Arlington and Alexandria boast of their speedy recovery from the recession, as both enter a new budget cycle without facing a deficit for the first time in three years, but officials in each jurisdiction still aren’t prepared to restore cuts made to local services. Reductions in nearly every department will remain in both localities. For Arlington, heavy cuts to the parks and library budgets will keep scaled-back operating hours in effect. In Alexandria, cuts to museum and recreation center hours will remain, and none of the 65 city positions cut in last year’s budget are expected to be restored. Still, officials were pleased with their budget situation. A year ago, Arlington and Alexandria faced budget shortfalls of $65 million and $44 million, respectively.
“Our financial condition remains strong,” Alexandria City Manager James Hartmann said at a budget meeting Tuesday. “We’re coming out of this faster than they are across the [Potomac] river because we don’t have a dependency on income taxes. And we’re inside the Beltway, and our properties are performing better.”
In Maryland, Montgomery County officials are grappling with a $300 million budget shortfall, while Prince George’s County faces a $77 million gap.
Arlington closed a predicted $25 million budget shortfall thanks to increases in property tax revenue. Property values rose 6.3 percent in the last year, more than the 1.7 percent gain officials were expecting. No service cuts are included in County Manager Barbara Donnellan’s proposed $985.2 million budget.
But about $33 million in cuts made the past two years across all county departments, most notably parks and libraries, still won’t be restored.
“Right now, this is the budget we think makes sense given the level of revenue,” Deputy County Manager Mark Schwartz said, adding that if any more funds became available, staff would consult each department and the County Board on where services can begin to be restored.
Hartmann’s $533.4 million budget for Alexandria includes minimal spending increases — he recommends $19,000 for library security guards and $65,000 for watering flowers and trees — but according to Chief Financial Officer Bruce Johnson, it’s fair to say service cuts will remain.
If revenues do exceed the city’s expectations, Hartmann assembled a list of nine priority spending increases for the City Council to consider, including $1 million to increase street paving and $150,000 for a gang prevention fund.
