Politics & Government

Arlington County Board Approves Budget

The fiscal year 2012 budget was approved at the board's meeting on Saturday morning.

County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman called approving the fiscal year 2012 budget "a considerably happier affair" than approving leaner budgets in recent years.

The recession is not over, Zimmerman said, but the county is beginning to see signs of improvement. This budget, which exceeds $1.2 billion for the county and schools, reflects this reality, he said. The approved budget is a over the 2011 fiscal year budget.

"It’s not exactly happy days are here again," Zimmerman said, but "we have reason to hope things will continue to improve."

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Budget highlights include:

  • Nearly $14 million for safety net programs like the Affordable Housing Investment Fund, housing grants, mental and substance abuse support programs and non-profit aid.
  • $385.6 million to fund Arlington County schools - almost $6 million more than the school board's requested transfer. It's approximately a 7 percent increase over the 2011 fiscal year.
  • Additional library funding to allow branches to stay open longer and to invest in collections, including e-books.
  • A $100,000 allocation for a capital needs study for restore the the Lubber Run Amphitheater.
  • An increase to the county's reserves from 3.7 percent to 4 percent of the total budget. 
  • Additional funding for the police department that will restore positions that address gang activity and victims of domestic violence.
  • $90,000 to plant 300 to 400 new trees. 
  • The real estate tax rate - set at $0.945 per $100 of assessed value - remains unchanged.
  • No increase for board member salaries, but the board voted to increase the ceiling for board members' salaries to $57,337 and just over $63,000 for the board chairman. This will allow the board to increase its members' salaries in the future, if it chooses.

County board member Walter Tejada said he was proud that this budget prioritized the safety net programs, geared at ending homelessness and helping those affected most by the recession.

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"The safety net has been of particular critical importance...We're not able to help everyone," Tejada said, but "Little by little, we’re moving closer to where we’d like to be."

For more details on the approve budget, visit the county's website.


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