To keep the "SWAC-promise" or not?...

 

Supervisor Karaffa has come out saying that he will not support or vote for a raise in the real estate tax rate because of the flawed county reassessment of 2009. This "Flawed" reassessment was the key issue that candidate Karaffa ran on during his campaign to become supervisor and looks to be a issue Karaffa plans to keep alive.

It will be interesting to see what the supervisor does when it comes time to vote on raising taxes on the citizens of Augusta County on Wednesday night. Karaffa made his statements, as faithfully reported by Bob Stuart at the NewsVirginian, at the "SWAC-Breakfast" in front of his "SWAC" supporters who have been quick to jump on past issues such as the reassessment and "Save our Schools" by organizing groups of people and providing only limited information and viewpoints to support their claims.

What will Supervisor Karaffa do when it comes time to find revenue to "Save our Schools" since the county faces a large shortfall in the county budget? Since Karaffa has now ruled out any increase in the real estate tax will he then vote for a increase in the property tax rate to meet this budget shortfall? If Karaffa sticks to his "SWAC-promise" to not raise real estate taxes will he then have to vote for a property tax increase to meet the budget shortfall? If so what will this do to increase the property tax rate since the tax revenue base will be limited by the promise already made by Karaffa? Imagine the next time the citizens open their "Car tax" bill and see the increase to cover the shortfall? 

Perhaps the supervisor that ran on his "Conservative" principles and promises will look at cutting spending and waste to close this budget shortfall instead?   

 

Karaffa says he won't vote for Augusta County real-estate tax hike

By: Bob Stuart | News Virginian Published: April 29, 2012 
A third Augusta supervisor said Saturday morning that he will not vote to raise real-estate taxes in the next fiscal year to meet county budget needs.

David Karaffa, who represents the Beverley Manor District, told the crowd at the SWAC Political Breakfast that he wouldn’t vote to increase the current real-estate tax rate, which stands at 48 cents per $100 of assessed value. Supervisors are to set the tax rates for real estate and personal property when they approve the 2012-13 budget Wednesday night.


A proposal before the board calls for a 3-cent increase in the real-estate tax rate and a 32-cent increase in the personal property tax rate. The latter rate would rise to $2.57 per $100 of assessed value on cars and trucks..

Karaffa joins Board of Supervisors Chairman Tracy Pyles and North River District Supervisor Marshall Pattie in opposing a hike in real-estate taxes. He said he has not made a decision about the personal property tax rate.

The Beverley Manor supervisor said he is basing his opposition to a real-estate tax increase on the flawed county reassessment of 2009. He wants to see what the next reassessment will bring Augusta County. That process is set to be finished in January 2014.

  

Do we raise the tax-rates to continue the spending?...

Bob Stuart over at the NewsVirginian has a follow-up on last nights Augusta Supervisors meeting where there were numerous comments regarding the budget shortfall and possible tax increases facing the citizens of Augusta County… It appears the majority of the people commenting were against increasing several county taxes that are being looked at, and a small group of organized “special interest” people calling for tax increases to support education programs “and the children”…

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It appears there is once again a small group out their organizing select special interest packs who are only looking at narrow specific aspects of the issue at hand while ignoring the total picture and how it affects ALL of the citizens of Augusta County. Fortunately, as in the past, the facts will come out and many will then look at the total picture instead of what they are “being fed”….

Augusta Supervisors hear diverse comment on tax rate

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By: Bob Stuart News Virginian
Published: April 19, 2012 Updated: April 19, 2012 - 7:30 AM
VERONA, Va. --
Most Augusta County residents who spoke at a public hearing Wednesday night on the county’s tax rate for 2012-13 asked supervisors to look for ways to cut costs and avoid raising both real estate and personal property taxes.

A minority of speakers talked of the needs to pay essential county workers such as teachers, firefighters and Sheriff’s deputies, and said they would support a tax increase.

At the end of the nearly two-hour public hearing, supervisors seemed split on whether to raise real estate taxes 3 cents to the advertised 51 cents per $100, and personal property taxes on cars and trucks 32 cents to $2.57 per $100.

