NEWS: Richmond Front-of-Mind for Stafford Supervisors

Concerns about how costs associated with collective bargaining, the Family Medical Leave Act, and veterans' tax relief will affect Stafford's budget weigh heavily on Board members.

By Martin Davis
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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When Lauren Gilbert — Stafford County’s contracted lobbyist to the General Assembly — finished her wrap-up of the just completed 2026 session, Board Chair Deuntay Diggs thanked her for her work.

He then voiced what many in Stafford County Government may be feeling.

I’m “just very frustrated,” he said, “because as we’re going through this budget season … there’s just no help coming.”

The county is facing trying budgetary days.

It has now seen tax rates rise every year for more than a decade. The six-cent increase currently being proposed is coupled with $6.9 million in spending cuts, which is particularly troubling to County Administrator Bill Ashton. Speaking to the Board in February, he said that the pressures that Stafford faces “are unprecedented. I’ve never seen it in 29 years” of government service.

The General Assembly and Localities - No Rescue on the Horizon

The state-mandated tax exemption for disabled veterans has hit Stafford County particularly hard, and, Gilbert said, the “state is leaving local governments in a lurch” to find ways to backfill those funds.

While no immediate resolutions to that challenge came forward during the current session, efforts to keep the program sustainable while lightening the load on localities are moving forward. Notably, the Virginia Municipal League and the Virginia Association of Counties were able to include in the House budget proposal a work group to study the impact of the program.

So while relief isn’t imminent, Gilbert said, we are “seeing more understanding of this issue statewide.”

The other big issue was collective bargaining, which now sits on the governor’s desk.

Intergovernmental Affairs Manager Anthony D. Tiogo told the Board that if collective bargaining goes through, it will raise costs for the county in terms of staffing and arbitration. He said costs could be in the “tens of millions of dollars range,” though again hard numbers are impossible to come by at this stage because it would depend upon the agreements struck.

Board member Darrell English raised concerns about the Family Medical Leave Act and the association costs with that to the county. As with collective bargaining, the costs are not known at this point. The act itself, however, would not go into effect until 2029.

Gilbert also warned that because of the “anticipated flattening of Virginia’s budget overall,” it is not likely that significant amounts of monies will be going to localities owing to the state’s slowing economy.

New funds may be generated, however, by legislation championed by Sen. Jeremy McPike that would allow localities to hold a referendum to raise the sales tax by 1% to support school construction.

That bill has been incorporated into the Senate Budget proposal, but is not currently in the House Budget proposal. Gilbert said, however, that she has been “assured from leadership in House and Senate” we will see this in some form in the budget.

The importance of new revenue for education was made apparent shortly after the legislative presentation, when the supervisors voted 7-0 to approve $25 million in debt issuance through the Virginia Literary Loan program for a new Drew Middle School.

The loan comes with a favorable 3% rate. Still, that means that county will be paying roughly $15 million in interest over the 20-year life of the loan.

Reuse System

The other big-ticket item on the Board’s agenda Tuesday night was amending Stafford County Code on “Waters, Sewers and Sewage Disposal” in order to regulate and facilitate the use of reclaimed water.

Reclaimed water is wastewater that is put through a second round of treatment so that it can be used for agricultural uses and for industrial cooling.

The system that is being built, according to the presentation, is “100% built by private funding through our partnership with our data center developers.” The water also has the potential to become a new source of revenue for the county, as it can be sold to other localities.

Also, the presentation noted, “this keeps water cooled data centers off our potable water supply long term.”

This Code amendments were approved 7-0 by the Board, as was a second resolution to amend the Stafford County Comprehensive Plan to adopt a new document, “Stafford County Water, Sewer, and Reclaimed Water System Master Plan.”

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