Manassas City Council Endorses Real Estate Tax Rate

MANASSAS, VA — Manassas City Council endorsed keeping the same tax rate in the city budget, despite calls from a few members about a reduction.

The existing $1.26 per $100 of assessed value rate kept in the new budget would increase average tax bills by $406. The rate includes a $1.07 general rate and $0.19 fire and rescue levy. This was the first reading of the budget, and second reading is scheduled for June 9.

City Council also endorsed keeping a $3.60 per $100 of assessed rate for the general personal property tax on vehicles. That same rate was approved for computer equipment and peripherals used in data centers. A lower $2.15 rate was adopted for computer equipment and peripherals for other businesses and trades.

Councilmember Theresa Coates Ellis was the lone vote against the real estate tax rate. She called for strategies to find savings to provide relief to residents amid "very difficult times."

"What I have heard and what I observed is the need for a flat tax bill," said Ellis. "To have a flat tax bill, we would have to be at $1.187, which takes seven cents off of that rate.

Councilmember Sonia Vasquez Luna said she had advocated for a two-cent reduction to the rate, and Councilmember Ashley Hutson was on board for at least a one-cent reduction. Vasquez Luna pointed to the challenge of balancing the need to reduce residents' financial burden with maintaining high-quality services.

"I believe that within the budget, we were able to still take care of the schools, give the extra money to the schools but also to be able to lessen the tax burden to the residents and the businesses," said Vasquez Luna.

Vasquez Luna agreed to support the budget under the current tax rate despite not getting enough support for at least a one-cent reduction.

"As a mother of two kids in the schools, I see firsthand the needs not only for the wage increases but I know how difficult it's gonna be as we're still waiting on changes coming from the federal government that will affect our city as a whole if it does happen," said Vasquez Luna.

Other council members supported the budget with the same tax rate. Councilmember Tom Osina pointed to budget priorities like five additional public safety positions (including three firefighters), a 3 percent merit and cost of living pay increase for city employees, three part-time positions for the Manassas Community Center at the Marsteller property, and a $1.5 million increase for Manassas City Public Schools pay increases.

"Our residents want our city to work because this is where they make their home, where they work and shop and where they live and raise families," said Osina. "They deserve a city that works as hard for them as they do for it."

Councilmember Ralph Smith pointed to the need to address aging infrastructure and an increasing demand for services. Smith said not making a tax adjustment now would defer costs to later, likely at a higher price.

"A good budget is about making smart, deliberate choices that serve our city's long-term interests," said Smith. "In Manassas, that means funding infrastructure, repairs before problems worsen and investing in public services that sustain a high quality of life."

Osina also addressed the concern of the Manassas tax rate being one of the highest tax rates in Northern Virginia. He argued that the rate is higher for Town of Vienna and Herndon residents — $1.12 per $100 of assessed value from Fairfax County and an additional $0.19 in Vienna and $0.26 in Herndon.

Vice Mayor Mark Wolfe noted that Manassas has the second-lowest residential tax bill after Prince William County despite the tax rate. The vice mayor noted that a top budget priority is competitiveness between localities for employees like police, fire and administrators.

"We have to make sure that we can hire and maintain the staffing that we need," said Wolfe. "That's where the budget goes. That's the reality. Eighty-five, 90 percent of the budget is people."

Mayor Michelle Davis-Younger does not have a vote on the budget like council members, but she supported a two-cent cut "because now is the time to do it in my opinion."

According to assessment data, the average property value increased from $424,068 to $456,259 from the 2025 to 2026 fiscal year. That would increase the estimated annual residential tax bill from $5,343 to $5,749 with the same rate, according to the February budget presentation.