A final decision is likely when the board votes on the tax rate and county budget on May 2.
Augusta County Republican Party Chairman Bill Shirley asked the board members to step away from the immediate budget and look at the long-term debt picture. He said the county’s current debt wouldn’t be paid off until 2032.

He proposed attacking the debt and providing public safety and not raising taxes.
“It’s a great opportunity to take a stand,’’ said Shirley, who said the county could do what the state and federal government have failed to do – cut spending.

Fishersville resident Bruce Richmond, director of the Shenandoah Valley Tea Party Patriots, said he and other residents in that area have already paid additional homeowners insurance funds because of the ISO rating problem the Preston L. Yancey Fire Company had until a recent improvement.

“Go with a balanced budget, cut what you can,’’ Richmond said. “Go through it (the budget) line by line.”

He said school costs could be more frugal by utilizing empty classrooms, but advised not cutting public safety.

Fishersville resident Curt Lilly said while there are plenty of worthy causes it is time to take a stand “and say no to everyone asking for money. There are lots of good ideas but you still need to say no.”

Augusta County resident and Shenandoah Valley Governor’s School teacher Leonard Klein said he could afford to pay a little more in taxes so that his students could receive the benefits.

Starke Smith said staff and funding for county schools have been cut in recent years, and said it was important to fund teachers, firemen and police. “Three cents is the very minimum. I would have voted for 5 cents,’’ Smith said.

Some Supervisors are waiting to see what the state budget that was passed on Wednesday means to Augusta County before making a decision on a tax increase.

Others have decided. Middle River Supervisor Larry Wills said the county has already looked at cuts in its budget, and won’t replace Assistant County Administrator John McGehee when he retires in a few months.

“I don’t like a tax increase but I don’t like shortchanging essential services,’’ said Wills, who supports the increase.

Board Chairman Tracy Pyles said he could not support raising taxes until all options have been explored, and that includes using county capital money to meet needs in next year’s budget.

North River Supervisor Marshall Pattie read a lengthy statement.
Pattie spoke of how he had met residents in his district on the economic edge who are struggling to keep going.

“I talked to one family who stopped driving their truck because the cost of gas is too high to run it,’’ he said.

He supports using county capital reserves to pay the added costs in next year’s budget, and not raising taxes.
“We have a surplus of taxpayer money. Let’s use taxpayer money that has already been provided to us to cover our short-term expenditures before we go back and ask for more money,’’ Pattie said.

Other supervisors said they were eager to see the county’s final state funding from the General Assembly.

“I will wait to see what the state did on funding,’’ said South River Supervisor David Beyeler.
Riverheads Supervisor Mike Shull said he did not want to raise taxes, and said he would wait to see the state funding.

Beverley Manor Supervisor David Karaffa said he was concerned about specific line items he thought still needed to be cut, including the $20,000 per year the county pays a General Assembly lobbyist to advocate for Augusta County.

“This is an unnecessary expenditure and I won’t vote for a budget with this in it,’’ he said.

Townhall turnout of three?...

The Staunton NewsLeader followed up with a report of last nights Townhall meeting held in the Beverley Manor district by their Supervisor David Karaffa. Pretty much the same info as provided in the NewsVirginian article written by Bob Stuart but the NewsVirginian article did mention that only three people showed up for the Townhall meeting. In fact it mentioned that the Beverley Manor constituents were outnumbered by the members of the press and "elected officials"...

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VERONA — Having given the nod to consider increasing Augusta County taxes, Beverley Manor Supervisor David Karaffa reserved a space, set up folding chairs and placed a podium in front with a microphone on it to explain his position.

Judging by the turnout, hardly anyone needed convincing — at least not enough to come out to the community meeting Karaffa held inside the Verona Fire Department.

Three people were present for the start of the meeting to talk needs, taxes and budgeting with Karaffa and Lee Godfrey, the Beverley Manor district representative on the School Board. That was fewer people than the combined number of elected officials and media representatives.

