The Manassas City School Board on Monday reviewed a revised FY 2028 budget development calendar that eliminates an early work session and advances key deadlines to allow more meaningful discussion and better preparation for a joint presentation with the city.
Director of Finance Taft Kelly presented the draft calendar during the board’s regular meeting. He explained two primary process changes from prior years.
The Manassas Park Governing Body unanimously approved the FY2026 A2 Budget Amendment during a special meeting on June 23, 2026, at City Hall. The amendment increases the General Fund by $6,550,328 to $101,633,714, primarily driven by unanticipated land sales and proffers.
City Manager Carl Cole presented the changes. He noted the amendment exceeded the 1% threshold under state law, requiring a public hearing. Cole apologized for the timing, explaining he realized the need about 17 days prior, resulting in only five days’ notice for the hearing. “I apologize. Probably could have handled this on consent last week, but anyway, this is routine,” Cole said. He attributed the threshold breach largely to revenue from the Carondelet property sale by the former Manassas Christian School.
Lisa Vose stood before the Stafford County Board of Supervisors on April 28 and described a lifetime spent in the county she loves. She moved here as a tenth-grader, rode the school bus past the neighborhood she dreamed of living in, and eventually made Clearview Heights her home.
Lori Balta has lived on Sandy Court in Manassas since 2005. For 21 years, she and her husband planned to retire right here in the city they call home. Now that dream is slipping away.
Her January electric bill hit $750 — the highest in all her years here — followed by $650 in February and March. With her husband nearing retirement and her own close behind, Balta told Manassas City Council on April 27 that the combined impact of rising property assessments, local utility rate increases, and a surprise Dominion Energy shock may force them to sell and leave.
Barbara Saunders, a retired Fredericksburg public school teacher living on Pony Drive, opened her latest property tax bill with a familiar sense of dread.
At $4,980 already, her real estate taxes are set to climb again under the City of Fredericksburg’s proposed FY2027 budget. In a written letter read aloud at the April 21 City Council meeting, the senior citizen described the cumulative impact: a 0.4-cent increase last year, followed by the proposed 0.5-cent hike this year, for a total 0.9-cent jump over two years.
Coles District Supervisor Yesli Vega is putting Prince William County taxpayers on notice: even if the Board of County Supervisors keeps the real estate tax rate flat, most homeowners will still see their bills rise this year because of higher property assessments.
In an email sent Monday morning to constituents — and forwarded to local media — Vega released detailed ZIP-code-level data showing average assessment increases for existing residential properties ranging from less than 1% to more than 5%. She highlighted the neighborhoods facing the steepest jumps and urged the board to consider lowering the tax rate rather than relying on the automatic revenue boost from rising home values.
