN OCTOBER.
THEY'RE REACHING THAT CRITICAL STAGE THAT EVERYONE LOVES WHEN THEY START CLOSING THE ROADS.
SO WE'RE GONNA BE GETTING THAT SOON.
WE START SEEING THE SIGNS ARE UP THAT ARE COVERED NOW, BUT THEY'LL START SENDING DETOURS FROM HERE.
OUR DETOUR WOULD BE TO TAKE, UM, BULLDOG WAY TO GET TO, UH, THE BOOT LINE OR TO TAKE, UH, DIXON ROAD TO UH, GET OVER TO 5 22, UH, THE EXTENSION OF THE ROAD ITSELF.
UM, THAT'LL BE THE, UH, LET'S SEE IF LITTLE LIGHT DID.
OKAY, SO THE FAIRGROUND ROAD EXTENSION, THE ENGINEERING IS UNDERWAY AND WE WOULD ANTICIPATE THAT WE WILL BE AWARDING THAT PROJECT IN FEBRUARY OF 25.
AND THEN WE COMPLETED THE ACTUAL STUDY OF THE FAIRGROUND ROAD BEFORE DOOR ITSELF.
THIS IS KIND OF A SAFETY STUDY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE ISSUES ARE FOR PARA ROAD FOUR DOOR AND WHAT SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS COULD BE OR NEED TO BE DONE ON THAT ROAD.
OTHER STUDIES ARE LOOKING AT A NEW, UH, ROUTE 2 88 INTERCHANGE STUDY, UM, THAT IS BEING CONDUCTED JUST TO BETTER UNDERSTAND FUTURE INTERCHANGES THAT MIGHT BE BUILT ON 2 88.
AND THE SAME THING, THE OILVILLE ROAD I 64 INTERCHANGE.
THE, THE ROUNDABOUT 4 MILLION HAS BEEN AWARDED TO THAT ALREADY.
UH, IT'LL ALLEVIATE, UH, SOME OF THE ISSUES YOU SEE AT OILVILLE ROAD AND I 64.
UH, THOSE OF YOU WHO HADN'T TRAVELED ON THE INTERSTATE 64 THIS MORNING, UH, FOUND EVEN ONCE AGAIN WHEN IT FIGHTS AND FIGHTS.
UH, 18 WHEELER DIDN'T, DIDN'T DO SO WELL THIS MORNING AND IT WAS SHUT DOWN FOR QUITE A WHILE.
SO MANAGING SOME OF THOSE PROJECTS IS PRETTY IMPORTANT FOR US THAT WE DO IT.
ALSO, WE TALK A LOT ABOUT THE ASHLAND ROAD.
AGAIN, THAT'S THE EASTERN PART OF THE COUNTY, BUT WHAT WE CALL THE D I THE DIVERGENT DIAMOND INTERSECTION INTERCHANGE.
AND IF YOU'VE BENEFIT AT ZION'S CROSSROADS, THAT'S A DBI AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE, UH, GONNA BE BUILDING.
UH, WE'RE PURSUING THE ADDITIONAL FUNDS NECESSARY TO DO THE FULL SCOPE OF THE PROJECT.
WE ANTICIPATE THAT IT'LL BE, UM, AWARDED AND BID IN 28.
SO STILL A COUPLE YEARS BEFORE THAT WILL BE FINISHED, BUT IT'S GONNA BE A CRITICAL IMPROVEMENT TO THIS COUNTY AND TO THE CITIZENS WHO HAVE TO USE THAT, THE INTERSTATE IN THAT AREA.
UH, WE'VE ALREADY STARTED WORKING ON RELOCATING THE PARKING RIDE ON THAT INTERSECTION AS WELL.
AND THEN THOSE OF YOU WHO TRAVEL ON THE HAW ROAD AREA, UH, THE REALIGNMENT FULLY FUNDED PROJECT.
SO THE ENGINEERING BEGINS THIS YEAR.
UH, WE'LL BE LOOKING TO WARD AND BID IT IN 26TH AND THAT WOULD JUST KIND OF REALIGN H ROADS, IT LINES UP AND YOU CAN GO STRAIGHT DOWN, UH, TO THE INTERSTATE WITHOUT HAVING TO DO THAT LITTLE ZIGZAG IN THE CHAT TO DO ANOTHER GOOD DAY.
AS YOU'VE BEEN DRIVING AROUND IN LATELY, EVERYONE IN, UH, GUCCI COUNTY MUST HAVE THE CLEANEST CARS IN AMERICA CUZ ALL THE LITERS ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.
SO WE'RE HAVING A COUNTYWIDE CLEANUP TODAY, APRIL 22ND, UH, FROM 8:00 AM TO NOON.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE A NUMBER OF PLACES YOU CAN GO TO PICK UP AND DROP OFF YOUR BAGS.
UM, WE'RE GONNA BE PROVIDED YOU'VE ALREADY HOPEFULLY STARTED SEEING SOME OF THE COMMUNICATIONS, WE'RE REALLY GONNA BE PUSHING IN THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS TO, TO GET PEOPLE OUT AND ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT AS WELL.
UM, INFORMATION'S ON THE COUNTY'S WEBSITE OR YOU CAN CALL THE COUNTY AS WELL.
BUT OUR CLEANUP DAY IS GONNA BE SOMETHING THAT, UH, HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE ABLE TO MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE ON.
AND AS I MENTIONED BRIEFLY ABOUT THE FIRE MASTER PLAN GOING ON RIGHT NOW, AGAIN, ENCOURAGE YOU ALL.
IF YOU HAVE NOT PARTICIPATED, PLEASE DO.
YOU CAN USE A QR CODE, YOU CAN GO ONLINE AND DO IT.
