County Board Salaries Raised By Almost 60 Percent
The Arlington County Board voted unanimously last week to raise its own annual salaries by almost 60 percent.
Effective Jan. 1, 2008, County Board Members will receive a salary of $49,000 per year, up from $30,723. The Chairman of the Board, a position that rotates among the members on a yearly basis, will receive $53,900 per year, up from $33,805.
Until recently, the board did not have the power to raise its own salaries. Instead, in an ordinance that was unique to Arlington County, board salaries could only be raised by the Virginia General Assembly. This statute was repealed by the Assembly in 2006, thus granting the County Board the ability to set its own salaries.
"We were the only jurisdiction that had a separate ordinance [regarding board salaries]," Paul Ferguson, the current Chairman of the Arlington County Board said. "[With the repealing], the General Assembly made Arlington like any other county."
The board needed to act on this matter soon because of a stipulation stating that they can only raise salaries in a year in which two or more board members are up for re-election. This year qualifies because both Ferguson and Vice-Chairman Walter Tejada will be running for office this November.
If the board did not act on this issue before July 1 of this year, they would not have had an opportunity to raise their salaries again until 2011.
"I think the adjustment is fair," said Jay Fisette, County Board Member. "Over the years I've noticed that people are quite surprised when I tell them what [the County Board] makes."
Board salaries in Arlington will now surpass those of Prince William County, which is at $38,000, and Loudoun County, at $41,000. However, the Arlington County Board will still be paid less than board members in Fairfax County, Montgomery County and Prince George’s County, all of whom receive salaries of more than $75,000 per year.
-David Schultz
Police Investigate Multiple Assaults
The Arlington County Police Department’s Special Victims Unit is investigating two assaults in south Arlington which they think may be linked.
The first assault occurred on Jan. 11 at the 4200 block of South Four Mile Run Drive. A 27-year-old woman was confronted by a man with a knife who forced her to walk to a nearby grassy area and then sexually assaulted her.
The second assault occurred on Feb. 2 on the 1500 block of South George Mason Drive. A 23-year-old woman was pulled into the bushes by a man with a knife at approximately 8 p.m. The victim was able to escape the attacker and fled on foot. She was treated at the hospital for a facial laceration.
The suspect in the second assault is described as a dark-skinned male, approximately 35-years-old, 5 feet 9 inches tall, 160 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a dark blue winter jacket and white gloves.
Detectives are investigating the possibility that the assaults are related. On the morning and afternoon of Feb. 6, police closed off the area where the second assault occurred to conduct a search for evidence for the two crimes.
Officials Unite To Offer Transportation Solutions
Elected officials throughout northern Virginia, including Arlington County Board Members Christopher Zimmerman (D) and Barbara Favola (D), called for a permanent source of funding for transportation on Thursday.
Twenty four officials from Arlington County, Fairfax County, Loudoun County, Prince William County and elsewhere issued a bipartisan statement that called for the Virginia General Assembly to provide at least $50 million a year for Metro improvements. According to Favola, the statement was issued to try to influence the Virginia General Assembly, which is currently considering an important transportation package.
The officials also called upon the Assembly to limit spending so that core programs such as education and public safety can continue to be fully funded in the face of rising transportation costs.
"The state is passing the buck [on transportation] to the localities," said Favola. "We want [transportation funding that is] statewide and that will not ebb and flow with a surplus or a recession. The local level is where the rubber meets the road [with transportation issues]."
The statement came on the same day that a compromise in the General Assembly collapsed when the Republican-controlled Senate Finance Committee endorsed a plan that would institute a statewide sales tax to be used for transportation funds. Republicans in the House of Delegates have said they would refuse to support any transportation plan that would raise taxes.
-David Schultz