The drop in housing prices and decline in home sales gives Loudoun County no option but to raise taxes to accommodate the needs of the fast-growing Loudoun school district, which is expected to swell by more than 3,000 students in the fall, officials said.

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, struggling with a sudden downturn in the housing market and a population that grows ever larger, approved a 19 percent increase in the property tax rate that will send the average bill soaring by more than $300 this year.

The tax-rate increase is necessary to make up for an unexpected drop in assessments across the county. The plan is expected to result in a 6.5 percent increase in the average homeowner’s tax bill. The budget year starts July 1.

Loudoun County, declared the nation’s fastest-growing large county by the U.S. Census Bureau,
has struggled over the years to keep up by investing enough in public safety and its overburdened schools. This fall, the school system is expected to grow by 3,270 students, enough to nearly fill a high school, a middle school and an elementary school, district officials have said.

Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com

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