Prince William Using Risk Scores to Determine Budget

WOODBRIDGE, Va. — Prince William County will bring back a numbers system to decide funding priorities for the fiscal 2014 budget.

Michelle Casciato with the county’s Office of Management and Budget told officials Tuesday her office use will a risk assessment system that will examine what programs and agencies are being funding now, how they relate to the core function of local government, and then assign each scores between four and 20.

An evaluation scale will be used to score what’s already being funded in the county’s $2.4 billion budget, examining its risk to the community, risks to individuals, financial and legal risks, and whether or not what’s being funded is essential to the mission of local government, according to documents presented Tuesday to the Prince William County Board of Supervisors.

Each agency or program’s risk score is expected to be shown at the next meeting of the Supervisors on Oct. 2. The report will also show the probable community impacts on agencies or programs if, for example, the county’s 1.209 percent tax rate is reduced, or if Supervisors decide to no longer fund a program, said Casciato.

According to Casciato’s examples of programs currently funded by the county government, the Child Protective Services program scored an overall 19 because individuals aided by the program are considered to be at risk. There are also large public safety risks to the community and legal risks to the county if the program went underfunded, added Casciato.

In contrast, Prince William’s Bluebird Senior’s Bus program, which officials said costs taxpayers about $30,000 annually, scored a four because of it’s low financial risk (county officials said the program is paid for mostly by user fees) and because it’s not essential to the core function of local government.

The risk assessment score was developed in 2009 and used for the implementation of the 2010 fiscal year budget. It was not used in the implementation of the 2011 or 2012 budget processes, but officials once more want it to be included in the budgetary process.

Prince William County operates on a $2.4 billion budget for fiscal year 2013 with an effective property tax rate of 1.209 percent. The annual tax bill for residents is expected to remain flat over the next five years, but is expected to be adjusted for inflation by four percent each year.

Casciato points out if property assessments rise in Prince William, the county’s tax rate can be lowered so Prince William collects the same amount of projected revenue over the next five years.

Officials at today’s Board meeting said it was unusual to begin talking about the next year’s budget process so soon, adding many Supervisors do not form their budget committees don’t form until December.