Orange County Insight March 2025

Ted’s Talk

Team Orange:

dramatically since then. That being the case, we are likely to see values rise significantly as we calibrate closer to true market values. One advantage to the new department’s efforts will be a reduction in such spikes going forward. Since assessments will be held every year, they will be much more in sync with real property values. While the increased property values will give the County some opportunity to “catch up” on funding of key services and projects, unfortunately, the higher inflation over the past few years is outstripping our revenue streams. Accordingly, the FY26 budget process is proving to be more difficult than recent years, with little funding available for new initiatives, and a need to defer some plans under discussion. Regardless, Orange County will find a way to balance our budget and continue to do our best to meet the needs of our residents.

We’re here for you... Orange County Administration Our new County Assessor is wrapping up the revaluation process for properties across Orange County. Prior assessments were from 2020, and the market has changed We’re still in full budget mode. As I mentioned last month, the federal budget impacts on Orange County are unclear, but some impactful trends are emerging. Significant cuts to library funding, school lunch programs, and potentially to social safety net programs are on the table. Furthermore, we know Virginia has many employees and contractors connected to federal agencies and funding. Local governments continue to analyze how this will mark our operations. Meanwhile, we await the Governor’s actions on the draft budget worked out by both chambers of the General Assembly. The draft does include significant support for local education which has been held back by recession-era funding caps for nearly two decades. It also looks like the authority to hold a referendum on a local option sales tax to support school construction may be approved after the Governor vetoed it last year.

Ted Voorhees,

Orange County Administrator

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Cover Photo: Gordon-Barbour Elementary School Bulldogs charge through the tunnel at Porterfield Park before the Elementary School Flag Football Tournament. See page 31.

OCI March 2025