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FFX County Budget $58 million shortfall
Posted by: Lurker. ()
Date: October 15, 2008 03:58PM

FFX County Budget $58 million shortfall

http://www.nbc4.com/news/17718070/detail.html?dl=headlineclick

MCLEAN, Va. -- The economy's slide has taken its toll on local municipalities, with Fairfax County facing a $58 million shortfall this year.

County officials announced budget cuts Tuesday, saying the move was preferable to raising taxes.

The emergency cuts include a one-day furlough for county employees, except public safety employees, on Jan. 2, a hiring freeze, no new vehicle purchases and a delay in major building projects, including a second animal shelter building.

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Re: FFX County Budget $58 million shortfall
Posted by: Mike ()
Date: October 15, 2008 07:28PM

Fairfax County has to many social welfare programs as it is, just cut cut cut.

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Re: FFX County Budget $58 million shortfall
Posted by: FFC IS IN DEEP TROUBLE ()
Date: October 16, 2008 06:58AM

County budget picture worsens
By Kali Schumitz


For the first time ever, thousands of Fairfax County employees will have to take at least one unpaid day off this January to help the county make up a multi-million dollar budget shortfall.
Schools, public safety and other essential employees will be spared from the furlough, which is one of several measures county officials are taking to cut costs in light of an ever-bleaker revenue picture.

"Unlike California ... we are living within our means and cutting spending," Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerry Connolly (D-At large) said.

On Oct. 14, county officials announced that they are projecting a $58.2 million shortfall for the current budget year and are now estimating the shortfall for fiscal 2010 at more than $500 million, $70 million over prior estimates.

The overall downturn in the U.S. economy, and particularly the real estate market, is hitting the county's bottom line hard. County Executive Anthony Griffin said home values are expected to be down 12 percent next year, which reduces real estate tax revenues. Sales and business tax receipts have also plummeted and, with slow holiday sales expected, are not likely to improve soon. On top of that, state funding to localities is also being slashed as Virginia grapples with its $2.5 billion shortfall.

In addition to voting on the furlough at Monday's scheduled Board of Supervisors meeting, county supervisors will consider withdrawing $25 million from the county's "rainy day" fund, which now has over $100 million.

Griffin is also reducing personnel budgets for all county agencies by an additional 2 percent. Added to prior cutbacks, Griffin said this is in effect a 10 percent reduction in personnel budgets for the year. Layoffs are not anticipated at this point and Griffin said he expects agencies to be able to meet the reductions by freezing positions.

All non-essential travel and training will be canceled, all equipment purchases not already in the procurement process will be canceled and vehicle replacements scheduled for this year have been suspended.

Capital projects spending will be reviewed and "a substantial portion" of projects in the pipeline may be delayed or canceled, according to a county memo, such as a second county animal shelter.

Griffin and board members at Tuesday's announcement said they are not ready to speculate on what may be cut from next year's budget. They are undertaking an extensive review of all county expenditures, asking agencies to envision cutting 5 to 15 percent of their budgets and recommend line items for removal.

The county is also holding a series of community input meetings to assess what services residents value the most and will use that input in considering the next fiscal year's budget.

"This is more important than ever for us to prepare for next year," said Supervisor Sharon Bulova (D-Braddock), chair of the board's budget committee. "It's going to be a while before we recover from this very severe downturn."

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Re: FFX County Budget $58 million shortfall
Posted by: ideas ()
Date: October 16, 2008 09:01AM

Cut South County Middle School. Examine all capital projects in FCPS. Take the regional approach used for Reston Community Center special tax district and apply it to Laurel Hill funding. Scrap "earmark" pork projects. Penny for affordable housing - change to penny for police. Increase user fees and scrap pet programs and useless administration in FCPS. EDA goes bye bye. I doubt anyone has problems finding Tysons or DC in Europe or Asia.

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Re: FFX County Budget $58 million shortfall
Posted by: Jester ()
Date: October 16, 2008 09:18AM

Projecting a $500 million dollar short fall for Fairfax County in 2010?

WTF? Like we can't fix it before then?

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Re: FFX County Budget $58 million shortfall
Posted by: Vince(1) ()
Date: October 16, 2008 11:54AM

stop all road improvements...

