Friday, December 14, 2012
Soon-to-be Senator will serve on three committees important to Northern Virginia.
Senator-elect Tim Kaine, who will be sworn into office Jan. 3, will serve on three Senate committees important to Northern Virginia. His office announced he will serve on the following committees: Kaine had asked to join Armed Services, Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Foreign Relations and Small Business and Entrepreneurship — in that order, according to a recent blog post on The Washington Post Web site. "I am excited to tackle these meaningful committee assignments," Kaine said in a news release. "Because of Virginia's deep connections to the military, through active duty personnel, veterans, military families and the private sector, Virginia needs a strong voice on the Armed Services committee as Congress makes decisions …
Thursday, December 13, 2012
County relies on $290 million in Federal dollars, including $135 million for schools.
Fairfax County is staring down projected budget deficits in both Fiscal Years 2014 and 2015 and officials are waiting anxiously for Congress to make a decision on sequestration cuts that would only make those gaps worse. In a presentation Tuesday, County Executive Ed Long told Virginia legislators the county was projected to face shortfalls of $169 million in FY2014 and $274 million in 2015. And there’s no telling what sequestration would do to those numbers. The county currently relies heavily on about $290 million in Federal dollars, including $135 million for Fairfax County Public Schools, $58 million in Federal grants, $38 million for the General Fund and more. “We can certainly hope that sequestration does not kick in but there’s a …
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
City Council approved the guidance to develop the fiscal year 2014 budget.
Falls Church may not be scheduled to adopt a budget for fiscal year 2014, but City Council approved the guidance the city manager will use to develop the budget on Monday. City Council's move allows the city manager to get started on laying out the budget. The resolution adopted by council includes staff’s forecast of a 3.2 percent revenue increase and provides that any increases in revenues for expenses be generated solely by economic growth. “Even in continued tight financial times, the City Council is committed to providing valuable core services that promote public safety and high quality of life,” Mayor Nader Baroukh said in a written statement. “The adopted resolution provides guidance to the city manager for development of the …
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Democrat Colgan changes his vote, and two-year, $85-billion budget is approved
A Virginia Senate Democrat changed his mind and voted for the budget Wednesday afternoon, enabling the two-year, $85-billion budget to pass 21-19. Sen. Charles J. Colgan (D-Prince William) told The Washington Post he had a change of heart on the plan he had coted voted against on Tuesday. While Colgan and other Senate Democrats had been pushing Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) for $300 million to extend Metrorail to Dulles International Airport, Colgan said the governor had not come through with funding, The Post reported. Colgan said he had simply come to the conclusion that the need to pass a state budget outweighed the need to secure funding for the project. Virginia had been preparing for a potential shutdown in May if a budget was not …
Bob Bruhns
10:56 am on Friday, December 14, 2012
This is why there was such a rush to lock us into the double priced Dulles Rail - Silver Line project. Now all we have to do is figure out how to pay for it twice, and also pay the interest on the money we need to borrow in order to do that. Since Virginia and the federal government are now backing away from the phantom financing deals that we were assured would rescue us from the consequences of… more ›