budget

The Right Note: Some People Just Can’t Help Themselves

By Mark Kelly

The Right Note is a weekly opinion column by published on Thursdays. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.

County Board members made it clear at the recent Arlington Civic Federation meeting that they were leery of cutting back on capital spending because they are getting such good deals on construction costs.

This reminds me of a shop-a-holic going hog wild with their credit card because they are getting so-called “good deals.” They come home and announce to a spouse, friend, or roommate, “I saved a lot of money today.”

In reality, they borrowed a lot of money today, probably on several things you didn’t really need now — or ever.

Our board’s shopping spree includes a lot of spending on plenty of unnecessary things:

  • The purchase and rehab of a new building for a homeless shelter at more than ten times the cost to retrofit the current shelter
  • An $80 million state-of-the-art aquatics center
  • A trolley that will cost five times more than a new and improved bus system
  • And, the black hole known as the Artisphere

The difference between the shopper who maxes out their credit card and our County Board is that the shopper cannot force their friends to pay for the spending spree. The board can just stick the taxpayers with the tab. This week, we learned that the County Manager is proposing a 3.2% real estate tax rate increase for this year.

We also discovered that the county will likely cut its workforce. It seems the County Manager, who was recently given a generous raise, is going to give out as many as twenty pink slips to county staff to match anticipated spending with projected revenue.

Year after year, our County Board has spent well over the rate of inflation and population growth and put our budget in this position. They are leery of even slowing down when it comes to capital projects.

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Proposed Budget: Tax Hike, Police and Fire Cuts

By ARLnow.com

County Manager Barbara Donnellan presents her FY 2014 budget on Feb. 20, 2013Arlington County Manager Barbara Donnellan’s proposed FY 2014 budget will raise property taxes while cutting county jobs, including positions in the police and fire departments.

Facing a $35 million budget gap, Donnellan said she did her best to strike a balance between cuts and tax hikes, given the budget guidance given to her by the County Board.

“It is not an easy thing to recommend an increase in the property tax rate,” she said in a statement. “We have tried to maintain services that Arlingtonians hold dear and to respect the values of our community. To do that, we are forced to ask our community and our staff to contribute to closing this budget gap.”

Donnellan’s budget proposes a 3.2 cent tax hike, bringing the overall residential property tax rate to $1.003 for every $100 in assessed value. That represents an annual tax increase of about $262 for the average homeowner. That and other modest fee increases are expected to bring in an additional $13 million in revenue for the county.

As we previously reported, Donnellan’s budget would cut about 46 county government jobs.

Those will include 7 jobs in the police department and 3 jobs in the fire department, all of which will be cut by attrition. The police department would also see its district policing effort consolidated from 3 districts to 2. The fire department’s reserve “rover” staffing — extra personnel who fill in when a firefighter is not able to make it to work — will be reduced from 3 to 2 rovers per shift. One job will also be eliminated from the county’s 911 dispatch center.

County Board members Jay Fisette and Walter Tejada at a budget presentation on Feb. 20, 2013While all county departments are taking cuts, one of the hardest hit county departments under Donnellan’s budget is the Department of Human Services, with 15 proposed job cuts. Those cuts will reduce the number of school nurses in the county, reduce home aides for seniors and the disabled, reduce employment services for the mentally ill, and reduce inmate medical services at the county jail.

Donnellan said cuts were proposed where efficiencies could be found or where services were underutilized. She said the county is working to find new positions for employees whose jobs are set to be eliminated.

All told, the cuts are expected to save about $9.3 million per year. But with remaining employees working harder as a result of the various cuts, Donnellan is proposing $3.4 million in merit-based salary increases in FY 2014. The proposed budget also keeps existing county services largely in tact.

A library administrative aide will be eliminated, but library hours — previously a hot budget topic — will remain the same.

Artisphere will still be funded largely by county tax dollars. At the same time, however, the facility is being placed on notice, with half of its $1.8 million budget coming from one-time rather than on-going funding. Donnellan suggested that the money-losing cultural center could be on the chopping block next year.

