Fairfax County Struggles to Finalize Its 2011 Budget

Fairfax County is massive and it has a budget to match. The proposed Fiscal Year 2011 County budget, which begins on July 1, is nearly $3.3 billion. There are several states that don't have a budget this enormous.

The largest expenditure by far is the school system, which is budgeted to receive $1.7 billion or nearly 54% of the entire pie. Fairfax County schools are some of the country's best, which in part helps make this a very strong real estate market. The next closest budget item is public safety at a proposed $406 million or 12.3%. Below is a chart of proposed Fiscal Year 2011 expenditures.

The County is not immune from the overall economic downturn of the last several years, which has brought several municipalities to their knees across the country. There are talks of budget cuts, and they even considered the absurd notion of eliminating Freshman High School sports.

The proposed budget was presented to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on February 23rd. The Supervisors are now have several public meetings to discuss the budget and open hearings will continue throughout the spring. Visit the County's Budget Office for more information.