The needs are great, the dollars are few

This is the time of year when Virginia's General Assembly starts their work on the state budget by convening regional meetings to hear from citizens and organizations. Often times - as was the case with a hearing in Fairfax County - individuals and groups come to ask for funding of their causes. As the Washington Post reported this morning , the are clearly great needs for funding of services that, even during better economic times, didn't get the funding they deserved.

The new reality of government at all levels though is that the pie is getting smaller and smaller for "non core" services. Even then, education, transportation and yes, law enforcement have been victims of new austerity measures. The City of Fairfax will soon begin its own budget process and as I've said before, I think we are going to fare better than most. But times aren't as flush as they once were and if the state cuts more funding from local government or puts additional burdens on local government, it will be harder to keep up the level of service people expect and deserve without either tax increases or cuts in other parts of our budget. I'm hopeful that isn't the case as we have been able to provide funds for our regionally and nationally acclaimed services while still keeping the tax burden the lowest in Northern Virginia, which I believe as helped our local economy as well as our taxpayers.

With all of this said, I do find it troubling that many causes and organizations in Northern Virginia are finding it harder and harder to get additional resources from either government or private donations. In talking with a friend who is a fundraiser (non political) yesterday, she noted that the economy is still taking a toll on her ability to raise money. That's not too surprising. But what did surprise me was her comment that the pool of potential donors is either getting smaller or is stagnant. In other words, unlike in other economic times when new money meant new donors and hence, donations, this economy finds people, corporations and governments tucking in their horns. It's almost like we are hoarding our foodstuffs for a long cold winter - a winter we don't know when will end.

The City of Fairfax - all 6.3 square miles of it - does what it can to help by providing tax breaks to non-profit organizations, services and even direct funding. We're trying not to close the wallet. But Virginia could do much more. Our Commonwealth ranks seventh in the nation in wealth (Northern Virginia is in he top three of regions) and 48th in the country when it comes to social services spending. Clearly there is room for some compassionate spending by our state legislators that won't break the bank or increase taxes. And should they help - even just a little more - people will then be able to help themselves more ably and contribute to our economy, which reduces the need for government support and helps unfreeze this frozen economy.