Montgomery County residents are about to find out whether their real estate tax bill is going up. The Board of Supervisors is set to vote Monday evening on a 5 cent increase to the real estate tax rate, pushing it from 76 to 81 cents per $100 of assessed value. The proposed budget for fiscal 2026-27 comes in at nearly $285.74 million, roughly $14.9 million more than the current year.
The bulk of that new spending lands in a few key areas. County general fund expenditures are expected to climb by around $10.4 million, with notable jumps in general government administration, community development and school funding. The school division alone would see its operating budget grow by nearly $7.92 million. Supervisor Anthony Grafsky pointed out during a March discussion that the 5-cent hike would generate about $6.35 million in new revenue annually, but once school funding and employee pay raises are factored in, only around $980,000 remains for everything else.
Not everyone on the board is on board. Vice Chair Steve Fijalkowski and Supervisor Todd King have both stated publicly they will vote no, with concerns ranging from stagnant test scores to residents struggling to cover basic bills. At April public hearings, six residents spoke against the increase. One former state delegate noted the county has raised real estate taxes 11 cents over three years, pointing out that families don't have the option of simply asking someone for more money, they have to cut.
On the other side, supporters made a strong case for the investment. Residents cited a local food pantry that went from serving 300 people a month to nearly 2,000, high employee turnover in the school system due to better pay elsewhere and one estimate that the community receives roughly nine dollars back for every dollar put into public education. Supervisors Derek Kitts and Mary Biggs called the proposed budget fair, and Board Chair April DeMotts noted that fully addressing the county's needs would have actually required a 12 cent increase.
The tension here is real and familiar, the genuine cost of maintaining services versus the very real pressure households are under. Both sides made legitimate points Monday night and the outcome will shape the county's direction heading into next year.
I'll be watching how this vote lands. I believe both arguments deserve to be taken seriously and in my view, decisions like this one reveal a lot about a community's priorities. Some NRV property owners, particularly those on fixed incomes in Montgomery County, will feel this one more than others and that's worth keeping in mind regardless of which way the vote goes.
