Recession Budget Cuts Services, Raises Tax Rate

Article Tools

Share This +

But Average Bill Will Drop by $279

Originally published at 11:53 a.m., April 7, 2009
Updated at 12:00 a.m., April 8, 2009

Loudoun County taxpayers will see a 10 1/2-cent increase in their property tax rate this year and reduced services at schools, libraries and other agencies under a budget approved Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors.

Faced with a sharp drop in property tax revenue because of plummeting home values, the board eliminated dozens of county jobs and passed a budget for fiscal 2010 that is about $200 million less than the current spending plan of roughly $1.6 billion.

Despite the higher rate, the average residential tax bill will be nearly 6 percent lower than last year's.

"Striking a balance between providing core services and dealing with tax bill increases has been a tall order," said Supervisor Sally R. Kurtz (D-Catoctin), adding that the board focused on "sound fiscal principles in the long term."

The new Loudoun tax rate of $1.245 per $100 of assessed value is the highest of any Northern Virginia county. Prince William County officials recently approved a tax rate of $1.212, although that figure does not include a 7-cent tax for fire and rescue services.

Because of the steep fall in the assessed value of homes, the average residential tax bill in Loudoun will drop by $279 even with the higher tax rate, according to the county assessor's figures, the first such drop since 1995. The average residential assessment for 2009 is 13.7 percent lower than last year.

INTERNET ENHANCED

Related Chart

Loudoun County Tax Rates

Related Poll

How will your tax bill change?

Related Content

April 6, 2009 -- Tax Rate to Be Set Tuesday
March 31, 2009 - Property Tax Hike Gets Initial Approval

The board approved the budget by a vote of 6 to 3, with Vice Chairman Susan Klimek Buckley (D-Sugarland Run) and Supervisors Eugene A. Delgaudio (R-Sterling) and Lori L. Waters (R-Broad Run) in opposition.

And the vote came with a dire warning for next year. "It's only going to get worse, so be prepared," said Chairman Scott K. York (I-At Large).

Of the 86 county positions being eliminated, 33 are currently filled. Among the most notable casualties in the budget the supervisors approved:

-- The school system will get $762 million in local tax funding, $34 million less than in the current fiscal year. The reduction could trigger increases in student athletic and parking fees; cuts in spending on buses for after-school activities and field trips; changes to the school district's health-care plans, including increases in employee co-pays and deductibles; and a decrease in part-time and overtime salaries.

The School Board will decide next week whether to approve those measures or find other reductions in spending.

-- Fifteen building inspection positions were cut, including fire code, mechanical, plumbing, building and electrical inspectors, saving the county $1.15 million. The number of inspections countywide had dropped from an average of 1,100 a day to 700 a day.

-- The animal shelter will be open for adoptions five days a week instead of six, closing on Fridays (although it will remain open that day for people to surrender animals). The shelter is already closed to the public on Sundays.

-- Loudoun's West Nile virus prevention program, which has operated since 2002 and cost $151,000 last year, was eliminated.

-- Library services were cut by $434,000, which could include some layoffs of security guards and employees in circulation, reference and adult services; the closure of the After Hours Teen Center program; and the elimination of outreach services for senior citizens, homebound residents and those in jail and juvenile detention.

-- A vacant position of deputy chief of fire and rescue was eliminated, along with 18 other full-time but mostly vacant jobs in the agency, and the completion and staffing of a fire station in Brambleton was delayed to 2011.

-- A $10 maintenance and youth sports user fee will be collected through the county's parks and recreation system, generating an additional $612,000 in county revenue.

-- All county employees' salaries were frozen, and the county stopped matching employee contributions to deferred compensation plans.

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office was a big winner, avoiding any of the cuts that had been proposed in its budget. The library system might see $100,000 restored to its budget. And county officials dipped into an estimated $1 million in leftover tax revenue to restore funding to the Carver Adult Day Center, a senior citizens' program in Purcellville.

The outcome of the budget process, which lasted five weeks, took up nine Board of Supervisors work sessions and involved more than 400 public comments by residents, was not without controversy.

The Loudoun County Republican Committee and the nonprofit Loudoun Taxpayers for Accountable Government spoke x against the higher tax rate, calling it fiscally irresponsible. And both Republican supervisors called for the county to cut spending further or risk overwhelming cash-strapped taxpayers.

