In their last significant action before heading off on a nearly two-month hiatus, Arlington County Board members on July 23 sought Circuit Court approval to place five local bonds totaling just over $272 million on the Nov. 5 ballot.
Both court authorization and voter approval of the package are largely assured, the former being essentially pro-forma and the public not having turned down a single Arlington bond issue in 45 years.
On the ballot will be:
• $72.4 million for transportation, including Metro.
• $25.8 million for parks and recreation.
• $76.2 million for community infrastructure.
• $14.2 million for utilities.
• $84 million for schools.
Voter approval of the referendums does not require that the bond funds be spent immediately; in fact, some bond funding authorized by voters almost a decade ago remains unspent. But some of the new debt could be used in 2025 for projects included in the county government’s recently updated capital-improvement plan.
Under current government projections, total interest required to be paid by the county government for all its debt (general-obligation, stormwater and utilities) is anticipated to rise from $166.5 million in the fiscal year that began July 1 to $177.4 million for the fiscal year starting next July.
Approval of the bond package by County Board members took exactly one minute and 54 seconds from start to finish, most of that time spent by County Board Chairman Libby Garvey reading the resolution prior to a vote.
“It’s important that we have this language just right,” she said.
With that out of the way, County Board members on July 23 adjourned for what typically is an August vacation period. Barring any surprises, the body will next be in session on Sept. 14.
