Barbara Donnellan

County Board Seeks Budget With Limited Spending Growth

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington County Board is asking County Manager Barbara Donnellan to draft a new budget that limits spending growth to below the rate of inflation.

The Board voted unanimously Tuesday night on budget guidance that seeks to limit growth of county government operations to 1 percent in financial year 2013, while allowing Donnellan to propose an additional .66 percent in spending on projects previously committed to by the Board. Board members asked that Donnellan protect public health and safety, maintain the county’s social safety net, and invest in affordable housing and environmental sustainability.

“In these uncertain economic times, the Board is committed to limiting spending growth, preserving the safety net for our community’s most vulnerable members, and fulfilling previous project plans,” County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman said in a press release. “Our guidance to the County Manager reflects these priorities.”

The county said it’s only expecting “modest” revenue growth in FY 2013 — based on slightly higher real estate assessments — while facing higher costs for employee compensation, health care, facility maintenance, the county’s share of the Metro budget, debt service and schools. The county is anticipating spending growth at Arlington Public Schools, which is financially separate from county government, to be about 2.7 percent in FY 2013.

The budget guidance comes at a time when the rate of inflation is about 3.5 percent. Last year’s budget included 5.1 percent spending growth, but contained no tax rate increase.

Donnellan will now begin the process of gathering public input on the new budget. She will hold her first public budget meeting a week from today, on Wednesday, Dec. 7. The meeting will be held in the Central Library auditorium (1015 N. Quincy Street) at 7:00 p.m.

The Board is expected to pass a final budget in April 2012. The new financial year will start on July 1, 2012.

Proposed Building Purchase Would Allow Year-Round Homeless Shelter

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 11:50 a.m.) Arlington County Manager Barbara Donnellan will recommend that the County Board approve the purchase of 2020 14th Street N., a seven-story office building in Courthouse, according to a county news release.

The purchase of the $25.5 million, 70,000 square foot building will allow the county to achieve several significant goals.

Two stories of the building would likely be devoted to a new, year-round shelter for homeless adults. The “comprehensive homeless services center” will replace the current Emergency Winter Shelter on 15th Street N. in Courthouse, which is only open during cold weather months.

The acquisition would also allow the county to consolidate offices space from its Court Square West building at 1400 N. Uhle Street. After the offices are moved and the Court Square West building is torn down, the county would then be able to proceed with a planned redevelopment at Courthouse Plaza. That redevelopment would see the county’s large surface parking lot converted into a mixed-use development with ground floor retail, office and residential space, underground parking and a public plaza.

Existing private tenants at 2020 14th Street N. will eventually be moved out after a county acquisition, with some possible exceptions including street level retail tenants like Ragtime restaurant. Donnellan’s recommendation is expected to be considered at the Board’s Dec. 13, 2011 meeting. The county says it would consider using its eminent domain powers if a “voluntary purchase” is not successful.

Lubber Run Amphitheater Repairs Approved

By ARLnow.com

The Lubber Run Amphitheater will be open for performances later this summer thanks to the efforts of community members and county staff.

Just two months ago, a 107-page county-commissioned study suggested that it could cost up to $3.5 million to get the deteriorating amphitheater back up to current code standards. With tight county finances, amphitheater supporters feared that it could be years before the amphitheater would be restored and reopened.

Shortly after the study was released, though, a group called the Lubber Run Amphitheater Foundation was formed and began arguing that only a few relatively inexpensive fixes were necessary to reopen the local landmark. As we found out at this afternoon’s County Board meeting, they were right and they were able to work with county staff to turn their convictions into action.

For less than $100,000 — the amount allotted by the County Board this year for a floodplain study — contractors will soon commence a number of repairs to make the 43-year-old amphitheater safer and more accessible. They will replace the wooden stage, replace area and stage lighting, purchase portable hearing devices, and install handicap-accessible parking spaces, portable restrooms and designated seating.

“With the community’s help, we have developed a plan to make the amphitheater a safe, seasonal venue for outdoor entertainment,” County Manager Barbara Donnellan said in a statement today. “These basic repairs and modest improvements will make the amphitheater accessible to persons with disabilities and keep it in compliance with federal, state, and local guidelines for work in a 100-year floodplain and Resource Protection Area (RPA).”

Donnellan first announced the repairs at a Lubber Run Amphitheater Foundation-sponsored meeting last night.

