taxes | ARLnow.com

County May Face Budget Gap Next Year Despite Expected Tax Revenue Rise

Published November 17, 2015 at 4:30PM | Updated November 17, 2015 at 5:06PM

The County Board will review these increases — as outlined in the County Manager’s Fiscal Year 2017 budget guidance — at its meeting this Thursday, kicking off the county’s annual budgetary process.

Increases in the real estate assessments for single-family homes, townhouses and condos will provide the county with most of its revenue growth. On average, such assessments are expected to rise 3 percent, causing tax bills for Arlington residents to increase by approximately $175 at current tax rates.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published November 16, 2015 at 9:00AM | Updated January 16, 2018 at 2:32PM

Murder Victim Feared Her Estranged Husband — Bonnie Black, who was found dead in her home in the Aurora Highlands neighborhood on April 17, feared her estranged husband, court documents show. After months of continuing to live in the neighborhood a free man during the investigation, David Black is now in jail, charged with murder. [NBC Washington]

Wakefield, W-L Fall in Football Playoffs — The playoff runs for the Wakefield and Washington-Lee high school football teams have ended early. Wakefield could’t hang on to a 6-0 lead at halftime, falling to Potomac Falls 21-6, while W-L lost 44-20 to Westfield. [InsideNova, Washington Post]

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published November 12, 2015 at 9:00AM

County to Invest $55 Million in Ballston Mall — Arlington County is planning its first-ever Tax Increment Financing district to help fund the renovations to Ballston Common Mall. Arlington plans to invest $45 million in the mall with its TIF, which will be repaid over time via increased tax revenue from the property. It also plans to make $10 million in transportation improvements, including improvements to the attached county parking garage and the narrowing of Willson Blvd in front of the mall. [Washington Business Journal]

Arlington May Ask for Jefferson Davis Hwy Renaming — Arlington County is considering asking local state legislators to seek a name change for Jefferson Davis Highway in Arlington. Also known as Route 1, the highway is named after the Confederate president thanks to state legislative decree in 1922. A draft of the 2016 Arlington legislative priorities list includes a proposal to rename “the Arlington portion of Jefferson Davis Highway in a way that is respectful to all who live and work along it.” [InsideNova]

News

County to Collect Vehicle, Real Estate Taxes Next Week

By Heather Mongilio

Published October 1, 2015 at 6:00PM

Residents can pay taxes online, by phone or by mail. Any mailed payment must be postmarked by Oct. 5 in order to avoid late fees or penalties.

“In the event that you are waiting for your account to be adjusted or closed, please be sure to avoid late payment penalty by paying the balance by Oct. 5,” the county said in a statement. “Any overpayment will be refunded once your account has been adjusted.”

News

Shop for School Supplies and Home Appliances Tax-Free This Weekend

By Mariah Joyce

Published August 7, 2015 at 1:45PM

Virginians are getting a break from the sales tax this weekend courtesy of Virginia’s General Assembly, which combined three existing sales tax holidays into one longer Tax-Free Weekend this year, according to the Virginia Department of Taxation.

According to the department, items exempt from the sales tax this weekend include school supplies, clothing and footwear, emergency preparedness items and some energy-efficient home appliances with either the Energy Star or WaterSense label.

Weather

Stock Up on Hurricane Preparedness Supplies Tax-Free This Week

By Heather Mongilio

Published May 27, 2015 at 10:00AM

There are actually two hurricane tax holidays this year. The first tax holiday is May 25-31, which has been declared Hurricane and Flooding Preparedness Week by Gov. Terry McAuliffe. The second is Aug. 7-9.

After 2015, there will only be one holiday in August. The Virginia General Assembly voted to combine three hurricane preparedness tax holidays into one three-day period. However, the bill goes into effect on July 1, 2015, which means the planned tax holiday from May 25-31 was unaffected.

News

Budget Approved: Artisphere to Close, Tax Rate Stays Steady

By ARLnow.com

Published April 22, 2015 at 10:35AM | Updated April 22, 2015 at 1:19PM

The $1.16 billion budget will provide Arlington Public Schools with the extra $6.2 million it sought to deal with rising enrollment.

It also will fund a new internal auditor position, a campaign promise of County Board member John Vihstadt.

News

County Board Expected to Keep Tax Rate Flat Next Year

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 17, 2015 at 10:20AM

The tax rate will likely remain at $0.996 cents of $100 of assessed value, which will result in an average property tax bill increase of $281 per year for Arlington households. The County Board had advertised a rate 1.5 cents higher than it passed, but ultimately decided to make budget cuts instead.

“Every member of this Board is acutely aware of the tax burden on our residents,” County Board Chair Mary Hynes said. “We felt strongly that we did not want to add to that burden.”

Opinion

Morning Poll: Arlington County’s Dog Fee

By ARLnow.com

Published April 16, 2015 at 10:15AM

The license costs $10 per year or $25 for every three years. Despite the abundance of dogs in Arlington, the tax only brought in $59,664 from about 7,000 licensed dogs during a recent fiscal year, according to the Sun Gazette.

That has prompted enquiries from County Board member John Vihstadt.

Opinion

Morning Poll: Arlington’s Tax Rate

By ARLnow.com

Published April 15, 2015 at 9:15AM

Last year, in advance of the Board’s FY 2015 budget vote, we asked what you think about the county’s tax rate.

Only 6.5 percent of respondents said the tax rate should be raised, while 27 percent said the tax rate should be held steady and 66.5 percent said it should be lowered.

News

Treasurer Pushes to Reduce Late Fees on Real Estate Taxes

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 14, 2015 at 4:45PM

Arlington Treasurer Carla de la Pava in 2014 (file photo)

The Arlington County Board is considering a recommendation by Arlington County Treasurer Carla de la Pava to reduce the fee for a real estate bill paid up to 30 days late from 10 percent to 5 percent. Tax bills paid after 30 days would continue to incur a 10 percent penalty.

“The Treasurer … has concluded that as currently implemented a 10 percent penalty for late payment of real estate taxes is unnecessarily harsh for delinquent taxpayers who pay of their own accord,” the county’s staff report reads. “Specifically, it treats those taxpayers who simply forgot about a due date the same as those who refuse to meet their tax obligation without collection action by the Treasurer.”

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published April 10, 2015 at 9:40AM | Updated April 10, 2015 at 10:09AM

Arlington Ranks High for Tax Burden — Arlington County has the second highest overall tax burden in the nation, according to stats compiled by the website NerdWallet. Arlington’s high median income and high real estate costs factored heavily in the calculation, which includes federal, state and local taxes. [NerdWallet, Washington Business Journal]

Trevor Noah Performs in Arlington — Comedian Trevor Noah performed his first stand-up comedy show since being named the next host of The Daily Show last night in Arlington. It was the first of seven sold-out shows Noah is performing this weekend at the Arlington Cinema Drafthouse. In writing about the performance, the New York Times described the Drafthouse as “about a half-hour drive outside Washington, with drinks far cheaper than most places in the District.” [New York Times]