Arlington’s” budget season” is now underway and county leaders are focused on how to allocate funds and balance the budget. But with more than half of county spending considered non-discretionary, options for cuts are somewhat limited.
On the other hand, another way to close the budget gap — higher property tax rates — looks to be politically challenging given that a continuous rise in home assessments paired with a tax rate increase last year has Arlington homeowners more sensitive to higher taxes.
Given our recent reporting on some of the potential options and tradeoffs, which option for balancing the budget are you leaning towards?
If you vote for cuts, let us know where in the budget should they be made.
Wakefield High School in the snow in 2022 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
After a winter break extended by three consecutive snow days, Arlington Public Schools students are going back to class today, albeit on a delay.
APS announced the two-hour delay last night, shortly before Fairfax County Public Schools announced it would stay closed on Thursday. Loudoun County first announced a delay, then shifted to a closure.
Among other nearby school systems, Alexandria and Montgomery County are both on a two-hour delay, while D.C. schools are open on time for the second day in row.
When APS announced it was staying closed on Wednesday, the school system cited “persistent hazardous conditions on side streets, sidewalks and parking lots near our school sites.”
A student-created online petition showed photos of still-snow-covered roads and trails, and cited frigid wind chill temperatures today, in arguing that APS should remain closed Thursday and Friday.
The petition has garnered more than 6,750 online signatures.
“The school has recently announced a delayed start for the day,” an update post on the petition says. “While this is an improvement, we still believe that more can be done to ensure the safety of the APS community. Continue to sign this petition to show that we still don’t feel safe going to school.”
Given the current conditions and the actions of other jurisdictions, do you think APS made the right call today?
Sledding in Bluemont Park, January 2024 (Flickr pool photo by Dennis Dimick)
Accumulating snow is likely to fall Sunday night into Monday morning.
Chances of the season’s first significant snowfall are increasing, with a near certainty of at least an inch of snow and a roughly three-in-four chance of more than 3 inches, according to a Thursday afternoon forecast update from the Capital Weather Gang.
The timing of the storm, notably, could extend what has already been a two-week winter break for local students.
With just a tenth of an inch of accumulation so far this season, and below average snowfall over the past few years, how are you feeling about this potential storm?
Led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and Dan Quinn, in his first year as the team’s head coach, the Commanders have undergone a renaissance few would have dreamed possible when former owner Dan Snyder sold the team to Josh Harris last year.
Given the excitement over the team, after years of futility, we’re wondering just how big the fanbase is in Arlington. How many residents are jumping on the bandwagon — or have never stopped rooting for the team? And how does that compare to those who still support other NFL teams?
Christmas tree at Reagan National Airport (staff photo)
Christmas and the first night of Hanukkah are on the same day this year — Wednesday, Dec. 25.
The midweek holidays may make travel plans more difficult or more straightforward, depending on your perspective and your work situation.
When we polled readers on holiday travel in 2020, it was in the middle of the pandemic and only 22% of the more than 2,000 respondents said they had plans to travel.
Let’s see how much your holiday travel planning has changed between then and now.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) says Virginia workers shouldn’t pay state tax on tips they get from customers.
Adopting the policy — supported on a federal level by both president-elect Donald Trump and vice president Kamala Harris during the recent election — would let tipped workers keep an extra $70 million each year throughout the Commonwealth, the governor’s office said in a press release Monday.
Youngkin says he is proposing the tax change in his upcoming budget. GOP state senators, meanwhile, signaled their support for Youngkin’s proposal in statements Monday, after introducing a bill last week to eliminate state income tax on gratuities.
The governor’s press release is below.
Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced a budget proposal to exempt service tips from Virginia’s state income tax. This proposal will return an estimated $70 million annually to the pockets of hardworking Virginians to further deliver on Governor Youngkin’s commitment to lower the cost of living for working families across the Commonwealth. This builds on the more than $5 billion in tax relief already delivered for Virginians under his administration.
“We have delivered over $5 billion in tax relief to date, and we remain committed to lowering the cost of living for hardworking Virginians. It’s their money, not the government’s,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “By removing tips from taxable income, it will directly increase the take-home pay of hundreds of thousands of Virginians and give them more buying power, which in turn will improve financial stability, stimulate local economies, and honor the value of their hard work.”
The Virginia Department of Taxation and the Virginia Employment Commission estimate that more than 250,000 Virginians within the food service industry, personal service industry (such as hair stylists), and hospitality industry (such as bellhops and concierges) could benefit from the proposed tax relief. Workers who receive tips from their employment in other industries would also benefit.
