Suffolk budget hearing spotlights affordability complaints and school funding requests

City finance staff presented Suffolk’s proposed FY26–27 operating and capital budget at a public hearing April 15, and residents and nonprofit leaders pressed council for deeper relief and greater support for schools and community services.

Stephanie Wells, the city’s director of finance and budget, summarized key elements of the proposal: a planned one-cent real-estate tax reduction (bringing the rate to $1.06 per $100), a proposed $5 million operating increase for schools (with the possibility of a later amendment if additional state funds materialize), a transition of co-mingled recycling to an SPSA Sort program, modest public-safety staffing increases (24 new positions, 15 for public safety), and an expected $5% increase in the total general fund. She also flagged potential FY27 revenue impacts, including increasing disabled-veteran exemptions that could reduce revenue by roughly $18 million.

Residents who spoke during the public-comment period sharply criticized the budget’s approach to affordability. Dwight James of Linden Avenue said that despite a reported $50 million surplus, households are not seeing meaningful relief and are being hit by assessment increases and utility hikes. He argued the one-cent tax cut will be “eaten up” by reassessments and utilities and urged measures such as eliminating the vehicle license fee.

Local service providers asked for full funding commitments. Ashley Green, executive director of the Western Tidewater Free Clinic, noted that 60% of the clinic’s patients are Suffolk residents (about 1,072 people) and requested that council consider the clinic’s full funding request to support care for uninsured residents. Tyrone Riddick, a senior member of the Suffolk City Public Schools board, told council that restricted state funding leaves districts with unfunded needs and urged the city to fully fund the school board’s request to address staff compensation and maintenance backlogs.

Wells told the council that some state budget items remain unsettled and that the administration proposes a conservative local contribution now, with the possibility of a budget amendment after the General Assembly’s actions are finalized. She also noted a correction to the public-hearing notice: the mobile-home personal-property rate should read $1.06 per $100 rather than the previously published figure; the correction does not affect the public hearing’s scope.

Next steps: the city will hold related hearings on May 6 on the effective tax rate and personal-property rates and expects to consider adoption of the FY26–27 budget at a later date. Residents who wish to review the full proposal can find the documents on the city website and at municipal locations.

Quotes from the meeting are drawn from the official council transcript.