Loudoun County has received its second top rating from a major bond rating agency.
Fitch Ratings has joined Moody's in granting Loudoun AAA status, the highest possible.
Fitch cited Loudoun's "demonstrated ability to achieve strong financial performance and manage a large and complex capital plan in a rapid growth environment" in its report on upgrading the rating.
Even Loudoun's volatile political environment, which saw the election of a new Republican majority two years ago, worked in the county's favor, according to the report.
"The growth pressures have been successfully managed for a full decade and through significant changes in elected leadership, highlighting the county's fundamental commitment to long-term fiscal stability," the report said.
Higher bond ratings allow the county to borrow at a lower interest rate, said Supervisors Chairman Scott York (I-At Large).
While interest rates have been low nationally for several years, the AAA rating "will help protect us a little bit if interest rates start heading upward," York said.
The county borrows in order to fund capital improvements such as schools. School Board member Robert DuPree Jr. is chairman of the board's finance, construction and site acquisition committee.
A hot construction economy across the region has made getting low bids for contractors a challenge, DuPree said.
The construction environment is unpredictable and can change yearly. Dominion High School, which is two years old, cost more to build than the two new high schools, Freedom and Briar Woods, which open this fall.
"But then the pendulum swung the other way," DuPree said.