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Surry County approves one-time $200 real-estate tax rebate; $640,000 appropriated
Summary
The Surry County Board of Supervisors voted to adopt Resolution 2025-21 authorizing a one-time $200 real-estate tax rebate for qualifying primary residences and appropriated $640,000 from fund balance to cover an estimated 3,200 recipients. Eligibility and timing rules were explained by county staff.
The Surry County Board of Supervisors on Monday adopted a resolution to provide a one-time $200 rebate to qualifying real-estate taxpayers and voted to appropriate $640,000 from fund balance to cover the estimated cost.
County staff member Perkins presented the resolution, saying it implements a rebate permitted under Virginia law and applies only to properties assessed for real estate taxes as of Jan. 1, 2025, that were designated as a primary residence in county tax records. Perkins said eligible taxpayers are the persons listed in the county’s real-estate tax records as of Feb. 1, 2025, and that changes after that date will not affect eligibility.
The proposed amount is $200 per qualified property, with one check issued per qualified property regardless of the number of listed taxpayers. Perkins said rebates will be capped at the amount actually paid in real-estate taxes for the applicable fiscal year; any funds exceeding that amount would be applied to administration costs or, for delinquent accounts, applied against outstanding balances in accordance with treasurer policy. Perkins told the board the objective is to mail checks on or before Dec. 31, 2025, though the treasurer warned meeting that meeting that deadline could be challenging without extra resources.
Supervisor Hardy moved to approve Resolution 2025-21; the motion was seconded and adopted by voice vote. County staff then reported an estimate of roughly 3,200 qualifying properties; based on $200 per property that yields a total of $640,000. The board voted to appropriate $640,000 from fund balance to cover the rebate and the motion carried by voice vote.
Residents at the meeting urged the board to consider rate reductions and pushed for continued transparency. Robert Chandler of the Bacon’s Castle District said he paid “27.1% more this year than I did in 2020,” arguing that inflation and tax increases made the effective burden steep. Susan Corbello of the Claremont District urged the board to restore monthly AP reports and LGIP investment reports to improve fiscal transparency.
The resolution and appropriation are formal actions of the board; staff will administer the rebate process, apply rebates to delinquent taxpayer accounts per treasurer policy, and attempt to mail checks by year-end. The board did not set a separate outreach schedule in the meeting minutes for notifying eligible taxpayers.
