Ranked-choice voting, a climate resolution, the contentious Melwood development proposal and the draft Fiscal Year 2026 county budget are all on the agenda for a County Board meeting slated for Saturday (Feb. 22).
Among the highlights:
Ranked-Choice Voting: County Board members are slated to hold a public hearing and vote on whether to use ranked-choice voting in the Nov. 4 general election for the lone Board seat on the 2025 ballot.
County staff have proposed again using ranked-choice as the method of selecting a Board member, although several Board members have signaled uncertainty and public sentiment appears split.
In late 2022, county leaders voted to use ranked-choice voting for the June 2023 Democratic primary, but later opted against extending it to the November 2023 general election. In 2024, the primary and general elections used this voting method for the County Board.
Given the political dominance of Democrats in Arlington, the new format is generally considered to play a more prominent role in the Democratic nomination process than in general elections.
In last year’s County Board general election, JD Spain, Sr., won 58% of the vote on the first ballot, rendering ranked-choice moot.
To date, Arlington is the only locality in Virginia to have moved from the traditional winner-take-all method of election to a ranked-choice alternative. Several other localities, however, have begun taking steps in a similar direction.
Current state law only permits local governing bodies — city councils and boards of supervisors — to be chosen through the ranked-choice process. Races for school boards, constitutional offices and state legislature still must be held in a winner-take-all format; the same is true for statewide and federal races.
Budget Proposal: County Manager Mark Schwartz is scheduled to formally present his draft Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal at the very end of the Saturday meeting.
Schwartz also is expected to propose a real-estate tax rate for calendar year 2026. The rate ultimately adopted by Board members, coupled with a property’s assessment, will determine a parcel’s tax bill for the year.
The current tax rate for residential property is $1.033 per $100 assessed value. Homeowners also pay a separate stormwater fee; owners of commercial property pay the stormwater fee and, frequently, a number of additional tax surcharges.
County Board members will vote to formally advertise the various budget components at their meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 25 no earlier than 6 p.m.
The public will have the chance to comment on Feb. 25 before the legal-advertising votes, although the main hearings on the budget and tax rates are slated for March 25 and 27, respectively.
Board members are expected to approve the budget in April. Fiscal Year 2026 starts July 1 of this year.
Melwood Decision: Board members are also slated to consider plans by Melwood and Wesley Housing to raze the existing building at 750 23rd Street S. near Crystal City.
In its place would rise a five-story, mixed-use building consisting of 105 100%-affordable housing units, plus ground-floor space for job training and support programs for people with disabilities.
The Planning Commission and Housing Commission each unanimously supported the proposal earlier this month, but the Aurora Highlands Civic Association opposes it as too large for the neighborhood.
The site has been nominated as a local historic district owing to the century-old building, formerly Nelly Custis Elementary School, that occupies the parcel. That process could delay any razing of the building to make way for new construction.
Climate Resolution: A proposed climate-action resolution is another item on the Board’s agenda.
The three-page draft resolution declares climate change an “existential threat to the planet and humanity,” and calls for “whole-of-community” and “whole-of-government” energy and environmental strategies.
County leaders also adopted a climate resolution in 2017.
Roundabout Funding: Board members are slated to award M&F Concrete a contract to permanently convert the intersection of Military Road and Nelly Custis Drive to a roundabout.
The entire project will include the roundabout, new streetlights, and bioretention facilities.
A temporary roundabout was installed in 2021 to study its effectiveness.
Observations and data collected from the pilot installation informed the selection of a permanent roundabout as the final design alternative,” county officials said.
Historic Preservation: Board members are slated to allow the owner of a historic property in Cherrydale more time to make improvements being funded through a county grant.
In 2023, the Board authorized a capital grant of just under $30,000 to replace 40 historic windows and three doors at the Fraber House at 1612 N. Quincy Street.
The house, built around 1913, was designated a local historic landmark in 2013.
The homeowners attempted to find a firm to do the work before the January 2025 deadline imposed by the grant conditions. They were unsuccessful in meeting the timeline.
The change up for Board consideration pushes that deadline to December 2028.
The amount of grant funding will not change. The property owners will provide a 100% match for the capital funding.
