Layoffs, budget cuts coming to Prince William

WOODBRIDGE, Va. - Hit hard by foreclosures and the economic downturn, leaders in Prince William County voted Tuesday to cut the 2009 budget, cut property taxes and layoff employees.

The school district, which makes up 56 percent of the county's budget and is the second largest in Virginia with 73,000 students, will be cut by more than $70 million.

Board Chairman Corey Stewart says the budget cuts will be across the board, with an impact on all services except police and fire. That means substantial cuts in human services.

"We will have to be more inventive," Stewart says. "We're going to be contracting more services out; we're going to be using more not-for-profit organizations and private contractors in order to provide more county services."

The same resolution is also going to cut property taxes for all Prince William residents by an average of 18 percent -- but this comes with a caveat. The county staff is being directed to find new or expanded fee revenue to make up for some of the lost revenue.

Stewart says he doesn't expect to find too many places where they can raise fees.

While the county is directing the school district to cut its budget by about $70 million, it will be up to the school board on where to make the cuts.

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