State lawmakers are forcing Northern Virginia cities and counties to cough up millions of dollars to fill the state budget shortfall.
Officials in Alexandria, Fairfax County and other Washington-area localities are scrambling to incorporate the payment into their budgets.
“It used to be in the Old West, you needed a gun to rob people,” said Alexandria Vice Mayor Kerry Donley. “Now all you need is to be a member of the state legislature.”
Alexandria leaders expect the state to ask for $1.3 million from the city as part of a program first implemented for fiscal2009, when the state asked for $50 million from Virginia’s local governments.
The “reversion” program — as state lawmakers call it — originally was excluded from the coming year’s budget, but lawmakers decided to incorporate and expand the policy. As a result, counties and cities will have to return $60 million to the state during each of the next two years.
“The state legislature couldn’t quite balance their books, so they figured they’d just take $60 million from localities and let them figure out how they want to pay it,” said Alexandria Legislative Director Bernard Caton.
To come up with the cash, Alexandria and surrounding counties can make cuts to existing state aid-funded programs. Or they can write a check.
“We wanted to allow the localities to make their own internal decisions with regard to what they would want to cut,” said Robert Vaughn, staff director for the state’s House Appropriations Committee.
“We’re allowed to pick our poison,” said Jon Altshul, a budget analyst for Arlington County. Arlington expects the state to ask for about $1.5 million in cash or spending reductions.
In Loudoun County, officials anticipate sending $1 million back to the state, and Prince William County estimates the county’s giveback at about $1.8 million. In Fairfax, Virginia’s largest county, the figure is closer to $5 million.
“The state calls it a flexible cut,” said Susan Datta, Fairfax’s budget director. “We had anticipated state revenue reductions, but we’re still sorting everything out.”
Local officials expect to have firm numbers from the state in the next few weeks, and must make payments by August.