County Manager Barbara Donnellan presents her FY 2014 budget on Feb. 20, 2013“I am assessing its performance and programming model,” she wrote in a note to the County Board. “The combination of one-time and ongoing funds will allow us to pursue a variety of options as we consider the future of the Artisphere.”

Local taxpayer funding for housing programs will remain a significant portion of the county budget — $32.3 million, or about 5 percent of the $661.5 million county operating budget. (Arlington Public Schools accounts for $411 million of the $1.073 billion overall proposed budget, up from $405.1 million of the $1.052 billion budget last year.)

Housing expenditures include $9.5 million for the Affordable Housing Investment Fund, $8 million for rental assistance, $5.2 million for real estate tax relief for the elderly and disabled, and $3.75 million for facilities and programs for the homeless.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Foggy night at the Marine Corps Memorial by Wolfkann

Arlington Earns ‘B+’ For Budget Transparency — Arlington has earned a grade of “B+” from the Virginia Coalition for Open Government for the ease of finding budget information on the county’s website. While better than average, the score is below Fairfax County’s “A+” grade. [Sun Gazette]

New Optometrist Open in Clarendon — A new optometrist clinic has opened in Clarendon. New Era Eyecare opened at 3105 10th Street N. last week. It’s the company’s second location; its original clinic is located in Clifton. New Era isn’t the only optometrist to recently open in Clarendon’s main business district. Visual Health Doctors of Optometry opened at 3102 Wilson Blvd in 2011.

APS Offers Car Maintenance Course for Women — Arlington Public Schools is offering a car maintenance course specifically for women as part of its adult education program. The course “is designed specifically for women who have limited to no knowledge of car maintenance.” It’s the only gender-specific class currently offered as part of the program. As of this morning, there was only one remaining student opening for the class, which begins on March 11. [Arlington Public Schools]

Flickr pool photo by Wolfkann

Morning Notes

By Katie Pyzyk

Santa in front of No Place Like Home & Covet (5140 Wilson Blvd)

Silver Line Could Shift Economic Development — As Metro’s Silver Line nears completion, there’s speculation it could prompt an economic development competition between Arlington and Fairfax County. Fairfax officials are already crediting the new line with bringing in at least one new business — Intelsat, an international satellite system provider. Gerald Gordon, the head of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, said the transformation of Tysons Corner will put it on a level playing field with the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor as far as attracting businesses. [Sun Gazette]

Polar Bear Sports Registration — United Social Sports is expanding its typical offerings of “bar sports” — such as cornhole, shuffleboard and skeeball — to include Polar Bear soccer leagues this winter. The leagues are for die hard players who wish to continue playing outdoors throughout the winter on a soccer field at Long Bridge Park. Registration is available online for the league, which offers weekly games on Sundays or Tuesdays. Games start the week of January 13. [United Social Sports]

McDonnell Offers Budget Amendments — Governor Bob McDonnell appeared before Virginia’s General Assembly on Monday to pitch a series of both cuts and spending increases for the state’s two-year, $85 billion budget. The increases would ease the burden on cities and counties that have been dealing with substantial funding cuts in recent years, by about $45 million. McDonnell is still cautious due to Virginia’s potential to take a hit if Congress can’t come to an agreement to avoid the year-end fiscal cliff. [Associated Press]

Artisphere Meets Budget, But Revenue Below Expectations

By ARLnow.com

Artisphere, the county-run cultural center in Rosslyn, met its budget and actually required less taxpayer support than expected for Fiscal Year 2012.

The center recorded $1.22 million in revenue and $3.55 million in expenses for FY 2012. Net taxpayer support was $2,327,016, $3,842 less than originally budgeted. The result is a marked improvement over previous budgets, which contained unrealistic attendance and revenue expectations; Artisphere’s revenue came in nearly 75 percent below budget for its first fiscal year.

