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Record of Proceedings

Leesburg Town Council Meeting – February 24, 2026

Town Council & Commissions — Tuesday, February 24, 2026
BodyLeesburg, Virginia
SessionTown Council & Commissions
DateTuesday, February 24, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 34:16

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
1:56

I would like to call tonight's town council meeting of February 24th, 2026 to order.

2:02

If anyone in the room needs hearing assistance, please see the clerk.

2:06

Councilmember Kurkowski will be uh giving the invocation.

2:11

Uh and council member Cummings will be doing the pledge to of allegiance.

2:16

Councilmember Krukowski.

2:18

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

2:21

As we gather here tonight, maybe approach our work with clear minds and a shared sense of purpose.

2:26

Over the past 14 months, I've learned the but that budget deliberations are some of the most challenging moments that we face.

2:32

They require us to strike a careful balance between needs and wants between niceties and necessities, and to keep our friends, neighbors, and families at the forefront of every decision we make.

2:40

My hope is that we only earn the trust of our community, but also the trust in the decisions that we make together and moving forward.

2:49

Thank you.

2:52

Please stand.

2:56

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

3:03

One nation, under God, indivisible, liberty, and justice for all.

3:09

Thank you.

3:10

You may be seated.

3:22

We have, let's see, we have uh two uh work uh have minutes from the work sessions of February 9th.

3:30

Uh do I have a motion to accept those?

3:33

Um Vice Mayor, second.

3:36

Councilmember Cummings, uh all in favor?

3:39

Aye, aye.

3:40

Opposed?

3:41

Okay, now we you gotta help me.

3:43

Uh you gotta help me with this.

3:44

We got um one, two, three, four, five, zero, one, one.

3:50

Okay.

3:51

And then the regular session minutes of February 10th.

3:55

Uh, do I have a motion?

3:57

So moved by Council Member Kirkowski, second.

3:59

Second.

4:00

Seconded by Councilmember Cummings.

4:02

All in favor?

4:04

Uh Nay, no, abstain.

4:07

Okay, so that's five zero one one.

4:10

Um, adopting the meeting agenda.

4:13

I do need I need to make a one uh change.

4:16

Tuscora Mill restaurant fortieth business anniversary will be moved to, they have asked us to move it to May uh March 10th, correct?

4:26

March 10th.

4:27

So we if uh without uh any uh objection, I will uh take that off the agenda.

4:32

That being the case, then um, do I have a motion to accept the agenda the adopting the meeting agenda for tonight?

4:39

Councilmember Steinberg, second.

4:41

Second.

4:41

Councilmember Cummings.

4:43

All in favor?

4:43

Aye.

4:44

Aye.

4:44

Opposed.

4:45

That is six zero one.

4:49

Um that takes us to presentations of which we have none.

4:53

Uh anybody have any regional commission reports at this point?

4:57

None.

4:57

Uh petitioners section.

5:00

We are already there.

5:01

Wow.

5:03

So let me read the directions on that.

5:06

Because one of the first orders of business is to hear from the public.

5:10

All members of the public are welcome to address the council on any item, matter, or issue.

5:15

Please identify yourself and if comfortable doing so, give your address for the taped record.

5:20

Any public speaker will be requested to state their name, um, their name and spell it for purposes of closed captioning only.

5:28

In the interest of fairness, we ask that you observe the three-minute time limit.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Budget Equity Analysis█████████████████████████████████████37%
Procedural███████████████████████████████████35%
Fiscal Sustainability████████████████████████24%
Public Engagement████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Leesburg Town Council Meeting – February 24, 2026

The Leesburg Town Council met on February 24, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber at Town Hall. The meeting included approval of minutes, adoption of the consent agenda, a public hearing on tax year 2026 personal property tax rates, and discussion of future tax policy reviews. Council Member Wilt was absent.

Minutes

  • Work Session Minutes of February 9, 2026: Approved (5 ayes, 0 nays, 1 abstention, 1 absent).
  • Regular Session Minutes of February 10, 2026: Approved (5 ayes, 0 nays, 1 abstention, 1 absent).

Agenda Adoption

  • The Tuscarora Mill Restaurant 40th Business Anniversary proclamation was moved to March 10, 2026, and removed from tonight's agenda. The amended agenda was approved (6 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent).

Consent Calendar

  • All consent items were approved unanimously (6 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent):
    • a. Budget Amendments for Fiscal Year 2026 – Third Quarter
    • b. Award of Contracts - Engineering, Architectural, Surveying, and Related Services
    • c. Award of Contracts - On-Call Mechanical Services for Department of Utilities
    • d. 2026 “Paint the Plow” Project
    • e. Town Hall Art Exhibit featuring Photography by Terri Parent
    • f. Airport Art Exhibit featuring Artwork by Megan O’Hanlon
    • g. Appointments to the Town’s Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) Finance Board
    • h. Amending Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Review and Adoption Schedule

Resolutions/Appointments

  • Appointment of Karen Pantas to the Residential Traffic Commission was approved (6 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent).

