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Residents raise reassessment and federal‑budget concerns; Spring House requests Earth Day parade road closure
Summary
Several residents used the board’s public‑comment period to seek a one‑hour closure for an Earth Day parade, raise alarm about steep property reassessments (some noting increases up to about 200 percent) and ask the county to analyze the recent FY25 federal budget’s likely impacts on local health, transportation and social services.
During public comment on March 25, multiple residents addressed the Floyd County Board of Supervisors on assessment increases, a recently passed federal FY25 budget and a request to close roads for an Earth Day parade.
Kathleen Armstrong, representing Spring House School and in collaboration with Partnership for Floyd, asked the board to approve a one‑hour closure for a procession of Appalachian species during Floyd’s Earth Day celebrations. "We are requesting your support for the closure of several local roads to facilitate a parade," Armstrong said, describing a short downtown route intended to end in the farmers market parking lot. She said the group expected a larger turnout this year and asked for the board’s assistance to ensure participant safety.
Karen Baker and Kamala Bowers asked the board to analyze the local effects of the recently passed federal FY25 budget. Baker said she had studied the enacted measures and was concerned that the county could lose federal support for services that serve Floyd residents: "I'm very concerned... we're on the losing side pretty much here in the county because of our lack of things like ICE and large, you know, large scale operations that are given more money." Kamala Bowers said she had contacted U.S. congressional staff and urged the county to seek a targeted analysis from university partners or state resources so Floyd can identify gaps and advocate for funding where possible.
Several residents raised concerns about the countywide property revaluation. Rhonda Curtis said her home’s reassessment showed an increase she described as "almost 200%" and urged the board to consider the timing and public impacts of reassessment. Zachary Heake and others described uneven increases across neighborhoods and asked for clearer explanation of the reassessment process; a board member explained Virginia law requires periodic reassessments and said the board will consider equalization and the mill rate in the budget process.
Supervisors responded to the concerns: board members reiterated the reassessment process is handled by a state‑regulated assessor using recent sales data, that the board seeks to equalize and typically reduces the mill rate after reassessments to stabilize tax revenue, and that the budget process will include public hearings on any proposed tax‑rate changes.
On the parade request, staff said VDOT has tightened guidance for road closures affecting primary routes and intersections and asked for additional documentation; county staff agreed to work with the parade organizers and to bring further information to the board so a decision can be made in time for the April event.