While FY 2012 expenses were under budget — thanks in part to “a reduced amount of programming following the departure of Artisphere’s previous programming director,” according to a just-released year end report — revenue figures present more of a mixed bag.

Admissions and ticket income, educational program income, catering income, and concession income were all well under budget. Were it not for unexpected “event sponsorship” income, largely from the Rosslyn Business Improvement District — a major Artisphere patron which had already contributed $475,000 in the form of a donation — Artisphere would have required more tax support than budgeted.

The year end report attributed the lower admission and ticket income — 18 percent below expectations — to the sudden departure of Artisphere programming director Rosanna Ruscetti in April. (A new programming director was hired in August.) Similarly, educational income was low because “Artisphere’s education director only became full time during the latter half of the year.” Catering and concession income was below expectations, the year end report said, because Artisphere has not yet hired a “resident caterer” to replace the shuttered in-house restaurant and offer full bar service during shows.

“[A] resident caterer has not yet been established and currently, only limited bar operations are being run by Artisphere staff,” the report said. Still, the reported noted that staff-run concessions did generate a profit.

Facility rental income, a key component to the plan for making Artisphere less dependent on taxpayer funds, was $362,767, mostly in line with expectations. Officials expect rental income to increase next year.

“As Artisphere continues to overcome a negative perception for rentals that was established in its first year of operation, income has increased,” the report said. “During the first quarter of FY13, rental income has been extremely strong.”

The report touted a number of successful events and exhibits at Artisphere. Most significant among those was an exhibit of 259 personal photos taken by the late Mexican artists Frida Kahlo. Artisphere was “the first and only venue in the United States” to present the exhibit, and it won critical acclaim and attracted 13,119 visitors.

Meanwhile, Digital Capital Week, a week-long festival of technology, entrepreneurship and social innovation, drew more than 2,000 visitors last fall. DCWEEK will return to Artisphere next month. (Artisphere is one of several venues around the region hosting DCWEEK events.)

In all, officials said Artisphere, which is now under the control of Arlington Economic Development, rose to the challenge of maintaining its budget.

“Artisphere’s new business plan challenged the organization to take a good hard look at its fiscal management and provided the Artisphere with realistic revenue and expense goals,” the year end report said. “The organization worked hard to maximize it income and minimize its expense. The end of the year numbers show that Artisphere was successful in managing its budget. Although Artisphere fell short of its revenue goal for the year, key staff hires, a focus on event rentals and improvements in ticket revenue should position Artisphere well for FY13.”

New Library Hours Take Effect Today

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 11:35 a.m.) Six Arlington branch libraries will be open an extra day per week starting this week, thanks to additional library funding approved earlier this year.

The Aurora Highlands, Cherrydale and Glencarlyn branch libraries are now scheduled to be open on Tuesdays from 1:00 to 9:00 p.m., while the Columbia Pike, Shirlington and Westover libraries are now scheduled to be open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Thursdays.

From July 1, 2010 to last week, all six libraries had been closed on those respective days due to budget cuts. This year’s budget included an extra $442,996 in funding to restore pre-recession branch library operating hours.

Due to power outages, the Cherrydale library is actually closed today. Other branches, including Aurora Highlands, Glencarlyn, Columbia Pike, Shirlington and Westover, opened early today in order to function as cooling centers.

The libraries and other Arlington County government offices and facilities will be closed tomorrow for the July 4 holiday.

Update at 3:40 p.m. — The Columbia Pike branch library now has power and has reopened. Arlington Central Library will be open tomorrow (July 4) from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

New School Budget Approved — The Arlington School Board approved a new $499.98 million budget last night. The budget includes a 2.84 percent cost of living increase for school employees, but no seniority-based “step” increases. The per-student cost at Arlington Public Schools will increase to $18,615, up from $18,400 in Superintendent Patrick Murphy’s FY 2013 proposed budget and $18,110 in this past year’s budget. [Sun Gazette]

