Officials Visit Richmond for Legislative Days
By: Orange County Communications
In addition to our youth visiting the General Assembly, several Orange County officials, including the Sheriff, the Treasurer, the Deputy County Administrator, and Chief Deputy of the Commissioner ’ s of the Revenue ’ s Office, made the trip during their respective legislative days. The purpose of these annual visits is to allow these officials to meet with Delegates and Senators to advocate for policies they believe will benefit Orange County and their departments, or express concerns over bills they feel may have the opposite effect. For example, the Commissioner ’ s Office sent a representative to advocate for Senate Bill No. 9, by which Orange County can establish an Assessment Department for the
Treasurer Dawn Herndon at the State Capitol.
purpose of conducting our property reassessments. Operating an in - house assessment office versus paying a vendor would have several positive impacts for both taxpayers and staff. The ability to conduct more frequent assessments creates smaller, more incremental changes that align better with market values. This eliminates properties becoming stuck at “ market highs ” (with corresponding higher taxes) after downward corrections. It will also allow for improved customer service with increased accountability and transparency, as
Commissioner ’ s Office Chief Deputy Joshua Crawford speaks during Legislative Day.
well as more opportunities for residents to make appeals to the Board of Equalization.
While our officials and staff are always hard at work locally to benefit our residents, it is important to be involved at the state level to advocate for or against policies that will impact Orange County.
Can you find Sheriff Smith? Members of the Virginia Sheriff ’ s Association take a photograph on the Virginia State Capitol steps. Photograph from Orange County Sheriff ’ s Office Facebook Page.
Page 7 | February 2024
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