December 15, 2023

At our last Board meeting, I was the only opposing vote on a “good faith” commitment to fund Fairfax County’s first public collective bargaining agreements with the Southern States Police Benevolent Association (SSPBA) and the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2068 (IAFF). While I have strongly supported investing in our employees, I opposed this vote because up until this point the agreements have had no Board or community input and the Board has not been briefed on the impacts of the agreement on management or our employees other than the fiscal impact.



In fact, due to the collective bargaining process, the Board did not see the agreements until the week leading up to this vote. The Board and community should have input on the significant service impacts of these agreements as well as the cost impacts, which while important, contribute to an estimated budget shortfall of roughly $284M in FY 2025. You can view the full agreements here (Action Items 9 and 10).

I have been a relentless voice on the need for the Board to include measures to attract and retain public safety personnel, including salary increases. These efforts need to continue in the FY 2025 budget. Since 2019, I have advocated that the Board approve the necessary funds and policies to address this issue. One policy change I have advocated to help our retention is to extend the Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP) to allow existing, experienced personnel to stay on longer than their set retirement date. When I asked County staff for the cost impact of this allowance for those already in DROP, they said it would be negligible. I recently learned that the County Executive has prohibited the rehiring of employees in DROP despite the critical need for employees in these positions - another decision the Board has not discussed or been briefed on. My colleagues on the Board have been slow to acknowledge our growing staffing issue. Instead of putting all our efforts toward fixing recruitment and retention, they are supporting an additional layer of bureaucracy through collective bargaining.

By design, collective bargaining prohibits communication between the Board and employees regarding issues under negotiation, which limits the transparency of the process for the public. Collective bargaining also imposes an administrative burden, which unnecessarily costs taxpayers. In the last two years, the Board has added numerous positions to the County budget to support the bargaining process and more were included in these agreements.

The Board’s authority hasn’t changed with a collective bargaining ordinance; it can reach the same end of supporting employees with or without collective bargaining. It can fund compensation, retirement, and leave changes without the additional expense and time for arbitration. It can meet with, listen to, and value employees’ feedback enough to fund their requests without an ordinance that ties its hands to do so no matter the cost or impact to taxpayers.

With a projected budget shortfall of $284M, public safety is not our only critical need for FY 2025. We have other critical staffing needs to address like mental health counselors, solid waste management professionals, and teachers. We also have significant infrastructure needs like updated IT and basic maintenance of our buildings and parks. As I have been saying for the last several years, the Board’s unrestrained, unprioritized spending has reached an unsustainable level, making it inevitable that there will be tough budget decisions for FY 2025.

I have repeatedly been accused of not funding compensation for our employees because I have not supported the budget. The fact is that my alternative budgets have funded compensation at or above the levels in the approved budgets. We can fund employee compensation without significant tax increases if we focus on priorities and not political agendas.

As we go into the new year, I will be asking the Board to look seriously at priorities and areas for savings to reduce the growing tax burden on residents. 

Had a wonderful time at the Lifetime Learning Institute's Winter Reception, thanking them for their great work serving older adults in our community.

Joined the Fairfax County Police Department's motor squad for their annual Santa's Ride toy drive, helping bring joy to children in our hospitals.

Recognized Fairfax County's Solid Waste Management Staff for their hard work and efforts to promote recycling in our community.

Welcomed INOVA GoHealth Urgent Care Facility to the Springfield District at its ribbon-cutting ceremony alongside some of our first responders, INOVA and Central Fairfax Chamber of Commerce leadership.

Visit Fairfax’s 2023 Holiday Gift Guide!

Visit Fairfax partnered with the Made in Fairfax initiative again this year on a local 2023 Holiday Gift Guide that features a number of small business artisans (and some additional attractions) as a way to drive economic impact through tourism and holiday retail sales.

Here is the newly published gift guide: https://www.fxva.com/blog/post/made-in-fairfax-holiday-gift-guide/. Stay tuned for a number of upcoming articles featuring holiday content, which will all be published at www.fxva.com/blog. 

George Mason University Opens News Mental Health Center

Mason’s new Center for Community Mental Health, located at 9900 Main Street, Suite 400, Fairfax, VA, provides evidence-based, accessible, and affordable therapy and testing services to those in need, regardless of income. The center sees children as young as age 5, and works with community members of various ages, including addressing the mental health needs of veterans.

The center’s Emotional Help Line provides free, anonymous, confidential support in both English (703-215-1898) and Spanish (703-914-3878). The line is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Learn more about the center at https://ccmh.gmu.edu/.

Volunteer through VDOT’s Tree Rescuer Program

VDOT has a process whereby you can apply for a permit, either as an individual or as an organization such as a community association, to clip invasive vines that are threatening trees in VDOT easements, assuming they are in areas where it is safe for volunteers to work. VDOT currently has budget constraints for the work and established this permit to engage interested parties, so come save trees and engage in public service to help maintain our community. Details here. The idea is not to turn VDOT easements into landscaped areas – quite the opposite. We hope to preserve these remnant habitats for the birds and other critters who need them as homes.