The Bluemont Civic Association is a member-driven organization. Please join us, and have a vote! Annual dues are $15 per calendar year per household. Please provide your name, address and e-mail and $15 with your check made out to “Bluemont Civic Association” to BCA Treasurer, PO Box 5134, Arlington, VA 22205. All information is for BCA use only. When we can resume membership meetings in person, dues can be paid at meetings.
WHEREAS Arlington County’s assessments of residential properties, including
those in Bluemont, have risen continuously over many years;
WHEREAS the Arlington County Board raised or left unchanged the property
tax rate over each of the last four years, thereby substantially increasing the
tax burden on homeowners;
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 many Arlington homeowners, including in Bluemont, have
suffered reduced incomes and/or increased expenses during the COVID-19
pandemic;
WHEREAS increased real estate taxes are a factor that drives homeowners of
limited means 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 FY 2022 so that once rising assessments are considered, the
total amount in real estate taxes paid by homeowners is the same or less
than the amount paid in FY 2021.
RESOLVED, that the Arlington County Board should seek savings in its FY
2022 budget beyond the modest cuts and efficiencies in the County
Manager's original FY 2022 budget proposal.
RESOLVED In future years, the Arlington County Board should reduce the
property tax rate as necessary to offset rising real estate assessments.
WHEREAS construction on the County's Ballston Beaver Pond (aka Ballston Pond) project is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2021,
WHEREAS properties along the open channel along N. Abingdon Street that carries Lubber Run from the Ballston Beaver Pond is the subject of recent preliminary revisions to the Flood Rate Insurance Map (FIRM) by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that move these properties from the X to AE category (AE being the 100-year flood plain, i.e. a 1% risk of annual flooding),
RESOLVED: The Bluemont Civic Association should urge the County Board and County staff to revisit the Ballston Beaver Pond project to see what additional improvements can be made to Ballston Beaver Pond to reduce flooding risk to these properties along N. Abingdon Street.
The civic association has formed two working groups, which are seeking members:
N. Carlin Springs Road Safety Improvement Task Force
Missing Middle Housing Study Working Group
If you would like to join either group, please contact exec@bluemontcivic.org.
Working group/task force members are required to be civic association members, which requires residency in Bluemont and being current on annual dues.
Although public health conditions do not currently allow us to bring a copy to your doorstep, we are pleased to provide you an electronic copy of Neighborhood News at this link http://www.bluemontcivic.org/newsletters/BCA_News_202004.pdf
We plan to update the newsletter and hand-deliver it once that is again possible.
Neighborhood News is normally delivered to homes in Bluemont in April and October. If you would like monthly e-mail updates, please contact exec@bluemontcivic.org.
At the October 28th, General Membership meeting, the following volunteers were elected to serve on the BCA Executive Board or delegates to the Arlington County Civic Federation.