First, the phrase "unintended consequences" looms into mind. Hopefully Griffin and the County Board will consider carefully what other changes becoming a city might entail. Since the state legislature would have to approve the change and would write the new city's charter, almost everything would be on the table. Unlike cities in other states, cities in Virginia don't come with a fixed set of powers and authorities. Be careful what you wish for!
Second, Griffin is naive to believe that changing Fairfax's legal status is going to pry more money out of Richmond for transportation. The legislature has had decades to fund transportation properly and has failed to do so. Murmuring from the Fairfax County Board is hardly likely to make a difference. (Electing different senators and delegates -- Democrats as well as Republicans -- might!) Moreover, Fairfax is the wealthiest county in the state. Griffin is naive if he thinks the rest of the state is going to subsidize Fairfax's transportation system. The best Fairfax can hope for is gaining the authority to tax itself to pay for transportation.
Third, the Washington Post, at least, suggested that Fairfax would rely on nuisance taxes, like a hotel or restaurant tax, to fund road repairs and the like. Without a sense of how much money Griffin is looking for, it is hard to evaluate this idea. Nevertheless, it sounds like another press release from the "free lunch" party. "We can pay for road repairs and you won't have to pay a cent." Almost certainly not true.
Finally and most important, the "let's become a city so that we can repair our roads" notion reveals the lack of vision that afflicts Fairfax County government. First, it is more than clear that the current tax structure, at both county and state levels, is inadequate to provide reasonable public services in the County. A county that can not pay its employees cost of living increases or their scheduled seniority increments will not be able provide decent services over the middle and long term.. and so on. Griffin and the County Board need to confront reality: Fairfax taxes are too low to maintain the kind of services County residents deserve. Second, a County that is content merely to keep the current roads in repair will fail to meet its residents' transportation needs in the near future. Of course, we need to repair the roads, but we also need to vastly expand public transportation. We need to get people out of their cars and into buses and trains. And the County has, again, to confront the reality that most of the costs of doing so will fall on County residents. Until and unless Griffin and his political bosses stop thinking that it is still 1965, the quality of life in the County will continue to decline.
