Public Comments on Proposed FY 2017 Budgets

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

 "Please fully fund the schools budget - to preserve the Outdoor Lab!"  

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

 "Please fully fund the schools budget - to preserve the Outdoor Lab!"  

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

-Continue supporting schools, which could include offering county space/land to APS for school use day or night for classes or other programming.
-Please address the length of time it takes for roadway projects to be complete. We have too many outstanding that should be done for safety reasons. Appreciate the investment in traffic safety improvements. Ramp up neighborhood conservation program.
-If you are going through with LBP (I am more amenable to the scaled down version) then you MUST first Audit DPR and programs before you build it. Are the classes really as backed up as you say? Does that account for the same person/family on multiple wait-lists? What does each program make (cost), and what will it cost when you consider the overhead of a new facility. Aquatic classes/teams use the school pools now which they don't have to account for as an expense in their budget....it's a whole lot different if they are swimming at a county facility where you have to justify how much your bringing in vs. how much your costing the county (in utilities, water, lifeguard, lost opportunity cost to paying lap swimmer). How many of the people on wait lists and on aquatic teams/classes are out-of-county residents. I still can't believe that we have so many non-residents on gymnastics squad who aren't even tax-payers that we appease by lowering their rates. Also, get a good clear picture of how existing community/fitness centers are run so you know what not to do...we can't afford to hand the keys of a shiny new center to those folks. Please have an understanding of their staffing and facility use costs vs. revenue and programming use/capacity because I suspect it is not a good value for us (but could be improved with better management) Incompetence at opening phase will cut the legs out from under the center. What has membership turnover been? What has been the effect on membership the last time the rates were increased? What is the most financially successful comm. center and why? Which has the highest staff & membership turnover? Which has the highest maintenance cost? Which is using up equipment quicker than its lifecycle and why? This is info DPR should be able to answer immediately but I fear they can not. Citizens expect a certain level of service and are willing to pay for it, so when they don't get it from county offerings they are more likely to critique it as a waste of taxpayer money.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

If you continue to place burdens on staff, the number and quality of teachers will continue to decline. We (along with other school districts) are facing a problem of over-working teachers and restricting them from actually teaching for large portions of the school day.
That advantage disappears when compensation (salary & benefits) doesn't entice them to come or stay in teaching. We may be slightly better than Fairfax or other areas, but that is outweighed when you consider cost-of-living and the fact that APS staff are now expected to answer emails and attend events outside of school time on a regular basis, or serve on committees. The salaries already aren't competitive with private industry (if they choose to go into another field), so when you reduce retirement benefits nobody is going to want to stick around for more than a couple years.
Graduates aren't going into education at the same rate, partially because of recovering economy, but also because they know (and are warned by those with experience) that it isn't worth the hassle (testing/assessments, data, meetings, professional developments, classroom teachers - not just SPED teachers - being pulled out of class for multiple IEP meetings in a week that detract from the rest of the class).
I realize some of this is controlled by state, but we have to look long term otherwise we are REALLY going to have a shortage of qualified staff in 10 years when we have 30K students.

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

I strongly urge you to fully fund the 2017 School Board Budget which will include support for the Outdoor Lab. My daughter had the wonderful experience of staying overnight at the Outdoor Lab when she was in fifth grade and then later worked out there one summer. It was a great experience and I want other Arlington County school students to have the opportunity to visit the Lab as well. The staff there are amazing!

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Dear Arlington School Board:

Recent studies show that time spent outdoors in natural settings, especially hiking, can reduce anxiety and increase creativity. Other studies show that most kids have far too much sitting and screen time, which can lead to increased stress and obesity. In an mostly urban area like Arlington, it's essential for kids to have access to a natural space where they can explore and exercise. The Outdoor Lab does a fabulous job of integrating both unstructured time in nature and SOL-based lesson plans. For many of these kids, their time at the Outdoor Lab will be their only real exposure to hiking, interacting with nature, and breathing in such a fabulous natural setting.

I urge you to fully fund the Outdoor Lab programs, so that all of Arlington's children can have this fantastic resource and expand their education beyond the classroom.

Sincerely, Amy Brecount White

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Please fully fund the schools budget to preserve the outdoor lab. As our area becomes more and more urban many APS students do not have an opportunity to truly appreciate nature until the visit the lab. The smiles all around the place as they dig in the compost for worms or catch their first fish at an open house are just awesome. Not only does it let them explore nature but the experimental learning that takes place as they work as a team with such things as the simple machines imprints the concepts in their minds better than any book or classroom lesson. As someone who moved from a rural community the lab is one of the things that attracted me to Arlington knowing my kids would not have the everyday exposure to the wonders of the outdoors that I had as a child.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Please fully fund the Arlington Public Schools budget to enable preservation and improvement of the Outdoor Lab and the great experience the APS students on their visits to the Lab. I have visited the Outdoor Lab with all of children and on other occasions as well and it is wonderful place for experiencing and learning about Nature.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Please assure that the needed funding for the preserving and improving the Outdoor Lab is included in the APS budget and provided to the Outdoor Lab to continue and improve their great facilities and programs.

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Please fully fund the Outdoor Lab portion of the school budget. This facility is an important learning
haven for the children who live in an urban community.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

As the parent of three adult children who benefited from Arlington's unique Outldoor Lab facility programs when they were school children, and as a Virginia Master Naturalist, I strongly support the Arlington School Board's budget proposal which supports the Outdoor Lab. It is absolutely critical to the success of the program to fund adequate staffing resources. While parents and community volunteers generously support the capital needs of the facility, and provide assistance to the professional staff, the important educational functions require professional educators who should be compensated commensurately with their knowledge and skills in natural science and interpretation. As the county becomes increasingly developed and children have less outdoor time in nature amid the lure of their electronic devices, it is all the more important to their well being and to the future of our planet to provide this natural education.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Please fully fund the schools budget - to preserve the Outdoor Lab! The current School Board proposal to the County Board includes increased staffing for the Lab. This funding is critical in order to continue serving the growing APS student population.

Thank you for your consideration.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Please provide maximum possible support from Arlington County funds to the Outdoor Lab. What a great influence it had on my children, who are now grown, resilient, and now exploring the outdoors on their own and achieving great success in pursuit of their educational and economic dreams, and in terms of having balanced, healthy lives. It is so important to our students' health to be exposed to time outdoors and to realize the proximity and enjoyment of nature.
For your information that I can share with you in addition to the anecdotal evidence of my on family (the success of my own grown children who enjoyed Outdoor Lab trips and camps as Arlington students), please do not miss reading this Nat Geo article that supports the philosophy of Outdoor Lab:
This is a really great article, entitled "This Is Your Brain on Nature" that ran in National Geographic Magazine, January 2016 -- http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2016/01/call-to-wild-text "This Is Your Brain on Nature--When we get closer to nature—be it untouched wilderness or a backyard tree—we do our overstressed brains a favor."
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2016/01/call-to-wild-text

AND see

"Outdoor Recreation, Health..." 2009 report by Resources for the Future (RFF): http://www.rff.org/files/sharepoint/WorkImages/Download/RFF-DP-09-21.pdf
Abstract of this RFF report: The research literature on outdoor recreation as it relates to human health is vast and growing.
To help policymakers take new and emerging findings into account when designing recreation and park services and initiatives for the 21st century, this paper summarizes the salient issues and identifies research gaps. It considers how being outside in natural surroundings may improve health and how
outdoor physical activities benefit participants. Particular attention is given to children’s health problems that can be mitigated through outdoor play, sports, and nature study.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Please provide maximum possible support from Arlington County school funds to the Outdoor Lab. What a great influence it had on my children, who are now grown, resilient, and now exploring the outdoors on their own and achieving great success in pursuit of their educational and economic dreams, and in terms of having balanced, healthy lives. It is so important to our students' health to be exposed to time outdoors and to realize the proximity and enjoyment of nature.
For your information that I can share with you in addition to the anecdotal evidence of my on family (the success of my own grown children who enjoyed Outdoor Lab trips and camps as Arlington students), please do not miss reading this Nat Geo article that supports the philosophy of Outdoor Lab:
This is a really great article, entitled "This Is Your Brain on Nature" that ran in National Geographic Magazine, January 2016 -- http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2016/01/call-to-wild-text "This Is Your Brain on Nature--When we get closer to nature—be it untouched wilderness or a backyard tree—we do our overstressed brains a favor."
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2016/01/call-to-wild-text

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Please fully fund the schools budget to preserve the Outdoor Lab! I feel VERY strongly that the gifts of nature as seen through the eyes of children contribute to lifelong skills for multiple reasons, including learning about the natural world, finding inspiration in terms of potential careers, being in the out of doors as a way to de-stress and live life. The Outdoor Lab provides this and so much more. The dedicated and knowledgeable staff are some of the best in the County system.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Please fully fund the schools budget to preserve the Outdoor Lab! I feel VERY strongly that the gifts of nature as seen through the eyes of children contribute to lifelong skills for multiple reasons, including learning about the natural world, finding inspiration in terms of potential careers, being in the out of doors as a way to de-stress and live life. The Outdoor Lab provides this and so much more. The dedicated and knowledgeable staff are some of the best in the County system.

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

I feel that our outdoor lab is a very valuable asset to our county. All three of our children attended camp there and loved it. Please fully fund it in the 2017 budget.
Thanks Becky Petrucci

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Please fully fund the schools budget - to preserve the Outdoor Lab!

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

I'm a former member of the Outdoor Lab Board, a group of dedicated volunteers that take their custodial responsibilities for the property very seriously. I have no children in the schools and never have but am a firm advocate of environmental sustainability. To that end, our next generations need to experience nature in its natural state to appreciate and value its importance and to learn how to care for it. As Northern Virginia is getting overly developed, where do kids get to experience that? If you want to appreciate the beauty and value of the Outdoor Lab and the joy of the students as they're learning go and visit it during the open houses or when the kids are out there. If you've never been, you'll be surprised at the breadth and depth of the instruction and learning. The staff are excellent and deserving of the resources they need. I support my tax $$ going to support the Outdoor Lab.

