Fairfax County will put thousands of its employees on unpaid leave, one of a host of cuts, to counter ballooning budget shortfalls this year and next.
The county will furlough an estimated 9,000 members of its work force on Jan. 2 — a Friday and the day after a federal holiday — excluding critical agencies such as public safety, officials said Tuesday.
County officials detailed a new budget gap of as much as $60 million for the current fiscal year, and said the projected shortfall for the next fiscal year has grown by $70 million to $500 million as part of the nation’s ongoing economic crisis.
The cuts laid out Tuesday will address only the immediate deficit, officials said at a news conference.
Agency budgets, which already have been sliced 4 percent in the last year, will be cut another 2 percent, essentially amounting to a hiring freeze, said County Executive Anthony Griffin.
The county will cancel nonessential travel and training. Equipment purchases not already being procured will be cut. Vehicle replacements will be delayed, as will some construction projects. The county’s $100 million “rainy day” reserve fund will be depleted by $25 million.
The cuts come amid grim budget news for other Northern Virginia localities and the state government — which is facing a $2.5 billion shortfall over the next few years.
In Fairfax, which will see a race for chairman of the Board of Supervisors next year if current Chairman Gerry Connolly wins a seat in Congress, the fiscal picture is sure to become a central issue in the election.
“This is more important than even for us to be able to prepare for next year, as well as for us to be taking action during this current fiscal year,” said Supervisor Sharon Bulova, the Democrat expected to run for the board’s top spot.
Pat Herrity, the Republican supervisor expected to oppose her, criticized the board for not putting the cuts in place sooner.
“We knew we had it coming,” he said. “We had the chance to make the cuts last year and we raised taxes 3 cents.”
The fiscal 2010 shortfall is largely due to sinking home values, which are forecasted to plummet by 12 percent in fiscal 2010, which starts July 1, 2009. Taxes from real estate make up the largest part of Fairfax County’s revenue pie. Other taxes, like those on business licenses and building inspections, are also down.
