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If approved, the proposed Lunenburg County budget would see increases for some departments, and extra staff for the sheriff’s office. There’s also the tax rate to consider, which while a drop from this year’s number, would still mean higher bills, thanks to the reassessment of property values. 

Currently, the real estate tax rate in Lunenburg is 38 cents per $100 of assessed value. The board of supervisors agreed last month to reduce that, dropping it down to 33 cents per $100. And yet, that doesn’t mean the tax bills will drop. This year’s real estate assessment found that property values increased 27% in Lunenburg County, rising to $1,213,946,300 compared to $954,775,100 in 2023. As a result, despite the lower tax rate, the bills will be higher and the county will see more revenue. Specifically, Lunenburg will bring in an additional $377,877 at a rate of 33 cents per $100. 

The proposed budget also sees several requests approved by departments. Take the sheriff’s office, for example. The Lunenburg County Sheriff’s Office budget would increase by $75,000 in this budget. That would help fund two extra road deputy positions, which Sheriff Arthur Townsend has explained is a need. With the two positions, there would only be one four-hour window in the early morning hours that doesn’t have a deputy on patrol. The rest of the shifts would be covered. 

Another increase in this budget comes from Crossroads Community Service. As a rule, Crossroads is required to request 10% of their budget from member counties. Their overall budget has gone up, so their request to Lunenburg includes an additional $6,000. A total of 14.2% of Crossroads services went to Lunenburg residents of the past year. 

The next meeting of the Lunenburg Board of Supervisors is set for Thursday, May 9, with a potential presentation on the overall final proposed budget.