Virginians who earn tips will be able to claim a deduction on their state tax return, provided the income is included in their federal adjusted gross income. The Department of Taxation will use IRS data and employer-reported W-2 information to ensure compliance.
The Commonwealth’s robust financial health, marked by record employment levels, rising revenues and surpluses, robust reserves, and a AAA bond rating, enables the Commonwealth to implement meaningful tax relief for Virginians while maintaining fiscal responsibility and sustaining vital investments in public services.
Critics of exempting tips from tax have a number of reasons why they think it’s a bad policy, however, from issues of fairness to a loss of revenue to the risk of distorting labor markets.
“It’s not fair to subsidize Le Cirque waiters but not McDonald’s customer service associates with tax-free tips. Or to so favor a hotel’s housekeeper, but not a homeowner’s house cleaner,” the Tax Policy Center wrote in September. “Or, for that matter, traditional employees and not independent contractors in the growing gig economy.”
What do you think? Should Virginia exempt service tips from state income tax? Or do you oppose the governor’s proposal?
Going out and enjoying the nightlife on Columbia Pike (Flickr pool photo by John Sonderman)
Tonight is the night before Thanksgiving, traditionally one of the busiest nights for local bars and restaurants as people return home and reunite with old friends.
Nicknamed “Blackout Wednesday” or “Drinksgiving” by some, the evening has become something of an unofficial holiday, particularly among young professionals.
Local establishments often offer special events and deals to draw in the pre-Thanksgiving crowds, and many Arlington bars and restaurants are expecting large turnouts tonight.
Regardless of whether you’re in town or out — will you be heading out to celebrate with friends tonight, staying in to prep for tomorrow’s feast, or something else entirely?
Office buildings in Crystal City (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)
The appointed co-heads of a new “Department of Government Efficiency” are hoping to massively cut the federal workforce.
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy announced their intention to help President-elect Donald Trump nullify thousands federal regulations. That would then allow “mass head-count reductions across the federal bureaucracy.”
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris at the presidential debate on Sept. 10, 2024 (via ABC)
We’re a week away from the Nov. 5 election and the culmination of a historic presidential race.
While states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin get the most attention as campaign battlegrounds, Virginia has also traditionally been considered a battleground state. In recent years, though, it has mostly voted Democratic in presidential contests.
This time around, Vice President Kamala Harris (D) is leading former president Donald Trump (R) in polls. According to a RealClearPolitics poll average, Harris has a nearly 6 percentage point advantage over the former president in the Commonwealth.
But that’s not stopping a bit of hopeful rhetoric from the Arlington GOP, which has been saying on social media that Trump — who is currently polling ahead in most other battleground states — has a “damn good chance” to win Virginia.
Given the current polling, what you’re seeing on the ground, and other factors, who do you think will win here next week?
The ruling late last week sent a shockwave through the county, disrupting numerous planned developments and calling into question how the county government sets policies. “Missing Middle” opponents celebrated while supporters and at least one County Board member called for an appeal.
Judge David Schell ruled against the county on four counts this morning (Friday), finding that the county failed to adequately consider localized impacts, failed to follow proper procedure and violated state tree canopy requirements when adopting the amendments.
As of today, the county cannot lawfully issue any more permits under the Expanded Housing Option, which allowed for the construction of up to six-unit buildings on properties that were previously zoned for only single-family homes. […]
In a ruling read aloud from the bench, Schell referenced testimony from witnesses about possible wastewater backups and overflows that might result from the strain additional housing could place on stormwater and sewage infrastructure.
Although a county expert testified that Arlington does, in fact, have sufficient infrastructure to support anticipated growth, the judge found “no evidence presented that the county considered likely overflows” and other localized impacts.
All things considered, and putting aside your personal feelings about the zoning changes, do you agree with the ruling?
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris at the presidential debate on Sept. 10, 2024 (via ABC)
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump took the debate stage for the first time together last night in Philadelphia.
The debate quickly turned contentious. As reported by the Associated Press:
Sparring on politics and personality, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump showcased their starkly different visions for the country on abortion, immigration and American democracy as they met for the first time Tuesday for perhaps their only debate before November’s presidential election.
The Democratic vice president moved repeatedly to get under the skin of the former Republican president, provoking him with reminders about the 2020 election loss that he still denies and derisive asides at his other false claims.
Harris not only tried to make the case that Trump is unfit for office but tried to use her answers in a way that seemed designed to provoke him into launching into one of the personal attacks that his advisers and supporters have tried to steer him away from.
Arlington, as a place well within the Beltway, is likely to have a higher than average proportion of viewership for the debate. But just how high was it — and did the debate change any minds here that were not already made up?
