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August 27, 2025
Neighbors,
Let’s talk trash.
There’s probably no issue that’s more relevant to local government than collecting trash and recycling.
While many other local governments in the D.C. region pick up the trash themselves, most Fairfax County residents and homeowners associations have their refuse and recycling collected by private companies under Fairfax County regulations. While this system can work well, there also have been times when it doesn’t, such as during the pandemic years and afterwards when some residents complained to me about poor service and little to no options.
Under the current system, single-family homeowners are left on their own to negotiate the best prices and service unless they’re represented by an HOA or have county trash collection. It’s like the Wild West.
As a result, these residents may not be getting the best prices. I compare it to the difference between paying a retail versus wholesale price. These individual, single-family residents often end up paying the higher, retail price because they can’t negotiate a better bulk, wholesale price.
As a county, we’re also facing environmental challenges. We're trying to reduce the amount of waste thrown out and facilitate recycling during a time of major changes in this industry. There’s also the big question of how to compost, something we’re just starting to figure out.
To try to address these and related issues, Fairfax County staff proposed a county-managed/privately operated trash and recycling system to help improve services, reduce costs and protect the environment. Called a unified sanitation district, the county would competitively bid the best (wholesale) prices with private companies to pick up trash. To move to such a system, however, state law requires a five-year waiting period before making any changes along these lines.
Because there was no clear plan on how a unified sanitation district would work — including who would be in it and who would not, whether residents could opt out or not, and whether smaller private haulers would have a role in the new system — residents and waste haulers understandably were left with unanswered questions.
For me, the question became whether the county should develop a high-level plan for a better system for residents in our single family homes before this five-year waiting period began or during the five-year countdown.
I believe both residents and waste haulers deserve to understand what’s proposed before we move forward. For this reason, I introduced a motion to create a high-level plan, and the Board of Supervisors passed it at our meeting yesterday. It also calls for providing options for a modified unified sanitation district or alternatives that would achieve the same goals. And, it directs county staff to publicly present this plan before we hold a public hearing to initiate the five-year waiting period.
Ultimately, my goal is to provide residents with simpler, more efficient trash and recycling service however it’s accomplished.
So please stay tuned since there will be more information forthcoming as county staff get to work.
Regards,
Walter
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- In the Community
- Board of Supervisors Update
- Midtown North EV Charger Ribbon Cutting
- Fairfax Connector Change
- Reston Row Road Repaving
- Active Transportation and Trails Plan Survey
- Seeking CCFP Selection Advisory Committee Members
- Join the Community Police Academy
- Invasive Porcelain Berry
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What's News in Vienna
- Events and Activities
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I joined the mouth-watering grand opening for Roggenart, the European bakery, bistro and café that opened at RTC West in Reston. We celebrated this local, artisan bakery’s grand opening with a treat: Virginia’s largest croissant. 🥐
Roggenart is a local DMV companythat produces hand-crafted freshly baked goods, breakfast and lunch dishes every day. Thanks to Roggenart owners Neman Popov and Brody Tennant for inviting me to the ceremony, as well as expanding their business to Reston! (Watch this video of Tennant’s remarks about why they’ve come to Reston.)
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As a Metro Board member, earlier this month, I took a tour of the construction work on WMATA’s Green Line. 🚇🚧 I visited the Branch Avenue Station where crews are working to improve the tracks and signaling, resulting in a safer and smoother ride for customers.
The transit agency is installing 102,000 linear feet of radio and ancillary fiber optic cables for improved communications and train control systems. Tracks are also being repaired and renewed, and platform edge lighting that alerts customers of approaching trains is being replaced. It’s all part of Metro’s ongoing capital improvements to keep the system running well.
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Board of Supervisors Update📃 | | |
The Board of Supervisors met yesterday August 26. You can watch the meeting and review the agenda and package.
Recognizing State Champions 🏆
At our meeting, we recognized Fairfax County Public Schools athletes who brought home state titles during the spring sports season. Five teams and 17 individuals won Virginia High School League Class 6 championships this year.
Among the individual competitors, it was an honor to recognize South Lakes High School senior Caroline Elliot who claimed her second VHSL 1600m state championship — as well as taking first place in the 800m race! She also earned All-Met honors from the Washington Post this year.
A big congratulations to the entire South Lakes girls track team as well for their third consecutive title in the Nike Outdoor Nationals Distance Medley Relay this past season. (Elliot ran the anchor leg on the team’s winning relay.)
Budget Carryover Public Hearing Set for Sept. 30 📣
What’s happening: The Board authorized advertising a Sept. 30 public hearing on the FY 2025 Carryover Budget.
What’s carryover? Carryover is the annual process by which unspent or unencumbered funds for commitments from the previous fiscal year (i.e. FY 2025) are reappropriated to the current fiscal year (i.e. FY 2026).
These unspent funds result from greater-than-projected tax revenues, greater-than-anticipated interest income earned on county investments and lower-than-budgeted spending by county agencies.
The FY 25 carryover primarily resulted from county agencies spending less than budgeted, along with greater-than-projected revenues mainly from interest income.
