Staunton residents will decide on Nov. 3 whether to raise the local sales tax by 1%, a move city officials say could generate up to $5.4 million a year to chip away at a $168 million backlog of repairs across the city's six public school buildings. The measure would push Staunton's combined sales tax rate from 5.3% to 6.3%, with groceries and personal hygiene items exempted from the increase.
A Deep Backlog Across Aging Buildings
According to WFSB, Staunton is asking voters to weigh in on the sales tax increase as the city grapples with mounting facility needs. The scale of the problem was laid out in a summer 2026 facility condition study by architectural firm Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates, which found up to $168 million in unfunded capital repair and renovation needs spread across 546,544 square feet of school buildings, per Staunton City Public Schools. Most of the district's buildings are more than 50 years old.
The study broke down specific priorities at individual campuses, as reported by Augusta Free Press: a $56.8 million renovation at Shelburne Middle School, built in 1962; a $32.1 million overhaul at Bessie Weller Elementary, built in 1952; and $22.3 million in maintenance needs at T.C. McSwain Elementary, which installed temporary learning cottages in summer 2026 to handle student growth beyond its classroom capacity.
What the Tax Would and Wouldn't Fund
City finance officials estimate the 1% increase would generate roughly $5.1 million to $5.4 million annually for Staunton City Schools, a figure based on a $6.4 million baseline reduced by exemptions for groceries and personal hygiene products, according to Citizen Portal. Under Virginia Code Section 58.1-605.1, the city notes that revenue from the tax can legally fund only school construction, major renovations, and related debt service — it cannot be used for teacher salaries or day-to-day operating costs.
That legal restriction matters because other funding sources are already spoken for. Staunton City Schools received $3.2 million in Virginia Lottery proceeds for fiscal year 2026, covering about 6.7% of its operating budget, but state regulations require those lottery funds to support annual operations rather than major capital construction, the district says.
A Statewide Shift Opens the Door
Staunton's referendum didn't emerge in isolation. Amendments to the Virginia state budget effective July 1, 2026 expanded authority to all Virginia cities and counties to place a 1% school sales tax referendum on local ballots, prompting 47 localities statewide — Staunton among them — to submit questions for the Nov. 3 general election. Before that change, only nine Virginia localities had the legal authorization to hold such referendums.
Those nine localities offer a track record of what the tax can accomplish: between 2021 and 2026, they collectively raised $119 million for school capital projects, with Danville alone collecting $30 million over three years, per the Virginia Mercury. Hoodline has previously reported on Staunton's infrastructure spending, including a real estate tax rate adjustment tied to a separate tunnel repair project — part of a broader pattern of local tax burden concerns among residents as the city weighs new revenue streams.
A 20-Year Sunset and a Ban on City Advocacy
If approved, the tax won't last forever. The official ballot resolution passed by Staunton City Council specifies that the levy will automatically expire on July 23, 2046, a 20-year sunset provision required under Virginia law for local option tax referendums.
Supporters argue the structure spreads the cost of school repairs beyond Staunton residents alone, since out-of-town shoppers and visitors would also pay into the fund at checkout, while essential groceries and hygiene items stay exempt. But the city itself is barred from making that case directly. Virginia law prohibits municipal governments and school boards from spending public funds to advocate for or against ballot referendums, meaning Staunton's official communications are limited to factual disclosures while private groups, such as Vote Yes for Staunton Schools, lead campaign efforts ahead of Election Day.
