The City of Alexandria joined other local governments today in announcing curtailed library hours starting this summer. Fairfax County and Arlington County have already been forced to cut back hours in the face of declining tax revenues. However, the difficulties in Northern Virginia are minor compared to the near-bankruptcy in places like New Jersey and California.
The Washington Examiner reported earlier this year that Alexandria was facing a $44 million shortfall and the shortened library hours are only one of many tough choices. In neighboring Arlington, the board of supervisors had to fire more than 40 county employees, including 6 librarians to make ends meet. Although these numbers sound dire, the city of Newark, New Jersey managed to cut their deficit by $105 million, but that still only amounted to half of their overall gap.
Northern Virginia and the D.C. metropolitan area in general have proven to be more resilient than most regions amid the economic downturn. According to the newest data from the Department of Labor, unemployment for the D.C. area is at 5.9%, which is lower than many areas could have hoped for even in the best of times. In the boom days of 2005, the same 5.9% was the unemployment rate in Chicago.
Meanwhile, the National Association of Realtors reports that home values for the D.C. area have risen by 4.7% over a year ago, suggesting that prices have found a bottom, whereas the national average is slightly down and many cities continue to see declines. Orlando, Florida was the hardest hit, with home prices declining by 15% over the past year.
Times are still tough for many people and the cuts to libraries are only one symptom of the larger economic crisis. Still, Northern Virginia has so far managed to avoid the worst effects. Thanks to plentiful government jobs and a strong technology sector, Northern Virginia is doing much better than the nation as a whole.