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Please fully fund the schools budget - to preserve the Outdoor Lab! My son has loved going there and we need all APS students to enjoy it now and in the future.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Please fully fund the schools budget - to preserve the Outdoor Lab! My son has loved going there and we need all APS students to enjoy it now and in the future.

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

I urge the County Board to fully fund the School Board's budget and capital improvement requests. With our growing school population, the quality of education in the County will erode if the schools are starved for resources. I especially urge you to fund the Outdoor Lab line items so this wonderful enrichment resource can be made available to more Arlington students in our growing population. Thank you.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

I urge the School Board to fully fund the budget request for the Outdoor Lab. This precious resource needs additional resources to expand its services to add more of our growing school population. Thank you.

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

As you know. Arlington is very unique in having the Arlington Outdoor Lab to provide a hands-on science experience for our urban students. It is a "one of a kind" venue with very skilled personnel and a well planned program. It is extremely important that you, the County Board, fund their budgetary requests for 2016-17 FULLY. Remember, there is an increased number of students to be served by AOEA so it is paramount t that there also be increased funds to support these educational activities. Many young people in Arlington from never have had the opportunity to go to a place like the Outdoor Lab and collect samples of life from the stream or pond or see Wild creatures in any place other than at a zoo. Plus the staff are teachers who have planned activities that coordinate with the Science Program of APS. You owe it to the citizens of Arlington to maintain this educational gem to the fullest extent!

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Dear Arlington County Board,

Please fully fund the budget for Arlington Public Schools (APS), especially so that the Outdoor Lab Program can continue as a robust APS program from which so many students have benefited over many years. In general, APS needs to be fully supported, especially due to the tremendous growth in the student population. Now is not the time to reduce full support for the schools. Entire grade levels at at least two middle schools, Swanson and Williamsburg, will be learning outside of the main school building. It is bad enough that their physical space is inadequate; please don't worsen the situation by not funding important educational components that make APS a superior school system, including the Outdoor Lab, robust music, art, and theater programs, and excellent technology options.

In an era when we know that hands-on learning is the best way to learn STEM subjects, the Outdoor Lab is critical component of this type of learning and helps students better understand and engage with the concepts they are learning in the classroom. Additionally, the arts give students important emotional and creative outlets to counterbalance the extreme stress they feel on the pure academic side. With teen mental health illness and suicide spiking to the highest levels in decades, it's really important to have non-traditional learning outlets for students that not only enhance their learning but are also critical to healthy mental and emotional development.

Please do everything possible to fully fund our very crowded school system so that it can continue to find creative and effective ways of educating our students in excellent and progressive ways while also remaining one of the area's premier systems. Programs like the Outdoor Lab are what make APS outstanding. Let us please keep it that way.

Sincerely,

Mary Yuhas, APS Parent
Arlington, VA

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Please fully fund the proposed budget for Arlington Schools. I especially support increased staffing at the Outdoor Lab. My sons had such wonderful educational experiences there. It is an extraordinary place and provides such insightful lessons about problem solving, nature, and science.

Thank you.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

I love Arlington Schools. We are so lucky to have some of the best schools in Arlington. Please continue to support them.

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

The Arlington Outdoor Lab is an essential part of earth science learning and deserves to be adequately funded and staffed to insure that it remains a successful part of the curriculum. Please support additional staffing and appropriate funding for this deserving program.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

The Arlington Outdoor Lab is an essential part of earth science learning and deserves to be adequately funded and staffed to insure that it remains a successful part of the curriculum. Please support additional staffing and appropriate funding for this deserving program.

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Please fully fund the schools budget to preserve the Outdoor Lab so that Arlington students continue to have the opportunity to wonder, explore and learn outdoors. Nature is our greatest teacher.

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Please fully fund the schools budget to preserve the Outdoor Lab! My son loves going there and learns a lot from the lab. I'm sure others feel the same way. Thanks.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Please fully fund the schools including fully funding the Outdoor Lab.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Please fully fund the Arlington County School budget. Without full funding valuable programs that enrich the educational experience for our students will be in jeopardy. As the parent of a 5th grader at Glebe Elementary I have been able to witness first-hand the growth and development of my daughter’s love for earth sciences through successful programs such as the Outdoor Lab. Additionally with the growing APS student population full funding is critical to ensure continued support in the fundamental educational programs that provide a firm educational foundation for our future generations. Thanks you for considering.

Pamela Horwitz

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Please fully fund the school budget to include funding for the outdoor lab and staffing the outdoor lab. The outdoor lab is by far one of the best programs Arlington has and the kids love it. Both of my kids love the outdoor lab and it provides such a great learning space and education for our students.
Thanks you.
Michelle Sagatov

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Please fully fund the school budget to include funding for the outdoor lab and staffing the outdoor lab. The outdoor lab is by far one of the best programs Arlington has and the kids love it. Both of my kids love the outdoor lab and it provides such a great learning space and education for our students.
Thanks you.
Michelle Sagatov

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Last week the mark up by the County Board of the School Board budget left a $1.4 million difference. While fully funding the SB request may require an increase in revenue or taxes I would support both. Included in the increase request by the SB is $90K for an additional position at the Outdoor Lab that I strongly support and ask you to reconsider funding the entire SB request.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

The SB shortfall to the Co board included an additional position at the outdoor lab - if the Co board doesn't fully fund the SB request I recommend you still fund that position.

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Please fully fund the schools budget and preserve the Outdoor lab.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

I support the schools budget including the increased staffing for the Outdoor lab.

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Please fully fund the schools budget to preserve the Outdoor Lab.

Thank you!

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Please fully fund the 2017 School Board Budget. Of particular need is an additional staff membet for the Outdoor Lab. Thank you.

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Public input and planning is so important, yes? Yet, year after year during budget closeout you spend tens of millions of dollars without any public input. None. That practice must stop.

1. Lower taxes this year, please. Please. You don't need to spend money as much as my family needs to spend it.
2. Plan your budget and stick to it.. If you have money left over at the end, don't spend it; you didn't receive public input and you didn't plan it. See #1

As for priorities, please focus on core services. Maybe we need a pool facility but we don't need extravagance.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

1. Please lower my taxes
2. Stop the speed hump program
3. Please fix the potholes
4. Stop wasting my taxes on things that create more problems, than fix
5. I'm 57 years old. I have lived in this county almost my entire life. I would like a more efficient and effective county government.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Reduce the number of employees in the County Board Office. If the supervisors are part-time, why do they have full-time assistants, whom I am told mainly handle scheduling and mail. If other departments are being scrutinized for cuts and challenged for overspending and too many employees, why not the County Board Office.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

I skate at the park, that its condition is poor, and I support Arlington's inclusion of $288K for design of the new skate park.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

I'm an aggressive quad skater (think skate park ramps, but with rollerskates instead of a skateboard), but I'm still pretty new to the activity. It's a great way to stay active and challenge myself. Since I'm still learning a lot of moves, I love a park with features that serve a variety of skill levels.

I had never been to Powhatan Springs Skate Park until last weekend, but now I can't wait to go back. The shape of the bowl is perfect for my current skill level, and it's big enough that I can continue to push myself and grow. However, I noticed several chunks taken out of key spots, opening an opportunity for injury if I hadn't moved around them.

I hope Arlington repairs Powhatan Spring Skate Park. It's one of the best I've seen around here, even if the condition is "well-loved". It's a great place for skaters to master the basics and move up to harder skills.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Enjoy the skate park and would like to continue to attend and ensure this is available for members of the community - - Park needs updates or maintenance.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

I think that one of the most under represented groups in this county is with the younger generation, from younger kids to young adults. We could do so much more for this demographic in Arlington. I support the renovations of Arlington's only Skatepark. So many more people than are represented would benefit from the renovation. Have some understanding and support for people who recreationally skate/bike, and most importantly, the younger generation.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Fix Arlington skatepark please

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

I live in Stafford va. I travel up to Arlington a couple times a month. My kids and I have been enjoying your skatepark for years. Over the last couple years the parks condition has declined. I'm worried that it will become a safety hazard for us and other families that enjoy your park. Please see fit to add the parks remodeling to your budget. My family and I look forward to years of safe fun and exercise at your skatepark.
Thanks

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Hi Please invest in the upgrades to the fantastic skate park that we in the community love very much! It is a great place and should be kept in good condition for all of us who use it!

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Please include the money for the redesign of the skatepark.

It is a true asset to the county that attracts individuals from across the country.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

My son & I use the Powhatan skateboard park and it is now in poor condition. I support the inclusion of $28k for the design of the renovation/construction of the new park.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

I wanted to share my support for the inclusion of $288k for the renovation of the Powhatan Skate Park. I am 40 years old and started park skating 6 months ago, although I've been a roller skater all my life. I have found a community of other adults, teens, and kids that enjoys the benefits from places like this. The park is falling apart however. It needs financial support to keep this as a place where all walks of life and ages can be healthy and safe. In the park, people have to be aware of each other - there is an inherent etiquette. Strangers cheer each other's accomplishments and friends laugh together at our foibles. Skating challenges me mentally and physically and provides me with an escape and balance hard to find in the city. It truly is a community space that ALL can enjoy. Please support this funding. It is incredibly valuable to quality of life in the metropolitan area.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

My kids and I frequent the Arlington Powhatan Springs skatepark. We love it and have spent a lot of good family time there. My kids have made friends there. It's a positive, enriching outdoor activity for us. But it is badly in need of repairs and updating. We have watched it degrade from the stand out local star to a problematic facility. We hope that you will consider the funding the park needs to continue to be a good local resource.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Need to focus on essentials. NO new parks are needed! Time to focus on what needs to be done and keep the spending down. My friends and I vote for those who know how to spend less of OUR tax dollars.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

We have no children and do not know enough to provide enough say so on this.

