A different way of looking at continuing growth in local government spending
Good first day of May! Also in today's edition, James City County police arrest man wanted in sexual assault of a juvenile, and York School Board takes another step to quiet its former chair.
Trigger warning – if you don’t like reading numbers, you may want to skip this budget story!
Our story Tuesday about the galloping growth of local government budgets prompted James City County Administrator Scott Stevens to suggest we should not have added capital spending plans to the governments’ operating budget growth figures.
Our approach to the budget story was to add the two components of every year’s budget – the operating fund and the capital improvements plan – as a single figure, since both consume taxpayer money.
Stevens told us the capital plan should not have been included because not all of that money is spent in a given year.
But we also wanted to show how the localities’ debt is increasing because, like credit cards in a family budget, the debt eventually has to be repaid. And if revenue is curtailed because of economic conditions – such as the recession economists predict could result from the Trump Administration’s helter-skelter tariff plans – it can force cuts in other needed projects.
To give you a different view of local budgets, we are following Stevens’ suggestion and breaking out the Historic Triangle localities’ annual operating plans.
Looking strictly at how operating expenses have grown since 2017, York County now shows the largest growth and Williamsburg the lowest. All are double digits higher than inflation and population growth, however:
Williamsburg spokesperson Nicole Trifone said Williamsburg’s largest increase in operating expense came between 2022 and 2024, when it received federal subsidies to offset the impact of the Covid shutdowns and raised police and firefighters’ salaries to keep them in line with competing localities.
When it comes to capital spending, York County falls to third place with a far more modest budget than either Williamsburg or James City County.
James City’s proposed capital spending budget for the next five years is six times the size of the five-year plan set out in 2017 – $445.9 million dollars:
Williamsburg cut its five-year plan by $30 million after the last public hearing on the budget, but it is still 167% larger than it was five years ago -- $76 million.
York County, which has been slow to add capital projects, shows a 134% increase over the next five years, at $111.2 million
York Chair Sheila Noll told Williamsburg Watch she believes the county is falling behind on needed capital improvements.
Police arrest suspect in rape of a juvenile
James City County Police arrested a 24-year-old man wanted on multiple felony charges for a sex offense involving a juvenile victim.
Antonio Ziyon Harold was located and arrested Wednesday morning following a surveillance operation conducted by James City County detectives.
Following tips from the public, detectives saw two vehicles of interest traveling through the Rolling Meadows apartment complex, where the attack took place, at 9 Wednesday morning.
Police followed both vehicles onto I-64 until they left the highway at the Croaker Road exit and stopped the cars. Harold was located inside one of the vehicles and arrested without incident, a police spokesperson said.
Police said the attack on the victim occurred in the early morning of April 28 in the Rolling Meadows Apartment Complex.
Harold was charged with:
Abduction and kidnapping of a minor
Rape
Forcible sodomy
Robbery
Strangulation
Use of a firearm in commission of a felony
Preventing the calling of 911
Brandishing a firearm
Police said he may face additional charges as the investigation progresses. Harold is being held without bond at theVirginia Peninsula Regional Jail.
York School board dials down former chair’s ability to make comments
York County’s school board took an unusual step to dial down comments by 5th District Representative Lynda Fairman this week.
At the start of the board’s regular meeting Monday night, the board voted 3-1 to delete the portion of the agenda where board members are allowed to make comments, known as “matters by board members.” This is when board members normally talk about recent actions they have taken related to the schools, and it’s normally a pretty humdrum affair.
Fairman sometimes uses her time to discuss her concerns about the schools.
The sole vote against the change came from Fairman, who criticized the move as an assault on free speech. Vice Chair James E. Richardson was not present.
“We need to keep the board matters on the agenda so that all of the board members have freedom of speech to be able to speak about any concerns they may have for their district or the overall York County school division,” Fairman said, “so we are fully transparent to the community of the parents, the students and the taxpayers as well as those who are concerned about York County schools.”
We were not able to reach either Fairman or Board Chair Kimberly S. Goodwin for more comments about the matter.
It’s not clear when the board members discussed the issue of making the change, which one of them told us is aimed at Fairman.
That board member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said board members wanted to prevent disruptions by Fairman at future meetings.
Goodwin brought up the matter as soon as the board convened Monday night, and there was no indication in the agendas of two closed door sessions the week before that this change would be on the table.
But given the lack of discussion on the matter, except for Fairman’s dissent, it was clear the board members at the meeting were familiar with the plan.
Fairman also was the sole dissenting vote in a move to make changes to the School Board Governance and Operations manual.
Many of the changes were tweaks. But the manual expanded on its rules for allowing the public to comment.
It warns speakers “must refrain from any speech or conduct that creates an actual disruption to the meeting decorum …Speakers are also prohibited from engaging in speech and/or conduct that is a clear violation of the law or incites criminal behavior, including threats to the safety of others, statements constituting sexual harassment towards another individual, and abusive language towards or in the presence/hearing of another to provoke a breach of the peace.”
Fed up with I-64 construction? Check this out
If you’ve been stuck in I-64 construction backups on the way to Richmond, you have an opportunity to learn more about the project at an information meeting next week.
The team responsible for the project will host a citizen information meeting on Tuesday, May 6, to share updates on the design and construction of the interstate widening project underway in James City County.
Construction on the project began in November 2024 and includes 9 miles of I-64 roadway widening and pavement rehabilitation from the New Kent/James City County line to approximately 1.15 miles west of the Route 199 Lightfoot exit (exit 234).
In addition to widening I-64, the project also includes the repair, rehabilitation and widening of two bridges on I-64 east and west over Six Mount Zion Road, as well as paving the Lightfoot Park and Ride lot in York County.
The meeting will take place from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. next Tuesday at Stonehouse Elementary School,3651 Rochambeau Drive Williamsburg, VA 23188
Passings
Gordon James Carvutto,74, April 29.
No matter how you cut it, we are being taxed out of our homes at a rate far greater than population growth or inflation. When the price of groceries, medical care, transportation are all rising, the Bd of Supervisors think it's a great idea to raise property taxes 21%. Time to push back from the table. write your Supervisor and show up May 13th at 5PM for the Board meeting where they will vote on the increased budget.