Fairfax residents could face new or higher fees for parkadmissions, ambulance trips and services for the elderly, disabledand mentally ill under proposals being discussed by county officialstrying to avoid another huge budget shortfall.
One of the most likely new fees, county board members saidyesterday, is a plan to impose an annual charge of about $20 perhousehold to pay for improvements in the county's storm-waterdrainage systems, including ponds and pipes that collect runoff.
'That is one we will likely be looking at very seriously,'said county Supervisor Michael R. Frey (R-Sully).
The talk of imposing an array of new or higher fees comes justmonths after Fairfax supervisors helped close a $140 millionshortfall in this year's budget by endorsing the county's largestreal estate tax increase in two decades. Already, officials arepredicting a $30 million budget gap for fiscal 1998, a figure likelyto rise if county schools want an increase of more than 4 percent infunding.
Edward L. Long Jr., director of the county's Office ofManagement and Budget, sent a memo to 44 department heads and othercounty administrators last month asking them to identify areas inwhich fees could be imposed.
'What service/program is the county providing for which itdoes not currently charge a fee, but would be an appropriate area toinstitute a fee?' Long asked.
Long and his staff are beginning to prepare Fairfax's nextbudget, which will be presented to the county board early next year.
Few specific plans for fee increases have been drafted, Longsaid, but a long list of options has surfaced, including new fees toenter certain county parks, to use meeting rooms at county librariesor to get decals to park in certain neighborhoods near Metrostations or schools. Fees also might be increased for services tothe disabled, elderly or mentally ill, and fines charged for overduelibrary books could be pushed up, Long said.
Even though the budget crunch likely will not be as severe nextyear, pressure on board members to impose new or higher fees will begreater. That is because last spring, when the board adopted thefiscal 1997 budget, most supervisors indicated that they would notback another real estate tax increase during the remaining threeyears in their term.
'When there is more pressure not to increase property taxes,then other fee generators get more attention,' Long said.
Supervisors said yesterday that they are open to consideringfee increases, particularly for services that are used by a selectgroup of residents, such as special parking districts orrecreational services.
'We will take a look at what is brought forward,' saidSupervisor Sharon S. Bulova (D-Braddock), chairman of the board'sbudget committee. 'That does not mean we will do it, but we willlook at it.'
Other supervisors warned that the board must proceedcautiously, because county residents, still smarting from the realestate tax increase, may revolt.
'If we charge a fee for everything the government provides,people are going to say, `Why do we pay taxes?' ' said SupervisorStuart Mendelsohn (R-Dranesville).
In Fairfax, fees, fines and other user-based charges nowgenerate about $59 million a year, the largest chunks coming fromfees charged for care of school-age children and to developers whoapply for county permits. That represents about 3.5 percent of thecounty's $1.69 billion budget.
Fairfax supervisors last spring approved an increase of up tonearly 18 percent in child-care fees and a 15 percent increase infees for reviewing road and sewer development plans. Fees to playgolf, ice-skate or reserve a picnic shelter also went up.
But the board rejected several other fee recommendations byCounty Executive William J. Leidinger and his staff, such as plansto charge for ambulance rides, for organized sports leagues to usecounty fields, or for county residents to use Lake Fairfax and BurkeLake parks.
Long said yesterday that some of those same proposals maysurface again. But county board Chairman Katherine K. Hanley (D)said she doubted they would win support, as board members alreadyhad decided against them.
Dorothy Tella, president of the Fairfax County TaxpayersAlliance, said her group supports the concept of fees for servicesthat are used by a limited number of county residents.
'If the county wants to go out and charge fees, they shouldlower taxes at the same time,' she said. 'But that is clearly notwhat they have in mind. They are just looking for more revenue.'
