Fairfax County, Virginia
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Fairfax County is one of 95 counties in Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 1,081,726.[1]
[edit] Website evaluation
- Main article: Evaluation of Virginia county websites
This website was reviewed on December 1, 2011
[edit] The good
- County supervisors are listed with contact information.[2]
- Meeting agendas and schedules are posted.[3]
- Budgets and audits are posted.[4]
- Building permit information is posted,[5] along with zoning information.[6]
- Local tax rates are posted, and taxes may be paid online.[7]
- Bid opportunities and a contract register are posted.[8]
- A county directory is available.[9]
- Information and contact information are provided on making public records requests.[10]
- The county's lobbying agenda is posted.[11]
[edit] The bad
- Administrative officials are not provided.
- Elected officials' party affiliations are not provided.
- The amount of money spent on Taxpayer-funded lobbying is not available.
[edit] Public employees
[edit] Board of supervisors
| Name | District |
|---|---|
| Sharon Bulova (Chairman) | At-Large |
| John C. Cook | Braddock |
| John W. Foust | Dranesville |
| Catherine M. Hudgins | Hunter Mill |
| Jeff C. McKay | Lee |
| Penelope A. Gross (Vice Chairman) | Mason |
| Gerald W. Hyland | Mount Vernon |
| Linda Q. Smith | Providence |
| Pat Herrity | Springfield |
| Michael R. Frey | Sully |
[edit] County executive
Anthony H. Griffin was appointed Fairfax County's Executive by the board of supervisors in 2000.[12]
[edit] Budget
[edit] 2013 deficit
Fairfax County has a $114.4 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2013, raising questions of funding for roads and schools. Specifically, County Executive Anthony Griffin hoped to increase school funding by 5 percent, but budget realities may not let him do so.[13]
[edit] 2012
| Source | Revenues | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Real Estate Taxes | $2,035,455,407 | 61.6% |
| Permits, Fees, & Licenses | $30,152,648 | |
| Fines & Forfeitures | $16,868,801 | 0.5% |
| Personal Property Taxes | $518,132,388 | 15.7% |
| Use of Money & Property | $16,711,665 | 0.5% |
| Recovered Costs/Other | $12,079,289 | 0.4% |
| Local Taxes | $488,212,410 | 14.8% |
| Charges for Services | $64,161,281 | 1.9% |
| Commonwealth of Virginia | $90,612,431 | 2.7% |
| Federal Government | $34,566,131 | 1.0% |
| General Fund Revenues | $3,306,952,451 | 100% |
| Category | Expenditures | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Schools | $1,774,305,286 | 52.5% |
| County Debt | $119,373,864 | 3.5% |
| Health and Welfare | $381,285,456 | 11.3% |
| Judicial Administration | $31,582,238 | 0.9% |
| Public Works | $65,552,369 | 2.0% |
| Transfers | $137,601,577 | 4.1% |
| Public Safety | $412,712,715 | 12.2% |
| Parks and Libraries | $47,735,700 | 1.4% |
| Community Development | $43,846,569 | 1.3% |
| Nondepartmental | $267,849,511 | 8.0% |
| Central Services | $71,617,469 | 2.1% |
| Legislative-Executive Functions | $24,016,730 | 0.7% |
| Total General Fund Expenditures | $3,377,479,384 | 100% |
[edit] Retirement costs
| Retirement Program | Liability | Unfunded Liabilities | Unfunded Liabilities as a Percent of Covered Payroll |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employees' Retirement System | $3,535,874 | $932,590 | 148.39% |
| Police Officers' Retirement System | $1,076,039 | $196,496 | 197.19% |
| Uniformed Retirement System | $1,351,204 | $276,974 | 188.31% |
| Other Post-Employment Benefits | $441,286 | $391,053 | 51.37% |
| Educational Employees' Supplementary Retirement System | $2,314,282 | $544,742 | 45,09% |
| Educational Other Post-Employment Benefits | $466,324 | $448,804 | 37.94% |
[edit] Taxes
[edit] Real estate tax
Fairfax's real estate tax is $1.07 per $100 of assessed value.[7]
[edit] Car tax
The county's car tax is $4.57 per $100 of assessed value.[7]
[edit] Sales tax
The county's sales tax is 1%, on top of a statewide 4% sales tax.[7]
[edit] Other taxes
Other county tax rates are posted on the county website.[7]
[edit] Lobbying
- Main article: Virginia taxpayer-funded lobbying
In 2008, Fairfax County reported $80,000 spent on lobbying. [17] Fairfax County pays for services of the lobbying firm Alcade & Fay. [18]
[edit] Fairfax Police Department
According to an investigation by Connections Newspaper reporter Michael Pope, the police departments of Fairfax County, Alexandria, and Arlington are among the most secretive and non-transparent in the country. According to the reports, the departments' interpretation of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act in effect allows them reject nearly all information requests. [19] [20]
[edit] External links
- Fairfax County Website
- Fairfax County Real Estate Tax Information
- Fairfax County Economic Development Authority
- Fairfax County Public Schools
- Fairfax County Official Tourism Site
- Fairfax County on e-Reference
- Fairfax County on US Census
[edit] References
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau "QuickFacts," Accessed December 1, 2011
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Fairfax County "Board of Supervisors," Accessed December 1, 2011
- ↑ Fairfax County "Board Meetings," Accessed December 1, 2011
- ↑ Fairfax County "Financial Transparency," Accessed December 1, 2011
- ↑ Fairfax County "Building Permits," Accessed December 1, 2011
- ↑ Fairfax County "Land Use," Accessed December 1, 2011
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Fairfax County "Department of Tax Administration," Accessed December 1, 2011
- ↑ Fairfax County "Doing Business with Us," Accessed December 1, 2011
- ↑ Fairfax County "Contact Us," Accessed December 1, 2011
- ↑ Fairfax County "Virginia Freedom of Information Act," Accessed December 1, 2011
- ↑ Fairfax County "Government Relations," Accessed December 1, 2011
- ↑ Fairfax County "County Executive," Accessed December 1, 2011
- ↑ Washington Post "Fairfax County executive: Budget gap could hurt school funding," Accessed December 1, 2011
- ↑ Fairfax County "2012 General Fund Receipts," Accessed December 1, 2011
- ↑ Fairfax County "2012 General Fund Disbursement," Accessed December 1, 2011
- ↑ Fairfax County "2010 CAFR," Accessed December 1, 2011
- ↑ Fairfax County Lobbying Report
- ↑ Client List
- ↑ "Trust Me: You Can Trust Us", Reason Magazine, August 30, 2010
- ↑ "Transparency Blackout: Police departments in Northern Virginia refuse to release public documents", Alexandria Gazette Packet, March 18, 2010
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