Maintain Fiscal Responsibility and Sustainability

A healthy community must be responsible in its management of financial resources. While providing the government services we need to keep our community strong, Walter is committed to sound fiscal planning and sustainable budgets. Under Walter’s leadership, Arlington remains a nationwide leader in fiscal sustainability, with one of the lowest unemployment rates in Virginia.

Walter has worked to uphold Arlington’s values in achieving sustainability, including:

Ensuring that Arlington maintains our “triple-AAA” bond rating, meaning that independent rating agencies such as Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s judge Arlington to be among the 35 financially strongest and most well-managed counties in the entire United States
Promoting prudent investments in our community, including major improvements to transit, schools, parks, roads and other public facilities
Insisting on preserving our social safety net. Walter has protected funding for housing, food and medical assistance, for elderly, homeless, mentally ill persons, needy families and others who need our community’s care
Voting to keep the property tax rate at a steady, sustainable rate, while growing the size and value of our local economy and land. In fact the property tax rate is now slightly lower than when Walter first took office, and continues to be among the lowest in the region
Supporting strict debt management policies, such as keeping debt service costs below 10 percent of the County’s budget. These policies have ensured that Arlington has the highest possible bond rating and pays the lowest possible interest rates
Keeping our tax base diverse and growing by approving community-supported, mixed-use, transit-oriented sustainable growth in a limited geographic portion of the County

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