A 1-cent decrease in the real estate tax rate, an increase in funding for the county school system and a cost of living adjustment for county employees are all included in Roanoke County’s fiscal year 2025-26 budget.
The Roanoke County Board of Supervisors adopted the budget upon first reading at its meeting on May 13, and upon second reading Tuesday. The total general government operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year is $272.19 million.
The real estate tax rate in the adopted budget is $1.03 per $100 of assessed value. Budgeted real estate revenue for fiscal year 2025-26 increased by 4.6% over the current year. The revenue increase is due to a 7.4% increase in the 2025 real estate assessment, according to county documents. Though the tax rate is decreasing a penny, county property owners will see an effective tax increase in their bill due to the change in assessments.
Roanoke County will transfer $96.2 million to Roanoke County Public Schools for operating uses — an increase of a little more than $3.6 million from the current fiscal year’s adopted budget.
In its budget, Roanoke County Public Schools included a 4.6% salary increase for all employees below the top step on the pay scale and a 3% increase for all employees at the top step or higher.
Roanoke County’s budget includes a 3% cost of living adjustment for all employees other than public safety. Employees in the public safety step grade system will receive an anchor salary increase, which will amount to a 4% increase for employees in steps one through nine and a 3% increase for employees in steps 10 through 24, according to county documents.
This year, Roanoke County added 18 positions to staff the new Bonsack Fire Station. It added $1.8 million to the fiscal year 2025-2026 budget for those positions.
The county also will absorb a 7% health insurance increase, with no premium change to employees.
The budget also includes $3.18 million for the Children’s Services Act. Enacted in 1993, the CSA establishes a single state funding pool to provide services to high-risk youth and their families, according to the Office of Children’s Services website. At the meeting Tuesday, Supervisor Paul Mahoney said that he continues to be “unpleasantly surprised by the continued growth of the dollars” they have to put into CSA.
Supervisor Paul Mahoney commented that he is “unpleasantly surprised” with how much the county’s contribution to the Children’s Services Act has grown over the years.
“It’s important. Those children need help,” he said. “But it’s a very expensive process.”
The amount of money the county puts towards CSA has more than doubled over the last eight years, Vice Chair Phil North said.
“It’s not sustainable as it currently is,” Supervisor Martha Hooker said.