Arlington FY Tax Increase and budget are we happy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Arlington has a spending problem that is only getting worse every year.

It’s not getting worse. What is happening is that we have less coming in on the commercial side, and the residential has to pick up the slack.

Considering that most people in Arlington can afford the extra $500 easily and would prefer to pay it than make hard choices, I don’t see this getting better. For those of you who can’t, I’m sorry. Between the tariffs and the gas prices, not to mention the gutting of federal assistance in all forms, things are not looking good. But if you do need the social safety net there are worse places to be than Arlington for sure.

I prefer to make a hard choice and do what I want for my $500. And to get any of Arlington's "safety net" you cannot have much income. So retirees who own a paid off house are taxed more but can't get any safety net if couples income is over about $115k and you have $500k in assets other than the house. That's SSA plus modest retirement account

Oh no, if they have too much money and assets they have to contribute their fair share. What a tragedy. Seriously, I don’t even think Boomers know how bad they sound when they talk like this. I don’t want to pay for Robert’s $500k end of life medical care but I’m not claiming a hardship exception.

You are confusing medicare, an entitlement, and property taxes.

[Anonymous]

It's a 5 percent increase. Probably every year. Are you happy to pay 5% more for stuff? I an not especially if I don't think it's being spent effectively or efficiently.

You're just happy that I pay $500 to fund your Cherrydale library and your kid's gym program. I don't think that's s "fair share "

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hello fellow citizens of Arlington!
Here's the County's new FY 2027 tax increase and budget. We need to pay an average of $400-ish more in annual real estate property tax or $300-ish in annual rent to serve the most vulnerable. Good times huh!

So a small increase to support our community?

Sounds good to me.

+1. I wish they would triple my property taxes and provide better services.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Arlington has a spending problem that is only getting worse every year.

It’s not getting worse. What is happening is that we have less coming in on the commercial side, and the residential has to pick up the slack.

Considering that most people in Arlington can afford the extra $500 easily and would prefer to pay it than make hard choices, I don’t see this getting better. For those of you who can’t, I’m sorry. Between the tariffs and the gas prices, not to mention the gutting of federal assistance in all forms, things are not looking good. But if you do need the social safety net there are worse places to be than Arlington for sure.

I prefer to make a hard choice and do what I want for my $500. And to get any of Arlington's "safety net" you cannot have much income. So retirees who own a paid off house are taxed more but can't get any safety net if couples income is over about $115k and you have $500k in assets other than the house. That's SSA plus modest retirement account

Oh no, if they have too much money and assets they have to contribute their fair share. What a tragedy. Seriously, I don’t even think Boomers know how bad they sound when they talk like this. I don’t want to pay for Robert’s $500k end of life medical care but I’m not claiming a hardship exception.

You are confusing medicare, an entitlement, and property taxes.

Ok, the point is we live in a society, we care for each other. (And for what it’s worth, most people today take way more benefits under Medicare than they pay in. It’s not insurance, it’s an old age welfare program).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a 5 percent increase. Probably every year. Are you happy to pay 5% more for stuff? I an not especially if I don't think it's being spent effectively or efficiently.

You're just happy that I pay $500 to fund your Cherrydale library and your kid's gym program. I don't think that's s "fair share "

I’m not happy about the cuts that weren’t be made but let’s be honest - those two items are costing you about $10.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a 5 percent increase. Probably every year. Are you happy to pay 5% more for stuff? I an not especially if I don't think it's being spent effectively or efficiently.

You're just happy that I pay $500 to fund your Cherrydale library and your kid's gym program. I don't think that's s "fair share "

I’m not happy about the cuts that weren’t be made but let’s be honest - those two items are costing you about $10.

NP.

The library and gymnastics cuts not being taken are symptoms of a larger problem. Older, SFH-owning, UMC white people hijack the process and are very, very good at it. We have a completely spineless County Board who just want to prattle on spouting their Good Liberal talking points. So no serious conversations can be had about anything. The Board immediately caves to whiners.

We need to be looking hard at collective bargaining agreements and what that has done to the County budget, County employee pensions probably can't be what they've been, and yes all the small extras like some small library that serves maybe a couple hundred people and an elite gymnastics team...they all add up. Everyone's special pet projects that are untouchable need to be looked at.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hello fellow citizens of Arlington!
Here's the County's new FY 2027 tax increase and budget. We need to pay an average of $400-ish more in annual real estate property tax or $300-ish in annual rent to serve the most vulnerable. Good times huh!

So a small increase to support our community?

Sounds good to me.

+1. I wish they would triple my property taxes and provide better services.

What services are lacking, in your opinion?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a 5 percent increase. Probably every year. Are you happy to pay 5% more for stuff? I an not especially if I don't think it's being spent effectively or efficiently.

You're just happy that I pay $500 to fund your Cherrydale library and your kid's gym program. I don't think that's s "fair share "

I’m not happy about the cuts that weren’t be made but let’s be honest - those two items are costing you about $10.

NP.

The library and gymnastics cuts not being taken are symptoms of a larger problem. Older, SFH-owning, UMC white people hijack the process and are very, very good at it. We have a completely spineless County Board who just want to prattle on spouting their Good Liberal talking points. So no serious conversations can be had about anything. The Board immediately caves to whiners.

