state government

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

State Change Could Cost Arlington Millions — A proposed change in the way Virginia determines how much localities are reimbursed for road maintenance could cost Arlington $9.2 million per year if approved. [Sun Gazette]

Bikeshare Expansion Approved, Sort Of — The Arlington County Board voted on Saturday to use $1.2 million in state funds to build about 30 new Capital Bikeshare stations along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor. Installation of the stations (and nearly 200 new bikes) is expected to wrap up in the summer of 2012. The action isn’t official yet, though. Due to an administrative error, the Board will have to reconsider the item at their Tuesday evening meeting. [Arlington County]

Board Talks Libraries at Meeting — Facing public comments in favor of restoring pre-recession hours at Arlington Public Library branches, the County Board on Saturday reiterated their support for the library. At the same time, members said that they must balance other budget priorities before restoring hours. [Sun Gazette]

Remembering Queen City — Former residents of an African-American enclave in Arlington known as Queen City recently recounted their experiences living there. Queen City was leveled in the mid-1940s t0 make way for the transportation infrastructure necessary for the new Pentagon complex. Many displaced residents settled in the Arlington View or Green Valley neighborhoods. [Patch]

County Sees Revenue Loss As State Funds Dry Up

By ARLnow.com

The downturn in the economy has been unkind to the county’s finances.

Arlington has had to make service cuts in each of the past two budgets as taxes and other revenue sources dried up. After 2009, assessed property values suffered their first year-over-year decline since 1995, prompting the county to hike property taxes to make up for what otherwise would have been a dramatic loss of revenue.

When it comes to real estate taxes, the county can always increase the tax rate for an expected revenue shortfall. But one area that’s largely out of the county’s control is the funds it receives from the state. And in the past four years, overall state funding to Arlington County — excluding schools — has dropped $18 million.

County Board Member Barbara Favola cited the figure at a board meeting yesterday afternoon.

Starting in FY 2008 and up to the current FY 2011, Arlington has lost progressively more revenue each year:

  • FY 2008: -$438,214
  • FY 2009: -$2,603,394
  • FY 2010: -$7,045,368
  • FY 2011: -$7,900,610

Although state revenue still makes up about 6 percent of the Arlington’s budget, the overall decline has meant greater reliance on local sources of revenue, including taxes. As of February, state revenue was expected to decline by $600,000 to $62.6 million in the FY 2012 county budget that’s currently under consideration by the board.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Quarterdeck May Remain Open, After All — TBD is reporting that the owner of Quarterdeck has reopened lease negotiations with the property’s landlord. Last week it was revealed that owner Lou Gatti was telling Radnor / Fort Myer Heights residents that the restaurant would be closing after 31 years in business.

Plastic Bag Tax May Have to Wait — The county board’s desire to impose a 5-cent tax on plastic grocery store bags — similar to the tax currently in place in the District — may have to wait until another year. At Wednesday’s work session between the board and Arlington’s state legislative delegation, bag tax proponent Del. Adam Ebbin said getting Virginia lawmakers to grant Arlington the authority to impose such a tax would likely be “a multi-year effort.” More from the Sun Gazette.

Long-Time Parks Employee Dies — Long-time Parks and Recreation Department supervisor Alan W. Brady has died. Brady, who ran a landscaping business in Arlington after retiring from the department, will be remembered at a memorial service in Ranson, W.V. on Monday. He was 58. More from the Martinsburg Journal.

Flickr pool photo by Patryce

County Seeks Renewal of Hotel Tax Surcharge

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 10:30 a.m.) Arlington, the top visitor destination in the state of Virginia, spends just under $1 million on tourism promotion each year. But if the county’s state legislative delegation can’t convince fellow lawmakers to renew the law that allows Arlington to collect those funds as a tax surcharge, the relatively meager tourism budget could drop to zero.

Arlington funds its Convention and Visitors Service through a 0.25 percent surcharge on the standard 5 percent hotel tax. Each year, the county collects $21 million in hotel taxes, or about $5,000 per room, the highest rate in Virginia. Suffice to say that given the hoards of tourists who stay at hotels in Arlington as a cheaper alternative to the District, the surcharge isn’t much of a hindrance.

