The opponents of SB 1305 say it will protect the “Windfall” of the property owners trying to sell, when will actually have no impact whether the court’s decide to approve the appeals to the zoning change that will make it possible for us to sell. The so-called “Windfall” is actually the astronomical increase in taxes we will have to pay while waiting to see if the lawsuits and appeals against the zoning succeed. The County is threatening to foreclose on our land if we can’t pay the increase in taxes from $8,000 a year to $600,000. The opponents opposition is a no more than a vindictive ploy to punish us for trying to sell, and they have convinced the lawmakers that SB 1305 will somehow help their appeals to prevent the new zoning from going through. SB 1305 will protect ALL Virginia property owners from political ploys that leave them at the mercy of how their counties interpret the zoning law.

My family farm was rezoned in Dec 2023, but the zoning has been challenged. we have been waiting more than a year, and the challenges have still not made it through the court system. Meanwhile, we are racking up huge tax bills and being threatened by Prince William County for not being able to pay the full amount of the reassessed bills. It may be another year before the challenges make it through court. We need relief while we wait for the court's decision.

I reviewed the other comments after my previous post (Publius). The public comments in support of this bill are the property owners who will get a tax handout if you vote for this bill. Please vote against this bill. It is corrupt.

Several property owners in Prince William County stand to make tens of millions of dollars when they sell their land to data center developers. The contracts require them to pay the real estate taxes on the property until closing. Their neighbors challenged the rezoning, which postponed closing. The property owners sued Prince William County in Circuit Court to try and not pay their taxes. So far, they have lost. Now they seek to have the law changed to protect their windfall. McPike, the sponsor for the bill, has received numerous contributions from the data center industry in the last reporting year. Virginia is not a banana republic. Please vote against this bill.

Please vote YES to SB 1305. Without it, all Virginia property owners will be at the mercy of how their counties interpret the law, leaving them exposed to unfair taxation practices possible under the current law. Thank you.

Please support Senate Bill 1305 because it will clarify the effective date of zonings to protect property owners from predatory taxation practices that are possible under the ambiguity in the current zoning law. Is it fair that Prince William County requires its residents to pay the increased taxes when zoning appeals render them unable to sell, whereas Orange County labels their residents’ properties as pending appeal? SB 1305 will correct this disparity that allows some Virginia residents a reprieve while others face financial ruin. Don’t leave Virginia property owners at the mercy of how their counties interpret the zoning law. The residents in your district may become the next victims.

Please support Senate Bill 1305 because it will clarify the effective date of zonings to protect property owners from predatory taxation practices that are possible under the ambiguity in the current zoning law. Is it fair that Prince William County requires its residents to pay the increased taxes when zoning appeals render them unable to sell, whereas Orange County labels their residents’ properties as pending appeal? SB 1305 will correct this disparity that allows some Virginia residents a reprieve while others face financial ruin. Don’t leave Virginia property owners at the mercy of how their counties interpret the zoning law. The residents in your district may become the next victims.

Please support Senate Bill 1305 because it will clarify the effective date of zonings to protect property owners from predatory taxation practices that are possible under the ambiguity in the current zoning law. Is it fair that Prince William County requires its residents to pay the increased taxes when zoning appeals render them unable to sell, whereas Orange County labels their residents’ properties as pending appeal? SB 1305 will correct this disparity that allows some Virginia residents a reprieve while others face financial ruin. Don’t leave Virginia property owners at the mercy of how their counties interpret the zoning law. The residents in your district may become the next victims.

Please support Senate Bill 1305 because it will clarify the effective date of zonings to protect property owners from predatory taxation practices that are possible under the ambiguity in the current zoning law. Is it fair that Prince William County requires its residents to pay the increased taxes, even though they can’t sell due to zoning appeals, whereas Orange County labels their residents’ properties as pending appeal? SB 1305 will correct this disparity that allows some Virginia residents a reprieve while others face financial ruin. Don’t leave Virginia property owners at the mercy of how their counties interpret the zoning law. The residents in your district may become the next victims.

I urge you to oppose SB1305, which has blindsided its sponsor’s own county’s officials. It is not an appeal to fairness; it is an appeal to favoritism. By the sponsor’s own admission, he submitted his bill specifically to relieve Prince William Digital Gateway landowners of their lawful tax liability and does not know how much his bill would cost Prince William County or other counties across Virginia. SB1305 is opposed by elected officials in the sponsor’s own district and the district directly affected by it. SB1305 is a blatant attempt to exempt Prince William County landowners (the bill sponsor's donors) from taxes on land they own and are selling to data centers for the Prince William Digital Gateway. It seeks to overturn a judicial decision upholding the Prince William County's legitimate taxation and interfere with ongoing litigation (Prince William Circuit Court case # CL24005849-00). Oppose this disgraceful bill and its attempted end-run on local government and the courts.