budget | ARLnow.com

Morning Notes

Published November 8, 2019 at 10:15AM

Dorsey Declares Bankruptcy — “Arlington County Board Chair Christian Dorsey, who was penalized Thursday for failing to disclose a campaign contribution to the Metro board in a timely manner, filed for bankruptcy last month after falling behind on his mortgage and accruing tens of thousands of dollars in credit card debt… he attributed his personal financial troubles to a drop in income since he was elected to the five-member Arlington board four years ago.” [Washington Post]

Metro Delays During AM Rush — “Blue/Yellow Line Delay: Single tracking btwn Braddock Rd & National Airport due to a signal problem outside Braddock Rd.” [Twitter]

News

County Board Mulling How to Allocate $23.2 Million In Carryover Funds

By Kalina Newman

Published October 23, 2019 at 3:35PM | Updated October 23, 2019 at 3:51PM

Arlington County has closed the 2019 fiscal year within its $1.27 billion budget, and thanks in part to cost savings and higher-than-expected tax revenue the county has $23.2 million left over.

During the Arlington County Board meeting on Tuesday, County Manager Mark Schwartz recommended allocating the leftover funds across three categories:

News

Officials: More Overtime for Fire Department Means Bigger Cuts Elsewhere

By Vernon Miles

Published August 2, 2019 at 3:45PM

Arlington County Fire Department vehicle (file photo)

The Arlington County Fire Department’s overtime crisis is having a ripple effect on other programs, leaving training and logistics to take a hit.

Between the 2016 and 2018 fiscal years, the department exceeded its overtime budget every year.

News

County Auditor: Fire Dept. Exceeded Overtime for Years, Potentially Risking Firefighter Safety

By Airey

Published August 1, 2019 at 3:35PM

A new report found the Arlington County Fire Department has been regularly exceeding its overtime budget while putting firefighters at risk of fatigue and injury.

County Auditor Chris Horton blamed staffing shortages and a lack of payroll controls for the department exceeding both its overtime budget and personnel budget over the last three years. He noted that the overtime costs ranged from $5.2 million to $6.2 million per year, despite being budgeted at $3.2-3.4 million.

Opinion

The Right Note: Trouble Paying Your Taxes?

By Mark Kelly

Published June 4, 2019 at 2:30PM

If you are having trouble scrubbing the family budget enough to help pay for the rising tax rates here in Arlington, try this solution: just raise your salary.

That is apparently what the Arlington County Board plans to do this month.

News

County Board Considering Giving Themselves a Salary Raise

By Airey

Published May 23, 2019 at 9:00AM

Arlington County government headquarters in Courthouse (file photo)

Arlington County Board members announced they were considering giving themselves a raise in the coming year, pending input from residents.

Vice Board Chair Libby Garvey broached the topic during the Tuesday night meeting, saying she’s “concerned increasingly about the level of salary” that the county currently offers to Board members, and she intends to ask the public what they think.

Schools

School Board Approves $669.5 Million APS Budget

By Airey

Published May 10, 2019 at 3:45PM

The Arlington School Board unanimously passed a $669.5 million budget Thursday night.

The budget includes funding for Arlington’s continually expanding school enrollment, with 1,000 more students expected to attend class in the county next year alone. Members also approved a $10.7 million pay increase for Arlington Public Schools staff and funded a study to evaluate salary structure ideas for the future, such as using cost-of-living adjustments instead of discretionary “step” increases.

News

County Board Unanimously Passes $1.4 Billion Budget

By ARLnow.com

Published April 23, 2019 at 10:45PM

Arlington County has a new budget and a higher real estate tax rate.

The County Board unanimously approved a $1.4 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2020, avoiding the most controversial of its proposed cuts while hiking the taxes paid by the average homeowner to $9,023, an increase of $281.

News

Arlington Public Library Opens Free Makerspace

By Airey

Published April 23, 2019 at 1:30PM

A new makerspace has arrived in Arlington — in a library.

Arlington Public Library announced today (Tuesday) that their new makerspace is now open in the Ballston Central Library on 1015 N. Quincy Street.

Schools

School Board Approves $670 Million Proposed Budget with $6 Million Gap

By Airey

Published April 12, 2019 at 3:45PM

The Arlington School Board has advanced a $669,314,705 million proposed budget — a budget that features a gap of over $6 million.

The Board voted 4-0 to approve its proposal for the school system’s next fiscal year budget. One member, Barbara Kanninen, abstained. Final budget approval is set for May.

News

Arlington’s Cybersecurity Training, Staff To Grow as Attacks Keep Increasing

By Airey

Published April 5, 2019 at 3:30PM | Updated April 5, 2019 at 3:56PM

Arlington’s cybersecurity division is staffing up and training county employees in preparation for a growing wave of cyber attacks.

The Security, Privacy, Records and Regulatory Affairs division of the county’s Department of Technology Services reportedly blocked 90,000 virus and malware attacks last year, according to next year’s budget proposal.

News

Members of Congress Seeking Millions To Maintain Pentagon Memorial, Other 9/11 Memorials

By Airey

Published April 4, 2019 at 1:30PM

Pentagon Memorial by BrianMKA

Members of Congress are seeking $25 million to help defray costs at the county’s 9/11 memorials, including the Pentagon Memorial.

Arlington’s Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), along with Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), are leading a request for $25 million they say is needed to fund the “9/11 Memorial Competitive Grants Program.”