Stafford residents face tax hike, county government outlines priorities

Just as coronavirus numbers are starting to fall, taxes in Stafford County could be going up.

Homeowners face a 4% increase to their property taxes under county administrator Fred Presley’s proposed budget for the fiscal year 2022.

A homeowner with a house valued about $325,000–the county’s median home value–would see their tax bill increase about $130, creating an average tax bill of $3,287.

Presley proposes hiking the tax rate to the pre-pandemic level of $1.01 per $100 of the assessed home value, up from 97 cents. Supervisors dropped the rate last year at the onset of the pandemic.

Assessed home values are also expected to increase six-and-a-half percent, Presley said.

“Stafford has proven to be resilient,” Presley told the Board of Supervisors as he presented his 2022 budget. “Job losses were big at first but have rebounded well,” he said.

The proposed tax hikes would allow the county to meet the needs of a burgeoning population. With 154,000 people, the county continues to be the second-fastest growing jurisdiction behind Loudoun County, he added.

It would also be more expensive to own vehicles, as the assessments on the personal property could hike 10%, up to 50%. A vehicle licensing fee would be eliminated in light of the proposed tax increase, however.

Under Presley’s proposed $700 million budget, county government employees would receive a 5% raise after foregoing one last year. Public safety employees, which did see raises last year, would get another step-in crease salary, totaling about 5% as part of a multi-step salary increase plan adopted last year.

The salary increases introduced last year to pay more competitive wages, to help keep sheriff’s deputies and fire and rescue crews from taking jobs in localities closer to Washington, D.C.

A new tax on cigarettes, generating an estimated $1 million annually, would fund five new sheriff’s deputies and an animal control officer.

Prince William County, too, is considering a new tax on cigarettes. “It was something recommended… to avoid Stafford being the place where everybody goes to get cheap cigarettes,” Presley said.

Upgrades are on the books for the fire and rescue side of the aisle, too, as the county aims to build a new $13 million fire station in the Aquia District and hire 12 more career fire and rescue crews to meet demand, said Presley.

For transportation, a new dedicated $3 million transportation fund would be used to pay for ongoing road projects, including improving a flood-prone Brooke Road, a new intersection at Route 1 and Telegraph Road, and safety improvements to Enon Road.

Three new people would be hired to work in the county transportation office.

Between the years 2009 and 2013, 73 local government jobs were eliminated due to the economic recession. Since 2014, only 58 positions were restored.

Some poeple are doing more than one job, and Presley says that’s risky.

“When departments lack the staffing necessary to address the core needs, things get missed, mistakes get made, maintenance goes unperformed, and requirements are overlooked,” said Presley

A total of 60% of the county’s budget is transferred to the school division to fund its operations. However, the county is also on the hook for some school capital projects, including $5.5 million to fund a new, sixth high school.

The majority of funding for the budget–36% of it–comes from Real Estate taxes paid by homeowners, while the second-highest funding source is the state, at 32%.

On Tuesday, March 9, county leaders will meet to review tax rates. The county School Board is also expected to present its budget to the Board of Supervisors.

The Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on the budget to get feedback from residents prior to adopting a final budget on April 20.

The fiscal year budget 2022 starts July 1, 2021.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported Real Estate property taxes could increase as much as 8%, and personal property taxes could increase by 50%. Real Estate taxes are proposed to increase as much as 4%, and personal property taxes would be assessed at 50%, up from 40%, under the county administrator’s current budget proposal.