The City's Budget

On Tuesday, City Manager presented his proposed FY 2012 budget to the Council and the community. The presentation kicked off the budget discussions among Council and the community leading up to final adoption on April 28. The budget year is from July 1 to June 30. You can find the proposed budget and supporting documentation here.

As usual, City Manager Bob Sisson and his staff have done an exceptional job in putting together a budget document that is easy to read and understand for both Council and citizens alike.

Here are the highlights:

 Expenditures for all funds total $141,637,727 an increase of 5.8 percent over FY 2011
 General Fund revenues and expenditures of $116,312,425 an increase of 6.3 percent over
FY 2011
 Capital Fund expenditures for General Fund supported projects of $3,380,650 representing
2.9 percent of General Fund expenditures
 Real estate tax rate $1.00 per $100 of assessed value, an increase of $.045 from the FY
2011 Adopted Rate of $.955; includes $.01 dedicated to the Stormwater Fund; average
residential tax bill to increase 8.2 percent
 One cent on the real property tax rate is equivalent to $519,900
 Real estate residential assessments increase an average of 3.2 percent for CY 2011;
Commercial assessments decrease an average of 1.2 percent for CY 2011 (for the purposes
of equalization both exclude new construction totaling $35 million)
 Assessed value of all real property equal to $5,093,200,975 which is an increase of
$111,253,675 or 2.2 percent (includes new construction of $35 million)
 Provides for employee Market Adjustment (COLA) of 1.75% ($493,000)
 Recommended two additional Full Time Equivalents (FTE’s): 1 General Fund FTE (Division
Chief) provided for Community Development & Planning ; 1 Enterprise Fund FTE (Utility
Technician) for Wastewater Fund
 Increase to the Senior Tax and Rent Relief income limit from $52,000 to $62,000 ($100,000)
 Water service rate increase 7.5 percent and Wastewater service rate increase 12 percent
due to a significant number of capital projects, and additional debt service costs relating to
the City’s share of Fairfax County wastewater plant upgrades, where the City’s wastewater
is treated.
 Use of $3,192,000 Appropriated Fund Balance as follows:
 $220,000 from FY 2010 surplus to fund an additional employee and contract design work for
Community Development and Planning Department
 $700,000 from FY 2010 surplus to offset increase to School Tuition contract
 $1,772,000 from FY 2011 estimated surplus, generated largely by proposed tax increase
 $500,000 equivalent to about one‐half percent of the FY 2012 General Fund Expenditures
 Resulting Fund Balance equal to 10.8 percent ($12.6m) of General Fund expenditures

I'll reserve judgement and comments on all of these proposals until after we've heard from the department heads, who provide more detailed budget descriptions during their presentations, and of course citizens, whose input is valued and needed.

That said, I still think we need to be mindful of any proposed tax increases and/or cuts in services. The City - like our neighboring jurisdictions - are fortunate in that we haven't suffered the most severe effects of the economic slump. This doesn't mean though that we need to start spending more than we truly need to provide essential government services. For instance, the City Manager is proposing a 1.75% pay increase for our valued City employees. They deserve it. They are hard working and dedicated public servants. The question is: can we afford it right now? Similarly, there are a good number of proposed Capital Improvement Projects that while I would certainly like to see move forward, I'm not sure if the resources are there now to fully fund them.

So, now that the process has begun I look forward to input and conversations about how we can best spend hard-earned City taxpayer dollars and provide the best value and deliver exceptional services.

Proposed City Budget Presented February 22

At Tuesday's City Council meeting, City Manager Bob Sisson will present the proposed annual City Budget. Like recent years past, this budget will be a tough one as we still recover from the recession. The City though is quite fortunate in that housing prices seemed to have stabilized, sales are up and we continue to see interest from businesses who want to come and invest in the City.

The City has a tradition of open dialogue with the community on how it spend taxpayer dollars. I encourage citizens to participate in the budget process and offer ideas as well as feedback on your budget.

Here is the schedule for outreach meetings and other proceedings as we move toward adoption of the budget on April 28.

http://fairfaxva.gov/News/News.asp?656

The city’s annual budget is an important and revealing document. It reviews the city’s financial state and details how the city plans to collect and spend money during the next fiscal year.

To facilitate public participation in the City of Fairfax annual budget process, the City Council will hold meetings, work sessions and public outreach meetings to discuss the issue and listen to public comments.

