It's Budget Time

Tomorrow evening (February 28) the City Manager will be presenting his budget for FY 2012-2013 (starting July 1, 2012) at the beginning of our City Council meeting (starts at 7:30 - a 1/2 hour later than usual). We are expecting that this is going to be one of the toughest budgets the City has ever faced. That said, I like to think that the Mayor and Council are up to the challenge of crafting a budget that is fiscally responsible and responsive to the needs of our community.

Your involvement is critical and in addition to the Mayor and Council members speaking with residents individually, the City is providing multiple opportunities to provide input and get feedback, which I certainly look forward to.

Below is information about the City budget from the City website. I'll post the budget highlights after it's presented to the community.

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 Mayor and City Council will hold meetings, work sessions and a public outreach meeting to discuss the issue and listen to public comments.

On February 28, City Manager Bob Sisson will present the city government's proposed budget for fiscal year 2012-13.

The budget, which reviews the city's financial state and details how the city plans to collect and spend money during the next fiscal year, will be discussed at:

• March 13 City Council meeting (presentations by the public on any item not on the agenda)
• March 14 City Council work session
• March 20 community outreach meeting and City Council work session
• March 27 City Council meeting (public hearing) and work session
• April 10 City Council meeting (public hearing) and work session
• April 26 City Council meeting (public hearing) — 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 .

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

The final budget will be adopted at the April 26 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 to request a copy of the proposed budget (available after February 28), visit the city's website or call 703-385-7864.

Planning the City's Future

The City is currently undergoing a review, update and eventual drafting of a new comprehensive plan. This is the document that serves as a guide for what we want the City to be over the next several years.

You can access the draft document and learn more about the process by clicking here.

In addition to being required under Virginia law, laying out a long-term strategy through the comprehensive plan serves multiple purposes.

First, it makes sure that we as a City know where we want to go when it comes to making investments in schools, parks, roads, infrastructure and land use policies. You can't go somewhere if you don't know the destination and the comprehensive plan provides the framework for our journey as a community.

Second, in developing this road map for the City's future, we have an opportunity to assess where we are - what we've done right, what could be done better - and learn from past efforts. When I read through the current plan and plans from years past, for instance, I realize that the core of what makes the City special and unique won't be changing anytime soon. Since the founding of our City more than 50 years ago, we've always desired to be more than a suburban bedroom jurisdiction. We wanted to be a community of neighborhoods, friends and have a local government that is accessible, responsive and delivers quality services. For an idea of the kind of progress that's been made since the last comprehensive plan, click here.

We have made great strides over the last several years in finding a balance of smart, responsible growth and making investments in our City infrastructure. Even with the tough economic times we have been able to build the privately-funded Sherwood Community Center, which has been a long-term goal of the City, and we've approved numerous development projects that will add both people and businesses in the City. Yet, we know there are many opportunities to redevelop our aging strip malls, upgrade City infrastructure, improve our transportation network and create new opportunities where businesses can thrive and residents can enjoy an even better quality of life.

So what then are we looking to change in this revised plan? Well, this is where the Planning Commission, the City Council and most importantly the residents of the City of Fairfax all come into view to create this vision. To be involved, please visit the plan update website and learn about how to participate in this exciting opportunity to shape our City's future.