Gloucester supervisors voted to hold a referendum on the November ballot on the question of funding long-range capital projects.
The board approved adding the referendum by a 5-2 margin during Tuesday’s monthly meeting in the colonial courthouse. Chairman Chris Hutson, Dr. Robert “JJ” Orth, Mike Hedrick, Kevin Smith and Ken Gibson voted in favor, with vice chair Ashley Chriscoe and Phillip Bazzani casting the two nay votes.
The long-range funding plan on the ballot would see the county have a total borrowing power of $59 million to fund $39 million in capital projects through 2033. To afford this level of borrowing, the board would have the power to increase the real estate tax rate to as much as $0.02 per $100 of assessed value.
The board would have the power to pause or even end the funding of projects included in this plan at any point during the 10-year cycle. The plan does not account for other possible revenue sources to fund the borrowing that could arise in the future. If new r...