Winchester council sets 79.5¢ property tax rate, approves traffic-camera ordinance and authorizes Millwood easements

Winchester City Council on April 8 set the real-estate tax rate for calendar year 2025 at 79.5 cents per $100 of assessed value after an extended public hearing and subsequent council debate and votes.

The vote followed more than an hour of public testimony in which residents, business owners and education advocates urged the council to adopt a rate that would fully fund schools, public safety and other city priorities. Stewart Island, a member of the Winchester Public School Board, told council, “Our public schools are the beating heart of this amazing community.” Several residents urged a full 80-cent rate; others and multiple councilors warned about the strain of higher taxes on households with fixed or modest incomes.

City Manager Dan Hoffman told council staff had built a budget around a 79-cent rate that would include two police officers, a 3% cost-of-living adjustment for city employees and, with some additional federal revenue, four firefighters. “At the 79¢ rate we have been able to put together a budget that provides the 2 police officers, the 3% COLA, and just this morning … we can get 4 firefighters,” Hoffman said. With the council’s final decision to adopt 79.5¢, staff reported roughly $254,000 in additional general-fund revenue to allocate during the budget process.

Council debate centered on balancing immediate staffing and capital needs with the impact on homeowners and renters. An initial motion to set the rate at 80¢ failed on a roll call. After further discussion, Councilor Fox moved to set the rate at 79.5¢; that motion carried. Council members said they expect to finalize spending priorities when the council reviews the detailed fiscal year 2026 budget at its next meeting and during the scheduled budget public hearing.

Votes at a glance

- O2025-6: Ordinance to set the real-estate property tax rate for calendar year 2025 — Approved (set at $0.795 per $100 assessed value). Motion by Councilor Fox; second not specified in the record. Vote tally recorded by the clerk: yes 6, no 3. Notes: staff said the 79¢ scenario as previously presented fully funded the requested school appropriation and the two police officer positions; the additional half-cent provides about $254,000 for allocation.

- O2025-2: Second reading of an ordinance to create Chapter 14, Article 1, Sections 14–16 of the Winchester City Code to authorize use of photo-monitoring systems to enforce traffic-light signals — Adopted. Motion by Councilor Bell; second by Councilor Newcomb. Roll call in support was recorded as unanimous by the clerk.

- R2025-11: Resolution authorizing negotiations to acquire right of way and easements needed for construction of the Millwood Avenue project (box culvert replacements, conduit installation, VDOT roadway and bridge work) — Adopted by roll call. The resolution authorizes staff to negotiate easement acquisitions; it does not authorize eminent domain.

What the actions mean for the budget and projects

Council directed staff to present the FY 2026 budget at first reading at the next meeting with the 79.5¢ tax rate reflected. City staff said the adopted revenue level preserves the priorities that council identified earlier: school funding requested by the school board, additional public-safety staffing already included in the 79¢ scenario, and a 3% COLA for city employees (with the city manager indicating he had removed himself from the COLA in some earlier drafts). Council members noted that equipment and capital costs can rise quickly; several said they wanted to hold some of the additional revenue to offset likely price increases next year.

On Millwood Avenue, Public Works staff described the near-term public works steps: replacing box culverts this summer and installing conduit to enable relocation of above-ground utilities ahead of VDOT’s planned widening and bridge replacement over I-81. Staff said project funds in the adopted capital improvement plan will be used to negotiate easement agreements with property owners.

The council also heard the first reading of a text amendment to the zoning ordinance that would replace a broadly written “philanthropic and charitable institutions” use with a defined “humanitarian service facilities” use and restrict where those facilities could locate; that item will return for a public hearing and vote at a future meeting.

What’s next

Council scheduled first reading of the FY 2026 budget at the next regular meeting; the budget notice must be published in advance under state law. Staff will return with a budget document that reflects the adopted tax rate and with options for allocating the roughly $254,000 in additional revenue from the adopted half-cent. The zoning text amendment and any conditional-use permit requests connected to humanitarian service operations were not decided and will return to the council for hearing and deliberation.