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

RE: Changes in Fees for Overdue Library Materials
I think decreasing the overdue fee for DVDs form $1.00 to $0.30 will mean that the "hold" line for popular movies will be longer. I've occasionally returned a DVD late. But, never more than one day late because of the cost. If it's so much cheaper to hold movies past their due date, I'm afraid that too many people will keep DVDs a lot longer and the rest of the library patrons will have to wait even longer than they do now, to see popular movies. If the fee decrease is being done for families on fixed incomes, then perhaps the Library can have a tiered system, based on verification of income status. Or, children's movie rates could go down, while leaving adult movie rates the same.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Earlier, the County Board approved the Affordable Housing Plan for Arlington. Now it is time to fully fund the initiatives de3scribed in the plan in order to preserve existing affordable options and increase the availability of affordable housing for Arlington residents.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

I write to urge the County Board to give serious consideration to a substantial reduction in the real estate property tax rate assessment for the FY 2017 budget. For the past decade increased property assessments have created a built-in tax increase for County's homeowners. The increasing assessments over that time period combined with Board action to keep the existing tax rate, or adoption of a nominal decrease in the tax rate has allowed a silent tax hike to be imposed on homeowners.

County residents have recently elected a new Board to impose fiscal discipline and accountability over taxpayer financed County government. One key to promoting affordable housing for middle income families is having a favorable tax rate in a region with extremely high property assessments. I urge the Board to cut the property tax rate by one cent and limit discretionary spending on special interest programs to fund the tax rate cut that will benefit all Arlington homeowners.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Please continue to support and enhance the County's developing natural resources management program in DPR. More and more studies are showing that healthy natural resources play a vital role in the health of citizens, general quality of life, and economic development of world-class cities and urban areas. I hope the Board will follow and support the work under way for public and open spaces master planning, aiming for creative, cost-effective, world-class approaches. Similarly, I hope the Board will monitor and support additional progress under the Natural Resources Management Plan approved several years ago. I thank the Board and County staff for supporting invasive plant management programs. Within recent years, thanks to an excellent partnership between County staff, contractors, and volunteers, the invasive plant problem in a number of County parks has improved. The progress, though finite, shows that this is a problem that can be managed, and with a long-term goal of bringing most natural areas to a natural resources maintenance status to keep the problem contained. Additional support for invasive plant management and related environmentally sound natural resources management would be most welcome. Finally, I hope the County and APS will find creative ways to increase cooperation, especially on natural resources-related issues such as connecting wildlife corridors between school grounds and County parks.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

I hope the School Board will look for creative ways to work more closely with the County on natural resources management issues. Increased exposure to nature is extremely important for children's health and learning development. I hope APS will work more closely with the County to give children nature-oriented opportunities inside the County and to connect school properties with County parks to benefit wildlife habitat and improve learning opportunities.

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Increases in real property tax and personal property tax can be very difficult for those of us living on social security. We got no increase this year.
If Arlington wants to maintain a mixed age and income society they have to be more sensitive to those on fixed incomes. A lot of elderly residents I know would like to stay in their homes but are forced out as costs increase and the real value of their income does nothing but decrease.

Please think of those who are retired and don't have the big salaries.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

I think the historic designations are totally unnecessary. I was here for Stratford and there is nothing special about the building. A plaque telling what happened is sufficient. Don't try to memorialize something that wasn't that great in the first place.

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

As a long-time Arlington home owner and resident (35 years), I am very interested in supporting efforts, both public and private, to improve and expand services for all county residents. I have been a member of and volunteer for Arlington Neighborhood Villages (ANV) since its inception and consider it to be an exemplary organization providing a variety of services to Arlington seniors. ANV relies primarily on the efforts of volunteers with minimal paid staff. In this way, it can respond to the needs of its members effectively and economically. A steady increase in membership speaks well to its success.

In order to continue to provide a high and consistent level of quality services to its member, additional paid staff is necessary. I strongly urge the Board to approve ANV's request for additional financial support for FY 2017.

Thank you.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

I write to support the proposal to reduce the property tax rate at least a half cent, if not more. I have lived in Arlington since 1995, and owned a home here since 2004 . In my 12 years of owning a home, my real estate tax has increased 39% due to both rising assessments and higher tax rates. Over the past three years it has risen 18% and the increase from 2015 to 2016 is 12.5%. Even allowing for home improvements, that's a lot. I recognize that my house is a substantial and valuable asset and that the rising assessment likely will translate into a higher sales price should I ever sell, but that is not going to help paying the yearly taxes. I like to live in Arlington, not sell my home in Arlington. And, with all respect to the competing priorities Arlington County juggles, I cannot say I have seen an increase in services of 12.5% over the past year. Yes, I received a new mulch bin and we have new street signs, but while the former is nice, I can't say it's necessary, and I do not understand the expenditure on the latter. I understand it takes money to run government, and I applaud the employees of Arlington County for what they do, but let's work with what we have instead of pursuing new (and expensive) ideas that increase our tax burden. Thank you.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

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Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

The continuous steep rise in property taxes is unacceptable. This makes two years in a row we've had to provide third party professional real estate assessments to counteract inflated county assessments.

Provide input to the County Board about County government programs and services:

Over the past few years we have had a continuing series of tax increases. It is time for the board to stop that practice and more efficiently use the tax dollars provided by Arlington citizens. There is no need for additional tax increases. The time is now for fiscal responsibility, using our tax dollars in a sound and responsible manner.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

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I strongly urge you, as members of the Arlington County Board, to vote for a meaningful reduction in County taxes as well as personal property taxes. Every year we see another large increase in both. A modest reduction in both should be in place to offset years of increased spending. I urge you to show much- needed fiscal responsibility.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

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Please fully support the APS budget request.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

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I write to urge you to support the request from the Arlington Neighborhood Village organization for $30,000 for additional staffing. I volunteer with ANV as a provider of training for direct service volunteers. In this capacity, it has been encouraging to see this grass roots effort succeed and grown. The increase in the number of members and volunteers has increased the workload of a largely volunteer support corps. Additional funding to pay support staff will allow ANV to continue to provide the critical services to members that will allow them to remain in their homes as long as possible. Thank you.

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I am writing to you in support of the Arlington Neighborhood Village’s (ANV) request for $30,000 in funding from the county. I have been a volunteer with ANV from the beginning, and I have seen firsthand the tremendous difference it is making in the lives of our older residents in all parts of the county. In addition to the obvious benefits that ANV’s direct services (such as transportation, home repairs, grocery shopping, etc.) provide, what has really struck me is how much more alive, energetic, and engaged many of our members have become after joining ANV. In addition to making new friends with our volunteers and other members, having a quick, friendly, flexible way to get around has encouraged many of them to start taking exercise classes as well as participating in numerous 55+ and Encore Learning classes and events. In other words, they go from being shut-ins to active members of our community who are enjoying the many things that Arlington has to offer.
Another big benefit to all of us is that many of our members have lived here for many decades, and they have seen how Arlington has grown and changed over long periods of time. Many of them have also been active players in the county’s civic and cultural development. As our volunteers get to know and become friends with them, the volunteers get to hear their stories and learn about Arlington through unique and personal stories that they would never otherwise hear. Since these stories are getting passed on, they will continue to be a part of our rich social fabric, even after the members themselves are gone. I can tell you that my own appreciation for what Arlington is and how it came to be what it is today has been tremendously enhanced by my conversations with our older members.
I'm fit enough that I don't need ANV's direct services, but I have come to believe in the village's mission strongly enough to sign up as a full, paid member. I hope that the County Board will also see the growing benefits that ANV is bringing to Arlington, and that you will approve its funding request. Thank you for your time.

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Please fully support the APS budget request. I am most concerned with support for the Outdoor Lab (Arlington Outdoor Education Association). They are in need of additional support, which is included in the budget. The Outdoor Lab is a treasure! I am sure the majority of Arlington County parents would agree! Thank you.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

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Please fund the full APS budget. You always have and Arlington is known for its excellent schools.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

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Ask that you fully fund the APS requested budget which may be more than the County Board has planned for the initial budget estimate. With the school population continuing to grow it is critical that resources keep up with the demand - even if that may result in an increase in the tax rate...yes we support the APS budget even if that would require an increase in revenue (taxes).

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

Appreciate the consideration of adding 1 additional staff member for the Outdoor Lab. This we help in addressing the increase in class visits to the Lab and prevent having to reduce the current program of 3rd, 6th and 5th grade overnights.

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Please grant Arlington Neighborhood Village (ANV) the $30,000 requested so they can continue to provide stellar service to today's seniors and tomorrow's seniors. As a volunteer, I see the good works done by this volunteer group. It is hard to sustain any organization, much less a volunteer organization. I love the senior services in Arlington and hope to enjoy them as I get older. I also hope ANV will be there when I need their services. Along with practical services like rides and simple household fix-it tasks, they also provide many social activities to prevent the social isolation so prevalent with today's seniors.

ANV fits into Arlington's mission of serving its communities and being an outstanding urban village. Please grant them this money. I am so lucky to live in Arlington. Thank you.

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I would like to support the request to provide funding to assist Arlington Neighborhood Village for the upcoming year. ANV mission is to enable members to continue living in their own homes and communities as they age—safely, independently, and with an enhanced quality of life—by providing access to support services and social programs.
The organization was created with the assistance of Arlington's Parks and Recreations Senior Program staff and began operations in April 2014. During 2015 membership has grown by 50%. The services are provided by volunteers with a single part time office staff overseeing operations; but ANV needs additional staffing to be able to continue their rapid growth and provide more services and programs to more seniors. If it weren't for ANV, many of the services provided would need to be provided by the county. I want to note that about 15% of the members getting services receive financial aid.

