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Nelson supervisors weigh tax-rate scenarios after 31.5% 2026 reassessment
Summary
Nelson County officials reviewed a 31.5% increase in assessed value and tax-rate scenarios on Feb. 10, 2026; staff showed that equalizing revenue would require about 49.5¢ (rounded to 50¢) and that the school division projects a $2.13 million FY27 revenue deficit.
At a Feb. 10 meeting, the Nelson County Board of Supervisors considered options for responding to a countywide 2026 reassessment that staff said increased total taxable value by about $6,645,614, or roughly 31.5%.
County Administrator Candice W. McGarry told supervisors that, at the current 65¢ per $100 of assessed value, the reassessment amounts to an equivalent 15.58¢ increase and that ‘‘the rate to equalize the tax revenue would be 49.5 cents, or 50 cents rounded to the whole penny.’’ She also said the penny value for 2026 is $426,540 and noted that each 1% of retained reassessment revenue equals approximately $210,795.
The school division’s FY27 budget, Ms. McGarry reported, shows a revenue deficit of $2,129,215 — a figure she said includes a net reduction of $1,286,637 in state, federal and other funds plus $842,579 in increased expenditures. She said the FY27–28 school deficit is anticipated to be at least $1,087,000 but that exact FY28 numbers are not yet determined.
Staff presented district-level examples to show uneven impacts: one Central District example indicated an assessed-value increase of about 28.6% on the sample parcel, producing a $687.68 tax increase under a $0.57 rate; a North District sample showed a 50% assessed increase yielding a larger dollar and percent change. McGarry cautioned that the single-parcel examples are illustrative and not district medians.
Public commenter Stephen Bayne urged fuller transparency and district-by-district analysis before final decisions, saying it was ‘‘important for Nelson County citizens to understand all details of the reassessment’s effects.’’ Supervisors asked staff to compile comparisons with neighboring localities’ tax rates and to present further budget detail at the March 10 budget presentation and a planned work session on Feb. 25.
Votes at a glance from the meeting: the Consent Agenda (including a budget amendment listed as R2026-06) passed unanimously (5–0); Resolution R2026-08 (to authorize a public hearing to amend local-emergency ratification timing) passed 5–0. No formal tax-rate change was adopted at the Feb. 10 meeting.
The Board is scheduled to receive further budget materials on March 10, 2026, and staff said the reassessment revenue will be realized for a full fiscal year beginning with the 2027 tax year.
