FY 2022 Tax Rate and Budget
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In February, the County Executive released the FY 2022 Advertised Budget which included a 3.4 percent increase in the tax on the average homeowner. This year’s advertised budget continues to raise taxes on homeowners and is unsustainable. Over the last ten years, the average homeowner has seen their property taxes increased by 46 percent. At our March 9th meeting, I was chided for suggesting we should have a flat tax bill given the pandemic and was the sole vote against increasing the tax rate over the County Executive’s recommendation. This increase in taxes comes while businesses are struggling, most kids are still out of school, parents are making tough choices for their families, and many are still out of work. We will have budget public hearings April 13-15 – please share your thoughts with the Board by phone, email, or video – details below.
Initial Budget Recommendation to Cut New Spending
- The County has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. Since the release of the FY 2022 budget, the Board has only discussed new spending, not ways to alleviate the burden on taxpayers. We need to be doing what our residents are having to do and figure out ways to work within our means. Below I have listed just some of the areas where the Board has proposed new spending in FY 2022 that should be cut or deferred. These areas include collective bargaining, some environmental and energy initiatives, and new positions for the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office. I am working on a more comprehensive list of cost reductions that would allow us to get to a flat tax for the average homeowner. Whether you are a resident or County employee, I welcome your thoughts on where the County should be making cuts.
Zoning Ordinance Changes To Impact Neighborhoods
- While I supported much of the zMOD package including the simplification and reorganization parts, I ultimately voted against zMOD because it was more than just a reorganization and included significant changes that I believe will negatively impact our suburban communities and watersheds.
Helping Our Teens Find First Jobs
- I am happy to report that this year’s Teen Job Fair series was a huge success. For the two fairs we hosted this year we had 124 business representatives and over 1,000 students participate. A huge thank you to all who participated and my co-sponsors including the Connection Newspapers, FCPS, the Board, and our local chambers. As a post-fair opportunity, my office will be sharing the webinar recording for the two workshops offered at the fair, more details below.
Other News & Information...
- Springfield Budget Town Hall (March 31)
- Agritourism Town Hall (March 29)
- Budget Public Hearings (April 13 – 15; sign up details below)
- National Drug Take Back Day (April 24)
- Fairfax Water Payment Assistance
- State and Federal Tax Deadline Pushed to May 17, 2021
- 11th Annual CASA Family Fun Run (April 1-30, 2021)
- Panel on Developmental Disabilities Resources During COVID-19 (March 26)
- OSHER Life Long Institute Classes (March 29-May 21)
- Rotary of West Springfield Raffle (April 30)
- Prevent Poisonings
- Low-Cost Rabies Clinics are Back
- Friend of the Month
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FY 2022 Tax Rate and Budget
In February, the County Executive released the FY 2022 Advertised Budget which included a 3.4 percent increase in the tax on the average homeowner. This year’s advertised budget continues to raise taxes on homeowners and is unsustainable. Over the last ten years, the average homeowner has seen their property taxes increased by 46 percent.
At our March 9th meeting, I was chided for suggesting we should have a flat tax bill given the pandemic and was the sole vote against increasing the tax rate over the County Executive’s recommendation. This increase in the rate would raise the increase on the bill for the average taxpayer to 4.3 percent. This increase in taxes comes while businesses are struggling, most kids are still out of school, parents are making tough choices for their families, and many are still out of work. Instead of focusing on the pandemic response and providing tax relief to our residents, this budget includes staffing for new programs and facilities.
While the County has already received over $200 million in federal pandemic related aid and is expected to receive an additional $223 million this year, it is clear the pandemic has impacted Fairfax County’s economy. Over the last year, hotel revenue declined almost 75 percent, the unemployment rate reached as high as 10 percent, small businesses closed, commercial real estate shrank, and as a biproduct County revenue has taken a hit. Fortunately, the County Executive was able to hold some positions vacant and make some spending adjustments to address some of these reductions.
Yet for the past year there has been no meaningful discussion at the Board level of cutting or deferring costs, other than my continuous requests for the Board to consider the fiscal impact of all the new policies and programs being recommended. During last year’s budget deliberations my motion to look at the fiscal impact and benefits of the programs that have been added over the last ten years did not even get a second. In fact, since the release of the advertised budget the Board has only discussed new spending with no mention of looking to reduce the tax burden on residents.
