For years the Democrat-controlled Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has hiked your tax bill while quietly running surpluses — $260 million in unspent funds in 2024 alone.
On May 19, the lone Republican on the board, Springfield Supervisor Pat Herrity, forced a unanimous vote to study a property-tax-rebate program for surplus years. Chairman Jeff McKay said he had “no objection to having a conversation.” That conversation should have happened a decade ago. Henrico, Louisa, and Richmond already mailed rebate checks to their homeowners. Fairfax Democrats kept the money. Here is what is on the line.
On Tuesday, May 19, 2026, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted 10-0 to direct staff to study a property-tax-rebate program for years when the county runs a significant budget surplus. Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity — the lone Republican on the board — brought the matter forward, pointing to Henrico County, Louisa County, and the City of Richmond as Virginia jurisdictions already operating or considering such programs. FFXnow
That sounds reasonable. Now look at what that vote actually exposed.
Chairman Jeff McKay (At-Large, Democrat, up November 2027) told Herrity he had “no objection to having a conversation.” Translation: after a decade of one-party rule, after surplus after surplus, the chairman of the board finally agreed it was worth talking about whether to give a small amount back to the people who paid it. FFXnow
The board has been collecting this surplus the entire time. It did not need a conversation. It needed a vote.
For fiscal year 2024, Fairfax County’s General Fund spent $109.72 million less than its revised budget. Revenue exceeded projections by $71.66 million. The county also carried forward $59.22 million in unspent federal stimulus funds. The county executive’s carryover proposal totaled roughly $260 million. Fairfax CountyFairfaxgop
That is not pocket change. That is a quarter of a billion dollars the Democrat-controlled board collected from Fairfax homeowners and businesses, did not spend, and chose to reallocate to its own priorities — capital projects, IT upgrades, zero-waste programs, LEED Gold building standards, climate plans — rather than send back to the taxpayers who funded it.
Henrico did the math differently. Louisa County authorized a 3.3% rebate in early 2025 that was applied automatically to tax bills sent out later that year. Richmond officials mailed out rebate checks to property owners in 2025. FFXnow
Henrico, Louisa, and Richmond did not need a “conversation.” They cut the checks.
While Henrico mailed rebates, Fairfax Democrats passed the FY 2027 budget on April 28, 2026. The Board voted 9-1 to adopt a $5.7 billion spending plan with Herrity casting the lone vote against the overall package. The board reduced the real estate tax rate to $1.12 per $100 of assessed value, down from $1.1225 — saving the average homeowner about $20. Homeowners are still expected to pay about $337 more than last year due to a 3.99% average increase in residential assessments. Fairfax Times
Read that again. A $20 cut on a tax bill going up by $337.
Herrity’s response on the floor: “Affordability is not a priority of this board. Over the last four years, the board has increased spending by $868M, while it celebrated cutting $124M — including many long-standing county programs.” Fairfax Times
These are the Democrat supervisors on the 10-member board who have spent years collecting your surplus while raising your bill. Every one of them is on the ballot November 2027:
The one Republican — Pat Herrity (Springfield) — has spent years arguing the board could adopt a budget with no tax rate increase and no new fees. The other nine have spent years voting him down.
The May 19 vote was unanimous because saying no to studying a rebate would have been politically suicidal in an election cycle. Watch what comes back from staff. The Democrat board will receive the report, find a hundred reasons it cannot be implemented, and quietly bury it — unless voters keep the pressure on.
Henrico, Louisa, and Richmond did not let staff bury it. Their boards voted to give the money back. Fairfax homeowners deserve the same answer — not another conversation.
The entire Board of Supervisors is on the ballot November 2, 2027. Between now and then, the people who funded the surplus get to decide whether the people who kept it should keep their seats.