Election Information Updated

By: snolan
Published On: 9/27/2006 5:18:08 PM

I've updated my non-partisan Virginia 2006 Election Information page at http://scottnolan.org/elections_2006.html with new information about Loudon and Fairfax County Bond issues and Ballot Questions.  Please inform yourselves before you vote.
I am still seeking information about State Ballot Question #3:

Shall Section 6 of Article X of the Constitution of Virginia be amended to authorize legislation to permit localities to provide a partial exemption from real property taxes for real estate with new structures and improvements in conservation, redevelopment, or rehabilitation areas?

It sounds reasonable enough for conservation, but could also be a sneaky framed rat.  I am not turning up anything on the real motives of Delegate Riley Ingram and State Senators John Edwards (not the U.S. Senator of the same name) and Charles Hawkins when they proposed this amendment.  Anyone?  Anyone?  Bueller?

I also added more details in the local races in Prince William County.  If you know of other races I should list, please forward them to me.

I have decided to vote against ballot questions #1 and #2.

Comments



Oops - forgot - FCDC has some tips on ballot questions (snolan - 9/27/2006 5:24:50 PM)

Fairfax County Democratic Commitee has a nice website with some analysis of the amendments:
http://www.fairfaxdemocrats.org/candidates.htm


Section 6 of Article X (vote-left - 9/29/2006 3:28:04 AM)
The "redevelopment, or rehabilitation" sounds like it could possibly include going into a neighboorhood, tearing down an old house (one that cost $60-$80K back in the 1960s) in what is today a country club community (for example, near Belle Haven CC, Alexandria) and built a brand new McMansion during the recent real estate bubble. 

If you bought a home today in an area where the builder bought a huge plot of land and built 30+ McMansions, the builder would turn around and sell the homes for huge profit making the assessed value of the homes astronomical. 

By buying a medium sized home built in the 1960s, tearing it down ("redevelopment, or rehabilitation"), and then having a contractor build a McMansion sized custom home on the same property the cost would be substantially cheaper.

Just look at the difference in the price of a 3000 sq. ft. home in Virginia versus a 3000 sq. ft. home in Kansas or Oklahoma.  While a home that sells for $1mil in the DC area may sell for $250K in Kansas, there is not that a $750K difference in the cost of the land, labor and materials.  A 2x4 is a 2x4 and a truck of cement is a truck of cement, no matter where you buy it.  Hiring illegal labor is the same anywhere.

Therefore once the wealthy buy the 1960s home and tear it down, they have a McMansion custom built for a fraction of the price of what a builder would charge in a neighborhood where they had 30+ homes built.

If they can have their property taxes based upon the value of the land plus what they paid to have the home built (or taxes comparable to what their neighbors are paying) rather than it's actual total assessed value, their taxes would be substantially cheaper.

It is totally a guess, but by adding that amendment it appears that they are trying to lower property taxes on some of these homes that can be considered "redevelopment, or rehabilitation". 

One thing is for sure, to figure out who will benefit from the amendment you can start with the fact that poor people can't afford to 'redevelop or rehabilitate.'