HEATHSVILLE—Northumberland residents could be feeling the pinch when tax time comes as the county board of supervisors attempts to deal with an expanding list of expenses without an equal expansion in revenue.
In response to a request at the May 11 board meeting, county administrator Luttrell Tadlock during a May 17 budget work session highlighted the cost implications of Davenport & Company’s recommendation to maintain a 20% undesignated fund balance at the end of each budget year.
The budget draft released earlier this month, which included a $0.07 real estate tax rate increase (from $0.61 to $0.68), showed an undesignated fund balance (UFB) of $6,642,671, which is 15% of expenditures by the end of the fiscal year. Without a tax increase and holding expenditures at $44,853,108, the UFB would drop to $4,684,296 or 10% of expenditures, Tadlock said.
Other options proposed include….
