Below The Beltway

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Prince William Property Taxes Headed Up

by Doug Mataconis @ 7:54 am on February 27, 2008.

County Executive Craig Gearhart said yesterday that the county will have to raise property taxes as much as 28%:

Prince William County Executive Craig S. Gerhart proposed yesterday a budget for the coming fiscal year that calls for a 28 percent increase in the property tax rate to cover a shortfall and to pay for public safety programs, including a crackdown on illegal immigration.

Like its Northern Virginia neighbors, Prince William faces a major drop in revenue because of the nose dive in the housing market. The county’s problems are magnified by the large number of foreclosures, which has contributed to a 16 percent decrease in residential property values.

After cutting spending by about $19 million, officials said, the county wants to increase the tax rate. The tax rate, 78.7 cents for each $100 of assessed value, would rise to $1.01 under Gerhart’s proposal. He said the average tax bill would rise 8 percent.

And the main reason for it can be found in the costs related to the immigration ordinance:

Enforcement of the illegal-immigration initiative is expected to cost $6.4 million in the first year, more than twice as much as first estimated. Gerhart said the increase was prompted largely by Police Chief Charlie T. Deane’s recommendation to install cameras in police cars to protect the county from allegations of racial profiling. The five-year cost to implement the program is $25.9 million.

The program, which starts Monday, directs county police officers to check the citizenship status of people suspected of breaking the law, no matter how minor the crime. The county also will start to deny some services to illegal immigrants.

Gerhart said the county has no choice but to pay for implementing the policy, which was approved in the fall and divided the community.

“We are entering an environment where the whole world is watching,” Gerhart said, adding that Prince William will be considered a “test case.”

So now we’ll see if the residents of Prince William County are willing to put their money where their mouth is.

For me, it’s pretty easy. No new taxes, especially not to support a legally dubious, politically motivated, and pointless law.