Residents tell Northumberland supervisors compound reassessments strain retirees as tax hearing opens

The Northumberland County Board of Supervisors opened a public hearing on June 4 about a proposed real-property tax rate tied to a recent reassessment that raised assessed values by 58.32 percent.

Mr. Tadlock told the board the notice and hearing were required by Virginia Code §58.1‑3321 because of the reassessment and said the effective rate advertised is $0.57 per $100 of assessed value. He added the board could adopt a lower rate to offset reassessment, and staff had provided a “lowered rate necessary to offset that increased assessment” example of $0.4721 per $100.

Several residents who spoke in the allotted public-comment period urged the board to consider the cumulative effect of recent rate and assessment changes. A commenter who later identified himself as J. Lightfoot traced recent county rates and said that taxpayers had seen what he characterized as repeated increases, and that the combined effect risked pricing longtime residents out of the county.

Christopher Huczko, who said he is in his 70s, told the board the advertised $0.57 rate would raise his bill by roughly $325 and suggested a lower rate — “maybe 50 cents on the $100” — or targeted relief for senior households. Robert Morgan, a retired resident, said his home’s assessed value rose in one year from $550,000 to $860,000 and said higher property taxes on fixed incomes could force retirees to relocate.

Board members did not take an immediate vote on a new rate at the hearing’s close. Mr. Tadlock and other staff explained the advertised figures and reaffirmed that the board may choose a lower rate after weighing reassessment impacts, the county’s budget needs and reserve-policy considerations. No specific rate change or formal direction was recorded during the public hearing.

The board’s discussion and any formal rate action are scheduled to continue as part of upcoming budget work sessions and meetings.