How Much Are Taxes Going Up This Year?

February 25, 2022

In this Issue…

Assessment Increases and the Advertised FY 2023 Budget – At the February 22nd Board meeting, the County Executive presented the FY 2023 Advertised Budget which includes a 9.5 percent increase in taxes paid by the average homeowner – with many across the County seeing increases much higher. This increase comes despite the advertised budget holding the tax rate flat at $1.14 per $100 of assessed value due to higher assessments. For many years I have been saying that this Board’s spending is out of control and unsustainable for taxpayers as the Board, over my objection, approved new spending initiatives and used one-time funds and federal pandemic funds to pay for new positions while neglecting priorities like public safety and employee compensation. Residents cannot afford any kind of tax increase this year as we are facing record inflation, rising gas prices and an economy recovering from the pandemic. More information below on the budget and how you can make your voice heard on this tax increase.

Parkway Safety Improvements Installed - I am pleased to share that the Virginia Dept. of Transportation (VDOT) recently installed much needed chevron and ‘curve ahead’ signage on northbound Fairfax County Parkway between Ox Road and Burke Centre Parkway. These signs should help address the serious safety concerns about this under-designed section of roadway that has seen more than its fair share of median crossover crashes, including the fatality that took place late last year. My sincere thanks to VDOT for getting this installed as soon as possible. At its meeting in early December, the Board approved my motion to direct the Fairfax County DOT to investigate what else can be done to address this unsafe section of roadway; it remains under review at that agency.

Other News and Information

Last Meeting of the RAC (3/1)
Fairfax Police vs Fairfax Fire Hockey Game (3/25)
The Joy of Using LEGO Serious Play in Caregiving (3/4)
ECHO Food Drive at Springfield United Methodist Church (3/5)
Real Estate Tax Workshops (3/16)
Bull Run Civil War Round Table Scholarship (4/4)

Assessment Increases and the Advertised FY 2023 Budget – At the February 22nd Board meeting, the County Executive presented the FY 2023 Advertised Budget which includes a 9.5 percent increase in taxes paid by the average homeowner – with many across the County seeing increases much higher. If approved as is, it will be the most significant tax increase since 2006 when Gerry Connolly was Chairman during the period when real estate taxes on the average homeowner doubled from $2407.27 in 2000 to $4830.42 in 2008. This increase comes despite the advertised budget holding the tax rate flat at $1.14 per $100 of assessed value due to higher assessments. For many years I have been saying that this Board’s spending is out of control and unsustainable for taxpayers as the Board, over my objection, approved new spending initiatives and used one-time funds and federal pandemic funds to pay for new positions while neglecting priorities like public safety and employee compensation. Residents cannot afford any kind of tax increase this year as we are facing record inflation, rising gas prices and an economy recovering from the pandemic. This is on top of tax increases of 45 percent over the last 10 years. The Board clearly has a spending problem.

Instead of just voting against the budget, I produced an alternative budget to show how it could be done. Last year my alternative budget and budget guidance provided a path to reduce the cost of government with a true flat tax for the average homeowner while also addressing employee compensation, senior tax relief a year earlier, teacher raises, and addressed public safety compensation needs. It was rejected by a vote of 9-1. I am convening a Citizens Budget Committee again this year to continue the work to identify how we can reduce the cost of government for our residents while still providing the quality services residents expect and hope I can once again produce a flat tax alternative budget that addresses County priorities and recognizes the fiscal strains on and constraints of our taxpayers.

In a small bit of good news, in the FY 2023 Advertised Budget, the County Executive has included $80M that is up for Board consideration. I expect that even this Board will see the tremendous impact of assessments and forgo that $80M in additional spending in order to reduce the tax rate by about 2.5 cents to drop the average increase to about 7 percent. However, that is hardly a dent for the average taxpayer whose bill went up by over $685 under the advertised budget and 45 percent over the last 10 years – significantly more needs to be done.

There are many factors that have contributed to the budget challenges this year, specifically that this Board has:

Continuously used one-time funds for recurring expenses, which goes against longstanding Board policy.
Committed stimulus funds for recurring needs. As of January, the County and FCPS have received or are expected to receive $1.03 billion in federal stimulus funds.
Not kept a running list of accumulating expenses presented at all Board and committee meetings, which was my recommendation for budget guidance last year to remind the Board of its spending commitments outside the budget process.
Ignored employee compensation for the last several years resulting in longstanding resource issues for critical public services.
Committed to new programs and initiatives outside the budget process, addressing “wants” without addressing critical “needs.”
Not held back spending even as our commercial tax base diminished with the impacts of the pandemic. A larger commercial tax base alleviates some of the tax burden on residents.

In addition to real estate assessment increases, it’s likely you will also see an increase in your personal property tax. The average personal property tax bill will increase by $181 due to supply chain impacts that have resulted in significantly increased valuations for used cars. The revenue generated by this increase will be $83M beyond what is included in the County Executive’s advertised budget. I plan to look at options to forgo this tax increase as well especially considering this additional revenue is not yet appropriated.

Between now and May 10^th when the Board formally adopts its budget, I strongly encourage you to share your feedback on how taxes and County spending are affecting you.

