Requesting authorization to apply for a Department of Criminal Justice Services school resource officer grant.  The proposed grant would be for funding one (1) SRO position at North Elementary School throughout the allotted, 4-year grant cycle.  Should the grant be approved, an additional police officer position will be requested; this would require a change to the County's FY2024 position control chart.  Board approval of an additional grant funding appropriation will also be requested if grant is awarded.  

On April 26, 2022, the Prince George County Board of Supervisors approved a $435,000 appropriation from Utilities Cash Reserves to fund the Professional Engineering services for the evaluation, design, permitting and construction administration of the Temple Avenue Water Storage Tank and Pumping Station (R-22-081).  This appropriation did not include the cost of easements, nor the cost of site plan review fees.  VDOT is also requiring additional geotechnical services totaling $20,727 that were not in the original quote/pricing for plan approval.

An additional $66,000 is needed for easements, site plan review fees and VDOT required geotechnical services for this project.

Staff is requesting an appropriation of $66,000 In Utilities Fund, Fund Balance (cash reserves) to cover the cost of easements, additional required geotechnical services, and site plan review fees associated with this project.  The $66,000 will be transferred to the County CIP Fund (like the original $435,000 appropriation).

Appropriation Entry:

Utilities Fund

Expenditures:

0620-04-104-7003-49172  Utilities Transfer to CIP Fund    $66,000

Revenues:

0620-40-900-8208-399999 Utilities Fund, Fund Balance    $66,000

Capital Improvement Project (CIP) Fund

Expenditures:

0311-04-104-3223-48405   CIP Temple Ave Tank & PS      $66,000

Revenues:

0311-90-901-8207-399104  CIP Transfer from Utilities     $66,000

A copy of the WW change order for easements is attached, as is a proposal for the additional required geotechnical services.  A draft resolution for Board consideration and possible approval is also provided.

The changes in Section 74-262 and 74-268 are proposed to bring the dates for administering the land use assessment program into compliance with State law and to simplify determination of the application fee.

The dates provided for administering the land use assessment program in the Virginia Code are for jurisdictions that operate on a calendar year which Prince George County followed until five years ago.  When the County moved from a calendar year to fiscal year the dates for administering the land use assessment program should have been adjusted by six months.  The proposed date changes bring the Prince George County land use program into compliance with State law.

The current fee structure provides for an additional two cents per acre be collected for parcels measuring over 100 acres. The proposed adjustment of the application fee for all properties to $10 will provide standardization and more efficient collection. 

February 13, 2024

On January 22, 2024, the Prince George County School Board considered and approved a request for carry-forward of unexpended FY2023 school operating funds and an appropriation increase of $54,814.  They requested that this amount be transferred to the Health Insurance Fund to cover a portion of the accumulated school health fund deficit, which was $109,579.92 on December 31, 2023.

Unexpended school operating funds (actual revenues minus actual expenditures) revert to General Fund, Fund Balance at year end.

An excerpt of the FY2023 audited financial statements (Exhibit 43 is shown below).

Provided as attachments are:

School Appropriation Request

A history of School Carryforward Appropriations

A draft resolution for consideration, and possible approval

Action Requested:

Approve appropriation of $54,814 in General Fund, Fund Balance (amount of unexpended school operating funds that reverted to fund balance on June 30, 2023),  and a transfer of $54,814 to the Health Insurance Fund.

Appropriation / Amendment Entry:

General Fund (0100)

Expenditures:

0100-09-401-0917-49189   Transfer to Health Fund             $54,814

Revenues:

0100-40-900-8208-399999  General Fund, Fund Balance      $54,814

Health Insurance Fund (0920)

Expenditures:

0920-00-000-0000-42900 Health Insurance Claims Expense            $54,814

Revenue:

0920-90-901-8207-399100  Transfer from General Fund                  $54,814 

After a review of Virginia Gap Pay Act, the County Attorney determined that overtime for firefighter-medics should be paid at time and a half during periods when firefighter-medics take paid leave (those leave hours should count as hours worked).

The County had a long-time practice of paying those hours at straight time, rather than time and a half.

The Finance Department reviewed firefighter-medic overtime for hours paid between the two year period between November 15, 2021 and January 12, 2024 (hours worked September 12, 2021 - December 2, 2023).  Staff determined that retroactive pay totaling $49,570.02 was owed to firefighter-medics for overtime paid at a straight rate instead of time and a half, when those firefighter-medics took leave.  This adjustment was paid to thirty-three impacted firefighters on January 30, 2024.  The total cost with Social Security and Medicare tax is $53,362.12.

Staff is requesting an appropriation to cover the cost of this retroactive adjustment which is not budgeted for FY2024.  The recommended source is General Fund, Fund Balance to leave General Fund Contingency in place for any unforeseen expenditures incurred through June 30, 2024.  Unreserved General Fund, Fund Balance as of June 30, 2023 was $41,173,235, and to date $811,864 has been appropriated for multi-year grants and donations and purchase orders that remained open on June 30, 2023, leaving an unobligated balance of $40,361,371 prior to this request.  {FY2024 General Fund Contingency balance is $101,090.14}.

Action Requested:  Approve appropriation of General Fund, Fund Balance of $53,362.00 to the FY2024 General Fund Fire & EMS budget to cover unbudgeted overtime adjustment.  A draft resolution is provided for Board consideration and possible approval.

VA Code Sections §9.1-178 and §19.2-152.5 of the Code of Virginia require that each county and city participating in Community Corrections Programs establish a Community Criminal Justice Board. Each county and city participating in local pretrial services or local community-based probation services shall be represented on the community criminal justice board; boards shall be composed of the number of members established by a resolution or ordinance of each participating jurisdiction. Each board shall include, at a minimum, the following members: a person appointed by each governing body to represent the governing body; a judge of the general district court; a circuit court judge; a juvenile and domestic relations district court judge; a chief magistrate; one chief of police or the sheriff in a jurisdiction not served by a police department to represent law enforcement; an attorney for the Commonwealth; a public defender or an attorney who is experienced in the defense of criminal matters; a sheriff or the regional jail administrator responsible for jails serving those jurisdictions involved in local pretrial services and community-based probation services; a local educator; and a community services board administrator. In addition, the RCCJB By-laws include one citizen to be appointed at the discretion of the Prince George County Board of Supervisors.  Mr. Donald Hunter currently serves as that citizen representative and has done so for many years.  Therefore, RCCJB is requesting that Mr. Hunter be reappointed for another two-year term as the citizen representative for Prince George County effective January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2025.