Transparency Among Virginia Counties
April 2, 2009 by krystleweeks
Filed under Virginia Fiscal Reports, Virginia News
The Sunshine Review, a web site devoted to government transparency at the state and local levels recently evaluated counties and jurisdictions across the United States, in terms of how much open information that is accessible to the public. In Virginia, there were some surprising statistics on how open government was by accounting dealings with lobbyists, expenditures, taxes, and budgets.
In Northern Virginia, several counties had good to mediocre transparency on their websites. Fairfax County has a fairly good record of transparency on their website, as they place the Board of Supervisors’ contact information and term dates listed. Additionally, there are lists of previous budgets, county board agendas, bid requests, county contracts, as well as places where you can make tax payments to the county. However, it lacks in listing department officials’ contact information or any lobbyists who might be employed by the county. Arlington County also accounts for the same amount of transparency on their website.
Loudoun County is more open with their dealings on their website, as it lists the same information as Fairfax, and the only thing not listed on their website is the public record. Where Fairfax County does not list department officials’ contact information or lobbyists who petition on behalf of the county, Loudoun County makes this information accessible.
Both Prince William County and the City of Alexandria have more restrictions on what they list on their sites. Lobbying affiliations are not mentioned, and both governments list their budgets, contact information for their elected officials and department heads, audits are available, and FOIA filing instructions are prominently displayed.
Overall, the Northern Virginia counties all have good transparency measures in place. There is still more work that needs to be done to ensure full transparency is available to the taxpayers. While Northern Virginia leads the Commonwealth in transparency, Virginia is still better than some of our neighboring states, when it comes down to transparency and accountability.
**Cross Posted at Crystal Clear Conservative
Video from the Anti-Tax Rally in Fairfax
March 31, 2009 by krystleweeks
Filed under Virginia Fiscal Reports, Virginia News
Check out both the video clips on Crystal Clear Conservative.
Video from the Republicans United for Tax Relief Anti-Tax Rally
Video from the Anti-Tax Rally in Fairfax
Anti-Tax Rally Mobilizes Grassroots in Fairfax County
March 30, 2009 by krystleweeks
Filed under Virginia Fiscal Reports, Virginia News
Tonight, about 80 anti-tax activists held a rally outside the Fairfax County Government Center to protest the proposed rise in real estate taxes. There was a great air of dissension from many Fairfax County and Northern Virginia residents alike about tax hikes as a means to solve our budget woes. In fact, many of the participants at the event attended the hearing, where Arthur Purves of the Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance and James Parmelee of Republicans United for Tax Relief both delivered testimony before the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors hearing about how taxes will not help prosper our county’s economic growth. More taxes are not going to help Fairfax County families. In fact, this will cause many families to leave Fairfax County for other jurisdictions with lower taxes.
Additionally, Springfield Supervisor Pat Herrity stopped by, former 11th District Congressional candidate Keith Fimian, and Kerry Bolognese, who is running for the 41st House of Delegates seat against David Marsden.
I got to meet several participants who traveled from Sterling and Manassas to join the rally here in Fairfax. Both the Loudoun and Prince William County Board of Supervisors will be addressing this issue soon.
Here are some pictures from the event:
**Pictures courtesy of B.J. Bluth, Ph.D.**
Video will be posted tomorrow morning of the rally. Hopefully, you will be able to attend the Northern Virginia Tea Party on April 15th at the Merrifield Post Office from 5-7 p.m. For more information on this event, please check out the Northern Virginia Tea Party website.
**Cross Posted at Crystal Clear Conservative
McDonnell Kickoff: A Huge Success in Annandale
March 28, 2009 by krystleweeks
Filed under Virginia News, Virginia Politics
On a rainy Saturday morning, a gathering of about 700 supporters (confirmed by the Fairfax County Republican Committee) filtered into the Annandale Fire Hall to rally around Bob McDonnell as he officially kicked off his run for Governor. This enthusiastic crowd was pumped to welcome the McDonnell/Bolling team to town, as they held signs that said, “Bob 4 Jobs,” “Welcome Back Bob!,” and “Maureen 4 1st Lady.”
The event started off with Rep. Tom Davis, who was the emcee. Davis discussed how the Republican party will regain the statewide offices, as well as retaining the majority in the House of Delegates. Davis introduced Rep. Frank Wolf, who discussed how McDonnell will work to improve the transportation in Northern Virginia, and how McDonnell is a strong leader in passing legislation on strengthening internet safety. After Wolf delivered his remarks, he introduced Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling, who is seeking re-election. Touching on themes of improving the economy, transportation, and protecting Virginia’s status as a Right-to-Work state, Bolling delivered a strong speech that helped motivate the crowd. Bolling said that both he and McDonnell are working towards a better Virginia as a team.
Read more
Where’s the Leadership, Fairfax County?