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Hello - I'm VERY concerned about the County's level of spending during the current & next fiscal year. I urge all County Board members to be cognizant of the burden real estate tax rates place on many Arlington homeowners, and that many of us will welcome a reduction in the proposed tax rate so that we can maintain our properties with necessary upgrades & improvements. As a resident who lives on S Old Glebe Rd along with some 200 other condo owners who will be greatly inconvenienced and burdened during the upcoming construction of the new elementary school, I would like to request consideration for any & all Arlington residents who will live in immediate "fire" zones expected to be identified as locations for APS construction/reconstruction zones that will be created in the coming months & years when because there is no other way to prevent these inconveniences these homeowners should be entitled to exemption of increased tax burdens.
At the same time I think that the Superintendent, School Board members & senior staff need to often be reminded that money doesn't grow on trees - and that they need to continue to strive to economize & streamline their budgets out of respect and consideration of the tax burden their expenditures place on Arlington homeowners.
Thanking you in advance for your consideration of an adjustment in the tax rate, and for the long hours you spend in meetings that have a major impact making Arlington the County we're proud to call home.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

It's my personal opinion that the Superintendent & School Board members need to constantly be reminded that money really "doesn't grow on trees" - and that they need to continue to strive to economize & streamline their budgets out of respect and consideration of the tax burden their expenditures place on Arlington homeowners.

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Reduce taxes! It was a stretch to afford our home when we bought it a couple years ago. In this stagnant economy our income is not increasing. The constantly increased assessments are continually draining away from our family budget. Focus on core services and stop trying to make Arlington like a Disney park!

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Thank you for the transparency and oversight efforts in budgeting. I support your proposal for a 1/2 percentage reduction in the property assessment rate. With real estate values increasing, that should not negatively impact the budget.

I know that the county board is dealing with school crowding and construction issues. I continue to wonder why the Madison Community Center, off Old Glebe Road near Chain Bridge was not used for a middle or elementary school. I know that much of the growth of population is coming from South County, but that is a natural space for use as a school. You are already busing kids in to the Williamsburg area so I imagine the busing costs would not be markedly higher.

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Property taxes are disproportionately high here in Arlington. The County Board needs to lower the level of taxation by at least 5 percent. Home ownership is a requisite part of the county's demography, and you are pricing average people out of the market by your policies of maintaining or increasing the tax rate while inflating the assessed value of the properties.

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Dear County Board,

Thank you for your continued hard work for our community.

This is in response to the proposed increase in library fees for overdue children's books. Kids eat these books up like candy, so parents have to check out a lot of them. The proposed increase in fees means that it could be very costly to families. It is stressful to try to keep track of the due dates and all the books. Sometimes things slip. We don't want to feel more stressed when checking out books for our kids.

I would prefer to have a higher overdue fee for the few books I check out for myself rather than the 30 books I check out for my daughter.

I understand that the community wants more and you have to find the money for it. Children's books at the library are not the place. Please don't put mechanisms in place to limit children's reading.

Thank you for your time and efforts!

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Your library fines change proposal penalizes readers to favor the use of the library for entertainment purposes (i.e. checking out DVDs).
It also ensures longer wait times for in-demand DVDs with incredibly long wait lists since there will be less of a disicentive to returning them late.

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I am writing in support of Arlington Neighborhood Village's (ANV) request for $30,000 to support staffing to help ANV with the increasing demand for services that it provides Arlington's seniors. We are seeing an increased number of older residents who want to remain in Arlington as they grow older. These residents have raised their families in Arlington and want to continue to live independently in their homes rather than moving to assisted living and 55+ communities. Arlington Neighborhood Village provides another option for seniors who don't want to be uprooted and move to a completely new community. As the baby boomers reach age 65 in record numbers, communities across the metropolitan area are seeing an increase in seniors who want to "age in place." This demand is likely to continue and communities such as Arlington County would be wise to support this village movement that is sweeping the country. ANV is providing important services to Arlington's older residents that supplements what the County is doing for seniors.

Arlington Neighborhood Village provides direct services such as transportation, light household maintenance, technology support along with a variety of social activities. Members feel like they have someone to call on when they need that ride to the doctor or boxes moved from the attic. Volunteers and members begin to form a personal connection and all involved feel like they are part of a community. Reducing social isolation and loneliness is so important as people grow older and we see members making those social connections which can mean so much. As a volunteer who works directly on the social programming for members and volunteers, I see it every time we get people together to share a meal or hear an interesting speaker over coffee. People need those social connections and to feel like they are part of a community. This desire can be even more acute as people grow older and the friends and neighbors they have depended on are no longer there.

I urge the County to support ANV's request for funding in the FY 2017 budget. This funding will help ANV to continue to expand to meet its increased demand for services.

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I am writing in support of Arlington Neighborhood Village's (ANV) request for $30,000 to support staffing to help ANV with the increasing demand for services that it provides Arlington's seniors. I am an Associate member of Arlington Neighborhood Village because I support ANV's mission to enable Arlington residents to live independently in their own homes for as long as they choose. I receive no direct services as an Associate member but am able to participate in the social activities that the Village provides to its members and volunteers. These social activities help alleviate the loneliness and isolation many of our Arlington seniors feel as they grow older and their friends and social circles are no longer there for them. A primary goal of the social activities is to get people out of their homes and having them feel a part of a community again. ANV does this through weekly coffees, dine arounds, speakers, tours and special events for the older "golden" members. I feel strongly that Arlington County has become a better place to live and "age in place" because Arlington Neighborhood Village is a resource for Arlington's seniors. I urge the Board to support ANV's request for funding in the FY 2017 budget.

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We support a grant to the Arlington Neighborhood Village (ANV). This volunteer organization is providing vital support to many Arlington seniors. Most of the funding comes from dues paid by Arlington seniors who participate in the activities, but additional funding is vital to provide a full time staff person to coordinate the many ANV services. We have personally benefited from the social activities organized by the ANV including dining, weekly coffee and conversation series with interesting speakers, walks and much else. New social opportunities are welcome because long time friends die and move away and it is more difficult to meet potential friends when you are retired and don't get around as much. We don't yet need the direct services that ANV provides but we are comforted to know that we can call the ANV to arrange for a volunteer to take us to a doctor appointment, grocery shopping, or other important appointments. Volunteers also help with computer problems, handyman work, and many other tasks that become more difficult with aging. In addition, other volunteers check in with members over the phone, visit homes just to socialize, or accompany members on short walks. It is such a great idea that seniors and younger volunteers in Arlington are helping their neighbors age in their own homes and remain connected with their community!

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Budget elimination option: the new stormwater ordinance approved May 2014 threatens to turn good progressives into bad government-hating tea partiers. The ordinance requires that new single-family homes incorporate expensive and unsightly "urban planters" to capture stormwater. These are structures typically required of commercial developments with large surface parking lots. The ordinance mandates an onerous annual inspection process. It was developed in collaboration with builders who stand to profit from increased construction costs, with no civic federation input.

Imagine planning for years to build a dream home only to find out you’ll need to surround your new home with concrete urban planters. You then get hit with a maintenance and monitoring agreement that requires you and all subsequent owners to commit to annual inspections. The onus is on homeowners to fulfill inspection requirements and hire civil engineers. The one-sided agreement, signed under duress after a property has been purchased, allows County staff to enter your property at any time and puts the home at risk of a lien.

County staff are unable articulate how rainwater coming off the roof of a home poses a threat to the Chesapeake Bay and how this threat compares to commercial agriculture runoff. They claim the urban planters are state requirements. This “state requirement” talking point is being actively corrected by builders and private sector engineers who describe the Arlington policy as overkill pursued for the sake of political posturing. Arlington is unique in mandating commercial stormwater retention structures for single-family homes on small lots. County government credibility is being undermined by staff who lie to residents only to have builders and private sector engineers correct the lies.

Please limit urban planter requirements to commercial developments and multi-family buildings with large concrete footprints and, most important, professional property management. It’s not right to expect single-family homeowners to implement open-ended engineering projects they don’t appreciate or understand. The number of Arlington residents with a low opinion of Arlington County government and its leaders grows with each new home sold. This trend does not bode well. How many residents will be personally impacted in 10, 20 or 30 years? If other jurisdictions can meet state and federal requirements without negatively impacting homeowners on an ongoing basis, surely Arlington can too.

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

APS has a school capacity crisis. Arlington County has maybe 5-7 former schools which are now community centers of some form or other. I realize that tough decisions could potentially impact the 11am senior pickle ball game and lead to a smattering of complaints, but enough is enough. The capacity crisis has been going on for at least seven years. I propose that both elected boards be locked in a room with no food, water or bathrooms and not allowed out until solutions are identified. I'm not talking about commitments to form task forces or new studies. I'm talking concrete solutions like turn Fairlington Community Center into a neighborhood school. Turn Madison Community Center into a school and call it the "Arlington School for the Super Genius Child." You don't need it create a special curriculum, just give it a special name and Arlington parents will be fighting to get their kids in. Selectively siphon off students from the most overcrowded schools and your problem is solved. Ok, maybe that is a bit much (joke! I'm sorry!) but there really are ready-made solutions. Please. Just work together. Solve the problem. If the school capacity issue is indeed temporary you can go back to your regularly scheduled senior pickle ball game at the community center after the current student cohort makes it's way through.

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I recommend reconsidering the Field Fee, which is the $8 user fee imposed by the Department of Parks and Recreation on diamond and rectangular field users or user groups. Currently, this fee is segregated into two funds, one for diamond fields in which the leagues or programs are able to direct that amenities be placed in the parks to promote their programs, and a second for rectangular fields which is currently sitting as the soccer and other rectangular field users are saving to turf a field.

