Spotsylvania County Administrator Ed Petrovich is concerned that the board of supervisors continues “kicking the can down the road” when it comes to funding local government.
Petrovich warned supervisors during a work session Tuesday night that a tax hike for the upcoming fiscal year 2027 would prevent a larger one in the future.
By the end of the meeting, the supervisors voted to approve a tax rate of 73 cents per $100 of assessed value, which amounts to a 5-cent increase from the equalized rate of 68 cents when factoring in reassessments.
County staff noted that homeowners will see a $15 per month average increase in their mortgages because of the tax hike, but the cost will be higher for homes above the median value in Spotsylvania, which is about $450,000.
“I don’t want to put us in a position in ‘28 that’s going to be even more painful than ‘27 was,” Petrovich said.
Petrovich initially recommended a nearly 9-cent tax increase from the equalized rate. The supervisors agreed to advertise the tax rate at 77 cents per $100 of assessed value, but lowered it on Tuesday, 12 days after a public hearing in which many residents criticized the proposed increase.
Petrovich noted Tuesday that keeping the tax rate flat would’ve meant a major reduction to the level of services the county provides. He said that the rate of 73 cents requires a “consolidation of services.”
His staff proposed closing five convenience sites at Todd’s Tavern, Cole Hill Creek, Post Oak, Lee Hill and Mine Road to save between $2.5 and $5 million in capital needs over the next 10 years.
The supervisors will explore permanently closing the sites in the FY28 budget, but for now they voted 5-0 to keep the Livingston and Chancellor sites open seven days per week, while all others will be closed for two days each week. Supervisors Gerald Childress of the Chancellor District and Deborah Frazier of the Salem District were absent.
Also, all construction and demolition (C&D) debris will only be permitted at the Livingston site, and contractors will be charged for those drop-offs. The supervisors instructed county staff to explore allowing four or five C&D drop-offs per year for homeowners working on remodeling projects. The county will begin advertising the C&D changes in the coming months with full implementation slated to begin Oct. 1.
Petrovich noted that other growing counties such as Stafford and Prince William don’t have several convenience sites. Supervisors said changes to the county’s convenience site system have been discussed for at least two years, and a shift to a more efficient operation is overdue.
“We do have a spoiled community,” Berkeley District Supervisor David Goosman said. “I’m one of them. We’re spoiled. We’re used to being able to take our trash whenever we need to, and dumping it within five miles … I think where we’re at in the tax situation and the budget, we’ve been working hard to figure out where those opportunities might be to get cost savings for the county that’s not going to impact services deeper or put us in a deeper hole, yet show some efficiencies.”
In other changes to convenient site usage, residents will pay a fee for a tag to hang from their windshield to use county convenience centers. That program is expected to generate $1.4 million per year. The county is also looking to save funds by eliminating the need for a director of solid waste management.
Spotsylvania County Public Schools Superintendent Clint Mitchell kept a close eye on the work session and said he’s relieved that the county didn’t present any changes to the school division’s proposed budget. The local transfer of $8.4 million in operational funds will leave the school division with a $3.4 million shortfall provided the school board agrees to changes proposed by Mitchell and his staff.
“Everything that Mr. Ed Petrovich presented to the school division essentially remains,” Mitchell said. “We are grateful for the county administrator’s budget and to the board of supervisors for really keeping his proposed budget [for the schools] intact. That gives me the opportunity to go back to my board on [April 20] to approve a budget so we can start working to make sure we get contracts out to employees before they leave for summer break.”
