Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-07
FA|RF AK BUDGET
/. INDICATES TAX CUT
Three-Cent Levy for County
Wide Fire Protection Re-
fused by Board.
Special Dispatch to The Star

Special Dispatch to The Star.
FAIRFAX. Va, March THE Fair
fax County board of supervisors yester-
day failed to include in its budget for
the tax year beginning January /, 1929,
any provision for countrywide fire pro-
lection. The Scent levy sponsored by
the five fire departments of the county,
the Chamber of Commerce and the
citizens organizations was defeated by
vote of the three members from Lee.
Centerville and Mount Vernon districts,
with L. A. Popkins of Mount Vernon
district, official tie breaker, sustaining
the negative vote. This was the first
time Mr.. Popkins has been called on to
decide a contested question.
Among other proposed measures which
met defeat yesterday was the PROPOSE
ton to build the first unit of a new
county Jail. 1t was decided in view of
the wide demand in certain districts for
a reduction in taxes that no jail con-
struction could be provided for in this
years budget.
Certain supervisors expressed the
opinion that if the people of the county
understood the deplorable conditions
now existing in the old Jail as to safety,
sanitation and overcrowding they would
vote bond issue to provide the neces-
sary funds for construction. It was es-
timated yesterday that a scent levy
would provide sufficient funds for in
terest and retirement of such a bond
issue within approximately 10 years.
The present levy for public buildings,
which was raised last year from to is
cents to provide funds for the erection
of the recently completed addition to
the courthouse, was yesterday decreased
to 10 cents.
The appropriation for public health
i,,nr fn
This will insure the establishment in
Fairfax County of a full-time health
unit. including doctor, nurse and SAN
itary Offices with part-time clerk. The
supervisors are accepting $4,000 from
the State health department, $1,000
from Representative r. Walton Moore
and 81 900 from the Fairfax County
Red Cross Chapter to insure the financ-
ing of this $4,000 unit.
The appropriation of $4,000 for bovine
tuberculosis tests was passed unani-
mously. The appropriation for forest
fire prevention was increased to 5000.
Another 5000 was voted as a contribu-
ton to the Children's Home Society of
Virginia, which is now caring for nine
children from Fairfax County
The friction which has existed for
some time between the county school
board and the division superintendent,
M. D. Hall, came to the surface strongly
in yesterdays meeting. Fairfax County
this year operates for the first time I'M
der the county unit system for school
taxes, district lines being wiped out for
school levies. The school board has es-
timated that one-dollar county tax is
the minimum under which the system
can operate next year. Hall yesterday
presented to the supervisors different
set of figures calling for a county tax
Of not more than 80 cents on the 500
These figures the supervisors first
voted to accept, the action being later
rescinded when F. S. McCandlish, the
representative of the school board,
stated that Halls figures were mislead-
ing and that it would be impossible
for the schools of Fairfax County to
function properly under 90-cent levy.
McCandliSh said that If the super
visors failed to accept the boards esti-
mate the board would be obliged to
submit the matter to a referendum in
a special election as is provided by law
when the school boards and supervisors
fail to agree. The supervisors finally
compromised on a 95-cent levy, which.
they estimated, would provide $1,700
more revenue than the school board
has had during the present year.
It is expected that when the rates
fro the budget as adopted yesterday
are figured out there will be a gen.
eral decrease over last years tax rate.
with the exception of the increase in
the school taxes in Lee. Centerville
and Mount Vernon districts.