Sunday, April 21, 2013
Spending plan restores a number of cuts that had been proposed.
The Arlington County Board adopted a $1.1 billion budget on Saturday, rejecting a laundry list of proposed spending cuts and raising taxes on the average homeowner here by $277 each year. The spending plan sets aside $3 million to cope with the effects of federal sequestration and pumps $12.5 million into a fund that subsidizes and promotes the development of affordable housing. Another $3.4 million will cover pay increases for the county's 3,500 employees. [More: Arlington County Salary Database] The budget also increases the real estate tax rate by 3.5 cents per $100 of assessed value — a fraction of a penny higher than what County Manager Barbara Donnellan had originally proposed. That rate will cost the owner of a $525,000 home about $…
Friday, March 22, 2013
Arlington Public Schools has requested about $3 million in additional revenue.
Arlington Public Schools has formally requested an extra half-cent of tax revenue from Arlington County, about $3 million in potential revenue, School Board Chairwoman Emma Violand-Sanchez said Thursday. The school board is in the process of reviewing and refining a $520.4 million spending plan proposed by Superintendent Pat Murphy that consolidates several programs but maintains class sizes. Murphy has proposed a series of cuts to address an anticipated budget gap of up to $25 million. And while the school system will add about 30 positions overall, about 62 would be eliminated — including teachers for gifted services at all three high schools and about 14 jobs in the teen parenting program. "We are concerned about the extent the budget …
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Board set the tax increase ceiling Saturday for 2013-14 budget. If the max increase is adopted, the average Arlington homeowner would pay $356 in taxes annually.
The Arlington County Board on Saturday voted 4-0 to advertise a 5-cent tax increase ceiling for the spending cycle that begins July 1. That means elected officials, as they shape the fiscal 2014 budget over the next few months, can opt to raise real estate property tax up to 5 cents per $100 assessed value, but no more than that. A 5-cent tax increase would cost the average Arlington homeowner an additional $356 annually. In other words, the owner of a $524,700 home would owe $7,082 in taxes and fees for the year. The ceiling agreed upon Saturday was noticeably higher than the 3.2-cent tax increase Arlington County Manager Barbara Donnellan recommended in her proposed $1.1 billion budget last week. Donnellan's budget would cost the average…
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Uncertainty over federal sequestration complicating local budget process.
The average Arlington homeowner would pay about $262 more each year in taxes and fees under the 2013-14 budget County Manager Barbara Donnellan proposed Wednesday. The spending plan also would eliminate about 46 county staff positions, about half of them already vacant, affect several county programs and force the Artisphere to justify its operating expense. And the entire proposed $1.1 billion general fund budget is overshadowed by what might happen with federal sequestration. Crystal City already has the highest vacancy rate the county has seen, Donnellan said, thanks in large part to Base Realignment and Closure, or BRAC. And now, the threat of sequestration is causing more companies to move out. "If people aren't upping their leases …
Saturday, April 21, 2012
County's $1 billion budget also bolsters tax support for affordable housing programs and restores library hours cut during recession.
The Arlington County Board on Saturday unanimously approved a $1 billion budget that includes a 1.3 cent real estate tax increase. The budget also bolsters taxpayer investments in four key areas identified by board members — affordable housing, libraries, capital maintenance and employee compensation. It also funds new facilities like a planned year-round homeless shelter, Long Bridge Park, the Mary Marshall Assisted Living Residence and developments at Penrose Square. The tax hike will cost the average Arlington County homeowner an extra $160 annually. The average assessed value of a home in Arlington is about $520,000. Trash and recycling fees will be reduced by $32 per household. "We are fortunate here in Arlington that our financial …
Don Fardosian
4:16 pm on Friday, March 22, 2013
Arlington School parents need to pony up if they want to enjoy perks like W&L's swimming pool and track, none of which my child's private school has. I don't mind paying for public schools but paying for swimming pools and other facilities that my child does not have is a stretch. Being banned from HS pools and sent to the Longbridge Park facility if that comes to pass adds insult to injury. more ›