Extra I-66 Lane Studied — Adding an extra lane in each direction on I-66 would improve travel times for drivers by only about 2 percent, while costing some $310 to $685 million, according to a preliminary study. [Greater Greater Washington]

Human Error in Rosslyn Derailment — Human error is suspected in Tuesday night’s derailment at the Rosslyn Metro station. Two Metro employees were placed on paid leave following the incident. [Washington Post]

Randy Johnson Visits W-L — Future Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson came to Arlington to watch a Washington-Lee High School baseball game last Friday. The Big Unit spent time in the dugout and posed for photos with players. [Patch]

Last 5K Friday Tonight — The last Crystal City 5K Friday of the season will take place starting at 6:30 tonight. Registration for the race is $20. [Pacers Events]

New Budget Includes Tax Hike, Add’l Housing Funds

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington County Board has passed a $1.052 billion budget that will cost the average homeowner an additional $13 per month, while providing additional funding for affordable housing, schools, maintenance and county employee raises.

The Board voted unanimously on Saturday to pass the budget with a 1.3 cent increase in the real estate tax rate for Financial Year 2013. The county tax rate will now be $0.971 for every $100 in assessed real estate value. The tax hike will be partially offset by a $32 decrease in trash and recycling fees, to $294 per year. Taking into account rising real estate assessments, the overall tax and fee burden for the average Arlington homeowner will increase by 2.4 percent, or about $155 per year, according to the county.

County Manager Barbara Donnellan had recommended the tax rate increase be limited to 0.5 cents in her $1.03 billion proposed budget.

The new budget includes a 5.1 percent increase in funding for Arlington Public Schools. The $405.1 million school budget transfer will assist the school system in addressing its current student capacity crisis, while a separate $1.9 million reserve fund, created via 0.3 cents of the 1.3 cent tax hike, will help pay for a possible state mandate of additional contributions to the Virginia Retirement System.

Among other spending priorities the new budget addresses, the county’s housing programs will see significant funding increases. The Board added $2.8 million in one-time finding to the County Manager’s proposed $6.7 million contribution to the county’s Affordable Housing Investment Fund. In addition to $9.5 million for the affordable housing fund, the Board added $2.2 million to the county’s Housing Grants Program. The program, which provides rent subsidies for older adults, people with disabilities and working families with children, will now receive $8.6 million in funding in FY 2013.

County employees will get raises as a result of the new adopted budget. The budget includes $3.9 million for employee merit step increases and a new, higher top salary step. On average, county employees will get a 2.8 percent raise — with the goal of “keeping County salaries competitive with surrounding jurisdictions,” according to a press release. County Board members themselves will have their pay raised by 2.3 percent.

The budget adds $4.7 million in funding for maintenance of county facilities and infrastructure, $2.8 million of which is new ongoing funding. The money will address what’s being described as a backlog of maintenance and repairs that has “built up over the years.”

“We are fortunate here in Arlington that our financial foundation is strong, even as others across the nation cope with continued economic uncertainty,” County Board Chair Mary Hynes said in a statement. “The FY2013 Budget builds on the Board’s direction to the Manager to pay particular attention to three critical areas of County need: affordable housing, compensation, capital maintenance. With this Budget, we have taken significant steps forward in each of these areas, and we intend to continue making progress in these areas with each subsequent budget.”

Other budget items of note include $442,996 to restore branch library operating hours to pre-recession levels and $60,000 to add extra policing to the Clarendon business district. The Board also added funding to a number of nonprofit community groups, including the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC), Arlingtonians Meeting Emergency Needs (AMEN), the Arlington Free Clinic, the Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network (A-SPAN), and BU-GATA tenants association.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Students Welcome Shuttle Arrival — Students at St. Thomas More Cathedral School in Arlington welcomed the arrival of space shuttle Discovery yesterday by lining up in the school’s parking lot in the outline of a space shuttle.

