Sharon Bulova and Ed Long are singing the same song "fewer services for more money" and that's just not how it works in the real world.

If you complain to her about the Board of Supervisors giving themselves a raise, this is what she has to say:

_____________

Thank you for contacting me to share your thoughts about salaries for the Board of Supervisors and the Fiscal Year 2016 Budget. I appreciate the opportunity to share information about the County’s financial policies and authorities with you.

With respect to your comments about the county claiming poverty, Virginia is a Dillon Rule state, so the local government authority is limited to those powers expressly granted by the state or necessarily implied by state law. Local governments have a limited set of revenue sources approved by the state and many of the approved sources also have a cap on the rate which can be imposed. We cannot, for example, impose a local sales or income tax without first getting enabling legislation from the Virginia General Assembly.

Unfortunately, these limits on authority have left Fairfax County with significant obligations but a limited set of revenue to draw on – over 60% of General Fund revenue comes from the real estate tax. As a result, it is very challenging to balance the budget when real estate values are growing slowly, as has been the recent trend. Commercial values have actually decreased the past two years. Fairfax County and the D.C. Metro region continue to recover from the recession but the pace of growth has not returned to pre-recession levels. Federal government employment and spending are major drivers for our local economy and many local residents and businesses have been affected significantly by sequestration and cutbacks in federal contracting. I recognize that many households are also facing increased costs or stagnant wages and this will be at the forefront of my thoughts as we work on the FY2016 Budget.

Based on these factors, the Board of Supervisors voted on March 3 to advertise the same real estate tax rate, $1.09 per $100 of assessed value, as last year. We have not made a final decision about the tax rate but the advertised tax rate is the ceiling for what can be adopted into the budget. Real estate tax bills are calculated based on the assessed value of property, so how the bill will change depends on the adopted tax rate as well as how the assessed value has changed from January 1, 2014 to January 1, 2015.

Every year, we work to hold down costs and eliminate waste. The County has an Internal Auditor who reviews agency budgets to identify efficiencies and reduce waste. We also have an Auditor to the Board, who is independent of the county management structure and reports directly to the Board of Supervisors.

Based on audit findings and recommendations from county staff and the community, between FY2009 and FY2015 the Board of Supervisors has made over $269 million in reductions through revenue adjustments and targeted reductions. 653 County positions have been eliminated in the same time period and employee salaries were frozen for three years. We will continue to seek efficiencies and consider further reductions to hold down costs for taxpayers as we prepare the FY2016 budget – the County Executive’s Advertised Budget proposes eliminating an additional 45 positions.

I appreciate your comments about the timing and advisability for increasing the salaries for members of the Board of Supervisors, especially in light of the tough decisions the Board is facing on the county budget. Please be assured that maintaining quality services while keeping real estate taxes affordable for our residents and businesses is a priority for the Board of Supervisors.

There is never a good time to consider compensation for members of the Board of Supervisors. State law is very specific regarding any adjustment to Board Members’ salaries. Action may only be considered every four years and must be taken prior to adoption of the budget during an election year. In practice, our Board has only considered increases to compensation every eight years. Before the March 3 vote, action was last taken to increase compensation for members of the Board of Supervisors in 2007. If action was not taken by April 15th of this year, another opportunity to address Board compensation will not take place until the year 2019 and would not be effective until 2020 – a span of twelve years.

Even with this increase, members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will receive the lowest compensation among jurisdictions in our region of like size and responsibility. In addition to the time spent working on constituent issues, land use matters and transportation, most of us participate in regional planning organizations which meet in the evenings or during the daytime, making it almost impossible to serve on a “part time” basis.

Thanks again for writing to share your thoughts.

Sincerely,

Sharon Bulova

Priceless:
653 County positions have been eliminated in the same time period and employee salaries were frozen for three years
-yet they want to increase their own checks, after laying people off...

JoeT Wrote:
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> Priceless:
> 653 County positions have been eliminated in the
> same time period and employee salaries were frozen
> for three years
> -yet they want to increase their own checks, after
> laying people off...

This is why I moved to Fauquier 10 years ago. Lower taxes, better schools and very few illegals.

Isn't there rhyme and reasons amazing for a pay raise. Like Joe T. has stated no pay raises for the employees, health insurance has risen 24% over that last 5 years for the employees with a 2.3% cola increase wow and they want a pay raise for themselves. These idiot voters keep voting them back in year after year they get what they sow.

> Based on audit findings and recommendations from county staff and the community

shut the fuck up democrats. no one in the community but gov workers was consulted.

we know your deciding your own pay

and what comes around goes around

inflate the crap out of me and who else - you'll get what's coming

Love, love, love the games they play.

Position cuts does mean head count.

They create a position, don't fill it, then claim they cut a position.

Vote Bulova out of office, let her go set a trolley in her living room to play with.

Let's not forget the $5 million the county needed to change the school hours for additional buses and employees and will continue to need additional funds to keep this going.

We need more illegal immigrants in Fairfax County NOW!!!

Cutterpie Wrote:
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> Let's not forget the $5 million the county needed
> to change the school hours for additional buses
> and employees and will continue to need additional
> funds to keep this going.


ummm its a lot more than 5 million, try 11 or 12

Sharon Bulova's biggest regret is that she wasn't able to enact a county tax of 100% of your income. Typical tax-and-spend libtard.

Sharoom Bullover Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We need more illegal immigrants in Fairfax County
> NOW!!!

That was you Republicans who had no problem with them when they were working for half of what domestic workers would accept and when they were living somewhere else. It was when those illegals started moving into your neighborhoods and sending their kids to your schools, and when they started using government services that our tax dollars paid for that they suddenly became a problem to you.

Cutterpie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Let's not forget the $5 million the county needed
> to change the school hours for additional buses
> and employees and will continue to need additional
> funds to keep this going.


If you think that ends at $5M, you are crazy. NFW it costs $5M. The real bill will come due next fall.

this is crazy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Cutterpie Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Let's not forget the $5 million the county
> needed
> > to change the school hours for additional buses
> > and employees and will continue to need
> additional
> > funds to keep this going.
>
>
> If you think that ends at $5M, you are crazy. NFW
> it costs $5M. The real bill will come due next
> fall.

FCPS has stated that the cost for full day Mondays is $4.9 million, and the cost of later high school start times is also $4.9 million. So the extra hours/time changes will be at least $9.8 million.

Whether that's accurate, I can't say. But that's what they're telling folks.

the intend on making "press releases" and doubling their pay

they are betting you:

can't do anything about it because they are too well armed they employed a live-in mexican army - literally not figuratively - for votes but also to surround themselves with a human sheild

they are betting: there isn't any way they can be held accountable for, since the mid 90's, a 5x pay increase if we include their WTOP advertisemen tthey are about to go for double or nothing

they are about to go for double or nothing

they have every intent of waving a south american flag, and attacking quite literally, when they do so

HOWEVER using modern "methods", they do it one at a time and as delayed as they possibly can

isolate you. pick you dry. try to kill you if your a problem. because they are not attacking people all at once, but one at a time, they have little way of organizing a volly, a return of fire

again these self pay deciding, mexican army hiring, peice of shit parliament called fx co gov