On February 22, City Manager Bob Sisson will present the city government’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2011-12.

The City Council will discuss the budget at the following sessions:

* March 15 community outreach meeting and City Council work session
* March 16 City Council work session
* March 22 City Council meeting (public hearing)
* March 29 community outreach meeting and City Council work session
* April 5 City Council work session
* April 12 City Council meeting (public hearing), work session
* April 28 City Council meeting - budget adoption

The public may address the City Council during the public hearings at City Council meetings. At work sessions, the public is invited to listen to the discussions, but there are no hearings during which the public may address the City Council.

Additionally, the City Council invites the public to offer their insights, ideas and opinions regarding the proposed budget at the community outreach meetings listed above.

The above meetings, work sessions and public outreach meetings will be held in the City Hall Annex. Most meetings are scheduled to begin at 7 pm — except for the work sessions on March 15 and March 16, which are scheduled to begin at 6 pm.

These dates are subject to change, and additional meetings may be scheduled as needed.

The final budget will be adopted at the April 28 City Council meeting. (Please note that that date falls on a Thursday.)

The budget will be implemented July 1, which is the beginning of the city’s fiscal year.

City Council meetings and work sessions are shown live and replayed on Cityscreen-12, the city’s television station, available on the city's website and on cable television channel 12. Meetings and work sessions are shown live and replayed on television, and are available for Web viewing via videostreaming the following business day.

For information, or for copies of the proposed budget (which will be available at the February 22 City Council meeting), call 703-385-7864.

The proposed budget message also will be posted on the city’s website after the February 22 presentation.

It's Open - Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center

On Saturday the City of Fairfax officially opened the Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center. The facility is a true community center with a tip of the hat to the arts. Featuring a rehersal space, performance area, art room, activity room, a warming kitchen and walls adorned by art work, this is a place that will certainly be the home to many, many memories.

This building wouldn't have been constructed without the selfless generosity of Geraldine Sherwood, the wife of Stacy C. Sherwood, who made a $5 million donation to make the dream of a community center become reality. It was so thrilling to see her and her family on Saturday taking a tour of building that not only bears her husband and family's name, but also embodies the civic pride that Mr. and Mrs. Sherwood shared in their contributions to the City of Fairfax and our region.

Part of the agreement between Mrs. Sherwood and the City stipulated that the center had to be built by March 31, 2011. Given that the agreement was only signed in December 2007 that was a tall order for anyone when you consider all of the planning and community input that was needed.

But we got it done and much of the credit goes to the steadfast determination of City Manager Bob Sisson; our Parks and Recreation Director Mike McCarty and his staff; the Chairs of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, Joe Harmon and Brian Knapp; the members of PRAB; the Commission on the Arts; FPYC; and the community for all contributing to this wonderful facility. From the location to the layout, citizens provided input and leadership, which makes this community center one that truly was built by the community.

Over the weeks and months, we will all be "kicking the tires," as they say, and learning by trial and error what works and what doesn't. That's to be expected and I encourage residents to be patient as we work out some of the kinks, but also to provide feedback and input. That said, I understand that many of the classes scheduled for February and March are near capacity and that we've already booked ten weddings, which is just fantastic.

Congratulations to all for making this happen.

More about the community center, its construction and how to become involved in the Legacy for Fairfax program can be found here.

Redskins in Fairfax?

Could it be that the City of Fairfax will - along with George Mason University - serve as the home for the Washington Redskins' training camp?

According to a report in this morning's Washington Post we could.

Now technically, the Redskins would be practicing and getting ready for their Super Bowl seasons at Mason. And yes, technically they are in the County. But why get nit-picky with details?

The reality is that if the Skins do come to Mason, they will essentially be our guests and temporary neighbors as well. We could see them muching on ribs at Red, Hot and Blue or bringing their wives for an evening at The Wine House. Or what about football clinics at Fairfax High School and visits to the kids at Daniels Run? The possibilities for partnership and community involvement are endless.

Now should all of this happen we will of course have to deal with the inevitable traffic that will come our way as fans visit camp. But this inconvenience will be temporary, I hope.

The fact is this: having the Redskins training camp in our backyard would be a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate our own civic pride. And, heck, we might even bring them a little luck.

