McLean to Explore Separating from FC & FCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:will stand by for developments! Can you provide more info about the case study? The only map I see is on MCA website and sure looks like it includes a lot of Tyson's business district - cuts Route 7 right in half.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=18BoqXmkjAMvYj8d6xCVDLeUmj01KaWUG&ll=38.93382462010089%2C-77.23710937705073&z=14

Is MCA is going to draw a map that does not include their membership area and tell those folks their kids can get redistricted?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are people assuming McLean is some fount of massive tax revenue? At least in Arlington the residential areas are all cost centers. The county budget gets almost half its revenue from commercial taxes. McLean is woefully short on retail and commercial centers and lacks the big employment centers that Arlington has. I'm not seeing where McLean gets the funding it needs unless they raise property taxes to 2-3%

Clearly you don’t realize that half of Tysons Corner is in McLean.

Lol. Half of Tysons has a McLean mailing address. That doesn’t mean half of Tysons is in McLean. McLean itself (at best) is arbitrarily defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. The lines currently run along the Dulles Access Road and Spring Hill Road, and doesn’t include any part of the Tysons CBD.

The PP is right. The McLean area does not have a strong commercial tax base. In the unlikely event that it would succeed in incorporating as a separate city (and forget any wild fantasy that McLean could somehow grab part of Tysons), the new city would be overly reliant upon residential property taxes - much more so than Fairfax County as a whole.

FCC isn't exactly Wall Street, and it gets by as an independent jurisdiction. McLean has more expensive residential properties than FCC, and its retail/commercial area is concentrated in a core area that in the aggregate is larger than the commercial area along Broad Street.

As for the residential population, for sure there are a lot of families with children (indeed, the desire for more control over schools that get ignored and left to run on auto-pilot by FCPS is one driver of the initiative to explore incorporation), but it also has singles in apartment buildings in downtown McLean and on the edge of Tysons, as well as older residents who no longer have school-age children.

So I don't think the inability to include the Tysons core in a new jurisdiction would be a show-stopper. You really need to let those who want to explore this see what they can come up. The effort to pre-emptively claim it would be cost-prohibitive is premature and does seem to reflect a desire to keep McLean's tax base within the county or opposition on the part of some to higher taxes. If there were a case that we'd get better schools and services in exchange for higher taxes, I'd gladly pay more in taxes, as would many others.

Well, I live in McLean and I don't support this. And I know others who live in McLean that don't support it as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are people assuming McLean is some fount of massive tax revenue? At least in Arlington the residential areas are all cost centers. The county budget gets almost half its revenue from commercial taxes. McLean is woefully short on retail and commercial centers and lacks the big employment centers that Arlington has. I'm not seeing where McLean gets the funding it needs unless they raise property taxes to 2-3%

Clearly you don’t realize that half of Tysons Corner is in McLean.

Lol. Half of Tysons has a McLean mailing address. That doesn’t mean half of Tysons is in McLean. McLean itself (at best) is arbitrarily defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. The lines currently run along the Dulles Access Road and Spring Hill Road, and doesn’t include any part of the Tysons CBD.

The PP is right. The McLean area does not have a strong commercial tax base. In the unlikely event that it would succeed in incorporating as a separate city (and forget any wild fantasy that McLean could somehow grab part of Tysons), the new city would be overly reliant upon residential property taxes - much more so than Fairfax County as a whole.

FCC isn't exactly Wall Street, and it gets by as an independent jurisdiction. McLean has more expensive residential properties than FCC, and its retail/commercial area is concentrated in a core area that in the aggregate is larger than the commercial area along Broad Street.

As for the residential population, for sure there are a lot of families with children (indeed, the desire for more control over schools that get ignored and left to run on auto-pilot by FCPS is one driver of the initiative to explore incorporation), but it also has singles in apartment buildings in downtown McLean and on the edge of Tysons, as well as older residents who no longer have school-age children.

So I don't think the inability to include the Tysons core in a new jurisdiction would be a show-stopper. You really need to let those who want to explore this see what they can come up. The effort to pre-emptively claim it would be cost-prohibitive is premature and does seem to reflect a desire to keep McLean's tax base within the county or opposition on the part of some to higher taxes. If there were a case that we'd get better schools and services in exchange for higher taxes, I'd gladly pay more in taxes, as would many others.

