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Shenandoah holds budget hearing; proposes cut to real estate tax rate, no fee increases
Summary
At a public hearing April 28, 2026, the Shenandoah Town Council reviewed its proposed FY 2026–2027 budget, which would lower the real estate tax rate from 34¢ to 20.5¢ per $100 of assessed value and keep fees and utility rates unchanged. No members of the public spoke for or against the budget; the council closed the hearing and adjourned at 7:02 p.m.
The Shenandoah Town Council held a public hearing on the proposed Fiscal Year 2026–2027 budget on April 28, 2026, with Mayor Clinton O. Lucas, Jr., presiding. The minutes state the proposed budget includes no increases to refuse fees, personal property tax, business license fees, vehicle license fees, the meals tax, the lodging tax, water rates or sewer rates, and proposes lowering the real estate tax rate from 34¢ to 20.5¢ per $100 of assessed value to offset increased reassessments.
Mayor Clinton O. Lucas, Jr. opened the hearing at 7:00 p.m., noted the budget had been advertised in a local online newspaper and placed on display at the Town Office for public review, and asked whether anyone present wished to speak for or against the proposal. The minutes record that no one spoke either for or against the proposed FY 2026–2027 budget.
Vice Mayor William Kite moved to close the proposed budget hearing; Council Member Lynn Fox seconded the motion. The minutes include vote lines that list Vice Mayor Kite and several council members by name and record Mayor Clinton O. Lucas, Jr. as abstaining and Council Member I. Michael Lowe as absent, but the transcript as printed in the minutes contains contradictory vote wording (see audit). The minutes also record that Vice Mayor Kite moved to adjourn the meeting, Council Member Fox seconded, and the meeting was adjourned at 7:02 p.m.
The minutes do not record any public testimony in favor of or opposed to the budget and contain limited detail beyond the list of budget elements and the reported reduction in the real estate tax rate. The printed minutes include an inconsistent presentation of the roll-call results for the motions; the record shows the motions were made and that the meeting adjourned, but the recorded vote lines in the minutes are internally inconsistent and are noted as such in the audit section below.