IT DOESN'T TAKE LONG TO DO IT, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT EVERYBODY PARTICIPATES.
WE CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT OUR NEEDS BE, UH, WHAT WE NEED TO BE FOCUSING ON FOR FIRE AND RESCUE AND COMING YEARS.
AND AS I SAID AT THE BEGINNING, WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU'RE NOT AFRAID OF TRANSPARENCY, THEN YOU ENJOY THESE KINDS OF MEETINGS.
AND CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT IS VERY IMPORTANT
[00:45:01]
TO THIS COUNTY AND THIS COMMUNITY.THESE ARE WAYS THAT WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO ENGAGE WITH THE COUNTY, OBVIOUSLY THE COUNTY'S WEBSITE AND YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR NOTIFICATION SO THAT IF SOMETHING'S HAPPENING, IF YOU'RE SIGNED UP FOR A PAGE, IT'LL HINDER YOUR, YOUR EMAIL AND YOUR TEXT, WHATEVER YOU ASK FOR.
SAME THING ON FACEBOOK CODE RED.
YOU NEED TO BE SIGNED UP FOR CODE RED, UM, TWITTER, UH, AS WELL ON OUR
IF YOU DO, THEN YOU KNOW WHEN THIS INTERSTATES ARE SHUT DOWN AND THINGS LIKE THAT HAPPEN.
OUR BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING EVERY FIRST TUESDAY OF THE MONTH.
WE, UH, OUR, OUR CONSENTING AGENDA BEGINS AT TWO O'CLOCK AND THEN, UH, PUBLIC HEARINGS AFTER THAT IN THE EVENING.
WE ALWAYS POST THESE TOWN HALLS AND EVERYTHING ON OUR COUNTY WEBSITE.
WE HAVE OUR CHECKBOOK, WE HAVE OUR, OUR BUDGETS, EVERYTHING IS THERE.
UH, WE ENCOURAGE TRANSPARENCY THE BEST THAT WE CAN.
SO YOU CAN GO ON THE COUNTY WEBSITE AND FIND ANYTHING ABOUT ANYTHING THAT YOU EVER WANT WITH THE COUNTY.
AND WITH THAT, I APPRECIATE AGAIN, WHAT Y'ALL DO.
I I DID NOTICE SOME OF Y'ALL ALWAYS STARTED EATING THE COOKIES.
SO I'LL TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THOSE COOKIES.
THOSE COOKIES ARE A PRODUCT OF OUR, UM, GUGEN HIGH SCHOOL CULINARY ARTS PROGRAM.
THEY MAKE THEM FOR THESE TOWN HALLS.
UH, THEY'RE INSTRUCTOR IS JUST A GREAT GUY.
IF YOU EVER GET A CHANCE TO MEET HIM, UM, BECOME A BIG FAN OF THEM.
UM, SO NOW WE BRING 'EM EVERYWHERE WE GO.
I THINK PEOPLE COME NOW FOR THE COOKIES, NOT FOR THE PRESENTATION.
SO WE'LL BE AROUND FOR, FOR QUESTIONS.
SO, UH, MADE A MISTAKE EARLIER AND I FAILED TO MENTION COUNTY, COUNTY STAFF.
IF YOU PLEASE STAND UP AND TELL US WHO YOU'RE UM, I'M CAR K FINANCE DIRECTOR.
I'M CRYSTAL DEPUTY COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR HERE AND I'M NEW WHEN I STARTED IN OCTOBER.
I'M RANDY, DIRECTOR, WHITE AV TECH.
THANK YOU GUYS FOR VIDEO ALSO WATER.
GOT, UM, MR IF YOU DON'T MIND BACK IS GET YOU OUT HERE.
SO MAYBE GO BACK HERE AND GO BACK ON THIS MAP AND GIVE US AN IDEA OF WHERE WE ARE ON SOME OF THESE PROJECTS AND WHAT THESE S MY NAME PAUL, I'M THE COMMUNITY MANAGER MANAGER FOR THE COUNTY AND UH, THE POINT PARCEL FOR THE COUNTY'S BROADBAND EFFORTS.
AND I'LL OVER JUST A SHORT DETAIL FROM WHERE WE ARE.
HAPPY TO DISCUSS MORE DETAIL ON THESE PROJECTS OR, OR YOUR INDIVIDUAL AREAS AFTER THE UH, MEETING.
BROADBAND IS AVAILABLE IN THE C AREAS.
SO WE'VE PARTNERED WITH FIREFLY FIVE BROADBAND THAT IS OWNED BY UM, C BANK.
AND SO THEY BUILT OUT FIRST IN THEIR BLUE TERRITORIES, THEIR CILLO CO-OP.
AND SO THEY BUILT OUT THOSE AREAS RIGHT NOW, RIGHT NOW THEY AS PARTNER OUR PROJECT THEY WITH CO-OP AND THEY'RE BUILDING PFIZER.
AND WE'LL START DOING CONNECTIONS IN THE SPRAY IN THE GREEN AREA, THE RAPPAHANNOCK AREA.
SO RAP CUSTOMER WHO IS LISTENING RIGHT NOW, BE ON THE LOOKOUT CAUSE FIREFLY IS COMING SOON.
ONCE IT FINISH THE MIDDLE MILE THERE, FIREFIGHTERS START DOING THE LAST MILE CONNECTIONS IN THE SPRING.
AND UM, THEN THIS YELLOW AREA.
SO ALL OF THIS IS A AREA CALLED THE RIDE AREA WHERE FIREFLIGHT IS PARTNERING WITH DOMINION ENERGY.
