John Matthews
WMAL.com
Arlington County is looking to close a $20.5 million dollar budget gap that was brought on by lower-than-expected revenues. The county is challenged by a sluggish commercial real estate market, with office vacancy rates pushing 20 percent, causing a drop in revenue.
To help close the gap, County Manager Mark Schwartz is proposing to get rid of 48 jobs – including 29 that are currently filled (layoffs) as part of an $8.4 million spending cut. There would be $6.6 million in targeted fee and tax increases, and $5.5 million moved from specific programs back into the general fund to make up the gap.
One challenge the county is facing is keeping employees. The region is virtually at capacity in terms of employment – there are very few qualified people looking for jobs, so Schwartz says he’s budgeting pay raises of up to 3.5 percent for regular county employees, with additional two to four percent increases for uniformed employees – police officers, sheriff’s deputies and firefighters.
Schwartz says these pay raises only keep up with other nearby jurisdictions, which are also offering pay increases of five to seven percent, particularly for public safety personnel. .
The County Board will debate the recommendations and settle on a final budget in April.
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