“To say they were thrilled was an understatement,” Donnellan told the board today. “This is not a perfect solution, but it is do-able.”

The repairs are expected to take until the end of July. After that, there’s ample money in the budget to fund outdoor programming at the amphitheater.

With Funding in Place, Lubber Run Meeting Planned

By ARLnow.com

Outspoken supporters of Arlington’s Lubber Run Amphitheatre managed to convince the county to include nearly $150,000 worth of funding for the aging amphitheatre in the FY 2012 budget. Now, with the funding in place, the Lubber Run Amphitheatre Foundation is helping to organize a meeting regarding the facility’s future.

The public meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. on May 16, at the Lubber Run Recreation Center (300 North Park Drive) Barrett Elementary School library (4401 N. Henderson Road). Among those expected to be in attendance is County Manager Barbara Donnellan. This is the second such meeting organized by the foundation.

The county is providing up to $45,000 for programming at Lubber Run this summer. Another $100,000 is going to “study capital needs toward restoration of the Lubber Run Amphitheatre.”

USS Arlington Christening To Be Broadcast Live

By ARLnow.com

The christening of the USS Arlington will be broadcast live on the county’s cable channel on Saturday.

The amphibious transport dock ship, named in honor of the heroes and victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon, will be christened at the Northrop Grumman shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss.

Arlington County Fire Chief James Schwartz, who was incident commander at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, will deliver the keynote address at the christening. Former County Manager Ron Carlee, current County Manager Barbara Donnellan and several Arlington County Police officers who were first responders on 9/11 will also be in attendance.

“No County taxpayer money will be used to pay travel expenses,” the county noted in a press release.

The proceedings will be broadcast live, starting Saturday at 10:00 a.m., on the county-run Arlington Virginia Network, which is available on Comcast channel 25 or Verizon FiOS channel 40. A webcast of the christening will also be available.

Ship sponsor Joyce Rumsfeld, wife of former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, will christen the ship. See more information about the ship here.

Photo courtesy Northrop Grumman

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Pothole Problem May Persist — County Manager Barbara Donnellan says the county is waiting for the beginning of spring to fix most of the potholes on local roads. Donnellan, speaking at Saturday’s county board meeting, said “it’s better” to fix the roads after the winter. Board member Walter Tejada acknowledged one resident’s complaints about potholes on his street, adding that Wilson Boulevard and Columbia Pike also have some particularly rough patches. [Sun Gazette]

Remy to be Guest Bartender at Fundraiser — Arlington rapper Remy will be the guest bartender tomorrow at a fundraiser for the Arlington Free Clinic. The fundraiser is being held at Velocity Five (2300 Clarendon Blvd) from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Remy’s sister, Lena, will help select the evening’s door prize winners. [Gregs List DC]

Myerton Apartments Becoming Condos — In 2007, developer JBG decided to scrap plans to market a new renovation project in Penrose as condominiums. Instead, with the economy on the ropes, it leased out the property as the Myerton Apartments. Now, the project’s 74 apartments are once again slated to be sold as condos. Two bedrooms will be priced just below $300,000. [Urban Turf]

President’s Day Schedule Set — Most county offices will be closed on Monday in observance of President’s Day. [Arlington County]

No Real Estate Tax Hike in County Manager’s Proposed Budget

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 4:25 p.m.) Arlington County Manager Barbara Donnellan’s proposed FY 2012 budget, revealed today during a county board work session, includes no real estate tax rate increase but, at the same time, no restoration of cuts from previous budgets.

Under the proposed budget, the real estate tax would remain steady at 95.8 cents per $100. The 95.8 cent rate was approved by the board last year after Donnellan, then the acting county manager, proposed a rate of 94.2 cents.

Arlington is benefiting from a 6.3 percent hike in assessed property values, which is expected to bring in an additional $30 million in tax revenue for the county. In September, when the county was expecting a smaller increase in assessments, then-County Manager Michael Brown warned that tax hikes and spending cuts might be necessary. Neither prediction is coming to fruition under the Donnellan’s proposed budget.

The budget does include a 25 cent per hour hike in parking rates. There will be no increase, however, in the personal property tax, the business tangible property tax, business and professional license fees or the commercial transportation tax.

Total county expenditures under the proposed budget will reach $985.2 million, a 3.1 percent increase over last year. The primary source of the increase is the budget transfer to the school system, which will rise 4.9 percent to $378.2 million.

