By Brian Trompeter
Fairfax County’s real-estate-tax rate won’t increase this year, but homeowners facing average assessment increases of nearly 7 percent will have to fork out about $520 more unless county supervisors eventually agreed to cut the rate.
The Board of Supervisors on March 7 voted 9-1 to advertise the current rate of $1.11 per $100 assessed valuation, which was the amount recommended in County Executive Bryan Hill’s proposed fiscal 2024 budget. Supervisor Patrick Herrity (R-Springfield) voted against advertising that rate, but did not offer further comment at the meeting.
Supervisors in the upcoming weeks of budget negotiations will have the opportunity to approve a lower rate, but may not go higher than the one advertised. Several supervisors indicated, following Hill’s budget presentation on Feb. 21, that they favored lowering the tax rate somewhat to aid homeowners who were getting socked yet again with higher assessments.
“I will not support a final budget that does not lower this rate,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay (D) said in an e-mailed newsletter to constituents.
Supervisors will hold public hearings on the proposed fiscal 2024 budget April 11 through 13 and adopt the budget May 9. The new fiscal year will kick off July 1.
