Chesterfield County presents budget for fiscal year 2026

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- The Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors presented its proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 on Wednesday, March 12. As one of Virginia’s most populated counties, the budget shows cost decreases in some areas but increases in others.

There have been record tax breaks in recent years from real estate to personal property tax, and those tax breaks are proposed to continue.

The board proposed decreasing the real estate tax rate for the fourth year in a row and said this is the lowest rate on record at $.89 per $100. That's one cent lower than the current tax rate of $.90 per $100. 

But county leaders did point out that the value of a home is at a record high.  

Outside of tax breaks, the proposed budget includes a 3% raise for teachers and other staff. Education gets the biggest slice of the budget, just over 40% of it, and has over a billion dollar budget alone, which is slightly higher than last year’s.  

Public safety gets the second most, at nearly 29%, and then community service and engagement at 12.4%.

The official budget adoption is scheduled for April 9.

For those who want to weigh in, there will be eight community meetings throughout the next few weeks.