It’s The Spending, Stupid
There are undoubtedly counties in parts of Virginia that have a “revenue problem,” but Arlington County is not one of them. Rather, this county has a “spending problem,” or more precisely, a County Board unable to control spending.
The truth of that assertion came to mind, again, in looking through the Fiscal Year 2007 Comparative Report of Local Government Revenues and Expenditures, which is prepared annually by Virginia’s Auditor of Public Accounts (APA). It is based on accounting input from local governments. The FY2007 report arrived on Friday.
Consider spending in the category of parks and recreation, cultural enrichment (called cultural affairs in Arlington), and public libraries (Exhibit C-7 in the report). For each jurisdiction, the APA provides both the per capita amount and the percentage of the statewide per capita. Consider the following:
- Parks and Recreation: Statewide, counties spend an average of $50.74 per capita. However, Arlington government spends $175.59 (346%), Fairfax County spends $90.86 per capita (179%), and Prince William County spends $65.11 per capita (128%).
- Cultural Enrichment. Statewide, counties spend $4.71 per capita. In Arlington County, that figure is $16.65 (353%). By comparison, Fairfax County spends $10.57 while Loudoun County spends $11.78. On the other hand, Prince William County spends only $2.88 per capita (61% of the statewide average).
- Public Libraries. The statewide spending per capita is $30.23. Arlington County spends $73.62 per capita, Fairfax County $37.10, Loudoun County $41.00, and Prince William County $34.93.
In the letter transmitting the report, the APA cautions users not to base conclusions solely on the data in the report, but rather, consider the other factors involved such as differences in efficiency of operations and differences in the quality and quantity of services. Taxpayers should expect such factors to be discussed by the Manager in proposing each year’s budget. Otherwise, the county’s financial operations are not truly transparent, and taxpayers do not have the information needed to evaluate whether the taxes they are being asked to pay are justified or even needed.
A 1992 political campaign slogan told citizens, “It’s the economy, stupid.” Well, in budget planning and execution, it’s the spending, stupid.