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Who says we have to choose between teacher salaries and physical plant-a few disgruntled souls who have nothing better to do on a Monday morning than attend a public hearing. The great body of people who had to go to work that Monday were not complaining about high taxes.
By not taking any action on requests by local government departments for funds next year before advertising a budget, the supervisors almost guaranteed a turn-out of those alarmed by tax increases. They advertised a budget based on a tax rate of 63 cents per hundred, in spite of the fact that they never intended to adopt a budget that would require a 63-cent tax rate.
Even so, I have land and buildings appraised at $270,000. Based on a 63cent rate my taxes would be $1,701. These are NOT high taxes. Anywhere else taxes on such a property would be higher. Our taxes only seem high because they are beginning to go up after years of neglecting every responsibility of loca^ government in order to keep taxes low.
Does anybody who knows these people seriously believe Robert Eastham, Newbill Miller, Phil Irwin or Bill Fletcher will be taxed off their land by a 63-cent tax rate?
Ignoring the money for the loan for the building, next year’s budget for the schools calls for $1,333,737 from the Commonwealth of Virginia, an increase of $170,299, and $1,386,379 from the county’s general fund, an increase of $126,181. There is also $130,287 from the Federal government, but that source of money for education is decreasing.
So a little over half of our school budget comes from local taxes, and due to the supervisors’ action in cutting the school budget, less than half of the increase in next year’s budget comes from local taxes. Most of the county’s general fund money comes from real estate taxes, but not all. We also pay personal property taxes on our motor vehicles and then pay again for county stickers for them. We pay local utility taxes each month with our phone and electric bills. And, of course, we and the many tourists who come through the county pay the local one percent sales tax.
Nevertheless, in looking to the fu
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