Re: Run the Republicans Out of Fairfax County...
Date: January 16, 2009 12:00AM
Enough is Enough Wrote:
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> Departments combined, while homeowner taxes have
> doubled in the last seven years.
While I agree with you in principle, don't forget that the reason real estate taxes have doubled in the last 7 years is because the values of homes have increased by about that much. Technically, Fairfax has lowered its real estate taxes in the last 7 years, but assessed values have caused the overall tax bills to increase.
in 2001, the tax rate was $1.23 per $100 assessed value. In 2003, it was lowered to $1.21. In 2004 it was lowered to $1.16, and in 2005 it was lowered to $1.13. In 2007 it was lowered again to $0.89. They raised it to $0.92 for 2009.
I don't like property taxes to begin with, but 0.92% is at least "reasonable". As much as I hate paying taxes, $6,500 a year isn't going to put me in the poor house. Considering my tax bill when I purchased my house for $417,000 was around $5,200 and my house is now worth around $700,000 6 years later, and my tax bill has only gone up $1,300, I'm happier about the (not yet realized) "profit" on my house than worried about the extra expense of the taxes.
>
> In the meantime, Gerry the Conman has instituted:
>
> -- Over $200M in the last 2 years to buy
> government housing and become the largest landlord
> in the County;
> -- Subsidizing government housing for those making
> in excess of $99,000; and
> -- Proposed spending $130 million to purchase a
> school administration building while our teachers
> have dropped from the highest paid in the region
> to sixth highest.
>
Considering that the starting salary for Teachers is $44,789, and the maximum is $92,094 (which is $9,260 lower than the highest paying county, Montgomery County) it's still pretty good pay, in relative terms. $45k for someone just out of college is not a bad salary. There are folks getting out of college happy to be making anything over $30k (and sure, there are the people getting out of college who are being offered $75k, even $150k, but they are the exceptions, not the rule.)
Of course it was stupid to spend $130 million on an administration building with a $157.5 million budget shortfall. Although, in reality, since it was bond-funded, and even though it will end up costing more like $273 million, most of those costs are spread out over many years. But it was still stupid and sort of a slap in the face for Fairfax County residents/taxpayers. They could have used the bonds to give teachers a 5% pay increase, or maybe get rid of some of those trailers and build permanent classrooms.
> I voted for change in November, and I will vote
> for change in February.
I'm not so sure that voting out the current scoundrels will mean anything other than voting in a new bunch of scoundrels.