Budget Proposal Includes Tax Hike, Pay Raise — At a work session yesterday, the Arlington County Board agreed to raise the real estate tax rate for its new budget — set for adoption on Saturday — by 1.3 cents above the current rate. That’s well above the 0.5 cent tax rate hike in County Manager Barbara Donnellan’s proposed budget. The new budget includes increased funding for schools, libraries, housing and employee pay raises — including a 2.8 percent pay raise for County Board members themselves. [Washington Post]

Board to Consider Crystal Drive Two-Way Project — The County Board on Saturday is expected to approve a $1.9 million contract to convert the portion of Crystal Drive between 15th and 12th Streets into a two-way street with bike lanes and various other improvements. [Sun Gazette]

Renovated Residence Inn to Reopen — A grand reopening celebration is scheduled at the Residence Inn hotel on Army Navy Drive in Pentagon City. The event, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 3, will celebrate the recent “upscale” renovation of the hotel’s suites and public spaces. “The new look of our spacious suites will help our guests feel right at home and our totally reimagined lobby has wide open spaces to work and relax,” a company rep said in a press release.

Photo courtesy Chris Marquez

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Civic Federation Budget Proposal — The Arlington County Civic Federation has unanimously approved its own vision for the county’s budget. The Civic Federation’s budget proposal would hold the current real estate tax rate steady, while providing more money for schools and public safety, funding an inspector general position and eliminating 16 long-vacant county government positions. The Civic Federation also voted 30-12 for a motion calling on the county to close Rosslyn’s Artisphere by the end of the year unless significant progress is made in turning around the struggling cultural center’s finances. [Sun Gazette]

Streetcar Stalemate with Alexandria — Arlington County’s plan to build a streetcar line from Crystal City to Potomac Yard is facing resistance from Alexandria. While Arlington has financing for the streetcar lined up, Alexandria says they don’t have the money for a streetcar line — and would like the planned Crystal City/Potomac Yard transit corridor to remain a bus rapid transit system for the foreseeable future. [WAMU]

Thousands Sign Up for Housing Aid — Arlington County opened up its waiting list for federal Section 8 housing assistance for one day, after keeping the list closed for the past seven years. In that one day the county received 5,300 pre-applications from those seeking rent assistance. [Patch]

Fund Set Up to House the Homeless — The Arlington Community Foundation has announced a $500,000 private gift that will allow it to create a new fund for the 100 Homes campaign against homelessness. With a $500,000 match from Arlington County, the $1 million public/private partnership will be “dedicated to housing Arlington’s most vulnerable citizens.” [Arlington Community Foundation]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Nonprofits Ask for Funds at Budget Hearing — A public hearing on the county’s proposed tax rate changes is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. tonight. Meanwhile, Tuesday’s budget hearing was largely dominated by the pleas of nonprofits — those that help the homeless, provide affordable housing, work for the rights of immigrants, etc. — for full funding in FY 2013. In one particularly poignant moment, the executive director of the Arlington Street Peoples’ Assistance Network told County Board members that a homeless man who was found dead on Monday was an A-SPAN client and an Arlington native. [Sun Gazette, Patch]

Eventide Creates Cocktail for Cherry Blossom Fest — Eventide Restaurant (3165 Wilson Blvd) has created a specialty cocktail in honor of the Cherry Blossom Festival. Bar manager Tim Irwin even created a video to show budding mixologists how to make his creation — the “Kyoto Cocktail” — which is made with Bison Grass Vodka, Ginger Liqueur, Vanilla Syrup and Fresh Grapefruit Juice. [YouTube]

Lawmakers Ask for Solitary Confinement Probe — Del. Patrick Hope and Sen. Adam Ebbin of Arlington have joined Del. Charniele Herring of Alexandria in writing a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice, asking the federal government to investigate the alleged overuse of solitary confinement in Virginia. The Democratic state lawmakers say solitary confinement is in some cases being used as “a form of psychological torture.” [Washington Post]

New CFO for Artisphere — Artisphere has hired a new Chief Financial Officer. The new CFO will “manage the complexity of financial operations” at the Rosslyn arts venue. [Arlington Mercury]

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