Politics & Government

County Executive Unveils $6.73B Budget Proposal

Advertised fiscal year 2013 budget calls for a 2.18 percent market rate adjustment for employees

The Fairfax County Executive unveiled his $6.73 billion budget proposal for fiscal year 2013, a plan that calls for a 4.5 percent increase over last year's approved budget which includes an increase for employee salaries and the transfer to county schools.

Anthony Griffin's 2013 advertised budget calls for a 2.18 percent market rate adjustment for employees.

It increases the transfer to schools by 4.5 percent for a total of $1.85 billion. The amount, though $2 billion larger than last year's transfer, remains 52.5 percent of the county's disbursements.

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Though the budget proposal requests the real estate tax to stay steady at $1.07, the increase in home values over the past year combined with Griffin's request for a $0.01 increase in the stormwater services fee, would require the average homeowner to pay about $79 more in real estate taxes than last year.

"We did not increase it last year. We had been increasing it at a rate of half a penny per year. This is far short of what ultimately is going to be required in order to meet and maintain the expectations that the federal government and the state government has for us as it relates to clean water, and particularly cleaning up the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay" said Griffin, who presented his budget to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday morning.

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Supervisor Pat Herrity (Springfield) issued a statement opposing the stormwater fee increase after the presentation: "Our homeowners are still struggling. Taxes doubled in Fairfax County from $2400 to $4800 from 2000 to 2007. Since I joined the Board we have been able to keep the taxes people pay steady by making many of the recommendations that I outlined in my 2008 alternative budget. This budget goes back to the days of increasing the burden on our homeowners."

After Griffin's presentation, the supervisors asked questions of the retiring county executive, many of which addressed members' concerns about restoring funds cut from the county's library system and parks department in recent years.

"Quite frankly, we've done I think a pretty decent job of trying to hold the line, but we haven't been able to restore anything that we've cut in the last three years," Griffin said.

Because the total budget increases 4.5 percent, so does the total transfer to schools. But the increase falls short of the 8.4 percent requested in Superintendent Jack Dale's budget proposal announced last month.

This transfer proposal includes the first significant increase the school board has seen since 2009. For the past three years, the county has kept the amount steady at $1.6 billion or decreased it.

After the unveiling of Dale's advertised budget, county supervisors called the request unrealistic. This weekend, members of both the Board of Supervisors and the School Board — with Dale and Griffin also in attendance — met at a retreat that focused on starting a plan to improve communication between the two boards.

Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova said Tuesday school board members would be in attendance at the March 13 budget subcommittee meeting, as well as other meetings throughout the budget process.

"It is an increase. And it is the first time since before the recession there is a proposed increased from the county executive, so we can at least be grateful for that," said Janie Strauss (Dranesville), Chairman of the School Board. "On the one hand, it appears that the economic outlook for the county is better than it has been in a while, but as a county we're going to have to figure out how we're together going to address the needs of a growing population. ... Quality of the schools is a major driver in the economic health of the county."

Strauss said the major drivers for the schools budget will be student population, the required repayment to the Virginia Retirement System, and the compensation they are able to offer employees.

"This is not a year on the schools side to be introducing any major new initiatives," Strauss said.

Budget Calendar:

  • A tax rate will be advertised March 6, which can be adjusted along with the advertised budget before final adoption May 1.
  • Public hearings are scheduled for April 10-12.
  • Supervisors will host Town Hall meetings in their districts over the next few weeks. Click here to see a schedule.

For more information on the budget, click here.


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