But the extra quarter of a percentage point, despite having the support of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce and the local hotel industry, may be a tough sell in Richmond.

In an anti-tax, Tea Party kind of a year, Arlington’s Democratic lawmakers say that even passing something as simple as a re-authorization for Arlington’s hotel tax surcharge could be difficult.

“It’s going to be extremely challenging to get this bill through this year,” said Del. Bob Brink. “It has the dreaded T-word in it.”

Brink seemed to tacitly acknowledge that the county’s strained relationship with Richmond — caused in part by the county’s HOT lanes lawsuit, the Secure Communities opt-out fiasco and other slights — has also contributed to the degree of difficulty in gaining legislative cooperation.

“We’re in a very challenging environment, both fiscally and otherwise,” Brink said.

At one point board member Chris Zimmerman parted from the board’s stated position and questioned whether it was worth the legislators’ effort for a mere million dollars.

“Should this be one of the things we expend political capital on?” he asked.

In so many words, ‘yes’ seemed to be the response.

“It is going to be a challenge, but I think we can do it,” Brink said.

The current tax authorization expires on Jan. 1, 2012. Arlington will ask that it be extended for another three years. The approval requires a 2/3 vote in each chamber of the state legislature.

Va. Transportation Chief: No Money For I-395 Improvements

By ARLnow.com

Virginia’s transportation chief is gently nudging the federal government for road money while tweaking Arlington’s HOT Lanes lawsuit.

In an interview with WTOP, Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton said that the planned shift of 6,400 Department of Defense jobs to Alexandria’s Mark Center is turning I-395 into a “military corridor.” He quickly added that the state does not have money for any major improvements to the highway, despite dire predictions of heavy congestion as a result of the Mark Center move.

Connaughton did, however, think of one possible way to relieve the congestion. He said a ramp to the center would be built as a result of the I-395 HOT Lanes project. A lawsuit filed by Arlington County is currently preventing the project from moving forward.

Details About the Proposed Virginia Bag Law

By ARLnow.com

Arlington’s Del. Adam Ebbin says he plans on introducing a bill that would impose a $0.05 fee on paper and plastic shopping bags, much like the current fee in place in the District.

Ebbin introduced the bill to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2009 and 2010, each time unsuccessful. He’s hoping for a different result in the upcoming 2011 legislative session.

If enacted into law, the bag fee would protect the environment, Ebbin said. Locally, he added, it would help make waterways like Four Mile Run cleaner.

When polled earlier this week, 52 percent of ARLnow.com readers supported a bag fee or ban.

Here’s the legislative summary of Ebbin’s 2010 bill, the Virginia Waterways Clean Up and Consumer Choice Act.

Paper and plastic bag fee. Imposes a fee of $0.05 on paper and plastic bags used by purchasers to carry tangible personal property from the place of purchase. Durable, reusable plastic bags and bags used for ice cream, meat, fish, poultry, leftover restaurant food, newspapers, dry cleaning and prescription drugs are exempt from the fee. Retailers are allowed to retain $0.01 of the $0.05 fee or $0.02 if the retailer has a customer bag credit program. The revenues raised by the fee will be deposited in the Virginia Water Quality Improvement Fund. Failure to collect and remit the fee will result in fines of $250, $500, and $1,000 for the first, second, third and thereafter offenses.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Bayou Bakery Sneak Peak — Eat More Drink More scores the first photos inside Courthouse’s new Bayou Bakery. The elaborately-decorated cafe/restaurant has a distinct New Orleans theme, which extends from the decor to the food. It could be open as soon as Monday, Nov. 15.

County Government Closed for Veterans Day — Most Arlington County offices will be closed on Thursday in honor of Veterans Day. More from the Sun Gazette and Arlington County.

Virginia’s Redistricting Process Demystified — The Virginia Public Access Project has a handy video guide to the upcoming redistricting process in the Commonwealth.

Immigrant Groups Continue Push — Arlington has more or less given up on trying to opt out of the Secure Communities immigration enforcement program. But the immigrant rights groups that led the charge for withdrawing from the program aren’t done fighting. They filed a Freedom of Information Act request last month for more details about the opt-out process, and plan on sharing the results with Arlington County. More from the Washington Independent.

