York assessments to jump 10-13%, supervisor says
Good morning! Library's proposed budget raises hackles in York; York charter school renewed, where to eat on Christmas day.
York County taxpayers can expect real estate assessments to increase by double digits, District 5 Representative Thomas G. Shepperd said Monday.
In his report to the district, Shepperd said the new assessment notices due out in the next few weeks will show increases of 10% to 13%.
Meanwhile, First District Representative Douglas R. Holroyd warned the county is being asked to increase its contribution to the Williamsburg Regional Library, hinting the county may have to build its own facility to serve the northern part of York.
He said the county’s proposed capital plan, to be reviewed Tuesday, would include a line item to allow York to set up an alternative.
The library system’s proposed budget seeks an 8.3% increase from York, to $964,63 a year. James City County, by far the largest contributor to the system, is being asked to increase its payment by 3.18% to $6.5 million, while Williamsburg’s contribution would drop 3.9 percent to $1.1 million. The contributions are based on book loans.
Library Executive Director Sandy Tower told us the budget will not be approved until next year.
But York supervisors have already said they do not want to pay more for the library system. In June the county sent a two-year cancellation notice, asking to re-negotiate the operating contract.
“It is not our intent to eliminate our partnership with WRL, but we need to be able to fund these services at an affordable cost,” Holroyd said.
“York County also needs to take steps to ensure library services in the Upper County continue, should the negotiations fail,” he added. “Our Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) will be presented on Tuesday evening, and you will see a new line item within the proposed CIP addressing this need.”
Dining out for the holiday?
If you are spending the Christmas holiday alone, or simply can’t bring yourself to cook another big meal, you can choose from more than a dozen local restaurants for your holiday meal.
Some establishments will require you to pre-order.
Download this document for a list from the Williamsburg Area Restaurant Association.
York Academy charter renewed, schools get state quality report
York County’s school board approved another five years for its charter school, which had a 100% graduation rate last year.
At its work session Monday, the school board got the results of the new accreditation standards Virginia adopted for schools this year.
They were told 96% of high school students across the division graduated within four years. York River Academy, a charter school established to serve at-risk students, had a 100% graduation rate.
The Academy was established in 2002 as Virginia’s second public charter school to serve at risk students. Principal Holly Sheffield told the school board Monday that it is one of only seven public charter schools in the state, and the only one serving at-risk students.
The school uses small class sizes, encourages community involvement, and offers technology classes and career oriented opportunities to prepare graduates for vocational careers, the military, or college level studies.
All 19 of the York schools are fully accredited, and 52.6% were rated “Distinguished” for above average results in the new state quality standards.
Those standards measure academic achievement, absenteeism, and how well students are prepared for life by the time they graduate, Chief Academic Officer Candi Skinner told the board.
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