In Budget Markup, Supervisors Lower Tax Rate, Identify Kindergarten Funding

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors made several significant changes to the county's proposed $6.1 billion fiscal year 2012 budget during a mark-up session Tuesday, including a lower tax rate and $3 million in additional funds that could help the Fairfax County School Board implement full-day kindergarten.

The markups passed by a vote of 7-3. Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity, Braddock District Supervisor John Cook and Sully District Supervisor Michael Frey voted against the budget.

The board will formally adopt the budget April 26. It will go into effect July 1.

In a statement, Chairwoman Sharon Bulova said the proposed 2012 budget included more than $20 million in reductions, on top of the $180 million in reductions the county already made in the previous two fiscal years.

In voting against the budget, Cook said it didn't include significant reductions in spending. He said the county's general fund disbursements are also larger in the 2012 budget than in budgets at the beginning of the recession. This seems to indicate "that we are no longer interested in generating savings that can benefit the taxpayer," he wrote.

"Overall, the County is in good shape," Cook wrote in an e-mail update to his constituents. "My vote against the budget is an effort to maintain the pressure on the Board of Supervisors to continue to look for budget savings and efficiencies."

Lowering the tax rate by two cents — from the advertised rate of $1.09 to the new rate of $1.07 — will keep the average resident's tax bill essentially steady, Bulova said. 

The tax rate decrease was made possible by:

• The fiscal year 2011 third quarter surplus of $4.7 million
• $4 million in savings identified by the Auditor to the Board in his latest report
• $350,000 identified by Griffin in his “add-on package”
• The deferring of $2.3 million in IT communications enhancements

Tuesday's markup maintained the same transfer amount to Fairfax County Public Schools — $1.6 billion — as FY 2011. The school board initially asked the county to increase its FY 2012 transfer by $48.8 million.

But thanks largely to , the Board of Supervisors identified about $3 million in additional funding that could help the school board implement full-day kindergarten in the 37 county elementary schools currently without it.

Included in that $3 million is:

• Savings of $500,000 in the School Age Child Care (SACC) program, which is no longer necessary once FDK is implemented.
• More than $600,000 made available in cable funding
• $1.9 million via the School Nurse Health Program.

The nearly $2 million in school nurse health funding comes from a 2010 General Assembly directive that gave $3.9 million dollars from Basic Aid to Fairfax County to fund school nurse positions. Because the county controls school nurse services, the school system was charged by the County the four million dollars. 

The school system’s FY 2011 Third Quarter Budget review included an agreement in which the county would credit half of that money back. In fiscal year 2011, money from an identical agreement supported school health related expenses. The school board could once again use the $2 million to fund those school nurse positions from the 2011 fiscal year or it could use it to meet another priority.

"They are telling us we could redirect it if we wish," said Kristen Michael, Director of Budget Services for FCPS. She added she was glad the county and FCPS were able to work out a deal. 

School board staff estimated earlier this year that implementing full-day kindergarten could cost $8 million.

After the budget is formally approved April 26, the school board will hold its own public hearings and mark-ups. It will have to find room in its own $2.2 billion budget for full-day kindergarten, and other priorities, like Dale's proposed 2 percent pay raise for teachers.

"We gave the school board a clear path as to how they can achieve the equity of full-day kindergarten," Lee District supervisor Jeff McKay said.

Though a raise for county employees, was not built into the mark-up package, the board directed Griffin to review the county's fiscal condition at the end of fiscal 2011. Based on that review, supervisors asked Griffin to identify funding for a 1.12 percent market rate adjustment for all county employees, which would take effect in October.

 Other highlights of the mark-up package include:

• A reduction of the personal property tax rate for fully disabled veterans to $0.01 per $100 of the assessed value of one vehicle. Combined with the exemption for real estate taxes on the primary residences of these veterans and their spouses, the total cost to the county is $3.6 million.
• A reserve of $2.3 million to protect the county against further state and federal funding reductions.
• $1.5 million for Advanced Life Support Incumbent Training for the Fire and Rescue Department
• An increase of $1.3 million in funding for high school graduates with Intellectual Disabilities and medical detoxification and the diversion to detoxification programs.

The board's formal budget adoption takes place at 10:30 a.m. April 26 at the Fairfax County Government Center.

Naomi Nix and Shawn Drury contributed to this article.