Dumfries Mayor Jerry Foreman, Republican Senate candidate in the 36th District, issued a release on taxes and the state budget: “One of the main reasons I decided to run for Dumfries Town Council in 2010 was that I was tired of sitting on the sidelines while local home values plummeted, property taxes and several additional fees were raised, and the local governing body seemed determined to make Dumfries less and less competitive with our neighbors.
“In 2009 – the year before I ran for office – the Town Council nearly doubled the local property tax rate, approved more borrowing, increased Business, Professional and Occupational License (BPOL) rates 10 pernent across the board, increased vehicle tag fees, doubled the cigarette tax and hiked storm water management fees. With Northern Virginia residents besieged by plummeting wages and non-existent economic growth, the last thing government should be doing is adding to their burden by raising taxes and fees that allow government to continue spending without regard for the economic and fiscal realities we are all facing.
“After winning a seat on Town Council in May 2010 and taking office in July 2010, I set about to return our tax and fee amounts to pre-FY2010 levels. After being elected Mayor in 2012 and re-elected in 2014, I have accelerated my efforts to push for tax and fee relief on home and business owners ….
“I am proud to report that over the course of the FY12, FY13, FY14 and FY15 budgets, we have successfully reduced the property tax rate by over 50 percent, and will reduce it again in the FY16 budget back to pre-FY10 levels. ….
“Now I am running for Senate to use the success we’ve enjoyed in Dumfries as a blueprint for how to make our state more affordable and competitive. A key to our success in Dumfries is shedding political party politics and working together for a common cause. As mayor I have built a budget that aligns with county, state and Federal programs, in this way our residents and business owners are not taxed unnecessarily. Likewise, I will work with county and local elected officials in both parties to ensure that programs created in Richmond are truly having the local impact intended.”