Virginia Beach council approves budget: Drops real estate taxes and gives significant raises to police, fire and EMS

Virginia Beach — Property tax relief for residents and significant raises for law enforcement and first responders are on the way in Virginia Beach after the City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to approve the budget.

As home values rise, the City Council decided to drop its real estate tax rate by 2 cents from $1.0175 per $100 of assessed value to 99 cents per $100 of assessed value.

Vice Mayor Jim Wood announced on Tuesday the council found a way to decrease the tax rate further than had been proposed during last week’s public meeting.

The council also decided to increase pay for public safety workers. Sworn police, sheriff’s deputies, firefighters and paramedics will receive 8.5% pay increases and pay for all other city workers pay will increase by 4.5%.

Mayor Bobby Dyer said Virginia Beach went through a dark time last year, but came out of the pandemic stronger due to the budget cuts made last year.

“Today was just a culmination of a year that was difficult,” Dyer said. “We came up with a budget that addressed a lot of the immediate needs.”

Some council members had expressed concerns in recent weeks about the budget, but ultimately supported the $2.3 billion operating budget and $431.9 million for funding construction projects.

Councilwoman Sabrina Wooten criticized the council for announcing changes to the budget minutes before the vote took place. She said doing so didn’t give the council members and the public time to digest it. She also said the council needs to find other funding sources to cover the cost of raises to ensure the school system and other essential services aren’t impacted.

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The council decided to dedicate a portion of the real estate tax rate to help cover the additional compensation for public safety employees. Dedicating one cent of the real estate tax to law enforcement salaries would result in a loss in revenue that goes toward public schools.

“What effect will the proposed tax cuts have on our school system and ability to provide quality services?” Wooten questioned.

Wooten said she did not support imposing a $200 annual fee on short-term rental operators, but she ultimately voted in favor of it along with the rest of the council.

She also took issue with the council’s decision to not provide funding for a recreational center in the Centerville District. She said the area needs one to provide services to the community, which could help reduce crime and violence in the area.

Wooten said the Oceanfront gets more resources than other districts. She encouraged the council to distribute funds more equitably in the future.

“The citizens must not feel their district is left behind or that no one cares about them or that they are forgotten,” she said.

Alissa Skelton, 757-995-9043, alissa.skelton@pilotonline.com