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By TODD FORTUNE
Rappahannock News Staff Writer
The Rappahannock County Board of Supervisors adopted the Fiscal Year 2000 county budget in a special meeting June 22. All members were present, as were County Administrator John McCarthy and Clerk Diane Bruce.
It was not done, however, without some excitement. The issue of real estate taxes and the fire levy were discussed at length, with differing viewpoints coming out.
Fire Levy tax
Board member Mike Massie began discussion of tax rates and the fire levy by suggesting that the Fire Levy be based on use-value rather than fair-market value. Changing the tax would reduce revenues by $70,000 to $75,000. He believes that farmers are overburdened and deserve a break on their taxes.
Massie further justified the change by pointing out that the Fire Levy has a surplus of just over $166,000. Board Chairman “Pete” Estes noted» that approximately $92,000 of that is needed to reimburse the fire companies for bills paid between Jan. 1 through June 30. Therefore, the surplus is in reality only about $75,000.
Roger Welch echoed Massie’s concerns about farmers being overtaxed. He is also weary of having a surplus, saying that people will always try and find a way to spend excess money. In addition, if the number of farms in the county continue to drop then it will be more difficult to limit the amount of development here.
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