In a Tuesday meeting, the County Board approved the close out of its 2004 budget amid some protest from members of the fiscal affairs commission over what to do with the remaining money it hasn't spent.
The county has an estimated $4.3 million left over from the $720 million budget it approved for the 2004 fiscal year. Of that, County Manager Ron Carlee proposed setting aside $3.3 million for capital improvements and putting $1 million into the county’s general operations reserve, an emergency fund.
But some members of the county's fiscal affairs commission said the idea, outlined in his budget guidance report, provides no clear description of how the money will be used.
The manager's report also states that the county can provide tax relief for residential homeowners and other tax breaks for Arlingtonians. In a Sept. 8 memo, Carlee said the 7.4 percent growth rate in county spending is "not sustainable for the long-term." The memo asks for "no new program expansion and a tightening of expenditures for existing programs".
Both Tim Wise and Robert Atkins, who sit on the commission, referred to the manager's report as a "fig leaf" covering up for a lack of planning.
Wayne Kubicki, who also sits on the commission, urged the board to consider ear-marking the funds for a specific purpose as suggested in the commission's own budget report.
"The substitute motion urges the Board not to appropriate the $3.3 million in the open-ended way recommended by the manager, but instead to insist upon a specific project list, with related dollar amounts allocated by project, before any of these funds are appropriated," said Kubicki, paraphrasing the report. "This would serve to put county funds to the best possible use."
Yet according to Board Member Chris Zimmerman, part of the surplus may be related to county expenditures that have carried over into the next fiscal year, bills that simply are not due for several months.
"When you work it all out, this money that's left over is only a small percentage of the budget," he said.
The surplus accounts for roughly six-tenths of one percent of the county's budget.
Survey: High Marks
Arlington got some positive news during the meeting when the board announced the results of a consumer satisfaction survey. The poll of 1,200 Arlington residents gave high marks to nearly all aspects of county services. The county emergency response services scored a high 90 percent satisfaction range. Libraries and county parks scores in the 80th percentile.
"Compared to other large communities in the United States with populations of more than 100,000 residents, Arlington County's ratings are among the very best," said Chris Tatham, vice president of the ETC Institute, the firm which conducted the survey.
The county’s maintenance of roads and its handling of traffic problems got the lowest scores. On traffic 24 percent of those polled reporting dissatisfaction. Dissatisfaction with road maintenance scored at 21 percent.
The positive scores overall are a windfall for the county's efforts to win grant money, according to Board Chairwoman Barbara Favola.
"When you’re asking for money to do something new, something different, it helps to have this type of background information to show people," she said.
But board member Chris Zimmerman cautioned that there are still troubles the county has to face regardless of the positive review.
"You can look at these numbers and come to be smug," he said. "That doesn’t mean there aren’t specific issues that are real problems in Arlington. But the fact that we have such an engaged citizenry means we find out about problems a lot sooner. Why? Because they tell us."
In other business, the board also approved a long-term financial plan for renovations at the Gates of Ballston housing complex, owned by AHC Inc. The work will upgrade the kitchens, heating and air conditioning systems and other amenities. Renovations will include the conversion of several one and two bedroom apartments into three bedroom apartments. Of the 348 units in the complex, three-fourths will be deemed affordable housing under the county's guidelines.