Evening star., 1942-03-17
Arlington Fears
Limited dReyenue
In New Budget
Doubtful Fuctors'
Induced by War
Cited by Honrohon

Anticipated revenues for Arling-
ton County In the proposed 1923
budget may be curtailed as q result
of legislation passed in the closing
days of the Virginia General As
sembly, County Manager Frank G.
Hanrahan said today.
Never in many years Of expert
ence have prepared budget based
on revenues affected by as many
doubtful factors" he said.
He said the war and conditions
created by Arlington's nearness to
Washington also aye responsible.
The burget. which was submit
ted to the county board Saturday,
represents a conservative fiscal pro-
gram for the next 12 months without
increasing taxes, he declared.
Two recent enactments of the
General Assembly were cited by
Mr.. Hanrahan as cause for doubt
over revenues. He said his budget =
studies were completed before either
law was passed
Fund Voted for State.
One was IN the form of a Senate
amendment to the budget bill which
passed the House of Delegates Sat-
urday. The House voted, so 10 80,
to accept a Senate amendment add
ding s825,000 a year to the State
guaranteed share of Alcoholic Bevs
erage Control Board profits.
An attempt to write in a provision
that urban localities receive no less
A. B. C. funds than they did dur.
ing 1e41 failed
Earlier, the Assembly repealed q
10 per cent liquor tax imposed in
1910. with the expectation of in
creasing profits through greater
sales. When the Assembly ad-
journed. however, it was a moot
question whether increased sales
would compensate for the 1925 900
taken from the localities and added
to the States guaranteed profit.
Arlington A. B. c. revenues for
the year ending June 80, 194l
announced to s31 ,623.76 and this year
will be about $40 1000. In his budget.
Mr.. Hanrahan anticipated $4,000
from this source because Of in
creased population, larger sales and
other factors.
Il don't know how it will work
out now that 1925 900 more has been
earmarked for the State" Mr.. Han
rahan said.
May Have to Retrench.
The second piece of legislation
removes the minimum guaranteed
gasoline refunds. Under the present
law. Arlington and one or two other
localities are guaranteed a minimum
equal to the 1881 refund
Last week the Assembly adopted
a bill repeating this guarantee in
anticipation of drastically curtailed
use of automobiles. Northern Vir-
ginia legislators did not oppose this
bill since they believed they could
not justifiably defend a position
which would give a few localities
an advantage over the rest of the
State.
Gasoline tax refunds to Arlington
for the year ending June 30, l941
were $129, 1895 and about $l37,000
will have been received at the close
of the present year. MIR. Hanrahan
anticipated q reduction to s125, 900
during the coming fiscal year be-
cause of curtailed car use, but the
new law had not been passed when
he prepared the budget.
I'VE may have to retrench on our
budget sometime during the year
if conditions are drastically
changed" he said.
IN an effort to determine the
amount of revenue produced in.
Arlington by motor vehicle fuel
taxes and licensing, Mr.. Hanrahan
had a canvass made of all retail
outlets, the individual results Of
which are held confidential.
Doubtful Factor Cited.
Based on the sales records Of
each distributor for 1941, he said
the survey showed 1880, 900 gallons
of gasoline were sold, providing the
State a total of s616,451.
He said that of about 5000 auto
mobile license tags issued at the
Clarendon office, 30,500 were for
Arlington County automobiles and
produced $45o,0O in revenue.
The total revenue produced for
the State was $1,066,00 compared
with $4,000 which the State will
have refunded to Arlington at the
end of the current year.
Another doubtful factor consid-
cred in the budgets preparation,
he said, was the Federal Govern
ment's expansion in Arlington,
depriving the county of taxable
real estate. His proposed budget
anticipates an increase $74,100 for
real estate taxes for total of STA
900 next year. but the increase
normally would have been greater.
$1,000 for Police Redo.
The proposed budget decreased
from $16,500 to $4,000 and from
sl1 500 to $500 the anticipated
revenues from building and electri-
cal permits, respectively, because Of
insecure building conditions. SINH
lar decreases have been allowed for
plumbing, sewer and highway per-
mits for the same reason, he ex-
planned.
Even under emergency conditions.
believe it is necessary to expand
or maintain at their present status
the police and fire departments,
sewer and water and other essential
servieeS " he said
A new item recommended by him
is 5000 for a two-way radio for
the police department. He said he
believed such system, with which
policemen can maintain constant
communication with headquarters,
is highly important, particularly
now. He said the radio is far less
expensive than the installation OF
call box" system by which tele-
phone facilities are established along
the public streets.
The County Board viii conduct
public hearings on the proposed
budget on April IA.
New Jersey Treasurer Dies