This week County Manager Mark Schwartz proposed a revised aquatics center plan for Long Bridge Park during a County Board work session.
The aquatics center at Long Bridge had been shelved when the costs continued to balloon. Former County Manager Donnellan ultimately announced they simply could not find a bid to build the pool complex within the allotted budget.
On Tuesday, the Arlington Civic Federation voted to recommend a 1-cent tax rate reduction to the Arlington County Board. The Board should adopt the recommendation.
The CivFed resolution noted that over the past five years, the average homeowner saw a $1,113 increase in taxes and fees. A 1-cent reduction this year would not cut a homeowner’s tax burden. It would only stop property taxes from increasing quite as much.
Late yesterday, news began to spread that Metro was considering shuttering entire lines for six months at a time. According to the Washington Post report, the discussion also included calls for a $1 billion increase in annual funding.
With the recent mid-week shutdown of the entire system, the region should not assume that General Manager Wiedefeld is merely posturing. However, there are undoubtedly some on the Metro Board who see the possibility of long-term shutdowns as leverage in the funding debate.
Next week, Arlingtonians will have their opportunity to weigh in with the County Board on the annual budget. The two night event will feature opportunities for Arlingtonians to provide feedback on the advertised tax rate and the proposed budget — both on the same night if they so choose.
Many fiscal conservatives in the County tell me they do not go to speak because they feel like their voices will not be taken into account.
While the mid-week Metro shutdown was sudden and shocking to the area, it sent a clear message that the new General Manager Paul Wiedefeld is prepared to make unpopular decisions in the name of safety. And that’s a good thing.
During the shutdown Wednesday, safety inspections revealed at least three other locations where cables required repairs because they were fire hazards.
Last week, the Fiscal Affairs Advisory Commission (FAAC) narrowly recommended the County Board use $1.5 million in economic development incentives to attract new businesses. The vote was 7 to 5 with one other member abstaining.
Some of the dissenting FAAC members thought the county should stay out of the business of using taxpayer dollars to incentivize businesses altogether. Others thought the money should be used elsewhere to get more bang for the buck. Many of those who back such economic development efforts believe that Arlington must use incentives to stay competitive with Fairfax, Alexandria and DC.
Thumbs Up to Republican Voters
On Tuesday news broke that some Arlington precincts were running out of pre-printed Republican ballots. Only time will tell if Tuesday’s primary results in Arlington mean Democrat enthusiasm is down and Republican enthusiasm is up, or that Democrats crossed over to vote for the candidate they most wanted to run against their likely nominee — Hillary Clinton. We do know that statewide Virginia Republican Primary results smashed previous records.
The Virginia General Assembly is considering a bill to grant police and sheriff’s departments virtually unlimited latitude to refuse to release the names of its officers via Freedom of Information Act requests.
Senate Bill 552 passed the Senate on a 25-15, bi-partisan vote. It would classify all officers names as personnel records, exempting them from mandatory disclosure. By all accounts, it is the most sweeping measure of its kind in the country.
The Arlington County Board today heard a presentation from County Manager Mark Schwartz on his proposed budget. (As of Wednesday night, when this column was written, the details had not been posted online.) It will be the first look at where the Board may be headed for FY 2017. And if history is any guide, it will not be without at least a few minor controversies.
The County Board’s guidance late last year directed staff to prepare a budget that did not raise tax rates. However, it has been the practice of the Board in the past to advertise a tax rate increase even with such guidance.
Thumbs up to new County Manager Mark Schwartz for seeking out public input at a forum February 24th on how to better respond to and recover from major snow events. I know one burning question for many parents is, should it really have taken an entire week after a major snow event to return to school?
Let’s face it though, we do not have major snow events inside the beltway on a regular basis.
In every press release, Arlington refers to itself as a “world-class residential, business and tourist location”. It ends the standard paragraph with “Arlington stands out as one of America’s preeminent places to live, visit and do business.” It is easy to find support for that statement and fault with it, depending on who you talk to in Arlington.
Our main economic engine, the federal government, is not going out of business any time soon. The question is, will Arlington put itself in a position to maximize the health of our economy to withstand any BRAC-like changes in the future? And, will it do it by empowering businesses to grow rather than by taxpayer-funded shiny objects like streetcars, swimming pools and gondolas?
Missed Opportunity
The announcement that Acting County Manager Mark Schwartz was elevated permanently to the top post comes as a surprise to no one. It does represent a missed opportunity to change course in Arlington.