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Re: FFX County Budget $58 million shortfall
Posted by: Pissed off parents ()
Date: October 16, 2008 01:23PM

School Board Angers Parents

Tuesday, October 14, 2008


To the Editor:

The Fairfax County School Board recently proposed the purchase of a newly renovated facility for the county’s school administrative staff. The Board of Supervisors declined the funding, and yet the School Board is back at it again, trying to figure out a way to purchase the facility. In this time of economic downturn and turmoil, the very idea that the School Board would even consider continuing to press for the plan has parents irritated, angry and looking for answers.

We have kids sitting in over 900 trailers, teachers with minimum pay raises, and old, decrepit schools for many children in the county, and yet they want to spend $52 million for a new building for their staff? Where are their priorities?

School Board member Stu Gibson states that we will save $7.5 million a year on the old facilities. He fails to mention that we will be spending $52 million purchasing the new facility, which does not include the interest on the bonds! According to Mr. Gibson, the "run down" schools where the staff are currently working is not good enough for the staff, but it is good enough for our kids.

Where is the supporting cost/benefit analysis? Where is the return on investment? What is the payback period for this investment? Where is the business case? Isn’t our government supposed to justify its expenditures?

This is why parents are so angry — the School Board has publicly announced time and time again, that "we can do whatever we want" and "we can spend whatever we want."

I hope that the Board of Supervisors and the School Board hears our message loud and clear. The parents and taxpayers of Fairfax County have a vote and we will use it.

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Re: FFX County Budget $58 million shortfall
Posted by: COPS ()
Date: October 16, 2008 01:42PM

don't cut my carwash

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Re: FFX County Budget $58 million shortfall
Posted by: Gravis ()
Date: October 17, 2008 12:12AM

stop imprisoning drug offenders, it's too expensive; execute them on sight, bullets are cheap. :)


"the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish."095042938540

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Re: FFX County Budget $58 million shortfall
Posted by: Their solution ()
Date: October 17, 2008 12:54AM

Will be as it always is, raise taxes! Why not? It always works. A few grumble, but they are easily ignored. The pols know that they if the have a D next to their name, they are guaranteed re-election, no matter what they do.

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Re: FFX County Budget $58 million shortfall
Posted by: formerhick76 ()
Date: October 17, 2008 01:45AM

Yes, the solution is the tired Republican ideas that have already been tried, and failed in the 2000s (granted, they did work in the 1960s and 1980s.)

And if we cut $$$ for affordable housing, this means either (1) they go to Prince William or Loudoun or (2) they start deciding 10 to a house is a great idea.

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Re: FFX County Budget $58 million shortfall
Posted by: tba ()
Date: October 19, 2008 11:35AM

And the Democrats have been in charge in Fairfax County for a while, and in Richmond now.

Virginia has spent 20 years educating some special-needs workers who will graduate from special vocational training in June. These students WANT to work - if you could see them approach every day wanting to do something, you'd be amazed. They put most of us to shame.

Not only is Fairfax County (and the state) denying the 65 or so students graduating in 2009, but they're cutting jobs for some who are already employed.

Don't get me wrong. Some of these are truly jobs you and I would not want - janitorial, landscaping, office work such as stuffing envelopes - but they allow special people to be of value to their community.

But instead we'll pave parks and pay Gerry Connolly to go to Washington and do more of the same.

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Re: FFX County Budget $58 million shortfall
Posted by: formerhick76 ()
Date: October 20, 2008 09:55AM

Hmm, given what George W. Bush and Jim Gilmore did to the balance sheets of the nation and the Commonwealth, why should I trust the Republicans at the helm in Fairfax County? Give me Bill Clinton and Doug Wilder anytime.

Of course, a balanced budget in true times of trouble is a shibboleth that causes more problems than it solves. At least that's what Hoover taught us. The problem is that we were running federal deficits during times that were supposedly strong, economically. At least Clinton's bubble balanced the budget.

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Re: FFX County Budget $58 million shortfall
Posted by: SAY NO TO ALL BONDS ()
Date: October 21, 2008 04:22AM

Vote NO on the bond referendum

--$100 million annual interest payment for what?

The Washington Post cites FCTA opposition to Fairfax County's 2008 bond referendum: Economy Dims Prospects for Fairfax Parks Bond Issue. Thursday, September 25, 2008; Page VA04 (Fairfax Extra). The following supplements the FCTA's quote in the Post.

Fairfax County is wasting about $100 million annually on interest for its $2 billion debt because, for most years, the amount borrowed (bond revenues) is about the same as the cost of borrowing (debt service). See bars on the graph.

When the county does this, its debt (red line on the graph) increases. Between 1983 (first year for which data is available) and 2008, Fairfax County inflation-adjusted debt has increased from about $1.5 billion to $2.3 billion. The $2.3 billion in debt does not include interest owed, which is another $800 million.

