Richmond and Chesterfield voters approved 1% sales tax increases for school construction and renovation on Tuesday, bucking a statewide trend that saw the measure fail in most of the 47 Virginia localities where it appeared. Richmond's result was a landslide, but Chesterfield's was anything but — the county referendum passed by less than one percentage point, or about 1,600 votes, a margin thin enough to qualify for a recount.
As Axios reported, just 15 of the 47 localities that put the measure before voters this fall ended up approving it. Chesterfield's own unofficial tally, according to The Richmonder, had “yes” winning with 50.47% of the vote, with provisional ballots still remaining at the time of reporting. Ballotpedia noted that all precincts were reporting as of Wednesday, but the results remain unofficial until certified.
Neither Richmond nor Chesterfield has yet taken the formal votes required to actually impose the tax — both localities still have to formally approve the 1% increases for school construction before shoppers see the change at the register, and as of Wednesday afternoon neither had scheduled that vote. Once Chesterfield's Board of Supervisors does act, the county must wait at least 120 days after adoption before the tax can take effect, per the county's own guidance. Richmond, meanwhile, doesn't expect to begin collecting the tax before July 2027 if City Council signs off.
A Recount Looms Over Chesterfield's Narrow Win
Chesterfield's certification is expected November 13, and the margin keeps the door open to a formal challenge. Under Virginia law, a recount requires a petition from at least 50 voters filed within 10 days of certification. County officials did not immediately respond when asked whether anyone had requested one. The Richmonder cautioned that a recount could still be called for, meaning the race is not officially over.
The 1% increase works out to $1 in added tax for every $100 in taxable purchases. Chesterfield estimates that would cost an average home- and car-owning household $162 a year in additional sales taxes. If the county's proposed property tax cuts are also approved, that household's net annual cost would drop to $68, according to Chesterfield County. The county has promised to lower real estate and personal property taxes using bonds issued against the new sales tax revenue, which is projected to raise $65 million to $70 million a year through its expiration in July 2046, per the same Richmonder report. Richmond has not released a comparable household cost estimate.
Richmond's Property Tax Debate Gets More Complicated
Richmond's path to tax relief runs through a separate and now larger proposal than what Mayor Danny Avula originally floated. Back in September, VPM reported that Avula proposed dropping the city's real estate tax rate by a penny, from $1.20 to $1.19 per $100 of assessed value. Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras and City Council President Cynthia Newbille both attended Avula's announcement of the potential cuts earlier this year, according to Axios.
City Council is now set to weigh a four-cent real estate tax cut Monday — four times larger than what Avula originally proposed. The bigger cut could save homeowners $140 annually on a $350,000 home starting in January 2028, but it would also cost the city about $16 million a year, per Axios's reporting.
A Statewide Pattern of Rejection
Chesterfield and Richmond's approvals were the exception rather than the rule across Virginia Tuesday. The Richmonder reported that voters rejected the school-construction sales tax in 32 of the 47 localities where it appeared, while an earlier projection from Cardinal News had counted just 14 localities as likely to approve the measure as of 11:15 p.m. election night. Cardinal News estimated the tax could generate $1.27 billion statewide over three years if widely adopted. In Powhatan County, just across the James River from Chesterfield, the measure failed badly, mustering support from only 32% of voters.
