Much of N.Va. to Raise Tax Rates

In those years, Fairfax lived with what it called "doomsday budgets," in which officials had to raise tax rates substantially, close a network of mini-libraries, shutter county offices, freeze salaries for two years and lay off workers.

Remembering that era and recognizing that real estate values are likely to be depressed for a while, the county has been careful not to "bake anything new," into the base budget this year, said Fairfax Supervisor Sharon S. Bulova (D-Braddock), chairman of the board's budget committee. "We know our revenue is going to be constrained next year."

Virginia officials are blanching at citizen fury over the prospect of cutbacks. Alexandria tried to hold the line on the budget, originally proposing to keep taxes flat and eliminate employees' cost-of-living raises. But instead, city officials voted unanimously last week to raise taxes.

They took the action in the face of strident resident demand for a continued high level of services. At a hearing, Mimi Carter, a PTA president in Alexandria, said she didn't care to "respect the [budget] process." She said that she just wants to make sure officials give Alexandria children the things they need and that to fail to fully fund the school budget would "threaten academic achievement."

"That's why we voted for you," she told City Council members, adding that residents want the strong public education, soccer fields and child-care programs they say they were promised.

Arlington residents similarly called for a rich menu of services, including a year-round homeless shelter, an arts center and more money for arts programs and parks, in addition to raises for county employees.

Budget concerns are pitting constituencies against one another. In Prince William, the Board of County Supervisors reversed its decision to close the community pools one day a week after critics charged that poor kids would be blocked from entry while kids on swim teams would still be permitted to use the pools. Then a supervisor complained that his district has no pools.

Alexandria and Arlington have created special parks for dogs, and in Alexandria, where teachers had been told there was no money for a pay raise, one school booster at a recent hearing held aloft a sign that said: "It is a shame that DOGS are more important than teachers and kids in Alexandria."

The conflict also varies depending on the jurisdiction. In the inner suburbs, where schools and basic road infrastructure were built and paid for years ago, residents want better parks and services. In the outer suburbs, people who have moved into large tract houses built on former farmland are demanding that top-quality schools be constructed nearby to serve their children.

In Loudoun, a 7 percent decline in residential assessments jolted officials and residents. In an election year, supervisors angrily jostled over priorities and taxes before a majority voted to increase the tax rate. The population has increased from 169,000 in 2000 to more than 270,000. Many came for the excellent schools, which account for the bulk of all spending.

Loudoun Supervisor Mick Staton Jr. (R-Sugarland Run) was among the supervisors who argued that the county should severely reel in proposed spending increases given the drop-off in assessments. Keeping the tax rate constant at 89 cents, as Staton and others advocated, probably would have meant cutting tens of millions from the School Board's budget request, county officials said.

"This budget increases taxes on the citizens of Loudoun County when their assessments have gone down," Staton said of the 7-cent tax rate increase. "I will not vote to increase taxes."

But Supervisor Sarah R. Kurtz (D-Catoctin), who supported the rate increase, noted that county schools were set to receive $19 million less than they had requested. "We're doing the best we can under the circumstances," Kurtz said.

In the end, Loudoun supervisors increased the schools' operating budget by 14 percent over the current fiscal year's.

Staff writers Bill Turque, Michael Laris and Timothy Dwyer contributed to this report.