Category: News
6th Annual Commissioners and Cans Challenge!
Good morning!
Commissioners of the Revenue offices across Virginia are once again participating in Commissioners & Cans Food and Fund Drive challenge!
This fun and friendly challenge between the participating Commissioner’s offices will help fill the shelves for the SEVEN food banks in Virginia. The challenge is to see which office collects the most pounds of food and/or funds per person. Last year, our efforts at the City of Roanoke led to a contribution of 370 pounds of food to Feeding Southwest Virginia. This year’s goal is to tip the scales with over 500 pounds of food donations – and only you can make that happen.
The most needed items this year are:
• Monetary donations to purchase food. See link below to donate.
• Canned meats (tuna, chicken, ham)
• Canned vegetables
• Canned fruits (low sugar)
• Peanut butter and jelly
• Macaroni and cheese
• Hearty, meaty soups
• Pasta and sauces
• Cereal and oatmeal
• Condiments and spices
The challenge began August 1st and runs through August 31st.
Bring your food donations to the collection boxes located in the Commissioner’s office on the second floor of the Noel C Taylor Municipal Building (Rooms 213 and 251) or visit https://feedingswva.donorsupport.co/page/CommCans2024 for monetary donations.
We have a short window to collect as much food and funds as we can - let’s get started!
Yours in service,
Ryan S LaFountain
Commissioner of the Revenue, City of Roanoke
Read More...Posted on 02 Aug 2024, 10:01 - Category: News
Late Filing Penalties - Soon Going Away
Good morning!
On the recommendation of the Commissioner of the Revenue, Roanoke City Council has eliminated late filing penalties for personal vehicles, effective January 1, 2024. Taxpayers are required to file with the Commissioner of the Revenue's office within 30 days of a change of address, moving to the City of Roanoke or the purchase or disposal of a vehicle subject to personal property tax. However, starting January 1, 2024, there will no longer be a monetary penalty for failure to file in a timely manner.
If you have any questions regarding this change, please feel free to contact us at (540) 853-2521 or via email at personal.property@roanokeva.gov.
Yours in service,
Ryan S LaFountain
Commissioner of the Revenue, City of Roanoke
Read More...Posted on 14 Nov 2023, 14:59 - Category: News
Commissioner of the Revenue Ryan LaFountain Announces Re-Election Bid
Today, Ryan LaFountain is proud to announce his intent to seek re-election next year as Commissioner of the Revenue for the City of Roanoke. Since taking office in 2022, LaFountain has worked to bring new technology to the office, to encourage cooperation between city offices, to work with city council to modernize the city’s tax code, and to emphasize customer service to the taxpayers of the City of Roanoke.
Under LaFountain’s leadership, the Commissioner of the Revenue’s office, in conjunction with the Treasurer’s office and other departments in the City of Roanoke, was able to implement a tax processing system that brought those systems out of the 20th century and into the 21st century. “This system conversion was a success and we’ve learned to treat every bug and problem as an opportunity to create solutions for the taxpayers of Roanoke,” comments LaFountain, adding “Without the cooperation of the Treasurer’s office and other city departments, we would not have been able to deliver on a long-promised systems upgrade.”
In addition, LaFountain has worked with the Treasurer’s office to more effectively address taxpayer issues, encouraging improved communication between offices. LaFountain adds, “Sometimes the biggest problems are caused by ineffective communication. We’ve had tremendous success improving customer service simply by improving how we communicate between offices.”
LaFountain also proposed that city council eliminate late filing penalties on non-business cars and trucks. On his recommendation, Roanoke City Council passed an ordinance that eliminated late-filing penalties for non-business vehicles. He comments, “With the technology at our disposal to verify if a vehicle is subject to taxation by the city and nearly all taxpayers reporting their moves to the DMV, it makes sense to remove a penalty when taxpayers think that they are already doing their due diligence.”
LaFountain has joined all these efforts together to make customer service a top priority for the office. “To me, it’s simple. We can use technology to make a challenging process less daunting to taxpayers. City offices must work together to deliver services, so effective communication makes the process smoother for taxpayers. City code needs to be amended to keep up with the times we live in and meet taxpayers where they are. Taken together, these three pieces help us meet and exceed our taxpayers’ service delivery expectations.”
LaFountain adds, “It is with that in mind that I am seeking re-election as Commissioner of the Revenue for the City of Roanoke. As a new father, I hope to bring my child up in a city where we have worked continuously to do better. It has been the honor of my life to serve the people of Roanoke and it is my hope that the people of Roanoke grant me the honor to continue serving them.”
Read More...Posted on 06 Jan 2025, 8:02 - Category: News
Increases in used auto values and you.
Good morning!
It is no surprise to many that things have gotten more expensive over the last couple of years, between price increases for foodstuffs to gasoline prices currently being inflated by geopolitical instability, our dollars aren’t going as far as they once did. One of the areas that has also been impacted by the instability of the last two years has been used vehicles. Why?