DOMINION ENERGY IS GOING THE MIDDLE MILE FIBER IN THAT AREA AND THE FIRE FLIGHT ISN'T BUILD THE LAST MILE FIBER RIGHT NOW IN THE THREE SQUARE AREA.
THE MINION ENERGIES CAN START BUILDING THEIR MIDDLE MILE FIBER.
THAT'S THE FIRST AREA THEY'RE GONNA START.
AND THEN THEY'RE GONNA MOVE ON FROM THAT.
THEIR COMMITMENT TO US IS THAT THEY WILL HAVE ALL OF THAT MILE FIBER BUILT BY THE END OF THE YEAR.
UH, THEY'RE ACTUALLY HAD A SCHEDULE, THEY TOLD US IT WAS GONNA BE ABOUT SIX MONTHS BACK IN NOVEMBER AND THEY'RE ALREADY STARTING.
UH, SO THEY'RE ABOUT A COUPLE MONTHS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.
FIRE FLIGHT IS ALREADY STARTING THEIR PROCESS IN THAT AREA.
AND THAT'S BEGINNING DO THE FIELD SURVEYS SO THAT THEY CAN HAVE DATA ONCE WHEN YOU FINISH FIREFIGHTER, START THEIR CONNECTIONS IN THAT AREA AFTER MANY GOES THERE.
WE DON'T HAVE AN IDEA YET WHERE THEY'RE
[00:50:01]
GOING NEXT, BUT WE'LL BE ASKING THAT IN THE, UH, UPCOMING MONTHS AND THEN WE'LL MAKE SURE WE HAVE THAT INFORMATION OUT.UM, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS YOU CAN DO IF YOU LIVE IN THE COUNTY IN ANY OF THESE AREAS IS PREREGISTERED WITH FIRE.
SO IF YOU GO TO FIRE VA.COM, YOU CAN PREREGISTER ON THEIR SITE AND THAT WAY THEY KNOW THAT YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THEIR SERVICE.
THE FINAL AREA SAYS PINK SOUND COLORED AREA AND THAT FIRELIGHT IS ACTUALLY BUILDING THEMSELVES AND THEY CALLED US RIGHT NOW, IT LOOKS LIKE STARTING, UH, SOME OF THE CONSTRUCTION ON THAT LATER THIS SUMMER.
AND THEN THEY BE CONNECTION BACK TO THAT.
SO THEY'RE BUILDING THAT THEMSELVES.
SO NO MIDDLE MODEL FIVE BUILT BY ANYBODY ELSE BY FLIGHT ON THAT AREA.
SO, UM, WITH THAT, UH, HAPPY TO AGAIN, TALK WITH INDIVIDUALS ABOUT INDIVIDUAL SITUATIONS.
UH, LATER, UH, EVENING, I'LL BE AROUND.
AND SO WITH THAT, AGAIN, ANY QUESTIONS TO HAVE? WE'LL, WE'LL BE HERE.
LET'S GO AHEAD AND I'M GONNA HAVE DR.
RE TO COME UP AND GIVE THE SCHOOL PRESENTATION AND THEN WE'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS, AS MANY QUESTIONS AS PEOPLE HAVE.
I YOUR REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE SCHOOL BOARD FROM DISTRICT ONE.
SO YOU'VE BEEN DISTRICT I'M REPRESENTATIVE AND UH, I'M SO GLAD ALL OF YOU COME OUT TODAY AND, UM, FORWARD TOLEY AND PLEASE GIMME A HAND OR APPLAUSE.
INTRODUCE MR. I JUST WANNA THANK THE GROUP FOR TAKING YOUR TIME ON THIS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL THING TO BE WITH US TONIGHT.
UH, SO APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT AND YOUR ENGAGEMENT, WANTING TO KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING IN YOUR COMMUNITY.
UH, BEFORE I DIVE INTO THE SLIDES, I DO WANNA TAKE A MOMENT AND JUST THANK THIS COMMUNITY, YOU, YOUR NEIGHBORS, UH, THOSE THAT YOU SOCIALIZE WITH AND SPEND TIME WITH.
UM, IN JULY OF 2016, UM, THE SCHOOL BOARD HIRED THIS GUY IN SHEALAH COUNTY AND SAID, WE WANT HIM TO LEAD OUR SCHOOL DIVISION.
AND, UM, I'M FOREVER GRATEFUL THAT SCHOOL BOARD AND THE OPPORTUNITY THAT THEY GAVE ME TO, TO SERVE AS SUPERINTENDENT IN THIS COMMUNITY.
AND THAT TIME I REMEMBER HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH TWO BOARD OF SUPERVISORS WHO SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT, IN THIS COMMUNITY WE PRIORITIZE PUBLIC SAFETY, WE PRIORITIZE PUBLIC EDUCATION.
AND FOR THE SEVEN YEARS I'VE HAD AN HONOR TO A DISCERN THAT HAS STAYED TRUE.
THAT WAS NOT JUST SLIP SERVICE, THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT HAS HAPPENED WITH EVERY BUDGET CYCLE.
AND I THINK YOU'RE GONNA SEE THAT INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC EDUCATION AND THE SLIDES THAT I WANNA SHARE WITH YOU TODAY.
SO IT'S BEEN AN HONOR AND A PRIVILEGE TO SERVE AS THIS SCHOOL DIVISION SUPERINTENDENT.
I'M THANKFUL FOR THE TRUST THAT THIS COMMUNITY HAS PUT INTO ME AS THE LEADER.
OUR COMMUNITY SENDS THEIR PRECIOUS PRIDE AND JOY THE SCHOOL DAY AND A DAY OUT, AND THEY EXPECT THEIR STUDENTS TO BE SAFE, HEALTHY.