Delgaudio said he had his "hat in hand" for more reductions, after having made 56 motions over five weeks to cut the budget (he succeeded four times, according to county records). And Waters said residential property assessments showed a "significant disparity" from district to district, which will force some Loudoun residents to pay higher property taxes.

"There is no average taxpayer here. It is my opinion that this is not the right decision in this economic time," Waters said. "We do have a record number of foreclosures in this county, and I don't want to add to their burden."

But other supervisors said the tax rate increase was necessary to fund services for the county's 280,000 residents. Supervisor Jim Burton (I-Blue Ridge) said critics were "intentionally confusing the tax rate with tax burdens."

County officials also passed a six-year, $1.37 billion capital improvement program that would fund Loudoun's portion of the cost to extend Metrorail to Dulles; construction of 12 elementary, middle and high schools and an advanced technology academy; fire and rescue stations in Aldie, Kirkpatrick Farm, Leesburg and western Loudoun; and the expansion of the county courts complex and the Juvenile Detention Center, among other projects.

Tagged: Board of Supervisors, Economy, property tax hike, taxes

Comments:

Note: LoudounExtra.com does not necessarily agree with comments posted below — responsibility lies with the relevant reader alone. Peruse our reader agreement and privacy policy

The funniest part of this report is the word "reluctantly" in the first line. Susan Buckley wanted more money, that's why she voted against the budget.

2 items of note, a victory on the LCSO budget. Now is not the time to be cutting this dept, even though hiring is halted. Also, not ONE job was lost in the LCPS, not one. The cuts to school budget could have been deeper without a doubt, but history repeats itself, the schools give up less than anyone and claim they are being ripped apart. Spare me the crocidile tears, Hatrick.

Posted by cheekymonkey (anonymous) on April 7, 2009 at 2:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)

And with it came a dire warning for next year. “It's only going to get worse, so be prepared,” said Chairman Scott K. York (I-At Large).
Line up little sheep, drink the kool-aid. This is a criminal act and there has to be a way to stop the county from stealing from the property owners.

Posted by Funnyguyva (anonymous) on April 7, 2009 at 2:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I don't have the words to describe how utterly ridiculous this is. I have lived in Loudoun for 2 years with a fixed interest rate mortgage, and oddly enough my mortgage payment has gone up every single year due to increases in the damn property tax rate.

I plan to vote every single incumbent out. You should do the same. Incompetence is not to be rewarded with cushy board of supervisor jobs.

Posted by bcjunior2001_spam (anonymous) on April 7, 2009 at 2:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)

This is what happens when growth goes unchecked. We have to pay for additional services and taxes go up.

Posted by eiregoddess (anonymous) on April 7, 2009 at 2:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Hey, bcjunior2001_spam, thanks for moving to Loudoun...you and about 100,000 of your friends. Since we didn't get any $$ from you to build everything you're using, I wonder what you're complaining about. Those of us who've lived here 30 years or so have been paying for a long, long time. You're the freeloader.

Posted by AHappyWarrior (anonymous) on April 7, 2009 at 3:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)

My taxes went up $200. So much for my "average drop of $347".

Posted by shevco (anonymous) on April 7, 2009 at 3:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Unhappywarrior, So you are advocating an entrance fee for people moving to Loudoun? Are you an idiot? Public works and infrastructure are negiotiated with builders when they profer land, so if you want to point a finger, point it at previous boards for not negotiating better up front deals for the county. You can also blame the previous BOS's for indulging the LCPS to the extent that we can't afford to keep libraries open for the general public, but our middle schoolers will still get MAndarin Chinese in special summer school classes! Thank goodness!

Scott York has the nerve to warn about next year when we have a deficit next year? What a jerk.

Also, I'm all for voting useless incumbents out but remember who voted for and against this increase and their reasons why. We have 2 fiscally responsible Supervisors, Waters and Delgaudio. The rest of them want more of your money.

Posted by cheekymonkey (anonymous) on April 7, 2009 at 3:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)

It's truly criminal that a government would do this to Loudoun County residents after a year of suffering catastrophic losses in home values and retirement plans. Just because the people running the county are so stupid that they never imagined property values going down doesn't mean that counting on property values to go up every year was a sound fiscal policy. We should not be punished because our local government is incompetent. There really needs to be an intercession by our congressmen and legislators to help protect the tax payer from this kind of future theft.

