The average Prince William County homeowner would see a $74 increase in his tax bill next year, under the proposed property tax rate approved by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.
The board unanimously approved an advertised rate of $1.236 per $100 of assessed value. The quick passage was a stark contrast to the process the last two years, when the board needed multiple tries to reach a consensus.
“I don’t think it’s ever gone that smoothly before,” said board Chairman Corey Stewart, R-at large. “It’s going to be another tough budget season, but if we hang together, we’re going to get through it just fine.”
Budget timeline » Public hearings: April 5 and 12
» Budget adoption: April 27 » Start of new budget: July 1 By state law, the board can adopt a final tax rate that is lower than the advertised rate, but cannot approve one that is higher without re-advertising and conducting additional public hearings. The tax rate for the current year is $1.212. “There has been a concerted effort in these dark economic times to provide [tax] relief,” said County Executive Melissa Peacor.
Peacor’s proposed fiscal 2011 budget, announced last month, included a tax rate of $1.224. Peacor’s proposed budget would cut 38 positions, 25 of which are vacant, and includes $855,000 in cuts to the county library budget.
The slightly higher rate advertised Tuesday would net an additional $3.5 million and an additional $4.5 million for the schools. The average commercial tax bill would drop by 15.8 percent under the advertised rate.
“The citizens are hurting,” Stewart said. “The least this [county] government can do is keep the tax burden as low as possible.”
Though the average homeowner’s tax bill would be higher than last year, it still would be $166 less than in fiscal 2007 and $346 less than in fiscal 2009.
Falling real estate values have contributed to that drop. Houses in the county sold for a median price of $364,800 in 2007, compared with $207,000 in 2009, according to Metropolitan Regional Information Systems Inc.
