Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
P. O. Box 3711
204 Broad Street
Martinsville, Virginia 24115
276-638-8801
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Benny Summerlin |
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
By DEBBIE HALL - Bulletin Staff Writer
The Henry County Board of Supervisors were cautioned Tuesday that upcoming state budget cuts likely will impact Henry County and other localities.
Henry County Administrator Benny Summerlin told the board that the state is coping with an anticipated $1.5 billion budget shortfall, according to a synopsis he had read.
“I think it’s safe to say any cuts will affect localities,” Summerlin said at the Tuesday afternoon meeting.
The state code allows Gov. Tim Kaine to make budget adjustments up to 15 percent, Summerlin said. Kaine has said he would announce the cuts by Labor Day, Summerlin added.
Summerlin said later that he could not estimate how much the county might lose in state funds, but he said it could be “significant.”
Entities such as the Blue Ridge Library system and Piedmont Community Services receive state funds directly, while other state funds flow through the county to help pay for education, constitutional officers and other services, he said.
In short, “any agency that receives funding from the state” could be impacted, Summerlin said. “It remains to be seen what impact” the budget cuts will have.
Also at the 3 p.m. meeting Tuesday, supervisors:
• Appropriated $5,000 for the Smith River Fest, with funds provided by Franklin County and the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corp.’s Office of Tourism. Those entities, along with Henry County and the Dan River Basin, are sponsoring the four-day festival on Labor Day weekend, according to Summerlin and Roger Adams, director of Henry County Parks & Recreation Department.
At least 500 visitors are expected at this year’s event, Adams said.
• Appointed Summerlin; Tommy Slaughter, Reed Creek District supervisor; Randolph Lester, county building official; Lee Clark, director of planning, zoning and inspection; and Pastor Isaac McDuffie, a neighborhood representative, to a Housing Rehabilitation Board.
The five-member board is required to oversee a community improvement grant for the South Street Neighborhood Improvement Project in Bassett.
• Awarded a $25,450 contract to Steve Martin Trenching of Bassett to remove 15 years worth of sediment build up from a storm water pond at the old Henry County landfill, replace some gravel and remove some trees.
• Approved Piedmont Community Services’ fiscal 2010 performance contract between PCS and the Virginia Department of Mental Health-Mental Retardation Substance Abuse Services. The county is required to act on the contract each year.
• Awarded a $30,378.23 contract to Lawrence Equipment of Cloverdale, the low bidder, to replace a tractor in the Parks and Recreation Department. The new equipment will replace an inoperable tractor that will be sold during the county’s surplus auction.
• Approved a request from the Public Safety Department to accept a $65,610 grant from the Department of Homeland Security and buy 18 Panasonic Toughbook Computers for each volunteer rescue squad ambulance; approved tapping Motorola rebates totaling $4,680 to buy another computer and printer for volunteers to use in the emergency room; and awarded the $69,255 total contract to buy the equipment from low bidder Electronic Systems of Roanoke.
• Tapped a portion of a $1 million grant from the Department of Homeland Security and awarded a $155,000 contract to Motorola to buy 50 portable radios and related equipment.
• Appropriated $5,000 provided by the Harvest Foundation for a river access point at the Smith River Sports Complex. The county Parks & Recreation Department will maintain the access point.
• Accepted a Department of Motor Vehicles Safety Grant of $29,736 that will be used to provide overtime pay for deputies, travel expenses and to purchase three radar units and four field breath tests for the Henry County Sheriff’s Office. The grant requires an in-kind local match of $5,947. Funds will be used from the fuel/maintenance line item in the sheriff’s budget.
• Accepted and appropriated a $2,283 grant from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services through the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant program (JAG) for a security lock system to be installed in the main sheriff’s office building. The law enforcement equipment line of the sheriff’s budget will provide the local match of $254.
• Accepted and appropriated a grant from the Department of Justice Grant for $126,329 for several purchases at the sheriff’s office. A local match was not required.
• Scheduled a public hearing to get input on proposed changes to the county’s outdoor burning laws. If the changes are approved after the public hearing, the county code would mirror the state Department of Forestry outdoor burning laws. The state prohibits burning before 4 p.m. from Feb. 15 to April 30.
• Approved a consent agenda and established Oct. 5 as “Schedule Your Mammogram Day” in the county.
• Approved a proclamation establishing September as “Baby Safety Month.”
• In closed session, discussed appointees to the Southern Area Agency on Aging Board, the Patrick Henry Community College Board and consulted with the county attorney on pending legal matters, acquisition/disposal of real estate and as-yet unannounced industries. |
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