York County Administrator James McReynolds presented a more refined estimation of healthcare and capital improvement costs to the York County Board of Supervisors at its Tuesday budget session.
Health insurance costs have been one of the bigger increased costs facing the county. The supervisors received a bit of good news: The county’s health insurance provider, Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield, are now estimating costs at $400,000 rather than the original projection of $525,000.
Also, McReynolds proposes the county push implementation of a portion of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which had an estimated cost of $500,000, to the next budget. The county plans to pay an estimated $65,000 of that cost in fees — a $1 research fee and $63 reinsurance fee for each person covered in the county’s health plan — this year to comply with the Affordable Care Act.
“We haven’t had the picture change all that much, but it is changing for the better,” McReynolds said.
York County officials are trying to figure out how to contend with an estimated potential budget shortfall of $3.3 million. McReynolds said the equivalent tax increase to cover the estimated shortfall would be 3.77 cents at a Feb. 5 joint work session between the supervisors and the York County School Board. The numbers are all preliminary and subject to change.
The capital improvement costs show a few major changes from the 10-year capital improvement program adopted in 2012. When it comes to estimated maintenance expenditures, roof repair costs are estimated to climb from $349,145 to $499,000. Parking lot repair will go from $97,000 to $161,000. All in all, the county is looking at $1,839,700 in repair and maintenance costs, a $60,000 increase from the original estimate for the 10-year CIP.
For projects that involve new construction, the county is looking at significant savings for this budget by pushing out costs from fire apparatus replacement and building replacements for the Division of Fire and Life Safety. The 10-year capital improvement plan called for $3.9 million for fire apparatus replacement, but by spreading the cost out, the county only needs to come up with around $780,000 for the next budget. The $4,602,000 for building replacements has gone down to $1,880,000.
Enterprise projects are looking at a slight reduction—the 10-year Capital Improvement Program called for $2.3 million in expenditures, while the new budget is looking at an estimated $2.1 million. These projects include sewer, water and waste.
District 5 Supervisor Thomas Shepperd suggested shifting $574,000 allocated for the Victory Boulevard multi-use trail to capital improvements to reduce demand on the budget, lowering a potential tax increase facing county residents. The multi-use trail is a planned path for pedestrians and bicycle riders that would run about 8,700 feet, from North Bowman Terrace to East Yorktown Road.
McReynolds will present his proposed budget to the board at a meeting 6 p.m. March 19 at York Hall. A series of budget work sessions are scheduled for April 2, 9 and 30. The public hearing on the budget proposal is set for 7 p.m. April 25. The 2014 fiscal year budget is slated for adoption May 7.
Other Board Matters
The supervisors received a presentation from Charles Records of COMPSASSpointe Alliance, LLC. Records discussed what he believes is the need for a new bridge over the York River to connect York County and Gloucester County. He talked about how projected use of the Coleman Bridge would lead to an untenable traffic situation by 2033.
A new bridge would cost hundreds of millions of dollars, he said. He requested the supervisors approve of his wish to conduct a feasibility study regarding a new crossing. The Gloucester Board of Supervisors already approved the study.
“I don’t want people to go out tomorrow thinking that this board is advocating for a new bridge across the river,” Shepperd said. “For us to say ‘yes, we support something like this,’ [it would present] the whole issue of how would this fits into the entire region’s transportation funding.”
Records estimated a new bridge would divert between 51 and 56 percent of traffic from the Coleman Bridge. The board will consider his request, and nothing was decided about the study at the meeting. Records said he and the other people involved in conducting the study would be willing to fund it without cost to the county.
The Williamsburg Residency Administrator for the Virginia Department of Transportation gave an update of VDOT projects throughout York County for the last quarter.
He said VDOT completed 207 of 327 maintenance orders received in the quarter. Of the 120 outstanding orders remaining, 74 are drainage issues, 44 are connected to signage and two are connected to vegetation.
He discussed future plans, including a summer repaving of the on- and off-ramp loops at exit 242 on I-64. Other projects include repaving Bypass Road, Route 132, Mooretown Road, Lightfoot Road and the Alexander Lee Parkway.
