Residents to Provide Input on Tax Relief Options for FY24 Budget Consideration

Residents now have more opportunities to weigh in on the proposed FY 2023-24 budget, to include potential real estate tax relief options ranging from 1 cent to 4 cents at the request of City Council.

If residents prefer to lower taxes, they must also lower spending by identifying current or future City services and programs to cut. Following the presentation of the proposed budget on March 21, the City Council requested that staff develop several options for possible real estate tax rate reductions and an estimation of the services or improvements residents would have to forgo in order to make each of the reduction scenarios feasible. Several options were made available for discussion and have now been added as a new online tool for resident review and consideration.

More details are provided below on ways residents can participate in budget planning and provide input to their elected officials.

Use Balancing Act Tools

The City has four interactive tools from Balancing Act, the newest being Tax Reduction Simulation, that allows residents to tinker with the proposed budget, recommend changes and provide feedback. The City Council will receive all suggested changes and comments.

• Tax Reduction Simulation: This new tool gives residents the ability to suggest changes that would impact tax relief on a sliding scale approach. Residents can select what City programs and services they would like to keep or cut in exchange for real estate tax relief between 1 cent and 4 cents per $100 assessed value.
  

Attend Two Public Hearings In-Person or Virtually
The City Council will hold two public hearings in April to gather resident input on the budget. Both meetings will be held at 6 p.m. and allow for in-person and virtual audiences.

• Wednesday, April 19 – Virginia Beach Convention Center – WebEx meeting
• Tuesday, April 25 – Council Chamber, City Hall, Bldg. 1 – WebEx meeting
  

Residents wishing to make comments during the hearings must register with the City Clerk's Office by calling (757) 385-4303 prior to 5 p.m. on the day of the hearing. If participating virtually, please also register via WebEx.

Share Your Thoughts Electronically

Comments related to the budget and potential tax relief options can be provided via SpeakUpVB.com or emailed directly to 24budget@PublicInput.com. Do you have a specific budget question? Send it to budget@vbgov.com.

Leave A Voicemail

Residents can leave a voicemail for City Council on the proposed budget and tax relief options through SpeakUpVB. Call 855-925-2801. When prompted, enter Project Code 6739. Your voicemail will be transcribed and shared with City Council.

Budget Resources

To view the complete proposed budget, budget presentations and the live presentations to City Council, visit virginiabeach.gov/budget.

City Council will hold its Reconciliation Workshop on Tuesday, May 2, prior to the vote the following week. City Council will vote on the final City budget and real estate tax rate on May 9.