Management & Finance
FY 2011 Budget Frequently Asked Questions
FY 2011 Budget: Frequently Asked Questions
Efficiencies
Q: Is the County seriously exploring with Schools ways to achieve efficiencies by combining some operations? Are there things they do separately now that could be combined? How quickly could savings be realized?
A: County and Schools already collaborate in a number of ways, for example:
- Joint use of many facilities, e.g., Gunston Middle School & community center; Langston-Brown;
- Shared use of the Employee Assistance Program.
- Shared funding & production of The Citizen newsletter, delivered to all Arlington households.
Q: Is the County “thinking outside the box” on reorganization? Have you considered combining departments, streamlining operations, reducing duplication of effort?
A: In recent years, the County has made a number of efficiencies, for example:
- Brought together all human services, social services, and health services into consolidated Department of Human Services.
- Brought together all public works, environmental services, infrastructure, etc. into consolidated Department of Environmental Services.
- Created new consolidated front desk for three internal departments: Human Resources, Technology Services, and Management & Finance.
Q: Did you add new programs last year that can easily be cut?
A: No new programs were added for FY 2010. The County Board did approve a new cultural center for Arlington (former Newseum building), that does not use any new General Fund money. (The build-out is using capital funds and operating costs will be re-allocated from existing programs.)
Q: What reductions did the County make last year?
A: To balance the FY 2010 budget, the County Board approved $19.8 million in service cuts, including $12.1 million in administrative and overhead reductions and more than $7.7 million in direct service reductions. These reductions cut 95 general fund positions. We’ve already made as many of the “easier” cuts as possible.
Q: What reductions will the County make this year?
A: Declining revenues and rising expenses will produce a projected combined budget gap for FY 2011 of $80-$100 million for County government and Arlington Public Schools. The gap will have to be closed with a mix of tax increases and service cuts.
Q: What are “core” services?
A: Every service we provide has a constituency that believes that service is “core.” We believe that it is our mix of services that makes Arlington such a great place to live, visit, work, and play. Usually, people talk about “essential” services such as public safety (police, fire, emergency management, jail), and public works (drinking water, sewage treatment, roads).
Q: Why did the County choose this moment to invest millions in a Cultural Center?
A: The County Board did approve a new cultural center for Arlington (former Newseum building), that does not use any new General Fund money. (The build-out is using capital funds and operating costs will be re-allocated from existing programs.)
Ideas
Q: You have a revenue gap because of slippage in commercial real estate. Why can’t you just charge commercial property owners a higher tax rate to make it fairer for residential homeowners?
A: Alas, this is not possible under Virginia law. In the Commonwealth, all local governments must use a single tax rate for both residential and commercial real estate. (See Dillon’s Rule explanation.) In Arlington, we have approximately 50% residential property and 50% commercial property – this provides a relatively stable base. In years when residential values decline, commercial properties can provide stability, and vice versa.
