Several opposing themes were presented to the Gloucester County Board of Supervisors during its public hearing March 30 at the T.C. Walker Education Center on the county administrator’s proposed fiscal year 2017 budget.

One group of people spoke out, encouraging taxes to be raised in order to better compensate Gloucester teachers, while another group urged supervisors to keep a tight rein on the budget, saying they had not seen any extra money in their own wallets to support such an increase. Yet another group of people urged the county not to cut funding for various nonprofit organizations, such as Gloucester Arts on Main and the Gloucester Housing Partnership.

The county administrator’s proposed $111 million budget, which includes a four-cent increase on the real estate tax rate, includes a 5-percent pay raise for both county and school staff. The Gloucester School Board’s proposed budget seeks a 6 percent raise for school employees and restores 10 days to the sch...