Although I'm a supporter of sports in Arlington, I'm also a tax payer. I think its inexcusable for the County Board and the County Executive management to collect an $8 fee but not use any of that money to defray taxpayer costs of maintenance for the fields. The DPR has now created an gifting program for leagues or individuals to provide improvements to the parks and fields. And, at the November Sports Commission meeting a DPR spokesman advised that DPR is now looking to include improvements and amenities to fields and parks as part of their planning. So, Field Fee funds for improvements and amenities is not triply redundant. As for the rectangular field groups holding money for a turf field rather than contributing to maintenance, it takes years of savings in the fund before there's an adequate amount for a turf field. Throughout that period, the rectangular field users play on turf fields paid for out of the CIP, which provides a generous amount of money for turf fields, and none of the $8 fee goes to either turf or grass rectangular field maintenance.

Presently, DPR pays about $750,000 per year in maintenance for athletic fields. All of that money is taxpayer based. I suggest that the present use of the Field Fee be revisited and that it would be more effective to divide the field fee 50-50 or 60-40 between defraying taxpayer costs and increasing funds available for field maintenance. The present system is redundant and does not make effective use of these funds. The funds either sit for years doing nothing, rectangular fields, or go to amenities that can be paid for or developed through other mechanism. On top of that, the youth baseball fields used some of their Field Fee funds for batting cages which DPR built, and the youth leagues have found the cages to be unsafe.

With the significant demand made on fields now, and greater coming, this money needs to be more effectively used. The present system is simply wasteful.

Thank you,

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I am aware of the wonderful support Arlington County is and has been to Culpepper Garden. As the daughter of a resident (my mother turned 100 last December) and daughter-in-law of another resident who passed away 8 years ago at 103, I can tell you first hand how valuable this facility is to us, and to the community at large. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart and beseech you to continue your support of this very worthy cause.

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I’m writing in support of Arlington Neighborhood Village’s request for $30,000 to support their substantive efforts in helping 55+ Arlingtonians. The Village fills the gap between what insurance and county and federal governments can offer seniors: rides to doctor’s appointments, shopping and excursions; technical help with computers, TVs and tablets; numerous social events that provide useful information for seniors such as avoiding falls and making your home safe to avoid accidents.

I’ve been a volunteer since shortly after the Village asked for volunteers, and my experiences have been extremely rewarding for me as well as the Village member. I’m 69 myself, so I enjoy doing things for people they can’t do for themselves since I know I will probably become a member myself in the future.
The Village offers important services to people who otherwise would have little or no outlet or resource for their needs. I implore you to support their budget request.

Jill Garzone, an Arlingtonian since 1989

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I am a volunteer driver for the Arlington Neighborhood Village (ANV). Most of my trips involve taking elderly people who no longer drive to doctor's appointments. I understand that this service substitutes for transportation services that the County would otherwise have to provide. For this reason, it make sense for the County to provide monetary support to ANV. I hope you will favorably consider ANV's request for $30,000 in funding in next fiscal year's budget.

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I would like to say that the child care office should be closed since this year the state of Virginia has adopted stricter regulations where all home daycares and childcare centers will have to comply with state regulations.With the closing of the child care office that money can be put to use in other areas such as school funding, a free clinic or a place where that money is desperately needed.

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I reviewed the proposed change in library fine structure. I think it makes sense and the new clarity will better serve residents and the librarians.

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I do not think the library system should decrease the late fee for DVDs from $1 to $.30 as this would encourage patrons to hold onto DVDs longer. I love renting DVDs at the library for my family and the wait times can already be lengthy at times. Lowering the late fee would result in longer wait times. Thank you.

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Since the county is in need of funds and admirably keeping its bond rating, I agree with the raise in juvenile library fines. Why then cut the DVD fine?

Provide input to the School Board about Arlington Public Schools:

It seems to me that the Drew building is about to have space, yet the neighborhood school there is not doing especially well at serving its population. Meanwhile, schools that share a boundary with Drew are overcrowded, and parents in those districts are understandably concerned about their children being moved from a thriving school to a troubled one. It therefore seems best for Drew-area students and Arlington Public Schools generally to try to make the school in the Drew building a highly desirable one. Time and money are short, and Arlington already has at least one model of an academically successful school with enough demand to fill it twice over. Wild idea: Could you create another ATS in the Drew building and give people living in its boundaries automatic or priority entrance? Move part of the adminstration and teaching staff to Drew to start up the idea there? Or plan another measure to make Drew a magnet (in the sense of local and countywide appeal, if not officially) with preference still given to those living its area.

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The reason people cannot borrow books and other resources for indefinite periods is that other people might want to use them. I sense that many people think of materials from the library only in terms of their own personal use without thinking of the problems created for their neighbors who also want to use resources but cannot get access to them when people do not return books on time. For anyone who cannot get to the library, there are ways to renew books without going to a library in person. I have no objection to raising the library fines. I have never paid one, and I never plan to.

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Regarding the proposed changes to the fines for the Arlington County Public Library, I would like to note that the rates for DVD fines should NOT go down from $1.00 to $0.30. Below are points for County consideration:

1) the current rate may be the reason why DVDs are returned on-time, which then allows more people to enjoy the DVDs
2) at the County meeting, rationale backed by study of return rates when fines are $0.30 vs. $1.00 should be presented. (i.e., what is the average length of time that a $0.30 item is overdue vs. a $1.00 item; and how many items in a month at $0.30 are overdue vs. how many at $1.00).

I agree with juvenile/young adult rates going up to $0.30.

Thank you for your consideration.

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If you raise the fines on library books, you should also increase the amount of time we can check them out for. Sometimes I can't make it to the library before the books are due, and the fines I pay will only worsen if you just increase the fines.

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The library fine amounts should not be changed! I have done some research, and while young adult and juvenile novels are certainly more popular than movies, it loses the library more money to lower fines on movies from one dollar to thirty cents than it gains money for the library to charge an extra ten cents for every day young adult books are late.

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The libraries in Arlington are wonderful! The present budget calls for an increase in fines for young people and a reduction of fine for DVD's. I do not understand the reasoning behind this but believe that the current fine system brings in the most money for the libraries. Perhaps, I am in error but why reduce a fine, especially on DVD's which I imagine are mainly taken out by adults?

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I don't see the point in lowering the DVD fine. We already get several days for free. It is over $1.00 per day to use Redbox or other services.
The library is a wonderful resource for us, our children and grandchildren. I want to see it stay viable. We need to generate more income, not lower income.
Thank you,
K Nyman

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Question? Does the library keep the fines charged in their budget or are the funds turned over to a different budget?

Something to consider: Eliminate all fines. I recently retired from a library position in MA. We did not charge any fines. It made for very good community relations. It was easier for the staff not to have to handle money. Books were returned. The library was heavily used. Yes, people were charged for lost items.

A good starting place would be to eliminate the fines for children's materials as people have suggested below. Encouraging the love of reading is a central role of a community library.

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I love the Shirlington Public Library. The staff is very helpful. I understand why you are lowering the DVD late charges but I would hate for the library to lose the income that might be used to purchase new books.

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I think simplifying the library overdue fine structure is an excellent idea. The current charge of $1 a day for DVD's is onerous.

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I think it is unfortunate to levy additional overdue fines on children's books. I no longer have children at home but I think if any fines ought to be raised, it should be on adult borrowers. I see parents with their young children leaving the library with a great number of children's books. Some reasons for borrowing so many books are because children's books are short and quickly finished, we don't always know what books they will enjoy, and going to the library frequently for more books is time-consuming and often difficult to schedule. Although I realize that the additional fines may induce parents to keep better control of the due dates for the library books, the increased fines may also serve to reduce the number of books that they borrow thereby reducing the choice of books available for the child. There are pros and cons of reducing the potential number of books that a parent borrows on one visit, but to be an advocate for busy parents, it puts yet another burden on them to keep track of books scattered around the house with the likelihood of missing one or two with overdue fines adding up quickly. Let's not discourage parents from borrowing books for their children. Thank you.

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with overdue fines adding up quickly. Let's not discourage parents from borrowing books for their children. Thank you.

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I have been an Arlington County resident for nearly 30 years. I'm continuously impressed by the quality of services and integrity of the Arlington County professional staff at all levels. The County is administered well and with attention to providing excellent services at the most efficient levels.

However, I am concerned deeply that the arts and arts related activities appear to be an area that is receiving decreasing, rather than increasing, funding. As a Signature subscriber for decades, I was pleased about the readjustment in the theatre's finance terms. The Arlington County Board played a significant role in achieving that positive result. However, other local arts groups deserve to be supported as well. Arlington County is attractive to residents and businesses in part because it has always had a vibrant arts world. that reflects not just Signature but other groups including community theater companies, arts and drama programs for children and young adults and numerous other programs.

Moreover, I believe Artisphere was never given the opportunity to find its niche due, in large measure, to the unrealistic attendance goals set for it. It appears that disappointment in that endeavor has had an impact (implicitly or explicitly) on Arlington County's willingness to provide funding for arts and theater groups other than Signature.

I appreciate that hard choices have to be made when a budget is developed. My concern is that those choices are having a negative impact on a key area that has made Arlington County a vibrant and attractive community.

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Program: Arlington Public Library
Subject: Change in Library Fines
---I strongly recommend keeping the current fine of $1.00/day for each day that each DVD is late. Absolutely do not decrease the fine for DVDs to $.30/day. Arlington Public Library needs as much revenue as possible. Although the total amount of lost revenue from decreasing the fine from $1.00/dy to $.30/dy may not be a significant amount of money vis a vis the total revenue for Arlington Public Library, do not enable non-responsible children and adults by decreasing the fine.
---In sum, keep the $1.00/dy late DVD fine in order to 1) not decrease overall Arlington Public Library revenue and 2) not enable and encourage adults and children to be irresponsible!

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None

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I think the fine for late DVD's should stay at $1.00 and for late adult books, it should increase to 50 cents. This area can afford it and you can make provisions of forgiveness if you want.

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I don't think the juvenile/YA fines should increase to be the same as the adult materials. I'd rather see the DVD fine decrease less (maybe to $.50) instead.

