After hearing pleas from leaders of both the county’s volunteer fire and rescue squads, as well as the chairman of the Mathews County School Board, Mathews supervisors approved a bottom-line dollar figure for the Fiscal Year 2025 budget, but will go back to the drawing board next month to decide exactly how that money is allocated.

During Thursday night’s monthly meeting in the historic courthouse, the board voted unanimously to approve the FY25 overall amount of $39,771,661, as well as scheduling a special meeting for noon on Thursday, June 6, in the courthouse to decide on the allocations to various agencies with an eye toward reinstating money to fire and rescue, and providing the school division with enough money to give its teachers a 5 percent raise.

Members of the Mathews Volunteer Fire Department and Mathews Volunteer Rescue Squad filled the historic courthouse to show their concern over proposed funding cuts in the FY25 budget.

MVFD chief Ronnie Lewis said that, foll...