When to expect Prince William County 2009 RE Assessments (Fairfax, Occoquan: house, property tax)

[novahousehunter]

Just curious when the PWC 2009 tax assessments are likely to come out?
(or did they already and I'm blind?)

I know we had a couple threads on the Fairfax and Loudoun ones, was wondering when to expect PWC, especially since it should be an interesting year.

Thanks!

[VRE332]

LandRover 2.0

[novahousehunter]

Originally Posted by VRE332

LandRover 2.0

Thanks! Those are still only through 2008, right?

[HEATHER72]

Originally Posted by novahousehunter

Thanks! Those are still only through 2008, right?

Yes.

[VRE332]

horray Heather our taxes are going to be lower!!

[GreenGene]

I checked my paper statements, and for 2006, 2007, and 2008, they were dated March 14th, March 19th, and March 31st respectively. I would think that the online statements would be updated sometime this month.

In terms of the taxes going down, in today's Washington Post I found this:

Split Over Tax Rate Could Stall Budget

Prince William supervisors set the stage for another protracted budget battle last week when they failed to reach agreement on a proposed tax rate.

The Board of County Supervisors isn't scheduled to take up the tax rate again until March 17 and appears to be a long way from consensus.

The board deadlocked over advertising a tax rate of $1.198 per $100 of assessed value, which Chairman Corey A. Stewart (http://projects.washingtonpost.com/votersguide/2007/va/candidates/corey-a-stewart/ - broken link) advocated because it would decrease the average tax bill by about $550. When the board adopts a budget this spring, it is allowed to set the rate lower than the advertised rate, but not higher.

The rate last year was 97 cents per $100 of assessed value. Although the tax rate this year would be higher under any of the proposals, bills would drop because property values have plummeted. Even at the highest rate proposed Tuesday, Prince William would deliver the largest property tax decrease of any jurisdiction in the region.

Supervisor John D. Jenkins (http://projects.washingtonpost.com/votersguide/2007/va/candidates/john-d-jenkins/ - broken link) (D-Neabsco) proposed a higher rate, $1.294 per $100, which would result in saving about $318 on the average tax bill. Jenkins said he wanted to give the board flexibility as it considers the $838 million proposed budget and wanted to restore some cuts.

Supervisor Michael C. May (http://projects.washingtonpost.com/votersguide/2007/va/candidates/michael-c-may/ - broken link) (R-Occoquan) moved to advertise the tax rate county staff members recommended, $1.212 per $100 of value, which would result in a 15 percent decrease in the average tax bill, a savings of about $514 for a house assessed at the county average of $240,000. That proposal also failed to gain a majority.

In the struggle to balance lower tax burdens for property owners and budget cuts affecting many residents, personally I hope a compromise is reached so that property owners see a measure of tax relief and that some of the proposed cuts in services will not be necessary.