Taxpayers say no: 20-year school sales tax hike rejected in 31 of 46 Virginia localities that put it on the ballot

Taxpayers in most of Virginia drew a line Tuesday. Of the 46 localities where the state elections site shows voters were asked to raise the sales tax by a penny on the dollar for the next two decades to pay for school buildings, 31 said no, according to unofficial results. That includes Norfolk, Newport News, Portsmouth, Stafford, York and Powhatan.

Added together, 479,689 voters in those localities said no and 435,447 said yes. The Richmonder called the measure "wildly unpopular statewide."

Lopsided no votes

Smyth County voters rejected the tax 71.5% to 28.5%, according to the state's figures. Covington went 68.5% no, Powhatan 67.7%, Grayson 67.9%, Alleghany 66.4% and Augusta 66%. Franklin County voted 64.2% no, Amelia 62.5% and New Kent 60.7%. In Hampton Roads, Portsmouth went 61.3% no, York County 61%, Newport News 59% and Norfolk 55.8%.

Party endorsements did not carry the day either. In Wythe County, both Democrats and Republicans backed the tax, and 63.4% of voters still rejected it. Cardinal News reported that some residents already facing higher prices for fuel, groceries and household goods worried that local officials would raise property taxes anyway. Opponents argued that sales taxes are regressive and hit working families hardest. Even Del. Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke, who sponsored the legislation, had told Cardinal News this fall that he did not think the tax was the best way to pay for school projects.

Chesterfield squeaks through

The biggest prize was Chesterfield County, which estimated the tax would raise $65 million to $70 million a year. "Yes" finished election night at 50.47%, ahead by 1,643 votes out of more than 173,000, with provisional ballots still outstanding. The Richmonder reported that Election Day voters rejected it and that early and mail voters carried it, and said the margin is close enough that a recount could still be requested.

County officials have promised real estate and personal property tax cuts in exchange, The Richmonder reported. Those cuts are not automatic. They require separate votes by the Board of Supervisors, and taxpayers will want to see them adopted.

Richmond approved the tax with 67.1% yes. Mayor Danny Avula has promised to cut the city's meals tax by 1 percentage point, The Richmonder reported, and the city expects to borrow against 20 years of future sales tax revenue through bonds. Other localities that approved the tax include Albemarle County, Charlottesville, Staunton, Waynesboro, Winchester, Radford, Lexington, Buena Vista, Fairfax City, Middlesex, Prince Edward and Rappahannock. In Martinsville, it passed by five votes, 2,065 to 2,060. In Stafford, it failed by 628.

Accountability ahead

Approval is not the final step. Each governing body must still adopt an ordinance to levy the tax, and the money is legally limited to school construction, major renovations and related debt, not salaries or operating costs. Voters in localities that approved the tax can watch those ordinances, and any promised offsets, as they come up for a vote.

All results are unofficial until canvassed and certified.