WELL, AND TO A LITTLE BIT ALONG THE WAY.
NOW I'M PROUD OF WHAT WE'VE DONE.
I LOOK BACK WITH PRIDE AND WHAT WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY IN SEVEN YEARS.
I'M JUST THANKFUL TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF THAT.
SO THAT BEING SAID, LET'S DIVE IN A LITTLE BIT AND TALK ABOUT OUR SCHOOL DIVISION AND WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO US.
UH, FOR MANY YEARS THE STRATEGIC PLAN HAS DRIVEN THIS SCHOOL DIVISION AND IT'S A VERY SIMPLE VISION FOR WHAT THE SCHOOL BOARD WANTS TO ACCOMPLISH, UH, ON BEHALF OF OUR COMMUNITY.
AND THE VISION IS TO INSPIRE OUR STUDENTS WHO, OUR CURRENT GENERATION, TO MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT IN THE WORLD THAT THEY LIVE IN.
AND IF WE DO OUR JOB WELL AFTER 13 YEARS OF EDUCATION, THEY WALK ACROSS THAT STAGE, IT'S BULLDOG AND THEY HAVE THE REQUISITE SKILLS AND THE, THE THE VARIETY OF SKILLS TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN ANY ENVIRONMENT THAT THEY WANNA GO INTO.
WHETHER THAT'S THE MILITARY DIRECTLY INTO THE WORKFORCE, TWO YEAR COLLEGE, FOUR YEAR COLLEGE TECHNICAL SKILLS, WHATEVER IT IS, WE DO OUR JOB WELL.
WE'RE INSPIRING THE STUDENTS TO LEAP HOSPITAL AND MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT IN THEIR WORLD.
AND THEN EVERY DAY WE'RE DRIVEN TO MAXIMIZE EACH AND EVERY CHILD'S INDIVIDUAL POTENTIAL.
WE ARE A PUBLIC SCHOOL DIVISION AND SO, UH, WE WELCOME EVERY STUDENT FROM EVERY BACKGROUND, EVERY HOUSE IN OUR COMMUNITY INTO OUR SCHOOLS.
AND WE ULTIMATELY ARE DRIVEN TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MAXIMIZING THEIR OWN UNIQUE POTENTIAL.
RECOGNIZING THE STUDENTS COME IN WITH DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS, BUT THAT'S OKAY.
WE'RE GOING TO MAXIMIZE YOUR INDIVIDUAL AND UNIQUE POTENTIAL ALONG THE WAY.
SO WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF THAT MISSION AND WE'RE DRIVEN BY THESE FIVE CORE VALUES THAT ARE NON-NEGOTIABLE IN OUR SCHOOL DIVISION.
EXCELLENCE, CREATIVITY, COURAGE, HONOR AND OPTIMISM.
THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE JUST DO NOT COMPROMISE AS WE DO OUR WORK AS A SCHOOL
[00:55:01]
DIVISION.AND THEN THE SCHOOL DIVISION HAS IDENTIFIED THREE CORE GOALS THAT ARE REFLECTED IN OUR STRATEGIC PLAN AND OUR BUDGET IS ALIGNED WITH THOSE FOUR STRATEGIC GOALS MOVING FORWARD.
SO I'M PROUD AS YOUR SUPERINTENDENT OF WHAT WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED.
I HOPE THAT YOU AS CITIZENS ARE PROUD OF YOUR PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM.
YOU INVEST 40 MILLION IN PUBLIC EDUCATION IN THIS COMMUNITY.
AND I DARE SAY THAT WE'RE RETURNING A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT OR DIVIDEND ON THAT INVESTMENT IS PREPARING STUDENTS TO BE VERY, VERY WELL EDUCATED AND WANNA CELEBRATE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM HAS ACCOMPLISHED TOGETHER.
WE'VE BEEN RECOGNIZED BY APPLE AS HAVING FIVE DISTINGUISHED SCHOOLS, WHICH IS A PRETTY RIGOROUS PROCESS ABLE TO EARN THIS DE DESIGNATION.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? IT MEANS WE'VE BEEN RECOGNIZED FOR THE WAY THAT WE'RE USING TECHNOLOGY AS A TOOL TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT PUBLIC EDUCATION AND THE EXPERIENCE, THE EXPERIENCE ULTIMATELY THE STUDENTS ARE HAVING IN SCHOOLS.
THIS COUNTY INVESTS A LOT IN WORLD CLASS TECHNOLOGY FOR OUR STUDENTS.
THERE ARE SCHOOL DIVISIONS THAT BUY CHEAP CHROMEBOOKS THAT BREAK AND ARE NOT RELIABLE.
THE THIS COMMUNITY HAS INVESTED IN TECHNOLOGY THAT IS GOING TO HELP OUR STUDENTS BE PREPARED FOR THAT WORLD AFTER HIGH SCHOOL.
AND I'VE SAID BEFORE, I'LL SAY IT AGAIN TONIGHT, YOU WANT STUDENTS TO DO THE WORK OF THE WORLD.
WE NEED TO GIVE THEM THE TOOLS OF, OF THE WORLD AND TECHNOLOGY IS EVER PRESENT IN OUR WORLD.
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT STUDENTS HAVE THAT SO PROUD OF THAT ACCOMPLISHMENT AS WELL.
AND SO WE ARE A SMALL RURAL SCHOOL DIVISION.
WE ARE THAT SMALL SCHOOL DIVISION WITH A BIG REPUTATION.
AND SO AMONGST ALL SCHOOL DIVISIONS IN THIS REGION, COMMUNITY HAS RECOGNIZED US AS THE NUMBER ONE SCHOOL DIVISION IN THE REGION.
