The Gloucester Board of Supervisors heard from county residents during its first public hearings for the proposed Fiscal Year 2023 budget and tax rates on Wednesday, March 23.

Proposed budget

The largest group in attendance at the meeting, which was held at the T.C. Walker Education Center auditorium, were the parents and children of the Gloucester Outlaws Youth Football and Cheer.

In the proposed budget, one of the two capital improvement projects set to be funded is the renovation of Woodville Park, where the youth football program practice. The project is estimated to cost $855,000.

Gloucester Outlaws’ president Shawn Chase was the first of the group to approach the podium.

“We really want the Woodville project to not get cut. That is something that is near and dear to our heart. It’s going to provide our kids something that they need—fields, being able to practice and get out there and enjoy themselves,” Chase said. “The extra lighting, I know its high and the budge...