Live Blog: FY12 Budget Public Hearing

The Board of County Supervisors on Wednesday evening is holding the second of its two public hearings on the county budget process for Fiscal Year 2012. The board , and is set to adopt a final budget on April 26.

You can watch the hearing live on the county website.

7:55 p.m. Four residents spoke on behalf of the Prince William Area Free Clinic, asking that the budget for the clinic not be cut. One speaker said she had at one time been laid off from her job and had no health insurance, but had been helped by the clinic. Now that she has health insurance again, she volunteers at the clinic. Speakers said the clinic helps the poor who are ineligible for Medicaid and accepted over 7,000 medical visits and 500 dental visits last year.

8:00 p.m. Four county employees have spoken to ask the board not to require employees to contribute five percent to the Virginia Retirement System plan. They also requested that the board implement a cost of living increase, not just a merit increase, for county employees.

8:15 p.m. Connie Moser spoke on behalf of the Clean Community Council, saying the CCC cannot sustain another budget cut or it will be forced to close its doors. Moser said that after the CCC moved out of a building where the county paid the rent, it saw budget cuts that forced it to cut its part-time employee and director Brenda Evans took voluntary furloughs. Moser said that last year, the CCC worked with 36,508 volunteer hours, which she said was roughly an eight-to-one return on the investment in the council.

8:29 p.m. Some residents are speaking against the raising of the tax bill being used for capital improvements. Tom Whitmore argued that foreclosures are still too high and the economy is still too unstable to raise taxes. Tito Muñoz said he is owns a construction business and would make money by building roads, but does not want to make money on the backs of Prince William taxpayers. Another resident spoke in favor of the advertised tax rate, saying it will enable schools to offer slightly smaller class sizes to children.

8:35 p.m. Public comment is closed. Chairman Corey Stewart asked County Executive Melissa Peacor to "correct some misconceptions" about the budget. Peacor is reiterating that tax bills will remain lower than 2007 levels and that the 2006 road bond and library bond projects are completed under the proposed budget.