Five of seven Montgomery County supervisors want to raise real estate taxes by five cents in the next fiscal year.
Citizens can comment on the planned tax hike and the next fiscal year’s budget when the county board meets Thursday, April 9. Supervisors will hold public hearings at 6:30 p.m. in the second-floor board chambers of the county government center, 755 Roanoke St., Christiansburg.
Meeting March 23, supervisors voted 5-2 to advertise new tax rates and the proposed fiscal 2026-27 budget.
If approved, the real estate and mobile home tax rate will rise from 76 to 81 cents per $100 of value.
Also, supervisors propose establishing a new personal property vehicle tax structure for volunteer fire and rescue personnel. They would pay nothing for vehicles with an assessed value up to $29,500. If the vehicle is worth more, the owner would pay the current rate of $2.55 per $100 of value. This change can save a firefighter or rescue volunteer up to $752 per year, according to county officials.
All other tax rates will remain the same.
The proposed budget totals nearly $285.74 million, an increase of about $14.9 million compared to the current budget.
County general fund spending is projected to increase by about $10.4 million. The biggest increases are nearly $2.73 million more for general government administration, $2.39 million more for community development and $4.1 million more for the school division.
The schools’ operating fund spending will grow by about $7.92 million overall.
Supervisors expect to vote on the budget April 20.
Vice chair Steve Fijalkowski and council member Todd King oppose the tax increase.
During the March 23 meeting, King said 25 percent of Montgomery County adults live in poverty. “People are using credit cards to make ends meet,” he said.
Fijalkowski said this would be the third year with a tax increase, and those small annual increments add up to hurt people’s personal budgets. Next year, the county will undergo a property reassessment, which will raise real estate values as well, he noted.
But board chair April Demotts said that once new property values are established, the board could choose to lower the tax rate to keep owners’ bills the same.
Supervisor Derek Kitts said Montgomery is one of Virginia’s best-run counties, and the upcoming budget provides a minimum staff pay raise to maintain current service. Nearby counties are considering real estate tax hikes of 14 or 15 cents, he said.
Supervisor Anthony Grafsky said the 5-cent real estate increase will generate about $6.35 million more. When the additional school funding and the additional funding to raise county employee pay are subtracted, it leaves an increase of only about $980,000 for other needs, he noted.
DeMotts and supervisor Mary Biggs said a recent joint meeting of supervisors and school board members will lead to better budget planning and coordination of efforts.
You can find meeting documents at https://montva.community.highbond.com/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=414.