Here are a few ways you can be heard:

Call Chairman McKay’s office (he is also Chairman of the Board’s Budget Committee) and the other Board members and/or email the entire Board at ClerktotheBOS@fairfaxcounty.gov. I am only one vote on the Board and while I would like to see us look at significantly cutting the tax rate, that will not happen without my colleagues hearing from you. You can find the contact information for the other Board offices here.
Sign up to testify at the Budget Public Hearings April 12-14^th. You can provide testimony via phone, pre-recorded video, or in person. You can also send written testimony to the entire Board through the Clerk’s office.
Attend my annual Budget Townhall on Wednesday, March 30^th at 7 p.m. in the Community Room at the West Springfield Government Center with County Executive Bryan Hill and Phil Hagen from the Department of Management and Budget. I invite you to come share your concerns and questions with me then.

If you wish to appeal your assessment, you can find more information as well as the application here. Administrative appeal applications must be postmarked by April 1, 2022, filed online or emailed to DTAREDappeals@fairfaxcounty.gov by 4:30 p.m. (EDT) of April 1, 2022. Please reach out to DTA or my office if you need assistance with the process.

I will be sharing more updates on the budget in the coming weeks, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Parkway Safety Improvements Installed

I am pleased to share that the Virginia Dept. of Transportation (VDOT) recently installed much needed chevron and ‘curve ahead’ signage on northbound Fairfax County Parkway between Ox Road and Burke Centre Parkway. These signs should help address the serious safety concerns about this under-designed section of roadway that has seen more than its fair share of median crossover crashes, including the fatality that took place late last year. My sincere thanks to VDOT for getting this installed as soon as possible. At its meeting in early December, the Board approved my motion to direct the Fairfax County Dept. of Transportation to investigate what else can be done to address this unsafe section of roadway; it remains under review at that agency. Please click here to see my comments and motion from December.

Photo Credit: Chris Chessnoe

Other News and Information

Last Meeting of the RAC (3/1)
Fairfax Police vs Fairfax Fire Hockey Game (3/25)
The Joy of Using LEGO Serious Play in Caregiving (3/4)
ECHO Food Drive at Springfield United Methodist Church (3/5)
Real Estate Tax Workshops (3/16)
Bull Run Civil War Round Table Scholarship (4/4)

Last Meeting of the RAC

The RAC, the Renaming (formerly the Redistricting) Advisory Committee which will be making its final recommendation on renaming the Springfield District on March 1^st at 6PM. Public input is welcome.

If you would like to participate, you may access the meeting by the two ways below:

Join the Microsoft Teams meeting: Click here to join the meeting

Join the meeting by phone: 571-429-5982 Passcode: 7022588#

For more information about this meeting, please see their page: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/redistricting/march-1-redistricting-advisory-committee-meeting

If you missed our previous Virtual Town Hall on this topic, you may watch the video on YouTube at this link.

Fairfax Police vs Fairfax Fire Hockey Game

Join me for a night of fun night to show support for our Police and Fire and Rescue Departments as they meet on the ice for the Fairfax Police vs Fairfax Fire Hockey game on March 25th at Skate Quest in Reston (1800 Michael Faraday Ct, Reston) at 6PM. Event is open to the public and donations are accepted for BlueHELP & Red HELP.

For more information, please see their Facebook Page.

The Joy of Using LEGO Serious Play in Caregiving

Friday, March 4, 2022, from 12:00 p.m to 1:00p.m.

Loretta Woodward Veney is a trained LEGO Serious Play facilitator in 2014. As her Mom's dementia progressed, their communication continued through the building with LEGO bricks, spurring Loretta to begin using LSP with caregivers as well as those with dementia.

In this session participants will learn what LSP is, and how it can be used with care partners, care receivers and in Memory Café sessions to spark past memories, make new memories, and bring joy and hope to the caregiving experience.

https://bit.ly/StayingWell-123

ECHO Food Drive at Springfield United Methodist Church (3/5)

Springfield United Methodist Church is holding a food drive on Saturday, March 5 from 1 to 3PM. ECHO’s Food Pantry has been dramatically impacted by increasing need. All food donations are vital to ECHO right now.

Springfield United Methodist Church

7047 Old Keene Mill Road in Springfield

Collection area in parking lot

Real Estate Tax Workshops (Start March 16)

Mark your calendars – In-person and virtual Real Estate Tax Relief Workshops will start on March 16! The income and asset limits for eligibility have been raised so additional residents are eligible. See details her e . Workshops will last until April 20; the Springfield District workshops are set for April 7 & 8. Please see this link for more information: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/taxes/workshops

Bull Run Civil War Round Table Scholarship

Since 2013, the Bull Run Civil War Round Table has given $2,000 scholarships to Northern Virginia, high-school seniors exhibiting a passion for American history – particularly an interest in and knowledge of the Civil War. This annual award goes to a student based on an assessment of a locally based Civil War essay, high-school grades and participation, and history-teacher recommendation.

Applicants must submit a transcript demonstrating grades and courses, a written description of extracurricular activities, a picture of themselves taken at a local historical sign related to the Civil War, and a written recommendation from a history teacher at their high school.

These submissions will be evaluated, with top candidates being interviewed by the Round Table Scholarship Committee, for the final selection of a winner. Packages may be e-mailed to BRCWRTScholarship@gmail.com, or mailed to: BRCWRT-Scholarship Team, P.O. Box 2147, Centreville, VA 20122.

The nonprofit Bull Run Civil War Round Table was established in May 1991 to unite those wishing to expand and share knowledge of the Civil War via lectures, research, field trips and active participation in the preservation of Civil War sites. For more information, go to bullruncwrt.org.