Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget Fy2026 topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Blacksburg introduces $108 million recommended operating budget for FY2025–26; public hearing set for May 13
Summary
Town staff presented the proposed fiscal year 2025–26 operating budget totaling about $108 million; council formally introduced the document and scheduled a May 13 public hearing and a May 27 adoption vote. The proposal holds the property tax rate at 26¢ and includes a 5% increase for water and sewer rates and a 3.7% increase for solid waste.
Town staff formally introduced the Town of Blacksburg’s recommended operating budget for the 2025–26 fiscal year, a document staff described as largely routine that totals about $108,000,000 across all funds. The council accepted the budget for review and set a public hearing for May 13 and an adoption consideration for May 27.
Mark (staff member) presented the budget overview and said the all‑funds total is approximately $108 million, with the general fund at just over $53.4 million. The presenter said that, when capital and debt vary year to year, an apples‑to‑apples comparison shows roughly a 5% increase overall and about a 4% increase in the general fund compared with last year.
Key items in the recommended budget include: a continued property tax rate of 26¢, no reassessment this year, modest revenue growth from new construction and economic activity, and targeted new spending. The plan proposes waiving water and sewer connection fees for qualifying affordable‑housing developments (the town would pay the subsidy from the general fund and replace the revenue in the utility fund), funding for Blacksburg’s share of a regional passenger‑rail station construction and debt payments, initial payments for a regional emergency services radio system, and ongoing funding for the behavioral health co‑response program in the police department.
The budget also lists capital projects and investments: $187,000 for Saint Luca Knott Fellows Hall restoration work, smaller athletic field upgrades this year with a larger program planned later, a skate park expansion, consultant funds to begin a multi‑year zoning ordinance rewrite, continued investment in transitioning transit to electric buses (18 additional electric buses arriving this fall and on‑route charging at the transit center), and a rate study for utility funds.
Personnel changes include pay increases (cost‑of‑living and performance steps) and a slate of new or reclassified positions: an accountant and a buyer in finance/purchasing, an accounting specialist and two mechanics in transit, conversion of part‑time transit data positions to full time, reclassifying a budget analyst to budget manager, and a full‑time parks maintenance specialist (consolidating two part‑time roles).
Utility rates proposed in the plan: a 5% increase in both water and sewer rates (reflecting rising costs at regional treatment authorities and local distribution maintenance), a 3.7% increase for solid waste and recycling (an estimated $1.17 per month for an average account), and no change to the stormwater fee. Staff said the average utility customer (6,000 gallons/month assumed for the projection) would see roughly a $6 monthly increase.
Staff said the document will be posted to the town website and available in the clerk’s office and public library for review. Council scheduled a public hearing on May 13 and plans to consider adoption on May 27.
The introduction is procedural; the document will be subject to public comment and further council work sessions before any final vote.
