Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Residents and council spar over proposed property-tax levy as city seeks cuts
Summary
Residents urged sharper spending reductions and faulted recent city purchases and debt for large property-tax increases. Councilors said the preliminary levy was high but that they are actively working with a financial consultant to lower it ahead of the final levy deadline.
Residents pressed the Virginia City Council on Oct. 14 over a proposed 2026 property-tax levy they said would impose severe burdens on homeowners.
Greg Lehi, who organized the public appearance, and resident John Scooby told the council that a recent certified levy increase and a proposed 2026 levy would produce large year-to-year tax jumps for homeowners. Lehi said the certified 2024 property-tax levy rose by 21.46 percent and that many homeowners experienced increases of $2,000 to $4,000 in one year. He compared Virginia’s tax rate to neighboring Mountain Iron (which Lehi gave as 1.12) and said Virginia was nearly double at about 2.09. “The 2026 proposed levy increase is 22.75%. It’s unacceptable,” Lehi said.
Councilors acknowledged residents’ concerns. Mayor Cuffee and multiple councilors said the preliminary levy had been set high…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
