Evening star., 1948-06-06
Arlington Gets
Plan for Special
Tax on Autos
Levy on Businesses
Also Proposed as
County Board Meets

Arlington County would impose .
special tax on automobiles, e1ectivs
January /, under q plan disclosed
yesterday by County Manager A. T.
Lundberg.
The plan also calls for taxes on
businesses and professions to take
effect on the same date.
Details of the plan were disclosed
at a meeting of the County Board,
when it was learned that Arlington
officials have conferred with Uni
versity of Virginia experts regard-
ing q study which must be made
preparatory to enactment of new
forms of taxation authorized at the
last session Of the General Assem-
bly,.
The General Assembly gave the
County Board power to pass ordi-
nances providing for tax on bus
inesses and professions and requir-
ing county automobile licenses.
Such forms of revenue previously
have been reserved for cities.
Estimates Of Revenue Vary.
Estimates of the income which
the two forms of taxation would
produce have ranged from s250,000
to $4O0,000 but there has been no
ofncial figure, nor has q proposed
schedule Of taxes ever been pre-
sented.
Mr.. Lundberg said he and Elmer
F. Newell, county finance director.
met with DR.. Roland Egger and
DR.. Weldon Cooper of the Univer-
sity of Virginia's bureau of public
administration.
The conference evolved a plan
under which the university spe-
cialists will prepare a bill of par
ticulars" setting forth steps which
must be taken in preparation for Q
study upon which a sound" tax
ordinance can be drawn, Mr.. Lund-
berg said.
Under present plans the study
would be completed by October l
so that the county Board would
have SUFFICIENT time to consider ths
matter before enacting a law to
take effect January /, 1949.
Plan Board Member Named.
Mr.. Lundberg emphasized that
yesterdays statements comprised
merely a progress report" to the
board. The president of the uni
versity must approve before the
public administration bureau can
proceed with the study.
T Weldon T. Ellis. former head Of
the planning division of the Vir-
ginia State budget Office and now
a Federal employee. was appointed
to the Northen Virginia Regional
Planning Commission by County
Board Chairman Daniel A. Dugan.
Other county delegates to the COM
mission are Board Member Basil
De Lashmutt and County Planning
Engineer G. l.. Kinnier.
The board also renamed Mr..
Kinnier to a four-year term on the
Arlington Planning Commission.
The contract for the annual audit
of the county government was
awarded to the Arlington firm Of
Halquist and Murray by a Al vote.
F. Freeland Chew argued it would
cost the county less II the con-
tract were awarded to Edmondson,
LedBetter & Co., which has done
the audit for the last three years.
Paving Contracts Let.
A contract for surface treatment
of county streets was awarded to
the Arlington Asphalt Co.. which
submitted a low bid of $166 ,604, and
a contract for bituminous paving Of
streets was given to the Corson 81
Gruman Co.. Washington, on low
bid of $27,94l.
The board also authorized Mr..
Lundberg to advertise for bids for
construction Of an incinerator and
garbage disposal plant near South
Glebe road and No. l Highway.
County residents last November ap.
proved q bond issue for the project,
estimated to cost 100000