Citizens upset about proposed tax and fee increases in Buena Vista had their say last Thursday during a public hearing on the city’s budget for next year.
Complaints were also aired at a separate public hearing on the city Public Service Authority’s water and sewer rates for next year. The PSA, whose members also comprise City Council, approved those rates, which included a $1 per 1,000 gallons of water increase to the sewer rate, from $9.04 to $10.04, and $300 increases to water and sewer connection fees, from $1,200 to $1,500.
City Council held first readings on the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget and on tax and fee increases proposed for next year. Second readings, along with votes to approve the budget, tax rates and fee schedules will be held at a special meeting on May 29.
Council’s budget and finance committee has proposed that the city’s real estate tax rate be raised by 14 cents, from 91 cents to $1.05 per $100 assessed value. A proposed fee increase that got the most attention at the public hearing is the one for camping by the month at Glen Maury Park. The current fee for that is $335 for city residents and $450 for nonresidents. The proposal is to raise the monthly camping fee to $500 for residents and nonresidents alike.
“$500 is more than I can afford,” said Sue Moore. “You’re biting your nose off to spite your face.” She predicted, as did several other speakers, that long-term campers are going to leave the park and head to other nearby campgrounds that, they contended, offer more amenities at lower prices.
“If you increase the monthly fees to $500, many of us will go elsewhere where there’s more for children to do,” said Connie Humphreys. “We might as well drive to the other camping grounds.” She also expressed concern about the proposed real estate tax hike.
Jesse Lineberry, a candidate for mayor this fall, characterized proposed fee increases as “attacks targeted on specific groups.” He questioned the justification for raising fees on “hobby campers.” He also questioned a proposal to establish a 25-cent per pack tax on cigarettes. Taxing “people for their tobacco habit,” he said, would be akin to taxing people who enjoy eating ice cream.
Saying, “I’m not here to point fingers at anyone,” Mike Clements, a former mayor and member of City Council, said he wondered if the budget could be cut somewhere so the tax rate didn’t have to be raised so high. He suggested looking at the police department’s budget. “Does the city need 20 police officers?” he asked.
Ada Branham said the proposed real estate tax hike would push her taxes up by nearly $700. She complained about the money being spent on information technology and on the town square, which she dubbed, “the million dollar square.”
Amy Gilliam, who spoke at both public hearings and during the time set aside for citizen comments, offered a litany of criticisms about how the city is conducting its business. The city, she said, “can’t keep using citizens as a cash cow.”
She said the “university on the hill is not pulling its weight” as far as paying for city services. She questioned whether Mayor Tyson Cooper, an employee of Southern Virginia University, puts the interests of SVU ahead of the city. “You can’t serve two masters,” she declared.
Dr. Tony Francis, superintendent of schools, acknowledged that the city is in a “tough” financial situation. “I’ve requested an increase of $150,000 in local funding but I know that’s not going to happen.” He said he hopes the city can provide sufficient funding so that the division will qualify for all of its allotted state funding.
Julia Goyette, executive director of the Rockbridge Regional Library, said she is requesting an 11 percent increase in funding to help offset rising costs, including those associated with improvements being made to library facilities. The library, she said, “adds great value to the community.”
Speaking later in the meeting, Michelle Poluikis, a member of City Council’s budget and finance committee that formulated the proposed budget, said the work has been “stressful. I totally understand [the concerns of citizens].” She recalled how committee members scrutinized the budget, line item by line item, multiple times, looking for ways to close the gap between revenues and expenditures.
Vice Mayor Danny Staton said he believes city residents should pay less than non-residents to camp at the park. He also said he thinks campers should not have to pay to swim in the pool.
Council member Melvin Henson noted how much money has been spent to upgrade the swimming pool and campground. As for reducing the amount of the proposed tax increase, he asked for suggestions on what services to cut.
Stanley Coffey, the lone dissenter in the vote to approve the PSA water and sewer rates, said he would not vote for a 14-cent tax increase and that he was against the cigarette tax. He also said he hadn’t looked at the budget yet.
Cooper responded that copies of the budget have been made available to anyone who would like to see it. He encouraged anyone who wants to offer input into the budget to attend the next meeting of the budget and finance committee.
That meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, May 22, at 3:30 p.m. in the city manager’s office. If warranted, the meeting may move downstairs into the general district courtroom, where Council holds its meetings.
