The meeting agenda will be sent to our email list. To join that list, contact exec@bluemontcivic.org.

LINK to register for the February 22 Bluemont civic Association Executive Board and General Membership Meetings:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0rdOysqjwtE9V-bPW_E4bYxNl0eWRnl7EI

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. You can join with or without zoom, including via phone.

The same link can be used to join the Executive Board meeting that starts at 7 pm, and the General Membership meeting that starts at 7:30 pm.

The resolutions below will be voted on in this meeting. The first resolution involves a proposed study of lot coverage restrictions.

Whereas Arlington County’s lot coverage restrictions have not been amended since 2005, and the 2005 amendments apparently have contributed to an increase in impermeable surfaces.

Whereas the growth in impermeable surfaces has led to increases in stormwater runoff, which raises the risk of destructive flooding, as has been experienced in Arlington;

Whereas County staff and members of the County Board have discussed starting a study of lot coverage restrictions, but the start of such a study has not been scheduled;

Whereas the study will yield valuable information that Arlington residents need as soon as possible, particularly in the face of ongoing development pressures and climate changes that raise the risk of stormwater surges and flooding impacts; The Bluemont Civic Association urges the Arlington County Board to place a high priority on beginning the study of residential lot coverage provisions. It also urges the County Board to set a date-certain for delivery of the study.

We will also vote on a resolution concerning property taxes:

WHEREAS Arlington County’s assessments of residential properties, including those in Bluemont, have risen continuously over many years, with some properties in Bluemont seeing a faster rate of increase than the county average;

WHEREAS the Arlington County Board raised or left unchanged the property tax rate over each of the last six years, thereby substantially increasing the tax burden on homeowners;

WHEREAS many Arlington homeowners, including those in Bluemont, have suffered increased household expenses due to inflation;

WHEREAS changes to the United States Internal Revenue Code have limited the deductibility of state and local taxes on federal tax returns, making the burden of Arlington County's taxes heavier;

WHEREAS increased real estate taxes are a factor that drives homeowners of limited means, including retired seniors, to sell their homes, especially if they are unable to qualify for Arlington County's tax deferral or relief programs;

WHEREAS Arlington County's high real estate taxes accelerate the loss of affordable single-family homes, which are often torn down and replaced by more expensive homes;

RESOLVED, that the Arlington County Board should reduce the real estate tax rate for calendar year 2023 so that once rising assessments are considered, the total amount of real estate taxes paid by homeowners is the same or less than the amount paid in calendar year 2022;

RESOLVED, that the Arlington County Board should seek savings in its fiscal year 2024 budget beyond modest cuts and efficiencies;

RESOLVED, that in future years, the Arlington County Board should seek to reduce the property tax rate as necessary to offset rising real estate assessments.

We will also vote on these proposed bylaw changes.

a. Change ARTICLE V Dues Section 1. To read “Payment of dues conveys association membership for the 12 months following the association's receipt of the dues payment.”
b. Change all references to the “Neighborhood Conservation Program” to instead refer to the “Arlington’s Neighborhoods Program," as described below:

The Bluemont Civic Association adopts amendments to the Bylaws to make administrative changes to the following sections of those bylaws to change references to the NCAC program to the ArNAC program. Name Changes are proposed to the following sections:

1. Article VI Section 2 – Name Change
2. Article VI Section 3 – Name Change
3. Article VII Section 1 – Name Change
4. Article VII Section 4 – Name Change
5. Article VII Section 12 – Name Change
6. Article VIII Section 1 – Name Change
7. Article VIII Section 3 – Name Change
8. Article IX Section 2 – Name Change
9. Article XIII Section 1 – Added Date of Amendment for this Motion