Residents press board on reassessments as county delays tax-rate decision and trims budget

Prince George County supervisors heard hours of public comment Wednesday about recent property reassessments and an advertised FY2026 budget, then postponed a final vote on the real-estate tax rate until the board's May 27 meeting.

The board opened a public hearing on the introduced FY2026 budget — which included new positions, pay adjustments and a proposed 82¢ per $100 real-estate tax rate — after several residents described delays and missing explanations from the contractor hired to do the reassessment.

Why it matters: Many residents said reassessment notices arrived with little usable explanation and that the likely tax increase, combined with higher consumer costs, creates financial strain. Board members told speakers the board plans $700,000-plus in cuts and will set a tax rate only after a May 21 budget work session.

Board staff presented the advertised budget and the reassessment updates the county received in May. The advertised general fund budget was $80,143,093; staff said revised assessment numbers reduce projected new real-property revenue from the introduced figure of about $4.2 million to roughly $3.6 million, leaving a shortfall the board will address next week.

Residents urged greater transparency and more local review of assessment work done by a contractor. James Keller, who described repeated requests to the assessor’s contractor for supporting documentation, said the contractor’s worksheets “generally failed to explain in easy to understand language” the adjustments used in assessments. At one point he called the contractor’s technical explanation “hand waving.”

Several speakers and board members also pressed staff about appeal options. County staff said the local assessor’s office remains the first point of contact to correct factual errors (for example, building or lot measurements). The county extended the informal appeal period tied to the contractor’s process and the formal Board of Equalization application deadline to June 30.

Board reaction and next steps: Supervisors said they will discuss specific budget reductions at a May 21 work session and return on May 27 to adopt a final budget and set tax rates. Chairman Brown said postponing the tax-rate vote until after the work session will allow the board to present a finalized set of cuts before establishing the rate. No vote on a real-estate tax rate was taken Wednesday.

What speakers asked for: Multiple residents urged tax relief rather than higher spending, called for local control of reassessments, and asked the board to consider staffing and service priorities that might be reduced. A number of commenters offered to volunteer local expertise to improve the assessment process.

Ending: The board’s action to delay the tax-rate decision gives supervisors one additional public meeting to adopt targeted reductions and finalize the rate; the board also extended residents’ appeal window for reassessments through June 30.