Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-11
Record Fairfax
Budget Hearing
SET April 10
Massey Estimates
$ll.l70,e 1853 Requires
15-Cent Rate Boost


The Fairfax Board Of County
Supervisors will hold q public
hearing on April 10 on a pro-
posed 1954-55 budget Of $11.170..
958, including the full amount
by the School Board.
The supervisors voted to ad.
vertiSe the record budget yester.
day, after they were advised by
County Executive c. c. Massey
that it would require a tax rate
increase Of IS cents-not 80
cents as predicted by the School
Board. The new levy required
by the proposed budget would be
$2.85.
The school budget. including q
5000 increase in the teacher sci.
airy scale. accounts for SIS mil.
lion Of the total budget. The
overall budget increase above
the current years appropriation
Is 81. 1882 ,214. More than $l.2
million Of the increase Is for
schools and the rest is for gen.
eral county expenses. The en-.
tire 15-cent increase in the
levy would be required by the
increase in the school budget.
Cuts Indicated.
Although the supervisors voted
to advertise the full amount re.
quired by the School Board.
there were indications of cuts
yet to come. The supervisors may
cut the school appropriation, but
they may not tell the School
Board where to make reductions.
do you people really think
this is good time to increase
our tax rate?" asked G. Wallace
Carper. chairman Of the Board
OF Supervisors. IF the super
visors fail to approve it, can cuts
be made without affecting teach
er salaries?"
School Board members who at
tended the meeting said they had
made all possible cuts at a spe-
cial meeting Tuesday.
Robert w. Walker, director of
surveys and information for the
School Board, advised the super
yisors that next years per pupil
cost of $221.02 actually would be
lower than the amount set up in
the current budget.
THAT sounds good. Mr.. Walk
er, but what the people look at
is their tax BILL" insisted Mr..
Carper.
Supervisor c. B. Runyon said
he failed to understand why Nor.
folk gets more State money for
schools that Fairfax County, all
though both have comparable
enrollments. He also questioned
a $1,000 item in the school
budget to publish reports for the
public.
Not Unanimous.
Supervisor Maurice Fox want.
ed to know if the school budget
had the unanimous approval of
the School Board. He was told
that F. w. Robinson voted
against it.
Mr.. Massey said it was not
necessary to increase taxes 80
cents for the higher school bud
get because the supervisors had
earmarked a 100000 surplus,
plus $4,000 from delinquent
taxes, for the school budget. In
this way, it is possible to hold
the anticipated tax increase to
Is cents.
Although proposed expendi-
lures for other county operations
also are somewhat higher, they
require no additional taxes be-
cause of increased assessments.
The new budget is based on q
total aSSessment-real and per-
Sonal property-of $3.50 million.
The current budget was based
on an assessment of sos mil
lion. Mr.. Massey said the sur
plus enjoyed by the county this
year was brought about by in
creased assessments during the
year.
The proposed budget antici-
pates $6.087,5 from real estate
and personal property taxes-an
increase of $l,025, 084 over reve-
nue. from the same source in the
current budget. Automobile liz
cense tags contribute another
$175,000 to the revenue side Of
the proposed budget. The rest
of the anticipated income comes
from State and Federal sources.
Mr.. Massey said the proposed
budget provides for the employ
ment of 10 new policemen. A
$50. 900 fund is included to help
buy the right-of-way for extern
sion of the George Washington
Memorial parkway through Fair
fax County. Mr.. Massey declared
that most departments would get
increased allotments in the pro-
posed budget, but the total is not
much higher than the current
one because of several big dele
tons. The current budget in.
cluded nearly 100000 for con-
in Sanitary District No.
! and $4,000 for the new
county courthouse. Neither item
is required in the new budget.
SuifInnd Hioh Row