Supervisor John Cook Talks Fairfax County Budget with Braddock District Residents

Braddock District Supervisor John Cook, representatives from the Fairfax County Department of Management and Budget, and around 15 residents discussed cuts to public safety, residential values and other aspects of the advertised budget FY 2014 Wednesday night at the Kings Park Library in Burke.

The presentation, which was hosted by the Braddock District Council, was led by Reports Control Coordinator Christina Jackson and Debt Coordinator Joe Lahait. Highlights of the presentation included information previously reported about the budget such as:

• The 2-cent increase in the real estate tax rate from $1.075 per $100 of assessed value to $1.095 (which is projected to raise nearly $42 million in count revenue)
• A $3.59 billion in general fund spending, a slight decrease of .37 percent from the FY2013 revised budget
• A total of $1.72 billion projected to Fairfax County Public Schools (which is $62 million less than the school board was hoping for.). 

According to the presentation, when the FY 2013 budget was adopted in May 2012, it was assumed that federal tax cuts and the debt ceiling issues would be resolved and sequestration would be avoided with a reasonable federal budget plan in place. The “budget unknowns” due to those issues have made residents, business and property owners and investors cautious and leaves the county in a “vulnerable economic situation,” Lahait said. 

Although the county has an internal team responsible for monitoring county departments that could be impacted by sequestration, Lahait told residents Fairfax County has already taken a hit. Moody's Investors Service initially gave Fairfax County a “negative outlook” back in July 2011 because of the county’s linkage to the federal government (around 10 percent of all personal earnings in Fairfax County comes from federal employment).

The county, Lahait said, has raised counterarguments explaining that other aspects of the county such as its school system and businesses can help protect and insulate the county. Lahait also warned that if Moody downgrades the federal government, all the AAA jurisdictions in Northern Virginia, not just Fairfax County, will be downgraded too.

Several of the residents at the meeting raised the issue of cuts to public safety, arguing for more cuts to police and fire for what some taxpayers view as a waste of money. One resident questioned the need for seven police cruisers to respond to a single incident, for example, to which Cook explained that the number of police officers on patrol on the streets at any time are there to respond. A larger situation that requires a specific unit would not have that kind of response, said Cook.

Jackson said the county executive is looking at the county’s public safety needs to see where there are expenditures in certain departments, including the police department. According to the chart in the citizen’s guide, $441,734,841 goes toward public safety or 12 percent of the money, with $173.8 million and $171.5 million going toward police and fire respectively. 

Cook said the county is looking at expenditures of every department and told residents that the first thing on the list submitted by the Fairfax County Police Department to cut was School Resource Officers (SROs).

“If you have kids in school like I do, and even if you don’t and you care about crime in school, those school resource officers are worth their dollars. To have a police officer physically in the school, it deters gangs, and it gives students someone to go to when they have problems,” said Cook. “But that’s part of the discussion, should we reduce expenditures? And if so, which ones.”

The Board of Supervisors has reviewed the proposal to remove SROs in the past, but has refused to do so, according to Cook.

While he said he understands concerns that the county is spending too much money on the police department, Cook said the expense, in his view, was worth it.

“We are the safest jurisdiction of our size in the country and we are not that way by accident,” said Cook, who called the county’s population “well-educated and well-meaning. “Under state law, we can eliminate the police department and save $2 million dollars, but I wouldn’t advise that.”

Cook said he thinks there’s room for cutting expenses in the fire department, but explained that the politics in Fairfax County have made those cuts difficult. A ladder truck, for example, does not need to respond to downed wires or other non-fire related calls, said Cook.

Upcoming Meetings 

Cook will host two budget town hall meetings, the first taking place Monday, March 18 at 7:30 p.m. at Little Run Elementary School with the County's chief financial officer. The second meeting will be Tuesday, April 2 at Robinson Secondary School with the County Executive at 7:30 p.m.

There are also three scheduled public hearing dates on the budget next month: April 9 at 6 p.m., April 10 at 3 p.m. and April 11 at 3 p.m. in the Fairfax County Government Center in Fairfax.

Read more about the budget on Patch:

• Supervisor John Cook to Host Town Hall Meetings on County Budget
• Schools Officials: Fairfax County Budget Proposal Falls Short