The Caroline County Board of Supervisors voted earlier this week to give residents a 16-day extension on the due date for payment of 2024 first-half real estate taxes, personal property taxes and machinery and tools taxes.
Residents have until June 21 to pay their taxes and avoid penalties and interest. County code typically requires a June 5 deadline.
Normal penalties and interest will apply to all payments received after June 21.
In other business, the supervisors heard from concerned school employees and other residents regarding the fiscal year 2025 budget during a public hearing on the budget and Capital Improvement Plan.
The board will not adopt a budget until its May 28 meeting.
County Administrator Charles Culley’s proposed budget calls for a one-cent real estate tax rate increase to 78 cents per $100 of assessed value. The overall budget is $156.6 million, including $70.9 million to the general fund.
Under Culley’s proposal, the school division will receive a local transfer of $17.5 million — $834,662 more than last year, according to a presentation from Deputy County Administrator for Finance Tomeka Smith.
The total school proposed budget is $82.6 million with $2.4 million left unfunded.
Later in the meeting, supervisors listened to a presentation from the attorney for a data center project called the Carmel Church Data Hub.
The board deferred a vote on whether to amend existing proffers and development regulations for the project to its May 28 meeting. The proposed amendments would allow a data center project in the county to develop in phases. The planning commission recommended approval of the amendments.
Supervisors also voted to hold a public hearing on June 18 to discuss amending the comprehensive plan to allow the establishment of the Mount Airy Planning, Innovation Research and Technology area, which would open the door for a proposed 900-acre data center campus on Mount Airy Drive along the North Anna River in Ruther Glen.
A second public hearing will be held the same evening to consider a rezoning application filed by VALCO for a 250-acre data center park on Jericho Road.
