Prince William County supervisors approved more than $1.5 million Tuesday to pave the treacherous gravel roads on Bull Run Mountain.
The owners of nearly 1,000 lots on the mountain that are within a 15-year-old special tax district created to maintain the roads will pay the county back by increasing their taxes by two cents.
The some-500 property owners on the mountain will pay 12 cents per $100 of their property’s assessed value to tar and chip the gravel roads, according to county documents.
Martin Cranshaw, who lives on and owns 14 lots at the top of the mountain, said he and many of his neighbors were purposefully not notified of planned tax increase.
“They knew the majority of the property owners would be against it and they didn’t want to screw up the plans,” said Cranshaw, who is looking into the legality of the paving process.
“I find it a little difficult to believe that folks did not know about this,” said supervisor John Stirrup, R-Gainesville.
He said the civic association sent letters, posted signs and held one of the largest meetings of residents since the late 1950s about the tax increase.
“Inevitably they were looking at a levy increase, regardless,” said Stirrup, who said the fees collected were not enough to maintain the gravel roads.
He added that the paving could lead to a tax decrease in the future.
Bull Run Mountain
Bull Run is slated to get paved roads this year. Bull Run Mountain has the following:
» 993 lots within the special tax district
» Special tax district created in 1990
» About 450 homeowners on the mountain
» Plans to increase the levy from 10 cents to 12 cents per $100
» Tar and chip process estimated to cost $1,528,005
