County executive proposes an ‘optimistic’ budget for FY 2023

Fairfax County Executive Bryan Hill proposes a fiscal year 2023 budget that retains the tax rate, fully funds schools, and raises employee pay. Hill presented the budget to the Board of Supervisors Feb. 22.

Hill told the board he is cautiously optimistic that the county is turning a corner on the pandemic and heading down a new road to economic recovery.

The budget would retain the property tax rate of $1.14 per $100 of assessed valuation. However, real estate assessments are up an average of 9.57 percent. If the supervisors approve the current tax rate, the average tax bill would increase by $666.

Hill’s budget would include nearly $80 million in discretionary funds that the board could use to reduce the tax rate.

The budget anticipates a net increase in revenues of $330.17 million, mostly from increased real estate assessments.

Related story: Real estate assessments are way up

The budget would fully fund the $2.285 billion request for operating funds for Fairfax County Public Schools. That’s an increase of 5.1 percent ($112.6 million) over current funding. If debt service and capital funds are included, the increase to FCPS would be $117.9 million.

More than half (52.4 percent) of the county’s general funds in 2023 would go to FCPS.

The proposed budget would fully fund the county’s employee compensation program, with a 4.01 percent market-rate adjustment. Pay increases would average 6.16 percent for non-uniformed merit employees and 7.86 percent for uniformed merit employees.

Hill’s budget proposal would fund job class adjustments for positions that have fallen behind relative to the job market. This includes positions significantly affected by the Covid pandemic, including behavior health specialists, public health nurses, and public safety communicators.

The budget would add just over 100 new staff positions, primarily for new facilities, to continue previous initiatives, and to respond to expanded workloads.

Hill proposes a change in the schedule of bond referendums, citing a significant backlog of outstanding unissued bonds as a result of project delays due to the pandemic.

The timing of schools, Metro, and library bonds would not change, but other bonds would be deferred by two years and there would be no county referendums in November 2022.

The budget includes the following expenditure highlights:

• $1.05 million for the Diversion First Initiative, which focuses on mental health treatment rather than arresting people in crisis.
• $400,000 for the Opioid Task Force.
• $12.9 million for school health nurses and other public health needs.
• $9.1 million for Metro subsidies and $2.3 million to support the Fairfax Connector.
• $570,000 to increase staffing for the Fairfax Connector and the Active Transportation program.
• $250,000 to contract with VDOT for an additional mowing cycle.
• $1.78 million for the Office of Elections.
• $1.54 million to increase staffing for One Fairfax and the language access program.
• $610,000, a 5 percent increase, for the Consolidated Community Funding Pool to support vulnerable residents.
• $380,000 for the SafeSpot Children’s Advocacy Center.
• $390,000 for programs aiding victims of domestic and sexual violence.
• $5.48 million in baseline funds for initiatives previously approved by the board and funded with stimulus funds, including emergency rental assistance and behavioral health support.
• $1.69 million in baseline funds for public assistance eligibility workers, children protective services, and other programs.
• $6.57 million for safety and security, including $360,000 for electronic control weapons for law enforcement, and funds to support the new police station and animal shelter.
• $4.75 million for cultural and recreational opportunities.
• $780,000 to increase staffing to preserve and expand affordable housing.
• $960,000 for environmental and energy sustainability programs.

The Mason District Budget Town Meeting is scheduled for March 10, 7 p.m., at the Mason District Government Center.

The Board of Supervisors will hold public hearings on the budget April 12-14. The board will adopt the budget on May 10.

The FY 2023 budget year begins July 1.