Fairfax Budgets for Lean Years Ahead

Other supervisors criticized the budget plan for its diversion of dedicated sources of revenue to cover general operating expenses. Most notable is Griffin's plan to use a portion of the increased commercial property tax receipts to fund the payroll of the county's 93-person Department of Transportation. The approximately $53 million raised by the new tax was intended for new transportation projects.

"We just fought a hard-fought battle in Richmond to get more money for roads and transit," said Supervisor Pat S. Herrity (R-Springfield). "The entire transportation staff is being paid with this. That's a huge, huge, problem for me. And it's going to be a huge problem with the General Assembly."

Griffin also proposed spending about $12 million of new state recordation tax receipts -- also part of the General Assembly transportation package -- to pay for existing Fairfax Connector bus routes. Budget officials said some of the routes are expanded or previously run by Metro, and they said the $12 million will cover new costs, not existing ones.

Other shifts include:

¿An $8.5 million transfer of new transportation dollars to help pay part of the county's contribution to Metro.

¿The expenditure of $7 million from the county's Penny for Stormwater Management Fund to pay for existing staff positions. The fund was set up to spend the equivalent of 1 cent on the property tax -- $22.8 million for the budget year beginning July 1 -- on storm water management projects across Fairfax. Diverting the $7 million will delay a number of those projects.

¿The expenditure of $600,000 from the county's Penny for Affordable Housing Fund for existing housing jobs. The fund was set up to spend 1 cent's worth of revenue on the purchase or preservation of affordable housing.

Griffin said that because the budget woes are likely to last at least two years, he has established a review panel to scrutinize county programs with an eye toward consolidation and cuts. But he said yesterday the panel is unlikely to provide recommendations in time for the current budget proposal.