NICHE.COM IS ONE OF THOSE SITES THAT YOU CAN GO TO AND SAY, I'M SHOPPING FOR STOOLS, I'M LOOKING FOR WHERE I WANNA LIVE.
IT'S DRIVEN BY A COMMENTARY FROM END USERS.
AND SO NICHE LOOKS THOSE METRICS, THEY LOOK AT PERFORMANCE DATA AND WE'VE BEEN THE NUMBER ONE SCHOOL DIVISION IN THE RICHMOND METRO REGION NOW FIVE YEARS IN A ROW.
AND THEN ULTIMATELY, AGAIN, OUR COMMUNITY INVESTS 40 MILLION IN WHAT WE DO.
SO WE MUST, WE MUST BE STRONG STEWARDS OF THE TAXPAYER DOLLARS AND WE MUST MAKE SURE THAT THE HARDWORKING CITIZENS OF OUR COMMUNITY, THEIR MONEY IS USED WISELY AND EFFECTIVELY AND EFFICIENTLY AND TRANSPARENTLY.
AND SO WE'VE BEEN RECOGNIZED BY THE GOVERNMENT FINANCE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION FOR OUR BUDGET AWARD AND WHAT WE DO TO PROVIDE A TRANSPARENT BUDGET.
WE SUBMITTED AGAIN TODAY FOR LAST YEAR'S BUDGET AND I EXPECT THAT THE SCHOOL DIVISION WILL BE RECOGNIZED AGAIN FOR OUR TRANSPARENCY AND SOUND USE OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS.
SO ALL OF THAT IS WELL AND GOOD.
YOU'RE NOT GETTING RESULTS IN THE CLASSROOM.
WE ARE IN THE BUSINESS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING, RIGHT? SO KIDS MUST LEARN, WE MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THAT INVESTMENT THAT IS MADE IN PUBLIC EDUCATION.
SO WE'RE VERY PROUD TO SAY THAT BASED ON THE CURRENT ACCREDITATION, MODELLAND IS ONE OF ONLY 10 SCHOOL DIVISIONS OUT OF 132 IN THIS COMMONWEALTH THAT HAVE ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS WILL BE ACCREDITED FOR OVER 10 YEARS.
SO WE ARE GETTING RESULTS IN THE CLASSROOM.
IT'S NOT JUST A BUNCH OF CLUB AND AWARDS.
KIDS ARE LEARNING, THEY'RE SUCCESSFUL AND THEY'RE PERFORMING ON THE END OF THE YEAR ASSESSMENTS.
WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF OUR STAFF TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
EXTREMELY COMPETITIVE IN OUR REGION.
AND SO WE LIKE TO COMPARE OURSELVES TO SOME OTHER SCHOOL DIVISIONS, NOT ACROSS THE COUNTY, NOT ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH, BUT HERE LOCALLY AND SO ON.
THESE METRICS WE'RE PERFORMING WELL WITH OUR COMPETITORS AROUND US AND WE'RE EXCEEDING STATE AVERAGES ON ALL CONTENT AREAS BETTER THAN THE STATE PERFORMANCE IN THOSE FOUR CORE AREAS THAT YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN.
REALLY PROUD OF OUR GRADUATION RESULTS.
UH, WE HAVE ALL ABOUT ONE OR TWO STUDENTS WHO ARE WALKING ACROSS THAT STAGE AND FOUR YEARS AFTER THEY ENTER AS A FRESHMAN.
AND SO ULTIMATELY THIS SHOULD BE A HUNDRED PERCENT, I WOULD LOVE FOR THIS TO BE A HUNDRED PERCENT, BUT THERE'S SOME THINGS UNFORTUNATELY THAT FALL OUTSIDE OF OUR CONTROL THAT HAVE HINDERED US FROM GETTING THAT LEVEL.
UH, SOMETIMES WE HAVE STUDENTS WHO LEAVE AND GO TO ANOTHER COUNTRY OR ANOTHER STATE AND WE LOSE TRACK OF THEM FOR WHATEVER REASON.
THEY COUNT AGAINST US IN ONE TIME GRADUATION.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF IT WILL EVER BE A SCHOOL DIVISION THAT GETS A HUNDRED PERCENT, BUT IF THERE IS ONE, I GUARANTEE IT'S GONNA BE RIGHT HERE.
SO THAT'S A CONTINUUM GOAL OF OURS MOVING FORWARD.
UM, AND THEN I SHARED THIS IN SOME SETTINGS IN THE PAST, BUT YOU CAN LOOK AT YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN A VARIETY OF WAYS.
BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, ARE WE REALLY PREPARING STUDENTS FOR WHAT LIFE IS LIKE AFTER SCHOOL? AND SO THIS IS A GRAPHIC THAT SHOWS THAT OUR KIDS AT
THE GREATEST COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN THIS STATE, STUDENTS GO THERE.
THEY'RE GOING TO ANY OF THE GREATEST UNIVERSITIES ACROSS THIS NATION.
WE HAVE STUDENTS WHO ARE COMMITTING TO THE ARMED SERVICES.
WE HAVE STUDENTS WHO ARE PAINFULLY EMPLOYED AS THEY LEAVE HIGH SCHOOL.
SO OUR STUDENTS ARE DOING EXTREMELY WELL WHEN THEY LEAVE AND FULLY PREPARED FOR LIFE AFTER SCHOOL.
SO LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE NEEDS THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS.
[01:00:01]
CONTINUE OUR POSITIVE TRAJECTORY TOWARDS SUCCESS.AND SO JUST SUMMARIZING, I MENTIONED WE HAVE THREE GOAL AREAS.
