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offices currently rent space in Washington. Along with new offices on Bank Road, the county has purchased four acres of land in Washington adjacent to Avon Hall at a cost of $400,000, which they propose to use for more offices, although “not for at least a decade” according to McCarthy. This property, located near the jail, is projected to provide space for law enforcement offices currently housed in the jail.
The tax rate hike will fund several law enforcement related expenditures, and county spending on the Rappahannock County Sheriff’s Office is projected to rise by $140,000 in 2007.
The money will fund a new road deputy for the RCSO, which according to Sheriff Larry Sherertz will ensure that his officers have adequate backup and allow him to keep more officers on duty at night. In addition to the new deputy, a small building attached to the county jail will be renovated to contain more offices.
Some of the extra money will go to pay costs that the county has little control over, such as rising retirement and life insurance costs. Virginia Retirement Systems benefit costs for county employees have risen by an average of 70 percent and health insurance costs have risen by around 20 percent. According to McCarthy, county governments are hit hardest by this trend since their employees tend to skew older, leading to higher costs. The county is also feeling the crunch of rising energy costs, and heating and travel budgets rose across the board.
89.8%