Hudgins: County Adjusting To A "New Normal"

Hunter Mill  Supervisor Cathy Hudgins told constituents gathered in a community forum Saturday that the county and its citizens had to adjust to a “new normal” – one that would not again enjoy the kind of tremendous revenue and services growth it saw in the early part of the last decade.

“There will be no restoration  of cuts that we’ve made, no major expansions,” she said. “We really are in a new place and unless those programs are supported with additional revenue, we can’t sustain it. We have to make sure we support our existing resources.”

About two dozen Vienna and Reston residents gathered at the Vienna Community Center for the budget forum, one of several being held by supervisors across the county to get citizen input on the county's proposed fiscal year 2012 budget. 

Along with Hunter Mill School Board Member Stu Gibson and County Management and Budget Director Susan Datta, Hudgins spent two hours presenting the county’s proposed $6.1 billion budget and to residents while also fielding questions.

The proposed county transfer to the schools is about $1.8 billion, 52.5 percent of the county’s budget – the same amount transferred in the 2011 adopted budget. Seventy two percent of the school system’s budget comes from the county.

The school board had initially requested a $48 million increase from last year’s budget. Last week, they adjusted that request to $42 million. Gibson shared the update with residents:

Revenue changes for the advertised FY 2012 school budget (in millions):

Advertised

Updated

County Transfer

$48.8

$42.0

State

8.8

36.8

Federal

(4.7)

(4.7)

Foundation Support

.5

.5

AP/IB Test Fees

0.0

2.0

"Expenses" changes from the advertised budget are as follows (in millions): 

Advertised

Updated

Special Ed Services

$0.0

$6.0

Retirement

27.1

41.5

Closing Clifton ES

0.0

1.2

Gibson said from fiscal year 2009 to 2012, the schools have seen an enrollment increase of about 10,000 students, while the budget has actually gone down. He said paying teachers more to deal with more students is a top priority.

The county’s budget includes a $30 million balance that can be used at the supervisors' discretion, Hudgins said. Options for how to use that money includes

• Using it for employee compensation increase/bonus
• Increase the General Fund transfer to FCPS
•  Reduce the Real Estate Tax (proposed at $1.09)
• Make up for potential loss in revenue from the Commonwealth or State authorized revenue source (such as the $3 to $4 million the county would lose if the Governor signs a bill that would offer tax relief to disabled veterans)
• Use it to fund other priorites and unfunded initiatives
• Use it for the required payment to complete FOCUS project
• Save it for upcoming critical needs in 2013

“We have to be able to balance shot term needs against long term requirements,” Hudgins said.

Hudgins said she was worried about the implications of a raise for school employees but not for employees of the county. Both groups of employees have had pay freezes for the past two years, and County Executive Anthony H. Griffin recommended they continue for a third.

“I’m worried about how that affects morale,”Hudgins said.

The Hunter Mill Budget Advisory Committee, a group of 14 residents appointed by Hudgins, presented its recommendations for the county budget, including a set  specifically for the $30 million balance. Chief among those recommendations was to keep the tax rates at the advertised levels – not decrease them as some residents and supervisors have suggested. They recommended the supervisors use the money instead to

• Cover additional costs or revenue losses imposed on Fairfax County by the state or federal government in their ongoing budget processes

• Reward employees with some enhancement of their compensation

• Invest in improved energy efficiency

• Provide all-day kindergarten

• Meet other funding needs such as the retirement system and deferred maintenance. 

They also recommended the appointment of county-wide energy manager.

FULL DAY KINDERGARTEN

A short-term need some residents spoke about at Saturday’s meeting was full day kindergarten.

Tim Myers, a Vienna resident who has  two daughters, ages 3 and 5, asked about the timeline of implementing full day kindergarten,

He said he was concerned about the three-year time frame it would take for the program to reach the nine Hunter Mill District schools currently without the program. Given the age of his daughters, he said, he needs to know whether he can count on enrolling them in public schools, or, prepare to pay up to $15,000 a year for private, full-day schooling.

Gibson said the program has always been a priority of the school board’s – it first began implementing full day kindergarten in 2006, but had to put it’s expansion on hold when the economy began to worsen a few years ago.

“It’s a basic fundamental responsibility,” Hudgins said.

One resident said the county and school board need to work together to ensure that implementing the program actually happens.

“You’re both standing here looking at each other. Enough is enough,” she said.

Hudgins said she doesn’t think there is a difference of opinion between her and Gibson: they both agree on full day kindergarten. But between the county supervisors and the school board, “There ought to be an aligning of priorities,” she said.

“We ought to have general objectives so that any revenue  meets overall goals for the county overall – not just the schools or just the county in general,” she said. “We should measure county accomplishments for the work that both bodies do.”

TYSONS DEVELOPMENT

One of the most important long term requirements the county must consider is the demand for infrastructure surrounding Tysons Corner, and elsewhere in the county, Hudgins said.

That includes  investing in existing physical infrastructure – like buildings, parking lots, libraries  and also new requirements or needs in Tysons and beyond, Hudgins said.

Some residents raised concerns about a current proposed plan for splitting Tysons funding, which has the public and private sectors

“At some point in the near term the county has to address how such improvements are going to be funded,” one resident said. “We need to get this on the table, each supervisor has to take a position as to which direction you want to go.”

Hudgins said she’s had success in the past working with developers to shoulder some infrastructure projects. She said often, they are willing to pay for or advance funding for roads and transportation improvement because it helps facilitate their own goals. She hopes to use the same strategy in Tysons.

“We must keep the same principals [we’ve had in the past],” Hudgins said. “ Growth becomes  a responsibility between the community and its governing body.”

The next Hunter Mill District community budget forum is 10 a.m. March 26 at the Reston Community Center. The Board of Supervisors will hold public hearings March 29, 30 and 31 at the Fairfax County Government Center. They will formally adopt a budget on April 26.