Letters to the Editor: May 8 – 14, 2014

 Council Was Elected to Run City Professionally

Editor,

OK, our City of Falls Church leaders managed to temporarily avoid a tax rate increase (the use of reserve funds is a subject for another day) but echoing the recent surge of growing discontent voiced by fellow citizens concerning the inability of our elected officials to make intelligent and potentially difficult financial decisions, I would like to pose two questions to the City Council.

First, how about a list of all of the significant austerity measures that have been enacted over the past 15 years? Working in the private sector, I know my list is extensive – loss of pension plan, elimination of discretionary 401(k) plan contributions, no raises, no bonuses, mandatory and significant reductions in the workforce, and some hard-nosed negotiations with existing vendors to lower costs, to name a few. I can’t recall a single meaningful move initiated and passed by our city leaders that confirm they have a realistic understanding of true fiscal responsibility. Seems we, as taxpayers, function as the blank check in their budgetary deliberations, thereby eliminating any motivation for the Council to step up to the plate. Have any actions come remotely close to cutting the seemingly untouchable city payroll?

And second, since it appears that this ridiculous, arbitrarily conceived stormwater fee is being fobbed off on us, why not have the decency to call it what it really is, another property tax increase? At least then we’d be able to write the damn thing off on our income taxes.

Reminder to Council members – you weren’t elected to merely be figureheads, get your picture in the News-Press and show up at ribbon-cutting ceremonies for yet another mixed-use abomination that does little except bloat our school system. You were elected to run the city professionally and make the hard call, when necessary. How about it?

I heard the approval rating for congress is at 13%. Wonder where it would be for you….

D. Scott

Falls Church 

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