I choose to live in Arlington County because it offers an urban lifestyle I enjoy and appreciate with easy access to shopping and entertainment. However, many of my married friends prefer to live in Fairfax County for the space and the schools (Arlington schools are still pretty good btw). Both counties have high incomes but Fairfax is much larger in square mileage (400 vs 26) and has more transportation issues to deal with. Due to restrictions in Virginia state law, counties do not have as much taxing authority and control over roads as cities do and therefore County Executive Anthony Griffin is suggesting Fairfax become a city. If this was to happen, Fairfax would become the 10th largest city in the nation.
While Fairfax is dealing with its identity crisis of urban village or upscale rural, I’m not immediately dismissive of the conversion of county to city. Of course I want the people to be taxed as less as possible but at the same time I believe the taxes paid should be as localized as possible. Would Fairfax as a city enable Northern Virginia to deal with its transportation problems without have to send money to Richmond only to beg for it back with the scorn of the rest of the State? If the responsibility for local issues was retained locally would it not require elected officials to address the issues without having a faraway power to scapegoat? Residents of Fairfax unhappy with the cost-benefits of the new tax structure can somewhat reasonably un-elect officials from office or move to Loudon or Arlington. Then of course there is that city across the river which can’t figure out how to synchronize traffic lights so maybe it is a bad idea!
