City of Fairfax Adopts Budget
Real-estate tax rate is lowered by two cents.
The Fairfax City Council adopted the City’s FY 2014-15 budget last week, lowered the existing real-estate tax rate by two cents and gave raises to the city employees. In a special meeting, last Wednesday, April 30, the Council set City residents’ new real-estate tax rate at $1.04 per $100 assessed value, effective Jan. 1, 2015.
Fairfax County School Board Addressing Budget Shortfalls
Budget shortfall is $17 million.
The Fairfax County School Board is considering options to close a $17 million shortfall in their 2015 budget. Superintendent Karen Garza presented the board with possible adjustments at a work session on April 28. The school board is set to adopt their final budget on May 22. On April 29, the Board of Supervisors approved the FY 2015 budget, including a school transfer of three percent, short of Garza’s requested 5.7 percent increase.
Balloon Test Shows Height of Proposed Landfill Application
Landfill public hearing is on May 13.
If the EnviroSolutions application to extend the life of the landfill in Lorton is approved by Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on May 13, just how tall will the debris look to those from the ground? Just how tall is 395 feet, anyway? The proposed height was demonstrated to anyone within the general Lorton area on Friday, May 2, who could catch a glimpse of the landfill off of Interstate 95 and Furnace Road when a balloon test was conducted.
Meals Tax Possible for Fairfax County
Tax could generate $88 million in revenue.
At a public hearing on the 2015 budget, Fairfax County resident Kimberly Adams joined numerous other individuals who urged the Board of Supervisors to consider a meals tax. “To have the quality of life that we’ve come to depend on in Fairfax County, we must move the needle closer to the regional average when it comes to taxes. We must not be afraid to look for new streams of revenue, such as a meals tax for instance,” Adams told the Board of Supervisors at the budget hearings. “Never have I actually thought, well, there’s a meals tax in Alexandria, so I’ll drive 10 more minutes into Fairfax and order my pizza. I go to the place that’s convenient and where I want to eat.”
Despite Advances, Many Virginians Remain Uninsured
Affordable Care Act expands coverage, but more than 800,000 still have no health insurance.
What is the state of the uninsured in Virginia?
Fairfax Council: Three Men, Three Women
Silverthorne re-elected mayor; incumbents, Miller, Loftus win.
Tuesday, May 6, was a great night for incumbents and women in the City of Fairfax. Mayor Scott Silverthorne and all four current City Council members were re-elected, and two women replaced the two men – Dan Drummond and Steve Stombres – who’d stepped down from the Council.
Fairfax County School Board Examining Later Start Times
High schools could start as late as 9:15.
Two years after the Fairfax County School Board adopted a resolution in favor of later start times, exhausted teenagers are one step closer to getting a full night’s sleep. The Children’s National Medical Center recently presented the school board with options for later start times, of which the school board selected four for public discussion. The new start times could be implemented as early as the 2015-2016 school year.
‘A Leader Innovates, Develops, Inspires’
Challenger John Norce wants to be Fairfax’s mayor.
Born in New York, John Norce has only lived in Fairfax since 2002 and has never before run for political office. But he wants to become the City’s next mayor and believes he’s the best person for the job. “I enjoy and embrace leadership opportunities,” he said. “I was president of a local insurance association, am involved with Make-A-Wish and have coached youth sports for 27 years.” Norce came to Virginia in 1984, graduating from the University of Richmond in 1988 with a degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing. He now owns an insurance general agency in Fairfax.
‘Mayor Has to Know, Understand the City’
Fairfax’s Scott Silverthorne running for re-election.
Scott Silverthorne was raised in a political family, so it’s no wonder he’s been involved in leading the City of Fairfax for two decades. He served 18 consecutive years on the City Council, is now completing a two-year term as mayor and is running for re-election. His father was a Fairfax planning commissioner, councilman and mayor. Meanwhile, Silverthorne attended City schools, graduated from Fairfax High and obtained a degree in marketing from Radford University. He’s worked in government relations and, most recently, he’s done executive-search consulting. But politics has always been in his blood. “In 1990, at age 24, I was the youngest person ever elected to City Council,” said Silverthorne. “The top six vote-getters win, and I was the top vote-getter in eight of the nine elections I was in. I left in 2008 because I thought it was time for new blood, Mayor Lederer wasn’t leaving and I’d accomplished all I’d wanted on City Council.”
Fairfax City Council Candidates Speak Out
Besides voting for mayor, Fairfax residents will choose six City Council members in the May 6 election. All Council candidates except Cristina Gaines responded to The Connection’s questionnaire.
Advocates Urge Supervisors to ‘Invest in Fairfax’
Coalition of schools, government employees, parks, libraries and human services gather at budget hearings.
“Invest in Us, Invest in Fairfax.” That was the rallying cry last week at the Fairfax County Government Center as advocates for schools, libraries, parks, government employees and other human services gathered in support of more funding in these areas.
Fairfax County Police Advocate for Pay Raise
Department is struggling to recruit and maintain officers.
Nearly 350 Fairfax County Police officers appeared at a public hearing on the Fairfax County budget on April 10, advocating for an increase in pay. The police filled the auditorium, leaving standing room only. Several police testified before the Board of Supervisors, advocating for pay raises and parity with other public safety departments, such as the firefighters, who are seeing an increase in pay this year.
Achievement Gap Addressed at Budget Hearings
Admissions to Thomas Jefferson, cuts to Summer School, later start times discussed.
Of the 487 students admitted to the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, only 10 are black. Eight of these students are Hispanic. This is even though 177 black students and 214 Hispanic students applied for admission to the school. “Unless you actually believe that black and Latino children have some type of intellectual deficiency that prevents them from competing for admission to TJ, you have to believe there is a failure in the Fairfax County Public School system in terms of preparing these students to adequately compete for admission to TJ,” said Tina Hone, former school board member and founder of the Coalition of the Silence (COTS), at the FY 2015 budget public hearing on April 8.
Families, Community Advocate For Special Education Graduates
Supporters gathered at Fairfax County budget hearing on April 10.
Diana Martin, a Fairfax Station resident, was already losing sleep thinking about how she was going to balance the post-grad needs of her daughter Kenzie with her husband’s chemo and medical care. Now, she is even more concerned as funding for the programs that help special education graduates from Fairfax County Public Schools is included on a list of possible further reductions that County Executive Ed Long presented to the Board of Supervisors on March 18.
Promoting STEM in Schools, Budget Hearings
Nifty Fifty STEM education events continue as students advocate for STEM at Fairfax public hearings.
As part of an effort to inspire students to pursue STEM careers and to spark interest in math and science, scientists visited Fairfax County Public Schools last week to talk about their careers and to provide insight on the field.