The Prince William Board of County Supervisors adopted its fiscal year 2021 budget in their meeting on Tuesday. 

The $1.7 billion budget was based on a flat real estate tax rate of $1.125 per $100 of assessed value. A flat tax rate means it will remain the same as the fiscal year 2020 tax rate. Additionally, the BOCS voted to increase the business tangible personal property rate for computers and peripherals and vehicle license taxes to fund new programs aimed at helping citizens cope with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The BOCS increased the motor vehicle license tax from $24 to $33 for cars and trucks and from $12 to $20 for motorcycles. The business tangible personal property tax rate for computers and peripherals increased from $1.25 to $1.35 per $100 of assessed value.  The Prince William County Public School System remains one of the Board’s top priorities with the schools receiving 57.23 percent of the county’s general revenues. The FY2021 budget transfers $625.3 million to the school system, which is a $18.1 million or 3 percent increase over last year’s funding.

“This budget has strong bones,” said Ann Wheeler, Chair At-Large of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors. “While our initial budget draft was much more ambitious, I am proud of the work of County staff to scale back spending to reflect the current global pandemic. We maintained the real estate tax rate while increasing funding for schools. We also set aside substantial funding for our short-term and long-term COVID-19 response. However, some needs remain unmet. We will revisit our budget quarterly to make adjustments once we get a better sense of the full economic impact of this pandemic.”

The BOCS added almost $4 million in local funding to provide additional community resources during the pandemic. These include $500,000 for homeless services, $300,000 for child and adult protective services, $225,000 for social services to process benefit eligibility applications and $120,000 to support the county’s new food warehouse and community food bank partners.  Other services receiving new funding include $350,000 to supplement public health nurse salaries, $177,000 for Project Lifesaver in the Sheriff’s Department and $100,000 for a lethality assessment program to identify and provide services to high risk domestic violence victims.

The budget also includes resources to support behavioral health response. These include a new co-responder program pairing police officers with behavioral health therapists for $900,000, providing $400,000 for local funding to continue the peer outreach for opioid response program, $290,000 for intellectual disabilities program, $320,000 for early intervention programs and $200,000 for intensive in-home youth services and $75,000 for the New Horizons substance abuse program.

The BOCS approved $125,000 in seed money to create a much needed Child Advocacy Center to provide a safe place for professionals who investigate and prosecute child abuse cases to coordinate their efforts. This measure is intended to prevent further trauma for child abuse victims, while also providing treatment and improving prosecution rates.

Additionally, the budget added a small business relief fund and a housing emergency aid program in the current fiscal year that would not require new county spending. The business relief fund will use up to $1 million in existing economic development funding, while the housing program will be funded up to $500,000 in proffers residential developers pay for affordable housing. The small business relief fund will provide immediate relief to small businesses whose needs are not being met by the federal Small Business Administration loan program. The program allows small business owners to apply for loans reviewed by the county’s Industrial Development Authority.

Wheeler released the following statement in regards to the budget:

“The budget we adopted tonight provides a solid foundation for our county. While not as ambitious as we originally planned, it was thoughtfully re-worked in response to the impact of the pandemic. Just as families and small businesses have reshaped their budgets and routines, so must we. Government cannot exist in a vacuum; we are obligated to competently respond to emerging challenges and change. True leadership means making tough decisions in bad times, and I am very proud of the tough decisions we made to keep your local government working for you. 

“We knew it was important to give homeowners more certainty in the upcoming year. Therefore, the budget does not increase the real estate tax rate. 

“Yet even without a rate increase, the budget will still provide key goods and services to our community during this crisis. It increases funding for our schools and critical human services so those hit the hardest have somewhere to turn. During a time of crisis, government has a duty to rise to, rather than retreat from, the people who elected us to lead. This is why we have put in place a strong COVID-19 response program.

“The budget includes a previously approved salary adjustment for some county workers who deliver these human services that contribute to the fabric of this community. Prince William has long lagged behind our neighbors in Northern Virginia in terms of fair compensation. We are not competitive by any measure. If we want Prince William to be a strong community where people choose to live, then we have to attract and retain the best talent.

“My colleagues on the other side of the aisle may lead you to believe these adjustments are a boon to those already making six-figure salaries. The vast majority of those affected are low to middle-wage hourly workers. We have folks who have been serving Prince William for decades still struggling to get by.

“Finally, I need to acknowledge this budget has unmet needs. We did not fund everything we wanted to fund at the levels we wanted to fund them. Know we will come back quarterly and re-assess where we are. For now, we did the responsible thing. We prepared for the worst by paring down spending to the priorities that will put us on a faster track to recovery.  

“To all the Prince William families who are struggling under the weight of this pandemic, we see you and we are here for you. Call us if you are having trouble applying for unemployment, receiving mental health services, or accessing food, and we will do our best to help you. We come through this together. Brighter days are ahead.  We are #princewilliamstrong.”

For more information on the FY2021 budget, log onto the Prince William County Government website at www.pwcgov.org.