Politics & Government

County Executive Presents County Budget at Mason District Town Hall Meeting

The FY 2013 advertised budget was presented to residents in Annandale on Wednesday night.

Annandale residents expressed concerns about sewage fees and Tysons Corner area redevelopment at the Mason District Spring Town Hall meeting Wednesday evening.

Fairfax County Executive Anthony Griffin presented an overview of the county’s fiscal year 2013 advertised budget at the meeting, hosted by Mason District Supervisor Penelope Gross at the .

The $6.7 billion budget includes a projected $3.45 billion in the general fund, a recommended transfer of $1.68 billion to Fairfax County Public Schools, a 2.2 percent pay increase for county employees that will cost $22.3 million, and a 2.18 percent market rate adjustment (MRA).

Find out what's happening in Annandalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Griffin, who will retire in April, said the goal of the budget was to take reductions, but minimize the impact on the public. There will be a one cent increase in stormwater fees and real estate tax for county residents will remain at $1.07 per $100 of assessed value. Real estate taxes for the average household will increase to $33.85 due to a decrease in the mean assessed value of residential property over the years.

The majority of the county’s disbursements, approximately 52.5 percent, go to support Fairfax County Public Schools. The recommended transfer to FCPS is $1.68 billion, which is an increase of 4.5 percent over FY 2012, but $66.3 million less than the $1.75 billion transfer request approved by the School Board.

Find out what's happening in Annandalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Residents Weigh In on Local Issues

Funding for two School-Age Child Care (SACC) rooms at in Annandale is also included in the budget. In further budget breakdowns, it’s noted that SACC fees are recommended to increase by 5 percent due to rising program costs.

Griffin said a lot of funding for programs like Head Start, support staff such as School Resource Officers (SRO’s) and crossing guards, and maintenance for some recreational fields are paid for by the county.

Some of the figures in the budget showed reductions to the police and fire department budgets. While Griffin acknowledged that those departments would take a hit, he noted that over the years, county libraries and parks were generally hit with budget reductions. He said it’s a balancing act to figure out how to make the reductions work without increasing taxes for the average homeowner.

“The only way [to avoid increasing taxes] is to lower support to certain programs,” said Griffin, who added that $2 million has been put aside for police overtime.

Following Griffin’s remarks, one resident expressed his displeasure at the rising cost of sewage in the county. Both Griffin and Gross defended the increasing costs, calling it the price residents have to pay to have clean water.

“We recognize the concern about cost, but we have no choice about making the changes and making the improvements necessary,” said Griffin.

Funding totaling $0.76 million to support redevelopment at Tysons also raised concerns from one resident who felt that the area did not need such monetary support from the county. Griffin disagreed, saying the money sent to Tysons is intended to help maintain the infrastructure and that the success of Tysons is in the county’s best interest to keep the commercial interests of that area going. Another resident said he felt the county was "nickel-and-diming" the residents to finance the infrastructure at Tysons.

“Somewhere this has got to stop," the resident said. "You’ve got to look at what you’re actually doing to the residents."

The budget does not restore previously cut programs such as the county’s bike program, but Griffin said the county plans to focus on identifying gaps in a lot of the biking trails to help make them more useful to residents. Money has been set aside for a needs assessment budget to identify maintenance programs, including those for bike trails.

Near the end of the presentation, Griffin said that the county would continue to face challenges with transportation and other areas as it transitions from a heavily surburban area to more of an urban area and until the county receives the support they believe they should get from the state.

Public hearings about the budget and the FY2013-FY2017 Capital Improvement Program will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 10 and Wednesday, April 11 and at 3 p.m. Thursday, April 12 in the board room of the Fairfax County Government Center. Residents interested in speaking can sign up here or call 703-324-2391. Written testimony for the hearing can also be submitted by e-mailing clerktothebos@fairfaxcounty.gov.

For a detailed breakdown of the FY 2013 advertised budget, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dmb


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