April 8, 2020
To the Fairfax County Community,

I want to start by wishing a Happy Passover to all who celebrate. With many important religious observations taking place over the coming weeks, I wanted to note the importance of finding alternative ways to celebrate . Because of the Governor's stay at home order, it is not permitted to attend a service at your usual place of worship or host or attend a gathering of more than 10 people.

I understand how important it is, especially now, to celebrate with friends and family. But we cannot forget our personal responsibilities to stop the spread of this virus. Please observe the holidays safely.

See below for the full April 8 edition. For the resources mentioned in past newsletters, visit my website . If you have a friend who would like to sign up for this newsletter, they can do so here.
May/June Elections

  • Today, Governor Northam has requested that the General Assembly move all special elections scheduled for May 5, 2020 to November 3, 2020.
  • He has moved June primary elections from June 9, 2020 to June 23, 2020.
  • Read more.

Trash and Recycling

  • Fairfax County residents are strongly discouraged from taking their yard waste to the I-66 Transfer Station or I-95 Landfill. 
  • Glass recycling has been temporarily suspended.
  • Some best practices for getting rid of trash:
  • Reduce the waste households generate so the system isn’t overwhelmed. (Postpone spring cleaning.) 
  • Wipe and disinfect cart handles and lids. 
  • Stop setting out yard waste at the curb. Implement mulching or backyard composting. 
  • Seal sharp medical objects in a rigid plastic container with sturdy tape and label it “sharp.” 
  • Bag all trash to limit workers’ exposure to harmful materials. 
  • Read more.

George Mason University

  • GMU has begun the process of designing a University Master Plan that will serve as a decision-making framework for the use of physical space at their three campuses. The community-at-large is invited to visit the website for more information and participate in the 10-minute interactive online survey until April 17.
  • Learn about GMU's response to COVID-19 here and contribute to Mason students who need support funding their educations.

Amended Proposed FY2021 Budget

  • You can view the budget proposal here.
  • The County Executive no longer recommends an increase in the Real Estate Rate, keeping it at $1.15 per $100 of assessed value.
  • It also no longer includes a 4% Admissions Tax on items such as movie, theater, and concert tickets.
  • Funding to schools
  • Fairfax County Public Schools still represent a priority for the Board.
  • It maintains equal growth for the County and Schools, but with drastic growth reductions from 3.65% to 0.32% over the FY 2020 Adopted Budget Plan.
  • FCPS will still receive an increase in the transfer, but it will be reduced from $85.52 million to $7.31 million for the Operating Fund.
  • There is little funding to expand services, but existing programs will be preserved.  
  • All of the proposed new positions have been eliminated except those related to public health both in our community and schools, and one in the Office of Elections.
  • It eliminates increases in employee compensation, but preserves current salaries and positions. 
  • $9.84 million dollars will be set aside to assist with efforts to combat the health and economic impacts of COVID-19.
  • Some other areas that will receive an increase in funding:
  • $0.58 million to the Community Funding Pool, which provides funding to community organizations to meet human services needs.
  • $1.77 million to support the workload for the County's Police Body-Worn Camera program.
  • $0.58 million to support the information technology requirements of the Office of Elections and needs for the 2020 Presidential election.
  • Fairfax County priorities remain the same, we just have to think differently on how to move forward. For example:
  • The Community-wide Energy and Climate Action Plan is continuing with the public engagement process and creating goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and strategies that community members can take to mitigate climate change at the local level.
  • The County still has a pipeline of over 1,300 affordable housing units. Our Housing Department is looking for creative ways to stretch the resources available with efficient investments and changes to land use policy.
  • We encourage residents to testify on this budget remotely via submitted videos, written testimony, or phone calls. Here is an updated link on how to do this. The public hearings will take place from April 28-30.

Fairfax Connector

  • Starting Saturday April 11, Fairfax Connector will be making service adjustments.
  • Fairfax Connector will continue to provide regular service on 37 routes; provide Saturday service during weekdays on 14 routes; and discontinue service on 40 routes. See the changes here.
  • Customers are still required to enter and exit the bus using the rear doors, with the exception of customers needing a wheelchair ramp. Fares are not being collected.
Health
Common Health Questions:

  • Not every case of coronavirus has symptoms, but those that do may appear 2-14 days after exposure. Some of the symptoms you might experience are below:
  • Cough
  • Fever
  • Shortness of breath
  • Continue to follow the health guidelines:
  • Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer if that isn't an option (especially when in public places)
  • Cough and sneeze into your sleeve
  • Don't touch your face
  • Social distance
  • What it means to social distance, self-isolate, and quarantine.
  • The CDC has updated its guidance on face masks. They recommend the use of non-medical masks as a community mitigation tool.

Resources:

As we have more information to share, my office and Fairfax County Government will continue to update residents.

Thank you for your support and patience as we work to manage this challenging, complex, and rapidly evolving situation.

Jeffrey C. McKay
Contact the Office

chairman@fairfaxcounty.gov | 703.324.2321 |