Ultimately, it comes down to supply chain issues – automakers have been unable to get consistent supplies of electronics (namely chips) in order to produce new vehicles. This issue is forecast to persist into 2023. Since people are unable to buy new vehicles, they have resorted to purchasing used vehicles. You may remember last year that vehicle values began to creep up, largely among trucks and SUVs. That has spilled over into this year, with significant increases in used car values coming across the board – on average by 40%. This increase has not been borne equally across vehicle types, however. Smaller vehicles are seeing larger increases than larger cars and trucks. As the Commissioner of the Revenue, it is my office’s responsibility to locate and assess taxable property in our locality. In the City of Roanoke, we assess cars and trucks using the clean loan value provided in JD Power’s NADA Guide. This value is generally the lowest or second lowest value published in the guidebook and we use this value to account for wear and tear that a vehicle undergoes – not everyone keeps their car in fresh-off-the-lot condition. As an additional reminder, Commissioners of the Revenue do not set tax rates – that is the purview of a city council or county board of supervisors.
So what does this mean for you?
In Virginia, we assess taxes on personal property, real estate, and other items in order to fund local government expenses. These expenses include teacher salaries and local road repairs. And, unlike other states, Virginia specifically forbids localities from imposing local income taxes. So these taxes upon our assets are the bread and butter of how localities are able to operate in Virginia to provide the services that citizens need. In Roanoke, the personal property tax rate is $3.45 per $100 of an asset’s value – so 3.45%. For comparison, Roanoke County’s personal property tax rate is 3.50% and if you live in the town of Vinton, you pay an additional 1.00% upon that base rate. The City of Salem’s rate is 3.40%. In addition, localities may also impose motor vehicle license fees.
Complicating the issue further is the personal property tax relief that is offered through the state. For vehicles assessed at $1,000 or less, personal property taxes are fully reimbursed to the taxpayer. For vehicles assessed between $1,000 and $20,000, the personal property tax relief rate is established by local ordinance based upon the funds provided to the locality by the state. The full amount of the value of the vehicle is subject to taxation, with relief provided on the amount owed. For vehicles valued over $20,000, relief is only provided on the first $20,000 owed with the amount in excess of $20,000 subject to the full tax rate. Motor vehicle license fees are not covered by personal property tax relief.
If this sounds confusing to you – I assure you, you’re not the only one. Let me illustrate using actual vehicles in the city of Roanoke. All identifying information has been redacted. These five vehicles were taxed in the city of Roanoke in 2021.
| Vehicle | Assessment | Tax Due at 3.45% | 52.1% Tax Relief | License Fee | Total Owed |
| 1994 Ford Ranger | $225.00 | $7.76 | $7.76 | $28.00 | $28.00 |
| 2005 Toyota Camry 4-Cyl. Std | $2225.00 | $76.76 | $39.30 | $28.00 | $65.46 |
| 2014 Kia Optima | $7550.00 | $260.48 | $135.71 | $28.00 | $152.77 |
| 2018 Tesla Model S | $26925.00 | $928.91 | $359.49 | $28.00 | $597.42 |
| 2020 Ford Explorer | $40600.00 | $1400.70 | $359.49 | $28.00 | $1069.21 |
These same five vehicles were also taxed in the city of Roanoke in 2022. As of this writing, Roanoke city council has not adopted a tax relief ratio, so I will use the same ratio for illustrative purposes only.
| Vehicle | Assessment | Tax Due at 3.45% | 52.1% Tax Relief | License Fee | Total Owed |
| 1994 Ford Ranger | $1188.00 | $40.99 | $21.36 | $28.00 | $47.63 |
| 2005 Toyota Camry 4-Cyl. Std | $2900.00 | $100.05 | $52.13 | $28.00 | $75.92 |
| 2014 Kia Optima | $9675.00 | $333.79 | $173.90 | $28.00 | $187.89 |
| 2018 Tesla Model S | $35800.00 | $1235.10 | $359.49 | $28.00 | $903.61 |
| 2020 Ford Explorer | $47450.00 | $1637.03 | $359.49 | $28.00 | $1305.54 |
The Commissioner of the Revenue’s Office is dedicated to working with taxpayers. Bills for your personal property taxes will be going out in mid-April. If you feel that your vehicle’s value is not accurately represented on your bill, you are encouraged to contact the Commissioner of the Revenue’s office to speak with a member of our staff. You may do so by calling (540) 853-2521 or by emailing revenue@roanokeva.gov. We anticipate that call volume will be heavy and appreciate your patience as we endeavor to work with you.
Yours in service,
Ryan LaFountain
Commissioner of the Revenue, City of Roanoke
Posted on 18 Mar 2022, 7:27 - Category: News
Campaign kick-off event!
Greetings!
The official campaign kick-off date is set – Saturday, May 15, 2021 – from 1-4pm! Location is forthcoming.
Come meet Ryan, have a good discussion, and pick up a yard sign to show your support for this campaign of trust, transparency, and making change!
See you on Saturday, May 15!
Read More...Posted on 18 Apr 2021, 8:23 - Category: News
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