Leesburg Council Adopts Fiscal Year 2024 Budget

Budget maintains real estate tax rate at 17.74 cents per $100 of assessed value.

The Leesburg Town Council has adopted the Fiscal Year 2024 Budget and Six-Year Capital Improvements Program. The $159.1 million budget takes effect July 1, the start of Fiscal Year The entire proposed budget, including the General Fund, the Capital Projects Fund, and the Utilities Fund, is $159.1 million.

The budget maintains a real property tax rate of 17.74 cents per $100 of assessed value, the same tax rate that was adopted for the current fiscal year. With 2023 assessments on existing residential properties in Leesburg up from 2022, the average homeowner’s real property tax bill will increase $5.42 per month, or $65 annually.

The key enhancements to the $78.4 million General Fund budget include:

• $873,000 in compensation increases and ancillary benefits for the Leesburg Police Department;
• $129,500 for the creation of a full-time Information Technology position for the Leesburg Police Department, to provide redundant coverage of the 24/7/365 operation;
• $129,500 for the creation of an Industrial Safety Coordinator/Risk Management position, with 60 percent of the position funded through the Utilities Fund and the remaining 40 percent from the General Fund; and
• $349,600 for two additional Parks Maintenance/Groundskeeper positions, along with necessary equipment, in support of the opening of Veterans Park, which is an 86-acre park along the Potomac River that the Town acquired in 2000.

The 6-Year Capital Improvements Program for Fiscal Years 2024-2029 totals $414.4 million and includes 82 projects. The budget includes adjusted schedules for several capital projects to ensure the Town meets its fiscal policy of maintaining an Unassigned Fund Balance of at least 20 percent of General Fund expenditures each year of the 6-year period.

This adjustment was necessary not only due to inflation, but also due to the Police Station Expansion, which is slated for construction this fall, and the Public Works Town Shop Expansion, which is currently under design. The current police station opened in 1997 and the current Town Shop opened in 1989.

The Utilities Fund budget for Fiscal Year 2024 totals $40.6 million, including $11.1 million in capital projects. This budget represents the final year of the adopted 5-year rate plan. Town staff will begin work on a new 5-year rate plan later this year.

The proposed personal property tax rates remain unchanged from the current year.

In a statement, Leesburg Town Manager Kaj Dentler said, “I am very pleased with the budget adopted by the Town Council. This budget meets our operational needs, and continues to deliver the high-quality services our residents and businesses expect. This budget was also an important opportunity to recognize our workforce, and the need to remain competitive in the hiring market, particularly for public safety careers. I am glad the Council recognized those priorities.”