Leesburg Keeps Tax Rate at 18 Cents

By Arianne Aryanpur (Contact)

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

The Leesburg Town Council voted last night to keep the town's property tax rate at 18 cents per $100 of assessed value, reducing the average residential tax bill by 4 percent.

The vote on the tax rate was 6-1, with Council member Kenneth D. Reid opposed. Reid was the only council member to advocate a 17.5-cent rate during budget sessions. The 18-cent rate is three-quarters of a cent less than what Town Manager John A. Wells proposed in February.

The council approved a $100 million budget for fiscal 2009, less than the current year's budget of $109 million.

Council members restored funding, however, for several community agencies that would have received less money under Wells's proposed 2009 budget.

Loudoun Interfaith Relief and the Loudoun Free Clinic each received an additional $6,250, bringing each group’s total funding to $12,500. Loudoun Volunteer Caregivers received an additional $7,125, for a total of $10,000. Council members also agreed to give the Bluemont Concert Series an additional $3,400, bringing the group’s total funding to $10,000.

Representatives from several community agencies lobbied the council for more funding at a public hearing in March, according to Annie Carlson, a senior management analyst for the town.

The Leesburg Fire Department received a boost in funding, but less than the amount originally proposed. The department, which got $318,000 in this year's budget, was set to receive $395,000 under Wells's proposal but council members decided to reduce that amount to $350,000.

Tagged: Leesburg, Leesburg Town Council, property tax hike, taxes

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