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BOND ISSUES

1. Fairfax County voters were recently asked to approve issuance of $187 million Bonds for
A. New construction
B. New construction or remodeling.
C. New construction or remodeling, land acquisition
D. New construction, remodeling, land, roof repairs, picnic benches, bridges over creeks, dam repairs, road repairs, playground equipment repairs, stream crossings, etc.

Get answer to question [1]

2. When the County issued its current $1.932 billion General obligation and special fund bonds, the total interest payable on those issues was
A. $95 million or 5% of face amount
B. $193 million or 10% of face amount
C. $483 million or 25% of face amount
D. $1.093 billion or 52% of face amount

Get answer to question [2]

3. If held to the same level as growth in revenues, debt service requirements would support bond sales of $149 million in FY 2000 and $141 million in FY2001. The bond sales anticipated in the County's approved Capital Improvement Plan for the same period are
A. $5 million less than the limit
B. at the limit
C. over the limit by $1 million
D. over the limit by $8 million

Get answer to question [3]

4. County Supervisors bundle many projects into a small number of Bond Referendum packages to
A. make it easy for voters
B. cut referendum costs
C. provide something for everybody
D. get marginal projects past voters

Get answer to question [4]

5. The County's estimated per capita outstanding bonded indebtedness in 1999 will be
A. $ 500
B. $ 719
C. $1003
D. $1423

Get answer to question [5]

OTHER TAX AND SPENDING ISSUES

6. In 1999, at existing tax rates and projected revenue growth, the County projects a deficit for FY 2000 in the amount of
A. none
B. $5.1 million
C. $11.7 million
D. $23.6 million

Get answer to question [6]

7. The County's Board of Supervisors base the amount of County's budgeted expenditures on
A. demonstrated needs for the expenditures
B. population growth and inflation
C. rules of thumb
D. projected County receipts

Get answer to question [7]

Get answer to question [8]

9. The average household unit was budgeted to pay how much in County taxes in the County's Fiscal Year 1999?
A. $1,231
B. $2,301
C. $3,146
D. $5,582

Get answer to question [9]

10. If Fairfax County Government spending had increased only as much as inflation and growth in population since 1975, what would spending per household unit be now?
A. $ 4012
B. $ 3009
C. $ 2006
D. $ 1003

Get answer to question [10]

11. The last time County Supervisors voted for a DECREASE in any tax rate was in
A. 1954
B. 1976
C. 1986
D. 1990

Get answer to question [11]

12. Voters defeated a Fairfax County Bond Referendum most recently in
A. 1969
B. 1975
C. 1983
D. 1990

Get answer to question [12]

13. On September 28, 1998 the County Supervisors voted to raise Supervisors' annual pay
A. 3.5%
B. 10%
C. 70% greater than 1987 pay
D. 31% over the 1998 pay

Get answer to question [13]

14. How many taxes and fees does Fairfax County levy?
A. 35
B. 57
C. 66
D. 78

Get answer to question [14]

Less than 60 = Your pockets are EASY PICKINGS for elected officials

60-75 = You know something about taxes

90-120 = You are TAX AWARE

135-150 = You are TAX INTERESTED

165-180 = You are quite TAX SMART

[1] D -all of the above. There is no restriction on how the money is used for park improvements. The use of bond funds to pay for picnic benches will increase the cost of those benches by over 50% when the interest costs of the bonds are added to the actual costs.

[2] D. This means the full cost of any projects, repairs, picnic benches, etc. will increase by over 52% when funded by Bonds.

[7] D. Fairfax County Supervisors, on April 27, 1988, adopted a Policy directing County personnel to prepare a budget based on the amount of revenue projected to be received by the County, as estimated by the County's Office of Management and Budget. For FY 1999 budgeting purposes, revenues were forecasted to increase by 3.80%, so under the Supervisor's Policy, the Bureaucracy automatically got almost 4% more money to spend in 1999. The 1999 adopted budget of $1.85044 billion was $64.12 million (3.46%) greater than the 1998 actual disbursements of $1.78632 billion and $167.83 million (or 9.97%) greater than the actual 1997 disbursements of $1.68261 billion. Incidentally, in 1998 the Supervisors increased their Adopted Budget expenditures by $12.81 million during the year, so the adopted budget does not necessarily reflect all the money the County will spend.

[4] D. Politicians use this bundling technique to get approval for a group of projects, some of which would be rejected if voters could vote on them individually. Bundling projects also enable Supervisors to provide a project for each of several interest groups, so each group will vote to approve the whole bundle to ensure that their own pet project will get funded.

[5] D. the estimated face value of the County's outstanding indebtedness of $1.343 billion amounts to $1423 debt for every man, woman and child in the County. The cost to taxpayers is actually about 50% greater when interest is added to this amount. Thus, the $178 million will actually cost every household unit in the County $784.

[6] D. The projected $23.6 million deficit results from the utilization of $19.4 million in one-time set aside reserve and transferred funds to balance the FY1999 budget which was not anticipated to be available in 2000. Additional funding for County transit systems and paydown capital construction based on project requirements and bus replacement schedules, and an increase in debt service costs in order to finance the level of bond sales approved by the Board of Supervisors as part of the Capital Improvement program.

[3] D. The County Citizen Information Sheet states that the County's debt for acquisition and construction of public facilities would not of itself cause any increase in the property tax rate., However, where the $8 million to cover the excess might come from is not defined.

[8] D $1961 based on the $1.85044 billion budget spread among the estimated 943,400 men, women and children living in Fairfax County. In 1975 the County expenditures were $455 per capita.

[9] D or $5,582, based on the $1.85044 billion approved General Fund budget, and the estimated 330,000 family units living in Fairfax County.

[10] D. $1003 for the year ending June 30, 1998. This is an indicator of the extent of the growth of the Fairfax County Government expenditures since 1975.

[11] D. The last County tax rate reduction was a reduction in the property tax rate from $1.19 per hundred to $1.11 per hundred in 1990.

[12] D. In 1990, voters rejected a County bond referendum for public housing, public safety, or trails, etc. The County survived.

[13] D. A $14,000/year pay raise effective in 2000. There has been no shortage of candidates for Supervisor at the current pay rate.

[14] D. 78 at last count. View short list. or complete list of all Taxes, fees and charges.