March 19, 2009 by krystleweeks
Filed under Virginia Fiscal Reports, Virginia News
I wrote before on the potential for tax increases in Fairfax County to compensate for a large budget deficit. Now, Brian Ledbetter at Snapped Shot unveils the true leadership in Fairfax County, rather the leadership you can believe in.
The County Board of Supervisors acknowledge that they are in a dire budget crisis, yet they have increased their budget by almost $210,000. You can see the evidence here on Pages 23 and 30. The amazing thing is that they have voted for their own pay raises, but they are talking about job cuts and still have a budget downfall. Hmm…interesting.
Maybe, it is time to cut back in troubled economic times. With many businesses cutting out bonuses and pay raises to help them stay afloat, Fairfax County could have done this to help lead by example. Maybe, this is a lesson that voters will learn in the next election.
**Cross Posted at Crystal Clear Conservative
Property Taxes on the rise in Fairfax County
March 12, 2009 by krystleweeks
Filed under Virginia Fiscal Reports, Virginia News
With the current budget crisis and in these trying economic times, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors are raising your property taxes. According to The Washington Post, the final rate will not be set until a later date, but no doubt, this will cause more economic hardships for working families here in Fairfax County. The proposed fee is $1.05 per $100 assessed value, along with a stormwater service charge.
In the current economic situation, there are ways to be innovative in the legislative process that will not necessarily raise taxes. One of those innovative ideas is to eliminate all wasteful expenditures by sitting down and reviewing the budget carefully. From there, make any essential cuts. Of course, programs are going to be eliminated, but this is the only way we can solve this problems. Trust me, I would rather have an unnecessary service eliminated, rather than having a tax increase.
Maybe, it is time for Fairfax County to take a fiscally responsible approach and find ways to eliminate unnecessary programs, as well as reducing spending. It’s now or never, and the residents of Fairfax County are certainly feeling the pinch more due to rising unemployment rates, etc.
Cook Wins!
March 11, 2009 by krystleweeks
Filed under Virginia News, Virginia Politics
Money and signs can’t buy you an election! However, a strong grassroots base and hard work will buy you a victory. John Cook has now been declared the winner of the open Board of Supervisors seat for Braddock district, and he will join fellow Republicans Pat Herrity and Michael Frey on the Board.
Here is Cook’s victory statement:
“Today the results from the Fairfax County Board of Elections show that I have been elected the next Braddock District Supervisor. I thank the Board of Elections for its difficult but professional work today counting the votes that were cast.
I want to thank the voters of Braddock District for the confidence they have placed in me. There is no greater honor in public life than to be selected by your neighbors to be their representative in government. I look forward to serving my Braddock District neighbors on the Board of Supervisors. Working together, we will strengthen our neighborhoods, bring new and innovative ideas to the challenges we face, and bring a fresh voice of fiscal responsibility to the County.I want to thank my campaign chairman Tessie Wilson, Supervisor Pat Herrity, my campaign staff and all the volunteers who made this grass-roots victory possible. Most of all, I thank my family, whose love and support made this race possible.”
Congratulations to John Cook!
Braddock Supervisor Debate
March 4, 2009 by krystleweeks
Filed under Virginia Fiscal Reports, Virginia Politics
Since last week was extremely hectic, I forgot to share some highlights from the Braddock Supervisor Debate between Republican John Cook and Democrat Ilyrong Moon. Cook has addressed the budget issue, as well as his involvement within the Braddock District, while Moon has not been very open on many of the important issues that face Braddock residents.
On the Fairfax County Budget:
On Community Involvement:
On the SLEEP Issue:
On Illegal Boarding Houses:
Hopefully, these videos will help residents of the Braddock District decide who will best represent them on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, March 10. John Cook has been a strong community activist, who has always looked out for the best interest of the Braddock District. He will fight to keep your property taxes lower, be a voice of reason when it comes to fiscal matters, and help keep Braddock a safe place to live.
Property Assessments Likely to Go Up in Fairfax
February 27, 2009 by krystleweeks
Filed under Virginia Fiscal Reports, Virginia News
With the economy on a free fall, there has been a great deal of talk on all three levels of government (Federal, State, and Local) to raise taxes. Their reasoning: make up for a blossoming deficit. A deficit that came with excessive and wasteful spending on programs, etc.
With the recent talk of tax hikes, Fairfax County will most likely raise property taxes, in addition to, cutting jobs and eliminating programs. The property taxes will raise from its current level of $.92 per $100 of the assessed value to $1.05.5 per $100. This would cause property owners to pay $14 more for property taxes in 2010. Along with this, there would be pay freezes and an increase in user and recreational sports fees. Additionally, there would an increase in storm water management.
Right now, we need to look more closely at programs that are not working for the benefit of those in Fairfax County and begin cutting those out before we resort to a tax hikes. Let’s be creative and find a way to solve these fiscal downfalls.
