Gloucester taxpayers would see a 17.24 percent increase in their real estate taxes and an 11.54 percent hike in personal property assessments if county supervisors approve the draft FY 2013 budget as presented last Wednesday night.

County Administrator Brenda Garton unveiled her proposal—which calls for a 10-cent increase per $100 of assessed value on the real estate and a 30-cent increase per $100 on the personal property levy—during the board of supervisors meeting, which was held in the colonial courthouse.

The proposed $109 million budget is faced with many challenges. The county will see an increase in expenditures of about $1.3 million in areas Garton said the county cannot control. These include increases in Virginia Retirement Service rates, projected health insurance rates, life insurance rates, radio system maintenance, and utility department debt.

She said the county is also faced with a projected decline in revenue and has seen almost no funding for capi...