From 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 17, and Sunday, May 18, enjoy a free, self-guided driving tour down country roads to participating Loudoun County farms, nurseries, and wineries!
Buy spring seedlings and plants for your home; say hello to farm animals and greet spring babies; tour a winery; learn how food gets from the farm to your table; and much more. Bring the whole family for a day or two of fun, education, and agritainment!
This year the tour has 31 stops featuring farms, wineries, nurseries, and more! New to the tour are: the Taylorstown Store, where the activities are music and honey bee observation on Saturday, and discovering creatures in Catoctin Creek on Sunday; Butterfly Hill, a boutique alpaca farm; Forest Grove Stables, a small family oriented stable in Leesburg; Ivandale Farm, a nursery in Hamilton with over 10,000 trees in stock; The Lavender Path, a farm that produces lavender plants and products; and the Leesburg Animal Park, which will charge a lower admission price for people showing a Farm Tour brochure!
Brochures for the Spring Farm Tour, including a map and directions to all participating farms, are available at the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum, Loudoun County libraries, and the Loudoun Convention and Visitors Association (LCVA) in Leesburg.To have a brochure mailed to you, submit your request by e-mail (info@LoudounFarms.org) or call the Loudoun County Office of Economic Development at 703-777-0426 or LCVA at 703-771-2170. Detailed tour information and map can also be found at http://www.LoudounFarms.org.
Personal Property Tax Deadline is May 5
Treasurer H. Roger Zurn, Jr., reminds taxpayers that the deadline for payment of the first half personal property tax is Monday, May 5, 2008. Payments postmarked after May 5, 2008, will incur a 10% late payment penalty. The penalty date will not be extended for bills where assessment questions have been filed with the Commissioner of Revenue. Additional interest at the rate of 10% per annum will be assessed.
Convenient Payment Options and Locations:
Treasurer’s Office Locations, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., 1st Floor, Leesburg, Virginia 20175 and 21641 Ridgetop Circle, Suite 104, Sterling 20166
24-hour depository boxes are conveniently located outside each location
Online: www.loudoun.gov/taxes
By mail: County of Loudoun, P.O. Box 1000, Leesburg, Virginia 20177-1000
By Telephone: Call 703-777-0280 to pay using VISA, Mastercard, or Discover
Extended hours: Both offices will have extended hours on Monday, May 5, 2008, from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Tax Rate Set - New Fiscal Plan.
The fiscal plan includes a countywide real property tax rate of $1.14 per $100 in assessed value. This is a reduction of 7.6 cents from the $1.216 tax rate proposed by the County Administrator. The tax rate for FY 08 was $.96. Because of a decrease in the value of residential property assessments, the annual property tax bills for the average homeowner will increase by an average of $308, or 6.5%, during FY 09.
The personal property tax rate remains unchanged at $4.20 per $100. In addition, the Board approved rate increases in several categories of the Business, Professional and Occupational License (BPOL) tax, which are projected to generate about $2.6 million in additional revenue in FY 09. The Board approved several other revenue sources, such as increased user fees and the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) on hotel and motel rooms, to help fund several county programs. The FY 09 fiscal plan also reduces the impact of rising debt service costs on homeowners’ tax bills by applying $8 million in cash proffers to offset annual debt service payments.
In adopting the FY 09 fiscal plan, the Board of Supervisors reduced the School Board’s budget request by $48.7 million. However, the school system will be able to use increases in state and federal funding. As a result, the school system will receive $55 million in additional revenue, including an additional $23.6 million in local tax funding, over FY 08.
Local tax funding for the general county government will increase by $13.3 million in FY 09. The Board reduced the County Administrator’s recommended expenditures for the general county government by $12.5 million. The adopted budget does not include funding for any new initiatives for the general county government. The Board only approved general county budget enhancements that are either offset by fees or that replace expired grant funding.
About 71 percent of the $900 million in revenues from local taxes will be used for school operating expenses, capital projects and debt service, while 28 percent will fund general county operating expenses, capital projects and debt service. The remainder will be used to implement the CSA.
WARNING - LOOK OUT FOR SKATEBOARDERS ON COUNTY ROADS
There have been multiple reports and sightings of Skateboarders riding the roads that surround Purcellville. The skateboarders find a long hill on a paved road, and off they go. This dangerous practice has led to some surprised drivers and near misses. One road that appears to be a favorite is Route 722, starting near Northfork. The road here begins to drop and the downhill run is close to a mile and a half. The problem is there are several blind curves, and with the good pavement, cars are usally traveling at a high rate of speed. Needless to say so are the skateboarders, many who are not wearing safety gear.
WINE ADVENTURES IN YOUR HOME Take the mystery out of Wine with a wine tasting party in your own home.
Now, thanks to The Traveling Vineyard you can learn the wine basics. For many people, a trip to the wine shop or a wine list at a Restaurant is not only intimidating; it can be downright baffling. That’s where The Traveling Vineyard comes in – Wine tastings at home demystify the wine-buying experience through an exciting party plan concept. The Traveling Vineyard home wine tasting parties allows the wine consumer to taste wines before they buy, learning what they like in a wine in the comfort of their own home.
Helen Hyatt, an Independent Personal Wine Consultant organizes and runs the wine tasting parties. Wines are available from around the world and priced between $9 - $20. Contact her at 540 338-1491. Visit her Website Already a wine connoisseur? Then The Traveling Vineyard can serve you as well by bringing the experience and romance of going to a vineyard directly into one's own home.
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