April 2, 2008 8:44 PM
Loudoun County taxes climb despite financial woes/foreclosures
This press release gives new meaning to the term flim-flam. Here follows my annotated version:
The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors on April 1, 2008, approved a fiscal plan totaling about $1.6 billion for the general county government and school system for FY 2009.[Note: I wish all it took for our family was to sit down and approve a fiscal plan using other people's money - then I could send out a press release patting myself on the back for having a plan.]
In response to the current economic and financial environment, the Board significantly reduced the budget that had been proposed by County Administrator Kirby M. Bowers, as well as the School Board budget request.
[Note: that means the budget is still going up, but not as much as the people spending our money would have liked]
In adopting the FY 09 fiscal plan, the Board of Supervisors reduced the School Board’s budget request by $48.7 million. However, the school system will be able to use increases in state and federal funding. As a result, the school system will receive $55 million in additional revenue, including an additional $23.6 million in local tax funding, over FY 08.[Note: And where do the state and federal funds come from? The same taxpayers who are supposed to be thankful that the the BoS reduced the School Board's requested budget. Again note, this doesn't mean that the LCPS budget isn't going up - just that it didn't go up as much as they wanted.]
Local tax funding for the general county government will increase by $13.3 million in FY 09. The Board reduced the County Administrator’s recommended expenditures for the general county government by $12.5 million. The adopted budget does not include funding for any new initiatives for the general county government. The Board only approved general county budget enhancements that are either offset by fees or that replace expired grant funding.
[Note: While "reduced" sounds good, when paired with "recommended" it means that the budget is still going up.]
The fiscal plan includes a countywide real property tax rate of $1.14 per $100 in assessed value. This is a reduction of 7.6 cents from the $1.216 tax rate proposed by the County Administrator.
[Note: ditto last remark. The rate is going up, just not as much as they wanted.]
Because of a decrease in the value of residential property assessments, the annual property tax bills for the average homeowner will increase by an average of $308, or 6.5%, during FY 09.
[Note:!!!!!!!!!!!!! Would someone please explain this to me? This isn't even Double-Speak - it's just plain creepy mind-bending/boggling bulloney.
Because of a decrease in our property values our tax bills are going up?????? Does this mean that if our property values went up, our tax bills would go down?]
The thing I don't get is why, if families have to tighten our belts, the government NEVER has to? It has to be the biggest scam in the world when they talk about cuts in the budget and what they're really talking about is cuts to the proposed budget - meaning the money they're still demanding is still increasing.
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Comments
Did you notice that for the additional $13.3 million that your general county government is getting, they are not doing anything new or extra over last year? So you're getting the same government, but it's going to cost you an extra 13.3 million dollars.
I was recently reading about a politician in my county government. He's a conservative and a former businessman, and when he took office about ten years ago he modernized from typewriters to computers and the ability to conduct government business online. And apparently he's still working with the same budget he was given ten years ago. It's rumored he may run for governor in 2010, and I tell you he's got my vote!
Posted by: Michelle Potter | April 2, 2008 10:53 PM
I thought you might be interested in this - they mention Loudoun County and I knew where it was thanks to you! :)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080407/us_nm/usa_housing_mcmansions_dc
Posted by: Milehimama | April 6, 2008 10:00 PM
