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Public speaks on Fairfax City budget
Tax fairness for the business community and funding for additional police officers were two of the themes during a public hearing on the Fairfax City’s proposed $128 million budget for fiscal 2009, held at Daniels Run Elementary School Tuesday evening.
The city council voted recently to set the advertised real estate tax rate at 79 cents for every $100 of assessed property value, up from the current rate of 72 cents. As a result of the action, the council may lower the rate when it votes April 8 on the final version of the city budget, but it cannot raise the rate above 79 cents.
Speaking before the council at the school on Old Lee Highway, Douglas Church with Heritage Bank in Fairfax City asked council members not to overburden commercial property owners, who will be charged not only the same real estate tax rate as residential property owners, but a possible surcharge as well.
The council recently discussed an option made available by the Virginia state legislature that permits localities to levy a surcharge on commercial real estate of up to 25 cents for every $100 of assessed value. The state also mandated that taxes collected from the surcharge could only be used to fund transportation projects.
Church, who is also a member of the Central Fairfax Chamber of Commerce, said that fellow business people within the city are reporting tough times.
“In general, sales revenue is down,” Church said. “I can’t think of any businesses that are not affected by the economic downturn.”
While residential property assessments are down in the city, commercial assessments are up, and as a result, he said, commercial property owners could see their property tax bill increase by 30 percent to 40 percent over last year in some cases.
“Fairness is what we’re talking about,” Church said.
Police Officer Mike Murphy, speaking in his role as president of the City of Fairfax Police Association, told the council of the police department’s shortage of sworn officers.
“As a result of the personnel shortage the police is experiencing, the police department has begun to deplete its resources in an attempt to keep its patrol squads at a minimum working level,” Murphy said, noting that four vacant detective positions are yet to be filled.
He said that Police Chief Col. Rick Rappoport’s goal of deploying one officer in every patrol area 24 hours per day seven day a week cannot be achieved without the addition of five new patrol officers.
The city manager’s proposed spending for the police department for fiscal 2009 is $11.4 million, an increase of about 3 percent over last year’s estimated spending by the police.
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