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control in Richmond, they ought to be up front on it.”
Sen. Miller said he agrees with the local-option approach. "The motivation and driving force should be with the localities - - not in Richmond.”
With the focus of the upcoming General Assembly, which convenes on Jan. 9, certain to be the state’s estimated $2 billion budget shortfall, Del. Guest said the budget process “is going to get a pretty good going over.”
But despite the deficit, he said he sees little likelihood of any new taxes being enacted this year. Some localities, including Fauquier County, have requested the legislature look into expanded taxing authority to blunt the impact of steadily rising property and real estate taxes.
Those requests, made through the Virginia Association of Counties, include a local option real estate transfer tax and local sales tax. Del. Guest said he would like to learn more about the proposed real estate transfer tax, especially how it differs from the recordation tax, before he makes up his mind on it.
Though he predicted that no new taxes will be passed during this session, “those in favor need to get them on the agenda so that the ‘92 session will have heard the discussion.”
Another request by Piedmont Virginia counties, an extension of the rollback period for land use taxation on acreage removed from the program prematurely, met with favor from Del. Guest. “I have no problem making it optional for counties,” but the The rollback extension from five to ten years would have to be phased in one year at a time.
Mr. McCarthy and the county’s supervisors also expressed their “terrible concern” over decreasing state aid from Richmond, especially for the public schools. It appears, Mr. McCarthy said, “that the state is balancing its books on our backs. Especially, the mandates are not lessening, although the money is no longer there to pay for them - and they tell us u<e must fund the programs.”
Sen. Miller noted that, during the past several legislative sessions and the laws enacted, “there has been a minimum of what local governments call mandates.
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