The Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors approved a real estate tax rate of 56-cents per $100 of assessed value, as well as the Fiscal 2025 School and County budgets at a called meeting April 4.
This is the first adjustment in the real estate tax rate since 2018, which currently stands at 62-cents, and is based on the recent property reassessment where residential property values increased an average of 48%. The Board was presented with the administrator’s proposed tax rate of 59-cents in early March but following a public hearing on March 28 and budget work session on April 2, decided to lower that rate to 56-cents in response to citizens’ concerns.
While this is a reduction in the actual tax rate, it does represent an increase in taxes due to the equation that results from the property reassessment.
“The proposed budget and tax rate was based on a realistic assessment of what the community will need now and over the next few years, particularly in the areas of public safety and fire and rescue, as well as providing continued support to our excellent school division, as these services are what our citizens want and demand of County government,” said Stuart Turille, County Administrator.
The 56-cent real estate tax rate will be reflected in 2024 real estate tax bills.
The tax rate adjustment was needed due to inflationary costs and increased demands for services, to include public safety, broadband implementation and public water and sewer infrastructure.
The approval of the new rate concludes the Fiscal 2025 budget process that included the property reassessment, where the value of residential property increased an average of 48%. The process also included public hearings on the school and county budgets as well as the proposed tax rate.
The Fiscal 2025 budget is $238,986,887, with a general fund amount of $87,759,483. It is $6,070,466 more than Fiscal 2024, primarily due to the addition of the new 1% sales tax revenue for school infrastructure, which is expected to generate about $3 million in new revenue each year.
The Fiscal 2025 County budget includes $1.2 million for fire and rescue, $689,677 for new positions, to include four in public safety, as well as $2,993,366 in capital projects.
The Fiscal 2025 budget provides $24,631,995 in local funding for the schools, up $2,535,639 from Fiscal 2024. This amount of local funding maintains the Fiscal 2024 funding calculation at 6% above the Local Required Effort required by the Commonwealth of Virginia. The total school budget stands at $122,093,838.
The 56-cent real estate tax rate was passed with a 5-2 vote, with Board Chairman Darrell Dalton and Chatham-Blairs Supervisor Kenneth Bowman casting the dissenting votes.
“This new tax rate, which I did not vote for, will put a burden on our most vulnerable citizens and my heart is with them. I feel like we have just taken advantage of them. This follows the highest reassessment in Pittsylvania County’s history, and I am deeply disappointed that we were unable to lower the rate any further. However, funding our most critical services – schools, public safety, fire and rescue, as well as necessary infrastructure improvements – is our most essential duty. It is now up to the Board to be the best stewards of the money our citizens provide – as it is our citizens who pay the bills – and work together to build a future we can all live with,” said Dalton.
Board Vice Chairman Robert Tucker, who is also chairman of the Finance Committee, made the motion for the 56-cent rate.
“This budget – and the tax rate – is the result of many hours of hard work, negotiations and compromises from staff and members of the Board. It was not an easy decision, and we are very aware of the strain this will place on our citizens. But the County is at a pivotal point and to ensure its continued growth, especially in the realm of economic development, the Board must provide the necessary funding to maintain the quality of our schools, our fire and rescue community, public safety and other vital functions. I believe the public elected us to make the tough decisions, and this decision, going forward, will ultimately be something we can be proud of,” said Tucker.