I was the only supervisor to propose that the Board look to bring the FY 2022 budget to at least a flat tax bill for the average homeowner, which would mean slimming the County’s $7 billion budget by less than 2 percent. I have heard from many of you who have had to adjust your family budget by much more than 2 percent over the last year and I keep saying the County needs to make the same tough choices you are. For additional perspective, in 2009 the Board was able to address a $650 million shortfall in the aftermath of the housing crisis. I was proud to be a source of many of the reductions made to balance that budget and I hope many of my proposed reductions are accepted in this budget. Please see some of my initial thoughts for this budget below:
Some of my colleagues on the Board chided me for making a flat tax bill proposal, with one supervisor suggesting that the County’s revenue decline leaves the Board with no realistic plan to get to a flat tax bill for residents (see the March 9th Board meeting) starting at the 1:50:00 mark). Getting to a flat tax bill for the average resident this year would mean eliminating only $95 million in the budget and focusing on our priorities and not political agendas. The tax burden on our residents is taxing our older adults out of their homes, making it unaffordable for families to live here, and adding to the stress on our local economy during the pandemic. With all the increases in County spending over the last ten years, we should be able to find cuts.
As always, if you are a resident or County employee with thoughts on where the County should be making cuts, I welcome your feedback. In addition, I invite you to participate in my annual Budget Town Hall next Wednesday, March 31st at 7pm, more details below.
I also strongly encourage you to sign up to testify before the Board during the budget public hearings on April 13 – 15. Testifying is as simple as sharing your experience with the Board and how the tax rate will affect you personally and/or providing your opinion on potential reductions in spending. You can sign up here to testify via writing, phone, and video. In person testimony may also be an option if the Board returns to in-person meetings by then.
Initial Budget Recommendation to Cut New Spending
The County does not have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem. At our most recent Budget Committee meeting, my colleagues were eager to look at different ways to tax residents based on the new authority granted by the General Assembly. These include the meals tax, increased BPOL tax, cigarette tax, probate tax, and admissions tax which the Board tried to move forward with at the beginning of the pandemic. Instead, they should be discussing ways to alleviate the burden on taxpayers now. Below are some of the areas the Board has proposed new spending within the last year that I propose we cut instead in order to work toward a flat tax bill for residents:
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New Positions for Collective Bargaining – The General Assembly passed a bill to give localities the authority to implement collective bargaining for public employees. The County and FCPS budgets include initial position funding for collective bargaining administration, even though no formal decision has been made by the Board to implement collective bargaining and there is no infrastructure in place to accommodate that process. Implementing collective bargaining is optional, arduous, expensive, and we are in no place to practically implement it. For those reasons, the initial funding of roughly $1 million each in the schools and county budget is a simple, commonsense cut. I will be sharing more on this topic in a future newsletter.
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New Positions for the Commonwealth’s Attorney – The FY 2022 budget includes about $2.5 million for 15 new positions for the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office. This request comes as the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office has prosecuted significantly fewer cases than his predecessor and neither the Commonwealth’s Attorney himself nor his deputy are prosecuting cases. A severe underutilization of resources should not be rewarded with more resources, which is why I strongly oppose these new positions and funding.
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Economic Recovery Reserve – In the County Executive’s proposed budget, there is a $20 million Economic Recovery Reserve set aside for use at the Board’s discretion. With the County expecting significant federal stimulus money, we should cut this fund from the FY 2022 budget and fund business recovery grants out of the federal stimulus funding.
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Environmental and Energy Initiatives – The FY 2022 budget includes new funding for environmental projects, the Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Plan as well as two new positions for the Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination. At the most recent Environmental Committee meeting, the Board discussed Fairfax Green Initiatives updates that includes proposals for study and significant energy investments. I raised concern with the Board that there was no budget impact with each of the initiatives, but it is clear many of them may come with a hefty price tag for taxpayers. While I wholeheartedly believe we need to look at energy investments that make sense in terms of return on investment, we cannot add to the tax burden of residents during this pandemic.
