n LOUDOUN
4 | n EDUCATION
VOL. 8, NO. 14
12 | n PUBLIC SAFETY
15 | n PUBLIC NOTICES
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24 | n OBITUARIES
39
FEBRUARY 23, 2023
Amid Surging Hunger, SNAP Shrinks BY RENSS GREENE
rgreene@loudounnow.com
At a time when the number of people needing help to put food on the table is only growing, one of the main government programs to help them is shrinking drastically. In March 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic descended on the country, governments began ramping up programs to help people at a scale not seen since the New Deal, the country’s response to the Great Depression in 1933. But while some of the New Deal’s programs—such as the Social Security Administration—became permanent parts of American society the government’s response to the pandemic disruptions was only temporary. And next month, one of those programs, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, once known as food stamps, will shrink back down to pre-pandemic size, while the crisis for people struggling to afford food does not.
Renss Greene/Loudoun Now
Volunteers at Loudoun Hunger Relief sort through fresh produce. The nonprofit is already seeing more people coming for help with food with enhanced SNAP benefits ending in March.
The federal Consolidated Appropriations Act signed on Dec. 29 ended the government’s SNAP emergency allotments, previously authorized in the Families First
Coronavirus Response Act of March 2020. Loudoun’s Department of Family services administers SNAP benefits locally. Between the enhanced allotment and the
July 2021 implementation of broad-based categorical eligibility, which simplified the requirements to qualify and raised the income cap to twice the federal poverty level, that department saw SNAP benefits climb throughout the pandemic. For a household of four, that means an income cap of $60,000. In February 2020, the Loudoun County staff issued just under a million dollars in SNAP benefits. In December 2022, they issued $3.42 million—more than triple the pre-pandemic amount. Similarly, before the pandemic, 4,052 households and 8,142 individuals received SNAP benefits. In December 2022, 6,136 households, 12,841 people, did. In famously wealthy Loudoun, roughly one out of every 32 people was buying food with SNAP. And even today, more people are applying for SNAP benefits for the first time. The county saw 250 new applications in SNAP SHRINKS continues on page 37
Data Center Dip, Recession Risk Cited as County Budget Challenges BY RENSS GREENE
rgreene@loudounnow.com
A possible drop in the total value of Loudoun’s commercial real estate—driven not by the market but attributed to the General Assembly and Dominion Energy—along with the risk of an economic recession, have put constraints on the next county budget that are only expected to
tighten in years to come. County Administrator Tim Hemstreet’s budget proposal totals $4.2 billion across the county government and Loudoun County Public Schools. It is based on a two-cent cut to the real estate tax rate, although residential values grew enough that the average homeowner would still be expected to see a higher tax bill. In 2022, Hemstreet reported, the aver-
age home value of $641,600 led to a $5,710 real estate tax bill. With a 2023 average value of $691,000, Hemstreet’s proposed tax rate would mean a $6,012 tax bill, a $302 increase. To reach the equalized tax rate, where the average tax bill would stay level, the Board of Supervisors would have to cut another 6.5 cents from the tax rate—requiring more than $84 million in cuts.
The budget does come with some breaks for taxpayers—this year the county will drop its personal property tax rate by five cents to $4.15 per $100 of assessed value. And car tax bills could get another cut beyond that. Hemstreet has prepared the budget anticipating that supervisors BUDGET CHALLENGES continues on page 37
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