If the proposed budget is adopted by the board as-is, the total tax and fee burden on Arlington households would increase $89, or 1.4 percent, to $6,487 per year.

Donnellan formulated her budget after holding a series of public budget meetings last year.

The proposed budget will be made available on the county’s web site on Saturday. The board will adopt the final FY 2012 budget in April.

County Holding Online Budget Chat

By ARLnow.com

If you haven’t been able to make it to any of County Manager Barbara Donnellan’s in-person budget forums, here is your chance to learn about this year’s budget process without leaving your home or office.

Starting at 10:00 this morning, Donnellan and Deputy County Manager Mark Schwartz will be holding an online chat focused on the upcoming fiscal year 2012 budget process.

A complete transcript will be posted after the chat.

With Employee Salaries, County Aims to be Competitive

By ARLnow.com

You might think that with another looming budget gap and talk of a new worldwide Age of Austerity, Arlington County would be looking at cutting employee compensation as a potential way to trim costs.

After all, every taxpayer in Arlington knows that our famously progressive county probably pays employees more than anyone else in the region, right?

Wrong.

Arlington is, in fact, still playing catchup with Fairfax and Alexandria compensation-wise, County Manager Barbara Donnellan told a group of Arlington County Civic Federation delegates Tuesday night.

Donnellan cited a study released last year which determined that while employee benefits were on par with Fairfax and Alexandria, Arlington’s two biggest competitors in the job market, employee salaries lagged in more than half the job categories examined.

Another such study will be conducted next year.

Donnellan said that Arlington will likely continue to grant merit-based step increases to employees in the upcoming budget. That, she said, should help Arlington compete with Fairfax, which has frozen step increases. Like Arlington, however, Alexandria is still granting pay raises.

“Overall, we’re trying to maintain competitiveness,” Donnellan said. Comparisons to the private sector and to similar jurisdictions in other parts of the country are generally not helpful, Donnellan said, because the county is drawing from a different pool of potential job applicants.

As an example of one area where Arlington is struggling to fill jobs, Donnellan cited a recent recruiting drive by the police department.

Out of some 70 prospective applicants for a significant number of police vacancies (perhaps 20 to 30), only four were ultimately hired after a battery of physical and mental tests.

“Four doesn’t cut it,” Donnellan said, adding that more public safety recruiting classes will be necessary. In other job categories, she said, hiring is a mixed bag.

“We had a hiring freeze for two years, so when we do open up a job, we get a lot of applicants who are applying for it,” she said. “Are they the best and the brightest and fit exactly with the experience that we’re looking for? Not always. But we certainly have been able to capture some people in this downtime that are looking for a more stable environment to work in.”

Reminder: Donnellan to Hold Budget Forum Tonight

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County Manager Barbara Donnellan will hold a public meeting tonight to discuss the county’s upcoming financial year 2012 budget.

The forum will be held from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Arlington Central Library’s auditorium (1015 North Quincy Street).

As we reported earlier, Donnellan has said that her recommended budget will likely not include any further cuts for county parks or libraries, but it will include sizable cuts in other areas.

Libraries, Parks May Avoid Cuts in Next Budget

By ARLnow.com

After two years of deep cuts, county libraries and parks may be spared in the upcoming budget process.

Speaking to the League of Women Voters last night, county manager Barbara Donnellan said she does not expect to make any cuts to the libraries or parks in her proposed budget for financial year 2012.

At the same time, however, Donnellan cautioned that with Arlington facing a $25 million budget gap, the libraries will likely not see a restoration of hours to pre-2009 or pre-2010 levels.

At one point, Donnellan reflected on her failed effort to close the Cherrydale library, which was met with considerable public outcry. She says that she learned her lesson about community attachment to libraries.

“I’m not doing it any more, I’m done,” she said. “It’s apparent to me that every library is going to stay open.”

In a question and answer session, one attendee said she was concerned that the county seems willing to allow a deterioration in the quality of services system-wide, instead of summoning the political will to close facilities when it makes practical and financial sense. Donnellan said that while the county must carefully weigh its budget priorities, current facilities must be adequately funded.

“As long as we’re going to keep them, we have to maintain them, and that takes money,” she said.

Donnellan pledged to close the current budget gap with a balance of spending cuts and revenue increases. She will host a public budget forum for residents from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 2, at the Arlington Central Library auditorium.

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