The Mathews County Board of Supervisors will have four public hearings during its regular monthly meeting at 6 o’clock tonight, April 16, in the historic courthouse on Court Street. The board will also meet earlier in the afternoon, at 4 o’clock, for a closed session.
The first public hearing is on the proposed $47.68 million FY2026–2027 budget. The budget calls for an increase in the real estate tax rate of 2 cents, from $0.60 to $0.62 per $100 of assessed value, to fund the $12 million revenue bond the board of supervisors has approved to cover construction costs for the new Mathews Volunteer Fire Department Station 1, capital improvements to the schools, and other capital needs.
All other tax rates would remain the same, as follows: personal property, $3.70 per $100 of assessed value; boats, $1.45 per $100; manufactured homes, campers, and other personal property, $2.14 per $100; and machinery and tools, $2.14 per $100.
Under the budget, the schools would be provided with $8.5 million in operating funds and Mathews Social Services with $989,410 in operating funds.
The second public hearing will be on setting a new real estate tax rate of $0.62 per $100 of assessed value.
The board will also hold a public hearing on changing the amount of the meals tax collected from 4 percent to 6 percent beginning on July 1.
Finally, the board will conduct a public hearing on expanding the number of members on the Mathews Memorial Library Board of Trustees to nine. If adopted, the new ordinance would also clarify that the library director is an employee of the county and, as such, is under the supervision of the county administrator. The library’s board of trustees may recommend a potential employee to the county administrator, says the ordinance. In addition, it states that the county administrator will hire all library staff, and that the library director may make recommendations regarding their hiring.
Under the regular agenda, the board will have several presentations and recognitions of employees and will consider whether to have a public hearing on the ordinance governing short term vacation rentals.
Sheriff April Edwards is expected to attend the meeting and make a request regarding a grant, and County Attorney Andrea Erard is expected to provide the board with legislative updates.
Closed meeting
Supervisors will have a special meeting at 4 o’clock to go into closed session and discuss several items regarding the county-owned property at 384 Old Ferry Road and the suit brought against the county by its tenant, Hole in the Wall Waterfront Grill. These include the disposition of publicly held property at 384 Old Ferry Road; consultation with legal counsel on the case Hole in the Wall Waterfront Grill LLC v. Mathews County Board of Supervisors and Ramona Wilson in her capacity as county administrator; and consultation with legal counsel regarding the provision of legal advice by the county attorney on such matters as the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, settlement negotiations, the disposition of publicly held property, the acquisition of property for a public purpose, contract law, and breach of contract as it pertains to Mathews County and Hole in the Wall Waterfront Grill.
The board will also discuss the acquisition of real property—land for septic.