The Accomack County Board of Supervisors invites its citizens to attend a Town Hall meeting at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 23, 2022, to afford interest persons the opportunity to comment on the following proposed new Public Safety Initiatives, which have been proposed for Fiscal Year 2023:

Proposed Initiative	Estimated Annual Cost	Required Increase in the County Real Estate Tax Rate ¹	Percentage Increase in the Real Estate Tax Rate Required	Additional Tax Increases Required to Fund Initiative	Other Information
1. Hire an additional 31 employees to provide 24/7 fire and emergency medical services from volunteer fire and rescue stations located in the following towns: Melfa, Saxis, Tangier, and Wachapreague. Currently, Melfa, Saxis, and Tangier stations are staffed by County personnel only during daytime hours. Wachapreague is presently not staffed by the County.	$2,440,347	$0.0750	12.3%	Also requires the enactment of a Cigarette Tax in the amount of $0.40 per pack.	Required increase in the real estate tax would be phased in over a three-year period.
2. Hire four additional Deputy Sheriffs to address the spike in violent crime and balance the existing workload.	$219,334	$0.0050	0.8%	n/a	n/a
3. Hire one additional prosecutor for the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office to address the additional workload created by the use of body-worn cameras by law enforcement.	$76,468	$0.0025	0.4%	n/a	This position is mandated pursuant to language in the Commonwealth of Virginia's Budget.
*Notes:* ¹ The County Real Estate Tax Rate is currently $0.61 per $100 of assessed value.

While this meeting will be in-person and open for public attendance, citizens have the right to submit oral or written statements on the proposed amendments to the County Administrator’s Office, PO Box 388 – Accomac, VA 23301, or administration@co.accomack.va.us no later than 3:00 p.m. on February 22, 2022. Any citizen having questions or needing special assistance for the disabled may contact the County Administrator's Office at 787-5700 / 824-5444 or by email: administration@co.accomack.va.us

Proposed Initiative	Estimated Annual Cost	Required Increase in the County Real Estate Tax Rate ¹	Percentage Increase in the Real Estate Tax Rate Required	Additional Tax Increases Required to Fund Initiative	Other Information
1. Hire an additional 31 employees to provide 24/7 fire and emergency medical services from volunteer fire and rescue stations located in the following towns: Melfa, Saxis, Tangier, and Wachapreague. Currently, Melfa, Saxis, and Tangier stations are staffed by County personnel only during daytime hours. Wachapreague is presently not staffed by the County.	$2,440,347	$0.0750	12.3%	Also requires the enactment of a Cigarette Tax in the amount of $0.40 per pack.	Required increase in the real estate tax would be phased in over a three-year period.
2. Hire four additional Deputy Sheriffs to address the spike in violent crime and balance the existing workload.	$219,334	$0.0050	0.8%	n/a	n/a
3. Hire one additional prosecutor for the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office to address the additional workload created by the use of body-worn cameras by law enforcement.	$76,468	$0.0025	0.4%	n/a	This position is mandated pursuant to language in the Commonwealth of Virginia's Budget.
*Notes:* ¹ The County Real Estate Tax Rate is currently $0.61 per $100 of assessed value.