Pulaski County responding to the local economic impact on citizens and the business community from COVID-19

Board of Supervisors to offer Citizens and Businesses No Penalty and 0% Interest on Real Estate Taxes due June 5^th, 2020 for Three Months in Response to the Coronavirus

As Pulaski County contends with the economic impact Coronavirus is having on our country, our state and our communities, the Pulaski County Board of Supervisors is looking to lead the state, and perhaps the nation, with a locally focused economic relief program to effectively do their part to lessen the acute financial burden on our citizens and local businesses. The Board is considering a proposal to set the rate for penalties and interest to $0 for three-months on Real Estate taxes that are due on June 5, 2020 in direct response to COVID-19.

“Your Board of Supervisors and county staff have been working intently on finding ways to reduce the negative impacts of this emergency while still keeping our people safe and providing necessary services,” stated Joseph W. Guthrie, Chair of the Pulaski County Board of Supervisors. “We know that our citizens and businesses are contending with difficult and serious economic issues as we all take necessary precautions to stop the spread of the Coronavirus. We identified this approach of relief as a meaningful and pragmatic way that we can help our people as they work to manage their finances in this unprecedented time in our nation’s history.”

The Pulaski County Board of Supervisors has undertaken numerous response measures over the last week to increase and enhance the safety and welfare of its citizens and county employees. The Board is now aggressively including in their focus, efforts to mitigate the economic impact the coronavirus is having on individual citizens, and in particular, the county’s service sector and small business community.

“Considering approaches like this are only possible when a county is financially healthy and has properly positioned themselves to be of assistance in a time of public need through fiscal discipline, fundamental budget practices and sound financial management,” stated Jonathan D. Sweet, County Administrator. “Our Board of Supervisors have been exceptional stewards in managing the county’s limited resources and as a result are looking to support our citizens and local business at the highest level.”

The Board’s intent is to provide a means of temporary financial assistance to Pulaski County citizens in need, and a way of helping maintain our businesses’ working capital in order to assist them with paying their staff and vendors in the immediate future. This concept is focused directly on the major challenges revolving around the loss of cash- flow for businesses and the loss of incomes to the citizens of Pulaski County.

Under this proposed concept, Real Estate taxes will still be due June 5, 2020, but payments received later than June 5, 2020 and before September 6, 2020 will be subject to no penalties and 0% interest. The standard penalties and interest for late payments will resume on September 6, 2020. As always, Pulaski County encourages all taxpayers to  pay their taxes on time and in full.

The Governor of Virginia declared a state of emergency on March 12, 2020, and directed local governments to render appropriate assistance to prepare for this event, to alleviate any conditions resulting from this situation, and to implement recovery and mitigation operations and activities so as to return impacted areas to pre-event conditions as much as possible. On March 13, 2020, the President of the United States declared a national emergency beginning March 1, 2020 due to the outbreak of COVID-19.