Tag: arlington county board

Data shows fatal, severe alcohol-related crashes are on the rise in Arlington – WTOP News

The number of serious or fatal alcohol-related crashes in Arlington increased in 2023, prompting officials to call for a coordinated anti-drunk driving campaign across the D.C. region.

The number of serious or fatal alcohol-related crashes in Arlington, Virginia, increased in 2023, prompting the chair of the Board of Supervisors to call for a coordinated anti-drunk driving campaign across the D.C. region.

Chair Libby Garvey said the main causes of crashes in the county are speed and intoxication.

The county is working to address speeding by using cameras and changing speed limits along certain roads. But, Garvey said, “the intoxication is something else, and that’s a whole-of-community approach that we need to be taking.”

In 2023, there were 20 severe alcohol-related crashes in Arlington. Five were fatal, according to the county’s 2023 Vision Zero Annual Report. That’s up from the 12 total fatal or severe crashes in 2022.

“We need to get much stronger messaging back out about drunk driving, because people are dying because of it,” Garvey said. “If you’re out having drinks with a friend, or you had a little more than you [should’ve] had, get somebody to drive you home, call an Uber, call a cab, something. Don’t drink and drive.”

One of the recommendations listed in the annual report under “Upcoming 2024 Activities” is finalizing the regionwide, anti-drunk driving project. It’ll be led by Arlington County and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

The county, the report said, will also look into enforcement, engagement and education campaigns to address the trend.

“It’s kind of gotten off people’s radar scope with all kinds of things changing, and we need to get that back front-and-center for people,” Garvey said.

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Scott Gelman

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April 29, 2024
Arlington County homeowners to see first real estate tax hike since 2020 – WTOP News

The Arlington County Board in Virginia approved a new budget on Saturday that includes a real estate tax increase for the first time since 2020.

Arlington County, Virginia, homeowners will be paying more to live there, after county board members voted to approve a new $1.65 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2025, a 6.4% increase from 2024, on Saturday.

Under the new budget, the base real estate tax increases 2 cents to $1.033 per $100 of assessed value, which is partially offset by the move to a stormwater utility fee that reduced the tax rate by 1.7 cents, according to a news release.

“We’ve summarized what is a mythical average taxpayer in the county, and the additional burden for that household would be $541,” Arlington County Manager Mark Schwartz said during the board meeting.

He said the average apartment renter will see an increase of $233 on real estate tax.

This is the first real estate tax increase approved by the board since 2020. Board members said the increase will fund needs facing the community, including affordable housing, eviction prevention, investments in the environment and support for teenagers.

The Arlington County Board said it came to the decision following months of research and community feedback.

In the budget, $113 million from the tax hike will go to housing programs, including $21.5 million for the county’s Affordable Housing Investment Fund, $4.3 million will go toward intervention, prevention and education efforts to address teen mental health and substance use, and $3.5 million will go to the county’s Climate Fund.

Additionally, “workforce investments in the new budget include salary increases and an increase in family leave benefits for current county staff,” according to a news release.

Arlington Public Schools will receive $639.7 million from the county.

The new fiscal year begins on July 1.

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Grace Newton

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April 21, 2024
Speeding ticket fines could double in Arlington under proposal – WTOP News

Leaders in Arlington, Virginia, are considering increasing the fines for cars caught driving too fast by speed cameras in school crossing zones and highway work zones.

Leaders in Arlington, Virginia, are considering increasing the fines for cars caught driving too fast by speed cameras in school crossing zones and highway work zones.

Currently, speed camera tickets come with a $50 fine. However, the county board is exploring whether to increase that fine to $100, the maximum amount allowed under Virginia law.

“This is a very serious problem, with speeding and crashes,” said Takis Karantonis, the board’s vice chair. “The last couple of years have been really, really problematic. We have had a lot of accidents in our streets, not only in Arlington and the entire region — actually, in the entire nation.”

If approved, the change would go into effect July 1. According to county documents, the shift follows regional trends.

Alexandria, Manassas City and Fauquier County all use the $100 fines. Nearby Fairfax County, meanwhile, issues fines for either $50, $75 or $100, depending on how high above the speed limit a car is going.

The increased fines would bring in an estimated additional $450,000 in county revenue, the county said.

But, Karantonis said, “revenue is really not what we are aiming at.”

One in four fatal or critical crashes in Arlington involve speeding, according to the documents, and many residents write to board members about traffic or street safety concerns.

“We really want to send a strong signal that speeding matters a lot,” Karantonis said.

Increasing speeding penalties is just part of the county’s strategy in working to make roads safer, he said.

“I know that just with a fine, that we are not going to reduce significantly the tendency of some people to forget that they are in a residential area when they drive,” he said.

A public hearing on the change is scheduled for April 4, and a vote is expected later that month.

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Scott Gelman

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February 29, 2024
Arlington Co. approves plan to maintain critical sewer infrastructure – WTOP News

By unanimous vote, the Arlington County Board in Virginia approved a plan Saturday to keep a critical infrastructure system running beneath the feet of present and future residents.

By unanimous vote, the Arlington County Board in Virginia approved a plan Saturday to keep a critical infrastructure system running beneath the feet of present and future residents.

The board agreed to update its Sanitary Sewer Collection System Plan — a blueprint for maintaining the county’s 459-mile sewer system, which serves nearly 238,000 residents.

It’s the first update to the plan since 2002. Before the vote, some members marveled at their predecessors, who developed a system in the 1930s that could safely serve the county for decades.

“It’s really exciting to think back of Arlington 100 years ago and the forethought that folks had to build a system that has lasted this long and that we can continue to expand,” said Board member Susan Cunningham.

The plan sets forth the policies and improvements that are necessary in the sanitary sewer system to meet future growth in the county and it includes at least two capital improvement plans.

The updated plan was praised as both economical and good for the environment.

“I think that this is one of those great opportunities to highlight that doing the right thing for the environment is also doing the right thing financially and economically in the long term,” Board member Maureen Coffey said.

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Dick Uliano

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February 25, 2024