COUNCIL CORNER
Town Budget: Where It Comes from and Where it Goes

By SCOTT RAMSEY
Member, Town Council
This is the budget season for local governments in Virginia, including Round Hill. The General Fund Operating budget is put it into context for an average household below. The FY2010 budget is still in draft form, and what is shown here is rounded, very simplified, and summarized.
The FY2010 draft operating budget is approximately $460K. Part of that, however, represents utility work performed by general fund employees that will be reimbursed from the Utility Fund. The portion of the general operating budget that represents town government operations is only $360K, which comes to about $1,800 per household by using a round number of about 200 households.
GENERAL FUND REVENUE
That $1,800 per household general fund revenue comes from:
• Piggy-back real estate and personal property taxes levied by the Town (43%/$780 per household). These are unique taxes for Town residents. Some of these taxes are paid by non-resident property owners.
• Other taxes and fees collected by the Town (37%/$661). These are paid by all county residents and businesses, but flow to the Town from residents and businesses. Examples are the communications tax on phone bills, business licenses, and sales taxes from the state.
• 13%/$237 from rentals to the sheriff’s office and Verizon.
• The remaining 7% is from state grants and the Hometown Festival.
GENERAL FUND EXPENSES:
The allocation of the approximately $1,800 per household is divided as shown in the table to the right.
UTILITY RATE MULTIPLIER
The combined water and sewer rate is $16.87 per 1,000 gallons in-town and $25.31 out-of-town. The draft budget proposes a 3% increase, and retaining the 1.5x multiplier.
There are approximately 210 in-town users, and 950 out-of-town users. Round Hill is unique in Loudoun County and unusual statewide because our system is predominantly out-of-town users.
If rates were equalized, the combined rate would be $23.78 for all users. This would be a 41% increase for in-town users and a 6% decrease for out-of-town users (see chart below).
The total value of the multiplier is about $68,000 per year. For typical household usage, eliminating the multiplier would cost an in-town customer an additional $322 per year would save an out-of-town customer $71 per year.

By LISA CAMMAROTA
and MEG NASH
News aRound the Hill
While the current economic condition has everyone feeling a need to get back to basics, members of the Round Hill community have banded together to provide a greener pasture for all to enjoy. This "green" garden, officially the Round Hill Community Garden Park, will provide local residents with a pesticide-free location to grow organic fruits and vegetables and introduce the idea of sustainable living to the next generation.
Local children are already excited about the garden and its benefits.
When asked what it means to be part of a community garden, 5-year-old Jamie Karanski responded, “Now we don’t have to go to the boring store. Let’s start tomorrow.”
Eight-year-old Curtis East had economic benefits in mind. “It costs less because you just need seeds to grow your own food,” he replied.
Others cited positive environmental impacts, including planting locally without pesticides and transportation.
Agricultural leaders from around the area, including Wally Reed, curator of Washington DC's Botanical Gardens, have offered to provide valuable guidance and mentoring on gardening. The garden has also attracted several other interesting classes, free and open to the public (see Calendar, Page 8, for details).
The community garden is open to residents of in the local area and will be located at Falls Place in the Round Hill Villages. The garden will officially open for the season Apr. 26. Visit www.roundhillgarden.org to learn more.