County Board
2012 Meeting Procedures County Board Annual Budget and Tax Rate(s) Hearings
Budget Public Hearing - March 20th
Tax Rate(s) Public Hearing - March 22nd
- Each public hearing begins at 7:00 p.m. If necessary, the hearing may be recessed at 11:00 p.m. to the following evening at 7:00 p.m. to hear those who have signed up to speak but have not yet been heard. However, the County Board may decide to continue the hearing later than 11:00 p.m.
- An advanced sign-up procedure will be used for each hearing. Individuals may register at the County website at www.arlingtonva.us/cbo, call 703‑228‑3130 or visit the County Board Office (or such other sites as may be available and advertised) for assistance in signing-up to speak. Citizens will be able to sign-up in advance beginning at 8:00 am 5 business days before each hearing date. Advanced sign-up will close at 5 pm the day before each hearing.
- Individuals may sign-up to speak for two-minutes or three-minutes. Those who wish to present longer statements for the record may do so by submitting them in writing to the Clerk (see #8 below). All two-minute speakers will be called first, in numerical order; three-minute speakers will be called second, in numerical order. Upon sign-up, an automatic registration number will be generated. Lists of names will be posted on the County website in advance of the hearings. Advanced sign-up is on a first-come, first-served basis. Speakers may cancel reservations by calling the County Board Office at 703-228-3130 by 5 p.m. the day before the scheduled hearing.
- Individuals may also sign-up to speak the evening of the hearings. All speaker slips must be submitted to the Clerk by 8:00 p.m. on the first night of the hearings; no slips will be accepted after that time. Sign-up is on a first-come, first served basis.
- Order of Speakers: All two-minute, advance sign-up speakers will be called first in numeric order followed by 2-minute, day-of sign-up speakers. Next, all 3-minute advanced sign-up speakers will be called in numeric order followed by 3-minute day-of sign-up speakers.
- Repetitious testimony is discouraged.
- Speakers may not donate time to others; the name of the person written on the slip must be the person presenting testimony.
- Those wishing to submit written statements in lieu of oral presentations may do so at any time, except that citizens who wish Board members to receive written statements in time for the public hearing must submit those statements to the County Board Office no later than three working days before the hearing.
- When written materials are provided, the Board requests eight copies. All written statements (letters, emails or copies of testimony) are a matter of public record. They are available to the public and the media in the County Board Office.
