Growls

Following guidance provided by the Arlington County Board last October, the Acting County Manager provided the Board with an introduction of her proposed FY 2011 proposed budget. That guidance included: 1) a proposed FY 2011 budget “no greater” than the FY 2010 adopted budget; 2) maintain the Board’s commitment to such liberal causes as affordable housing and economic sustainability; 3) preserve the county’s AAA bond rating; and “provide a balanced budget . . . that equally divides the revenues /expenditures gap between proposed revenue increases and proposed expense/service reductions.”

The Manager’s proposal would result in a real estate tax rate of $0.942 per $100 of assessed value, which is up from the current rate of $0.875, an increase of 7.66% in the real estate tax rate. One of the Manager’s obligatory presentation slides showed the tax and fee burden on the so-called “average household.” For that average household, the Manager’s proposed FY 2011 budget will increase real estate taxes for the average household by $337.

Details on the Manager’s budget are available from the press release, which was released shortly after the close of the today’s budget worksession. The Manager’s PowerPoint slides are available at this Department of Management and Finance webpage as is other FY 2011 documents such as transcripts from an online chat and notes and ideas from a public budget forum.

We’re sure to have plenty more to growl about the FY 2011 budget so visit often.