VERONA - The Augusta County Supervisors will consider adopting a new tax rate during their meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
According to the agenda, the new tax rate is 63 cents per $100 of assessed real estate value, up 5 cents from the previous rate of 58 cents.
With the new tax increase, the county could potentially see nearly $3.5 million to help fund things like new deputy positions, salaries and more, according to County Administrator Timothy Fitzgerald.
According to Fitzgerald, supervisors advertised the following the increase would fund the following:
- Five deputy positions for the Sheriff’s Office
- Additional hours at the Churchville and Stuarts Draft libraries
- Additional funding towards school salary supplement increase
- Funding for county attorney and IT related services
- Provide for a cost of living increase for all county employees
- Restore funding to the county capital projects fund
Some supervisors are opposed to the 5-cent increase, but could back a lower increase that could still help with funding things.
South River Supervisor Carolyn Bragg said she was in favor of a 3-cent tax increase. She said with that increase, more than $1 million would go into the Capital Improvement Fund.
"We need a tax increase and we need it for specific things," she said.
The Sheriff's Department is asking for five more deputies, and Bragg said the county could fund three more with a 3 cent increase.
"I recognize the need for additional services," Bragg said. "You can't take because you can, but you should take because you need."
The 3 cent hike would give a 2 percent raise for county employees and the county school employees would receive a 2 percent raise, Bragg said.
Last year, taxes did not increase and there wasn't a proposal to raise them.
In fact, then-Board Chairman Tracy Pyles praised county citizens for keeping up with improving the value of their homes, investing in their communities and not expecting a lot of county services, which led to tax rates staying at their current rate.
“Everyone else is raising taxes, including our brethren to the north in Rockingham," Pyles said in 2017. “We’ve got a lot of things to be thankful for and the result I think is a good budget."
In 2016 the tax rate remained at 58 cents per $100 of assessed value, one year after it was raised 2 cents from 56 cents in 2015.
In 2014, there was a 5 cent tax increase — from 51 to 56 cents per $100 of assessed value, which was expected to bring in another $3.5 million to the county.
Follow Laura Peters @peterslaura and @peterpants. You can reach her at lpeters@newsleader.com or 213-9125.