Greensville supervisors authorize petition to place 1% school sales-tax referendum on November ballot

The Greensville County Board of Supervisors voted to authorize staff to seek placement of a 1% local retail sales-tax referendum on the November ballot to fund school construction and renovation.

Staff summarized the process and limits for the measure, saying the General Assembly authorizes counties to impose an additional 1% sales tax and that proceeds are limited to "construction or renovation of schools." The staff member explained the next step: petitioning the circuit court to enter an order to put the referendum on the ballot. "What is required to impose this tax, is a referendum vote and has to be approval by majority of the voters," the staff member said.

Why it matters: If voters approve the measure in November, the board would adopt an ordinance to implement the tax. Staff noted a lag for implementation while state systems are updated. During debate, one board member stressed that the proposed tax "will not include gas, food, or medicine," to clarify common exemptions.

Board action: Staff asked the board to approve Resolution 26-70 as presented and moved that the county proceed to petition the court to place the referendum before voters. The board approved the request and instructed staff to begin the court petition process.

The board did not adopt an implementing ordinance at the meeting; if the referendum is approved by voters, the board would later adopt the ordinance and staff warned there would be administrative lead time to integrate any new tax into state systems.