I think you are mistaken that many others- (In relation to something that would be more than 50%) would also pay more. Try to sell something where its not going to happen for 10 years and by then your kids will be out of school. The people who would benefit an autonomous school district - are not in school right now or don't have kids/live here. This 50 page thread is great for something that probably won't be allowed to happen anytime soon, and if it does will be a huge undertaking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are people assuming McLean is some fount of massive tax revenue? At least in Arlington the residential areas are all cost centers. The county budget gets almost half its revenue from commercial taxes. McLean is woefully short on retail and commercial centers and lacks the big employment centers that Arlington has. I'm not seeing where McLean gets the funding it needs unless they raise property taxes to 2-3%

Clearly you don’t realize that half of Tysons Corner is in McLean.

Lol. Half of Tysons has a McLean mailing address. That doesn’t mean half of Tysons is in McLean. McLean itself (at best) is arbitrarily defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. The lines currently run along the Dulles Access Road and Spring Hill Road, and doesn’t include any part of the Tysons CBD.

The PP is right. The McLean area does not have a strong commercial tax base. In the unlikely event that it would succeed in incorporating as a separate city (and forget any wild fantasy that McLean could somehow grab part of Tysons), the new city would be overly reliant upon residential property taxes - much more so than Fairfax County as a whole.

FCC isn't exactly Wall Street, and it gets by as an independent jurisdiction. McLean has more expensive residential properties than FCC, and its retail/commercial area is concentrated in a core area that in the aggregate is larger than the commercial area along Broad Street.

As for the residential population, for sure there are a lot of families with children (indeed, the desire for more control over schools that get ignored and left to run on auto-pilot by FCPS is one driver of the initiative to explore incorporation), but it also has singles in apartment buildings in downtown McLean and on the edge of Tysons, as well as older residents who no longer have school-age children.

So I don't think the inability to include the Tysons core in a new jurisdiction would be a show-stopper. You really need to let those who want to explore this see what they can come up. The effort to pre-emptively claim it would be cost-prohibitive is premature and does seem to reflect a desire to keep McLean's tax base within the county or opposition on the part of some to higher taxes. If there were a case that we'd get better schools and services in exchange for higher taxes, I'd gladly pay more in taxes, as would many others.

Well, I live in McLean and I don't support this. And I know others who live in McLean that don't support it as well.

Can you explain why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are people assuming McLean is some fount of massive tax revenue? At least in Arlington the residential areas are all cost centers. The county budget gets almost half its revenue from commercial taxes. McLean is woefully short on retail and commercial centers and lacks the big employment centers that Arlington has. I'm not seeing where McLean gets the funding it needs unless they raise property taxes to 2-3%

Clearly you don’t realize that half of Tysons Corner is in McLean.

Lol. Half of Tysons has a McLean mailing address. That doesn’t mean half of Tysons is in McLean. McLean itself (at best) is arbitrarily defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. The lines currently run along the Dulles Access Road and Spring Hill Road, and doesn’t include any part of the Tysons CBD.

The PP is right. The McLean area does not have a strong commercial tax base. In the unlikely event that it would succeed in incorporating as a separate city (and forget any wild fantasy that McLean could somehow grab part of Tysons), the new city would be overly reliant upon residential property taxes - much more so than Fairfax County as a whole.

FCC isn't exactly Wall Street, and it gets by as an independent jurisdiction. McLean has more expensive residential properties than FCC, and its retail/commercial area is concentrated in a core area that in the aggregate is larger than the commercial area along Broad Street.

As for the residential population, for sure there are a lot of families with children (indeed, the desire for more control over schools that get ignored and left to run on auto-pilot by FCPS is one driver of the initiative to explore incorporation), but it also has singles in apartment buildings in downtown McLean and on the edge of Tysons, as well as older residents who no longer have school-age children.

So I don't think the inability to include the Tysons core in a new jurisdiction would be a show-stopper. You really need to let those who want to explore this see what they can come up. The effort to pre-emptively claim it would be cost-prohibitive is premature and does seem to reflect a desire to keep McLean's tax base within the county or opposition on the part of some to higher taxes. If there were a case that we'd get better schools and services in exchange for higher taxes, I'd gladly pay more in taxes, as would many others.

