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Supervisors debate personal-property tax exemption for volunteers as recruitment incentive
Summary
Board members discussed proposals to reduce or eliminate personal‑property taxes for volunteers (one vehicle) to help recruit fire and EMS volunteers; staff noted prior work on reducing a $1 vehicle fee and advised legal review of options.
Several supervisors urged the board to consider reducing or waiving personal‑property tax on a single vehicle for volunteers as a recruitment and retention incentive. One supervisor proposed a two‑year "step up sign‑up" program requiring training and demonstrated service before tax relief would apply; others suggested immediate relief for long‑standing volunteers.
County staff and legal counsel said Virginia law allows options ranging from a reduced assessment to a zeroed‑out nominal fee and that other counties have taken different approaches. Supervisors asked Christie (finance) to run numbers on revenue impacts and said the idea would appear on the next work session agenda for detailed consideration. No final policy change was adopted at the meeting.
