Herndon FY 2021 Budget Proposal Delayed Due To Coronavirus

HERNDON, VA — The proposed Fiscal Year 2021 Budget that Herndon Town Manager William H. “Bill” Ashton II delivered to the Town Council on April 1 is going to have to be retooled, in order to deal with the fiscal impact of the new coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.

The proposal is “no longer reflective of the current fiscal reality imposed upon the town, county, nation and world due to COVID-19,” Ashton said, in a release. He added the proposed budget would require comprehensive changes before the Town Council could consider and adopt it.

Ashton has a statutory obligation to submit his budget proposal on April 1. Typically, the Town Council would spend its April meetings soliciting public comment, with a mandated adoption date of June 30, the day before the new fiscal year begins.

Ashton recommended that the Proposed FY 2021 Budget be delayed until May, with public hearings scheduled for May 12 and May 26.

“This gives staff time to adjust anticipated revenues, which are already significantly impacted by the pandemic,” he said. “As a result, we expect comprehensive changes in our anticipated expenditures. Many of the assumptions in the current proposed budget are no longer valid.”

The members of the public can participate in the public hearings about the proposed budget via WebEx. Links to listen to the Town Council's work sessions and to take part in the public hearings will be published online the Friday before each Tuesday meeting. Comments can be submitted via an online form or by emailing town.clerk@herndon-va.gov.