Fairfax County Executive Anthony Griffin will roll out an early round of spending cuts today as county policymakers seek to suture a growing budget crisis.
Griffin also is expected to deliver the latest predictions on next fiscal year’s shortfall, which has expanded dramatically from the $430 million projected this summer. Officials in October revised that budget gap up to $500 million and today expect to see it widen yet again.
Today also marks the last in a round of “lines of business” reviews of county spending, in which agencies laid out how they could trim their budgets by as much as 15 percent. The county executive is expected to detail some of the most painless cuts that can be done this fiscal year, which faces a shortfall of $58 million.
“We’re expecting the county executive will put forward some of the easier of the very hard decisions we’re going to have to make,” said Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity, who said scaling back public library hours could be among the reductions.
Braddock District Supervisor Sharon Bulova, the board’s budget chairman, said Griffin was holding the details of his proposal “close to the vest” until the presentation.
“A number of things were raised during our [budget] review that were essentially no-brainers,” she said.
“Many of the things that were suggested as options were positive efficiencies that agency heads advocated for.”
The county revenue picture continues to worsen as the full extent of the subprime mortgage meltdown and its resulting wave of foreclosures become clear. Bulova said commercial property values are falling alongside residential.
One bright spot, she said, is shrinking fuel prices that have helped reduce school bus and other transportation costs.
Bulova, a Democrat, and Herrity, a Republican, are running against each other in a February special election for the board’s chairmanship, which is being vacated by Rep.-elect Gerry Connolly.
The cuts detailed today will not result in layoffs, Fairfax County spokeswoman Merni Fitzgerald said.
