Va. budget cuts could impact county
By LILLIAN KAFKA
lkafka@potomacnews.com
Friday, October 5, 2007


Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's proposed budget cuts could affect Prince William County to the tune of $614,000, according to the county's legislative liaison.

The police department faces the biggest hit with a $575,000 proposed cut, said Dana Fenton, who briefed county supervisors Tuesday on the cuts.

"It's going to be up to our department heads to deal with that," Fenton said in a phone interview. "They're going to have to decide what sort of impact it has."

The announcement comes during a time when the county board is considering increasing its police force to catch illegal immigrants.

Later this month supervisors could debate the creation of a criminal alien unit within the police department in order to take into custody undocumented residents of the county. That program could cost about $14.2 million over five years, according to police Chief Charlie T. Deane.

The board is waiting to vote on that unit until all of the county's fiscal restraints are outlined for them during budget season, which starts next week, said Supervisor Martin E. Nohe, R-Coles.

"With these shocks in the state budget and more to come, we need to be prepared for that," Nohe said. "So we don't want to rush into the decision and as soon as we find out all the information we can take the issue up again."

Libraries face a $30,300 cut; electoral board and registrar salaries face a $5,700 cut; non-state agency grants face a $3,875 cut and police face a $575,000 cut.

"If that's what the governor decides to do, we'll have to tighten our belts," said Registrar Betty Weimer.

This week Kaine announced $300 million in budget reductions and is expected to make another $341 million in cuts by December.

Kaine's cuts affect local governments by about $19.3 million statewide, a low percentage of the total reductions, Fenton said.

The budget cuts won't touch Medicaid or public education funding, the two areas Kaine said he would protect from belt-tightening.
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