Schools, public services and real estate taxes were on the minds of citizens at recent budget discussions, chaired by Supervisor Elaine McConnell (R-Springfield) at the West Springfield District Station, on Wednesday, March 24, and Supervisor Dana Kauffman (D-Lee) on Saturday, March 27.
McConnell manned the table on March 24 with County Executive Anthony Griffin; Kevin Greenlief, director of tax administration; and Ed Long, chief financial officer. In the Lee District, Kauffman invited Del. Mark Sickles (D-43rd); School Board member Brad Center (Lee); Andy Hawkins, director of budget of the School Board; and Fairfax County officials Susan Datta and Joe Mondoro.
The state budget gridlock and the county budget — which was dominated by comments on education spending — were the main points of both discussions. Griffin said this year's budget was a repeat of the same thing homeowners have seen the last couple of years.
"I referred to it as a four-peat," Griffin said. "It's very similar to the budgets we have been through. It's essentially holding the line on county expenditures."
The expenditures were what the audience in West Springfield was concerned with. McConnell defended the county budget.
"We provide things that people want," she said.
"It's the 'what people want' is the problem," said West Springfield citizen Nancy Stephenson.
Griffin's budget document reflected the fact that real estate taxes account for all FY ‘05 revenue. In FY ‘01, real estate made up 50.7 percent of the total general fund revenues, and that number jumped to 60.7 percent for next year's budget. Another factor that influences the 2005 budget is the state limit on Fairfax County's ability to access other sources of revenue, which is reflected in the Dillon Rule. Comparing Fairfax County with the cities of Fairfax, Alexandria or Falls Church, which have the power to assess certain taxes, the county could raise $82 million more money and could reduce the real estate tax rate from $1.16 to $1.10 per $100 of assessed value.
SICKLES is in his first General Assembly this year, after being elected in November. He didn't see a way out of the gridlock between the no-tax house members, the Senate and the governor. Abolishing the tax deferment program for businesses, which is one possible solution to the budget problem, is not a cure-all, according to Sickles. That's what attracts some of the businesses to this area, Sickles said.
"U.S. Air is already on its last gasp here and might be moving out. Nobody knows how much might be raised on the elimination of the tax exemption," Sickles said.
One bill Sickles was sponsoring, HB5007, promoted a rise in the gasoline tax after the gas prices have gone down from the latest spike.
"The bill would not kick in until the gas prices go down," Sickles said. "VDOT [Virginia Department of Transportation] is in a crisis situation now. We're diverting construction funds to maintenance."
Datta presented a slide show on the county's budget, which hinged on a quality-of-life issue, like issues addressed in McConnell's office.
"It's really a balance between the high quality of life in Fairfax County and the ability to pay for that," she said.
Bob McLaren compared the schools to running a business, and looked at the number of executive positions in the school system. McLaren is an appointee to the Environmental Quality Advisory Commission and a resident of the Hayfield area. He questioned the school system's level of efficiency.
"What happens in business, in bad times we become more efficient," McLaren said.
CENTER SAID the board was looking at some of the school system jobs and didn't rule out eliminating positions.
"I don't disagree with you," Center said.
Hawkins’ presentation on the school system didn't leave any room for compromise.
"Over 50 percent of our computers are over five years old," Hawkins said.
He did address the comparison with the school system and a private business.
"It will never be a business," Hawkins said. "It's not profit driven. It has other goals."
When Hawkins got to the slide about the average salary for a teacher and a proposed 7.1 percent increase in pay for teachers, he used Loudoun County as an example. In FY ‘04, the average Loudoun County teacher salary is $1,403 higher than Fairfax County Public Schools, when adjusted for employee retirement contributions. The school system has lost some teachers to neighboring jurisdictions.
"We're still going to be behind other surrounding communities," he said.
Kauffman noted the strenuous situations the teachers face.
"In looking at the challenges the young men and women face, they're getting fried over five years," he said.
Although Kauffman has been through 10 budgets in the past, this is the first time that he has brought someone from the county budget office together with school budget officials. At Saturday's meeting, he found that people weren't happy about the 10-percent increase the school system was asking for this year.
"That's definitely going to be shared with both the budget chairman and the chairman [Connolly]," Kauffman said.
This is the 21st budget for McConnell who said that the county budget will settle out in the end.
"We'll balance ours, we always do," McConnell said. "What [residents] say is very relevant to what we're doing."
Following the March 29-31 public hearings on the county budget, the school budget will be transferred from the county's budget by the Board of Supervisors on April 26.