Arlington’s new treasurer expects the county’s numbers on tax delinquency to remain on par with last year’s.
Given the region’s challenging current economic realities, “it will be a great accomplishment to keep it where it was,” Treasurer Kim Rucker told members of Arlington Senior Democrats at a July 14 luncheon.
In August 2025, then-Treasurer Carla de la Pava announced a tax-delinquency rate of 0.18%, up slightly from 0.17% a year before owing to increases in delinquencies on car taxes.
Despite the small increase, that rate was “very, very low,” Rucker told senior Democrats.
De la Pava announced July 1 she would retire the following week after 12 years in office. As chief deputy treasurer, Rucker assumed the position. She will run in a Nov. 3 special election to fill the remaining year of de la Pava’s term.
“I’m excited to step into this new role,” Rucker said.
An Arlington native, Rucker joined the treasurer’s office out of high school in 1990. She rose to become deputy treasurer for compliance under Treasurer Frank O’Leary, and when de la Pava became treasurer on his retirement in 2014, was named chief deputy.
O’Leary was first elected in 1983, when the delinquency rate hovered around 8%. During the course of three decades in office, that rate was whittled down to 0.33%, and de la Pava continued efforts to further reduce it.
When de la Pava announced the delinquency rate of 0.18% last August, she set a goal of 0.157% for 2026. But that was before mass federal layoffs hit the D.C. region, sending Arlington’s unemployment rate up and further impacting the commercial office sector.
Typically, the treasurer’s office conducts an all-hands-on-deck collection effort in July and early August before the final delinquency rate is announced. Last year, approximately $37 million was brought in during that month-long push.
Rucker said one responsibility of the office was to “make it as convenient as possible” for residents and businesses to pay taxes.
“A lot of what we do is customer service,” she said. “I want to continue to deliver exceptional customer service — embrace modern technology … as much as we are able.”
Rucker will be seeking the Democratic endorsement in the Nov. 3 special election. On July 11, Arlington County Democratic Committee chair Paul Ruiz told ARLnow the party would be setting up an endorsement process in coming weeks.
No other candidates have stepped forward yet. As was the case with de la Pava’s special-election victory in November 2014, the winner of the Nov. 3 election will need to turn around and seek the post again the following year.
In addition to collecting taxes, the treasurer’s office also is responsible for investing funds on behalf of the county government and school system.
Treasurer is one of five constitutional offices in Arlington, named because their duties are delineated in the Virginia Constitution. The others are commissioner of revenue, sheriff, commonwealth’s attorney and clerk of the Circuit Court.
All the constitutional offices will be on the ballot in November 2027 except for clerk of court, which has a unique eight-year term and is next up for election in 2031.
