In this issue…
Virtual Assessment Town Hall (3/15) and Budget Town Hall (3/22) - I have heard from many of you who want to better understand the assessment process in light of the significant increases, so I’ve worked with our Department of Tax Administration (DTA) to host a virtual Assessment Town Hall on March 15 at 6 PM. DTA staff will walk through the assessment process, including how assessors evaluate property, and how you can challenge your assessment. In addition, I will also be hosting my annual Budget Town Hall on Wednesday, March 22nd on Channel 16 and Facebook Live at 7:00 PM. See how to join below.
South County Teen Job Fair is Saturday (3/18) – It’s not too late to sign up to participate in the South County Teen Job Fair as a student or as an employer! The fair is this Saturday from 1-3pm at South County High School and is free for businesses and students. This past Saturday at the West Springfield High School Teen Job Fair we had over 600 students engaging with representatives from nearly 45 employers. More details below.
Sign Up to Testify at Public Hearing on Board Salary Raise (3/21) – In my last newsletter, I shared with you how I voted against considering a raise for Board members and the Chairman. It is unbelievable that this Board would propose a 37 to 45 percent raise for themselves when residents are struggling with high inflation, a 50 percent increase in homeowner taxes over the last decade, and in a budget that does not address the staffing crisis in public safety and other critical county positions. I strongly encourage you to sign up to testify for the public hearing regarding the increase on March 21st at 4:30pm. You can submit testimony via email, pre-recorded video, by phone, or in person. You can also email the entire Board at ClerktotheBOS@fairfaxcounty.gov . More details below.
Other News and Information
- Hidden in Plain Sight Program
- Road Shark Program Campaign Launches!
- FCPS Strategic Plan Survey
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Route 29 Weekend Closure (Mar 17th-Mar 20th)
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Car Seat Saturday (April 15th)
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Wine, Whiskers, & Wags (May 5th)
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Virtual Assessment Town Hall (3/15) and Budget Town Hall (3/22)
I have heard from many of you who want to better understand the assessment process in light of the significant increases, so I’ve worked with our Department of Tax Administration (DTA) to host a virtual Assessment Town Hall on March 15 at 6 PM. DTA staff will walk through the assessment process, including how assessors evaluate property, and how you can challenge your assessment. The Town Hall will also discuss personal property (car) assessments. The Town Hall will cover the general process with some specific examples and an opportunity to ask general questions. We will provide information on how to address property-specific questions.
Assessments are only half of the equation in determining the tax you pay – the other half is the tax rate. I will continue to push for reductions in spending and the tax rate to compensate for the rise in assessments and propose specific reductions as I have done in prior years.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ASSESEMENT TOWN HALL:
I will also be hosting my annual Budget Town Hall on Wednesday, March 22nd on Channel 16 and Facebook Live at 7:00 PM. We are going to have this town hall virtually this year to allow more people to participate. Questions can be submitted via email to SpringfieldBOS@fairfaxcounty.gov or on Facebook @Supervisor Herrity in advance or during the meeting.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THE BUDGET TOWN HALL:
South County Teen Job Fair This Saturday (3/18)
It’s not too late to sign up to participate in the South County Teen Job Fair as a student or as an employer! The fair is this Saturday from 1-3pm and free for businesses and students. This past Saturday at the West Springfield High School Teen Job Fair we had over 600 students engaging with representatives from nearly 45 employers. Many students walked away with a job, scheduled interviews, and introductions to employers.
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Registration is free and still open for students and businesses. For the past six years, my office has been hosting the fairs with cosponsors Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), School Board Member Laura Jane Cohen, Connection Newspapers, as well as local businesses and chambers of commerce. This month, in addition to the fair I hosted at West Springfield High School last weekend, I will be hosting fairs at South County High School (3/18) and Chantilly High School (3/25). See the full fair schedule and additional cosponsors below.
These fairs focus on students and young job seekers looking for a variety of employment opportunities; full time, after-school, seasonal positions, internship opportunities, and volunteer positions. The fairs have provided thousands of teenagers the opportunity to get in front of employers and for our employers to find talented Fairfax County students to fill their positions. Last year, with the return to in-person fairs, we had over 2,000 students and roughly 100 businesses participate.
South County High School
Saturday, March 18th
1pm to 3 pm
(Final workshops ending at 3:30pm)
Chantilly High School
Saturday, March 25th
1pm to 3pm
(Final workshops ending at 3:30pm)
Students can register here. Student registration is free and open to all teens in Fairfax County looking for employment, volunteer opportunities, or tips on building their resume.
