JCC experience first real estate tax hike in 2 decades

It’s the first real estate tax hike in nearly 2 decades.

Homeowners in James City County (JCC) will be paying more in real estate tax starting July 1.

At Tuesday night’s council meeting, the board voted 4-1 to increase the real estate tax rate by seven cents. This puts it at 84 cents per $100 assessed value. That is a nine percent increase from the current real estate tax rate.

Owners with property valued at $298,000 will pay an additional $17.50 per month.

For the average homeowner, that’s an extra $240 a year.

County Administrator Bryan Hill said the money will be put towards a variety of projects, including new school buses and cleaning up the county.

Those projects are part of his five strategic initiatives that the Board of Supervisors asked him to create.

​ “Each initiative had a cost associated with it and a project associated with it, and I laid out that project and those costs to the Board of Supervisors,” Hill said.

In return for your dollars, you’ll see some of the projects starting before you pay.

The plan will be reevaluated every fiscal year to make sure residents aren’t overpaying.