Posted by VAChristopher (anonymous) on April 7, 2009 at 3:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Hey AHappyWarrior - Yes it's my fault that YOU continued to elect these people after they raised YOUR taxes for at a minimum the last 2 years.

Me and my girlfriend and no kids are definitely the cause of the problem.

Thanks for you valuable thoughts....

Posted by bcjunior2001_spam (anonymous) on April 7, 2009 at 3:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)

BCjunior, We actually had a huge turnover in the last BOS elections, we were "lucky" enough to get some more tax and spenders - imagine that? The "throw the bums out" mentality is understandable, but we have 3 more years of tax raises till we get a new Board. Hold on to your outrage.

Posted by cheekymonkey (anonymous) on April 7, 2009 at 3:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)

cheekymonkey - Ahhhh it all makes sense now, raise taxes to utterly insane levels in year one, only to look like saviors when they lower it again right before election time 3 years on. Repeat. Retire to florida.. Got it..

Now if only I can figure out how to eat and clothe myself for the next 3 years!!!

Posted by bcjunior2001_spam (anonymous) on April 7, 2009 at 4:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)

The free tickets for unchecked growth were given away years and years ago, all to the chanting of "growth pays for itself". We are now seeing (like many other surrounding counties have in the past) that it doesn't, and we unfortunately have the recession blame for making it crystal clear and more painful to bear.

Now the time has come to pay the piper for poor choices of the past. Bend over and take it Loudoun, and remember it wasn't this BOS who created the REAL problem here.

Posted by adrienne.gardner (anonymous) on April 7, 2009 at 4:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I wonder if those drastic cuts in the school budget will enable the doors to open next year? Our BOS addresses the big issues (school budget 80% of expenditure) the same way Congress address the big issues: punt them down the field and hope the voters forget. Elections have consequences and I'm cynical enough now to believe that the voters will actually vote out those who don't spend more.

Posted by dbc007 (anonymous) on April 7, 2009 at 4:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Charming imagery, Ms. Gardner.

Even if another house were never built in this county, the people who live here now would still have children, they and their parents will still age and need service, and so on.

Pretending it was still a farm economy (criminy, some people still do pretend that) helped with budgeting for infrastructure as growth continued?

There are things in this budget based on that happy fantasy that could still come out: small private schools for protected areas at multiples the cost per seat of any other school, departments and commissions devoted to promotion and support of hobby or part time businesses, tax deferrals for "open space" on parcels too small to subdivide, and on and on.

We are all taking it, and some much more than others on behalf of the protected alternative "reality".

Posted by BarbaraMunsey (anonymous) on April 7, 2009 at 5:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Unfortunately, in Virginia local jurisdictions are primarly dependent on real estate taxes for most of their revenue. As a result, when their is a drastic drop in the assessed value of that real estate (residential and commercial), the bottom falls out. The Commonwealth provides some assistance for education and this coming year the County will receive a share of the Stimulus Funds specifically designated for education, or the situation would have been even worse. Instead of being so dependent on real estate tax revenue, Virginia needs to find other sources of revenue for local jurisdictions such as a share of the Commonwealth's income tax revenue specifically generated by that locality.

Posted by jculfsr (anonymous) on April 7, 2009 at 5:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)

What are you people talking about? The BOS has slashed spending across the board. The County is going to operate on millions less than it did last year. If this is the widespread reaction, I don't see why any of them bothered to make any cuts. If you are going to behave as though they raised taxes (they didn't), then what was the point of trying to cut anything.

Posted by GR8PMPKN (anonymous) on April 7, 2009 at 6 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Interesting to watch the GOP Supervisors squirm on the budget. Of course they forget the budgets they voted to approve that while cutting the rate actually raised taxes. Each person needs to look at the bottom line to understand the impact -- my taxes go down more than $500 at $1.245.

One year when the GOP was in control my taxes went up nearly $1000 while the rate was cut. Gene puts up his bogus cuts that he rarely receives a second on because they are so ridiculous. But, of course, you will see his smiling face at the ribbon cutting for the new pool, park that he voted against but then takes credit for.

Posted by LoudounModerate (anonymous) on April 7, 2009 at 6:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I'm sure that many of you think that County Staff are like all other Govt workers (lazy etc) but the county employees that have had their salaries frozen and had their matching employee contributions to deferred compensation plans dropped will now fulfill your low expectations.
County staff morale is now at an all time low.
The BOS should not be balancing the budget on the staff the depend on to deleivery quality services.
You get what you pay for.

