Proposed Falls Church City Budget ‘No Frills’

About 100 residents, teachers and police officers from the City of Falls Church crammed into City Council chambers Monday night to hear City Manager J. Wyatt Shields present his fiscal year 2012 budget.

Shields $64.5 million proposed budget is .7 percent more ($471,103) than the current fiscal year budget and includes layoffs. Library workers, housing and human services people and other positions within the city received their notice of the layoffs last week Shields said.

“This budget makes a lot of compromises,” Shields said before the packed room Monday night. “It’s a no frills budget.”

The proposed FY 2012 budget also includes a penny increase to the current property tax and five cents proposed commercial tax overlay for commercial property, excluding apartments. Shields said money from the commercial tax overlay would provide funding for transportation projects in the business district of the city. Under the proposed budget, the library would also see its hours go from 64 hours a week to 55 hours. Shields said library would now open on Sundays and cut back on operating hours during the weekdays. The next budget meeting will be a multi-year forecast on Thursday, March 17.

By far the largest part of the proposed budget would go toward Falls Church City Public Schools. More than 40 percent of the budget would be allocated to the schools with public safety receiving the next highest portion of the budget at 14 percent.

During her presentation at the City Council meeting, FCCPS school board Chair Joan Wodiska said the schools are important to the city. She said a level city transfer from the city would help FCCPS provide a world-class education for the students.

“The community expects and demands world class schools,” Wodiska said. “And they’re willing to pay for it.”

The one issue in the proposed budget people were not interested in paying for was the two level pension program. Regular city employees currently pay 1.6 percent of their salary into their pension, but under the proposed budget they would be paying five percent. Police officers pay 2.2 percent of their salaries into their pension and under the FY 2012 budget, they would be expected to pay seven percent. Several City of Falls Church police officers spoke during the public comment session saying how unfair the increases would be considering there has not been a pay increase in three years.

Shields, however, said he is proposing that all city employees get a one-time $1,300 increase payout under the proposed budget.

“I do think it’s critical the city invests in their workforce,” Shields said. “Around the region everyone else is increasing their compensation for their workforce.”

For more information about the budget, click here.