Powhatan County reviews proposed FY26 budget amid tax-rate questions and staffing requests

Powhatan County officials reviewed the county administrator’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget at a March 13 workshop, outlining roughly $5,700,000 in additional general-fund revenue and multiple staffing and operational changes while prompting public concern about how much residents’ property tax bills could rise.

A county resident, Isaac Mazendar of the Brooklyn Estates Owners Association, opened public comment by citing assessment and rate figures and questioning whether the budget ties to clear goals. "The proposed fiscal 26 county budget is incomplete, has many gaps, has no deliverables, and feels like a wish list," Mazendar told the board, saying property assessments were up about 8% and noting an advertised tax-rate scenario that he said would increase taxes substantially for homeowners.

The county administration told supervisors the revenue increase is driven largely by reassessments and the proposed rate change. County staff summarized the package as built around a rate the administration described in presentation materials as 72 cents per $100 of assessed value; the public comment referenced an advertised 75-cent figure agreed to at a prior meeting. County Administrator Brett Timberlake said the roughly $5.7 million estimate includes reassessment growth and the three-penny increase in the advertised rate and that the proposed budget sets aside about $300,000 in additional tax-relief for elderly and disabled veterans.

Why it matters: The workshop lays out the spending and staffing the county would authorize if the board adopts a FY26 budget close to the proposal. The difference between assessment growth and any chosen tax rate determines homeowners' bills; staffing additions and one-time programs in the plan would affect county services and future operating costs.

Key figures and staffing…