Well, I live in McLean and I don't support this. And I know others who live in McLean that don't support it as well.

It's a long-term project. By the time incorporation might theoretically be possible, people may have gotten an additional dose of what the Fairfax County government and FCPS have in mind for the northern part of the county.

Honestly, I'm bemused by people pushing the thread to over 50 pages because they want to nip someone else's initiative in the bud. Personally, we'd have never bought here if we'd known FCPS was going to be so bad. Any glimmer of hope that we might get out from under their thumb is reassuring.

[Anonymous]

I'm the pp who pointed out the tax base issue wrt commercial taxes. Sorry, maybe I wasn't clear - I don't think this makes everything cost prohibitive. You can make it work. But it's a safe assumption that the property tax rate will need to increase by a substantial amount. Most NOVA jurisdictions tax at roughly 1% of assessed value, with commercial taxes providing roughly 40-60% of the tax base (outside of purely bedroom communities)

I think a new residential property tax rate of 1.5-2.5% is within reason. So for a million dollar house that is an extra $10k a year in taxes. It's easy to see why people might be hesitant

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm the pp who pointed out the tax base issue wrt commercial taxes. Sorry, maybe I wasn't clear - I don't think this makes everything cost prohibitive. You can make it work. But it's a safe assumption that the property tax rate will need to increase by a substantial amount. Most NOVA jurisdictions tax at roughly 1% of assessed value, with commercial taxes providing roughly 40-60% of the tax base (outside of purely bedroom communities)

I think a new residential property tax rate of 1.5-2.5% is within reason. So for a million dollar house that is an extra $10k a year in taxes. It's easy to see why people might be hesitant

The rate in FCC - which operates a school system and provides other city services with a population under 15,000, is 1.355%. A new jurisdiction in northern Fairfax would have at least 4X that many people and include more expensive properties.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are people assuming McLean is some fount of massive tax revenue? At least in Arlington the residential areas are all cost centers. The county budget gets almost half its revenue from commercial taxes. McLean is woefully short on retail and commercial centers and lacks the big employment centers that Arlington has. I'm not seeing where McLean gets the funding it needs unless they raise property taxes to 2-3%

Clearly you don’t realize that half of Tysons Corner is in McLean.

Lol. Half of Tysons has a McLean mailing address. That doesn’t mean half of Tysons is in McLean. McLean itself (at best) is arbitrarily defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. The lines currently run along the Dulles Access Road and Spring Hill Road, and doesn’t include any part of the Tysons CBD.

The PP is right. The McLean area does not have a strong commercial tax base. In the unlikely event that it would succeed in incorporating as a separate city (and forget any wild fantasy that McLean could somehow grab part of Tysons), the new city would be overly reliant upon residential property taxes - much more so than Fairfax County as a whole.

FCC isn't exactly Wall Street, and it gets by as an independent jurisdiction. McLean has more expensive residential properties than FCC, and its retail/commercial area is concentrated in a core area that in the aggregate is larger than the commercial area along Broad Street.

As for the residential population, for sure there are a lot of families with children (indeed, the desire for more control over schools that get ignored and left to run on auto-pilot by FCPS is one driver of the initiative to explore incorporation), but it also has singles in apartment buildings in downtown McLean and on the edge of Tysons, as well as older residents who no longer have school-age children.

So I don't think the inability to include the Tysons core in a new jurisdiction would be a show-stopper. You really need to let those who want to explore this see what they can come up. The effort to pre-emptively claim it would be cost-prohibitive is premature and does seem to reflect a desire to keep McLean's tax base within the county or opposition on the part of some to higher taxes. If there were a case that we'd get better schools and services in exchange for higher taxes, I'd gladly pay more in taxes, as would many others.

Well, I live in McLean and I don't support this. And I know others who live in McLean that don't support it as well.

It's a long-term project. By the time incorporation might theoretically be possible, people may have gotten an additional dose of what the Fairfax County government and FCPS have in mind for the northern part of the county.

Honestly, I'm bemused by people pushing the thread to over 50 pages because they want to nip someone else's initiative in the bud. Personally, we'd have never bought here if we'd known FCPS was going to be so bad. Any glimmer of hope that we might get out from under their thumb is reassuring.

