Arlington faces $20M budget shortfall in the coming year

Arlington County begins 2007 facedwith a budget shortfall of $20 million for fiscal 2008, but officials are confident that the county can draft a spending plan that does not call for tax increases.

County officials said a slowing real estate market led to the funding gap. In recent years, real estate tax revenues skyrocketed as the price of homes went up. Now, with the real estate market softening, county officials are working on a budget that does not require tax increases.