Waynesboro budget hearing draws long public turn against proposed property tax increase

Waynesboro held a public hearing April 28 on a proposed fiscal 2026 budget that is balanced on a recommended property tax rate of $0.89 per $100 of assessed value, and dozens of residents urged the City Council not to raise taxes after recent reassessments.

City staff presented the budget’s major drivers and trade-offs. "The slides that I present tonight are again very high level and tend to focus on the key changes and key decision points in the recommended budget," city staff member Mister Ham said before opening the public hearing. Ham told the council the advertised budget assumes an 89¢ rate and that work to adopt a different rate would require corresponding changes on the expenditure side. "The public hearing this evening is based on a budget with a recommended tax rate of 89¢," he said.

The nut graf: the council is weighing a 12¢ increase from the current 77¢ rate advertised by staff (other illustrative rates were discussed but not under formal consideration) at a moment of widespread reassessments that many residents say already raised their tax bills sharply. Staff says the extra revenue would fund recurring costs including school contributions, employee compensation adjustments, public safety staffing and debt service for planned school work.

Details from staff

Mister Ham summarized the budget increases the city considers largely non-discretionary, including a formula-driven school contribution (presented as an $840,000 increase), completion of previously adopted employee compensation changes for a full 12 months, Comprehensive Services Act-driven social services costs, and increases to VDOT-maintained street funding tied to lane miles. Staff recommended a phased pay-scale…