County Executive Presents Proposed Fiscal Year 2026 Budget

Prince William County Executive Christopher Shorter presented the Proposed Fiscal Year 2026 Budget to the Board of County Supervisors during their 7 p.m. meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. The proposed $1.99 billion general fund budget advances the Board’s strategic goals and investment priorities and also meets the Board’s policies and principles of sound financial management.  

The largest portion of the proposed budget is dedicated to education. It maintains the County-Schools Revenue Sharing Agreement, which provides 57.23 percent, or just under $1 billion, of the county’s general fund to Prince William County Public Schools and increases the transfer to the schools by $82.5 million, or 9.1 percent more than the FY2025 budget. In addition to the revenue sharing agreement, funding for the class size reduction grant is maintained, as well as current funding for community safety officers at elementary schools. 

In addition, the proposed budget prioritizes strategic investments that enhance the community’s quality of life, modernize service delivery and support the county’s workforce. This includes doubling the funding for the Transportation Roadway Improvement Program, which constructs smaller scale district projects – such as sidewalks, trails and safety improvements –that have a direct impact on the county’s neighborhoods, as well as support for Virginia Railway Express and the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (OmniRide). It also includes opening the county landfill on Sundays for residents without the need to increase the solid waste fee.  

Aligning with the county’s strategic plan goal of a safe and secure community, staffing for Police, Fire and Rescue, and Public Safety Communications are included in the proposed budget; and staffing support and Sheriff deputies for a new General District Court judge, as well as maintaining security at the Judicial Center complex, are also included.  

To serve the county’s most vulnerable populations, the proposed budget supports the Crisis Receiving Center operations while awaiting a federal waiver to bill youth and adult services to Medicaid. It includes completing staffing for an affordable housing office within the Office of Housing and Community Development and $5.5 million to an affordable housing trust reserve to promote the construction of affordable housing units in the county. Additionally, it funds bringing services for older residents into the community utilizing libraries, recreation and senior centers. 

Investments continue with compensation for the county government’s workforce, including addressing compensation for Fire & Rescue and Police sworn employees, as identified in the ratified Collective Bargaining Agreements, as well as merit/step adjustments for employees. Market (rate) adjustments are also included in the pay scales for sworn personnel in the Adult Detention Center and Sheriff’s Office, based on findings in respective compensation studies for each agency. 

The proposed budget also makes significant investments in capital infrastructure projects, including transportation, parks, and public facilities, recognizing their profound impact on residents. This includes maintenance for new parks and recreation facilities, as well as funding for capital improvement projects like the Crisis Receiving Center, the Homeless Navigation Centers East and West, construction of new and rebuilding aging fire and rescue stations, and the renovations of the Judicial Center and Public Safety Training Center. 

The proposed budget is funded at a flat residential tax rate of $0.92 per $100 of assessed value. Based on the increase in real estate appreciation, this would increase the average tax bill by $276. The fire levy tax rate remains flat at $0.072, which will produce an average $22 residential levy increase. The proposed budget is also funded by an unchanged personal property tax rate of $3.70 per $100 of assessed value. The Board will discuss advertised tax rates at future Board meetings. The Board can adopt a tax rate lower than the advertised rates, but cannot adopt a tax rate higher than the tax rates advertised. 

“This is just the beginning of the process,” said Shorter. “Staff is committed to having budget work sessions, providing information and supporting the Board as they deliberate these important decisions over the next few months.” 

The public can participate in the budget process by attending a virtual community meeting at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 22. Other opportunities include: 

• Budget work sessions during the afternoon Board meetings of March 4, 11, 18 and April 1  

• Budget Public Hearing during the evening Board meeting on March 18 

• Budget Recap during the evening session of the Board on April 8 

• Budget and Tax Rates/Fees Public Hearing during the evening Board session on April 8 

• Budget Markup during the evening Board session on April 15 

• Budget Adoption during the evening Board session on April 22 

All meetings on the budget calendar will be held in the Board Chambers at the McCoart Administration Building.  

The link to the budget calendar and the Budget Q&A app can be found on the county’s website at pwcva.gov/budget. 

View the entire proposed budget presentation here, including the slides and video archive of the meeting.