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Exec proposes increases in taxes, fees to offset county revenue drop
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The proposed $3.3 billion budget for 2009 includes higher fees for parking and garbage collection. Board Chairman Gerry Connolly says it is too early to determine whether the board will approve the budget. – Andrew Harnik/Examiner File
The proposed $3.3 billion fiscal 2009 budget includes higher fees for the Emergency Medical Services Division of the Fire and Rescue Department, parking, garbage collection and sewer service, as well as a new 12-cent commercial property tax to fund transportation projects.
It also would cut in half employee pay raises and reroute some funding from storm water, transportation and affordable housing funds to pay for staff.
The county shot down the school board’s request for a contribution of $64 million more than last year’s and instead offered no increase, which could force the school board to revisit some unpopular measures such as hundreds of layoffs and requiring students to pay for athletics and Advanced Placement tests.
While the budget is engineered without an increase to the county’s overall 89-cent real estate tax, Griffin suggested the Board of Supervisors explore a higher rate should the economic picture worsen or additional needs arise.
Board Chairman Gerry Connolly said it’s too soon to tell if the board will consider such a measure.
Most of the austerity is due to an accelerating decline in the value of residential property, worsened by the crash in the subprime mortgage market and more than 4,500 home foreclosures last year.
The 3.4 percent drop in home values is expected to grow in fiscal 2010, which starts July 1, 2009, causing an estimated $200 million deficit. The county also lost about $26 million in investment revenue from the Federal Reserve’s interest rate cuts.
“We have to recognize that this is going to be a two- or three-year struggle,” said Connolly, a Democrat. “This may be looked at as the most positive of the next three budgets.”
Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity, a Republican, said he was bothered by the diversion of funds from infrastructure to employee salaries.
“We fought hard to get transportation monies out of Richmond. Those monies were supposed to go for roads and mass transit,” he said.
Each penny increase to the county’s real estate tax would net $22.8 million a year. If the board proposes — or “advertises” — such an increase in March, it can later reduce it but cannot raise it.
wflook@dcexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
8:01 AM MST on Tue., Apr. 29, 2008 re: "Fairfax approves bevy of tax increases designed to counter economic decline"
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9:43 AM MST on Wed., Apr. 9, 2008
re: "Tapping reserves raises concerns over Fairfax budget’s long-term effects"
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11:15 AM MST on Thu., Apr. 3, 2008
re: "Fairfax revenue projections drop, leave $25M shortfall"
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5:58 AM MST on Thu., Apr. 3, 2008
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6:02 AM MST on Wed., Mar. 19, 2008
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8:33 AM MST on Tue., Feb. 26, 2008
re: "Fairfax County to double cuts as revenue forecasts worsen"
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6:33 AM MST on Tue., Feb. 26, 2008
re: "Exec proposes increases in taxes, fees to offset county revenue drop"
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7:27 AM MST on Thu., Dec. 6, 2007
re: "Fairfax County to double cuts as revenue forecasts worsen"
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Chambek said:
Mr. Connelly laments that raising my taxes will only net him about $51 million to spend. Poor fellow! Hey I have an idea. Why not spend less. I, like many of my fellow Virginians, have been forced to do some serious belt tightening lately. This is something that Mr. Connelly could learn from us dummies that elected him. Never again.
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Examiner Reader said:
This note is to the citizen whose wife surfs the internet all day for 75K - maybe you should encourage her to quit her job and stop wasting tax dollars. I am a 20+ year employee and barely get lunch breaks to meet deadlines of my job. Please don't compare the one person that you can do something about with the rest of the County employees. The majority work much more than you think.
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Examiner Reader said:
I am a Fairfax County employee and I go above and beyond when it comes to my job. I understand that there are some employees who deny themselves the pleasure of taking pride and leadership in their position and that is just sad, but that happens everywhere, not just in the county. I work extremely hard because I believe that is my duty because I am paid by the people of this county. I don't even live here because I can't afford to. I commute 45 miles and I am going broke from the cost of gas and my family is barely making it at this point. It truly hurts me when you people say that I don't deserve a raise. When I have to tell my kids that we have to eat sandwiches again for dinner because that is all we can afford, you tell them that. YOU look them in the eyes and tell them that I don't deserve a raise to cover all the money I am losing to the oil industry, health insurance increases and so on. Not only is my paycheck not going to go up, it is going to go down.
9 agree | 2 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
County employees will not be quitting their jobs because they cant get new ones. They are, for the most part, useless and cant hold down a real job. How do I know this? My wife works for the county and she talks on the phone and surfs the internet all day. Not a bad job for 75k a year. When they find out how much harder they would have to work in the real world they will be running back to their cushy county job.
4 agree | 27 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
As a Fairfax County resident I would rather see them try and find savings and cut the budget first before they raise any new taxes. The thought porbably never occurred to them. But I won't worry I will just pay my tax bill with a credit card like everyone else. What harm could that do?
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Examiner Reader said:
Fairfax County created a position of "Inspector General" a few years ago...purpose was to review & hopefuly reduce/eliminate programs, waste, fraud & abuse...how much in savings have been realized? They should look for significant savings(they have over 3 BILLION dollars budget) before using the same old trick of higher real estate taxes which take no intelligence or creativity...let them show us how good managers they are when things get tough! Let's watch, all they will do is play the same old hand, tax & spend...where do they think the average taxpayer will get more money? We need a NEW BOARD..
13 agree | 4 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Fairfax County employees that believe it is unfair to delete or reduce their wages to cover a budget shortfall (where was the foresight basing a budget on something as obviously cyclical as the real estate market), should join the Fairfax County Government Employees Union. We're doing something about this issue. The dues are only $20 per month. We also represent you in any disputes with our employer, such as unfair annual evaluations or firings.
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Examiner Reader said:
I am a new County employee. I was proud to get this job. It was based on merit and I have been working hard as I won't get cost of living. I am in Human Services and I am also proud to serve those not as fortunate as I am. Now I have learned even though I am working hard to get a raise based on merit, it won't matter anyway and as a single mom I won't be able to care for my family. Yet, I am not eligible for ANY County services as I am at the very bottom of the ineligibility scale. The employees I work with are leaving right and left because of the decisions to cut pay/raises and increase services. Now who will be left to deliver these services? I know the revenues are stretched, but where is the logic in this? Or, are County execs. trying to weed out the Human Services employees? We need to change the parameters by which we offer services. We don't need to take food off the tables of our dedicated employees.
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Examiner Reader said:
You should update your picture of the Board of Supervisors. The picture with your article includes Elaine McConnell, who is no longer a supervisor.
34 agree | 23 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
"Griffin, in his memo, wrote he believed the cuts “can be managed without significant customer service impacts.”" What about County employees? When they begin to drop like flies, do you not think that this will affect service to couty customers? In rough ecomomic times, Human Services are in even more demand. Caseloads go up and demand goes up. Private resources are drying up putting even more pressure on County agencies. We are losing employees to surrounding jurisdictions where the commute is less for the employee, the salary is higher or at least equal, and the caseloads are drastically lower. This trend can't continue. My heart goes out to Fairfax County Human Services Employees who truly care about their clients but who are just about out of energy and the "do more with less" that has taken such a toll over the past several years.
70 agree | 44 disagree
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