With property assessments and resulting tax revenue stagnant, changes could be coming to Arlington’s trio of business improvement districts, better known as BIDs.
It remains to be seen what, if anything, might shift. Danette Nguyen, CEO of the Ballston BID, told County Board members that her organization is not currently interested in any changes to the tax-revenue status quo.
Higher fees for property owners pair with rising real estate assessments in the Falls Church budget proposal unveiled by City Manager Wyatt Shields Monday night.
Falls Church homeowners would pay an average $611 more — an increase of 5% — in real estate taxes under the $134.3 million fiscal year 2027 budget.
County leaders are considering criticisms of a proposal to exclude new tax revenue from a sharing agreement with Arlington Public Schools.
Despite some pushback at a Saturday meeting, County Board members largely defended County Manager Mark Schwartz’s proposal, noting current fiscal pressures.
Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) today introduced legislation that would create a tiered surtax on income above $1 million and use the revenue to eliminate federal income taxes for Americans earning less than the median cost of living.
The Working Americans’ Tax Cut Act, introduced with companion legislation by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), would apply an additional 5% tax on individual income above $1 million, an additional 10% tax above $2 million and an additional 12% tax above $5 million. Higher thresholds apply to married couples. The surtax would cover both wages and investment income.
To maintain services amid falling commercial real estate values, Arlington may end up reaching even deeper into homeowners’ pockets in the years to come.
At a March 11 forum sponsored by Advance Arlington, County Manager Mark Schwartz warned of even more pressure to raise taxes on homeowners due to a drop in the assessed valuation of commercial properties.
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.
Another major decline in office-building values is likely to put pressure on county leaders to raise tax rates on homeowners already facing higher bills due to increasing assessments.
The overall assessed value of existing office buildings fell 19% year over year, county officials said in announcing 2026 assessments on Jan. 16.
The Arlington County Board is throwing its weight behind a region-wide proposal to provide more funding for Metro.
County Board members on Tuesday voted unanimously to encourage General Assembly action on the regional DMV Moves plan for sustained increases in transit funds.
Arlington County’s tax revenue was millions of dollars short of what was expected in the first months of this fiscal year, resulting in cutbacks on some expenditures.
County revenue from real estate taxes and taxes on public consumption — like sales, meals and lodging taxes — was $13 million behind projections during the first four months of the fiscal year that began July 1, County Manager Mark Schwartz said in a County Board briefing yesterday (Tuesday).
Falls Church homeowners may or may not see a dip in real estate taxes next year as property assessments continue to rise.
At a Dec. 3 planning session of City Council members, there was general consensus around the desire to lower the current tax rate to offset expected higher home-assessment values. But doing so was left as a goal, rather than made a requirement, as city staff begins developing the fiscal year 2027 budget.
A drop in occupancy rates at Arlington hotels is raising concerns about how long a rebound might take and the ripple effects it will have across the county’s overall economy.
Vacancy rates are “the biggest challenge” among local economic indicators at the moment, said Kate Ange, acting director of Arlington Economic Development.
The Arlington treasurer’s office is seeking to curb a growing rate of tax delinquency with new tools and additional personnel.
The addition of QR codes on delinquency letters, in combination with the hiring of two new collection employees, leaves Chief Deputy Treasurer Kim Rucker optimistic about the possibility of lowering the delinquency rate despite challenging economic times.
