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value, so county residents’ tax bills will not be much different this year than they were in 2006, Foster said.
Still, she said the upward trend in the county’s taxes makes life more difficult for elderly and low-income residents in Rappahannock.
It makes it awful hard on people with fixed incomes or on Social Security,” she said.
County Administrator John McCarthy said he has a hard time discerning whether a lot of people are really upset about taxes or whether it’s a vocal minority
“The actual dollar amounts have gone up over the years,” McCarthy said. “There’s no question it’s higher than what it used to be.”
Rappahannock’s total county budget has risen from $17 million in fiscal 2005 to $20.3 million for this fiscal year. That’s an average annual increase of about 6 percent.
The county’s public schools have become the most common target for citizens’ tax ire. The school budget accounts for roughly 60 percent of the county’s total budget and, despite declining enrollment,
84.3%