At this week's Board of Supervisor's meeting we began the County's FY 2024 Budget process, with the presentation of the County Executive's Proposed FY 2024 Advertised Budget Plan. This is the first step of the Board's months long, community-driven process to consider the County Executive's budget recommendations. I begin with our District Budget Town Meeting on March 15, followed by Board Public Hearings on April 11 - 13, our numerous Q&As and Budget Committee meetings.

The County Executive noted that real estate assessments and personal property tax values continue to increase this year. Let me be clear, I'm strongly committed to working with my Board colleagues to lower the real estate tax rate to minimize this impact on Mount Vernon residents. To this end, the County Executive's proposed budget already includes a 90% vehicle assessment ratio for personal property taxes this year which is likely to keep the average vehicle levy relatively flat. While the County Executive's proposal recommends a flat tax rate, I will be looking for opportunities to lower the real estate tax rate again this year to offset the increased assessment values residents continue to see. More details on the proposed budget can be found below and in the Citizen's Guide to the proposed budget. Additionally, the County also released 2023 real estate assessment information. You can see the presentation at 0:23 and my remarks that start at 1:23 here. 

I know we're all feeling the impacts of higher costs in all we do. It is particularly acute with our neediest seniors and folks with disabilities and the Board has expanded tax relief support for them again this year. I also recognize we must remain competitive with surrounding areas, not only in our tax rates, but also attracting employees and the key services we provide with our schools, police, fire, health services, etc., expected of a top county, as we are. I have heard from many of you after reviewing your 2023 real estate tax assessments. With home sale prices on average still higher than they were a year ago, 2023 residential real estate assessments are up an average of 6.97% countywide, with the average assessment for all homes at $719,522.

Please know that the estimated tax levy shown on your assessment notice is just that — an estimate. As required by state law, the estimated tax for 2023 is based on the 2023 assessment and Fairfax County’s 2022 tax rates. This is an estimate because the Board of Supervisors has not yet adopted tax rates for 2023. Learn more.

 

Highlights of the County Executive's proposed budget include:

 

Please join me and School Board Member Karen Corbett Sanders for the Mount Vernon District Budget Town Meeting, hosted with Mount Vernon Council of Citizen's Associations and the South County Federation on Wednesday, March 15 at 7 p.m., both in-person at the Mount Vernon Governmental Center and via Zoom. I look forward to hearing from you to help guide our budget priorities for FY 2024. More information.

Dan Storck

The following are highlights from the Board of Supervisors February 21, 2023 meeting, including items of particular interest to Mount Vernon residents. For additional information, please go to the County’s Board Agenda and Meeting Schedule. The clerk to the board's official Summary of Board Actions is available the week following each meeting. Information is also available by a video linked to the board agenda and the Board of Supervisors Highlights podcast. 

Para recibir la información de nuestro boletín electrónico en español, o para hablar con un hispanohablante, comuníquese con Madeleine Carcamo Reyes a su preferencia, por teléfono al (703) 780-7518 o por correo electrónico: Madeleine.CarcamoReyes@fairfaxcounty.gov.

To view the February 21, 2023 Board Package click here. For a complete listing of public hearings held and approved, please see the Clerk to the Board's official Summary of Board Actions, available the week following each meeting.

Item 4: Authorized the Department of Transportation (FCDOT) to apply for and accept grant funding from the United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) FY 2023 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Discretionary Grant Program, including $25 million for the Richmond Highway Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) "The One" project. The full item can be read here.

Item 6: Approved comments on WMATA’s proposed FY 2024 Operating Budget and FY 2024-2029 Capital Improvement Program, including supporting the reinstatement of the 11Y express bus route, which is currently operating during the ongoing Yellow Line shutdown as the DC3 bus route. The full item can be read here.

**If you would like to provide public comment to WMATA to reinstate the 11Y express bus route, more information can be found here.**

Item 7: Endorsed comments on the draft executive summary of the I-495 Southside Transit/Transportation Demand Management Study conducted by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation.The full item can be read here.

In March 2023, Woodlawn and Pope-Leighey House, sites of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, celebrates sixty years of the Annual Woodlawn Needlework Show. Adelaide Bolté and Emma “Pinkey” Matheson founded the show in 1963. The show continues to be inspired by the women of Woodlawn.

Eleanor “Nelly” Custis Lewis, first owner of Woodlawn, learned her expert needlework skills from her grandmother, Martha Washington. Items such as cushions, bookmarks and works of art made by both are still in the collections of Woodlawn and Pope-Leighey House. Enslaved by the Lewis family, Dolcey taught her daughters Sukey and Nelly, her niece Lucinda, and Eliza and Polly to use their needles for making and mending clothes, quilts and other items used daily by their families and by their enslavers. The needle artistry of both groups of women was used to decorate homes and clothes, create gifts for friends and family, express themselves, and pass down to their descendants.

