Budget season has officially begun! The CXO presented the Board with the FY 2026 Proposed Budget, kicking off a months-long period of public engagement, analysis, and deliberation leading up to Budget Adoption on April 22. During this time, I’ll be prioritizing:
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Maintaining diversified revenue streams that lessen the tax burden on our residents, including exploring introduction a commercial tax to fund mobility projects
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Reducing the personal property (car) tax rate for residents
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Increasing the Data Center tax rate (Computer & Peripheral) to match that of our peer jurisdictions
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Working with the Adult Detention Center to address staff retention challenges
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Enhancing mobility through investments in transit and bike/pedestrian networks
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Uplifting our most vulnerable residents through robust social and mental health services (Impacted by Federal cuts? See a list of County resources)
As always, the largest portion of the proposed budget is dedicated to education. Under the Revenue Sharing Agreement, 57% of the county’s general fund is committed to Prince William County Schools, with additional monies allocated for maintaining the class size reduction grant and community safety officers at elementary schools. The proposed budget would also:
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Maintain a flat residential real estate tax rate.
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Support transit as many residents comply with “return to work” mandates.
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Reopen the landfill on Sundays without increasing the solid waste fee.
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Make significant investments in public safety staffing and operations.
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Double funding for smaller-scale neighborhood mobility projects like traffic calming measures and sidewalks.
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Enable the Crisis Receiving Center to open this summer by providing gap funding as we await a Federal Medicaid waiver.
Please see the Budget Calendar below for opportunities to help shape the FY 2026 Budget and visit the Budget Portal to submit questions to the County’s finance team, and see their answers to questions submitted by other residents. I look forward to hearing from you during this process, as we work together to build a budget that reflects our shared vision for Prince William County.