We’re Kicking Off Budget Season—and Asking for Your Help

This week marks the beginning of the FY 2021 budget season, Arlington County’s process to decide how it will spend County dollars. From now through July 2020, you will have multiple opportunities to provide input and inform decisions about the County’s operating budget and capital budget.

The County’s new engagement tool makes it easy for you to get involved. You can share what you think about Arlington, give your ideas for promoting diversity and inclusivity, and even play budget director—all in less than one minute.

Get Started Now

Your first chance to weigh in is by providing input on the operating budget, which is where we lay out the spending plan for County programs, services and administration for the fiscal year that starts July 1, 2020. Through early December, County Manager Mark Schwartz is seeking public input as he develops his proposed budget to present to the County Board in February.

In early 2020, we’ll be looking for your input on the County’s 10-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), which outlines investments in County facilities, equipment, and infrastructure. This includes libraries, parks, community centers, technology systems, and water, sewer, stormwater and transportation infrastructure, among others.

The County Manager will be presenting his proposed CIP to the County Board in May.

WATCH: What’s the difference between an operating budget and a capital budget?

Here are key input periods to keep in mind:

• November-December 2019: Provide online input to the County Manager as he begins developing his Proposed FY 2021 Budget to send to the County Board in February.
• January-February 2020: Provide input as the County Manager develops the Proposed FY 2021-2030 CIP to send to the County Board in May.
• February-April 2020: Provide feedback to the County Board about the proposed budget
• May-July 2020: Provide the feedback to the County Board about the proposed CIP.

You can keep up with the latest budget and CIP news and information at budget.arlingtonva.us. There you’ll also find the latest opportunities to participate in the budget process.