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In reference to the proposition about the fines I consider 20 cents too low to be considered, should be 30 cents minimum in general and DVD's are only for entertainment so 1 dollar fine is perfectly ok.
we have a great library system with a vast collection of titles, it's important to keep them in good conditions, so, for that reason, the fines are adequate.
thanks

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As a patron of the Arlington County Public Library, not only do I approve the proposed increase in the overdue fee to $0.30, but I am the proponent of increasing it further up to $1.00 per day. Also, I suggest instituting a token annual membership fee in the range of $5 - $20. These are in order to keep and potentially increase the operating hours of the Central Library.

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Do not accept and enroll pupils who do not have proper immigration documents. Decrease funding for the ESL program. Increase Science curricula.

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It would be GREAT if you raised the price of late graphic novels. My kids have to pay their own late fees and I think it would make them more accountable to keep track of them. ��

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Please stop this trans-gender bathroom thing. PLEASE. There are other ways to help these children out. We are setting the stage (permission) for great confusion and complications.

Please offer less expensive non-punitive summer school options. What about a week of summer school music or art classes? MORE affordable, non-punitive summer school options would be great.

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If we can afford to reduce DVD late fees that would be great. It would definitely help me/my parenting.

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(1) We should simply have bathroom and changing room facilities based on biology/body parts. Children who identify themselves as the opposite gender - especially the male identifying as female - well, it's unfair to the girl being molested or raped, to be required to accommodate this. We attend Swanson where 2 of the 2000 students are "transgender." Statistically 1 in 4 are more likely to have been sexually violated. Many of those in the active student body are likely STILL being violated. THEY are the suffering silent. We should not accommodate 2 loud people for (statistically as many as 250 of) the suffering silent. It is unfair. I don't believe molesting will happen in school. And I know these 2 children need some kind of support, but we need simplicity somewhere. Life has gotten too complicated. Simply, if you have certain genitals, this is your bathroom. For those uncomfortable sharing same-gender bathrooms or simply want some privacy, we can have - as the public school pools already do - separate "family" bathrooms for use. And they can wait in line, as my children and I do, when we want privacy (which is often!).
(2) Remove all iPhones from school property during the daytime, with harsher consequences. If they need to make a call, there are plenty of land lines available while they are on school grounds during school hours. After school is fine, but during the academic hours we need stronger electronic limits.
(3) Create stronger internet security on school property so these children cannot access anything but the specific teacher assignments. If they're going to give out electronics for school work, MAKE THEM SAFE BEFORE YOU HAND THEM OUT. I should not be able to see porn on my child's iPad. Moreso, my child should not be able to access/see porn. These kids are actively searching for the loop holes - AND FINDING THEM - and adults HAVE TO stay one step ahead of them. It is hard to go from electronic entertainment to academic focus. They cannot all self-regulate yet. Just set the boundaries and limits at the school - or county - IT level. Don't hand these things out and expect the parents to take care of it all. We are not IT experts - the IT experts whose salaries our taxes pay, they ARE the IT experts and they should be fixing this problem. There is so much great electronic educational stuff out there. We shouldn't throw out the baby with the bath water.
(4) Revisit what is available during free time/study halls. I walked past a classroom in Washington Lee last year, where the aide was on her iPhone and the class was watching Jerry Springer.

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Move juvenile library fine to 30 cents per day but leave DVD fine at $1/day. Use that money to help maintain facilities and buy books.

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Just got the announcement about the increase and adjustment of fees for Arlington County Libraries. Sounds like a logical proposal and I support it.

Thank you for having the Arlington County Libraries and the programs to our families like the teens and the Spanish reading circle in the Central Library.

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If the proposed changes would cause any decrease in library budget with the decrease in fines for dvd's then I would ask that we keep that one the same and increase the fine for books as indicated.
I think that the Arlington County Library system is the best I have ever seen and I often visit many locations. Thank you for this service!

I also ask that we be prudent with our other spending and not too frivolous with unnecessary spending such as million dollar bus stops or trolley cars. Spend the money we would spend on those items on improving our schools.

Thank you for listening!

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This is regarding the proposed change to library fines for DVDs. The fine is currently $1.00 and the proposed change is to make is $.30. $.30 will not motivate me to return my DVDs on time whereas $1.00 will so I propose that the fine remain as it is at $1.00.

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I like the idea of raising Young Adult library fines to $0.30 to make them equivalent to adult fines. I would advise against lowering the fines on DVDs from $1.00 a day to $0.30 a day. There is no need to incentivize borrowing DVDs; they will be among your most popular materials anyway. You will instead be incentivizing tardy returns of DVDs. Patrons will be waiting longer for the DVDs they want, and you will lose revenues. The current fee structure for DVDs make sense, BECAUSE they are more in demand.

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I am not a supporter of the proposed changes to the library fines. To begin with, I believe that 30 cents per day for overdue adult material is too high, and to match the juvenile rate to it is simply too expensive. I believe that 20 cents per day for overdue juvenile material is already too high, and I propose that it should be 10 cents instead. Here are my reasons for why I believe that the juvenile rate should not increase:

First, the proposed budget refers to the change as a "small increase;" however, I do not consider a 50% increase to be "small."

Second, I expect that a card holder that checks out juvenile material checks out many juvenile items at a time, even more items than an adult, so when a card holder misses renewing their books on time, it would result in fines that get very expensive very quickly.

Third, I know that there are many parents who hold their children responsible for their library books and paying for their own library fines. While 10 cents may seem like a "small increase" for people working with large budgets, for children and young adults, this increase in fines would take up a significant portion of their allowance. I would not like to see parents then stepping in to cover the fines, thereby reducing the responsibility and life-experience education of the child.

Fourth, I'm not sure why there needs to be such a steep fine for either juvenile or adults because I do not understand what expenses the library is incurring for someone keeping their book too long (for "short-term" overdue items). If it is to be a deterrent, then raise the fine as high as you will. But, if you want people, especially juveniles to access the material (which I personally believe is very important), then I would keep the fines as low as possible.

Fifth, does it really matter what the other jurisdictions are doing? We are already about the highest in the area, which seems unnecessary.

If this proposed change is implemented, I would ask that the library also send out a reminder email on the day that the library items are due, not just 3 days in advance. Perhaps the email system could be set up so that the individual card holder can set up their reminder emails on a schedule of their choosing.

On the other hand, I think that reducing DVD fines to 30 cents may be too dramatic of a cut, especially when the burden of covering this decrease then shifts to the children.

In this analysis, I am curious how much of the library system's checked-out material is for juveniles and how much is for adults. Then, going a step further, I'm curious what type of patron racks up the most in library fines.

Thank you for your time!

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As a patron of the Arlington Public Library System, I support the proposed changes regarding fines.

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I think the proposal to change library DVD overdue charges from $1 to $0.3 is a mistake. I say this on the assumption the fines go to the libraries. If not, then the proposal is fine. If the fines go to the libraries, then I think they should stay at $1 because it helps fund the libraries, which had some budget issues a few years back, leading to reductions to hours. Further, I could think the collections could be paid for, and/or expanded with that funding. Lots of people use DVDs, and $1 used to be a night's rental years ago. Also, people can renew if the item isn't on hold, so that $1 helps get things back into the collection from circulation. $0.3 won't be enough to incentivize timely returns, and I foresee long waits for items that aren't returned, that might otherwise be.

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I oppose the proposed increase in overdue library charges for general and juvenile/young adult library charges ($0.20/day up to $0.30/day) at the expense of a REDUCTION in overdue library charges for DVDs ($1.00/day down to $0.30/day).

Books take longer to read (than watching a DVD), particularly if you have several books checked out at the same time (as can happen when books on hold become available unexpectedly at the same time). DVDs are a one-sitting kind of entertainment. If you can't watch them in a reasonably short period of time, you shouldn't check them out. If you do, you should pay the $1.00/day overdue library charge. I expect that folks check out more than one DVD at a time. If you reduce the overdue library charge they will continue to do so, perhaps even more so to the detriment of other library customers that may want to watch the same DVDs.

The DVD overdue charges should offset any planned increase in overdue library charges for general and juvenile/young adult library charges.

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Regarding raising library fines-I would strongly urge you not to do this. Raising the fines for juveniles and young adults will place a burden on their parents. It is expensive raising kids in Arlington, and this kind of fee disproportionately falls on a population often less able to pay for it. As an alternative, perhaps there could be an altered borrowing schedule if people are chronically late returning materials. Thanks for considering this-

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I am concerned about the proposed change from .20 cents/ day for overdue fines to .30 per/ day for children's materials. It is important to provide access to books and resources for children -- and the ones that really depend on these resources are those who cannot just afford to buy books, and yet these are precisely the families who will disproportionately feel the burden of increased fines. Just from a practical perspective, children have shorter attention spans and their books are shorter so it makes sense to borrow multiple materials at one time and if a family has more then one child, they will likely be borrowing more titles at once than your average adult-- please have the library share these statistics with you. Just a few of days overdue or forgetting to renew online can be devastating when multiple titles are borrowed at one time. If the goal is to reduce the number of titles that are overdue-- libraries should consider a reduced maximum number of titles for children's materials to be loaned out at one time. If it is being used as a way to increase revenue (profiting off of families with children), then this is really unfortunate. Please go visit the story times at the library and see how diverse the children are-- the sheer number of languages is nothing short of remarkable. Access to opportunities for early reading and language skills should be a primary goal for Arlington libraries and efforts to seek more money from overdue fines hinders that.

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Since you are dropping the late fee for DVD rentals from $1 to $0.30 (which I approve of), may I suggest that you have a fee for putting DVD's on hold - perhaps $0.25 (this is what San Francisco did - for all items, not just DVD's).

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I do not support the lowering of late fees for library items. (Assuming the fees stay within the library system once collected) they go to a good use, and I do not think that they are currently at a rate that is causing any undue burden to warrant a decrease.

