Supervisors' poorly publicized announcement of FY2005 10-cent real estate tax increase - 404 Error! (Acrobat pdf file) This was published on page D4 of the March 18, 2004, Washington Times. The County did not even announce it with a press release.
Note: State law requires lowering the real estate tax rate to offset assessment increases. (Virginia Code, Section 58.1-3321). This is termed the "lowered tax rate." If the supervisors wish to raise the rate above the "lowered" rate, the law requires them to publicize it as a real estate tax increase. For FY2005, to offset the 9 percent average increase in residential and commercial assessments, the real estate tax rate would have to be reduced from $1.16 to $1.06. If the supervisors set the rate at $1.14 for example, that would be a 8-cent real estate tax increase, and not the 2-cent reduction that the supervisors would claim it is.