Wednesday, May 15, 2013
How many children will be allowed at home day care providers? The board now won't decide until June.
Fairfax County home day care providers will find out June 18 exactly how many children they’re legally allowed to care for under county regulations. The Board of Supervisors deferred a decision Tuesday night on whether to increase the number of children providers can care for with a special permit from 10 to 12. After hearing emotional testimony from both providers and stakeholders, supervisors decided they needed more time. With a license from the Commonwealth of Virginia, a provider can care for up to 12 children. But Fairfax County ordinances only allow for seven children, unless the provider applies for the special permit for 10 children. The county rarely enforced the law and many providers took on a dozen children, arguing they were …
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Officials will likely attempt to put a meals tax referendum to voters in future elections, though the proposal has had little success in the past.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is once again considering a meals tax, but the proposal has a long way to go before it is put to voters in a future election. For the eighth time during his tenure, Supervisor Gerry Hyland (D-Mount Vernon) proposed this week that a meals tax referendum appear on ballots during the election. In his resolution, Hyland estimated the tax could generate between $80 and $100 million annually. Such revenue, which Hyland calculated with a hypothetical 4 percent meals tax, might allow the Board to alleviate stress on the county’s real estate base, which just saw an increase in tax this budget cycle. “As was clearly evidenced during our budget discussions, the county is still over reliant on the real estate …
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
In final FY 2014 spending plan, homeowners will pay $216 more on average; public safety positions will be restored.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors formally adopted a $7 billion budget Tuesday for Fiscal Year 2014, a plan they called conservative thanks to sequestration and other uncertainties. The plan will hike the average county homeowner’s real estate taxes by more than $200 on average, increasing the real estate tax rate from $1.075 per $100 of assessed value to $1.085. Read: Fairfax County 1-Cent Tax Increase: Penny for Your Thoughts Though the board approved the budget during a markup session last week, it finalized the plan with a 9-1 vote Tuesday morning. Supervisor Pat Herrity was the sole vote against the budget. With the slow recovery from the recession and the impacts of sequestration hurting the commercial real estate tax base, …
Monday, April 29, 2013
Officials call plan a "necessary compromise" that will leave some programs unfunded.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will adopt the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget plan Tuesday, setting a tax rate that will hike the average resident’s bills by more than $200. Supervisors are expected to adopt a real estate tax rate of $1.085 per $100 of assessed value, lower than County Executive Ed Long’s proposed $1.095 rate but still a penny increase. The Board approved the budget during a markup session last week, with the majority of supervisors calling the package a necessary compromise in a tough year. The budget will leave "nobody happy," officials said. County employees will not get market rate adjustments to their salaries and supervisors are asking the School Board not to give schools employees pay raises either. The school …
Friday, April 26, 2013
Fairfax County's pre-kindergarten program will likely go another year without the funding it needs to shorten a wait list with hundreds of kids.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is ready to adopt the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget package, but some officials are unsettled by the lack of funding for the expansion of Head Start program, which currently has hundreds of students on the waiting list. Through a mix of county, state and federal funding, Head Start provides free pre-kindergarten classes to students from low-income families, giving them the extra attention they need to be on par with their peers when they enter the Fairfax County Public School system. Roughly 1,500 kids are currently enrolled in the program — but more than 800 others are waiting. The program won’t receive any additional funding in this year’s budget because of worries that more funds will be lost in the …
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Supervisors approve amendment to reduce average tax bill hike Tuesday but leave employee pay and schools funding unchanged.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a series of amendments to the Fiscal Year 2014 budget Tuesday including one that lowers the proposed real estate tax rate increase by a penny, a move that will cost the county $20 million in revenue. Supervisors voted 9-1 to adopt the amendments, noting that in a particularly tough budget year, the package was the best they were going to get. “I wince now when I read through my remarks from last year’s mark-up that we were ‘hopefully beginning to see the dawn of a new day,’” Chairman Sharon Bulova said in a statement. “The Fiscal Year 2014 budget is one that makes no one happy. It is, however, a responsible fiscal plan that reflects our current difficult situation.” The budget plan will …
Monday, April 22, 2013
Employee pay an issue as the Board of Supervisors drafts amendments to the FY2014 budget.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors have begun adjusting the Fiscal Year 2014 budget package by lowering the proposed tax rate by a penny. But supervsiors still didn't back increases in funding to public schools and employee compensation. During a meeting of the Board of Supervisors Budget Committee on Friday, Chairman Sharon Bulova presented a list of amendments to spending plan. The Board will vote on a proposed real estate tax rate of $1.085 per $100 of assessed value, a penny lower than the $1.095 rate proposed by County Executive Ed Long in his original plan. The adjustment is expected to cut the county revenue by about $20 million. County employees advocated for higher pay during public hearings earlier this month, but a lack of …
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Savings from two other projects leaves enough money to tackle road projects elsewhere in the county.
Thanks to a reallocation of some funds and savings on two big county projects , the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has identified about $11 million to complete planned improvements to pedestrian and road projects across the county. The money became available when two other large transportation projects were unexpectedly completed under budget. Burke Centre’s Virginia Railway Express parking was finished with $3.9 million to spare in federal Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) funds; another $7 million in federal Regional Surface Transportation Program (RSTP) money was left over after the widening of Route 29 and Gallows Road to three lanes. Supervisors also approved the use of $1.65 million in commercial and industrial (C&I) …
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Residents and stakeholders advocated for human services and employee compensation funding on Wednesday night.
Human services were on most people’s minds Wednesday night during the second marathon public hearing on the proposed Fiscal Year 2014 budget plan. A majority of the 50 or so speakers at the second of three hearings this week urged the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to restore funding to services for the county’s most vulnerable residents. County Executive Ed Long’s $7 billion budget proposal includes an $8 million reserve to address cuts from sequestration and other federal reductions, but many human services officials say more is needed. The county’s Human Services Council has recommended supervisors approve an additional $3.3 million in funding, $1.25 of which would be put in a fund used only for immediate services needs. Many …
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Give your supervisor feedback on the county's proposed $7 billion plan for Fiscal Year 2014.
Fairfax County supervisors will hold a series of town hall meetings this week to discuss the county’s Fiscal Year 2014 budget plan. None are planned in the Falls Church area. County Executive Ed Long’s $7 billion budget package, proposed in late February, would raise the real estate tax rate from $1.075 per $100 of assessed value to $1.095, as well as cut funding from parks, libraries and other county services. The increase in the real estate tax rate would raise a projected $42 million in revenue but would burden county taxpayers with $262 more in annual real estate taxes. This week’s town hall meetings will give residents and constituents an opportunity to voice their concerns and suggestions for the budget, which will be formally …
Clarine Schmukler
11:23 am on Thursday, May 2, 2013
We definitely need a meals tax in Fairfax County. Eating out is not a necessity, it is a luxury and should be taxed accordingly. Supervisor Foust's approach is the proper one, since the restaurant industry managed to defeat it the last time. This a natural source of revenue, and I hope we take advantage of it. more ›