Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Moving the FBI headquarters from downtown D.C. to Fairfax County is a possibility, as the County has offered its optimal site, the Springfield warehouse, for consideration by the General Services Administration.
Based on earlier reports and comments by those involved, indications pointed to a summer Request for Proposal (RFP) date for the General Services Administration (GSA) for the new FBI headquarters. However, that decision is entirely up to the GSA, according to the Office of Supervisor Jeff McKay. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has offered the Springfield warehouse for consideration for the new FBI headquarters location. Governor Bob McDonnell also recently endorsed Springfield for the new headquarters. In late 2011, the Government Accountability Office determined that the current FBI headquarters was in need of so many repairs that the government's best option was to move the bureau into a new building, according to the Washington …
Friday, May 17, 2013
The eight FCPD positions have not been cut to four in county budget cuts.
The station logistic technician (SLT) position has not been cut in FCPD county budget cuts. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors recently approved fully funding all eight positions instead of eliminating four of the positions, said Captain Randy Joyce — commander of the Mount Vernon District Police Station — at the recent Citizen Advisory Committee meeting. One SLT is assigned to each of the eight district police stations. Because of budget cuts, the county was considering cutting it down to four SLTs for Fairfax County. SLTs are responsible for equipment and supplies inventory, maintaining police cruisers (average of 16 cars per week taken to and from the county garage for maintenance and repairs) and other duties around the district …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
The Childcare Assistance and Referral program provides tuition assistance on a sliding fee scale for working families with low to moderate income in the Fairfax County area.
During the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday, the board passed a joint matter concerning the sliding fee scale for the county's Childcare Assistance and Referral program. Supervisors Jeff McKay and Cathy Hudgins and Chairman Sharon Bulova were joined on this matter. The board has agreed to send a letter addressed to Dr. William A. Hazel, secretary of health and human resources, expressing their concerns about the possible changes in the sliding fee scale for Fairfax County. For more than 15 years, Fairfax County has had a waiver from the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) to use a local sliding fee scale, instead of the state fee scale to determine parents' childcare co-payment. The fee scale, specific to the …
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
In final FY 2014 spending plan, homeowners will pay $216 more on average; public safety positions will be restored.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors formally adopted a $7 billion budget Tuesday for Fiscal Year 2014, a plan they called conservative thanks to sequestration and other uncertainties. The plan will hike the average county homeowner’s real estate taxes by more than $200 on average, increasing the real estate tax rate from $1.075 per $100 of assessed value to $1.085. Read: Fairfax County 1-Cent Tax Increase: Penny for Your Thoughts Though the board approved the budget during a markup session last week, it finalized the plan with a 9-1 vote Tuesday morning. Supervisor Pat Herrity was the sole vote against the budget. With the slow recovery from the recession and the impacts of sequestration hurting the commercial real estate tax base, …
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Supervisors approve amendment to reduce average tax bill hike Tuesday but leave employee pay and schools funding unchanged.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a series of amendments to the Fiscal Year 2014 budget Tuesday including one that lowers the proposed real estate tax rate increase by a penny, a move that will cost the county $20 million in revenue. Supervisors voted 9-1 to adopt the amendments, noting that in a particularly tough budget year, the package was the best they were going to get. “I wince now when I read through my remarks from last year’s mark-up that we were ‘hopefully beginning to see the dawn of a new day,’” Chairman Sharon Bulova said in a statement. “The Fiscal Year 2014 budget is one that makes no one happy. It is, however, a responsible fiscal plan that reflects our current difficult situation.” The budget plan will …
Monday, April 22, 2013
Employee pay an issue as the Board of Supervisors drafts amendments to the FY2014 budget.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors have begun adjusting the Fiscal Year 2014 budget package by lowering the proposed tax rate by a penny. But supervisors still didn't back increases in funding to public schools and employee compensation. During a meeting of the Board of Supervisors Budget Committee on Friday, Chairman Sharon Bulova presented a list of amendments to spending plan. The Board will vote on a proposed real estate tax rate of $1.085 per $100 of assessed value — a penny lower than the $1.095 rate proposed by County Executive Ed Long in his original plan. The adjustment is expected to cut the county revenue by about $20 million. County employees advocated for higher pay during public hearings earlier this month, but a lack of…
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Marcella Fulmore started the mentoring program Powerful African-American Males About Success.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors recently recognized Marcella Fulmore, a social worker at Robert E. Lee High School, for being named the 2012 Outstanding Mentor by Virginia Mentoring Partnership. After speaking with African-American males about their plans for college and finding that they could use a little direction, Fulmore started the mentoring program Powerful African-American Males About Success (PAAMAS). Through PAAMAS, Fulmore arranges for the students to mentor younger students and participate in volunteer work. She also arranges college tours, inspirational guest speakers, sporting events and movie nights for the students in the program. See also: Lee High School Social Worker Named Virginia's 2012 Outstanding Mentor
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Representatives of the Chief's Council are scheduled to speak Thursday against the proposed cuts of four out of eight "station logistics technicians" as well as other departmental budget cuts.
Members of the Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) are scheduled to speak at the Board of Supervisors meeting at 3 p.m. Thursday. The group will speak out against proposed cuts to the Fairfax County Police Department. Speakers are Leslie Jenuleson, Ray Powers, Bill Uehling and Sue Hotto who are members of the Chief's Council of the Fairfax County Police Department. At last month's CAC meeting, First Lieutenant William Jacoby — assistant commander for Franconia District Police Station — briefed residents on possible cuts, including cutting four station logistic technicians (SLT). At the moment, there are eight SLTs — one for each police district. SLTs are responsible for equipment and supplies inventory, maintaining police cruisers (average …
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Officials will highlight successes, challenges in full report to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments on April 10.
Fairfax County’s homeless population has declined 12 percent in the last year and 26 percent since 2007, according to a new report from the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Partnership to Prevent and End Homelessness. The Connection reports that according to agency’s annual “point-in-time” survey, the number of homeless people in the county has decreased by 184, from 1,534 in 2012 to 1,350 in 2013. The number of homeless has also decreased by 463 since 2007, down from 1,813. The count was conducted over a one-day period in January, per requirements from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Only people who are literally homeless and living in shelters, transitional housing or on the street are counted in the survey. This …
Sunday, March 31, 2013
The deadline for Supervisor John Cook's new exercise is Monday, April 8.
Fairfax County residents who want to know if they’re as smart as their supervisors have a week left to build their own Fiscal Year 2014 county budget. Supervisor John Cook (R-Braddock) introduced the tool, which allows residents to sit down and construct a budget based on the proposed package from County Executive Ed Long. The deadline for the exercise is Monday, April 8, before the first budget public hearing on April 9. Using Long’s list of reductions to agencies and another list of reductions not taken, residents are asked to make funding increases or reductions to nine different areas of spending, including schools, public safety and compensation for county employees. Residents also choose a tax rate based on the changes they make. …
AND
10:47 am on Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Would the FBI contribute to improving the transportation around Springfield or would they (like the DoD with BRAC) just add 10,000+ new workers and leave it up to the tax payers to fit the bill for transportation improvements? more ›