BY STEPHEN H. COWLES/CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Playback58@gmail.com

ISLE OF WIGHT—Isle of Wight County residents can count on paying 73 cents per $100 in real estate taxes to support the $96.3 million budget for next fiscal year. The majority of the Board of Supervisors passed the budget Thursday with the 8-cents increase on the 65 cents per $100 rate, but Al Casteen of Smithfield District said no.

“I voted against that because it could have been two cents lower,” Casteen told The Tidewater News. He added that while looking through the proposed draft budgets he found approximately $800,000, which could have meant reducing the tax by two cents. Casteen evidently could not convince fellow board members.

“I’m still working for the citizens even if I’m working by myself,” he said.

Although Byron “Buzz” Bailey of the Newport District voted yes, he said he was reluctant.

“I’ve been thrown under the bus this week, and it looks like we’re throwing citizens under the bus. I really don’t like it,” Bailey said, explaining that he meant county residents who are on social security or having a difficult time making ends meet.

“I agree, but our hands are tied,” said Delores “Dee Dee” Darden of the Windsor District.

“I think we could live with it,” she had said earlier when proposing the 8-cents.