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Defer Opening of New Facilities – The advertised budget includes a number of new positions for new county facilities. While several of these are needed, I believe we should delay opening them until our other revenue sources recover post-pandemic.
As I have in the past, I will be recommending additional cuts to existing spending based on the answers to my budget questions, discussions with residents, input from my budget review committee and my review of the budget as well as some areas I believe we need to make investments including employee compensation and senior tax relief. I welcome your feedback.
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Zoning Ordinance Changes to Impact Neighborhoods
The Board of Supervisors passed a modification of its Zoning Ordinance (zMOD) by a vote of 7 to 3 this past Tuesday. The zMOD process began in 2017 and has included several Board committee meetings, public meetings, and a public hearing. When undertaken in 2017, zMOD was described as a reorganization and simplification of the current Zoning Ordinance which has not been overhauled since it was adopted in 1978.
While I supported much of the zMOD package, especially its simplification and reorganization aspects, I ultimately voted against it because it was more than a reorganization and included significant changes that impact our suburban communities and watersheds. This was not what was promised to our residents when we started the zMOD process instead of simplification and reorganization, there are significant material changes to the Zoning Ordinance that could have a serious impact on our suburban communities and the Occoquan watershed. This was the first time in my 13 years on the Board that I have seen such deep and broad opposition from resident and civic associations across the county to the changes incorporated in zMOD because of their impact on our neighborhoods. We should be listening to our residents.
I was pleased to see the progress on removing many of the proposed restrictions on flags but did not support the remaining proposals related to number of flags and flagpole height. It remains a solution in search of a problem.
Allowing Accessory Living Units (ALUs) without the age or disability restrictions previously in place and by administrative permit only (previously required a special permit approved by the Board of Zoning Appeals), not only takes our residents out of the process, but opens up our neighborhoods to increases in density and the problems that come with increased density, including the impacts on traffic, schools, and parking.
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Helping Our Teens Find First Jobs
I am happy to report that this year’s Teen Job Fair series was a huge success. For the two fairs we hosted this year, we had 124 business representatives and over 1,000 students participate. I have heard from many employers that the conversations they had at the fairs have continued in follow up interviews and job offers. This year I had the privilege of hosting practice interviews for about 40 bright students and was very impressed by their desire to learn and work. Employers also shared with me how impressed they are with our students, so much so that many of them have filled their seasonal positions with students from the fair. A huge thank you to all who participated and my co-sponsors including the Connection Newspapers, FCPS, the Board, and our local chambers.
I want to specifically thank the Central Fairfax Chamber of Commerce for hosting very successful and well-attended resume building workshops and the South Fairfax Chamber of Commerce for hosting successful workshops on Interviewing Tips at both fairs as well.
As a post-fair opportunity, my office will be sharing the webinar recording for the two workshops offered at the fairs on the County’s Teen Job Fair webpage. You will also be able to find a list of the organizations that participated in the fairs in case you want to reach out to them about opportunities they are offering.
I thoroughly enjoyed this year’s fairs but look forward to hopefully seeing everyone back at in-person fairs next spring!
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Other News & Information...
Springfield Budget Town Hall, March 31st and Agritourism Town Hall, March 29th
Reminder to join us next week on March 29 at 7PM for my Agritourism Town Hall at 7PM and on March 31 at 7PM for my annual Budget Town Hall. Both events will be simulcast on Channel 16 and Facebook Live. You may submit your questions in advance to springfieldbos@fairfaxcounty.gov
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(From my 2020 Budget Town Hall) |
Budget Public Hearings
I strongly encourage you to sign up to testify before the Board during its budget public hearings from April 13 – 15. Testifying is as simple as sharing your experience with the Board and how the tax rate will affect you personally. You can sign up here to testify in writing, via phone, and video. In-person testimony may also be an option if the Board returns to in-person meetings by then.
National Drug Take Back Day (April 24)
Save the date for National Drug Take Back Day next month, Saturday, April 24 from 10AM to 2PM. More details on participating locations will be available closer to the event date. If you are looking to dispose of prescription drugs in the meantime, please visit our existing drop sites.
