KING WILLIAM — King William residents face a potential 3.5-cent increase in real estate taxes to finance a public safety heavy budget that promises more deputies and firefighters.
County Administrator Stacey Davenport presented her draft fiscal year 2026 budget on March 24. A real estate tax increase would provide an additional $953,000 to county coffers and cost homeowners of an average-priced property valued at $300,000 an extra $8.75 a month, or $105 a year.
Davenport’s proposed $56.3 million budget for the 2026 financial year is a 7.8% increase on fiscal year 2025. It includes a 3% cost of living pay increase for county employees.
The county administrator is proposing 20 new full-time positions, including five deputies and one animal control deputy in the sheriff’s office, two new 911 dispatchers and seven firefighters. Davenport also wants to hire a public safety IT technician, a human resources specialist, a finance department grant writer and a full-time and a part-time employee in the juvenile justice department.
King William County Public Schools would receive $15.1 million. Although the sum is $750,000 more than in FY25, it is below a request from the school division for an additional $1.1 million from the county. The budget would entail a $190,700 increase in funding to outside agencies.
A real estate tax increase of 3.5 cents would increase King William County’s rate from $0.58 per $100 in value to $0.61½. District 1, which is the Town of West Point, currently has a tax rate of $0.27 per $100 in value. It would increase to $0.30½. Citizens also pay a real estate tax to West Point for services.
“This allows us to add the necessary positions and still balance the budget while maintaining the unassigned fund balance at 24% of the general fund expenditure,” Davenport said.
The tax implications for the following years are uncertain. Davenport said new home values will be assessed from the beginning of 2027.
“King William is moving into a new era with the coming addition of hundreds of rooftops,” Davenport said. “Our population is growing at an accelerated rate.” She urged the board to proactively prepare for the growth. “This is King William moving forward.”
Davenport said the county has an option of decreasing the tax increase if it hires fewer new positions.
Supervisor Ben Edwards suggested residents are paying a higher personal property tax burden.
“We’ve just had a huge increase in the valuation of used cars,” Edwards said.
David Macaulay, [email protected]
