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Local residents "tea"-d off about taxes
Yesterday was tax day and while some may have filed online, others crowded into post offices to make sure their envelopes were postmarked April 15.
Still others took a different approach—they decided to have a tea party but minus the Twinings. Several gathered at Yowell Park, as others did in some 1,800 cities across the United States, to protest higher taxes. National TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party Day is a nationwide grassroots movement to get the government moving in a direction that doesn't have them spending trillions of borrowed money. Spearheaded at the local level by Rixeyville resident Rita Grace, folks came to picnic, chat politics and show their unity with like-minded folks across the country.
As proposed budgets in counties across Virginia look to be approved or not in the next month, Culpeper's County Board of Supervisors voted last week to advertise an increased rate of roughly 13 percent which would raise the current $.61 per $100 of assessed value to $.69 per $100 — or $.08 cents. Depending on the assessed value of your home — and most have been devalued by about 11 percent — you will be paying several hundred dollars more if this proposed rate increase is approved. By advertising these rates, whatever is decided, any tax increase will be capped at $.69.
Faced with declining state revenue and a decrease in personal property tax revenue — estimated between $1.2M to $2M— county officials have been challenged to come up with a budget that will maintain adequate levels of service while struggling with dwindling resources. Revenues from the county's landfill fell short as well due in large part to the opening of the new transfer station. It is estimated that this cost the county proffers $475K. Taking a look back, the total budget for FY 2008 came in at nearly $144K. For the current year, it is down — hovering at nearly $139K — due to belt tightening measures done last year. In comparison, this year's proposed budget for FY '10 is coming in at $140.5M. Bottom line, resources don't match anticipated revenue and the rub is likely to come from taxpayer's backs with an increased tax rate.
While it is not a measure that board members take lightly, it is a challenge to make up the difference.
A couple of counties over in Prince William, their current tax rate is higher at $.97 per $100 of assessed value. On the table is a proposed hike with a maximum cap of $1.21 per $100. It is also estimated if approved at $1.21, that average residential tax bills will decrease nearly 13 percent — about $435. However, on the commercial side, those bills will go up as commercial assessments haven't fallen as much as residential assessments. Prince William officials are looking at a proposed budget of $1.8 billion.
In Rappahannock County, county administrator John McCarthy said that their tax rate is $.60 per $100 of assessed value but they are proposing to lower that to $.58. "We're just cutting back a lot," noted McCarthy.
The vote on Culpeper County's budget is slated for the end of April, but citizens will have a chance to let the supervisors know how they are feeling on Tuesday when a public hearing is held on the proposed budget. It will be one more opportunity to let your county officials know how you feel. The meeting starts at 7 p.m.
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