Northumberland addresses overspending in county books

by Jackie Nunnery HEATHSVILLE—While most of Northumberland’s attention has been on spending in the school budget, supervisors had to deal with fiscal issues of their

County administrator Luttrell Tadlock presented $174,366.50 in supplemental appropriations in order to correct “negative line items” in the county books. There were 25 items across seven different departments. “These items were where the department may not have had additional money in their budget to cover a particular expense.” The expenses were projected for the remainder of the fiscal year which ends June 30.

Supervisor James Brann questioned the telecommunication costs, totaling $26,102.48, in the treasurer’s office, IT department and the juvenile and domestic relations court. Tadlock said it was due to a change in phone systems as well as increased charges for high-speed internet.

There was an additional $28,000 in part-time pay and $40,000 in overtime pay with emergency services. “Chief Balderson ran into staffing issues with vacancies and had to backfill,” Tadlock said.

Some $55,830.24 was the result of an additional position in the building inspection department that was approved by the board in the fall but not budgeted.

“If we’re going to have a budget, we need to stay within it. The board has always said, if you run short, come to the board. Don’t come to the board after, when it’s in this kind of shape,” Brann said.

In a series of 5-0 votes, the board approved $55,830.24 for building inspections; $68,000 for emergency services, to come from emergency medical services billing and not the general fund; $12,976 for a grant funded distribution to all fire departments; $976.07 for the sheriff’s office; $15,757.72 for the juvenile and domestic relations court; $11,703 for the IT department; and $9,123.47 for the treasurer’s office.

Year-end report

County planner Stuart McKenzie presented the year-end report which detailed the work of the planning commission and staff during 2023.

During that time, the planning commission worked on additional revisions to the solar energy facility ordinance, reviewed the inventory of county owned parcels and reviewed the table of usages which resulted in a recommended change requiring a conditional use permit for office buildings in residential areas. The commission also proposed revisions to the boathouse ordinance which now includes canvas boat canopies.

According to McKenzie, the total estimated cost of construction for 2023 was $59,793,853.45 down .37% from 2022. As in previous years, most of the structures were single-family dwellings on residential waterfront properties in the Fairfield and Wicomico magisterial districts.

Six-year plan

The Virginia Department of Transportation held a public hearing on the proposed Secondary Six-Year Plan for years 20252030. The plan provides a total of $192,515 for improvements not including regular maintenance such as mowing, patching and snow removal.

The current plan includes $95,000 to pave approximately .41 miles of Addies Point Road which will be done by the end of the summer, according to Northern Neck resident engineer David Beale.

Another $198,605 is included in the plan for countywide engineering, surveying and unpaved roads. Currently, there are approximately 8.91 miles of unpaved roads remaining in the county.

There were no comments during the hearing and the board voted 5-0 to approve the plan without changes.

Other action

The board unanimously:

• Recognized Child Abuse Prevention Month, Telecommunications Week, and National Library Workers Day.

• Recognized Julia Pritchard for her work with the American Red Cross, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, Meals on Wheels, and Northumberland County Rescue Squad.

•Authorized the Callao Hometown Community Association’s participation in the Department of Housing and Community Development Affiliate Program to assist in developing public/private partnerships.

• Approved a request to use the old school board building in Lottsburg for the National Day of Prayer from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, May 2.

Following a closed session, the board also approved an annual contract under cooperative procurement with Southern Air. The contract specifies hourly rates based on the technicians needed.