Karaffa nevertheless explained why he thinks the Board of Supervisors needs to consider raising Augusta's real estate tax rate from 48 cents per $100 of assessed value to as high as 51 cents per $100. Supervisors are also considering increasing the car tax rate from $2.25 per $100 of assessed value to $2.57.

The board is scheduled to get public input on the proposals at an April 18 hearing. The suggested rates can be adjusted downward.

Karaffa and most others who make up a majority on the Board of Supervisors don't want to dip into the county's reserve accounts to cover county expenses and would prefer brining tax rates up to match the cost of running the local government.

Drawing down the county's capital reserves will force supervisors to take out loans for equipment, maintenance, infrastructure and other items the locality needs, he said during his talk.

Godfrey talked about the $5 million deficit projected for the School Board next year that was closed with $3 million of help from supervisors.

Adjusting the Tax-rate to match the budget?...

Supervisor Karaffa held his first Townhall meeting since being elected as the Supervisor of Beverley Manor district and it seems that he now understands that the Tax-rate can be adjusted to meet budget demands. A option and tactic that Karaffa, along with many of the "Gang of Four", could\would not admit during the BOS campaigns where they made the "reassessment issue" the cornerstone of their attacks against the then sitting BOS board of Supervisors...

VERONA, Va. -- NewsVirginian
Beverley Manor District Supervisor David Karaffa met with constituents Tuesday night to get their input on a possible increase in real estate and personal property taxes to meet Augusta County’s 2012-13 budget needs.

A public hearing on the tax rate and Augusta County budget is set for next Wednesday at the Augusta County Government Center.

After 90 minutes of answering questions Tuesday night, Karaffa said he is still weighing a potential 3-cent increase in real estate taxes, and a 32-cent increase in personal property taxes on cars and trucks.

“I need to think about what is in the best interest of the people I represent,’’ he said. Karaffa said he would like to see added cuts in the 2012-13 budget. The suggested alternative to a tax increase concerns Karaffa.

He has doubts about dipping into capital accounts the county has for major building projects, depreciation and infrastructure needs to fund another $2.4 million for county schools and about $1 million for added firefighters, Sheriff’s deputies and other spending identified at recent budget work sessions.

“Pulling money out of the capital accounts is having faith the economy will turn around in the next couple of years,’’ Karaffa said.

Beverley Manor School Board member Lee Godfrey was also in attendance at Tuesday’s town hall. She said the School Board is grateful for the financial help from the Board of Supervisors. Godfrey said the added support means programs such as the Shenandoah Valley Governor’s School would continue.

Godfrey said while increasing taxes is never easy, she knows when she pays her Augusta County taxes that “I can show you where the money goes. The local money stays here. That is the beauty as opposed to the state and Washington.”

Karaffa told the audience he has confidence in the company just hired to do the county reassessment, Wingate and Associates of Roanoke.

Should property values decrease with the reassessment, Karaffa said the tax rate might have to be increased to not lose revenue.

“But we won’t know that until January 2014,’’ he said of the completed reassessment date.

Where to find the money...

The NewsVirginian has an article about the potential tax rate increase in Augusta County to cover the budget shortfalls that they have had to cover recently. $2,4 million to cover the school issue and another $1 million for Police & Firefighter coverage... Now comes the shell-game to find the additional funds or raise the tax-rate across the board for the county residents...

Taxes could go up next year in Augusta County, but that decision won’t be made until supervisors meet next week for another budget work session.

Supervisors have committed an additional $2.4 million to the county schools in next year’s budget above county growth revenue, and reached a consensus Wednesday on an additional $1 million in other obligations that include two additional sheriff’s deputies and three new firefighters in Mount Solon.


Wills said he did not see the budget as balanced if the county is borrowing money from other funds to meet operating needs. He said he was reluctant to take money from capital accounts when the county might need those funds to repair a dam or for economic development. He described “big dollars” as being needed for a potential major economic development project.


If necessary, he said, supervisors should “step up to the plate” and tell Augusta County residents a tax increase is needed to fund the 2012-13 budget. The current real-estate tax rate is 48 cents per $100 of assessed value.


