CARROWAY ISLAND, VA. — Facing a gradual decline in year-round residents and the corresponding strain on public works revenues, the Town Council met Tuesday evening to consider a number of possible remedies, among them a proposal that has already drawn spirited discussion at the wharf, the ferry landing, and outside the post office.

The proposal, informally referred to as the “Description Tax,” would assess property owners not on the size of their land itself, but on the size of the language used to describe it.

Under the suggested framework, taxes would be levied according to the expansiveness, flourish, and evident optimism found in written descriptions of island properties, particularly those appearing in sales notices, family correspondence, church bulletins, and any circular in which a two-room dwelling has been elevated, without sufficient evidence, into a “harbor estate.”

Councilman Reed Holloway, who has spoken before on what he calls “adjectival inflation,” offered the reasoning plainly.

“We have cottages called expansive, sheds referred to as artisan retreats, and one weathered boathouse described in a holiday letter as a multi-level maritime residence. If the wording has grown larger than the property, then it is only fair the tax roll should notice.”

Though no final scale has yet been adopted, early discussion suggested that terms such as “spacious,” “grand,” “sweeping,” and “panoramic” may carry added surcharges, while repeated use of the word “charming” could result in a flat-rate penalty on the grounds that it has too often been deployed in place of square footage.

Special scrutiny is also expected for phrases that imply dimensions not readily confirmed by the eye. Descriptions including “room for entertaining,” “open-concept living,” and “water-adjacent” are said to be under review, particularly in cases where visitors must walk some distance, and with resolve, before seeing any water at all.

Dockmaster Elias Crowley, while declining to address the Council formally, was heard afterward remarking that if a structure has been called “breezy” on more than one occasion, then “it may as well start contributing to culvert maintenance.”

Not all islanders are persuaded. Mrs. Martha Jebb, whose modest home has reportedly appeared in more than one church social notice as a “sunlit harbor cottage,” expressed concern that the measure might unfairly burden residents “given to hopeful description.”

Others, however, argued that the proposal may represent one of the few remaining revenue sources available to a town where the tax base has thinned, but the language surrounding it has not.

A subcommittee has now been assembled to prepare draft definitions for disputed terms including “cozy,” “airy,” “restored,” and “historic,” the last of which may require documentary proof or, failing that, at least one elderly neighbor willing to swear to it.

The Council is expected to revisit the matter next month after a period of public comment and selective inspection. In the meantime, residents are advised to review all property descriptions for unnecessary grandeur, unsupported claims, and any phrase likely to suggest a second floor where none exists.

For background on the island, see Carroway Island, Virginia.