Census 2010 - A Changing City of Fairfax

The numbers from the 2010 U.S. Census are in for Virginia and the City of Fairfax. As The Washington Post so aptly put: it's a different Virginia. Indeed it is. The Commonwealth is much more diverse than it was just ten years ago with population growth driven by those people identifying themselves as Asians and Hispanics. And much of the growth is in, no surprise here, Northern Virginia.

The City of Fairfax reflects this trend. According to data provided by the Census, the City's overall population has increased by 5% percent from 2000 to 2010. We now have 22,565 residents living within our 6.3 square miles. There was a 30% growth in the number of Asians, a 21.3% increase in the number of Hispanics while there was a decline in the Black population of .5% and a decline in the White population by 3.7%.

An interactive map constructed by The Post finds even more revealing data about our City. What it shows is that much of the growth can be found in pockets of the City or what the Census identify as "block groups". For example the Little River Hills area saw a 52% increase in population, while the Ardmore area saw a decrease of 10.8% in its population.

Now when you go just outside the City and onto Mason's campus you clearly see the growth of the university, which has an impact on us. The number of people who took the Census from campus shows an 86% growth in population. That is just astounding.

There is obviously a lot more data coming and we will certainly be having discussions as a community about what all of this means for the short- and long-term. But it's pretty obvious that the Commonwealth of today is not the Old Dominion of even 20 or 30 years ago. We are a much more diverse state, region and City. That's a good thing as I believe this country continues to provide the best opportunity in the world for people to succeed. We should not be afraid of this change, but embrace it because of those opportunities that our new neighbors have to contribute to - and improve - our society.

One thing we will need to do though is ensure that new Americans are both represented - and perhaps even more important - engaged in the political process. If they don't raise their voice, they won't be heard.

We'll soon be in the middle of the resdistricting process where political boundaries are changed every ten years to account for shifting populations. In addition to keeping the City of Fairfax whole and in one Congressional, Delegate and state Senate district, I also hope that we will see a process that is fair and inclusive, responding to these new populations changes.

No HOT lanes on 395

Well, looks like City of Fairfax residents won't have the option to take HOT lanes or have new transit options on I-395. Virginia Secretary of Transportation Sean Cannaughton canceled the project today.

Quite frankly, I'm disappointed for a number of reasons. First, the HOT lanes - despite their short-comings - were a transportation option that could provide some traffic relief. Second, the project included a number of enhanced transit options that would actually take cars off the road. Third, (and this is where my friends in Arlington and Alexandria will just have to agree to disagree) we need to consider transportation and transit options in the broader context of the Northern Virginia region. Whether it's widening I-66 inside the Beltway or this project, we need to think of the needs and concerns of those living outside the Beltway, too.

As the Post notes in the story below, a lawsuit filed by Arlington County against the state turned nasty and probably contributed in large part to the decision to pull the plug on the HOT lanes. This is rather unfortunate and I wish the two could have worked out their differences.

Here's the Post story. More to come tomorrow (Thursday) when Secretary Connaughton holds a news conference.

Va. cancels plans for I-395 HOT lanes inside Beltway
By Rosalind S. Helderman


Virginia Secretary of Transportation Sean Connaughton will announce Thursday that the state no longer plans to build High Occupancy Toll lanes on a six-mile stretch of I-395 inside the Capital Beltway, the planned construction of which has been the subject of a contentious lawsuit filed by Arlington County against the state.

Instead, the state will embark on a series of other projects designed to ease traffic in the I-95/I-395 corridor, including launching an environmental review process to build HOV/HOT lanes on I-95 from Garrisonville Road in Stafford County to Edsall Road in Fairfax, and link those lanes directly to new I-495 high occupancy toll lanes already under construction.

The state will also accelerate plans to build a ramp connecting the existing HOV lanes on I395 to Seminary Road, where the massive Mark Center for defense workers is being built.

The plans are outlined in a letter Connaughton sent Wednesday to county leaders in Northern Virginia. In the letter, he writes that he hopes construction will begin on the projects in 2012 and promises to work closely with local jurisdictions to lessen impact of construction and solicit citizen input.

"The new project will create a seamless, regional network of managed lanes connecting the I-95 and Capital Beltway corridors and serve Virginia's growing employment centers and military sites, including Tysons Corner, Ft. Belvoir and Quantico," Connaughton wrote. "The network will create a free-flowing path for transit and provide the region's travelers new options, including first-time opportunities for carpooling and transit in many locations."