We need to be looking hard at collective bargaining agreements and what that has done to the County budget, County employee pensions probably can't be what they've been, and yes all the small extras like some small library that serves maybe a couple hundred people and an elite gymnastics team...they all add up. Everyone's special pet projects that are untouchable need to be looked at.

Gymnastics is paying more, as they should.

Library probably should stay as it’s widely used.

The higher costs in county come from services as the is growing high need population in county and schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a 5 percent increase. Probably every year. Are you happy to pay 5% more for stuff? I an not especially if I don't think it's being spent effectively or efficiently.

You're just happy that I pay $500 to fund your Cherrydale library and your kid's gym program. I don't think that's s "fair share "

I’m not happy about the cuts that weren’t be made but let’s be honest - those two items are costing you about $10.

NP.

The library and gymnastics cuts not being taken are symptoms of a larger problem. Older, SFH-owning, UMC white people hijack the process and are very, very good at it. We have a completely spineless County Board who just want to prattle on spouting their Good Liberal talking points. So no serious conversations can be had about anything. The Board immediately caves to whiners.

We need to be looking hard at collective bargaining agreements and what that has done to the County budget, County employee pensions probably can't be what they've been, and yes all the small extras like some small library that serves maybe a couple hundred people and an elite gymnastics team...they all add up. Everyone's special pet projects that are untouchable need to be looked at.

Gymnastics is paying more, as they should.

Library probably should stay as it’s widely used.

The higher costs in county come from services as the is growing high need population in county and schools.

Gymastics is nowhere near covering its real costs and it's not local government's role to be running a competitive gymnastics program.

The library is a mile away from the county's main library. Also, it is not widely used. It is used as a convenience by people who live near the library. It is the definition of a nice to have.

The higher costs in the county come from the steady decrease in the share commercial real estate property tax contributes to the county overall tax base. The County even 10 years ago used to be able to provide all of these services with a relatively low tax burden to homeowners because of the very strong commercial real estate tax base.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a 5 percent increase. Probably every year. Are you happy to pay 5% more for stuff? I an not especially if I don't think it's being spent effectively or efficiently.

You're just happy that I pay $500 to fund your Cherrydale library and your kid's gym program. I don't think that's s "fair share "

I’m not happy about the cuts that weren’t be made but let’s be honest - those two items are costing you about $10.

NP.

The library and gymnastics cuts not being taken are symptoms of a larger problem. Older, SFH-owning, UMC white people hijack the process and are very, very good at it. We have a completely spineless County Board who just want to prattle on spouting their Good Liberal talking points. So no serious conversations can be had about anything. The Board immediately caves to whiners.

We need to be looking hard at collective bargaining agreements and what that has done to the County budget, County employee pensions probably can't be what they've been, and yes all the small extras like some small library that serves maybe a couple hundred people and an elite gymnastics team...they all add up. Everyone's special pet projects that are untouchable need to be looked at.

Gymnastics is paying more, as they should.

Library probably should stay as it’s widely used.

The higher costs in county come from services as the is growing high need population in county and schools.

Gymastics is nowhere near covering its real costs and it's not local government's role to be running a competitive gymnastics program.

The library is a mile away from the county's main library. Also, it is not widely used. It is used as a convenience by people who live near the library. It is the definition of a nice to have.

The higher costs in the county come from the steady decrease in the share commercial real estate property tax contributes to the county overall tax base. The County even 10 years ago used to be able to provide all of these services with a relatively low tax burden to homeowners because of the very strong commercial real estate tax base.

You mostly attribute that to the BRAC that finally finished around 2010. The contractor supporting DoD moved out and Crystal City, the piggy bank for the county, became a ghost town.

I wasn't privy to board discussions but I assume that since BRAC started in 2005, the plan was to hope that politicians would change their minds sometime before the SHTF budgetwise. The alternate plan, HQ2, was hated by the community which was incredibly short-sighted given that was the only thing done to address the BRAC closures that worked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Arlington has a spending problem that is only getting worse every year.

It’s not getting worse. What is happening is that we have less coming in on the commercial side, and the residential has to pick up the slack.

Considering that most people in Arlington can afford the extra $500 easily and would prefer to pay it than make hard choices, I don’t see this getting better. For those of you who can’t, I’m sorry. Between the tariffs and the gas prices, not to mention the gutting of federal assistance in all forms, things are not looking good. But if you do need the social safety net there are worse places to be than Arlington for sure.

I prefer to make a hard choice and do what I want for my $500. And to get any of Arlington's "safety net" you cannot have much income. So retirees who own a paid off house are taxed more but can't get any safety net if couples income is over about $115k and you have $500k in assets other than the house. That's SSA plus modest retirement account

Oh no, if they have too much money and assets they have to contribute their fair share. What a tragedy. Seriously, I don’t even think Boomers know how bad they sound when they talk like this. I don’t want to pay for Robert’s $500k end of life medical care but I’m not claiming a hardship exception.

You are confusing medicare, an entitlement, and property taxes.

Ok, the point is we live in a society, we care for each other. (And for what it’s worth, most people today take way more benefits under Medicare than they pay in. It’s not insurance, it’s an old age welfare program).

It should be optional to participate after a certain amount of assets and savings

[Anonymous]

I'm a Cherrydale resident who would like to see that building used for something else. It is ridiculous to have a library branch there when we are so close to the main library.

But I will also fully admit that I did nothing to make my voice heard on this issue, because it's not important enough to me to take the time to be heard. I've got a FT job and a family to care for. Maybe next year.