Bill would permit all localities to charge additional sales tax to support school construction and renovation.
by Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
A state Senate committee on Tuesday advanced a bill that would permit all Virginia localities to impose an additional local sales tax to support school construction and renovation, provided voters of that locality approve the measure in a referendum.
Senate Bill 14 was introduced by Jeremy McPike, who represents part of north Stafford. The Senate’s Finance and Appropriations Committee voted 10-to-4 on Tuesday morning to report the bill to the full Senate.
Senator Bryce Reeves, who represents part of Spotsylvania County, cast one of the four votes in opposition.
The bill would authorize all counties and cities to charge an additional sales tax of not more than 1%, with the proceeds going towards school capital projects.
Under current law, only Charlotte, Gloucester, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Northampton, Patrick, and Pittsylvania Counties and the City of Danville are authorized to impose such a tax.
In the House of Delegates, Josh Cole—who represents the 65th House District which includes south Stafford County—has introduced a bill that would add just Stafford to the list of eligible localities.
Cole’s bill has been referred to the House Finance committee.
Cole and McPike, as well as Del. Paul Milde, whose district includes the rest of Stafford County, indicated support of expanding the additional local sales tax eligibility during a legislative summit sponsored by Stafford County Public Schools in December.
Division superintendent Thomas Taylor told legislators then—and the community as a whole during his fiscal year 2025 budget presentation last week—that the division needs to rebuild two existing schools and construct two new schools in order to accommodate growth and prevent existing aging structures from further deterioration.
One of the schools that needs a rebuild, the Rising Star Early Learning Center, dates from the 1930s. The other, Drew Middle School, dates from the 1960s.
More than half of Virginia’s school buildings are more than 50 years old, a 2021 study prepared for the General Assembly’s Commission on School Construction and Modernization found.
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