NORFOLK, Va. — While the other seven cities of Hampton Roads have now passed their budgets for next year, Norfolk is still working on it.
Debby Forehand, the president of the River Forest Shores/Wayside Manor/Easton Civic League, has been speaking at recent city council meetings encouraging, council members to lower the tax rate.
"I just think Norfolk needs to do something to help our citizens because we're in a terrible financial crisis right now. People can't afford groceries and now we're having to all this extra in real estate taxes," Forehand told News 3 Friday.
City Manager Chip Filer has proposed keeping the real estate tax rate on homes the same as this year at $1.25 per $100 of assessed value.
Home values are up about 7%, so how much people pay in taxes could go up.
"What we would like to see them do is cut it back to $1.18. It's hard right now for all the residents who own property," said Forehand, who has created a Facebook group called Norfolk, Lower Our Tax Rate.
Reducing the rate to $1.18 would offset the increased assessments, the city's real estate assessor said on Tuesday.
"We're one of the highest and we're just not getting what we deserve," said Forehand.
Norfolk City Councilman Tommy Smigiel said this week he would not vote for the budget this year because of the lack of tax relief.
"I'm just disappointed that Norfolk is not trying to give any money back to our citizens," he said.
Filer said in March, when he presented the budget, he had a goal of addressing employee retention and public safety.
"Overall, the proposed budget his year tries to provide the right enhancements to the right departments in line with resident expectations," Filer said at the time.
While his proposal keeps the rate the same, city councils in Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Hampton, and Newport News all voted to lower the real estate tax.
Suffolk and Virginia Beach kept it the same.
At 99 cents, Virginia Beach's is the lowest of the seven cities, but some still wanted tax relief.
"When is the year of the citizen? When is the year of the business owner, the single parents, the nurse?" Virginia Beach Councilman Chris Taylor said on Tuesday.
Norfolk's City Council will vote on the budget on June 13, a city spokesperson told News 3.
Real Estate Tax Rates, per $100 of assessed value for Fiscal Year 2024
-Portsmouth: $1.25
-Norfolk: $1.25 (proposed)
-Newport News: $1.18
-Hampton: $1.16
-Suffolk: $1.09
-Chesapeake: $1.01
-Virginia Beach: $.99
