by Jackie Nunnery
HEATHSVILLE—Trying to avoid an unpopular $0.08 real estate tax increase, Northumberland County supervisors on Thursday, June 13, looked at $1.5 million in budget cuts across a number of categories.
Despite those cuts and a proposed $0.05 tax increase, expenditures still exceed revenues. County administrator Luttrell Tadlock said they would need to dip into the undesignated fund balance by $3,466,214, leaving an ending balance of $5,533,786. This balance would be about 12% of expenditures, which is below the 15%-20% recommended by financial advisors Davenport & Co.
Supervisor James Brann said more cuts are necessary to avoid using the undesignated fund balance. “We’re going to hit that this year, and then come back next year and there will be more pulled out of it….
