Schools

Stafford County Public Schools adopted a revised $409 million budget for the 2024 fiscal year starting July 1.

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A Stafford County leader floated the idea of re-enacting the BPOL tax on businesses.

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It took multiple attempts, votes to reconsider, and 12 hours filled with arguments and accusations, but Stafford County now has the fiscal year 2024 budget that will take effect July 1, 2023.

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News

Tomorrow, April 18, 2023, is decision day for the Stafford County Board of Supervisors.

Elected leaders on the board will vote to approve the county governments’ fiscal year 2024 budget and the Real Estate tax rate used to fund the $947 million spending plan. Supervisors proposed 38% percent tax hike on residents, the largest in state history.


Stafford County Schools Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor had little to say when asked if he expected the Board of Supervisors would vote to fully fund his school division’s $442 million 2024 budget.

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News

Stafford County mourns the passing of former County Board of Supervisors member Charles “Togie” Payne. Payne served on the Board of Supervisors from 1978 to 1981. He was elected Chairman by his fellow Board members in 1981.

Payne’s family has a long history in Stafford County, starting in 1721. He loved Stafford County and was very proud of his community of Falmouth. Payne was instrumental in modernizing Stafford’s water system.


Opinion

The proposed property tax increase in Stafford County is prohibitively high.

Many of the speakers at the Board of Supervisors’ April 4 Meeting wanted the tax increase “for the children” with the implication that if you don’t support the increase, you want to hurt our children.


News

Hundreds attended a public hearing on a proposed 38% percent tax hike in Stafford County.

On Tuesday, April 4, 2023, 81 people signed up to speak, and many shared stories of how their children struggle in the county’s public schools because of the division’s inability to retain experienced teachers, provide adequate places to provide tutoring, and its installation of trailer classrooms outside the school buildings.


Data centers in Stafford County are expected to be thirsty beasts.

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News

The agenda for the Stafford County Board of Supervisors is posted, and, as promised, supervisors will hear from the public about a plan to hike Real Estate taxes by 38% in the coming year.

The tax rate hike, accompanied by a host of other fee increases outlined in the agenda link above, like water and sewer, would mean the owners of average single-family homes could see their tax bills increase from about $3,000 to about $5,000. The additional $947 million budget would be used for pay raises for county staff and teachers, to build new schools, and other projects outlined in this report.


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