THIS IS THE FIRST SCHOOL AREA WHICH REALLY FOCUSES ON OUR INSTRUCTIONAL NEEDS AND OBJECTIVES.
UH, AS MR. CARPENTER SAID, OVERALL, COMPARE OUR CURRENT FY 23 BUDGET WITH THE PROPOSED FY 24 BUDGET.
THE DIFFERENTIAL IN DOLLARS IS ABOUT A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS.
IT'S A THREE TENTHS OF A PERCENT INCREASE.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED IS WITH ALL THE DOLLARS THAT WERE INFLUENCED BY AN INFLUX OF CASH INTO THE LOCAL SCHOOL DIVISIONS, THROUGH THE FEDERAL STIMULUS DOLLARS AND COVID FUNDS AND ALL OF THAT, THAT FUNDING CLIFF HAS NOW HAPPENED.
AND IN THE CURRENT BUDGET IT WAS ABOUT 2 MILLION.
WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO RECUPERATE FROM THAT BY USING, UH, STATE DOLLARS AS WELL AS LOCAL DOLLARS TO KEEP US FULL.
SO THE FUNDING CLIFF HAS HAPPENED, BUT WE HAVEN'T FALLEN OVER THE EDGE.
AND SO I'M PROUD OF WHAT WE'VE DONE TO BE ABLE TO BALANCE ALL THAT.
SO A FEW POSITIONS TO SUPPORT STUDENTS, SPECIFICALLY SOME INTERVENTIONISTS WHO ARE WORKING INDEPENDENTLY WITH, WITH KIDS WHO ARE HIGHEST OF NEED.
READING SPECIALIST, SECONDARY SCIENCE TEACHER IS, UH, INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET AS A RESULT OF INCREASING CLASS SIZES AND SOME MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO EXPAND WHAT THEY'RE ABLE TO DO IN COLLEGE PREPAREDNESS.
UH, SOME THINGS TO SUPPORT CTE AND SOME INFLATIONARY PRESSURES THAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING WITH CLASSROOM INVESTMENTS.
UH, THE COST OF GRADUATION'S GONE UP A LITTLE BIT FOR US AND THEN WE'RE SUPPORTING SOME CONTINUED LEARNING FOR OUR HIGHEST PERFORMING STUDENTS AS WELL.
WE'RE REAL EXCITED ABOUT THAT TOTAL OF ABOUT $500,000 IN ADDITIONAL INVESTMENTS.
AND SO THIS IS SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO OUR PERSONNEL.
UM, THE REASON OUR SCHOOL DIVISION IS SUCCESSFUL IS NOT BECAUSE OF ANYTHING THAT SUPERINTENDENTS EVER DONE, QUITE HONESTLY, IT'S THE FOLKS IN THE CLASSROOMS DRIVING OUR SCHOOL BUSES, CLEANING OUR FLOORS, PARENTING FOOD, AND SUPPORTING OUR TEACHERS FROM AN ADMINISTRATIVE STANDPOINT.
WE HAVE HIGHLY DEDICATED, TALENTED FOLKS WHO CARE ABOUT THE WORK THAT THEY DO EVERY DAY.
AND SO I'M PROUD TO SERVE WITH THOSE AMAZING PROFESSIONALS, BUT ULTIMATELY WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PROVIDE A COMPETITIVE COMPENSATION PACKAGE FOR THEM.
AND JUST AS MR. CARPENTER REFERENCED WITH THE NEED TO PROVIDE A COMPETITIVE COMPENSATION PACKAGE FOR ALL COUNTY EMPLOYEES.
AND SO THERE ARE PO FEW POSITIONS WITHIN THE SCHOOL AREA THAT WE ARE RECOMMENDING OF THE COUNTY FOR THEIR CONSIDERATION, UH, TO SUPPORT THE ONGOING NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS INSTRUCTIONALLY.
UH, BUT ULTIMATELY THE MAJORITY OF THIS EXPENSE AND THIS INVESTMENT IS FOR SALARY IMPROVEMENT FOR OUR STAFF AS WELL AS ABORTING SOME PUBLIC INSURANCE INCREASES.
WE ARE PASSING SOME OF THOSE COSTS OFF TO OUR EMPLOYEES THIS YEAR, BUT THE SCHOOL DIVISION HAS CREATED A BALANCED APPROACH TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
SO THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN OUR FUTURE HERE WITH DEDICATING RESOURCES TO OUR TALENTED EMPLOYEES FOR THE TUNE OF 1.8 MILLION IN NEW MONEY.
LAST FULL AREA IS RELATED TO THE OPERATIONAL ASPECT OF WHAT WE DO.
AND SO SOME MINOR INVESTMENTS HERE, $352,000.
MOST OF THAT IS DEDICATED TOWARDS FUEL COST AS WELL AS SOME INFLATIONARY PRESSURES THAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING IN OUR FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM.
SO ULTIMATELY WHAT WE DO WHEN WE BUILD OUR BUDGETS VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT THE COUNTY DOES.
WE LOOK AT EACH AND EVERY BUDGET LINE.
AND SO THERE ARE LOCALITIES THAT SAY, OKAY, WHAT'S YOUR BASELINE BUDGET? WHAT DO YOU NEED ON TOP OF THAT WHEN YOUR BUDGET GROWS AND GROWS AND GROWS AND GROWS? BUT OUR APPROACH IS WHAT WE CALL STRATEGIC ABANDONMENT.
SO ULTIMATELY WE LOOK AT EVERY BUDGET LINE AND WE SAY, HOW ARE WE USING THOSE DOLLARS? ARE WE GETTING THE RETURN ON THE INVESTMENT ON THOSE DOLLARS? ARE THOSE DOLLARS MAKING THE DIFFERENCE? IS IT REALLY WORKING? WE CHALLENGE THAT STATUS QUO AND IF IT'S NOT, WE SAY WE'RE NOT GONNA DO THAT.
