County plans town halls, one-pagers and partner outreach ahead of 1% school sales tax referendum

County Administrator Don Robertson described a multi-pronged public-education plan to help residents understand the effect of a proposed 1% school sales tax versus property-tax alternatives. Robertson said staff will prepare printed one-pagers, coordinate with the school division and the Chamber of Commerce, schedule face-to-face town-hall events across districts and use social and traditional media to distribute factual information; he added the county will coordinate messaging with neighboring Hampton Roads localities pursuing similar ballot questions.

Robertson emphasized the boardcannot lawfully promote or oppose the referendum and must stay neutral while providing factual information. He urged care on timing, saying outreach should precede early voting (roughly mid-September) and be paced to avoid over-saturating the public. Board members discussed town-hall logistics and requested that materials be available well before early voting begins.