Posted by CountrySide2cents (anonymous) on April 7, 2009 at 7:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Whine, whine whine. If you want services, you have to pay for them. Sell your house, if you can, and move to the cheaper redneck county, pw!

Posted by mortified469 (anonymous) on April 7, 2009 at 7:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I guess we all knew the Board of Simpletons was going to do this. We can only hope that they all decide to take a nice long walk down a dark street in Sterling at 2AM one morning, wearing copious amounts of jewelry and carrying cash.

Posted by Hoqenishy (anonymous) on April 7, 2009 at 8:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Still no one has the nerve to fire Hatrick or any of his overpaid cronies, nor cut their free cars and vacations. This BOS is getting the axe next election, all of 'em, along with Hatrick's brown nosing school board members.

Posted by GenuineRisk (anonymous) on April 7, 2009 at 11:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I would learn some lesson from this and If I were in board, I would actually try to stop building excessive homes in loudoun county, if some builders wants to build more houses then I would ask them to pay more up front because of the spending increases on county resources for every single house that they built. It may also help to maintain existing house prices because new houses will become more expensive.

Posted by kmendhekar (anonymous) on April 8, 2009 at 9:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Here's one: Ask your School Bd member how much Loudoun County PAYS to send High Students to school in Fairfax County. About 150 students attend Thomas Jefferson High School in Fairfax. They could eaasily attend school in Loudoun County at NO extra cost to the taxpayer.

Posted by Va029 (anonymous) on April 8, 2009 at 9:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Va029, there are so many questions to ask the School Board and HAtrick, but you will be drowned out by the contrived "masses" of PTA robots and LCPS employees that do not tolerate the questions. Seriously, next budget cycle, or perhaps School Board meeting, go voice your concerns or ask questions and see how these ninnies operate, they are like a well coordinated mob.

Sadly, I know many LCPS employees that are reasonable people and understand the buldging budget and tax payer implications for things like sending kids to TJHS and Mandarine Chinese, but they are afraid to speak their minds. Help them out by speaking out at the next public input opportunity, whether you are new to Loudoun or been here for 40 years, we need your support.

Posted by cheekymonkey (anonymous) on April 8, 2009 at 11:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)

TJ is the best high school in the country. Those students are lucky to go. But it would be reasonable to charge the parents to bus them to TJ.

Posted by bschweiker (anonymous) on April 8, 2009 at 12:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Not everyone's assessed value went down. Mine did not.

My property taxes will go up by approximately $1688.

Growth would have paid for itself, if the school board did not insist on spending significantly more than the rate of growth. Very small schools on very large campuses, expensive amenities, expensive programs, no fees (which other public school districts charge for), high pupil/staff ratio, the list goes on.

Don't blame growth--we need the jobs, blame very poor decisions on the part of our elected officials taking inadequate or unenforceable proffers, and spending our money like drunks.

Posted by MANN12 (anonymous) on April 8, 2009 at 12:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Disappointing. Considering property taxes rose from $2,347 in 2001 to $5,300 in 2008, as politicians took advantage of rising housing prices to elevate spending to more than double the rate of inflation, this is not much of a tax cut or reduction in spending, especially in this poor economic climate. They should have gone much lower.

Posted by Loudountag (anonymous) on April 8, 2009 at 12:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)

bschwieker, TJ may be the best HS in the country - but look at the building and facilities. It is old and crumbling with few ammenities, but somehow it produces excellent students with excellent educations. Any lessons here? Now you see why many people think the gold plated system in Loudoun has little to do with the education of children, and more to do with keeping the establishment within the Public Schools in power as well as lining the pockets of Unions and administration.

Posted by cheekymonkey (anonymous) on April 9, 2009 at 8:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I wish our schools were old, crumbling, with few amenities. That would be awesome.

Posted by AFF3 (anonymous) on April 9, 2009 at 11:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Dont have an account? Sign up!

Recession Budget Cuts Services, Raises Tax Rate

Article Tools

Share This +

But Average Bill Will Drop by $279

INTERNET ENHANCED

Comments:

Post a comment

Deal of the Day

$25 Off House Cleaning From Maid To Please!

Latest Deal

Your Thoughts...

Most...