County Manager Mark Schwartz has offered the County Board, upon its request, a package of $11.1 million in optional cuts to his proposed Fiscal Year 2018 Budget. The package includes $7.4 million in potential cuts to the on-going budget and $3.5 million in potential cuts in one-time funding. Schwartz’s proposal came in response to a request from the County Board that he propose options for cutting the equivalent of one penny on the tax rate from his proposed budget.
The potential reductions would affect a range of county services, including human services, libraries, parks and recreation, community planning and housing and economic development. The options also include eliminating both planned service improvements in the streetlight program and additional staff for the county jail. Schwartz also recommended that, based on the principles of revenue sharing between county government and Arlington Public Schools, $3.5 million of the cuts from the on-going budget and $1.7 million of the cuts from the one-time budget come from the APS budget.
Members of the public can learn more about the Proposed FY 2018 Budget, and provide online feedback at https://budget.arlingtonva.us/fy-2018-proposed-budget/ on potential reductions and/or tax increases through the Budget Feedback Form. The County Board will take testimony in March at its public hearings on the budget and on the tax rate:
Tuesday, March 28 – County Board Public Budget Hearing – 7 p.m.
Thursday, March 30 – County Board Public Tax Rate(s) Hearing – 7 p.m.
The board is holding a series of Budget Work Sessions in March, which are broadcast live on ATV, the county’s cable channel, (Comcast 25 and 74 and Verizon FiOS 39 and 40), and live-streamed on the county website. These meetings are open to the public, but the board will not take testimony.