Correction: Manassas City Council to re-vote on tax rate, residents won’t be able to speak

The City of Manassas will need to vote on the tax rate – again.

Mayor Hal Parrish II  on May 18 was asked to reconsider the tax vote after Councilwoman Theresa Coates Ellis voted yes on the second reading of the tax rate, despite the fact she voted no on May 11.

On May 11, Coates Ellis and Councilman Ian Lovejoy had cast “no” votes during a first reading of the tax rate ordinance, which passed by a vote of four to two. The $1.46 Real Estate tax rate that will largely fund the city’s 2021 budget is two cents lower than last year’s rate, however, due to a nearly 7% increase in assessed property values in the city, the average resident will see a $4,295 property tax bill — about $220 more than the previous year.

A week later on May 18, during a formal second reading of the ordinance, Ellis voted yes instead, supporting the higher tax rate. Lovejoy voted no again, and the tax rate vote passed 5-1.

Later that evening, Ellis passed Mayor Parrish a handwritten note asking for a re-vote. Ellis maintains her mis-vote was a mistake and was not done on purpose to delay the next year’s budget.

She wanted to change her vote on May 18 11, however, the city’s charter would not allow for a new vote on the same night. In a procedural quagmire, City Attorney Craig Brown explained that, due to a stipulation in the city charter, a re-vote on the tax rate would have to wait until the next meeting on Monday, June 1.

When she asked to change her vote, Parrish told the council members that, in general, when this had happened in the past, the city council has allowed it.

Vice Mayor Pamela Sebesky pointed said she “doesn’t want to make this difficult,” but wants to be clear that they were given guidance from city staff that the council must have an approved budget with a new tax rate by May 15.

“I would urge you to allow you that council member to vote their conscience, just like I would if you had the same issue,” Parrish said. “We fully expect that there will be four votes for the new tax rate on the first, I think it’s a reasonable reconsideration,” Parrish said.

City Manager Pat Pate said the biggest reason they wanted to get the budget passed so soon was because of funding for the school.

“You’ve adopted the budget and so we’ve set the spending guidelines for the city and for the city’s contribution to the school board and that was the biggest piece of why we were trying to get this adopted for the fifteenth,” Pate said. “We’re going along on the assumption that all of the things that you passed at the last meeting would continue on for the next meeting.”

The motion to re-consider passed 4-2 with Councilwoman Michelle Davis Younger and Councilman Ralph Smith voting no. After a brief but tense pause, Vice Mayor Sebesky voted yes as well.

“The agenda was kinda a mess,” Ellis said.

Ellis advocated for a lower $1.44 tax rate, and the council on May 11 was swiftly “rolling” through the items on the agenda when she cast her vote.

“I knew as soon as it happened, I was like ‘shoot,” Ellis said.

With a new vote scheduled on Monday, will this re-vote change the budget?

“It gives us a little more time for public input,” Ellis said. “Another reason I think it’s good to have it on June 1 is everything’s changing.It’s something that other council members might re-think [thier votes].”

The city council will meet at 5:30 p.m. at city hall, located at 9027 Center Street in Manassas. Residents won’t be allowed to speak during the meeting, despite an email from a city spokeswoman to Potomac Local news stating the council would hold an open public comment time during its Jube 1 meeting.

Ellis is now advocating for changing the city charter to allow re-votes to occur during the same meeting.

“That’s something we are gradually going to get changed,” Ellis said. “That’s something we have recognized is not the best way to conduct government. You want to be able to take care of things right away, in my opinion.” Ellis said.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported city residents would be able to petition the city council at the upcoming June 2 meeting.