WE'RE NOT JUST GONNA CONTINUE TO DO THINGS THE WAY WE'VE ALWAYS DONE THINGS IF IT'S NOT WORKING.
SO WE STRATEGICALLY ABANDON THOSE THINGS AND WE DON'T SPEND THOSE DOLLARS ON THOSE RESOURCES ANYMORE.
WE REINVEST THEM IN WHAT'S IMPORTANT FOR OUR STRATEGIC GOALS.
AND YOU'LL SEE HERE ON THIS SIDE THAT WE HAVE REDUCED THROUGH THIS PROCESS, WE HAVE REDUCED 3.1 EMPLOYEES.
SO SOME OF THOSE BEING PART-TIME OF COURSE GETTING TO THE 3.1.
AND WE'VE MADE SOME ADJUSTMENTS IN SOME OF OUR PRACTICES SO THAT ULTIMATELY THAT WE CAN SAVE PERSONNEL COSTS AND ADVANTAGE SOME SOFTWARE.
UH, WE LOOK DIFFERENTLY AT SOME TESTING PROGRAMS. AND SO ULTIMATELY WE ARE ABLE TO REDUCE OUR EXPENDITURES BY $400,000, MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE DEDICATING RESOURCES TOWARDS WHAT WE REALLY NEEDED.
SO ULTIMATELY A SUMMARY OF SUMMARY OF OUR OVERALL BUDGET.
AS I SAID, THIS BUDGET REQUEST UNDER CONSIDERATION RIGHT NOW IS $104,000 GREATER NEXT YEAR THAN IT IS CURRENTLY AN OVERALL INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC EDUCATION IN OUR COMMUNITY OF 40.6 MILLION.
AND YOU CAN SEE THE DIFFERENTIAL IN LOCAL STATE FUNDS SOME INCREASES AND A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THAT FEDERAL FUNDING AS I REFERENCED.
THAT'S THE FUNDING CLIFF THAT I TALKED ABOUT.
BUT AGAIN, OVERALL JUST THREE TENTHS OF A PERCENT HIGHER NEXT YEAR THAN IT IS DURING THE CURRENT YEAR.
[01:05:01]
78%.78 CENTS WHEN EVERY DOLLAR GOES DIRECTLY INTO THE CLASSROOM, 78 CENTS WHEN EVERY DOLLAR GOES TOWARDS INSTRUCTION AND IT GOES TOWARDS TECHNOLOGY.
SO WE'RE NOT SENDING MONEY TO THE ADMINISTRATION, WE'RE NOT SENDING MINUTE MONEY TO THINGS THAT ARE NOT DIRECTLY TO THE CLASSROOM.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOME OF THOSE THOUGHTS, YES, BUT THE VAST MAJORITY OF EVERY DOLLAR IS GOING DIRECTLY TO SUPPORTING CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION ON A DAILY BASIS.
AND THEN YOU SLICE AND DICE THAT PIE A DIFFERENT WAY.
WE ARE A PEOPLE HEAVY ORGANIZATION.
IT TAKES PEOPLE TO RUN OUR ORGANIZATION AND SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS AND OUR FAMILIES.
AND SO 84 CENTS WHEN EVERY DOLLAR IS DEDICATED TO SUPPORTING A COMPENSATION PACKAGE FOR OUR REALLY DEDICATED EMPLOYEES.
AND YOU CAN SEE WHERE THE REST OF THE DOLLARS GO, BUT 84% GOES TOWARDS SALARY AND BENEFITS.
SO ULTIMATELY HOW DO WE FUND THIS? WHERE DOES THE MONEY COME FROM TO MAKE ALL OF THAT HAPPEN? AND I SHARED EARLIER THAT THE COMMITMENT TO THIS SCHOOL DIVISION, TO THIS COMMUNITY HAS BEEN FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION OF THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE EVERY DOLLAR TO FUND PUBLIC SCHOOLS COMES ON THE BACK OF LOCAL TAXPAYER PAYERS.
YOU COULD SUBMIT THAT EVERY DOLLAR COMES ON THE BACKS OF LOCAL TAXPAYERS BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE STATE DOLLARS AND THEY'RE FEDERAL DOLLARS, THERE'S STILL DOLLARS THAT ARE GENERATED HERE.
THEY JUST GET SENT ELSEWHERE AND THEN ULTIMATELY COME BACK.
SO ULTIMATELY, UH, THIS, THIS COMMUNITY IS A STRONG SUPPORTER, BUT THE COUNTY TRANSFER IS THAT DIRECT TRANSFER THAT COMES FROM THE COUNTY THROUGH LOCAL CITIZENS PERSONAL PROPERTY TAXES, IN THEIR REAL ESTATE TAXES.
AND SO THE COUNTY HAS BUILT THIS BUDGET BASED OFF OF AN INCREASE OF 1.251 MILLION.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THAT IS 68% OF OUR OVERALL REVENUE.
WE COULD NOT DO WHAT WE DO WITHOUT THE STRONG SUPPORT OF THIS COMMUNITY AND THE BOARD OF SUPERVISOR.
SO THIS IS THE BALANCE, BUDGET, REVENUE AND INVESTMENTS VEST MATCHED THE EXPENDITURES.
AND SO ULTIMATELY YOU CAN SEE WHERE THOSE CHANGES ARE BASED ON LOCAL FUNDING, STATE FUNDING AND FEDERAL REVENUE.
