Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Comment Taxes topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident tells supervisors he paid 27% more in taxes than in 2020, urges rate relief
Summary
In public comment, Robert Chandler said his 2025 taxes rose 27.1% from 2020 and, after accounting for an estimated 25% dollar devaluation, equated the change to a 57% effective increase; he asked when Surry County would consider a rate reduction like Hampton's recent move.
Robert Chandler, speaking from the Bacon's Castle District during the meeting’s public comment period, told the board he paid 27.1% more in taxes in 2025 than he did in 2020 and asked whether Surry County would consider a rate reduction.
"I paid 27.1% more this year than I did in 2020," Chandler said, adding that when combined with an estimated 25% devaluation of the dollar since 2020 it represented an effective 57% increase in his out-of-pocket tax burden. Chandler noted he is on a fixed income and contrasted Surry with nearby Hampton, which he said announced a rate reduction.
Board members acknowledged the comment during later remarks. Supervisor Hardy said the county has one of the lower local real-estate tax rates in the region and pointed to long-term strategies, such as economic development, for reducing rates over time rather than immediate cuts to generate revenue.
