Stafford County staff proposes 5¢ real‑estate tax increase to close funding gap for schools and services

Stafford County budget staff presented a proposed operating budget at a budget work session that would raise the real‑estate tax rate by 5¢ while holding the fire levy steady, and allocates new revenue largely to school debt service, the regional jail and employee costs.

Andrea Light, presenting the county’s budget placemat, said the proposed tax‑rate increase is 5¢ and that “each penny of real estate is about $2,700,000 in new revenue.” Light also said projected tax relief from state actions reduces what the county collects this year and that keeping the current tax rate would lower fiscal‑year 2026 revenues by an estimated $13.5 million.

The proposed operating changes total roughly $16.5 million. Light said about $14.3 million of that is tied to real‑estate property tax growth and associated penalties and interest; the remaining roughly $1.2 million comes from other revenue categories. The schools account for a large share of the change: staff highlighted a year‑over‑year debt‑service increase (the presentation noted a $4,700,000 increase) and an operating request of just over $5,000,000.

Why it matters: property taxes are the county’s primary revenue source for the general fund, and the administration framed the 5¢ increase as a way to cover recurring cost growth while preserving fire levy rates.

Other notable budget drivers identified in the presentation include a $2.2 million increase in the county’s share of regional jail costs; nearly $1.5 million of new general‑fund support for rising employee health‑insurance costs; and a package of pay‑and‑benefits adjustments including a 2.75% general‑government pay change (described as 1.75% scale adjustment plus 1% merit). The draft also proposes a 50% implementation of a 2024 position review affecting about 141 positions (staff estimated roughly $220,000 for the half‑implementation in fiscal 2026).

Staff also identified recommended changes that would reduce ongoing cost: eliminating the employee health‑insurance opt‑out payment would save about $264,511 in the general fund, staff said, though they cautioned that removing the opt‑out could affect some lower‑paid workers and that additional analysis would be run.

Board members asked staff to make the budget documents clearer for the public. Supervisor Young said the placemat should show both the underlying program totals and the incremental increases so residents can see the full scale of school spending rather than only the marginal change.

The administration said detailed revenue and partner‑agency pages are available in the county’s budget book and on the website, and that the school board will be at the next meeting to answer additional questions about their budget request.