By Lori Graham
BLACKSBURG – The Town of Blacksburg citizens will not see a property tax rate increase this year with no property assessments planned, giving a sigh of relief to residents.
A slight increase in revenue will be seen due to new construction, however, Town Manager Marc Verniel said.
“We will also see increases in meals, lodging, and sales taxes,” Verniel said. “These are revenues that are based on what’s going on in the economy, and as you know, there are, for example, the meals taxes are a percentage placed on your meal when you go out to eat at a restaurant…restaurant meals cost more.”
Verniel provided a list of other notable expenditures during the Blacksburg Town Council meeting on April 8. One is a provision that helps in the support of affordable housing development is the waiving of water and sewer connection fees, which is subsidized out of the town’s general fund.
As part of Montgomery County, Blacksburg will be paying their portion to the NRV 911 Authority Radio System Upgrade, along with Virginia Tech, Christiansburg and Montgomery County.
An exciting piece of news for locals and visitors is the coming of the New River Valley Passenger Rail Authority to Christiansburg in 2027, which is proposed to increase revenue for local businesses.
Many other contributions to local organizations like the St. Luke & Odd Fellows historical restoration, athletic field upgrades, a skate park expansion, and the police department’s Behavioral Health Co-Response program were also included in the town manager’s budget presentation.
According to Vernier, the biggest cost for the town is personnel and benefit services. For the third year in a row, the town will not see any increases in health benefit costs or Virginia Retirement System (VRS) contribution rates. Additionally, the town will see a pay “increase for our employees this year, both a cost of living and then a step increase after a performance evaluation.”
Increases to utility rates are a part of the proposed FY 2026 budget. Water and sewer rates will see a 5% increase, with solid waste for residential properties seeing a rate increase of 3.7%. Stormwater rates will not see a change. Vernier relayed that a utility rate study would be conducted over the coming year to aid in forecasting the budget moving forward.
Town council will hold a public hearing about the budget proposal on May 13 and discussion for the budget’s adoption will be held on May 27.
