Virginia Law

Any county, city, or town in which a housing revitalization zone is located shall, within ninety days of the designation of a housing revitalization zone within such county, city, or town, adopt an ordinance providing that all or a specified percentage of the real estate taxes in such zone shall be assessed, collected, and allocated in the following manner:

1. The local assessing officer shall record in the appropriate books both the base assessed value and the current assessed value of the real estate in the zone.

2. Real estate taxes attributable to the lower of the current assessed value or base assessed value of real estate located in a housing revitalization zone shall be allocated by the treasurer or director of finance as they would be in the absence of such ordinance.

3. At least twenty-five percent of the increase in real estate taxes attributable to the difference between (i) the current assessed value of such property and (ii) the base assessed value of such property shall be appropriated by the county, city, or town within such housing revitalization zone to provide enhanced tax incentives, law-enforcement and other governmental services, including financing transportation projects, as may be appropriate to secure and to promote private investment in such zone. For purposes of determining such increase, additional revenues resulting from an increase in the tax rate on real estate after the designation of such housing revitalization zone shall not be included. Such ordinance shall provide that the appropriations mandated by this section shall be made for such increase in taxes in the county, city, or town's taxable year immediately following the payment of any grants under this chapter. If the grants authorized by this section are not paid to qualified business firms or qualified owner occupants for a particular calendar year, such county, city, or town shall not be required to appropriate such increase in taxes in its immediately following taxable year.

2000, cc. 789, 795.