Primary reporting for this article was provided by Barry Skidmore of People Powered Arlington.
Property taxes are going up, and on Saturday residents got a preview of just how high rates may go.
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budget
The county’s proposed budget for 2011 would raise taxes on the average Arlington family by $235 and — among other cuts — halve the county’s community policing force.
Acting County Manager Barbara Donnellan revealed her FY 2011 budget proposal at a county board meeting Wednesday. Facing a $65 million budget deficit, Donnellan said tough decisions needed to be made.
Arlington County’s $1 million snow removal budget was exceeded during this past weekend’s snow storm. Although exact figures are not available, the impending 16 to 26 inches of snow is guaranteed to push the budget further into the red.
Other local government are also feeling the pinch from this winter’s back-to-back-to-back storms. VDOT and DDOT are well over-budget, WTOP reported this week.
With the first flakes beginning to fall, county snow removal crews are getting ready to tackle yet another significant snow storm. The National Weather Service is calling for 3-6 inches of snow, with the heaviest snowfall between 10:00 PM and 4:00 AM tonight.
The county says about 45 snow plows will be put into service tonight. Crews will work in 12-hour shifts to try to get streets cleared in time for the morning rush. Since first priority is given to the most heavily-traveled roads, expect most residential streets to be at least partially snow-covered.