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July
1, 2002
To the Residents
of Arlington:
The
County Board has unanimously adopted a budget for the upcoming fiscal
year (FY 2003) which involved wide community input, is fiscally
responsible, and reflects the values of the broad Arlington community.
We
reduced the real estate tax rate for the first time since 1990.
The new tax rate of $0.993 is the lowest of any major jurisdiction
in the Washington area. Additionally, the real estate tax relief
program for qualifying elderly and disabled homeowners was significantly
expanded.
The
County Board focused attention in this budget on a number of key
priority areas, including education, public safety, transit, trees,
housing and employer of choice.
Education.
The Board maintains its long commitment to quality public education,
with a transfer to the Schools of $233.2 million, an increase of
$20.1 million (9.4%) over FY 2002. This transfer continues
the revenue sharing agreement between the County and the Schools,
and fully funds the School Board’s approved budget.
Public
Safety. The budget includes $1.4 million and 22.0 new positions
to support high priority needs within the Fire Department, including
converting two Emergency Medical Service (EMS) units currently operating
during peak hours to full-time status; expansion to four-person
staffing for the three engine companies currently staffed with three
firefighters, bringing all 10 companies to four-person staffing
levels; the addition of one fire inspector to monitor and test fire
safety systems in high-rise buildings; and an additional emergency
services coordinator to enhance public preparedness and communication
with the public on terrorism and other emergency issues. Another
$0.8 million was added to implement a Senior Firefighter program;
provide specialized training in the areas of advanced life support,
technical rescue and hazardous materials; replace essential equipment;
and support recruitment and officer promotion efforts.
Transit.
The Board considered an overall strategic direction for Arlington
Transit services, along with a phased plan for initiating program
enhancements. As a first step towards achieving these critical transit
objectives and significantly improving transit access, $0.4 million
was added for a new crosstown bus line between the Columbia Pike
corridor and the Courthouse area, bus service designed to improve
Metro access during rush hour in the North Highlands and Fort Myer
Heights neighborhoods, and a new Ballston lunchtime shuttle.
Trees.
$0.5 million in additional funding (for a total of $0.7 million)
and 3.5 full time equivalent positions (FTEs) have been included
to improve the County’s "green infrastructure" – the urban
forest. Initiatives are supported to preserve, protect and restore
the County’s tree canopy through development of a tree master plan;
enhance efforts to control invasive plants; increase the annual
planting of trees on County property from 880 to 1,280 trees; and
improve the site plan review process to ensure implementation of
approved tree plantings and landscaping.
Housing.
The County Board continued its long standing commitment in this
area, with an additional $1.0 million in funding for the Affordable
Housing Investment Fund (AHIF), for an AHIF total of $4.0 million.
In combination with other affordable housing funds, the projected
available funding at the beginning of the fiscal year is $7.0 million.
Employer
of Choice. Pay and benefit enhancements in the FY 2003 budget help
ensure that Arlington remains an employer of choice. The County
Board approved a 2.75% cost of living increase, as well as a variety
of benefit improvements, including retirement enhancements for both
Public Safety and general employees. This budget also includes $60,000
to assist County employees with purchasing homes in Arlington, a
new program made possible by legislation passed during the 2002
Virginia General Assembly session.
Other
highlights of the FY 2003 adopted budget include:
- Net funding
of $1.9 million in interim funding to offset the impact of state
budget cuts affecting constitutional offices, human services,
law enforcement aid and highway aid.
- Implementation
of curbside recycling for corrugated cardboard.
- $7.5 million
in additional pay-as-you-go (PAYG) capital funding, bringing the
total PAYG budget to $13.6 million in FY 2003. The additional
funding includes support for pedestrian initiatives ($0.5 million).
This
budget continues to be fiscally sustainable by taking a balanced
approach to using one-time funds for enhancing the PAYG program.
We have also established new reserves in the amount of $3.3 million.
This is a responsible budget that meets the needs of our community,
and is reflective of our vision for the community.
Sincerely,
Christopher
Zimmerman
Chairman
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