Manassas Park residents complain about tax rate
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By Kipp Hanley
Published: April 9, 2008
For the first 15 minutes of Tuesday's public hearing on the proposed tax rate for the new fiscal year, Manassas Park finance director Gary Fields went through a less-than-appealing budget filled with hiring freezes and school employee cuts.
Then the night really got bad.
Individual after individual at a packed city hall chambers came to the podium to complain about the city's proposal for a 10-cent real estate tax increase. Despite hearing news that the average tax bill would decrease by $213, there was skepticism running through the crowd of some 40 to 50 residents.
Christina Brucker said she was relieved at first because she thought the tax rate would be lowered in such difficult economic times. Now the Manassas Park resident wants out of the city as soon as the market turns. In the meantime, she plans to question the assessment of her home.
Resident Bob Mosley agreed with Brucker.
"When the market is good, I'm gone," Mosley said.
Many of the residents questioned why Manassas Park's tax rate was so much higher than the neighboring jurisdictions. And some questioned why the city spent money on new facilities like the fire station and police station in recent years.
To clarify future public comments regarding tax rates of other Northern Virginia jurisdictions, Mayor Frank Jones interrupted the hearing by stating that the neighboring city of Manassas has advertised a tax rate of $1.155—a 35 percent increase to its current tax rate of 85.5 cents.
Conversely, Manassas Park's proposed rate of $1.24 would only be an 8.8 percent rate increase to the current $1.14. Its advertised rate of no more than $1.27 would be only an 11.3 percent jump.
Through the first 30-plus minutes of the hearing, there were very few opposing views.
Resident Michelle Steubencourt supported the tax rate increase, stating that her two children in the Manassas Park school system shouldn't have to suffer so that residents can save a little money. The general fund budget—from which the schools draw 57 percent through a revenue-sharing agreement—is expected to be nearly $1 million lower than last year.
Consequently, the schools would lose up to 41 positions—or more than 10 percent of the workforce.
Resident Noreen Slater took Steubencourt's point a step further and said that the proposed tax rate increase is not enough.
"Our schools sell houses," Slater said. "The proposed tax rate does not reflect the track of excel-lence that we have been riding the last few years. You need to set a tax rate that is truly reflective of the city's needs."
Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-369-5738.
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Reader Reactions
Posted by ( MPMom ) on April 12, 2008 at 9:02 am
Asblack1, you can think what you like. I have friends who are educators in the county who are looking at moving to Manassas Park based on the skills they have seen in the student transfers arriving into their schools from Cougar and MPES. These kids are reading better and have progressed farther in their math skills than their own students. They have asked me about the schools and the tax rate - I have explained both. They are willing to pay a higher tax (they are both from out of state, so they might not be as high to them by comparison from where they left) so that when they start their families, they will have access to an excellent schools in a small district. They have started mortgage paperwork and will be making offers shortly in Blooms. So, yeah, it has nothing to do with the schools, why will will shortly have two new couples as taxpayers in Manassas Park.
Posted by ( asblack1 ) on April 11, 2008 at 3:48 pm
To lifehouse08, we live on the “other side” and “no” we can’t afford an increase either. Our assessed values may be higher, but SO ARE OUR TAXES. And to those of you who really believe that our school system is attracting potential buyers - What data do you have to support that hypothesis? The Manassas Park City School system is not ranked that high on the national scale for graduates or test scores. I am a real estate appraiser who lives right in the community. It is my opinion that no one buys a home here because of the wonderful school system that we have. They buy for location, convenience to transportation and shopping, and for the price. We have some of the most affordable housing in Prince William County and access to Route 28, Route 66 and the Prince William Parkway. The problem is that for some time now, we have paid more taxes than any other jurisdiction in the State of Virginia. I doesn’t matter about the percentage of increase that the city is proposing. What matters is how the average property located in Manassas Park compares to a similar property located in Manassas City or Prince William County. If I purchased a home the same size and same age in a similar community in the county, I would save almost $200.00/month in taxes. That is a lot of money for most folks and not much of an incentive to purchase a home here. With the cost of living increasing every night that we lay our heads down, no one is looking to spend more on anything, much less housing. We are now in a “foreclosure driven market” which means that those sales are affecting everyone’s home values. The inventory of bank owned properties needs to disappear before anything can get back to normal. How are we going to encourage potential buyers for those properties to become residents of Manassas Park when our tax rates are continuously higher with no outstanding benefits?
Posted by ( cheap housing ) on April 10, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Having a good or decent school system certainly accounts for quite a bit but lets face it the main reason people move to Manassas Park is because it is one of the few affordable single family housing developments in Northern Virginia. Having lived in the old section for almost twenty years that’s the main reason I haven’t left. Considering the houses in the old section the taxes being paid on them were ridiculous before. Since values have dropped substantially the difference might not be that noticeable now but when values do increase again it’ll be murder.
Posted by ( MPMom ) on April 09, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Lifehouse08, check your map. Mayor Jones lives in the old part of town, on the “wrong” side of the tracks, as do I. I am not rich, but I don’t mind paying what’s needed to keep the schools afloat. The GB only wants to pass what’s they deem necessary - a $1.24 - while the schools want it cranked higher, to $1.27 or $1.28. And I am hardly an insider - I have attended the meetings, heard the various pitches, and asked questions. Perhaps you should do the same before you go pointing fingers.
Posted by ( litehouse08 ) on April 09, 2008 at 9:47 am
Someone needs to check Slater’s, Fields, and Jone’s account. Im sure their not suffering one bit.This tax hike will most certinaly not affetc them. Most of the people in MP cannot afford this hike. Maybe the ones that live on the other side of those tracks can. This is just going to cause more problems with abandoned homes. People are going to have no other choice but to walk away. This is what is called GREED. MP is notorious for it. It won’t get any better, not this way.
Posted by ( MPMom ) on April 09, 2008 at 6:37 am
I submitted my comments in writing before the hearing. I have five foreclosed houses on my street. I care about who moves into them. If we have subpar schools, I will have subpar neighbors. We need to have some manner of increase to sustain the excellence of the school systems. Those who said they would leave when the market rebounds - I am not sure how much their input is worth consideration versus many longtime and newer citizens who have made the commitment to stay and invest themselves and their money in this community.