Vienna Budget With Flat Real Estate Tax Rate, Utility Rate Hikes Up For Final Action

VIENNA, VA — Final approval of the Town of Vienna budget is slated for Monday's Town Council meeting.

The town's budget covers four operating funds: general, water and sewer, debt service, and stormwater. Town Manager Mercury Payton's proposed $55 million town budget for 2025-2026

The revised budget up for Town Council approval totals $55.497 million, which is largely unchanged from the town manager's $55.472 million proposal. The bulk of that is the operating budget totaling over $34.77 million.

At an April 28 public hearing, Town Council had endorsed a $0.195 per $100 of assessed value real estate tax rate, which is the current rate. Even with a flat tax rate proposed, higher assessed values for homes could translate into higher tax bills. The town estimates the average residential tax bill would increase by 7 percent from $2,204 to $2,359. According to Town Council documents, the rate that would have kept tax bills flat despite assessment increases would be $0.1878.

Town of Vienna property owners pay the town real estate tax rate on top of the Fairfax County real estate tax. The adopted Fairfax County rate in the latest budget is $1.1225 per $100 of assessed value.

The town's water and sewer rates are each proposed to increase by 7.25 percent to help cover increasing costs to replace aging pipes and increased costs for wholesale water purchase and sewer treatment, according to Town Council documents. Service charges for residential accounts are proposed to increase from $40 per quarter to $42 per quarter. The average customer’s bill would increase by $19 a quarter, or $75 per year.

Vienna Town Council's meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. For more information on the budget, visit www.viennava.gov/budget.