Fairfax County’s proposed budget cuts: The impact on Annandale

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will be making some difficult decisions as it addresses the county’s $257.2 million budget shortfall.

At Supervisor Penny Gross’s Town Hall meeting earlier this week, County Executive Anthony Griffin said, “We just can’t raise the tax rate,” noting that people are not seeing their incomes increase, and many are, in fact, losing incomes. “We keep hearing that we can’t cut the schools, libraries, or police. It’s a balancing act,” he says, “but something’s got to give.”

And that’s going to mean substantial cuts in personnel and services. The county’s proposed $3.3 billion budget for fiscal year 2011, which starts July 1, 2010, cuts funding by 3.9 percent from the FY 2010 revised budget plan. It recommends increasing the real estate tax rate from $1.04 to $1.09 per $100 of assessed value.

• The George Mason Regional Library would only be open from 1-9 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturdays; and 1-5 p.m. on Sundays. All county libraries would have reduced hours and limited phone service.
• The restroom facilities will be closed in several county parks, including the Mason District, Annandale Community, Roundtree, and Wakefield Parks. Maintenance at all county parks will be cut back. You’ll no longer be able to play tennis or basketball on a county court after dusk, as all night-time lights will be eliminated.
• The elimination of school resource officers at all middle schools means schools in the Annandale area, including Poe and Holmes Run, would lose a major element in the prevention of school violence, gang activity and recruitment, and substance abuse.
• All district police stations, including the Mason District station, would lose their two citizen aides which staff the front desk, along with other administrative positions.
• Reduction in overtime for the police department could result in reduced response times and delayed investigations and could have a negative impact on the department’s “flexibility to respond to unforeseen major incidents,” the county’s budget document states.
• Reduced overtime for fire departments would result in reduced services, less training, and less-qualified emergency responders.
• The Basic Life Support Unit at Fire Station 8 in Annandale would only be in operation Monday through Friday, eight hours a day, instead of 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Advanced Life Support Unit would fill in the gaps during the periods when the BLS Unit is not working. “This increase in call volume will lead to response time delays and will accelerate the already declining ability to meet response targets.” A reduction in firefighter gear will increase the risk of injury to firefighters.
• A variety of social services will be cut, involving mental health, substance abuse, seniors, and juveniles.
• Getting a permit for remodeling or a home inspection could take longer due to personnel cuts.
• Maintenance for athletic fields will be scaled back, including fields at public schools.
• If you work for the county, you won’t get a pay raise and you might be laid off.

Although library hours would be scaled back, Gross is pleased that the advertised budget doesn’t call for any libraries to be closed. She is concerned that full-time library employees might have to move from library to library rather than stay in one location. “That’s going to be a management nightmare for branch managers. It doesn’t make sense,” she says.