VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Virginia Beach voters approved a proposal to raise taxes in the city to fund flooding projects.
The referendum item on this year's ballot will fund 21 projects in the city in 10 years to fight flooding at a cost of more than $500 million.
A timeline provided by the city indicates the majority of the projects would begin the design phase in 2023 with much of the construction starting by 2025. Among them include building new pump stations and flood barriers and converting Bow Creek Golf Course into a park for floodwater retention.
#DEVELOPING: Nearly 73% of #VirginiaBeach voters said 'YES' to a real estate tax hike to pay for 21 #flood protection projects in 10 years. This map and timeline is directly from the @CityofVaBeach website. I'm LIVE breaking it down this morning. https://t.co/zIlCNTsBud @WTKR3 pic.twitter.com/ERas3qJhgI
— Anthony Sabella (@AnthonyWTKR) November 3, 2021
The city said it would take 40 years to fund the projects under current revenue streams.
The average property owner can expect to pay an additional $10 to $14 a month in real estate taxes, according to the city.
Several city council members who are normally opposed to raising taxes supported the measure, including Mayor Bobby Dyer, who cited the threat flooding poses on the city.
News 3 originally had to look into a discrepancy on the Virginia Board of Elections website and now can call the race for in favor of the referendum.