Evening star., 1949-03-25
Arlington Tax
Many Want Sum Set
At Less Than 8oc
Proposal, However
By Robert c. RoIIinos

I4OO1S OPPOo4G4OA1 w q 24lOoC1 dUO
tax increase to meet Arlington's
record school and county budgets
next year was expressed last night
at a public hearing before the
School and County Boards in the
courthouse.
A great many of about $50 per-
sons who jammed the room and
overfoWed into the corridors, how
ever, made it clear they do not
think the raise should be as much
as SO cents 1as proposed by County
Manager A. T. Lundberg.
Mr.. Lundberg has submitted q
tentative budget of $9,115, ,457, in
Guiding $3,067,O56 for schools, to
be financed by a property tax rate
of $4.14 per 500 of assessed valu-
alton. The budget is based on an
assessed valuation of $136,000,000
and a 80 per cent collection of
taxes.
The County Board, which sets
the levy for both budgets, must
decide at it's regular meeting to-
morrow whether it wants to ad-
vertise the possibility of tax
rate increase. If this is done, a
second public hearing will be held
April 81, preparatory to adopting
a budget and tax rate by
April 80.
Recommendations Presented.
Activity at last nights hearing
was largely made up of formal
presentation to the County Board
of recommendations previously
adopted by various county organi-
cations. Practically all already
had been publicized.
Organizations which came out
fatty for the 89-cent boost in
cluded the Citizens Committee
for School Improvement, the
League of Women Voters, the
County Council of Parent Teach
er Associations and the Arlington
branch of the American Associa-
ton of University Women. A
number of individual PTA's also
were represented, many asking
for $150000 more than had been
requested by the School Board, to
be used for teacher pay raises.
The County Civic Federation
asked for a Accent increase, plus
l5-cent raise to $1.50 in the
business tax. on gross apartment :
rentals. The Chamber of Com
merce suggested that an increase
be limited to 80 cents while the
Northern Virginia Home Builders
Association requested ceiling Of
A cents. = E&
One of the chief opponents to
any increase in the current $a.25
rate was John Locke Green, coun-
ty treasurer.
I'm glad to know there are 50
many people here who want to
raise the taxes" Mr.. Green de-
clared. Il also take 1t that all
you people here have paid your
taxes"
Says 10000 Are Delinquent.
He then asserted the county has
10000 delinquent taxpayers, al
though 81 per cent of the current
levy has been collected.
Mr.. Green declared that some
of the biggest advocates of raising
these taxes don't pay $50 a year."
AS a means of raising revenue,
the treasurer suggested doubling
or tripling" the real estate assess
ment on apartment houses and
passing the resulting tax increase
on to the individual apartment
dwellers.
An 18-year- Washington-Lee
High School senior urged the,
board to do the right thing" but
not to go "too deep" He was
Philip E. Powell. 1916 North
Wayne street, who said his ap-
pearance was his own idea.
Edgar w. Humphrey, Arlington
Republican chairman, asked the
board to include funds for voting
machines.
Half Day Sessions Hit.
A former Council Bluffs Gowa)
primary teacher, now living in Ar
lington, asserted that school chill
dren "are being cheated by the
half day sessions in use in the first
and second grades. She was Mrs.
Carl Pilger, Gilt North Eleventh
road, who appealed for granting
the School Board it's full request.
declaring. Something must be
done-the children aren't learn
ing to read"
Mrs. Caroline Planck of the
League of Women Voters declared
the 89-cent boost would amount
to about cents day in increased
taxes to the average family.
Robert Cox of the civic fedora
ton observed the proposed budget
for Mr.. Green's Office contained
an increased appropriation Of
about $4,000. This, Mr. Cox said.
amounts to about 81 per cent Of
the current amount for that Of
flee, or a requested increase "heav-
ier than most any other depart
ment."