Businesses can register here. Business registration is also free and open to any organization providing positions for students. Free table space and a complimentary table covering will be provided to registered businesses and organizations to advertise their available positions. Participating businesses and organizations must provide positions for students at the fair; soliciting without offering positions is not permitted.
We will also host resume and career building workshops during the fairs with our Chamber of Commerce partners. Students of any experience level are encouraged to attend these workshops.
Thank you to my cosponsors who make these fairs possible!
Fairfax County Public Schools
Connection Newspapers
School Board Member Laura Jane Cohen, Springfield District
South Fairfax Chamber of Commerce
Mount Vernon Springfield Chamber of Commerce
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Sign Up to Testify at Public Hearing on Board Salary Raise (3/21)
In my last newsletter, I shared with you how I voted against considering a raise for Board members and the Chairman. It is unbelievable that this Board would propose a 37 to 45 percent raise for themselves when residents are struggling with high inflation, a 50 percent increase in homeowner taxes over the last decade, and in a budget that does not address the staffing crisis in public safety and other critical county positions. I strongly encourage you to sign up to testify for the public hearing regarding the increase on March 21st at 4:30pm. You can submit testimony via email, pre-recorded video, by phone, or in person.
This raise proposal would increase Board member salaries from $95,000 to as high as $130,000, with an additional consideration to raise the Chairman’s salary to a range of $140,000 to $145,000.
This comes on top of a $1.1M increase in Board office budgets approved last year which I opposed. At the meeting Tuesday, I asked staff how our Board office budgets compare to surrounding jurisdictions. In prior budgets I have proposed reducing the size of Board office budgets. More than 70 percent of my staff’s time is spent helping residents from across Fairfax County navigate its siloed bureaucracy and many regulations and it is getting worse. Instead of expanding Board offices, these funds would be better spent improving customer service and reducing and simplifying regulations.
The Board is not proposing similar pay increases for police, paramedics, teachers, and other County employees trying to afford to live in the County. As the proposed budget stands, County employees aren’t even getting a full market rate adjustment (MRA) increase despite our workforce challenges.
Please consider taking a moment to share your thoughts on the proposed raises with the entire Board.
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Other News and Information
Host a Hidden in Plain Sight (HIPS) Presentation in Your Neighborhood with FCPD
The Fairfax County Police Department, in response to increased concerns of drug use and mental health issues with our young adults, has launched a community awareness program to educate parents on current trends and behavioral signals to monitor. HIPS includes an interactive exhibit to help highlight elements of “risky behavior” and a PowerPoint presentation that accompanies it to promote analysis and discussion with attendees.
While the program is for adults only and is hosted by FCPD, community members and organizations are invited as partners to collaborate on hosting and publicizing these events. For more information on upcoming events or hosting, please see here or email FCPDHIPS@fairfaxcounty.gov
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FCPD Road Shark Program Campaign Has Launched!
Starting this past Monday, the Fairfax County Police Department is rolling out their 2023 “Road Shark” campaign throughout Fairfax County. Road Shark is a high-visibility and coordinated enforcement and education effort to deter aggressive driving, reduce crashes, and change driving behavior.
The FCPD Road Shark program was imagined in 1999 in response to increased crashes and aggressive driving in Fairfax County. The goal of the initiative was simple: reduce crashes and save lives. After each round of increased enforcement, speeding violations and other reckless charges across the county dropped.
With the significant increase in crashes in recent years, I’m glad to see this program roll out once again. Educating aggressive and distracted drivers will be key to the success of the initiative.
The FCPD will have police officers in high-visibility areas all over the county. Officers will be looking for an array of traffic violations including aggressive driving, excessive speeding, driving under the influence, school zone violations, distracted driving and others. A 2022 NHTSA synthesis of studies concluded that high-visibility enforcement efforts such as these reduced crashes and improved safety outcomes in study locations.
Fairfax County police officers, along with Virginia State troopers, will utilize data-driven and risk-based enforcement strategies and operations that target areas with high crash concentrations to reduce crashes. They will also be focusing on concurrent education and enforcement campaigns to better inform and reduce unsafe driving behaviors across Fairfax County.
In conjunction with FCPD’s 2023 Monthly Traffic Safety campaigns, Road Shark will be an integral part of this approach to keeping community members safe.
