n LOUDOUN
4 | n EDUCATION
VOL. 9, NO. 21
10 | n PUBLIC SAFETY
13 | n PUBLIC NOTICES
We’ve got you covered. In the mail weekly. Online always at LoudounNow.com
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APRIL 4, 2024
Supervisors Adopt $6.9B Budget, 86.5 Cent Tax Rate; Schools Get Full Funding BY HANNA PAMPALONI
hpampaloni@loudounnow.org
Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now
Huge crowds came to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center on Aug. 21, 2017, to view the last solar eclipse visible in the region. The museum will be hosting a similar watch party next week.
ECLIPSE 2024:
When, How & Where to Watch It BY ALEXIS GUSTIN
agustin@loudounnow.org
On Monday North America will experience another total solar eclipse, just seven years after the last one. This eclipse marks the third that will cross over the continent in a decade fol-
lowing one last October and the total solar eclipse in August 2017. While only a small portion of the continent will be in the path of totality—where the moon’s shadow completely covers the sun putting that area into darkness—Loudoun County will experience about 87-90% max coverage, depending
on where you are between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. The maximum coverage is expected at 3:19 p.m., according to experts. A total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and the
County supervisors on Tuesday adopted the fiscal year 2025 budget totaling $6.9 billion with a real property tax rate of 86.5 cents per $100 of assessed value. Only Supervisor Caleb A. Kershner (R-Catoctin) opposed the adoption, while Supervisor Koran T. Saines (D-Sterling) was absent for the vote. The 86.5 cent rate is a one-cent reduction, but average bills will still likely increase by $200 this year because of higher property assessments. The budget fully funds the $1.3 billion request by Loudoun County Public Schools by recognizing an additional $19 million allocated to the division in the state budget, which is still being considered by Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Counting the $19 million, LCPS will receive $131 million more than last year. The budget also holds the personal property tax rate at $4.15 per $100 of value. Supervisors have discussed separating personal property tax rates on vehicles from com-
ECLIPSE 2024 continues on page 36
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BUDGET ADOPTED continues on page 8
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