So, you can't handle people who disagree with you or who think this is a dumb idea?

And nobody is forcing you to stay if you think FCPS is so bad...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are people assuming McLean is some fount of massive tax revenue? At least in Arlington the residential areas are all cost centers. The county budget gets almost half its revenue from commercial taxes. McLean is woefully short on retail and commercial centers and lacks the big employment centers that Arlington has. I'm not seeing where McLean gets the funding it needs unless they raise property taxes to 2-3%

Clearly you don’t realize that half of Tysons Corner is in McLean.

Lol. Half of Tysons has a McLean mailing address. That doesn’t mean half of Tysons is in McLean. McLean itself (at best) is arbitrarily defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. The lines currently run along the Dulles Access Road and Spring Hill Road, and doesn’t include any part of the Tysons CBD.

The PP is right. The McLean area does not have a strong commercial tax base. In the unlikely event that it would succeed in incorporating as a separate city (and forget any wild fantasy that McLean could somehow grab part of Tysons), the new city would be overly reliant upon residential property taxes - much more so than Fairfax County as a whole.

FCC isn't exactly Wall Street, and it gets by as an independent jurisdiction. McLean has more expensive residential properties than FCC, and its retail/commercial area is concentrated in a core area that in the aggregate is larger than the commercial area along Broad Street.

As for the residential population, for sure there are a lot of families with children (indeed, the desire for more control over schools that get ignored and left to run on auto-pilot by FCPS is one driver of the initiative to explore incorporation), but it also has singles in apartment buildings in downtown McLean and on the edge of Tysons, as well as older residents who no longer have school-age children.

So I don't think the inability to include the Tysons core in a new jurisdiction would be a show-stopper. You really need to let those who want to explore this see what they can come up. The effort to pre-emptively claim it would be cost-prohibitive is premature and does seem to reflect a desire to keep McLean's tax base within the county or opposition on the part of some to higher taxes. If there were a case that we'd get better schools and services in exchange for higher taxes, I'd gladly pay more in taxes, as would many others.

Well, I live in McLean and I don't support this. And I know others who live in McLean that don't support it as well.

It's a long-term project. By the time incorporation might theoretically be possible, people may have gotten an additional dose of what the Fairfax County government and FCPS have in mind for the northern part of the county.

Honestly, I'm bemused by people pushing the thread to over 50 pages because they want to nip someone else's initiative in the bud. Personally, we'd have never bought here if we'd known FCPS was going to be so bad. Any glimmer of hope that we might get out from under their thumb is reassuring.

So, you can't handle people who disagree with you or who think this is a dumb idea?

And nobody is forcing you to stay if you think FCPS is so bad...

Indeed, and FCPS has had no problem getting people to leave lately, as the 2020-21 enrollment numbers continue to demonstrate.

Some of us do like our houses, neighborhoods, and even aspects of our neglected schools, but it doesn't mean things couldn't and shouldn't be much better.

[Anonymous]

LOL - I do not know why this thread fascinates me so much - maybe just the change from the usual discussions and learning about tax rates, density of housing with school age children, or maybe because it pits the rich v. the rest of us. In any case, highly entertaining.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm the pp who pointed out the tax base issue wrt commercial taxes. Sorry, maybe I wasn't clear - I don't think this makes everything cost prohibitive. You can make it work. But it's a safe assumption that the property tax rate will need to increase by a substantial amount. Most NOVA jurisdictions tax at roughly 1% of assessed value, with commercial taxes providing roughly 40-60% of the tax base (outside of purely bedroom communities)

I think a new residential property tax rate of 1.5-2.5% is within reason. So for a million dollar house that is an extra $10k a year in taxes. It's easy to see why people might be hesitant

The rate in FCC - which operates a school system and provides other city services with a population under 15,000, is 1.355%. A new jurisdiction in northern Fairfax would have at least 4X that many people and include more expensive properties.