North River Supervisor Marshall Pattie, on the other hand, said he was not opposed to using the capital accounts to get the county through the remainder of a difficult economic cycle.

Pattie said real property values in his district increased 47 percent during the last reassessment, and he would not like to add a tax increase to that.

And Pattie said there is additional revenue on the horizon for Augusta County, with the anticipation at some point of the Augusta Marketplace retail project opening inVerona.

Read more at: NewsVirginian

Timing the next reassessment...

The NewsVirginian reports that the BOS will be taking up the timing and method for the next re-assessment for the county in a meeting on Monday.....

The provider of Augusta County’s next real estate reassessment and the timing of it will be discussed when the Augusta County Board of Supervisors meet for an afternoon briefing on Monday.

The board’s reassessment committee will offer a recommendation about how supervisors should proceed, said Middle River Supervisor Larry Wills.

Wills, a member of the reassessment committee, said there have been four proposals from private firms to perform the reassessment. Supervisors will also receive an estimate on Monday of the cost to the county if the reassessment was performed in-house.
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“A tremendous amount of work has gone into this,’’ said Wills, who anticipates a lengthy discussion by the board at Monday’s meeting.


“This is a good team of people on work on things,’’ Pyles said.

“This is a group able to assimilate a group of facts and issues and make decisions.”

One of the considerations is the timing of the reassessment, Pyles said.

He said it is possible the work could be done in less than a year and be completed by January 2013. Another option is to finish the work a year later.

Karaffa said he is concerned about doing an assessment by January of next year.

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“I think January 2014 is the date we have to aim for,’’ he said.

Maybe the NewsLeader has noticed?....

The NewsLeader has a in-depth article about the recent changes over at the Yancey Volunteer Fire department were it was recently reported would now be under control of the Augusta County government control. This article goes into the changes that have occurred over the years and how this community has gone away from citizens stepping up and becoming part of the "volunteer" staff to serve their community.

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Good information and interesting reading. Only hoped that the NewsLeader would have done a article like this back during the recent Board of Supervisors campaign\election were this issue was used as a campaign issue by one of the candidates and it would have been obvious that it was only being used as a "Campaign Issue".....

In the late 1970s, there was no Emerald Hills, no Teaverton, no sprawling suburban-like development, recalled native Larry Swisher.

"Fishersville was a little crossroads community," Swisher said. "Everybody knew everybody because they were related, or they were friends and went to school together. There was a strong sense of community."

Back then, momentum for the idea gathered quickly, and the community of friends and relatives made it happen: The Preston L. Yancey Volunteer Fire Company sprouted from all the talk and fundraising, and volunteers took turns listening out for emergencies to answer calls.

In what eventually became an unfortunate, but increasingly typical paradox being played out around the country, Fishersville grew, but fewer people were willing fill volunteer ranks to fight fires. Now, years of unreliable volunteer fire coverage has forced the department to fold into Augusta County control.

A vital community service that had been provided through civic spirit and charitable donations is now offered by paid professionals who are part of a growing portion of the county's regular expenses.

The population of 9,000 mostly newcomers in the high-growth area is hardly close-knit.

Civic involvement in Fishersville didn't keep pace with the population boom. Despite all Yancey members' recruiting efforts, the company found itself in recent years trying to cover emergency calls in the area with 15 to 20 volunteers, about half of whom are active regulars, Swisher said.

Nearly two years ago, the Insurance Service Office, a subsidiary of New Jersey-based Versick Analytics, whose analysis is used by companies to set premiums for property owners, gave Preston Yancey a 10 rating for fire protection. It is the lowest possible score a fire department can receive — given to areas with no fire departments serving them.

Since then, inadequate volunteer staffing — a longtime problem — continued to plague the company, which serves the fastest growing community in Augusta County since 2000.
Volunteer issues, however, are not limited to just Preston Yancey.

"People now, they would rather sit at home and pay somebody else to do the job that they used to be willing to get out and do on their own," Swisher said.