Waynesboro City Council cast three key votes last night approving an 82-cent real-estate tax rate, a $156 million annual budget and a half-percent increase in the meals tax.
There was no discussion by Council members Tuesday night before the three votes.
All three measures passed 4-1 – with Vice Mayor Lorie Jean Akanbi casting the single dissenting vote on each measure.
Akanbi told AFP on Friday that she would be voting against all three measures because she supported a higher tax rate of 89 cents and felt the lower rate was artificial in that it simply pushed back employee raises and left question marks about the future funding for a new community vitality fund.
She also felt that the 82-cent rate didn’t bring employee pay rates up to what they should be, referring to a cost-of-living analysis presented to Council members earlier this year.
While her fellow Council members were hoping for a unanimous vote in support of all three measures, Akanbi said that she would not “go along, just to get along.”
Real-estate tax approved at 82 cents
The current tax rate in the City of Waynesboro is 77 cents per $100 of assessed value for real estate.
City Council approved a rate of 82 cents, an increase of 5 cents.
The city had advertised a rate of 89 cents before the compromise was made to lower the rate.
Council members Jim Wood and Jeremy Sloat, both Republicans, had advocated for an 81-cent rate.
“We’re here for our constituents. It just doesn’t make sense to me that we’re doing all these twists and turns to avoid the inevitable. We are one of the lowest taxed cities within the Commonwealth. We are indeed undertaxed; we’re not overtaxed,” Akanbi said.
The median home value in the city is approximately $270,000. On average, the increase will result in an extra $135 per household on an annual basis, or $11.25 extra per month.
For comparison, the City of Staunton recently approved a 91-cent tax rate. Augusta County held its rate at 52 cents.
At 82 cents, Waynesboro will remain among the lowest tax rates in the state for independent cities with the majority setting a real-estate tax rate greater than $1 per $100 of assessed value.
Meals tax increased to 7.5 percent
City Council also approved a meals tax increase from 7 percent to 7.5 percent.
One person turned out to speak at a public hearing addressing the meals tax before the vote.
Curtis Lily, the disgraced Waynesboro Electoral Board member who filed a lawsuit because he didn’t want to certify the 2024 election and later resigned after the Virginia Board of Elections sought his removal through the Circuit Court, said the majority of citizens were against higher taxes and urged Council not to approve an increase in the meals tax, or any tax for that matter.
He told Council members that he thought they were “tone deaf” and ignoring what citizens want.
Despite his plea, the same Republican Party chair who once supported him joining the Electoral Board, Wood, now a member of City Council, voted in favor of both tax increases.
The 7.5 percent meals tax will put Waynesboro among the highest in Virginia. Richmond and Portsmouth also charge a 7.5 percent meals tax. Staunton, Charlottesville and Harrisonburg charge 7 percent. Augusta County is at 6 percent.
$156M budget approved by Council
In addition to setting the real-estate tax rate and meals tax, City Council also voted to approve a budget totaling $156,827,645, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and ending June 30, 2026.
Waynesboro Mayor Kenny Lee said the tax increases result in a budget that will “address the needs of our city and keep us in a forward trajectory.”
The budget does provide funding for 10 new public-safety positions: six firefighters, two police officers (one sworn and one civilian) and two sheriff deputies.
The budget also creates a new $300,000 community vitality fund to support non-profit organizations serving Waynesboro residents.
City Council has not had specific discussions about where to allocate the funds, the mayor said.
Waynesboro City Council: May 27th full meeting
Related stories
- Waynesboro: Vice mayor to vote against real-estate, meals tax increases
- Waynesboro: City Council ponders increasing meals tax to 7.5 percent
- Waynesboro mayor: Budget addresses needs of city, keeps it in a forward trajectory
- Election-denier under fire from state body resigns seat on Waynesboro Electoral Board
- One of the Waynesboro vote lawsuit guys broke into a voting machine on Election Day
- After legal challenge from Waynesboro Republicans, Virginia certifies 2024 election
- Waynesboro: Judge orders Republican electoral board members to certify 2024 election
- Waynesboro: Judge seems to tip hand in suit over Nov. 5 election certification
- Waynesboro: Hearing set for Tuesday in case challenging Nov. 5 vote certification
- Waynesboro: Ground Zero for Republican efforts to steal the 2024 election?
- Waynesboro voters seek court order requiring Nov. 5 vote certification
- Waynesboro Republicans who don’t want to certify Nov. 5 election were … recruited?
- Waynesboro Republicans file suit to pre-emptively challenge Nov. 5 vote count
Share
Crystal Graham