AS I SAID BEFORE, MR. CARPENTER MENTIONED A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT THAT THE COUNTY HAS MADE IN CAPITAL PLANNING FOR OUR SCHOOL DIVISION.
AND THIS IS AN EXTREMELY PROUD MOMENT.
THIS COMMUNITY HAS NOT BUILT A NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN OVER 60 YEARS.
WE DID IT TOGETHER WITH THIS COMMUNITY COMING TOGETHER IN THE NOVEMBER ELECTION AND SAYING, YOU KNOW, WE VALUE PUBLIC SAFETY, WE VALUE SCHOOLS AND WE'RE GOING TO GIVE YOU THE AUTHORITY TO GO OUT OF THE PUBLIC MARKET AND SECURE THE FUNDS THAT NEED TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN.
AND SO YOU HAVEN'T SEEN A PICTURE FOR AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LIKE THIS IN 60 YEARS.
OUR MOST RECENT SCHOOL TO BE BUILT WAS 2008.
BUT THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS VERY OFTEN IN A COMMUNITY LIKE OURS.
AND I'M JUST REALLY GRATEFUL AND THANKFUL FOR THE SUPPORT THAT WE'VE GOTTEN TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN.
SO YOU'LL BE PROUD OF THIS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WHEN IT OPENS, YOU'LL BE PROUD OF IT.
IT'S UM, IT'S A SCHOOL THAT IS WELL DESIGNED.
IT'S GOING TO BE LASTING IN THIS COMMUNITY FOR 60, 70 YEARS.
IT'S GONNA BE A HUB OF LEARNING.
KIDS ARE GONNA HAVE AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE IN THAT SPACE.
IT'S GONNA BE A PLACE THAT MAKES, MAKES US ALL PROUD IN THE SPACE THAT IS FLEXIBLE ENOUGH, ME CHANGING THINGS THAT ARE GONNA HAPPEN IN IN EDUCATION.
LET'S FACE IT, EDUCATION TODAY IN 2023 IS NOT GONNA BE THE SAME EDUCATION IN 2063.
WE'RE BUILDING A FACILITY THAT'LL BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE THROUGH THE NEEDS THAT ARE HAPPENING AS CHANGES IN EDUCATION TAKE PLACE.
ABOUT A WEEK OR TWO AGO, YOU GO BY THAT SITE.
NOW THE PAD IS PRETTY MUCH PREPPED.
THEY'RE STARTING TO MOBILIZE CONCRETE AND THE FOOTERS ARE GONNA BE POURED, I BELIEVE NEXT WEEK.
WE HOPE TO SEE STEEL COMING OUT OF THE GROUND IN MAY.
AND WE ARE FULLY ON SCHEDULE FOR THIS PROJECT.
MOTHER NATURE HAS BEEN EXTREMELY KIND TO US.
AND SO, BOY, I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, THEY'RE MOVING DIRT AND THEY'RE MAKING THINGS HAPPEN OVER THERE ON THAT SITE.
YOU THINK THE 25 ACRES FOR A SITE WOULD BE PLENTY ENOUGH TO BUILD SCHOOL AND IT IS.
WE'RE USING PRETTY MUCH EVERY INCH ANSWER THAT SPACE.
AND SO THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF LAND THAT'S BEEN CLEARED AND, UH, A LOT OF THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN HAPPENING MAKE THIS POSSIBLE.
ON A POSITIVE NOTE, THEY'RE TRENDING IN A VERY POSITIVE DIRECTION WHEN IT COMES TO BUDGET.
UH, WE HAD SOME ALLOWANCES IN THERE FOR SITE PREP THAT WE'VE ONLY USED, I BELIEVE, $5,000 OUT OF A $300,000 ALLOWANCE.
WE HAVEN'T HIT ANYTHING THAT'S GOING TO CREATE SOME CHALLENGES FOR US.
AND SO WE HAVE AN AMAZING TEAM WITH OUR ARCHITECT, OUR GENERAL CONTRACTOR, AND THE FIRM THAT'S REPRESENTING THE SCHOOL DIVISION.
THIS IS, AGAIN, WON'T BE A PROJECT WE'RE ALL PROUD OF, THAT WILL BE DELIVERED UNDER BUDGET AND ON TIME.
JUST HATE THAT I WON'T BE ABLE TO WALK THROUGH THE DOORS IN THE FIRST DAY.
UH, BUT ANYWAY, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR SCHOOL
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DIVISION CONTINUES TO THRIVE AND SHINE AND, UH, ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.WELL, IF YOU WANNA ASK QUESTIONS, WE'LL BE HERE.
UH, WE'LL BE GLAD TO, UH, SHARE WITH YOU ANY INFORMATION THAT WE CAN.
IF WE DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER, WE'LL FIND IT FOR YOU.
BUT I APPRECIATE ALL OF Y'ALL TAKING YOUR TIME AGAIN TONIGHT.
IT MEANS A LOT WHEN, WHEN WE COME OUT AND SEE HOUSE, YOU KNOW, IT REALLY DOES SEEING CITIZENS WHO CARE, WHO ARE ENGAGED AND WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT WHERE WE'RE GOING.
I THANK THE STAFF THAT ARE HERE TONIGHT.
THEY'RE THE REASON WHY WE HAVE THE GREAT CAN WE DO OUR FINANCE, OUR PUBLIC SAFETY, OUR IT, OUR SCHOOL EMPLOYEES.
SO THANK Y'ALL FOR WHAT YOU DID.
I MEAN, IF THERE ARE, WE'LL BE HERE FOR A WHILE, BUT WE'LL BE HERE FOR A WHILE.
ANY QUESTIONS, ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE TO DISCUSS? HAPPY YOU DO.