With the November election quickly approaching, 7News is taking a look at some of the local issues voters will be weighing in on.
In Arlington County, a bond referendum package totaling $510 million is on the ballot. The money would be used to finance several projects within the county's 10-year Capital Improvement Plan, with voters asked to vote separately on six local bond questions.
"The bond referenda are really important for investing in the infrastructure of the community," Arlington County Board Chair Katie Cristol told 7News. "Generally speaking, these are projects that have a lifespan of over 10 years, so rather than trying to pay for them all upfront, which would make it really hard to balance our operating budget, we're going to go to the bond market and finance them over time."
You can find all six local bond questions outlined below, along with more information from the county at this link.
Metro & Transportation: $52,630,000
Shall Arlington County contract a debt and issue its general obligation bonds in the maximum principal amount of $52,630,000 to finance, together with other available funds, the cost of various capital projects for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and other transit, pedestrian, road or transportation projects?
Details: Arlington County says anticipated costs and projects "that may be financed under this proposal are $42.6 million to fund a portion of Arlington County’s share of WMATA / Metro’s capital improvement program, $7.2 million to fund a portion of the costs for paving local streets and roadways, $1.5 million to fund bridge maintenance, $1.1 million for street lighting, $0.2 million for intelligent transportation system device replacement, and $0.1 million for Curb & Gutter Missing Links".
Local Parks & Recreation: $22,460,000
Shall Arlington County contract a debt and issue its general obligation bonds in the maximum principal amount of $22,460,000 to finance, together withother available funds, the cost of various capital projects for local parks & recreation?
Details: Arlington County says anticipated costs and projects "that may be financed under this proposal are $10.8 million for parks maintenance capital and master planning projects, $4.4 million for Jennie Dean Park Phase 2, $2.9 million for Arlington Boathouse, $2.0 million for the Natural Resiliency Program, $2.0 million for the Emerging Uses Program, and $0.3 for the synthetic turf program".
Community Infrastructure: $53,300,000
Shall Arlington County contract a debt and issue its general obligation bonds in the maximum principal amount of $53,300,000 to finance, together with other available funds, the cost of various capital projects, including but not limited to facilities maintenance capital, facilities design and construction, the Arlington Neighborhoods Program, and other County infrastructure?
Details: Arlington County says anticipated costs and projects "that may be financed under this proposal are $13.1 million for Courts / Police building improvements, $12.7 million for facilities design and construction, $12.0 million for Courthouse Complex Renovations and Infrastructure, $7.4 million for fire station replacements and additions, $5.0 million for Neighborhood Conservation, and $3.1 million for facilities maintenance capital".
Arlington Public Schools: $165,010,000
Shall Arlington County contract a debt and issue its general obligation bonds in the maximum principal amount of $165,010,000 to finance, together with other available funds, the cost of various capital projects for Arlington Public Schools?
Details: Arlington County says anticipated costs and projects "that may be financed under this proposal are APS' Career Center Campus Project ($135,970,000), APS Kitchen and Entrance / Security Vestibule Renovation Program ($12,240,000), and Major APS Infrastructure Projects ($16,800,000)".
Stormwater: $39,760,000
Shall Arlington County contract a debt and issue its general obligation bonds in the maximum principal amount of $39,760,000 to finance, together with other available funds, the cost of various capital projects for the County Stormwater Program?
Details: Arlington County says anticipated costs and projects that may be financed under this proposal include capacity improvements to the "Spout Run Watershed ($13,260,000), Langston Boulevard / Sycamore Street Culverts ($6,750,000), Torreyson Run Watershed ($5,955,000), Other Capacity Improvement Projects ($8,025,000)"; along with water quality improvements that include "Gulf Branch Stream ($2,750,000), Sparrow Pond Watershed ($1,275,000), Other Water Quality Improvements ($1,745,000)".
Utilities: $177,360,000
Shall Arlington County contract a debt and issue its general obligation bonds in the maximum amount of $177,360,000 to finance, together with other available funds, the cost of designing, expanding, improving, and renovating Arlington County's Water Pollution Control Plant and the water and sewer systems serving the County?
Details: Arlington County says that anticipated costs and projects "that may be funded with bond funds are $159.5 million for the Water Pollution Control Plant to meet more stringent environmental regulations" and provide additional plant capacity to meet growing population and development in the County, along with "$15.0 million for improvements to the Washington Aqueduct system, and $2.9 million for improvements to Gravity Transmission Mains".