But that 1.355% is only because FCC already owns its school buildings and the land that they sit on. McLean would have to spend many millions to buy its schools and the land they sit on from Ffx Cty before it could charge the 1.355% (or similar) rate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are people assuming McLean is some fount of massive tax revenue? At least in Arlington the residential areas are all cost centers. The county budget gets almost half its revenue from commercial taxes. McLean is woefully short on retail and commercial centers and lacks the big employment centers that Arlington has. I'm not seeing where McLean gets the funding it needs unless they raise property taxes to 2-3%

Clearly you don’t realize that half of Tysons Corner is in McLean.

Lol. Half of Tysons has a McLean mailing address. That doesn’t mean half of Tysons is in McLean. McLean itself (at best) is arbitrarily defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. The lines currently run along the Dulles Access Road and Spring Hill Road, and doesn’t include any part of the Tysons CBD.

The PP is right. The McLean area does not have a strong commercial tax base. In the unlikely event that it would succeed in incorporating as a separate city (and forget any wild fantasy that McLean could somehow grab part of Tysons), the new city would be overly reliant upon residential property taxes - much more so than Fairfax County as a whole.

FCC isn't exactly Wall Street, and it gets by as an independent jurisdiction. McLean has more expensive residential properties than FCC, and its retail/commercial area is concentrated in a core area that in the aggregate is larger than the commercial area along Broad Street.

As for the residential population, for sure there are a lot of families with children (indeed, the desire for more control over schools that get ignored and left to run on auto-pilot by FCPS is one driver of the initiative to explore incorporation), but it also has singles in apartment buildings in downtown McLean and on the edge of Tysons, as well as older residents who no longer have school-age children.

So I don't think the inability to include the Tysons core in a new jurisdiction would be a show-stopper. You really need to let those who want to explore this see what they can come up. The effort to pre-emptively claim it would be cost-prohibitive is premature and does seem to reflect a desire to keep McLean's tax base within the county or opposition on the part of some to higher taxes. If there were a case that we'd get better schools and services in exchange for higher taxes, I'd gladly pay more in taxes, as would many others.

Well, I live in McLean and I don't support this. And I know others who live in McLean that don't support it as well.

It's a long-term project. By the time incorporation might theoretically be possible, people may have gotten an additional dose of what the Fairfax County government and FCPS have in mind for the northern part of the county.

Honestly, I'm bemused by people pushing the thread to over 50 pages because they want to nip someone else's initiative in the bud. Personally, we'd have never bought here if we'd known FCPS was going to be so bad. Any glimmer of hope that we might get out from under their thumb is reassuring.

So, you can't handle people who disagree with you or who think this is a dumb idea?

And nobody is forcing you to stay if you think FCPS is so bad...

Indeed, and FCPS has had no problem getting people to leave lately, as the 2020-21 enrollment numbers continue to demonstrate.

Some of us do like our houses, neighborhoods, and even aspects of our neglected schools, but it doesn't mean things couldn't and shouldn't be much better.

This year enrollment is down by over 8k. However 7500 of that is at the elementary level- particularly the lower grades k,1,2.
Middle School is down by about 500 and High School down by about 400. The Middle School and High School #s are not down as much as what I thought they would be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm the pp who pointed out the tax base issue wrt commercial taxes. Sorry, maybe I wasn't clear - I don't think this makes everything cost prohibitive. You can make it work. But it's a safe assumption that the property tax rate will need to increase by a substantial amount. Most NOVA jurisdictions tax at roughly 1% of assessed value, with commercial taxes providing roughly 40-60% of the tax base (outside of purely bedroom communities)

I think a new residential property tax rate of 1.5-2.5% is within reason. So for a million dollar house that is an extra $10k a year in taxes. It's easy to see why people might be hesitant

The rate in FCC - which operates a school system and provides other city services with a population under 15,000, is 1.355%. A new jurisdiction in northern Fairfax would have at least 4X that many people and include more expensive properties.

But that 1.355% is only because FCC already owns its school buildings and the land that they sit on. McLean would have to spend many millions to buy its schools and the land they sit on from Ffx Cty before it could charge the 1.355% (or similar) rate.

