An edgy crowd attended last Thursday’s public hearings on Mathews County’s proposed $36.34 million FY2025-2026 budget and tax rates, with some attendees worked up over an advertised increase in the real estate tax rate and others over proposed cuts to the Mathews County Public Schools budget.
Mathews Board of Supervisors’ chairman Tim Doss took a proactive approach to presenting the budget by moving supervisors’ comments to the top of the agenda so each supervisor could help explain the budget challenges that the county faces. Their comments appeared to take some of the ire out of the gathering.
The board took no action after the hearing, but is scheduled to adopt the final budget and hold a second public hearing on the tax rates at a special meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 1, in the historic courthouse on Court Street. The board also held an emergency meeting Monday with the school board to further discuss the budget (see below).
Before last Thursday’s hearing began, Dos...