Arlington tax increase may be greater as residents question spending

Arlington residents were critical of county spending and potential cuts to services and programs on Saturday, as county officials presented their fiscal 2014 budget to the public — including a potentially tax increase than intially proposed.

Arlington County Manager Barbara Donnellan presented a $1 billion budget proposal to the County Board on Saturday morning. Along with cuts across all departments and reductions in community programs, county residents will possibly see increases in various county fees and a real estate tax hike. Board members voted to advertise the real estate tax rate to the public at 5 cents — up from the original 3.2 cents the county manager proposed.