The decision could resolve of the state's nastiest fights between Richmond and a locality. Arlington sued the state 18 months ago, arguing that the state had not adequately studied the environmental impacts of increased traffic inside the Beltway on residents who live the near the highway.

The county had angered some in Richmond with the suit in part because the suit named current and state transportation officials personally, requiring the public officials to hire their own lawyers to defend themselves.

In the letter, Connaughton acknowledged that the state and county have been unable to come to terms over the issue. He said the state's plans for the corridor no longer include HOT lanes in Alexandria and Arlington or planned upgrades to interchanges at Shirlington and Eads Street in Arlington.

The lawsuit had already delayed the start of the project, which was originally scheduled to be begin last summer.

Connaughton has scheduled a news conference on the issue on Thursday morning, after which we expect to hear significant local reaction.

Full disclosure here: several years ago while working at a public relations firm I represented Transurban in the early stages of the project, long before any of these tensions flared up or the project progressed to where it is today.

Action in Richmond on the "Tank Farm"

The petroleum "tank farm" (as it's affectionately known) on Pickett Road has long been a thorn in the side of City and County residents alike. 2010 saw a number of incidents that heightened everyone's awareness. Working working together, County, City, state and federal officials are coming up with solutions where we have opportunities to improve safety and gain greater input from local government on regulation of the facility.

Fortunately for us we have state and federal officials looking out for us. Congressman Gerry Connolly is working on some things on Capitol Hill, while Del. David Bulova and Sen. Chap Petersen have us covered in Richmond.

An example of their work was on display as a bill to increase safety at the tank farm passed the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. Del. Bulova has a companion bill in the House of Delegates.

Here's a press release from Chap's office that talks about the legislation.

For Immediate Release Contact: Michelle Ahn
January 31, 2011 804.698.7534/ michelle@fairfaxsenator.com

Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee Passes Storage Tank Safety Bill

Richmond – This morning at the Capitol, the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee unanimously passed a bill sponsored by Senator J. Chapman Petersen (D-Fairfax City).

Senate Bill 843 provides for stricter environmental requirements on above ground storage tanks at the Fairfax City “tank farm.” This Pickett Road repository has suffered at least one major oil spill since the 1980’s, as well as at least several smaller but repeated accidents within the past four years. The tank farm has caused so many grievances for local residents that City and County leaders held a “summit” in October of 2010 to try and address the problem.

“Despite the good efforts of our state Department of Environmental Quality, it was evident that Assembly action was needed to protect the residents of Fairfax City and Mantua which border the tank farm,” says Senator Petersen.

His SB 843 requires the tank farm owner to restore tanks constructed prior to 1992 Code updates so that they conform to current design requirements, e.g. stipulating the use of “double-bottoms” to prevent water-contaminating leaks. If the bill becomes law, it would take effect in 2022 following the EPA’s ten-year standard for upgrading non-conforming tanks.

Senator Petersen’s legislation will not be heard by the House of Delegates. There is a companion bill sponsored by Delegate David Bulova (D-Fairfax) in the House.

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Support Autism Reform Legislation in Virginia

The Virginia General Assembly - specifically the House of Delegates - is on the brink of doing something historic.

Tomorrow (February 2)the House is scheduled to vote on HB 2467. Sponsored by Del. Tag Greeson and co-sponsored by a bi-partisan group of Delegates including our very own Del. David Bulova along with Del. Tom Rust, Del. Eileen Filler-Corn, Del. Tim Hugo, Del. Mark Keam and others, this legislation would for the first time ever require insurance companies to cover autism treatments and therapies.

There is support in the Senate for similar legislation sponsored by Sen. Janet Howell. But the logjam has often been the House. We can break it tomorrow.

If you live in Virginia, please go to this link - http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy.nsf/main?openform - and find out who your Delegate is. Send him or her a note respectfully requesting that they support HB 2467 when it comes up for a vote. Please do it as soon as you can as the vote may be midday.

The Fairfax City Council, through the passage of resolutions, has repeatedly joined other Virginia jurisdictions in supporting legislation that will help our families and our children while having a minimal impact on insurance costs.

This is the closest that supporters have gotten to having autism reform legislation even come close to becoming law. Together we can make it happen. Kudos to the Virginia Autism Project and folks like Teresa Champion, David and Lynn Miller and Catherine Read for their super efforts.

Let's get even closer to turning this legislation into the law of Virginia by passing HB 2467. Please contact your legislator today.