Public can sound off on the proposed budget during a 7 p.m. April 22 Zoom meeting
by Larry Chowning –
The Middlesex County Board of Supervisors is considering a $29 million budget for the coming fiscal year. It includes increases in personal property taxes on vehicles, jet skies, recreational vehicles, campers and some trucks. The county real estate and mobile home tax rate will remain $.62 on a $100 worth of assessed value.
The public has the opportunity to sound off on the proposed budget, though apparently not in in person, due to COVID-19 concerns. An electronic public hearing is set for 7 p.m. this coming Thursday, April 22. Hearing participants will connect via Zoom, using either a computer or phone. For information on receiving video access to the hearing, visit www.co.middlesex.va.us. You can access the hearing by audio only by calling 888-788-0099 or 877-853-5247. The meeting ID you need to enter the hearing is 822 3680 5838.
The county’s fiscal year 2021-2022 budget is $29,442,838, which is a $2,727,709 increase over the current $26,715,638 FY 2020-2021 budget.
If approved by supervisors, the personal property tax rate will jump from $2.10 to $2.60, a $.50 increase on the assessed value of vehicles and from $1.90 to $2.60, an increase of $.85 on recreational vehicles. There is no proposed change in the county’s tax rates on large or small boats.
During budget work session talks in preparation for the budget, supervisors discussed that Middlesex has some of the lowest personnel property rates in the region. The board also discussed that real estate and mobile home revenues may increase in FY 2022-2023 without requiring an increase in the $.62 tax rate.
At a meeting in January, Steve Wampler of Wampler-Eanes Appraisal Group Ltd., the firm doing the county’s reassessment of real estate, informed supervisors it appears there will be at least a 20% jump in Middlesex County real estate values (waterfront and inland homes and lots) from four years ago when the last reassessment was conducted.
Wampler said the board will be able to lower the real estate tax rate in the FY 2022-2023 budget and still get an increase in revenues. With that in mind, supervisors opted not to raise real estate tax rates in the FY 2021-2022 budget.
Expenditures
The budget has a 5% raise for all school employees with a portion of it coming from an increase in state revenues. The overall proposed school budget is down from $19,515,191 in the FY 2020-2021 budget to $19,141,098, down $179,016.
One of the largest increases in the county’s portion of the budget is in administration, where the proposed budget has a 60% increase. This is due in part because the Middlesex County has hired a second assistant county administrator until longtime Assistant County Administrator Betty Muncy retires and is carrying the cost of two.
There is a 15% increase in the law enforcement line item as $322,987 in new money is proposed to increase salaries and other items. The law enforcement budget in FY 2020-2021 was $2,098,387 and will increase to $2,421,838.
The complete draft budget is available online at www.co.middlesex.va.us.
For additional information on revenues and expenditures, be sure to pick up a copy of the Thursday, April 22 print edition of the Southside Sentinel.
