By Matt de Simone
The Botetourt County Board of Supervisors approved the county’s fiscal year 2027 budget Monday night by a 3-2 vote, concluding weeks of discussion over school funding, county finances and long-term budget priorities.
Board Chair Mac Scothorn, who presided over the meeting, was joined by Fincastle Supervisor Brandon Nicely and Amsterdam Supervisor Tim Snyder in voting to approve the budget. Buchanan Supervisor Linda Rottman and Blue Ridge Supervisor Walter Michael voted against the measure.
Before the vote, Scothorn asked Snyder and Rottman to share their perspectives following a June 11 meeting with county auditors, school officials, county staff, and members of the School Board regarding school funding, and financial oversight.
Snyder said the meeting reinforced his confidence in the county’s auditing process and financial reporting.
“I would like to thank all Botetourt County department heads for their time, effort, and cooperation throughout this year’s budget process,” Snyder said. He also thanked school officials and staff for their participation and professionalism.
Snyder said discussions with the Virginia Department of Education helped him better understand the complexities of comparing school divisions across the state, noting that differences in programs, student needs, and instructional offerings can significantly affect costs.
He also praised Botetourt County Public Schools for ranking fifth among Virginia school divisions in 2025 and said he believed the proposed budget appropriately addressed the school system’s needs.
Rottman focused her remarks on school funding figures and budget projections, presenting an analysis comparing budgeted revenues and actual expenditures over recent fiscal years.
She argued that the school division could operate under level county funding and still maintain a substantial financial cushion. According to her calculations, projected revenues would exceed projected expenditures by approximately $3.9 million without the proposed increase in local funding.
Rottman also expressed concern about the county’s use of approximately $2.1 million from the employee health insurance fund surplus to help balance the budget, noting that the fund is not a recurring source of revenue.
“I am not for a tax increase,” Rottman said, adding that future funding requests could require either tax increases or borrowing if recurring revenues do not keep pace with spending.
After the budget motion was made and seconded, Scothorn opened the floor for discussion.
Rottman again questioned the proposed increase for the school division, arguing that the supervisors had not received enough detail about why the additional funding was necessary.
“If we don’t understand exactly what the numbers are, if we’re looking at the schools asking for $15 million, and now they’re ready to accept $2.8 million, I think we need to ask why,” Rottman said. “I think we should be doing the budgeting from the opposite point of view, where the schools need to justify to us why they need increases.”
Rottman said she believed county departments had been required to justify spending requests throughout the budget process and that the same level of scrutiny should be applied to school funding requests. She also argued that the school division had not clearly demonstrated the need for the additional local funding being proposed.
Scothorn then asked Snyder for his thoughts on the matter and what he learned from the auditor meeting.
Snyder said discussions centered on how school funds are managed and returned, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of different funding approaches. He said he was satisfied with the auditor’s conclusions and remained confident in the figures presented to the board.
“I am comfortable with where our auditor landed, the final figures for the past audited year,” Snyder said. “I’m confident that the system that was described to me works and works well, and therefore, I believe in the numbers where we’ve landed.”
The board then proceeded to a roll-call vote. Rottman and Michael voted against the budget, while Nicely, Scothorn, and Snyder voted in favor, resulting in its approval.
In other business, the board unanimously approved supplemental appropriations totaling $838,375.49 for the county’s fiscal year 2026 budget.
County Finance Director Katie Davis presented the request, noting that the largest appropriation involved the Children’s Services Act program. Davis said approximately 65% of the additional funding would be offset by anticipated state and federal revenues.
Following a brief discussion, supervisors voted 5-0 to approve the supplemental appropriations as presented.
