In a public forum that lasted less than 15 minutes, three York County citizens asked the Board of Supervisors to include more money in the budget for bike paths and arts programs.
“We’re always asking for input,” Chairman Tom Shepperd said at the start of the public forum Tuesday night. “The advantage now is that you get there first. You get your input in before the concrete forms around the budget.”
Supervisors are tasked each year with creating a multi-million dollar budget that runs in fiscal years. The upcoming budget will begin July 1 and run until June 30, 2016.
The board meets regularly in the spring to discuss the budget, with opportunities for citizens to share their thoughts throughout the process both in public hearings and through open communication in phone calls and emails.
Shepperd said he was not surprised by the low number of speakers at Tuesday night’s public forum.
“It’s very, very early on,” he said, adding in his experience, more people will share their input once Interim County Administrator Mark Carter has presented preliminary numbers.
Carol and Scott Bartram expressed interest in seeing an increase in the number of multi-use paths in the county, particularly as a way to connect various developments.
“We need to get away from thinking of bike routes as primarily recreational,” Carol Bartram said at the meeting Tuesday.
Her husband Scott Bartram regularly bikes from their home near Tabb High School to his job at the NASA Langley Research Center and travels on Wythe Creek Road and across Victory Boulevard.
He serves on the Historic Triangle Bicycle Advisory Committee, an organization consisting of members from York County, James City County and the City of Williamsburg who collaborate on bike-minded projects.
He commended York County developments like Kiln Creek, Running Man and Coventry that have accessible bike and walking paths. “There’s people all over them,” he said.
Sheila Myers, who serves on the York County Arts Commission, a committee that recommends funding for arts grants every year, asked the board to raise the budget to include more funding for arts projects.
“Increasing arts funding is not a negative thing,” she said, citing a suggestion by the state that calls for one dollar of funding for each citizen to go toward the arts.
She said York County spends 26 cents per citizen on arts funding compared to the state-recommended $1 of funding per citizen.
If York County followed the recommendation, nearly $67,000 would be allotted to the arts. Last year, $15,000 was allotted across 33 organizations.
“It’s a formula followed by our surrounding jurisdictions,” she said, mentioning Williamsburg and James City County.
She also pointed out economic studies that show for every dollar spent on arts, $2 is returned in revenue.
She and four others are tasked with recommending how the board of supervisors allocates funding for arts organizations and individuals seeking money to host events, exhibitions and performances, purchase new artwork and more.
Supervisors did not discuss the comments provided by the Bartrams and Myers at the meeting.
The York County supervisors will convene at their annual retreat Jan. 30 to discuss the budget, and a joint work session with the York County School Board is scheduled for Feb. 3. A full budget calendar can be found here.
The supervisors will continue to gather citizen input as they work through the budget in the coming months. Those wishing to provide ideas on the budget can email the board at [email protected].
Related Coverage:
- York Supes to Host First Public Forum on Upcoming Budget
- York Supes Approve Budget; Taxes Remain Level to Keep YCSD Short About $2 Million
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly named the bicycle committee. Scott Bartram serves on the Historic Triangle Bicycle Advisory Committee. Carol Bartram does not serve on the committee.
