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May 3, 2023
Neighbors,
Yesterday, the Board of Supervisors held our mark-up of the proposed FY 2024 Budget. The next step is for the Board to adopt the budget on May 9 (no further changes are expected at this time) and it will become effective on July 1, 2023. Thank you to everyone who called, sent e-mails and attended community meetings and public hearings. Determining and balancing priorities for the county's $5 Billion General Fund Budget is the Board's greatest responsibility and your input is crucial.
I encourage you to review the Budget Mark-up, which includes the Board's Budget Guidance for FY 2024 and FY 2025. Here are several items I wanted to highlight for you:
Affordable Housing: While the short-term news is good for funding of affordable housing, there is still more work to be done to realistically meet the county's goal of producing a minimum of 10,000 new affordable homes by the year 2034 - and my goal of getting at least 1,000 new units in Hunter Mill by 2027. Baseline funding of $31.4 million is currently included in the budget, equivalent to one penny on the Real Estate Tax rate. Yesterday we also approved an additional $8 million for affordable housing as part of the Third Quarter FY 2023 Review. Overall, with available funding in the current budget and federal stimulus funding, the two-year total commitment for affordable housing totals over $118 million. The county executive has been directed by the Board to develop a budget by FY 2027 that includes a total investment of two pennies on the Real Estate Tax rate. I have also asked for a report on funding amounts and status by project.
Parks: I requested, and the Board approved $114,500 to fund the implementation of mobile nature centers in FY 2024 that will serve as a model for future efforts to leverage financial resources and potential sponsorships to enable our Park Authority resources to be more accessible and equitable. Two additional initiatives, management of tree health on park property and the mitigation of invasives such as bamboo – received significant support from the community during public hearings and were fully funded.
Library: I also requested, and the Board approved $300,000 to fund additional library collections in FY 2024 to help address the long waits many of our library patrons face when requesting some of the more popular items.
Employee Compensation: No different from the private sector and other jurisdictions, the county continues to struggle to recruit and retain employees in a challenging labor market. And as we know, county services and programs are only as good as the employees who deliver them. It was a priority for the Board to fully fund the Market Rate Adjustment (MRA) resulting in average increases of 7.83 percent for uniformed public safety employees and 7.50 percent for non-uniformed employees. Pay increases for incumbent police officers will range from 10.44 to 15.44 percent, with an average of 12.83 percent.
Real Estate and Personal Property (Car) Tax: The Board approved a 1.5-cent Real Estate Tax Rate reduction, which will reduce the average real estate tax bill increase by more than 20%, from $520 (at the $1.11 rate) to $412. In addition, tax relief measures for personal property or “car” tax assessments will save vehicle owners on average about $68.
Fairfax County Public Schools: Our high-quality schools are the economic drivers for the county. The FCPS School Board and Superintendent have been clear that we need to increase compensation for our teachers and mental health services for our students. The Board approved fully funding the FCPS FY 2024 request.
Additional Resources:
If you have questions about the county's budget or taxes, please email my office at huntermil@fairfaxcounty.gov or call 703-478-0283.
Regards,
Walter
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