Flickr pool photo by pderby

Morning Poll: Plastic Bag Ban?

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington County Board is seeking the authority to ban or tax the distribution of single-use plastic bags at retailers in the county, according to the Sun Gazette — but it’s an uphill climb.

Since Virginia is a Dillon Rule state, Arlington must first ask the state legislature for permission to pursue policies not specifically allowed by state law. In past years, the state government has been reluctant to grant Arlington any new taxing power.

Arlington will make its unlikely bag request during the General Assembly session starting Jan. 12.

D.C. has already imposed a tax on disposable plastic bags in an effort to limit their use. Should Arlington follow the District’s example?


Board Warns of Ill Consequences from State Liquor Plan

By ARLnow.com

County board members are not big fans of Gov. Bob McDonnell’s plan to privatize state liquor stores. At yesterday’s board meeting, members took turns bashing various aspects of the plan.

“It does not come anywhere near funding the transportation needs of the state,” Barbara Favola said, of the plan’s stated goal of helping to fill the $20 billion worth of unfunded transportation needs in Virginia.

“Four-hundred-fifty million dollars is nothing,” said Chris Zimmerman, referring to the estimated one-time revenues that selling state-run ABC stores and auctioning off liquor licenses could provide. He said that one estimate puts the additional amount needed for transportation in Northern Virginia at $500 million per year.

Jay Fisette worried about the loss of the state’s lucrative ABC business, which provides millions each year to fund human services programs. That revenue, he said, would be lost under the plan, choking off the state’s already shrinking human services budget.

Also a concern was the number of new liquor stores and liquor-licensed grocery and convenience stores that could be approved under the plan. Zimmerman cited a report saying the number of stores selling liquor in Arlington would increase from 8 to 26.

“I think this has great potential to affect our community in a negative manner,” said Mary Hynes. She said it would be easier for teens to buy liquor from grocery stores than it currently is to buy liquor from the state-run ABC stores.

(more…)

Ebbin May Seek State Senate Seat

By ARLnow.com

We’re less than 30 days away from this year’s mid-term elections — thus why you see the legions of campaign signs popping up along Arlington’s roadways. Unless Patrick Murray or Mark Kelly can pull a big upset, however, the next truly interesting race may be the 2011 primaries.

State Sen. Patsy Ticer, a Democrat who represents a large chunk of south Arlington, as well as parts of Alexandria and Fairfax County,  has so far shown no signs of interest in seeking another term.

Among the names of potential replacements being floated around, one is reportedly not interested, but another almost certainly is. Sources close to Del. Adam Ebbin tell us that he’s interested in seeking the Democratic nomination for Ticer’s seat. Ebbin, who also represents parts of Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax, has held his current House of Delegates seat since January 2004.

In the coming months we’ll see who else steps up to the plate.

Photo via Vivian Paige.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

It’s October — The good news: playoff baseball returns. The bad news: cold temperatures return.

Abuse Charges at Nursing Home — Nearly a dozen employees of the Potomac Center nursing home in Pentagon City have been indicted on charges including neglect and assault. An investigation by the Virginia State Medicare Fraud Office and the FBI determined that employees neglected patient care, forged documents and abused at least one patient. A $10 million lawsuit has also been filed against Potomac Center’s parent company. More from WUSA9.

SUV Rollover Driver Charged — The mother who flipped her SUV on I-395 during yesterday morning’s rain  has been charged with failure to maintain control of her vehicle. The 36-year-old woman and her two kids were taken to the hospital after the accident, which temporarily shut down all southbound lanes of the highway. More from the Associated Press.

Whipple Votes Against Costly Revised Liquor Plan — Gov. Bob McDonnell has revised his plan to privatize Virginia’s liquor stores, but has lost the support of an Arlington lawmaker in the process. Responding to criticism from his own party, McDonnell dropped two proposed tax hikes on cocktail sales and wholesale liquor purchases. The change opened a $47 million per year hole in the state’s budget, prompting Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple (D-Arlington) to vote against it as a member of a state subcommittee on government reform. More from the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Flickr pool photo by Picture Perfect

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