Carryover amount: There’s a balance of $124.2 million available excluding federal stimulus money from the ARPA Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund. After funding previously purchased county goods and services that have not been paid for yet, this balance drops to $60.2 million — or 1.06% of the total county budget.
Proposed uses: The $60 million will be reinvested into critical services, Board-approved priorities, and other projects and requirements.
Notably, 40% of this money is proposed for county fiscal reserve funds, including the recently established Economic Uncertainty Fund. As the federal government’s actions are causing economic uncertainty, the Board created this contingency fund to brace for a decline in the local economy and possible increase in demands for county services.
Other programs and services that are proposed for funding include:
- $2.5 million for ongoing food insecurity needs
- $2 million to support homeless services, including emergency shelter operations, hypothermia prevention and permanent supportive housing
- $4 million to replace the Courthouse’s security system
- $6 million for energy improvements to make county buildings more efficient
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Midtown North Condos Install an EV Charger.
Apply Now to Charge Up Fairfax ⚡🚙
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What’s happening: I attended the ribbon cutting for the new electric vehicle charging station at the Midtown North Condos in Reston last week. It was great to be there with the association’s board members and residents, including Joe Velasquez and Jim Williams.
This 75-unit condo association installed their new dual-port level 2 EV charger in their garage with help from Charge Up Fairfax. This county program, which began as a pilot two years ago, offers technical and financial assistance for homeowners and condo associations, places of worship and other nonprofits that wish to install EV chargers.
Grant assistance: Midtown North only applied for financial assistance through the program, receiving a $7,000 grant. However, Charge Up Fairfax offers up to $12,000 to qualified organizations, and the program provides technical assistance too. The county will pay for an engineering firm to conduct a site visit and assess the feasibility for installing charging stations and projected costs.
Lessons learned: Midtown condo members shared insights that may be valuable to other HOAs. Community input at the beginning of the process was an important first step. They also talked to other associations that installed chargers, and as a result, they were able to identify the charger that would best fit their needs. And, finally, condo representatives said that using capital improvement funds instead of their reserves was key to paying for the project (assisted by the Charge Up Fairfax grant).
Watch this video for insights and lessons from other HOAs that have successfully installed EV chargers with help from Charge Up Fairfax.
Join others going electric: If your homeowners or condo association, faith community or nonprofit wants to install EV chargers, apply now to Charge Up Fairfax. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
You’ll be joining six other HOAs in the Hunter Mill District, including Midtown North. In total, the program will assist these six HOAs to put in 11 dual-port chargers with five installed so far.
Last December, Harpers Square Cluster was the first to install their two dual-port chargers, and Westwood Village Unit Owners Association followed with their pair of dual-port chargers this spring.
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RIBS 2 Fairfax Connector Service Change🚍 | | |
What’s happening: Fairfax Connector added increased service to the RIBS 2 route this week.
This bus runs between the Reston Town Center Transit Station and Herndon Metro Station, partly traveling along South Lakes Drive with a stop near South Lakes High School.
Enhanced service: Due to the increased ridership by students taking this bus before and after school, RIBS 2 will run more frequently in the morning (eastbound direction) beginning at 7:30 a.m. In the afternoons (westbound direction), additional service is offered starting at 2:53 p.m. from the Wiehle Metro Station.
These changes are part of routine adjustments that the Fairfax County Department of Transportation makes to Connector service. The changes help ensure efficient and reliable service for all riders.
More Info: Call the Fairfax Connector Customer Service line at 703-339-7200, TTY 703-339-1608.
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Traffic Alert: Reston Row Road Paving 🚧
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What’s happening: As they prepare to open the JW Marriott hotel and condos at Reston Row, Comstock has been milling, repaving and restriping areas along Sunset Hills Road, Wiehle Avenue and Reston Station Boulevard.
Since work began last week, you may have already noticed the road crews, and the company plans on finishing work this week. Reston Station Boulevard will be paved on Thursday, and road restriping work should be completed by Friday.
Sidewalk reopening: Notably, Comstock also says the sidewalk on the west side of Wiehle Avenue is scheduled to reopen by September 5.
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Offer Feedback on the Active Transportation
and Trails Plan by Sept. 19 🚴🏽♀️
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What’s happening: Provide input on the updated draft Active Transportation and Trails Plan by Friday, Sept. 19.
Take this quick survey. Or leave a recorded message with your comments. Call 703-890-5898 and use project code 11851.
Or offer feedback during two virtual community meetings when the draft plan will be presented:
Wednesday, Sept. 3, 7 – 8 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 4, Noon – 1 p.m.
Why it matters: Your feedback will help to refine this plan that will be incorporated into the county’s Comprehensive Plan policies. Before adopting this change, the Board of Supervisors will hold public hearings, likely in the fall.
- The Active Transportation and Trails Plan combines the Bicycle Master Plan and Countywide Trails Plan into a unified document.
- It aims to provide a safer, more comfortable and convenient network of streets, sidewalks, bikeways and trails whether you’re walking, biking or rolling (ie. by scooter, wheelchair, stroller).
- Fairfax County’s vision is for streets, sidewalks, bikeways and trails to be welcoming places where people of diverse races, cultures, incomes, ages, and abilities feel comfortable using active transportation.
