A new study completed by the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy demonstrates that current Fairfax County government and school spending was severely reduced because of the recession. It also showed that spending policies over the past ten years were responsible for the current budget crisis faced by the county.

Michael Thompson, President of the Jefferson Institute and the author of these annual analyses, said, “Fairfax County is hurting financially at this time precisely because it went on a spending binge over the past ten years. If the county does not change its budget management methods now, it will be right back into this position in the years ahead.”

Using Fairfax County financial numbers, this study shows that had spending been limited only to the growth in population and inflation since fiscal year 2000, the current financial crisis would have been avoided. Indeed, even after two years of dramatic property value deflation, the current 2010 budget for the county government would have only been $10 million in the red. And had the school system followed the same spending restraints, it would be in the black financially by $148 million.

The study can be found on the Jefferson Institute’s website: www.thomasjeffersoninst.org.

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For Additional Information, Contact:

Michael W. Thompson (703) 440-9447