+1

And it doesn’t stop with the schools: Park land, library buildings, other county-owned property. These are the kind of expensive details conveniently overlooked or forgotten.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are people assuming McLean is some fount of massive tax revenue? At least in Arlington the residential areas are all cost centers. The county budget gets almost half its revenue from commercial taxes. McLean is woefully short on retail and commercial centers and lacks the big employment centers that Arlington has. I'm not seeing where McLean gets the funding it needs unless they raise property taxes to 2-3%

Clearly you don’t realize that half of Tysons Corner is in McLean.

Lol. Half of Tysons has a McLean mailing address. That doesn’t mean half of Tysons is in McLean. McLean itself (at best) is arbitrarily defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. The lines currently run along the Dulles Access Road and Spring Hill Road, and doesn’t include any part of the Tysons CBD.

The PP is right. The McLean area does not have a strong commercial tax base. In the unlikely event that it would succeed in incorporating as a separate city (and forget any wild fantasy that McLean could somehow grab part of Tysons), the new city would be overly reliant upon residential property taxes - much more so than Fairfax County as a whole.

FCC isn't exactly Wall Street, and it gets by as an independent jurisdiction. McLean has more expensive residential properties than FCC, and its retail/commercial area is concentrated in a core area that in the aggregate is larger than the commercial area along Broad Street.

As for the residential population, for sure there are a lot of families with children (indeed, the desire for more control over schools that get ignored and left to run on auto-pilot by FCPS is one driver of the initiative to explore incorporation), but it also has singles in apartment buildings in downtown McLean and on the edge of Tysons, as well as older residents who no longer have school-age children.

So I don't think the inability to include the Tysons core in a new jurisdiction would be a show-stopper. You really need to let those who want to explore this see what they can come up. The effort to pre-emptively claim it would be cost-prohibitive is premature and does seem to reflect a desire to keep McLean's tax base within the county or opposition on the part of some to higher taxes. If there were a case that we'd get better schools and services in exchange for higher taxes, I'd gladly pay more in taxes, as would many others.

Well, I live in McLean and I don't support this. And I know others who live in McLean that don't support it as well.

It's a long-term project. By the time incorporation might theoretically be possible, people may have gotten an additional dose of what the Fairfax County government and FCPS have in mind for the northern part of the county.

Honestly, I'm bemused by people pushing the thread to over 50 pages because they want to nip someone else's initiative in the bud. Personally, we'd have never bought here if we'd known FCPS was going to be so bad. Any glimmer of hope that we might get out from under their thumb is reassuring.

So, you can't handle people who disagree with you or who think this is a dumb idea?

And nobody is forcing you to stay if you think FCPS is so bad...

Indeed, and FCPS has had no problem getting people to leave lately, as the 2020-21 enrollment numbers continue to demonstrate.

Some of us do like our houses, neighborhoods, and even aspects of our neglected schools, but it doesn't mean things couldn't and shouldn't be much better.

This year enrollment is down by over 8k. However 7500 of that is at the elementary level- particularly the lower grades k,1,2.
Middle School is down by about 500 and High School down by about 400. The Middle School and High School #s are not down as much as what I thought they would be.

Huge difference in high school tuition and elementary tuition at private schools. Also private high schools are more selective. People would have had to apply before they knew the pandemic would shut down school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm the pp who pointed out the tax base issue wrt commercial taxes. Sorry, maybe I wasn't clear - I don't think this makes everything cost prohibitive. You can make it work. But it's a safe assumption that the property tax rate will need to increase by a substantial amount. Most NOVA jurisdictions tax at roughly 1% of assessed value, with commercial taxes providing roughly 40-60% of the tax base (outside of purely bedroom communities)

I think a new residential property tax rate of 1.5-2.5% is within reason. So for a million dollar house that is an extra $10k a year in taxes. It's easy to see why people might be hesitant

The rate in FCC - which operates a school system and provides other city services with a population under 15,000, is 1.355%. A new jurisdiction in northern Fairfax would have at least 4X that many people and include more expensive properties.

But that 1.355% is only because FCC already owns its school buildings and the land that they sit on. McLean would have to spend many millions to buy its schools and the land they sit on from Ffx Cty before it could charge the 1.355% (or similar) rate.

+1

And it doesn’t stop with the schools: Park land, library buildings, other county-owned property. These are the kind of expensive details conveniently overlooked or forgotten.

All negotiable. The county would be relieved from the expense of maintaining the properties and providing services to those using them.