The Culpeper County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to advertise a real estate tax rate of 57 cents per every $100 of assessed value for fiscal year 2021-22, beginning July 1.
As for the multi-million dollar county-funded expansion of high-speed internet to thousands of homes without it, that discussion went behind closed doors on Tuesday without any public resolution.
Real estate values in Culpeper County increased 12.42 percent, per the latest reassessment. An equalized tax rate, meaning no increase over the current year, would be 55 cents per every $100. The current county real estate tax rate is 62 cents.
Though advertised 2 cents higher than equalization, the board of supervisors can lower the rate, but not increase it once advertised.
The current budget proposal, however, is based on the 57 cents. The proposed tax increase ($1.27 million for the two-cent increase) would be used for operations at the new Culpeper Technical Education Center opening this fall on the campus of Germanna Community College, according to a county report.
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Real estate in the town’s West Fairfax area saw the greatest increase in value with the latest reassessment at nearly 17 percent, followed by Catalpa (13 percent) and Jefferson (12.82 percent.)
The Stevensburg district of Culpeper County had the lowest increase in property values at 9.7 percent, according to a county report.
The value of single family homes in Culpeper increased the most at 18 percent while commercial and industrial property the least, at 4 percent.
As for the heralded and long-discussed expansion of internet to unserved addresses, it’s on hold again.
Last week the, Board of Supervisors Public Works Committee advanced a $3.2 million contract with Leesburg-based All Points Broadband to extend a fixed wireless network, by year’s end, to 3,800 addresses currently without access to broadband.
The full Board was slated to vote on the contract Tuesday and it was on the agenda. But at the start of the meeting, Salem Supervisor Tom Underwood made a motion, that passed, to discuss the contract in closed session instead.
All Points Broadband President Jimmy Carr, on the phone, was told to call back later after closed session. But no decision was made in the closed session.
County Administrator John Egertson said a special meeting on the status of the project is slated for next week.