Politics & Government

McLean Citizens Association Considers Asking for Major Reduction in Community Center Tax Rate

MCA expresses frustration with growing surplus and secrecy of MCC Board

The McLean Citizens Association Wednesday night considered asking the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to lower the property tax rate charged by the McLean Community Center board by more than 50 percent.

The resolution expressed the Citizens Association's frustration with what they see as the MCC's board growing surplus of tax dollars which now totals about $12 million and the  MCC board's  continuing secrecy surrounding its efforts  to spend the money on an undisclosed project in downtown McLean.

The community center board, which collects tax dollars to finance the McLean Community Center, set a tax rate of 02.2 cents per $100 of assessed value in September. The board reports to Dranesville Supervisor John Foust and its budget must receive county approval.

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The resolution came a month after MCC board chair Kevin Dent and vice chair Risa Sanders visited the MCA to try and establish a cordial relationship. The MCA board, McLean's unofficial city council, agreed on the sense of the resolution but some members found the language too strong.

“We want them to draw down some of that surplus and reduce the taxation” on residents, said Ted Smith, chair of the MCA Taxation& Budget Committee. That committee brought the resolution to the full MCA Board.

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Alexander  said it would cost  $2 million to lower the tax rate to one cent per $100 of assessed value as recommended by his committee.

Bill Denk who has been highly critical of the MCC's board's secret meetings* said, "They have no clear idea of what they want in terms of staffing. How can they  have narrowed it down to two landowners downtown if that don’t know the scope of what they are looking for. . . We just don't have open government here," he said.

Joe Gibson said, “It’s our money, what are you spending it on?”  is the primary question.

But MCA vice chair Sally Horn said she agreed with the resolution but called some of its language "inflammatory."

Tom Brock said he was concerned about the "ongoing condemnation" of MCC. He said the tone of the resolution “will ruin the relationship long-term with the MCC.”

The 34-members finally voted to send the resolution to the MCA executive committee for revisions. The MCA will reconsider the resolution at its Dec. 7 meeting.

When asked to comment on the MCA's action, MCC board chair Kevin Dent said, "The MCC Governing Board has reduced the MCC tax rate 4 of the last 5 fiscal years, including our recent recommendation (approved by the MCC Board in September 2011) to reduce the FY2013 MCC tax rate.  The budget approved by the MCC Board for FY2013 will reduce the accumulated reserve by $1M, thereby returning $1M of the reserve to the MCC taxpayers.

 "The MCC Board is in the process of evaluating what actions to take in respect of the accumulated reserve; which options include (i) a potential expansion of MCC's presence in downtown McLean, (ii) a potential upgrade to the existing MCC facilities, and (iii) returning the reserve to the taxpayers through a significant reduction in the tax rate.  All options are being given serious consideration.  However, no final decision will be taken until the MCC Board receives public input on our recommendation through public hearings and other opportunities for public comment," he said in an e-mail message.

The MCA request for a lower tax rate is similar to what the MCC board did itself in the early 1990's when it accumulated a $2 million surplus.

Attorney and long-time community volunteer Pamela Danner, who is currently running for the 34th House District seat against Barbara Comstock, has said in campaign speeches that the MCC board lowered the tax rate when she was the MCC board treasurer.

"As I have stated before, we were able to cut this tax rate while at the same time establishing the Firehouse Teen Center in McLean and incorporating the McLean Project for the Arts into the McLean Community Center," she said in an e-mail to McLean Patch.

*The MCC board has invoked the Virginia Freedom of Information law which allows public bodies to discuss matters relating to real estate acquisition behind closed doors.


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