On July 19th, Virginia Governor McAuliffe announced that the Fredericksburg Regional Alliance (FRA) received a $30,000 state grant to assist in developing a private 1,174-acre tract of land overlapping Spotsylvania and Caroline counties. This property is located around the intersection of I-95 and Route 606.
On May 9th, the Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors approved a FRA request 5-2 to contribute $15,000 in matching funds to this endeavor. Click here for more details on that presentation.
The property owner listed the 147 acres located in Spotsylvania County at roughly $6.6 million or $45,000 per acre. While $15,000 is not a huge amount of money when compared to the entire county budget, it is these small sums that add up over time and ultimately take away from more pressing county needs and priorities.
I understand this act seeks to attract a large employer or employers that can provide local jobs, but as a person running for office it begs a question. How does one decide what property owners, or business owners for that matter, deserve tax assistance to bolster their properties and which do not?
Click here for the full Free Lance Star article.