Please note: This story has been updated to reflect more details from Tuesday’s meeting.
Stafford’s real-estate tax rate is going up, but not as much as the county administrator proposed earlier this year.
The county’s Board of Supervisors voted 4-3 on Tuesday night to raise the tax rate from the current figure of $0.9236 per $100 of assessed value to $0.9675, a decrease from County Administrator Bill Ashton’s proposed rate of $0.985. The county’s fire levy also will go up, from $0.0131 per $100 of valuation to $0.014.
Real-estate taxes make up the main revenue source to support a $497 million general fund budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Property taxes of all types fund about 69% of that budget, and real-estate taxes generate the lion’s share of that total.
Also, because the supervisors lowered the tax rate from what Ashton proposed, the general fund budget figure went down $1.6 million from the administrator’s plan.
The boards’ two Republicans, Supervisors Crystal Vanuch of the Rock Hill District and Darrell English of the Hartwood District, voted against the $0.9675 rate. They were joined by Garrisonville District Supervisor Pamela Yeung.
Vanuch and English pushed for a tax rate of $0.92, but they were outvoted. Yeung said she didn’t support cuts to Ashton’s proposed budget but also didn’t want to put a burden on “homeowners, seniors and families on fixed incomes.”
Vanuch said she conferred with Commissioner of the Revenue Scott Mayausky, and that Stafford property owners have seen a 57 percent increase in taxes since 2021.
“We are chasing people out of this county who can’t pay the tax bill,” Vanuch said.
On the other hand, board Chairman Deuntay Diggs — who voted for the tax rate increase and budget along with Vice Chairwoman Maya Guy and Supervisors Tinesha Allen of the Griffis-Widewater District and Kecia Evans of the Falmouth District — said residents are receiving a lot of services for the extra money they will pay. The county is opening three new schools, implementing pay increases for employees, supplementing public safety and spending money on new park facilities.
“And, so, we are taking care of people,” Diggs said. “We’re trying to retain our staff here in Stafford, and we’re keeping in mind also our constituents who are bearing a lot of the burden.”
Allen also noted that the supervisors trimmed a proposed budget that already included cuts Ashton proposed.
“So I’m OK with what the rate is because, Iike I said, I get to tell our residents that, in Widewater, they get to know that there’s an engine coming out of their [fire] station when there’s an emergency,” she said. “I get to tell our kids that you don’t have to be in an overcrowded classroom.”
Stafford’s budget also includes $15 million in new funding to support three new schools and school-employee compensation, according to a Wednesday news release from the county.
The announcement reasoned that the county had to figure out a spending plan that took into account tax relief programs for disabled veterans and seniors.
“This budget reflects the difficult but necessary balance between meeting the needs of a growing community and navigating significant external pressures,” Ashton said in the announcement. “We are continuing to invest in our schools, public safety and workforce, while also managing rising costs and unfunded mandates like the veteran tax relief program. Our focus remains on responsible stewardship and making strategic decisions that position Stafford County for long-term success.”
Utility rates and proposed power line
Also on Tuesday, the supervisors voted unanimously to:
- Increase water and sewer rates by 6% in fiscal 2027, 5.5% in fiscal 2028 and 5.5% in fiscal 2029
- Establish fees for the use of reclaimed water, which is treated but not enough to make it drinkable. This option is geared toward data centers and other large commercial businesses.
- Refer to the Planning Commission proposed amendments to the Comprehensive Plan to provide general guidance on the process and routing of proposed power lines through the county. This came about because the supervisors have been critical of the proposed North Anna to Bristers electric-transmission project.
