Heather Curtis
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON (WMAL) – Arlington County homeowners will be paying more in property taxes in 2019. Tuesday the Arlington County Board of Supervisors is expected to approve a property tax increase of 2 cents per $100 of assessed home value as part of the budget for the fiscal year starting July 1. The tax hike would be retroactive to January.
Board chair Christian Dorsey said the increase is less than the 2.75 cents per $100 of assessed value increase the board advertisedB. It’s higher than the 1.75 cent increased proposed by County Manager Mark Schwartz.
When you factor in an increase in assessed home values, it will be an overall 2.8 percent increase overall, or about $21 per month for the average homeowner according to Dorsey.
“The bulk of the tax rate increase is for our public schools actually. One-and-a-half of the 2 cents increase is to fund public schools which are still dealing with growing enrollment and opening new school facilities,” Dorsey said.
The fiscal year 2020 budget the board will vote on Tuesday maintains current levels of service and gives raises to some county employees according to Dorsey. He said it includes sustainable investments in the workforce, public schools and metro.
The board meets at 3 p.m. Tuesday.
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