Nottoway supervisors on Oct. 9 discussed the composition of the county's roughly $60 million budget and the limited discretion the board has to cut state and federal pass-through funding. The board also discussed options to reduce local spending and a planned transition of emergency medical services to a county-run model.

Supervisor discussion emphasized that roughly $9.8 million is local tax revenue (real estate and personal property) while approximately $40 million of the budget is state and federal funds that the county administers for mandated services; several supervisors said the board cannot reallocate or cut many pass-through dollars because they are tied to specific programs.

One supervisor proposed a thought exercise: a 10% cut across discretionary local spending could save roughly $6 million a year if applied to the entire $60 million figure, but staff and other board members explained that practically the board controls only the locally funded portion and that meaningful reductions are limited by mandated spending requirements and constitutional officer salaries. Supervisors said cutting school funding would trigger loss of federal dollars and significant service impacts, and several members cautioned against reductions that would harm essential services or reduce the county's ability to attract businesses.

Supervisors also discussed emergency medical services. Board members said the county and the volunteer squad are in the planning phase to transition ambulance services to the county over an approximately 18-month timeline; the board discussed the projected recurring cost of $750,000 per ambulance unit per year and a $2.25 million annual budget target to staff three ambulances 24/7, driven by call volume.

Other financial items discussed included landfill operations (the county subsidizes the landfill by roughly $400,000 per year) and the practical challenges of collecting per-capita fees or levies from residents without taxable property. Several supervisors said they had received constituent calls from residents who were unaware of levies and notice processes, and called for clearer outreach by the county.

Next steps: staff to provide more detailed breakdowns of locally controlled spending, constitutional officer costs, and projected EMS budget needs to inform upcoming budget cycles and public communications.