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Fairfax Water Payment Assistance
If you need assistance paying your Fairfax Water bill, an application is available on Fairfax Water’s website at this link. To qualify, you must meet certain eligibility requirements, attest that you are experiencing financial hardship due to the coronavirus public health emergency, and submit an application to Fairfax Water. Funds are available on a first-come, first-served basis, so please apply soon.
State and Federal Tax Deadline Pushed to May 17, 2021
In response to challenges from the pandemic, both the state and federal filing deadlines for your taxes have been pushed to May 17, 2021. If you are looking for help completing your taxes this year, Fairfax County will be hosting webinars throughout May to walk you through each step of the process. For more information, visit this page.
11th Annual CASA Family Fun Run (April 1-30, 2021)
Fairfax Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), a nonprofit program advocates for the best interests of every single abused and neglected child in Fairfax County. Each year CASA holds this flagship awareness and fundraising event to celebrate the heroic dedication of its volunteer advocates and the heroic resilience of the abused and neglected children they serve.
This year’s race is being held virtually to protect our walkers and runners and will be held throughout the month of April, coinciding with Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month. Walkers and runners can choose from 5K and 3K options, and all race participants can opt in to have a race t-shirt mailed to them. CASA is also hosting a raffle for its race participants with great prizes such as Google products, gift cards, and much more! You can learn more about the event at www.fairfaxrunforthechildren.com and can learn more about CASA’s program at www.fairfaxcasa.org.
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Panel on Developmental Disabilities Resources During COVID-19 (March 26)
The Fairfax Department of Family Services and Fairfax Area Agency on Aging and Disability Rights and Resources will be hosting a panel conversation on Developmental Disabilities Resources and Services available to family caregivers and their loved ones during COVID-19.
OSHER Life Long Institute Classes (March 29-May 21)
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute is a non-profit affiliate of George Mason University that offers over 600 courses, social activities and clubs each year to retirees/older residents of Northern Virginia. Osher’s classes, socials and clubs have all gone online during the pandemic, providing a great lifeline to a vulnerable population during a time of social distancing. For general information about OLLI Mason, visit its website at: olli.gmu.edu.
Rotary of West Springfield Raffle (April 30)
Join the Rotary Club of West Springfield in its annual raffle drive for a chance to win $5,000. Proceeds from the raffle will go to funding Rotary’s charitable efforts and supporting its mission. Click here to purchase your tickets before April 30.
Prevent Poisonings
National Poison Prevention Week (NPPW) is this week and runs through March 27. According to our friends at the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), unintentional poison exposures in 2019 sent 67,500 children under the age of five years to emergency departments across the United States. In addition, more than 85 percent of unintentional poisonings occur in the home.
Of note during the pandemic, CPSC’s preliminary data from March through September 2020 found that hospital emergency room treatment rose sharply for severe injuries related to cleaning agents (84%) and soaps and detergents (60%) compared to the previous year.
The firefighters and paramedics of your Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department want you to take action to protect your loved ones from poisoning tragedies! Please take a moment to review some tips and resources from the CPSC to help keep your family safe from poison dangers:
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Low-Cost Rabies Clinics are Back
Starting April 11, the Fairfax County Animal Shelter will be resuming its Low-Cost Rabies Clinics. Pre-registration is required. Click here to sign up.
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Email
Office
(703) 451-8873
Website
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Randy Thompson Band
Wednesday, July 14, 2021
The Skip Castro Band
Wednesday, July 21, 2021
The Road Ducks
Wednesday, July 28, 2021
The Johnny Artis Band
Wednesday, August 4, 2021
Practically Einstein
Wednesday, August 11, 2021
The Colin Thompson Band
Wednesday, August 18, 2021
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Four-Legged-Friend of the Month |
Eight year old Golden retriever-mix Ellie is looking for an experienced owner to be the only dog in the home. This loyal dog will bark at strangers and would do well as the only dog without young children in the home. Ellie suffered an injury when young and is a tri-pod, but gets around just fine and enjoys playing fetch and tugging toys. Ellie needs a home with no kids under high school age, and no other dogs. She has never been around cats. If you'd like to adopt Ellie, please click here to view her profile.
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