County waits to learn state payback figure

By DAN KEGLEY/Staff

Smyth County has a pair of estimates but no final word about how much the Commonwealth of Virginia wants it to send back in the wake of state budget cuts.
Localities have a choice of cutting their departments’ budgets or returning a portion of state allocations after the state adopted a 4 percent reduction in its own budget.
“The board [of supervisors] voted when it passed the budget to return a check rather than cut the budget of specific departments,” Charlie Atkins, Smyth County’s chief financial officer, said Thursday.
Atkins said the latest figure available to the county is $153,336, but that does not include a payback from regional jail money that could add another $61,395.73.
Atkins said the county budget includes $225,000 earmarked as “local support to the Commonwealth,” which is more than the two estimates combined.Washington County is sending back more than $180,000 to the state as part of the most recent cuts.
Smyth County has a budget of $85,314,401 for fiscal year 2008-09.

David McGee, Media General Media Service, contributed.