Albemarle County voters will decide on the local November ballot the question of adding another 1 percent to the local sales tax to provide money for public school construction and renovations.
The county is among many localities across the state going to their voters via referendum this year to ask the question, in line with authorization from the Virginia General Assembly that was included in the 2026-2028 state budget.
The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors voted on July 15 to approve the ballot measure.
The ballot question will read:
Shall the County of Albemarle impose a one percent (1%) sales and use tax to fund capital projects for the construction or renovation of schools, with revenues to be used solely for those purposes, and the tax to expire on June 30, 2046?
“The authority to bring this question to the Albemarle community has been a legislative priority of the Board of Supervisors for several years,” Albemarle County Board of Supervisors Chair Ned Gallaway said. “If approved, the tax would provide another revenue option for the Board to consider as we develop annual and multiyear budgets to address the capital needs across our schools.”
The additional sales tax could generate approximately $20 million per year for local school construction and renovations, per estimates from the county government and the county school system.
Albemarle County Public Schools has identified significant long-term capital needs, including new schools, expanded capacity, renovations, and major building system replacements.
School projects compete with public safety facilities, parks, and other infrastructure for available funding and borrowing capacity.
The county has created a webpage with the ballot question, frequently asked questions, voting information, and additional resources at Albemarle.org to provide factual, neutral information for residents.
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Chris Graham
