By Elizabeth sheehy

Who knew the Arlington County Commissioner meeting would be so energizing? Over 30 people were present when President Natalie Roy welcomed guest speaker Kim Klingler, Arlington County Commissioner of Revenue, along with her Deputies of Communications, Business, and Transportation. Kim’s overriding message was that her team knows they works for us, the residents of Arlington County, and they are always looking to strengthen that partnership. Her team is responsible for implementing County Board and school board policies: assessing the values of autos and business, while County Treasurer Carla de la Parva collects the money. Some might view that role as adversarial, but she recognizes where problems exist and is actively looking for solutions, especially helping residents understand county policies.

Two hot topics concerned (1) business licenses – and the taxes associated with them (due March 2), and (2) Short-term rentals, known in Arlington as Accessory Homestays. Addressing questions about the Business, Professional and Occupational Licensing (BPOL) tax, Kim explained that the method of taxing off gross receipts is a VA rule that dates back to 1812. She encouraged residents to challenge Richmond to change the law; her role is simply to enforce existing law. Her team explained that property taxes on vehicles are assessed using JDPower values for fairness. There was a lengthy discussion of the wisdom of eliminating car tax. 

Another hot topic was Accessory Homestays (Airbnb, VRBO ETC). There is currently no “tip line” to report suspected violations, but Kim encourages residents to discuss that option with the permitting office. There has been discussion about getting better information from the rental companies, but currently TOT (short term rental taxes) cannot be cross-checked with business license rolls. As of July 2025, Airbnb is (FINALLY) automatically remitting taxes directly to Arlington County which is a positive revenue step. There is a concern that Arlington County is not enforcing the 180-day residency rule for Accessory Homestays, which the LPCA may delve into further.

The attendees were highly engaged throughout the discussion and the guest speakers were well informed and transparent with their responses. We look forward to having similarly open dialogue with other members of the County government in the future.