If the county had not borrowed, it could have used the debt service funds to pay for capital improvements. Capital spending would have been about the same as with bonds, and there would be no debt and no annual $100-million interest payment.

The high cost of interest for bonds is justified only when the revenues from bond sales significantly exceed the annual debt service payment. While it depends on interest rates and the repayment period (20 years, 30 years, etc), the amount you can borrow is about ten times the annual debt-service payment. This is called "leverage." To get leverage, you cannot sell more bonds until previously sold bonds are paid off. You would have one year where revenues from a bond sale are ten times the annual debt-service payment. Then for the next twenty or thirty years you would pay the debt service but sell no more bonds. However, Fairfax County, except for 1989, sells bonds every year.

If you sell bonds every year you get no leverage. You can only borrow approximately the same amount you paid back. However, the amount you owe increases by the amount you borrow plus interest. This is what Fairfax County is doing. For the county, whose repayment period is usually twenty years, interest costs are about half the amount borrowed. So if the county borrows $200 million through bond sales, it owes another $100 million in interest.

In 1994, the county sold an extra $117M of bonds to purchase the Herrity and Pennino buildings adjacent to the Government Center. The total amount borrowed was twice the debt service. In this case borrowing would have been justified, assuming that the purchase, which was controversial, was justified.

The county did not include the 1994 bond sale for the Herrity and Pennino buldiings in its total debt figure until 2002. That is why there is a jump in the red line in 2002.

(With the purchase of the Herrity and Pennino buildings the supervisors bypassed putting the bond to referendum by having the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (EDA) sell the bonds. The county also used the EDA to bypass referenda for the South County High School and the new school administration building bonds. The county is not legally obligated to pay off bonds unless they are approved by referendum. Bonds not approved by referendum are therefore riskier, have a lower credit rating and a higher interest rate, and consequently cost the taxpayers more.)

Having gotten itself in the situation where the cost of borrowing about equals bond revenues, the county cannot easily dig its way out. To reduce borrowing, the county would have to reduce operating expenses by $250M to free up money to replace bond revenues. The county should not have gotten into this situation in the first place.

The county should start getting out of debt and should eliminate non-essential borrowing. The bond referendum, for example, pays for maintenance of county recreation centers and golf courses. The county should not be using taxes to compete with the private sector. If golf course and recreation center maintenance cannot be paid for from user fees, then they should be privatized or divested. Funding for the "countywide sportsplex", artificial turf, trail enhancements, development of new parks should wait until they can be funded on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Last June, the Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance emailed to the supervisors a request to include the projected interest costs for bonds and the annual amounts for bond revenues and debt service in the county's "2008 Bond Referendum Information for Residents" pamphlet.

The county declined to do this.

Moreover, the county's pamphlet states that bonds do not increase taxes. This is false. In FY2009 the county is paying $106 million in interest on its $2.3 billion debt. This $106-million interest payment accounts for 4.6 cents of the county's 92-cent real-estate tax rate. (Each penny of the real estate tax rate generates $22.8 million in tax revenue.)

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Re: FFX County Budget $58 million shortfall
Posted by: Bob ()
Date: October 21, 2008 04:41AM

SAY NO TO ALL BONDS Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Moreover, the county's pamphlet states that bonds
> do not increase taxes. This is false. In FY2009
> the county is paying $106 million in interest on
> its $2.3 billion debt. This $106-million interest
> payment accounts for 4.6 cents of the county's
> 92-cent real-estate tax rate. (Each penny of the
> real estate tax rate generates $22.8 million in
> tax revenue.)


Bonds do not increase THIS YEAR'S taxes. Sure.

Why are people so shortsighted to not realize that anytime the county takes out a loan and promises to pay interest it won't mean higher taxes (or lower services) down the road?????

Most people have all sorts of debt, and they don't think that the same applies to their magical god-like government?

Maybe that's why so many people have all sorts of debt, they just don't understand it.

Or maybe they believe the "magical wonderfull government" is different, and can take on debt without ever having to pay it back.

Oh, yeah, I forgot, these foolish assholes who drive really large SUVs don't know what it means to have to pay off a loan, they believe they get what they want today by promising to pay some imaginary money tomorrow.

I just fucked up by having the ability to think forward and worry about what sort of money we'll have in a few months or a few years. I'm a fool.

