Program cuts and staff furloughs could become a reality in Arlington if tax revenue continues to fall below expectations over the next two months.
County Manager Mark Schwartz said at a March 11 forum that there’s a possibility “we will have to shut down some of our services” and temporarily send staff home. Any cutbacks likely wouldn’t hit until the last two months of the fiscal year, which ends June 30.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Nearly two decades ago, Virginia gave tech companies a tax break on equipment and software, and they began to build. The state became a data center hub, and they kept building. Residents bemoaned the noise while they built some more. Artificial intelligence boomed, and the power grid strained — still, more building.
Now, amid a growing national pushback on data centers, Virginia senators have voted to end a projected $1.6 billion annual tax break, requiring the industry to resume paying a minimum 5.3% sales tax. The proposal has left some opponents warning that it would bring construction of data centers in Virginia to a screeching halt.
County leaders know there is a parking problem for users of Central Library. What they don’t have yet is a plan to address it.
“We get lots of feedback from users about the inadequacy of parking,” library director Diane Kresh said during a March 5 work session focused on library operations.
Local leaders may consider imposing a small fee on out-of-county residents who want an Arlington library card.
County Board member Maureen Coffey brought up the idea at a budget work session with library officials on March 5. She said that a “very low fee model” would provide some cash for “greater investment in the collection.”
Arlington County’s firefighter union is speaking out against a proposal to remove four vacant firefighter positions from the payroll.
The current county budget draft proposes to consolidate the Arlington County Fire Department’s two heavy rescue companies, relocating them under a single roof at Fire Station 1 (500 S. Glebe Road). This would reduce ACFD’s total authorized staffing by four full-time employees.
Larger numbers of seniors and declining numbers of younger adults are forcing Arlington leaders to rethink how to allocate services in the fiscal 2027 budget.
Demographic shifts are also calling into question whether the cost of living is making it difficult for residents between ages 20 and 34 to establish roots in the county.
A multi-year renovation project is about to begin at Arlington’s Water Pollution Control Plant.
The $32.2 million first phase will be part of an almost $200 million undertaking “to make the facility cleaner, greener and ready for the future,” county officials said in announcing the upcoming start of the initiative.
Those seeking to obtain historic-district status for properties in Arlington may soon have to pay for the privilege.
County Board members on Feb. 24 advertised a March 26 public hearing on a staff proposal to impose fees of between $250 and $1,000 on submissions related to new local historic districts.
Constrained finances make it less likely Arlington Public Schools will add new high-school sports in the coming school year.
Left unfunded under Superintendent Francisco Durán’s $856 million proposed fiscal year 2027 school budget are staff proposals to add boys volleyball and girls flag football to athletic programming.
Arlington Public Schools’ proposed fiscal year 2027 budget reflects challenging economic conditions and uncertainty over state and federal education funding commitments.
Superintendent Francisco Durán’s $856 million proposal represents an increase of 1.3% from the current budget, one of the smallest year-over-year rates of growth in recent years.
The Arlington County Board has voted to advertise a 2-cent increase to the real estate tax rate, slightly higher than the rate proposed in this year’s budget draft.
If enacted in its entirety, the jump would increase the county’s tax rate to $1.053 per $100 assessed valuation, adding a further tax burden on homeowners already facing higher assessment values.
Falls Church city leaders appear to have a little more budget breathing room over the coming months compared to surrounding jurisdictions.
At a Feb. 23 City Council meeting, finance officials estimated 4% revenue growth in fiscal year 2027 without increasing tax rates. It was a figure Mayor Letty Hardi called “very, very rosy” compared to the situations in Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax County.
