According to the Post the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors adopted a budget yesterday that keeps the real estate tax at $1.13. There is also recognition by some Board Members that Fairfax County voters do not favor increasing taxes at this time.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/stretching-budget-dollars-for-schools-police-the-new-normal-for-fairfax-county/2017/04/25/7b5a1012-29d2-11e7-b605-33413c691853_story.html?utm_term=.5fcca565cfe1
This is a victory for many of us that opposed the meals tax referendum last fall. However it is just the second round in a longer fight. We benefited this time from the School System not having a new Superintendent in place to lead the usual fight for more money with threats of catastrophe if things did not work out. We also benefited from this coming so close after the Meals Tax Referendum was rejected.
While it is encouraging that Supervisors see the need to economize, there are also warning signs that the fight isn't over. Aside from a willingness to discuss pensions we are not seeing a fundamental shift in priorities that would be needed to keep costs and tax rates down over the long term. The talk about the long term needs of Metro and how an increase in elderly and low-income residents will mean increasing demands for services indicates the same philosophies which guided the BOS in the past still are in control. Plus we haven't heard anything from the School Board indicating they intend to make fundamental changes which would reduce overall costs while maintaining or even improving the quality of education for typical Fairfax County students.
So we won another battle, but the war goes on.