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The increase in the fines for overdue library items seems reasonable. Indeed, the increase could be more in order to provide a stronger spur to patrons to return checked out items by the due dates. The fine is not a revenue raiser. To its credit, our wonderful library sends e-mail reminders of upcoming due dates in order to encourage timely returns -- and thereby to avoid fines.

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I wish the APS focused on increasing the acquisition of knowledge, critical thinking and analysis and skills of all students.

As for closing the gap in learning, prevention should be the emphasis rather than remediation (trying to catch up, which is rare). What factors explain why some students begin school significantly behind, and then this gap increases over time? The initial factors, e.g., exposure to talk and verbal interaction (see Risley and Hart, Meaningful Differences), should be targeted. The vocabulary that a child brings to the beginning of school correlates better than .9 with intelligence and the subsequent rate of growth in vocabulary -- so a major goal for the time before entering school should be to maximize exposure to talk and verbal interaction. Teaching parents and caregivers about the importance of talk to and verbal interactions with toddlers and innovative ways of giving parents and other caregivers feedback and recognition, e.g., with the use of an app, should be vigorously pursued, with evaluations of the process (to identify possible improvements) and outcomes.

The same two questions should be asked of students who come to school with a positive base for learning. What are major factors that relate to increasing the breadth and depth of learning before APS begins for them? Then, what major factors relate to the breath and depth of subsequent learning of knowledge, critical anaysis and skills? (The learning should not be limited to the classroom. Other settings can provide valuable opportunities for growth and development.)

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I support the way the Arlington Public Library notified patrons about changes to the fines in their FY17 budget. Quite a difference from the ACB and staff that operates a slush fund with "excess" public funds that they disperse at the end of each year to pet partisan causes without any public input! What a refreshing change from illegal public meetings over a gun store that most of the public was barred from attending even though two members of the ACB, the County Manager, the police chief, and a rabid delegate were present.

I want a transparent County Board and government instead of the current "Arlington Way" of excluding the public from any real input. In my opinion, the Arlington County staff if riddled with corrupt bureaucrats, the ACB does not value public input, and taxpayers are supposed to shut up and pay for the partisan pet projects of Board members. The irresponsible amount of public resources going into "affordable housing" and recruiting more poor into Arlington is just one example.

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much better for DVDs. Glad you are doing this.

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I love the library and will abide by your decision

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The proposed changes for library fines on non-DVD items appear to be fair.

The decrease on DVD fines from $1.00 to $0.30 per day probably is too deep a cut than necessary.

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I like the proposed changes to the library fines. There is no reason why a movie should cost $1.00 a day in late fines.

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Paving and Potholes

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RE: Proposed changes in fine policy.

I strongly oppose raising the Juvenile/YA fine from $.20 to $.30 per day. Raising the fine level will discourage parents with limited incomes from getting out materials for their children. One big fine and no more books.

As an alternative, I would suggest lowering the DVD fine by a smaller amount (say, from $1 to $.50, instead of from $1 to $.30).

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I agree with the proposal to lower the DVD overdue fine from $1.00 to $0.30. Thank you for considering a lower, more reasonable fee!

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I THINK PARKS, RECREATION, POOLS, AND LIBRARIANS ARE VERY IMPORTANT FOR A HEALTHY COMMUNITY. I WOULD RECOMMEND RAISING PRICES FOR NON ARLINGTON RESIDENTS (IF THERE ARE SUCH ENROLLEES) FOR POOLS, LESSONS, ETC.

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I MOVED TO ARLINGTON BECAUSE OF ITS VERY GOOD SCHOOL SYSTEM, BUT I DO EXPECT THE COUNTY TO ACT PROACTIVELY TO RESOLVE OVERCAPACITY PROBLEMS. I ENCOURAGE SOME COST-SAVINGS, TOO: 1) I OPPOSE MANDATORY FLES IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND WOULD VASTLY PREFER EARLY DISMISSAL AND OF COURSE SUPPORT THE TWO IMMERSION SCHOOLS FOR PARENTS WHO WANT THEIR CHILDREN TO BE BILINGUAL. 2) I OPPOSE MANDATORY AP ENROLLMENT IN HIGH SCHOOLS.

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Happy to hear of the proposed decrease in DVD fines at the libraries from $1 to .30! Thank you!

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Although I am not well informed on this issue, it does not make sense to me to raise the library fines for overdue young adult books and lower the fines for overdue DVDs and videos.

I think we should encourage our young adults to read books not to watch DVDs and videos

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Although I am not well informed on this issue, it does not make sense to me to raise the library fines for overdue young adult books and lower the fines for overdue DVDs and videos.

I think we should encourage our young adults to read books not to watch DVDs and videos.

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It is high time that the county government restore many of the cuts made to the library program during the recession years. I see that in your proposed budget that the library accounts for only 1 percent of the total. Development gets 2 percent and your administration occupies 4 percent. There have been no new libraries added to the system in more than 30 years despite the dramatic growth in population. Our library is coasting at best and more likely falling behind. We should have a vigorous agenda for meeting the digital literacy and technology skills of the population not to mention serving as a partner to the business community. The one full-time business librarian is so busy that it takes two weeks just to get an appointment with her. The library no longer subscribes to microfilm of back issues of the Harvard Business Review. And the staffing freeze means that all computer help to patrons is provided by volunteers, not professionally trained staff.

When new high intensity housing is approved for construction, funding for services like schools and libraries should be added to the budget automatically so that we don't get behind.

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Compliments are what I really want to express regarding our library, its useful services, helpful staffs. Whenever I go to the libraries, probably twice a month, I am delighted at the number present of children, parents, sometimes whole families, not to mention the rest of us, who patronize Central and Glencarlyn Branch Libraries and most likely the others, spaced out effectively throughout the County. How fortunate we are!
Re: the budget proposals for the rates for fines - they seem reasonable, especially if they get the items back for others to use them.

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An idea comes to me when traveling, for example to France:

Could it be appropriate, practical and cost effective for our American young people, from at least middle school through high school if not from 4th grade up, to join the throngs of youngsters abroad who use public transit. It would develop confidence, knowledge of their surroundings, independence and the self-location skill, which might also encourage adults to do the same. In addition the costs saved could be used for other school needs. Since I am not a city planner nor school services planner, I have no data to support this idea but did read through Wikipedia which doesn't even mention France. Just the sight of 6 year-olds in other countries handling their trips to/from school is impressive. I know that distances in the US are traditionally considered extensive but Arlington need not worry about that. Perhaps there is no time like now to start the process of exploring this alternative among all those involved in this practice.

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Since overdue fines are being increased, the antiquated renewal rules should be updated so that an item is automatically renewed if it is not on hold for another patron (and hasn't been renewed already past the limit). Where a patron could have renewed it, fining the patron is not at all justified. Thank you!

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I received an email with the following information about proposed changes to Arlington County Public Library fines:
It is proposed that the daily fine for overdue items be increased from $0.20 to $0.30 per day for juvenile/young adult (YA) materials, remain the same for adult materials ($0.30 per day), and decrease from $1.00 to $0.30 per day for all DVDs.

It seems that the proposed changes to the fines may actually decrease library revenue. I believe that the libraries provide an excellent resource for Arlington residents (and those of neighboring counties) and think that revenue generated by reasonable fines for late-returned materials is very appropriate. In fact, I think revenue from fines may be the most best source of revenue for a public library because it means the library is being financially supported by those who benefit from library resources. I have been an active patron of the Arlington County Public Library system for almost 2 years and have paid the occasional fine for not returning materials on time. I have never once thought the fine structure to be overly burdensome and believe that the library system is both well resourced in the depth and breadth of materials and very generous with checkout durations. I would hate to see either of these decrease.

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Please go ahead with raising the fines on overdue books. We need to keep the library well funded.

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I favor increasing the fine for late return of materials to the Arlington County Library from 20 cents to 30 cents per day.

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Library fine changes: I work with many kids who are English Language Learners, and it's very hard to get them to go to the public library. Sometimes they don't have rides, sometimes they don't have time. At our school library, they tend to not bring back books because they forget, have lost the book, or can't pay the fine. I think about them when I hear that the fine is going to increase. If we could keep the fines the same for YA books, and make a smaller decrease in the fine for DVDs, that would be better. (Or even keep the DVD fine the same, but have an amnesty program for people who can't pay... )

For the DVDs, I'm pretty forgetful & knowing that there's a whopping fine actually keeps me on track with them, so I (for one) would be strangely fine with the fine staying at $1/day... even if I suffer from it!

I really appreciate the County soliciting our input either way.

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It does not matter to me that you raise the fees. My concern is enforcement of the fees? I was in line at the library and a lady had 100 in fines and still got to use the computer and other library services. What is the point of raising the fees if you are going to let the fines go up so high. I understand you need to let people feel welcome, but come on, 100.00 in fines and she still gets to use the computer???? That is ridiculous. Does not matter if you raise the fees if you do not enforce them.

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I totally support the public libraries and any fines you want to impose for late fees. The reduction to the DVD fee, however, will probably result in more "late" returns because the $1 fee was the only thing discouraging people from keeping videos much beyond their due date. Plenty of people would pay thirty cents more per day to be able to hang onto a video if they wanted to, or didn't want to make a special trip back to the library just to return it on time. That's still a lot cheaper than having to rent (or buy) the video.

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LIBRARIES:

I think the change in library fees to standardize them is a great idea.
Thank you.

Also, I am still wondering about budgeting Sunday hours at Westover.
Our family would certainly use Westover as I am sure many others would.
It would seem that weekends would be high usage times when families and individuals have the free time to take advantage of library services.

Please consider re-instating Sunday hours at Westover.

Thank you!

Alice Hogan

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I agree with the proposal that the daily fine for overdue items be increased from $0.20 to $0.30 per day for juvenile/young adult (YA) materials, remain the same for adult materials ($0.30 per day), and decrease from $1.00 to $0.30 per day for all DVDs.

