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King George administrator flags meals‑tax hike, vape‑tax push and convenience‑center enforcement to boost revenue
Summary
County administration presented options to grow FY27 revenue — including pursuing state action to let localities capture vape‑tax proceeds, enforcement of convenience‑center decals, and a possible two‑cent meals‑tax increase that officials say would shift some cost to nonresidents.
King George County’s administration opened an early FY27 budget orientation by laying out several revenue strategies intended to reduce pressure on property taxes and shore up the general fund.
Mister Smollett, speaking for county administration, told the board that Fitch had upgraded the county’s bond rating to AA+ and said that gives the county financial flexibility. He then outlined three revenue ideas: pressing the General Assembly to let localities keep vape‑tax revenue, strengthening enforcement at convenience centers to stop nonresidents from using county disposal services, and raising the local meals tax.
Smollett said state law allows a per‑milliliter tax on liquid nicotine but “that money does not come down to the localities like the cigarette tax does,” and recommended the board include the change in its legislative agenda to seek a remedy at the General Assembly. On enforcement at convenience centers, he described nonresidents using county stickers and dumping trash: “They don’t live here. They don’t have a vehicle registered here yet. They’ve got a yellow sticker on their car, and they’re dumping trash here at our convenience centers and at the landfill.” Board members agreed to have staff develop options to reduce misuse and report back.
Smollett gave the most detailed figures on a meals‑tax change. He said the county’s meals tax is currently 4 percent and that the county collected $1,870,142 in the most recent 12‑month period (the budget projection had been $1.6 million). He provided a per‑penny estimate to the board: “Each penny is worth $443,240.” Using that number, he said a two‑penny increase could generate roughly $8.87 million in additional revenue under a high‑level scenario. Smollett framed the measure as a way to tax portions of consumer spending largely paid by nonresidents who commute through or spend time in Dahlgren and other parts of the county.
Board members questioned assumptions and timing — noting collections shown were through May and that December personal‑property remittances could change projections. Finance staff said December payments typically account for a large portion of personal property revenue and cautioned that the administration’s figures rely on trend data and partial‑year snapshots.
No formal action was taken at the meeting; Smollett said these were preliminary ideas to be refined as part of the FY27 budget process and recommended follow‑up work on legislative outreach and enforcement options.
What’s next: staff were directed to develop enforcement options for convenience centers and to include potential legislative language for the board’s legislative agenda. The meals‑tax idea will be refined with fuller fiscal analysis before any formal proposal or public hearing.
