There will be a pay raise for Chesterfield County employees for the 2012-13 fiscal year, without costing taxpayers any more money. Chesterfield County Council has unanimously passed a $13 million budget for the coming year that includes a 3.5 percent pay increase for county employees, but does not include increased tax rates.
According to Chesterfield County Council Chairman Matt Rivers, last year’s budget saw the “largest spending cut in the history of our county so that we could steer a path towards better financial security.” Now, he said, “we are seeing the results of those tough choices.”
“I’m really proud of this budget,” said Chesterfield County Councilman Crawford Moore. “We had some hard calls last year, with goals to get our bills in line and take care of our employees.”
Moore said that for the long-term, council is “hoping to get to a point where we can avoid using a tax anticipation note.”
Tax anticipation notes, often referred to as TAN, allow government agencies to borrow money for operating expenses. The money is paid back year each after property taxes have been collected.
Even though it is common practice for government agencies to use tax anticipation notes, said Moore, “in the long-term, it’s just better business practice not to.”
“This budget clearly shows that the Chesterfield County Council and our county employees have our priorities right and we are getting things done for the citizens of Chesterfield County,” said Rivers. “Despite a continuing tough economy we have not only maintained our level of service to the public but we also made sure we didn’t add to the financial burden on our citizens.”
“We still have challenges ahead,” said Moore, “and TAN is just one of them.”
— Staff Writer Karen Kissiah can be reached by calling 843-537-5261, or by email at kkissiah@heartlandpublications.com.
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