Inside B1 Girls soccer dominates on senior night
Powhatan, Virginia C1 Honoring our veterans
Vol. XXXV No.. 47
May 25, 2022
Supervisors pass 77-cent tax rate, $109M budget Board eliminates license fee; despite reductions bills still expected to rise By Laura McFarland Managing Editor
POWHATAN – The Powhatan County Board of Supervisors made some big decisions on May 18, with a mix of votes that saw them, among other decisions, adopting a reduced tax rate that still represents a tax increase; adopting the fiscal year 2023 operating budget; eliminating a $35 vehicle license fee levied on every vehicle in the county; eliminating the county’s revenue stabilization fund, and not taking action to reduce the impact inflated vehicle valuations are going to have on personal property bills. The board’s meeting last Wednesday lasted three hours and touched on a myriad of topics, with both unanimous and divided votes. At the root of most of the decisions the board made was deciding how they planned to act – or not act – to balance accomplishing county business while lessening the burden on Powhatan residents at a time when staggering inflation, assessments and personal property valuations are hitting hard.
How hard the board’s May 18 decisions will hit residents will depend on a number of factors, including their 2022 reassessments, their incomes, and their vehicles, as the board did pass some measures that night and previously designed to provide relief. Powhatan County residents will see the impact of this budget season’s decisions on their June 2022 tax bills, which will be mailed out later than usual. Issues with holding public hearings pushed the board’s decision on the tax rate back to last week. As a result, the board voted unanimously to extend the due date of tax bills until June 24 to allow the county to send out bills that reflect all of the May 18 decisions. The penalty date will still be on the day after the due date, but the interest date was extended to Aug. 1. Tax rate The supervisors voted unanimously to adopt a real estate tax rate for Calendar Year (CY) 2022 of 77 cents per $100 of assessed value. This is the rate that taxpayers will pay on their June and November 2022 bills. This decision was passed in a unanimous 5-0 vote by chair Mike Byerly, who represents District 3; David Williams, District 1; Steve McClung, District 2; Bill Cox, District 4, and Karin Carmack, District 5. The 77-cent rate is a reduction from the CY 2021 rate, which was 79 cents per $100 of assessed value. However, because of an increase in real estate assessments, Powhatan County’s actual equalized tax rate –
the tax rate that would levy the same amount of real estate as last tax year when multiplied by the new total assessed value of real estate – would be 75 cents. That means that the 77-cent rate, while a reduction from last year’s real estate tax rate, is still a two-cent increase. How it will impact homeowners will depend on their assessments, but most property owners are likely to see an increase on their real estate tax bills. County administrator Ned Smither sent a review of budget changes document to the board members on Friday, May 13 that showed the county would lose $858,539 in revenue by reducing from 79 to 77 cents. Discussion about the tax rate has been tense for weeks, with McClung, Byerly and Carmack maintaining a stance of adhering to a plan made last budget season to keep a stable 79-cent tax rate from year to year, with the understanding they don’t have the power to bind future boards. Meanwhile, Williams and Cox argued that, while they voted last year to keep the stable rate, they couldn’t have foreseen the way residents are being hammered – in soaring reassessments, inflation, gas prices and more. The conversation took a turn at the board’s May 3 meeting, where it was never stated outright but implied that there had been a shift among board members and a tax rate lower than 79 cents seemed to be on the table. That concession seemed to open the floodgates at that May 3 meeting, with board members tossing out nusee SUPERVISORS, pg. 4
Just Kids to offer affordable clothes PHOTO BY LAURA McFARLAND
DELIVER TO: Postal Patron Powhatan, VA 23139
Prsrt. Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Powhatan, VA Permit No.19
Volunteer Sandra Cowles, left, and the Rev. Michael Edwards, pastor of May Memorial Baptist Church, stand in Just Kids, a new shop selling secondhand clothing for children that opens June 7.
By Laura McFarland Managing Editor
POWHATAN – When the Clothes Closet operated by the Woman’s Club of Powhatan closed in mid-2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a lost resource in Powhatan for people on a tight budget who need to clothe their families. As months – and then more than a year – went by, Sandra Cowles, a club member and volunteer at the store, couldn’t stop thinking about that need that wasn’t being filled locally in the community anymore. While she couldn’t see salvaging the whole
concept, Cowles of Powhatan started thinking about one area where it might be possible to help – children’s clothes. “After the Clothes Closet closed I started thinking we should open up a Closet particularly for children because I think they were the hardest hit during COVID,” she said. After months of planning and people stepping up to help, that is exactly what is going to happen. On June 7, Just Kids, a shop selling gently used clothing for children from newborns to size 8 will open in the youth building of May Memorial Baptist Church, located at 3922 Old Buck-
ingham Road. The shop will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Thursdays and Saturdays and sell clothing and shoes only for $2 a bag full. Proceeds from the shop will be used to purchase special items like winter coats for local families. The Rev. Michael Edwards, senior pastor of May Memorial Baptist Church, said Cowles, who is a church member, reached out to him in early 2022 with the request for May Memorial to house the shop. He was impressed that she didn’t present him with a concept but with an actionable plan. see JUST KIDS, pg. 3
MARK GORMUS/TIMES-DISPATCH
County Seat Restaurant and Gathering Place owner Janie Glenn Dean, shown here in 2018, is remembered by family and friends for her generosity and dedication to pleasing people.
County Seat owner enjoyed being a people pleaser By Laura McFarland Managing Editor
POWHATAN – Known for her unending kindness and generosity and dedication to filling people’s stomachs with a smile, County Seat Restaurant and Gathering Place owner Janie Glenn Dean died last week at 84. Dean made an impact on the Village area and the larger Powhatan community as the owner and operator of her beloved restaurant, which she took over and renamed more than 28 years ago. To a person, friends and family who shared remembrances about Dean all mensee COUNTY SEAT, pg. 5
Village Park comes together as county works with donors By Laura McFarland Managing Editor
POWHATAN – The Powhatan County Board of Supervisors recently heard about and approved changes to a Village Park project that is currently under construction. During the board’s meeting on Wednesday, May 18, county administrator Ned Smither gave the board an update on a small park being built near the corner of Marion Harland Lane and Old Buckingham Road. The park, which caused a great deal of tension between the board members toward the end of 2021, seemed poised to be a hot issue again last week but ultimately moved forward with only a robust discussion. The park itself was approved in a split vote on see PARK, pg. 5
ILLUSTRATION COURTESY OF BALZER ASSOCIATES
Shown is a recent rendering of how the Village Park will look.