Staunton City Council adopted the city’s fiscal year 2023 budget during the regular meeting Thursday night, maintaining the real estate tax rate of 92 cents per $100 assessed value and implementing a 15 percent increase to the environmental fund fee to largely support capital projects at the regional landfill.
The total budget for the city and schools is $142,185,506 for all funds.
Highlights of the adopted budget include a total of $15,065,237 in local funding for Staunton City Schools, which reflects an increase of $365,237 over the budget proposed in March. Other issues of focus with this budget include ensuring that pay for city employees is and remains competitive, maintaining current service levels, adding a new housing planner/grants coordinator position that will lead the city’s affordable housing efforts, and maintaining the centralized recycling center that will continue to be evaluated in the upcoming year to achieve the best balance of efficiency and effectiveness.
While revenue projections show increases in the coming fiscal year, there are also requisite expenditures in the city’s share of the cost of operations for regional outside agencies, an unprecedented 22 percent increase in health care costs and increases in the city’s retirement costs. The majority of new requests for operational needs proposed by city departments remain unfunded.
The adopted budget is shaped by a number of factors, including alignment with the City Council’s vision, values and strategic priorities, the city’s financial policies and principles of budgeting. It demonstrates prudence and stability as key foundational traits for the city’s aspirations, goals and future financial health, and remains adaptable and agile in the face of unpredictability.
All budget materials can be found on the city’s website at www.ci.staunton.va.us/budget.
Questions about the budget can be directed to the City Manager’s Office at 540.332.3812.
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Chris Graham
