Isle of Wight supervisors advertise FY26 tax and fee changes after residents press for teacher step raises

The Isle of Wight County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously April 30 to advertise proposed Fiscal Year 2026 tax and fee changes after a night of public comment that centered on teacher pay, a projected rise in tax relief costs, and utility and capital spending.

Board members voted to advertise the package that includes a proposed 5-cent increase in the real-estate tax rate (which county staff said would move the overall tax rate to 78 cents per $100 of assessed value), an increase in the machinery-and-tools (M & T) tax to $2.05 per $100 of assessed value, and an amended county fee schedule that county staff said will include higher water and sewer rates, higher utility connection/tap fees, and altered inspection and permitting fees. County staff and multiple supervisors described the advertisement step as a procedural move to allow formal public hearings and later final action.

The vote followed a lengthy public-comment period in which dozens of teachers, parents and school administrators urged the board to fund the Isle of Wight County Public Schools’ request to restore a frozen teacher “step” increase in addition to the state-mandated 3% raise. Several teachers and parents said experienced instructors are leaving the division for neighboring jurisdictions that pay more; multiple speakers characterized two consecutive years without a step increase as damaging to recruitment and retention. "We…