Morning Buzz – Feb. 17, 2011

A daily digest of what’s going on in Fredericksburg, and what news from elsewhere is relevant here. Send suggestions to ebattle@freelancestar.com.

Consolidating services and employees between city governments and school divisions is something that comes up from time to time as a way to save local taxpayer dollars. After a Lynchburg politician asked about it, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli issued an opinion saying that while some services may be OK to consolidate, these entities shouldn’t share a finance director. The News & Advance has the story here. From their report:

“Budgetary disputes between localities and school boards occur with regularity throughout the Commonwealth,” he wrote. “A shared chief financial officer will find it difficult to act independently with each body. Certainly, the appearance of independence would not be present.”