The Richmond Times Dispatch reports that Virginia's localities are bracing for more budget cuts and even less support from the state government. With Governor McDonnell still unable to find funding, he is continuing to shirk responsibility and pass the burden from the state down to the local level. Chesterfield is one such locality:
"Education funding is especially worrisome to Chesterfield officials, who don't know what to expect from McDonnell and the General Assembly.
County Administrator James J.L. Stegmaier said, 'The biggest vulnerability we have is the apparent failure of the commonwealth to find solutions to its fiscal difficulties, and the tendency of the commonwealth to shift their budget problems to the local level.'
For example, localities are wary about state discussion of possibly requiring counties to maintain their secondary roads, using money from state maintenance funds for cities and towns.
And they're concerned about funding of the retirement plan for teachers, which has dropped below 60 percent in its funded status as the state deferred hundreds of millions of dollars in contributions last year in order to balance the budget."




