Fairfax County supervisors on Monday approved a grocery list of tax and fee increases meant to counter an escalating economic downturn, along with a slightly shrunken budget.

A 3-cent per $100 property tax increase will raise $68 million in revenue, officials said. But the average homeowner will see a slightly smaller tax bill, because home assessments will reflect losses of more than 3 percent of his home’s value.

Businesses will bear an additional 11-cent tax increase on commercial property that will be devoted exclusively to transportation projects. But supervisors lamented that the move would supply only a meager infusion of road and rail dollars — about $51 million a year, or “the cost of half an interchange,” Chairman Gerry Connolly said.

The overall county budget for fiscal 2009 will be reduced roughly 1 percent from the current year.  

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The $3.3 billion fiscal 2009 budget was engineered with few program or spending increases, though it did contain last-minute additions of funding to a strike force on overcrowding and the school system.

The budget, which passed the county board by an 8-2 vote, also includes increases to fees for emergency medical service transportation, fire marshal services, parking garages, parking violations and taxicab licenses.

The commercial rate increase, which passed unanimously, is one of the few intact parts of the transportation funding package that was approved last year by the General Assembly and mostly struck down by the Virginia Supreme Court in late February. Gov. Tim Kaine and legislators have yet to craft a replacement.

“We don’t have a choice but to go forward,” said Sully District Supervisor Michael Frey. “We are putting a huge share of the burden on the businesses of Fairfax County ... that is not fair to ask that burden be borne for very long by a small sector of the community.”

The approval came with a strong warning to the school board to cut spending before the next budget is approved. Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay called for a broad review of school finances as the county heads into a projected $350 million shortfall for fiscal 2010.

“The school system is going to have to be working with us next year if we’re going to overcome a deficit twice as deep as the one we had this year,” McKay said.

The board received its $40 million increase as a result of a last-minute agreement.

wflook@dcexaminer.com