Arlington Seeks Feedback On Spending Priorities For Next Fiscal Year

ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington County is seeking public feedback on its spending priorities as county officials put together a budget for fiscal year 2025.

The county said it is facing a $25 million to $40 million shortfall as the county’s “economy continues to evolve and adapt to changing realities.”

“This means that the County must make difficult budget choices to continue being good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” the county said in its request for public feedback.

The county manager’s office said it wants to gather feedback and recommendations for balancing the budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

His office is scheduled to present its proposed budget for fiscal year 2025 in February 2024. After work sessions and public hearings, the Arlington County Board is scheduled to vote on the adoption of the FY 2025 budget in April 2024.

In the public feedback form, Arlington County asks residents to rank their top five spending priorities. Among the agencies listed are:

• Arts & Cultural Affairs
• Community Planning, Development, Zoning, and Code Enforcement
• Housing (Affordable Housing, Rental Assistance, and Eviction Prevention)
• Human Services (Employment Assistance, Behavioral and Mental Health, Aging, Disability, and Child/Family Services)
• Libraries
• Parks and Recreation Services
• Public Health (School Health, Health Clinics, and Health Inspections)
• Public Safety (Police, Fire, Sheriff, and Emergency Management)
• Public Works (Facilities Maintenance, Solid Waste, Water/Sewer, and Stormwater)
• Recruitment, Retention and Support of Businesses (Commercial Vacancies)
• Transportation (Public Transportation, Streets, Traffic Safety, and Road Maintenance)

Arlington residents have until Dec. 22 to share their thoughts about spending priorities with the county manager’s office.