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Tough decisions
Tough decisionsLate last week, the Dow dipped below 8,000, the Commonwealth of Virginia began taking steps to address a $2.5 billion budget shortfall, and the economic crisis found its way to the supervisors' meeting room on the second floor of 10 Hotel St., in Warrenton.
With another infamous "three-page document" in hand — in this case the typed prognostications from County Administrator Paul McCulla and new budget director Ari Sky — the supervisors meet in a work session on Thursday, facing the realization that, almost certainly, they will have to put some current employees out on the street — perhaps as many as 13 — and take 17 currently unfilled positions off the books.
Other recommended cuts are painful, but somewhat more palatable. County libraries may close on Sundays, for example. You may recall that we ran a story recently on the record numbers the libraries are posting, as is usual when the economy tightens. Sunday closings are hurtful, but not fatal.
Remote sites and the county landfill may see reduced hours, the county may reach for the school system's leftover budget money sooner rather than later, and the supervisors are contemplating adjustments to the rainy-day reserves which are so reassuring to have in abundance.
The Times-Democrat has long championed the Purchase of Development Rights program, and half of its current funding, $675,000, is on McCulla and Sky's short list of recommended cuts and operational changes, phase one. The remainder of the funding is listed for possible elimination under their "Potential, More Challenging Cuts" in the three-page document.
We have a strong sense that critics of "bloated county government" are going to be surprised and chagrined at the reduction in services that this belt tightening is going to require. We have a strong sense that land conservation advocates are going to fight hard to keep their favorite programs intact.
Still, we are prepared to support a short-term, 50 percent reduction in PDR funding. For one, it's in the general interest. Painful times lay ahead. The best we can do is make sure that they are shared as equally as possible by all — by law enforcement, by the school system, by county government, and by the county's many open-space advocates.
The fact is, suspending funding for the PDR program may be more symbolic than anything. Chances are Fauquier isn't going to see very much in the way of residential building any time soon anyway.
Planners are in almost universal agreement that the trend is going to be from suburbs and outlying areas back toward city centers. Despite the welcome plunge in gasoline prices in recent weeks, this summer's pumping pain scared us all and is not likely to be forgotten any time soon.
That said, we urge county leaders to fully restore land conservation funding as soon as possible.
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