Podcast: Manassas goes from ‘investing’ to ‘maintaining’ in this year’s city budget

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Last year, Manassas City officials passed a budget that increased the average real estate tax bill by an average of $198. It was called an “investing year” as the budget included multiple capital improvement projects that included the construction of a new police public safety center, a new fire station, and funding for a project that would remake Grant Avenue — once a main entrance to the city prior to the construction of Prince William Parkway in the 1990s.

This year’s budget process is about “maintaining” the funding the city council committed to funding last year. And, that means city residents are on the hook to pay about $60 more per year on their real estate tax on average.

The proposed tax rate is also about 2.6 percent higher than last year due to another commitment the city council made with the city’s school board to fund the schools with an additional $1.4 million a year for three years.

The city is in year three of that agreement and is in the process of deciding whether or not to keep it up. If the deal is kept and is unchanged, the city’s tax rate could increase up to seven cents on the dollar over the next three years.

Manassas City Manager Patrick Pate talked with us for this episode of the Potomac Local Podcast and gave us an idea as to where officials are in city’s budget process. The budget is set to be approved by city council on May 14.