James City County proposes $413.1 million FY27 budget, recommends 3'cent real-estate rate cut and a higher local meals tax

James City County leaders presented a proposed FY27 budget that would cover operations, capital projects and increased school support while asking residents to consider a narrower real-estate tax rate and a higher meals tax.

"For FY 2027 our proposed budget highlights again our budget in total is $413,100,000," County Administrator Scott Stevens said. Finance Director Share McCarthy set out the general fund figures and revenue assumptions, noting the general fund proposed for FY27 is $281,500,000, an increase of approximately $17.8 million (6.8%) over the current year.

As part of a package meant to diversify revenues away from property tax, Stevens recommended reducing the advertised real-estate tax rate by three cents from $0.83 to $0.80 per $100 of assessed value while proposing that the local portion of the meals tax move from 4% to 6%. McCarthy said each penny on the real-estate tax rate generates roughly $1,825,000 in revenue and noted the 2027 reassessment increased overall values about 10.31%, meaning the proposed cut in the rate would not fully offset the…