To learn more about the county's 10-year Capital Improvement Plan and the process behind it, click here.
Board Chair Cristol says it's important for people to understand the coronavirus pandemic has had some impacts on that 10-year plan.
"This is our first 'normal' capital improvement plan in about four years," Cristol explained. "Usually we do our capital improvement planning on a bi-annual basis, which allows us to update that 10-year plan on a regular basis, come every two years with bond referenda. As you can imagine, the pandemic put a wrench in that, and so we have been trying to update our CIP on a one-year basis, to make sure we're not falling behind on investment. But that really long-range look, a decade ahead, that was deferred. We last did it in 2018, so there's a little bit of catch-up here."
With five weeks to go until Election Day on November 8, political signs have already started popping up around Arlington County. 7News spotted quite a few signs that ask people to "Vote YES On The Arlington School Bond".
"Our schools really matter to a lot of Arlingtonians. They're at the heart of what makes Arlington special," Cristol said when asked about those signs that indicate support for the school bond.
A spokesperson for Arlington Public Schools provided some additional detail on what the $165 million in bonds would be used for:
The 2022 school bond funds will finance annual and consistent investment to improve and upgrade the school division’s existing infrastructure and fund the plan to build the long-awaited new facility at the Arlington Career Center. The school bond also supports the plans APS has for continuing improvements and upgrades of current APS facilities as an on-going priority.
APS said the plan is to to construct "a modern facility to support student learning for full-time Arlington Career Center (ACC) students and students from all APS high schools who are enrolled in Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses at ACC".
The school system also cited "major infrastructure projects that include HVAC, Electrical, Lighting, Roofing, and Windows", along with Entrance/Security Vestibule Updates and Kitchen Renovations :"to meet current safety and security standards and to provide healthy meals prepared onsite for students".
Both the Arlington County Republican Committee and the Arlington County Democratic Committee have taken a stance on the bond referendum package -- two very different stances.
From Steve Baker, Chair of the Arlington County Democratic Committee:
Arlington County has a long history of maintaining the highest credit rating from each of the 3 credit rating agencies; S&P, Fitch and Moody's. Arlington is one of only 48 counties in the country and 9 in Virginia to maintain this triple AAA status. Our committee voted overwhelmingly in support of all six bond issues for the 2023 budget cycle. Arlington Democrats fully support our exceptional schools, our parks, transportation and other critical infrastructure. We have every confidence that the referenda will pass and the county's fiscal prudence will continue to deliver the important investments our community needs.
From Matthew Hurtt, Spokesman for the Arlington County Republican Committee/GOP:
Arlington Republicans represent the fiscal conscience of Arlington County. We oppose all six bonds on principle and demand the County prioritize important projects over wasteful and unnecessary spending. With interest rates on an uncertain but upward trajectory, the six bond questions totaling over $500 million put Arlington on uneasy fiscal footing. All six bond questions are likely to pass, but we ask the taxpayers of this county to give thoughtful consideration to taking a principled stand.
7News asked Cristol, a Democrat, how she would respond to that concern voiced by the Arlington County Republican Committee.
"I very much share the value of fiscal responsibility with the Arlington GOP, that's been a really important part of my time on the board, trying to make sure the investments we're making are smart and will pay off in the long run," Cristol said.
Ultimately, she said she believes the bond referendum package is fiscally responsible, and pointed to Arlington County's AAA general obligation bond ratings from the three major bond rating agencies.
"We can borrow money at the lowest possible rates, the most competitive rates, because we hold a AAA bond rating, across the three major bond rating agencies. That allows us to borrow at the lowest possible interest rates, which means lower costs for Arlington taxpayers," she said. "And exactly as the Arlington GOP pointed out, at a time when interest are unstable, that AAA bond rating really means a lot in terms of dollars and cents as well as reputation."
Voters will ultimately decide whether or not each of the six local bond questions are approved in Arlington County.
According to data provided by Arlington County, voters in Arlington County have not rejected a local bond referenda since 1979.
"This is a community that I think has seen the rewards of historic investment," Cristol said. "I think what we've seen over the decades that Arlingtonians have been voting for the bonds, is that when we make investments, as long as we do it in a fiscally responsible way, that we really reap the rewards collectively and individually."
To view a sample ballot for the November 8 election in Arlington County, click here.
Early voting is already underway in Arlington County. For more information on early voting, what's on the ballot, and important dates from the county's elections office, click here.