To the editor: The April 25 editorial assertion that the Arlington County Board’s tax-rate increase shows that “property owners don’t matter” is unbalanced and misleading.
Adoption of a tax rate to fund programs in the budget shows a board responsive to property owners and other residents who want and depend on the services Arlington provides.
Within the past two weeks, I have visited three community centers: the Long Bridge Aquatics and Fitness Center, where I saw dozens of young people splashing and playing, and observed several adults working out on first-rate fitness machines; the Aurora Hills Community Center and library, where a helpful librarian helped my wife find novels she might not have known about; and the Lubber Run Community Center, where more than a hundred Arlingtonians were enjoying the activities of children, practicing tai chi and playing basketball and pickleball.
Perhaps the editorial could have been more balanced if it suggested which of these programs would be cut, or whether the hours of libraries should be reduced again, or whether nature centers should return to restricted hours that keep thousands of our property owners from enjoying the outdoors at times convenient to them.
One doubts that the editorial writer would object to raises given to police and firefighters and to public-school teachers, or to financing efforts to recruit newcomers to fill vacancies in all those fields.
I may not enjoy seeing the tax bill on my condo a few dollars higher this year than last year, but paying a little more gives me the satisfaction of knowing that critical public services and many county benefits will be there when I need them.
James C. Webster, Arlington
