“What the hell is wrong with you,” was the sentiment from one speaker during Tuesday’s Orange County Budget Public hearing as residents questioned the proposed funding, especially the lack of new positions for the sheriff’s office.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office has requested eight new patrol deputies, which so far have been left out of the proposed budget. The budget includes six new full-time positions and four new part-time positions, far less than the 34 full-time and five part-time requested. None of the deputy positions are included.
Speaking during the hearing, sheriff Jason Smith said the new deputy positions are needed as the county continues to grow. He said the county continues to add new homes, businesses and people, causing cases and calls to increase leaving less time for being proactive with traffic enforcement.
“Not only do we not have enough staff to handle calls, but deputies have no backup and are responding to calls by themselves frequently,” Smith said. “We do not have enough deputies as things currently stand. We’ve been lucky thus far that something serious hasn’t happened. Whether we want to believe it or not, crime is coming and we need to be prepared.”
Major Michael LaCasse echoed Smith’s sentiments. In submitting budget requests, LaCasse said he gave a list of things that are needed, not just wanted. He said the office has funded $350,000 worth of equipment via grants, saving the county money.
“The concern I have is over the last three years, the board has approved nine positions for fire and rescue, two for communications and none for law enforcement,” LaCasse said. “I asked for two [positions] three years ago, four last year and eight this year.”
He said the increasing number of houses and residents increases the tolls on law enforcement officers and the chances of burnout.
“You can provide the best pay and bonuses, but unless we have people who can spend time with their families and have time off without working all the time, we’re going to lose people,” LaCasse said.
The estimate for the positions, including benefits, is $1.4 million. LaCasse said just four of those positions would cost approximately $710,000, just over the $666,000 a one-cent increase on the real estate tax yields.
“I propose if you give us the four positions with a one-cent tax increase, Jason [Smith] and I will find the extra money needed to [fund them] for the county,” he said. “This is something that needs to happen for the deputies that work for us. They need to feel supported.”
Lake of the Woods resident and neighborhood watch coordinator Larry Morlan said the sheriff’s office has been critical to improving crime rates in the residential community. Lake of the Woods Lions Club President Cathy Hicks agreed, saying while the county continues to grow, the sheriff’s office has remained stagnant.
“It’s embarrassing to me that Orange County staffs its law enforcement significantly lower than surrounding counties and less than the national average of one officer per 1,500 people,” she said. “The community thrives when residents feel safe and cared for. We shouldn’t be making do with the resources we have. We should be investing in officers.”
Resident Donna Diaz said if she has to pay more to ensure the safety of her loved ones, she will because one cannot put a price on that. Montpelier Steeple Chase President David Purdue said the sheriff’s office makes a wonderful impression on the more 17,000 to 18,000 visitors to the county during the one-day Hunt Races in November. He said the event wouldn’t be possible without the department’s support and the request for new positions shouldn’t be considered lightly.
Marcia Landau asked why supervisors couldn’t afford to spend $1.4 million to fund the position request.
“What the hell is wrong with you,” she asked. “The first commitment [the board has] is keeping people safe. It’s our sheriff’s office for Christ’s sake.”
Ben Ullman, a member of County of Orange Fire and EMS, also spoke in support of the sheriff’s office. While he thanked the supervisors for funding fire and EMS needs, he said perhaps there was also money available to support law enforcement.
“We are their backup currently,” he said. “Its tough sometimes being me and another person and one deputy knowing we may need to support them as much as they support us.”
Law enforcement, while certainly being the focus of most speakers, wasn’t the only thing residents spoke out about. Gordonsville resident Emily Miksovic, chair of the Orange County Library Board of Trustees, emphasized the role libraries play in the community. She said in 2024, residents visited the library 117,000 times with 1,841 new library cards obtained. The library not only provides books, she said, but supports residents through the availability of computers, wi-fi and hotspots. Patrons can get help with job applications, government forms and veteran’s assistance, as well as have a place to meet in-person in one of the meeting rooms or virtually. She said with the federal government cutting funding for libraries, residents may lose access to valuable programs and resources. The board of trustees hopes to be able to fund some of the most-used programs, but she asked the county to fund the entire request for the libraries to allow flexibility.
Orange County High School English teacher John Ivywood spoke in favor of the school budget which he said allows for more equitable wages for local teachers and offers some parity between the county and surrounding localities.
The proposed Orange County budget is balanced using a real estate tax rate of $0.48 per $100 of assessed value, one cent over the equalized rate of $0.47. The county’s recent reassessment yielded a 31.23% increase in the valuation of real estate, from approximately $4.8 billion to $6.3 billion. By law, the tax rate must be equalized to within 1% of the previous revenue. The current tax rate, before equalization, is $0.61. The budget also includes a $.016 fire and EMS levy rate, five cents over the equalized rate of $0.11. The current rate is $0.14.
Supervisors opted to advertise an even higher tax rate than what is utilized in the budget to allow for flexibility. The advertised rates are $0.51 per $100 of assessed value for real estate and $0.17 for the fire and EMS levy.
No changes have been advertised for any of the county’s other tax rates.
The proposed $158.5 million budget, of which $38.3 million is in the general fund, is 6.6% or $9.8 million more than the current year’s budget. It includes six new full-time and four new part-time employees. For schools, $28.1 million is included which is comprised of operating, capital and debt service. It’s far less than the $35.8 million requested, but still $926,000 more than the current year.
For county employees, the budget includes a 3% mid-point market wage adjustment and a 1.5% one-time bonus to constitutional offices and their staffs, offset somewhat by funds from the compensation board. Additional wage adjustments are included for public safety along with the continuation of public safety career step plans, both to improve retention. A 15% anticipated health insurance increase is funded.
Some selected rates and fees are also adjusted to cover program costs, including in parks and recreation, at the landfill and in the commissioner of revenue, treasurer and EMS budgets. The budget is balanced using an approximately $3.4 million appropriation in general fund balance. Bradley said the budget focuses the most on school and public safety funding. Approximately $9.1 million is included for capital improvement projects with nearly $5 million covered through new debt service including seven buses, one ambulance, eight cardiac monitors and landfill operations equipment to bring operations in-house. Just over $43 million in projects was requested. The funded capital improvement projects include $250,000 for the beginning of a potential water impoundment project.
A public hearing on the proposed tax rates will be held May 6 at 6:30 p.m. with budget adoption expected May 13.
