Prince William County executive proposes balanced $1.99 billion FY2026 budget, holds real-estate tax rate at $0.92

Prince William County Executive Chris Shorter on Tuesday presented a proposed fiscal 2026 general fund budget of about $1.99 billion that would keep the real-estate tax rate at $0.92 per $100 of assessed value and hold the fire levy at 7.2 cents.

Shorter said the proposed budget is balanced and builds on strong revenue growth: "This budget also meets the policy and principles of sound financial management," he said during the evening budget presentation. He noted a $183.6 million, or roughly 13 percent, increase in general revenue in FY2025 that underlies the FY2026 recommendations.

The nut of the proposal is a $82.5 million increase in the county transfer to Prince William County Public Schools (a 9.1 percent increase from the FY2025 base), a series of personnel and market adjustments, and targeted investments in public safety, housing and IT. Shorter described the plan as a mix of ongoing and one-time funding that attempts to respond to growth and service demands.

Key items in the proposed budget include: - Schools: an $82.5 million increase in the county transfer…