Tuesday, November 19, 2013

FY 2015 Financial Forecast and Budget Guidance: County Can't Afford Zimmerman's $treetcar

Hey Yupette,

Did you read Barbara Donnellan's FY 2015 FY 2015 Financial Forecast and Budget Guidance Report - Agenda Item 30 at tonight's County Board meeting? We can expect low to moderate growth in revenues between FY 2015 and FY 2020, with increasing costs for schools, for County Government, and for the County Board's pet projects - Artisphere, Aquatic Center, and Zimmerman Streetcar.  No mention of where the money would come for the $500 million Zimmerman Streetcar except from the Transportation Fund. Anyway, budget deficit is projected to be $7.7 million for FY 15, increasing substantially every year until at least FY 20. Check out the report at arlingtonva.us.

Ted - also from 2100

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

STOP Pike $treetcar planning now, order 'off the shelf' hybrid bus rapid transit vehicles, and save the taxpayers a huge amount of money.

Anonymous said...

Donnellan's budget guidance document assumes Zimmy's handpicked successor won't raid the General Fund to the tune of a $50 million per-year TIF for affordable housing on the Pike and another $50 million per-year TIP for the Pike streetcar.

Anonymous said...

CivFed overwhelmingly passed a resolution last month calling on County Government to move towards establishing an Independent Budget Authority aka Inspector General Office.

Pike Rider said...

Click on the photo to enlarge. I want a BRT system on the Pike now, not a streetcar system 5 yrs and $500 million from now.

Anonymous said...

What a 'independent budget authority' comprehensive audit would find is the County would operate just as well, if not better, with 10% fewer employees.

Anonymous said...

Residential real estate taxes are going to go way up to fund the never ending demands for more new programs in the school system.

Anonymous said...

Who did they think they were fooling at tonight's CB meeting? Our taxes are gonna go way up to finance all their gimmes.

Anonymous said...

Why do plainclothes police attend County Board meetings? Who even shows up to complain anymore?

Anonymous said...

It's too cold to stake out the skateboard park. County Board room is nice and warm.

Anonymous said...

Residential real estate tax rate up 5% next year?

Anonymous said...

And every year for the next 5 fiscal years.

Anonymous said...

I wonder what antics Congress will engage in between now and next September 30th.

Anonymous said...

Plainclothes cops attending CB meetings? LOL. Besides the County Board only 1 or 2 County residents attend the Tuesday night meetings when the 1 or 2 items pulled from the consent agenda heard. The other 15 or so in the CB room live outside Arlington, including the cops.

Anonymous said...

With Zimmy gone I am looking for County Board meetings that last a couple hours, not a couple days.

Anonymous said...

All indications point to major residential real estate tax increases in our future.

Anonymous said...

Vote by the Civic Federation was 40-2 in favor of an "independent budget authority".

Anonymous said...

The plainclothes cops attending CB meetings look so scruffy that if they continue to attend someone will call 911 reporting them as 'suspicious persons'.

Anonymous said...

Sales tax revenue is way down 4th quarter of this calendar year.