FCPS Strategic Plan Survey Open to the Community!
The FCPS Strategic Plan discusses the needs of our kids and the goals to be set over the coming years. This roadmap focuses on the changes we have experienced since the last one in 2015, incorporating changes in technology, experiences from the pandemic, and new opportunities that are available today. However, ensuring that we motivate our students to achieve success and include the feedback of parents/caregivers and the community in this process is crucial. Make sure your voice is heard and share your feedback on what their priorities should be by March 20th with this link.
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Route 29 Closure This Weekend from March 17th until March 20th
A full weekend closure of Route 29 (Lee Highway) South at I-66 in Centreville will be in effect next weekend, March 17-20. The southbound lanes will be closed with two-way traffic reduced to a single travel lane in each direction on the northbound lanes for drainage work. The closure will begin at 10 p.m. Friday, March 17, and continue through 5 a.m. Monday, March 20, during both daytime and nighttime hours. This work is part of the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway Project.
Drivers using ramps to and from I-66 will not be allowed to make left turns during this time. The ramp from southbound Route 29 to westbound I-66 will also be closed. Drivers should expect delays if traveling in this area and consider using alternate routes.
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Car Seat Saturday on April 15th at West Springfield Police Station
Come by West Springfield Police Station to get your car seat inspected on Saturday, April 15, 2023 between 10:00AM-1:00PM (6140 Rolling Rd, Springfield, VA)! No appointment needed. Car seats will be inspected on a first come, first served basis. When you arrive, come into the lobby and you will be given further directions.
Be sure to install the child safety seat yourself so the inspection can be performed. The seat will be properly re-installed if necessary, and you will learn how to install the seat properly in the future. Any questions please reach out to MPO Tony Capizzi at 703-277-2363 or Anthony.capizzi@fairfaxcounty.gov .
All car seat inspections/installations will be conducted by a certified Child Passenger Safety technician.
FCPD also have car seat inspections, by appointment, every Tuesday from 5:00PM-8:00PM. Please call the station at 703-644-7377 and press zero to make an appointment on those days.
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Friends of Fairfax County Animal Shelter (FFCAS) Hosts Annual Wine, Whiskers, and Wags Gala on May 5th
The Friends of the Fairfax County Animal Shelter (FFCAS) is a nonprofit fundraising partner of the Fairfax County Animal Shelter to support our pets and four-legged friends in need. They have phenomenal programs that include emergency medical care and procedures, dental care, intake parasite prevention, adoption care packages, and even the provision of small housing units. As a dog owner and animal lover, I am a proud supporter of this exceptional organization and have supported various matters that have come before the Board to help our shelter pets and have attended many of their fundraising events over the years.
One of their biggest events coming up is their Wine, Whiskers, and Wags Gala on May 5th from 7PM to 10PM at Westfields Golf & Country Club. This event will include a performance from a comedian, dinner, a live auction, and more! Proceeds will go to support pets at the shelter. For more information on attending and being a sponsor, please see here.
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Email
Office
(703) 451-8873
Website
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March 18th 1PM-3:30PM
South County High School
March 25th 1PM-3:30PM
Chantilly High School
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March 15th @ 6PM
Facebook Live and Channel 16
March 22nd @ 7PM
Facebook Live and Channel 16
Fentanyl Town Hall
March 28th @ 6PM
The Little Theatre and Lecture Hall
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Free Summer Concert Series @ Burke Lake Park |
Every Wednesday 7pm
June 28th- August 16th
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Randy Thompson Band
Wednesday, July 5, 2023
The Nighthawks
Wednesday, July 12, 2023
SoHo Down
Wednesday, July 19, 2023
Speidel, Goodrich, Goggin & Lille
Wednesday, July 26, 2023
The Skip Castro Band
Wednesday, August 2, 2023
The English Channel
Wednesday, August 9, 2023
The Road Ducks
Wednesday, August 16, 2023
The Colin Thompson Band
Wednesday, August 23, 2023
Riptide
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Absolutely stunning! That's our girl Maizie, with her gleaming coat, perfectly pointed ears, and dramatic masquerade mask. But she's got more going for her than just her looks. She's a friendly, affectionate dog who loves people. As you pet her, she'll give the famous shepherd lean and will return your affection with kisses of her own. She's super playful and will chase squeaky toys, play fetch, and enjoy whatever fun activity you have planned. If you would like to meet Maizie, click here to arrange a visit.
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