Reston Community Center Tax (aka Small Tax District #5) - What is it??, Connie Hartke, March 6, 2014

Are you a Reston property owner?  Then you most likely pay an additional tax that was set in place almost 40 years ago.  See Small District 5 boundaries at http://bit.ly/smalldistrict5.  If your property is in this District, commercial or residential, this means that you pay an extra property tax called the Reston Community Center tax (sometimes referred to as Small District #5 tax) in addition to the County taxes that all property owners pay.

If you aren’t sure what this tax is for, you are not alone.  I didn’t understand it either until about a year ago and thought I would share what I’ve learned. 

A special tax district for Reston was established in 1975 by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.  Its purpose was to construct, maintain, and operate a community center paid for by Reston property owners.

The Reston Community Centers (RCC) at Hunters Woods and Lake Anne are the result of this special tax for Small District 5.  The RCC is funded only by program/facility fees and this tax that is over and above the standard County property tax. There is no contribution from Fairfax County tax revenue.  More details on the RCC and its funding can be viewed at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dmb/fy2014/advertised/volume2/40050.pdf. 

A “Notice of Real Estate Assessment Change” arrived in mailboxes recently.  It tells how much the assessed value of your property changed, but doesn’t shed light on how much the increase --which occurred for 88% of Reston’s residential properties -- will cost you.  If you can’t locate your Notice, look up your address at this county website: icare.fairfaxcounty.gov/search/commonsearch.aspx?mode=address.  Either of these will give you the property value from which your taxes are calculated.

The current Fairfax County tax rate that all County property owners pay is 1.085 per $100.   To make the math simpler, multiply $1,085 per $100,000.  To calculate the amount you contribute to the Reston Community Center, multiply $47 per $100,000 of your property’s assessed value.

A few examples of the Reston Community Center tax:

      Reston Community Center Tax - $47 per $100,000 valuation

in addition to your Fairfax County Tax

• Property assessed at $250,000 =  $117.50/year
•  Property is assessed at $500,000 =  $235/year
•  Commercial assessed at $2 Million = $940/year

Please share this information with your neighbors.  I have found that long time residents as well as our newest residents don’t necessarily know this information.  As Reston continues to grow and develop, its citizens will be asked to weigh in on various decisions, either by vote or by input to our County Supervisor.  It is more important than ever to understand how items are funded and how the outcome can affect you and our community now and for years to come.

Connie Hartke is a member of the RCA Board of Directors, President of Rescue Reston, and co-owner of a Virginia real estate school.