Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget Taxes topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rockingham County adopts FY2027 budget, sets real estate tax at $0.66 and approves related measures
Summary
After a countywide reassessment that raised total assessed real-property values by 15.02%, the Board adopted a $0.66 real-estate tax rate and the FY2027 budget; the vote on the budget and some tax measures was 4–1 with Supervisor Dewey L. Ritchie opposed. The meeting also included approvals of a polling-place relocation and other routine land-use items.
The Rockingham County Board of Supervisors on April 22 adopted the FY2027 budget, approved tax rates for 2026 and 2027 and passed related ordinances after a public hearing on reassessment-driven tax impacts.
The Board voted 4–1 to set the real estate tax at $0.66 per $100 of assessed value for calendar year 2026; Supervisor Dewey L. Ritchie cast the lone dissent. The Board also adopted a reduced personal property tax rate of $2.60 per $100 of assessed value on a 5–0 vote.
The votes followed a public hearing on the proposed effective tax increase after a countywide reassessment that raised total assessed real-property values by 15.02%. Several residents told the Board the reassessment had substantially raised individual tax bills. “My land’s value increased by approximately 50 percent, which would add about $600 to my tax bill,” said Dee Dee Sellers during the hearing, describing how farm income does not keep pace with higher taxes. George VanOrden said he had expected new commercial development, including Buc-ee’s, to generate revenue that might offset the need for a rate increase.
County Attorney Thomas H. Miller Jr. reminded the Board and the public that Virginia law requires action when reassessments raise total revenue above the revenue-neutral threshold, and he explained how land-use-assessed properties are treated differently under the calculation. Chair Leila C. Longcor noted inflation and said new commercial revenue is helping to offset rising costs; Supervisor Matt J. Dale and Supervisor Joel L. Hensley argued that achieving a fully revenue-neutral rate this year would require cuts to core services such as schools or fire and rescue.
After public comment, the Board adopted the FY2027 budget, the FY2026–27 Fee Compendium and the FY27–FY31 Capital Improvement Plan on a 4–1 roll-call vote (RITCHIE – NAY). The adopted General Fund figures include $141,260,783 in general property taxes and a total General Fund of $218,132,868; total revenues and expenditures across funds are shown in the record as $706,747,475.
Votes at a glance: • Real estate tax rate — Adopted $0.66 per $100 of assessed value; vote 4–1 (DALE, HENSLEY, LONGCOR, WOLFE-GARRISON — AYE; RITCHIE — NAY). (See: public hearing and adoption.) • Personal property tax rate — Adopted $2.60 per $100; vote 5–0. • FY2027 budget, fee compendium, and CIP — Adopted; vote 4–1 (RITCHIE — NAY).
The Board’s discussion noted tradeoffs: Supervisor Ritchie said it is inconsistent for the County to criticize higher-than-neutral taxation at the state level while considering a rate above the revenue-neutral rate locally, and he worried about impacts on lower-income residents. Supervisor Hensley, speaking at length about fiscal philosophy and county debt, said he will continue working with staff to find efficiencies without cutting core services.
The Board recessed briefly and then moved to other agenda items, concluding the meeting at 8:28 p.m.