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Re: FFX County Budget $58 million shortfall
Posted by: WASTE OF MONEY ()
Date: October 22, 2008 04:42AM

School Cost Savings Does Not Equal Taxpayer Savings.

Gatehouse II

Much of the $22 million in cost savings results from the elimination of the cost of operating and maintaining the current buildings. However, the project as presented keeps all of the properties in Fairfax County’s hands meaning taxpayers continue to pay the cost. Most of the buildings were proposed to be transferred to the Board of Supervisors but there was no discussion or plan on use or disposal of these properties — especially given our pending reductions — meaning that taxpayers likely would continue to bear the cost even if the schools did not.

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Re: FFX County Budget $58 million shortfall
Posted by: and they are still building SOCO MS ()
Date: October 22, 2008 11:53AM

nfm

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Re: FFX County Budget $58 million shortfall
Posted by: NO MONEY ()
Date: October 23, 2008 05:44AM

WASTE OF MONEY Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> School Cost Savings Does Not Equal Taxpayer
> Savings.
>
> Gatehouse II
>
> Much of the $22 million in cost savings results
> from the elimination of the cost of operating and
> maintaining the current buildings. However, the
> project as presented keeps all of the properties
> in Fairfax County’s hands meaning taxpayers
> continue to pay the cost. Most of the buildings
> were proposed to be transferred to the Board of
> Supervisors but there was no discussion or plan on
> use or disposal of these properties — especially
> given our pending reductions — meaning that
> taxpayers likely would continue to bear the cost
> even if the schools did not.

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY, DO NOT SPEND ANY.

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Re: FFX County Budget $58 million shortfall
Posted by: Who will lose their jobs ()
Date: October 24, 2008 12:44PM

Does anyone know what FC employees will face lay offs?

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Re: FFX County Budget $58 million shortfall
Posted by: HowNICE ()
Date: October 24, 2008 11:20PM

tba Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> And the Democrats have been in charge in Fairfax
> County for a while, and in Richmond now.
>
> Virginia has spent 20 years educating some
> special-needs workers who will graduate from
> special vocational training in June. These
> students WANT to work - if you could see them
> approach every day wanting to do something, you'd
> be amazed. They put most of us to shame.
>
> Not only is Fairfax County (and the state) denying
> the 65 or so students graduating in 2009, but
> they're cutting jobs for some who are already
> employed.
>
> Don't get me wrong. Some of these are truly jobs
> you and I would not want - janitorial,
> landscaping, office work such as stuffing
> envelopes - but they allow special people to be of
> value to their community.
>
> But instead we'll pave parks and pay Gerry
> Connolly to go to Washington and do more of the
> same.

While I applaud the work ethic of these "handi-abled" young adults you speak of, I proves once again that the educational system in an inverted pyramid where money,time and effort are spent on the sub par and not the exceptional. The fact that this school system only has one Thomas Jefferson HS is appalling. America wonders why the rest of the world is eclipsing us?

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Re: FFX County Budget $58 million shortfall
Posted by: HAPPYLOOTINGDAY ()
Date: October 24, 2008 11:24PM

Who will lose their jobs Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Does anyone know what FC employees will face lay
> offs?
There will be lots of furloughs On 01/02/09. Most of the cops, in fact. Free crime day! more to follow, everybody thank uncle Gerry!

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Re: FFX County Budget $58 million shortfall
Posted by: what a joke ()
Date: October 25, 2008 09:43AM

those idiots wanted $100million for an administration building.. at this time? you gota be kidding

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Re: FFX County Budget $58 million shortfall
Posted by: COPS ()
Date: October 25, 2008 07:00PM

I still have my free carwash PLUS 1/02/2009 day off (long weekend for me)

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Re: FFX County Budget $58 million shortfall
Posted by: enough ()
Date: October 25, 2008 07:44PM

COPS Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I still have my free carwash PLUS 1/02/2009 day
> off (long weekend for me)


Would you just STOP it with your carwash BS? They have a contract where the county is only charged a couple dollars per wash. And the furlough will not affect public safety.

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Re: FFX County Budget $58 million shortfall
Posted by: Icallbullshit ()
Date: October 26, 2008 11:01AM

enough Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> COPS Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I still have my free carwash PLUS 1/02/2009 day
> > off (long weekend for me)
>
>
> Would you just STOP it with your carwash BS? They
> have a contract where the county is only charged a
> couple dollars per wash. And the furlough will
> not affect public safety.

The furlough WILL affect Public safety, maybe 80 cops on the street on that day, for over a million plus people and 399 square miles. that's it!

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