James City County supervisors debate 3¢ real‑estate cut, one‑time credit and admissions tax options

At a continuation meeting, the James City County Board of Supervisors heard staff presentations and discussed options for the FY27 budget, including a proposed 3¢ reduction in the real‑estate tax rate and several revenue‑and‑expenditure options to protect fund balance while addressing staffing shortages.

County staff reported the FY27 proposal would lower the real‑estate tax rate from 83¢ to 80¢ per $100 of assessed value and estimated that 1 penny on the rate equals about $1,825,000 in revenue; the 3¢ reduction as presented would yield roughly $5.5 million in tax relief to property owners. "The FY27 proposed budget includes a reduction to the real estate tax rate of 3¢, bringing the rate from 83¢ per $100 of assessed value down to 80¢," a presenting staff member said during the slide presentation.

Staff also summarized property tax exemptions: about $6.0 million in relief statewide through the 100% disabled‑veteran exemption and roughly $515,000 in relief through the county’s elderly/disabled exemption. County staff said the elderly/disabled exemption is applied to the first $150,000 of home value, and noted current…