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I am concerned that the proposed increase in the late fees for juvenile and YA books (from 20 cents to 30 cents) will discourage children and their families from borrowing books; this would have the most impact on low-income children who are already limited both in their access to books through other venues and in their ability to travel to the library to borrow, return, and read on site. If it is true that a 10 cent increase in juvenile/YA book fees will offset a 70 cent decrease in DVD fees, is this because children are notably heavier library users or because children have notably greater difficulty traveling to the library in a timely manner for book returns? If the later, we should be considering ways to make the libraries more accessible, not more expensive. (Presumably the library system has information on the rates of late returns for different types of materials which could clarify this.)

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I do not support the proposed library fine changes. Increasing the daily fine for children's books can be detrimental to our families. We want to encourage reading and I do not think increasing fines does that. Please reconsider.

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Please maximize spending on repaving Arlington's streets. Far too many streets have far too many potholes and poorly paved sections, including contractor fixes that are poorly done. (The last is a code enforcement issue.) If necessary, reduce the amounts spent for grants to arts and other community organizations (which often benefit only a relatively small group of patrons) and spend the money on roads, which benefits the entire community.

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I am especially pleased to see an increase in the funds for Live Where you Work home ownership and rent assistance program. As a member of the AHMP study group I can vouch that the group discussed at several meetings the need to support programs to increase the numbers of Arlington County employees as residents in the community they serve.

In addition, I support the increase in paid parental leave to four weeks. This is long overdue.

Finally, I support the increase in the living wage to $14 an hour. Once our public employees and those who are contract employees increase their earnings there is less need for financial support in other programs such as housing that is affordable.

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I encourage the adoption of three items regarding benefits and salaries to align the Schools budget with that of the County.

1) Four weeks of paid parental leave.
2) Rental assistance added to a more robust LiveWhereYouWork program and changes to the program to dovetail with the County's program for its employees.
3) $14 minimum wage (which would help the Education Support employees).

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I think it is critical that the School Board and County Board work together to identify parcels of land for school construction. I understand that decades ago as school enrollment dropped many county school properties were repurposed or sold. Now we need to recapture those parcels (or others) for schools. I would much prefer MORE schools instead of constant expansion at our limited number of existing schools. I would support use of public funds for land purchase if needed. Also, although I love park space, I think that some of these old schools that were torn down and turned into "park" space might be made available for school use again. (I put that in quotes because not all "park" space is the same. I am aware of several plots that are neither nature zones nor playground areas, just unused grass.)

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I think it is critical that the School Board and County Board work together to identify parcels of land for school construction. I understand that decades ago as school enrollment dropped many county school properties were repurposed or sold. Now we need to recapture those parcels (or others) for schools. I would much prefer MORE schools instead of constant expansion at our limited number of existing schools. I would support use of public funds for land purchase if needed. Also, although I love park space, I think that some of these old schools that were torn down and turned into "park" space might be made available for school use again. (I put that in quotes because not all "park" space is the same. I am aware of several plots that are neither nature zones nor playground areas, just unused grass.)

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The Child Care Office:
Over the last few years the Arlington Child Care office has been very intrusive and ineffective. Prior to the arrival of the current staff child care providers and members of the parent community had a resource that offered many solutions to problems, education and support. Currently, there is an adversarial relationship between the staff and most of the people in the child care community. We can no longer trust what they tell us, there is little respect for their authority, we can expect them to show retaliatory behavior when they are challenged about conflicting information they are attempting to force one to accept. Frankly, there is no productive benefit to the service provided by this staff.

After so many years of mutual respect, responsible relationships and knowledge transfer through training and sharing, these missing components leave very little opportunity for continuing to strengthen the quality of care child itself, health or safety for our children.

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The office for childcare is no longer relevant- they've proven publicly to be incompetent, have made directors and parents regret saving them in the county budget previously. Additionally, the state standards will be stricter starting July 1st, so the entire purpose of the office is ending and the funds should be used for other more justifiable public safety funding.

Provide input to the Superintendent about Arlington Public Schools:

Please move the montessori program into its own building the patrick henry site. allowing the program to stand alone and thrive.

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Add additional money for Pothole patching and repaving the streets

Provide input to the Superintendent about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Manager about County government programs and services:

Please PRIORITIZE! Needs before likes.

Provide input to the Superintendent about Arlington Public Schools:

All available information demonstrates that parental involvement and parental education levels and income are the most important determinants of student performance. It's long past time to continue the fiction that teacher compensation and teacher:student ratios are the most important determinants.

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Who decided we suddenly needed special yard waste removal? Was a cost:value assessment revealed to County residents in advance of the decision to implement? Isn't it enough to run this County on the backs of homeowners' real estate taxes? Is there grounds for suspicion that somebody/bodies stood to gain something from this move that further taxes homeowners? I am appalled at this ridiculous expenditure.

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Provide input to the County Manager about County government programs and services:

The County Manager and Board need to rein in expenses. The budget is growing well above inflation. To help curb the impulse to spend so liberally, a larger reduction in the property tax rate than that proposed by the County Manager must be made. While it is wonderful that property values are going up, the maintenance of the rate is driving dramatic and unjustifiable increases in the actual taxes paid by homeowners. My property taxes have gone up by around 30% within the last 10 years. I haven't gotten a 30% increase in services. The money has been spent on ridiculous vanity projects. This needs to stop. Cap the growth in each individual tax bill to inflation only and pass a budget that keeps core services running. My salary is not keeping up with the costs of living in Arlington and I am tired of subsidizing affordable housing for people moving to the county. The first and best mission of government should be to take care of those of us who are already living here, in part, by not pricing us out of our homes.

Lower the tax rate, pass a budget with real cuts and stop treating my house as you personal checkbook!

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Keep the current firehouse on Lee Hwy, give it a face-lift, bring it up to date but keep the historic first African-American firehouse in Arlington County - DO NOT RELOCATE IT!

Provide input to the Superintendent about Arlington Public Schools:

Provide input to the County Manager about County government programs and services:

Dear Mr. Schwartz,
Within one of the all around best school systems in the country, I urge you to please investigate the terrible inequities that still exist in Arlington Co. Public Schools. Having grown up in Arlington, I was educated in our public schools, and with my Arlington-educated husband, we raised three children in public schools here in Arlington. Admittedly, I'd grown very comfortable with our reputation as one of the very best systems in the country. But just in the two years, I've learned some things that are very troubling to me. We have very real social justice problems, inequality of resources and expertise along racial and socio economic lines -- I (we, including my friends who care) have had my head in the sand, and for that, I repent. Please consider the case of Drew Model School. Those kids deserve the highest caliber of well trained, well-supported teachers and administrators that the county can find. They deserve to have access to the same technology that the other schools have, and they deserve to have working copy machines, paper and supplies. And they also deserve to be in a school that's racially and economically diverse, instead of being a school of minorities, within a school of the majority. We all know that diversity is beneficial all around. These are the kids in whom we should be investing our tax money and other resources -- so that they can have a chance for a productive and positive future, for the sake of the common good. Please don't keep the rest of Arlington in the dark about that abysmal situation. If only they knew.....I believe that Arlingtonians would rise up and support Drew kids, their hard working families, and the teachers and administrators at that school and others like it. Thank you.

Provide input to the Superintendent about Arlington Public Schools:

Dear Dr. Murphy,
Within one of the all around best school systems in the country, I urge you to please investigate the terrible inequities that still exist in Arlington Co. Public Schools. Having grown up in Arlington, I was educated in our public schools, and with my Arlington-educated husband, we raised three children in public schools here in Arlington. Admittedly, I'd grown very comfortable with our reputation as one of the very best systems in the country. But just in the two years, I've learned some things that are very troubling to me. We have very real social justice problems, inequality of resources and expertise along racial and socio economic lines -- I (we, including my friends who care) have had my head in the sand, and for that, I repent. Please consider the case of Drew Model School. Those kids deserve the highest caliber of well trained, well-supported teachers and administrators that the county can find. They deserve to have access to the same technology that the other schools have, and they deserve to have working copy machines, paper and supplies. And they also deserve to be in a school that's racially and economically diverse, instead of being a school of minorities, within a school of the majority. We all know that diversity is beneficial all around. These are the kids in whom we should be investing our tax money and other resources -- so that they can have a chance for a productive and positive future, for the sake of the common good. Please don't keep the rest of Arlington in the dark about that abysmal situation. If only they knew.....I believe that Arlingtonians would rise up and support Drew kids, their hard working families, and the teachers and administrators at that school and others like it. Thank you

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Additional equipment is needed for snow removal.

Parks, baseball fields and soccer fields need to be updated, improved and expanded.

Provide input to the Superintendent about Arlington Public Schools:

Basically, we need more schools! Land is expensive, so why not build-up? You could easily add another level to Tuckahoe. I'm sure the same is the case for other schools as well. Also, Swanson needs an update, and additional levels could be built on to that school as well. People who complain about the loss of history don't have any children in schools and are clinging to a by-gone era that no longer exists. Many, many families are moving to Arlington because of the quality of life and the schools. If the schools can't keep pace, then the whole county suffers. We need people to start thinking outside the box to make things happen!

Provide input to the County Manager about County government programs and services:

Of course, as an Arlington County Real Estate Tax Payer, I do not support the unchanged tax rate for real estate. I live at Barkley Condo and my tax rate is increasing considerably when salaries are virtually stagnant. Inflation, at least for me, that is increases in all kinds of fee, far outweigh any increase in salary.

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Provide input to the County Manager about County government programs and services:

Public Safety budget:
Police should not respond to calls which there is no crime reported or in progress. Wellness checks and mental health evaluations should be conducted by the Department of Health or Crisis units. The overtime should not be routine, and should be limited.

Provide input to the Superintendent about Arlington Public School