Politics & Government

McLean Citizens Association Expresses Strong Concern About Community Center Surplus

MCA Cites MCC Board's Lack of Accountability

The McLean Citizens Association sent a strong message Wednesday night: Its members are deeply concerned about a $12 million surplus accumulated by the McLean Community Center and a perceived lack of accountability by the MCC board.

MCA, McLean's unofficial town council, unanimously approved a resolution that "strongly urges the MCC Governing Board and the Board of Supervisors to resolve the question of the disposition of the taxpayer-funded surplus and the possible expansion of the MCC’s facilities in the Fairfax County budget for fiscal 2013."

"We've got a big problem with them having this big reserve," said MCA president Rob Jackson after approval of the resolution. "To have a taxpayer reserve is not right. They should not be having this huge reserve."

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The resolution said that McLean taxpayers should vote on any expansion plans before they go forward. If there are no expansion plans, then the MCC Board of Supervisors should sharply reduce the property tax rate.

"It bugs us terribly that they have taxpayers' money that they have been collecting. It's arrogant. ... It's about accountability," said Ted Smith, chair of the MCA Taxation and Budget Committee, which initiated the resolution.

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McLean's 14,600 households pay an extra property tax to finance the community center. If the entire $12 million surplus was refunded, each household would receive nearly $1,000.

The surplus has accumulated over the years because the MCC board charged taxpayers more than was needed to pay for the center and its programs. The MCC board is an agency of Fairfax County government, and its actions and $6.6 million budget plus the $12 million surplus must be approved by Dranesville Supervisor John Foust and the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.

MCC Board Chair Kevn Dent did not respond to our request for his reaction to the MCA resolution.

Foust said it was a complicated issue and he hoped to respond later today.

Some MCA members said Wednesday night they were unaware of the surplus, until they read the stories that appeared in McLean Patch.

In asking for adoption of the resolution Smith said. “Our issue is that they (the MCC board) are doing everything they want on their own with no citizen oversight."

Second vice president Darren Ewing: "They have amassed a huge war chest and willy nilly wants ... and now we've got all these pet projects, a black box theater ... things that are out of the scope of the MCC. If they come up with a plan, they need to come up with a (voter) referendum or ... draw down and reduce the burden on the taxpayer." He said, "If they want to expand put it to a referendum. ... These funds should never have been hoarded as a war chest."

Joe Gibson: "What they've done by amassing this war chest is to avoid" giving residents a vote.

Recording secretary Kathryn Woods: "They have been charging ahead with a large amount of taxpayer dollars with no taxpayer buy-in. They should be accountable to taxpayers for major expenditures. They are outside the realm of what they should be doing."

The MCC board has been discussing for at least two years, sometimes behind closed doors, spending the surplus to build perhaps a gym, perhaps a black box theater (that would need a yearly $1 million taxpayer subsidy) in downtown. MCC president Kevin Dent has said the board had hoped to work with developer and McLean resident Dan Montgomery to redevelop downtown McLean.

Foust encouraged those discussions.

Bill Denk, who has led the MCA efforts to force MCC to be more open with taxpayers said, "It's inappropriate for the MCC to have a pot of money that can be flipped to a private developer. ... If you want to do that then have taxpayers approve it."

The MCA resolution also stated:

  • Be it further resolved that, in the event no expansion plan is approved, the Board of Supervisors set the FY 2013 tax rate for the McLean Community Center at a significantly lower rate per $100 of assessed value, drawing from the approximate $12 million MCC general fund balance to meet the rest of the MCC’s FY2013 revenue needs; and
  • Be it further resolved that the Board of Supervisors should require the MCC Governing Board to provide, periodic reports and updates of its objectives, plans, and decisions to: the Board of Supervisors Chairman, the Dranesville Supervisor, the McLean Planning Committee, the McLean Revitalization Corporation and the citizens of the McLean small tax district; and
  • Be it further resolved that the Board of Supervisors should require that the MCC Governing Board secure the acceptance by the McLean Small Tax District citizens of any comprehensive expansion plan before committing funds to implement such a plan or negotiating with landowners.

The 11-member board was created 35 years ago to manage the community center, which includes the Alden Theater. Later, the MCC managed the Teen Center that is located the Old Firehouse in downtown.

The board has operated largely out of public view although it's a public body holding public meetings and collecting millions in taxpayer dollars. The board only recently started posting the dates and times of the board and committee meetings on its website.

Background:


MCC Total Revenue Total Spending Surplus Fiscal 2006 $6.40 million $4.56 million $1.84 million Fiscal 2007 $6.40 million $4.56 million $1.84 million Fiscal 2008 $6.58 million $4.38 million $2.19 million Fiscal 2009 $5.99 million $4.04 million $1.95 million

The 2012 budget, which took effect July 1, calls for spending about $5.5 million and a 2.3-cent tax rate, according to the budget documents.

The proposed 2013 budget calls for spending $6 million and a 2.2-cent tax rate, according to the budget documents.

The special tax district includes all of McLean, and parts of Great Falls, but does not include Tysons Corner.


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