- Active transportation is a technical term that refers to non-motorized forms of travel whether by foot, bike, electric scooter and other micromobility vehicles.
To reflect the proposed Active Transportation and Trails Plan, the Transportation Element of the Policy Plan will also be revised to align technical terms, bicycle and pedestrian recommendations, map notes and references to the bicycle and countywide trails plans.
What’s the Comprehensive Plan? As required by state law, the Comprehensive Plan offers guidance on how land should be used. It includes a Policy Plan and four Area Plans.
The Policy Plan contains general countywide policy on land use, transportation, housing, public facilities and more. Area Plans include detailed long-range planning recommendations organized by geographic areas of the county.
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Join an Advisory Committee for Allocating Human Services Funding to Nonprofits 🙋♀️ | |
What’s happening: Join the Selection Advisory Committee for the FY 2027-2028 Consolidated Community Funding Pool.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the committee is filled, and currently no one from the Reston, Herndon or Vienna areas has applied. Apply now.
Why it matters: As a committee member, you’ll make funding recommendations on how the county will allocate money to local nonprofits and community organizations that provide human services. This includes vital services like emergency food and housing assistance, food and nutrition programs, medical and dental care, and more.
Established by the Board of Supervisors, the Consolidated Community Funding Pool invests money in nonprofits that strengthen the county’s ability to provide human services. The pool provides annual funding through a competitive process.
What you’ll do: This committee reviews and evaluates proposals submitted by nonprofits and makes funding recommendations to the Board of Supervisors.
As a committee member, you must be ready to commit to volunteering your time for a minimum of 2.5 hours per week from January through March 2026. You will review proposals and attend bi-weekly meetings. The SAC onboarding training will take place, in person, in the fall of 2025. Proposal reviews will be held January to March 2026 and will be conducted virtually.
Questions? For more information, assistance, language access needs or ADA accommodations, email Marla Zometsky or call 703-324-1762, TTY 711.
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Join the Community Police Academy👮🏽 | | |
What’s happening: Join the Community Police Academy to learn more about the Fairfax County Police Department. Apply now for either the spring or fall sessions.
What you’ll learn: You’ll get a glimpse behind the badge with information about training, policies, and the many units and divisions within the police department, including:
- Police training (including weapons and driving)
- Crime scene investigation
- Use of force
- Traffic stops
- Internal Affairs
- Police helicopter and its capabilities
- SWAT
Spring session classes will meet from March 13 to May 17 and fall classes will meet from September 11 to November 15.
More info: If you have questions or need more information, contact the Community Police Academy by email.
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Invasives Alert: Porcelain Berry🌿 | | |
Identifying it: Those small pale violet, green and bright blue berries that you see in the summer are most likely the fruits of the porcelain berry vine (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata). While these beautiful berries are one of the reasons this vine from China and Japan was brought to the U.S. as a landscaping plant, be warned.
Porcelain berry is an invasive woody, perennial vine that can easily climb up and around trees, shading out shrubs and seedlings of native plants. Porcelain berry vines are aggressive, growing quickly (up to 20 feet in a year) to form large mats over existing vegetation. Learn more about how to identify this invasive.
Controlling it: A quick way to reduce the spread of porcelain berry is to clip and bag the berries as they ripen on the vine, so birds cannot spread the seeds. You can pull young vines out of the ground during any season, carefully making sure to remove root stock. Put them in the trash and don’t compost them. Learn more about how to control this invader.
Native alternative: A lovely native alternative for porcelain berry is the Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) with its showy orange-red trumpeted flowers that attracts hummingbirds and butterflies.
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Town Council Approved 1% Meals Tax Increase
On Monday, the Vienna Town Council approved a 1% increase in the town’s meals tax that takes effect on Jan. 1.
It brings the town’s meals tax to 4%, which is equal to Fairfax County’s new meals tax that also begins on Jan. 1.
However, the town’s meals tax only applies to the Town of Vienna while the county’s meal tax only applies to businesses outside the town.
Quarterly Recycling Day on Sept. 6
Cleaning out the garage before the end of summer? Bring your unwanted items to the Quarterly Recycling Day on Saturday, Sept. 6, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Town residents can drop off auto waste, electronics, scrap metal, and rechargeable batteries for recycling at the Northside Property Yard, 600 Mill Street, NE.
New Mural Celebrating Vienna’s History
There’s a new mural in town. Called “The Oaks,” it celebrates 200 years of Vienna’s culture, history and nature, and it’s located on Mary’s Mile Trail behind 820 Follin Lane SE.
This privately funded mural resulted from a partnership between Navy Federal Credit Union and American Legion Post 139. It was created by Patrick Sargent, a veteran, along with hard work and support from over 100 volunteers.
Vienna Community Center Classes Paused Through Aug. 31
During its annual deep clean and maintenance week, the Vienna Community Center’s programs, classes, events and open gym are paused through this Sunday, Aug. 31. However, the lobby's front desk and restrooms will be open on a modified schedule. Learn more.
| | Stay Informed and In Touch | |
Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn
703-478-0283, TTY 711
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