By SHARON KILPATRICK

By SHARON KILPATRICK

Rappahannock Ncw> Staff W ritcr

Unable to find any way to significantly cut the budget at its work session last Thursday, the Board of Supervisors voted to advertise a tax rate of 7b cents pelhundred dollars assessed value on real estate and to keep the personal property tax rate at $2.90 per hundred dollars.

The board also decided to explore the possibility of having a reappraisal earlier than they would under the usual six-year cycle.

There will be a public hearing on the proposed budget Wednesday, June 7 at 7:3o p.m. in ' in* high school auditorium. The supervisors also decided to meet Monday. June lb at 7:30 to adopt the budget.

Noting that the county is going to have to borrow $100,000 to get through June ill this fiscal year and $350,000 to get through part of the new fiscal year from July until late November when the bulk of the taxes are paid. Piedmont District Supervisor Charles K. Estes said. "We should go ahead and do the 75 cents. Maybe we'll be able to hold the thing (tax rate) next year."

"My preference is to do it now and be done with it," Chairman Hubert Gilkey said. "Wally (accountant Wally Cox) says we could do part of it this year and part next, but there is always something that eats your money up."

"Are there any plans for a reassessment'.’" Mr. Estes asked.

"Land values have taken a drastic jump since the last reassessment.” Mr. Gilkey noted.

Jackson Distinct Supervisor Ellis Bingham said, "1 have looked at the counties around us. We should try to reduce the taxes on everyone. I'm for land use . . . but we should raise the land use assessments to, say $2,(100 per acre. It’s helping keep land in open space, that’s true, but it's also robbing the county. If we take county taxes first, a lot of that comes off state and federal taxes. We're giving money to the state and federal governments."

“I agree with the Colonel to t his extent." County Administrator John McCarthy said. In any reassessment, everything has to come up, but 1 don't want to put a number on it. Everything would be on the table including land use values."

"All that land in conservation districts is selling for $4,000 to $5,000 per acre," Col. Bingham said.

"Land use assessments have to be based on production," Mr. Estes noted.

"I like a five-year or six-year cycle for reassessments," Col. Bingham said, “but real estate appreciates at 12 percent a vear. Can we raise assessments automatically?”

“The only way to do that," Mr. McCarthy said, “is to have a board of general assessment constantly sitting. It would cost $40,000 to $50,000 to run that office.”

“Seven years ago we voted to have yearly land use,” Mr. Estes said. “The only way out of that cycle is to do a general assessment. I think I want out of the cycle. The people are not getting what they’re paying for in the land use program by the year. It would take a lot of the investment money out of it. ”

“Is that what Fauquier is doing?” Hampton District Supervisor Mike Massie asked.

Mr. McCarthy said Fauquier County is considering restricting land-use taxation to land in agricultural districts, land on which scenic easements have been donated, or a new third category of open space. Under the open space program, the landowner would contract with the county not to develop the land in smaller than 50-acre parcels for a period of 10 years.

“According to 1987 Census of Agriculture figures . . ” Col. Bingham began.

See BUDGET, p. 18