As safety-net advocates press for more funding to address homelessness, Arlington officials say more permanent and temporary housing options are also needed.
The county’s full “continuum of care” for this issue clocks in at $7.5 million annually — “not an insignificant amount,” Anita Friedman, director of the county government’s Department of Human Services, said at a budget work session last week. Without places for people to go, however, she said the problem festers.
A proposed $845.4 million budget unveiled last night will not please everyone, Arlington Public Schools leaders acknowledged.
The Fiscal Year 2026 budget package represents a spending increase of 2.3% from the current budget, and anticipates $650 million in revenue coming from Arlington County. Nevertheless, “we had to make hard decisions,” Superintendent Francisco Durán said in detailing the spending package Thursday evening.
Arlington’s proposed FY 2026 budget continues after-school programs kicked off last year aimed at curbing substance abuse among local teens.
Data shows that Arlington overdoses did, indeed, decline last year among juveniles and in the general population. However, it’s somewhat unclear how much of a role the new Arlington Public Schools programming played in this.
Substantial economic uncertainty has left Arlington officials facing tough questions as they consider beefing up the county’s reserve fund this year.
The current Fiscal Year 2026 budget draft includes a proposed $11.5 million increase to the county’s Economic Stability Reserve — increasing it from $21.5 million to $33 million.
Arlington’s commonwealth’s attorney is pushing for an increase in funding for her office as the county continues to wrestle with a relatively tight budget.
At a budget work session last week, Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti argued on behalf of three additional staff positions not included in the current budget draft.
The Arlington government’s budget woes likely won’t be severe enough to impact new deer-culling efforts.
The $151,000 proposed in County Manager Mark Schwartz’s draft fiscal 2026 budget “will fund these efforts,” Department of Parks and Recreation director Jane Rudolph told County Board members at a Feb. 27 budget work session.
Amid federal budget-slashing efforts, Falls Church officials are keeping a watchful eye on about $50 million in approved grant funds.
So far, “we have not heard any word of adverse actions on those grant projects,” City Manager Wyatt Shields told City Council members Monday night.
Over 200 people packed a standing-room-only town hall yesterday (Tuesday) to discuss how federal workforce cuts are personally impacting Arlington residents.
The event for federal employees and contractors came as Arlington County is considering an $11.5 million increase to its budget stabilization reserve in response to ongoing federal shake-ups.
County Board members on Tuesday night voted 4-1 to advertise a 1-cent increase to Arlington’s real-estate tax rate.
That compares to no increase proposed by County Manager Mark Schwartz, and would, if fully adopted, raise a typical homeowner’s tax bill 4.7% year-over-year.
Pre-K students attending Arlington’s Integration Station program could be moved to neighborhood-based classrooms next year.
Last week, parents were informed that Arlington Public Schools’ new budget proposal will include moving students currently attending Integration Station — at 4770 Langston Blvd — “closer to their home schools” within the district.
By OLIVIA DIAZ Associated Press/Report for America
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Virginia legislature ended its 45-day session Saturday with a slew of budget amendments ranging from tax cuts to child care, but some lawmakers said they would likely return to the Capitol later this year to address a mounting threat: massive federal government layoffs planned by the Trump administration.
It may come down to more school funding or homeowner tax relief as Falls Church city leaders start mulling over budget options for the coming year.
Although the formal presentation of draft city and school-system budgets is more than a month off, city officials now have a better idea of the fiscal condition of the 2.2-square-mile locality.