Public Hearing: Tax Year 2026 Personal Property Tax Rates

  • Staff Presentation: Tamara Keyser, Management and Budget Officer, presented the proposed rates: motor vehicles at $1.00 per $100 of assessed value, computer equipment in data centers at $0.75 (fixed through 2029), eligible elderly/disabled vehicle rate at $0 (adopted last year), and all other tangible personal property at $1.00. The personal property tax relief rate was calculated at 35% (up from 34% last year). The vehicle license fee remains at $0. The bank capital/franchise tax remains at $0.80 per $100 of net capital, bringing in approximately $1.67 million annually.
  • Public Comment: Ken Myers spoke in favor of raising the aircraft personal property tax rate from the current $0.001 per $100 of assessed value to $0.25 per $100, arguing that the low rate was originally an incentive that has been achieved (265 aircraft based at Leesburg Executive Airport) and that the tax is regressive compared to vehicle taxes. He estimated this would raise about $260,000 and could offset a reduction in vehicle personal property rates.
  • Council Discussion: Vice Mayor queried the feasibility of aircraft leaving and the assessment value. Town Manager Kai advised that the topic is worthy of discussion but recommended not acting tonight; instead, a broader financial summit in the fall should include this issue. Council Members Cummings and Wilt agreed that more information (e.g., aircraft values, competitive rates) is needed. Council Member Krukowski noted the aircraft rate is very low. Vice Mayor also proposed a 25% reduction in the personal property tax rate on vehicles, but several members felt it was too short-notice and should be part of the broader summit discussion. Council Member Steinberg made a motion to approve the proposed ordinance as presented (no changes). The motion was seconded by Council Member Krukowski. After debate, the motion carried 4 ayes (Steinberg, Krukowski, Cummings, Wilt?) and 2 nays (likely Vice Mayor and another). Town Attorney Sparrow noted that with 4 ayes out of 6 present, the two-thirds supermajority requirement for setting a tax rate was satisfied.

Future Discussions

  • The council agreed to place discussions on aircraft personal property tax rates and vehicle personal property tax rates on a work session agenda as soon as feasible, before the budget season. Town Manager Kai suggested a financial summit in the fall, but council members expressed a desire for earlier discussion (e.g., September). Vice Mayor requested that the topics not be delayed until fall. The consensus was to schedule a work session well before the budget deliberations.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved: Ordinance setting personal property tax rates, vehicle license fees, motor vehicle tax reductions, and personal property tax relief for tax year 2026, with no changes to proposed rates (vote 4-2).
  • Deferred: Proposals to raise aircraft tax rates and reduce vehicle personal property tax rates were deferred to a future work session as part of a comprehensive review of revenue options.
  • Scheduled: A future work session (likely in late summer/early fall) will address aircraft and vehicle personal property tax rates, alongside other revenue topics such as the potential cannabis market tax.

Adjournment

  • The meeting adjourned at approximately [time not specified]. The Town Manager reported that the police station renovation and expansion work has passed county permits and inspections, with a dedication ceremony planned in early April.

Meeting Transcript

I would like to call tonight's town council meeting of February 24th, 2026 to order. If anyone in the room needs hearing assistance, please see the clerk. Councilmember Kurkowski will be uh giving the invocation. Uh and council member Cummings will be doing the pledge to of allegiance. Councilmember Krukowski. Thank you, Madam Mayor. As we gather here tonight, maybe approach our work with clear minds and a shared sense of purpose. Over the past 14 months, I've learned the but that budget deliberations are some of the most challenging moments that we face. They require us to strike a careful balance between needs and wants between niceties and necessities, and to keep our friends, neighbors, and families at the forefront of every decision we make. My hope is that we only earn the trust of our community, but also the trust in the decisions that we make together and moving forward. Thank you. Please stand. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. One nation, under God, indivisible, liberty, and justice for all. Thank you. You may be seated. We have, let's see, we have uh two uh work uh have minutes from the work sessions of February 9th. Uh do I have a motion to accept those? Um Vice Mayor, second. Councilmember Cummings, uh all in favor? Aye, aye. Opposed? Okay, now we you gotta help me. Uh you gotta help me with this. We got um one, two, three, four, five, zero, one, one. Okay. And then the regular session minutes of February 10th. Uh, do I have a motion? So moved by Council Member Kirkowski, second. Second. Seconded by Councilmember Cummings. All in favor? Uh Nay, no, abstain. Okay, so that's five zero one one. Um, adopting the meeting agenda. I do need I need to make a one uh change. Tuscora Mill restaurant fortieth business anniversary will be moved to, they have asked us to move it to May uh March 10th, correct? March 10th. So we if uh without uh any uh objection, I will uh take that off the agenda. That being the case, then um, do I have a motion to accept the agenda the adopting the meeting agenda for tonight? Councilmember Steinberg, second. Second. Councilmember Cummings. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Opposed. That is six zero one. Um that takes us to presentations of which we have none. Uh anybody have any regional commission reports at this point?

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