The weekend is here and so is the opportunity to discuss any issue of local interest.
One request this week: to allow those who want to discuss everything else that’s happening around Arlington to do so, please take all discussion of the proposed Lyon Park gun store to our latest article about it.
Donald Trump is the clear favorite in Virginia’s March 1 Republican Presidential primary. His candidacy seriously undermines Republican prospects to carry Virginia in the fall.
Background
The Virginia General Assembly is considering a bill to grant police and sheriff’s departments virtually unlimited latitude to refuse to release the names of its officers via Freedom of Information Act requests.
Senate Bill 552 passed the Senate on a 25-15, bi-partisan vote. It would classify all officers names as personnel records, exempting them from mandatory disclosure. By all accounts, it is the most sweeping measure of its kind in the country.
By: Alan Howze
Last night, the County government and Arlington Public Schools held a joint community forum on how to improve snow removal. No doubt, there was a wide range of suggestions, and with global warming contributing to more frequent mega-snows it is good to see that County leadership recognizes that its approach to snow removal needs to adapt.
Fairfax, Prince William and Stafford counties have all decided to close schools on March 1 while voters go to the polls in the contentious presidential primary.
Arlington has no such plans.
The weekend is here — and it’s expected to be a warm one for mid-February.
It’s going to be warm enough that one might even forget we started the week with a significant snow and ice storm. Or that another storm — rain with some snow possibly mixed in — is in the works for next week.
By: Delegate Alfonso Lopez
Over the past several years, Democrats have won every Virginia statewide elected office.
While most members of the general public are not paying attention, Virginia legislators are trying to restore the old ways of doing business. Senate Bill 692 passed by the Virginia Senate on February 15 would water down even the overly-modest government ethics reforms enacted in 2015.
What Virginia did in 2015
The Arlington County Board today heard a presentation from County Manager Mark Schwartz on his proposed budget. (As of Wednesday night, when this column was written, the details had not been posted online.) It will be the first look at where the Board may be headed for FY 2017. And if history is any guide, it will not be without at least a few minor controversies.
The County Board’s guidance late last year directed staff to prepare a budget that did not raise tax rates. However, it has been the practice of the Board in the past to advertise a tax rate increase even with such guidance.
In 2014, Arlington had 6 million visitors who spent nearly $3 billion in the County, making Arlington the number one county for economic impact of tourism in Virginia.
This is a substantial boost to our local economy. In just tax dollars alone, tourism revenue generates approximately $81 million in County taxes and $108 million in state taxes per year. Without these revenues, each Arlington household would pay an average of $1,800 each year in taxes to receive the same services.
A three-day weekend is here. And it’s going to be freezing cold all weekend. Sounds like a great opportunity to stay inside and watch some Netflix with your valentine, your roommates or anyone else who happens to be nearby.
Alternatively, if you want to head out and brave the cold, there’s an abundance of Valentine’s Day events and even an anti-Valentine’s-Day event to choose from in town. See our Arlington Agenda post and our full event calendar for event listings and details.
Thumbs up to new County Manager Mark Schwartz for seeking out public input at a forum February 24th on how to better respond to and recover from major snow events. I know one burning question for many parents is, should it really have taken an entire week after a major snow event to return to school?
Let’s face it though, we do not have major snow events inside the beltway on a regular basis.