Adelaide Bolté and Pinkey Matheson harnessed their dual passions for needlework and historic preservation to craft an incredible event. Starting with sixty-eight exhibitors, the show flourished over the years, bringing together an enduring community of needle artists and preservationists from around the world in the process. Adelaide and Pinkey hosted needlework classes and managed dozens of volunteers to produce the annual show which has grown exponentially to become one of the largest judged shows of needlework in the nation.

Today, a dedicated group of artists co-founded by these two extraordinary women– the Nelly’s Needlers – continues their founders’ mission of supporting Woodlawn through the art of needlework year-round. Adelaide Bolté and Pinkey Matheson crafted a lasting community at Woodlawn – a place where people of all skill levels and all ages come together to find joy and comfort in craft.

On Sunday, March 26, the Mount Vernon District and the Fairfax County Park Authority are hosting the annual Ides of Bark Dog Festival from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. at Grist Mill Park. Participants will receive treats from local canine businesses, play in the dog park, learn pet care and pet CPR from pet technicians and have the opportunity to participate in a canine obstacle course. The Festival is a great day with our furry, four legged friends and their humans to meet others and enjoy a day in the park.

This amazing community event could not happen without the incredible support of the Fairfax County Park Authority, Fairfax County Police Department, Fairfax County Fire Department, local animal organizations and our wonderful vendors. My sincerest appreciation goes out to each of these groups and I invite everyone to join us on March 26!

March 1: FY2024-FY2028 Advertised Capital Improvement Program

March 2: SSPA Workshop #1 – Mount Vernon Nominations

March 8: Plan Amendment 2021-CW-T2 Fairfax County and Franconia-Springfield Pkwy Study. Incorporate Recommendations from the Fairfax County and Franconia-Springfield Parkway Long Term Planning Study Countywide

March 15: SE-2021-MV-00018 Olde Towne Pet Resort Springfield LLC, 8101 Alban Rd, Springfield. To permit the use of existing and proposed outdoor components associated with an existing indoor kennel.

March 22: VC-2022-MV-00003 Olde Towne Pet Resort Springfield LLC, 8101 Alban Rd, Springfield. To allow existing and proposed fences measuring 8.0 feet in height in the front yards adjacent to Alban Road and Interstate 95 (Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway), and for relief of the requirement for permitted extensions into minimum required setbacks for proposed awnings. Concurrent with SE-2021-MV-00018.

On Saturday, March 4 from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. the Mount Vernon Police Station, located at 2511 Parkers Lane, will host a Steering Wheel Lock Distribution Event in the front parking lot. The Mount Vernon Police District has partnered with Hyundai Motor America to distribute free steering wheel locks to local residents who own or lease affected models, notable 2010-2022 models without immobilizing anti-theft devices. In addition, we will be offering child safety seat inspections, gun lock distribution, and crime prevention information. All distributed items and services are being offered on a first come, first served basis. Any questions? Please reach out to Katie.Watts@fairfaxcounty.gov.

The West Springfield District Police Station has partnered with Hyundai Motor America to distribute free steering wheel locks to local residents who own, or lease affected Hyundais (2010-2022 models with ‘steel turnkey’ ignition). Anyone who has a push-button start is not impacted. If you bring in the current registration for your Hyundai vehicle to the front desk, you will be provided with a free steering wheel lock. Come to the West Springfield District Police Station at 6140 Rolling Road, Springfield, anytime to claim your lock. Wheel locks are being offered on a first come, first served basis while supplies last. Any questions? Please reach out to MPO Tony Capizzi at 703-277-2363 or anthony.capizzi@fairfaxcounty.gov.

Highlights how stopping an intoxicated driver led to the recovery of a firearm and evidence of drug distribution.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposes to pave the parking lot, add electrical and water utility services in the area designated for the multipurpose pavilion, and relocate the pollinator garden at the Mustang Loop within the Lower Potomac Field Station (LPFS), Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA) in Lorton. The BLM developed this proposal using internal interdisciplinary scoping, existing data, online resources, and comments and feedback generated during the analysis for the multiuse pavilion in 2021. The BLM is now seeking public comment on the proposal through a 45-day comment period. The Draft Environmental Assessment and comment link are available here. All comments must be received by April 7 and submitted through the ePlanning website.

A virtual information meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 7 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. To register in advance and for more information, visit.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors authorized the exemption of all electrical, building and sign permit fees for electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS) for a trial period of 18 months. The exemption was effective Oct. 31, 2022. Learn more.

Registration is now open for 2023 Camp Fairfax for 35+ locations in Fairfax County. The summer day camp is open to rising 1st through 7th graders living in the County or the City of Fairfax. Financial assistance is available. Learn more.

Register now for spring break camps offered through Fairfax County Neighborhood & Community Services. The full-day camps are offered April 3-7 at select Fairfax County elementary schools and community centers. Financial assistance available. Learn more.

Our Fire and Rescue Department is constantly updating the ways it provides service to meet the needs of residents, including processing data that allows data-informed decisions about staffing and response. To meet these data goals, the department launched RescueVision to provide real-time situational awareness and decision support at the 911 dispatch center. Learn more.

The Wellington II Pump Station Rehabilitation Project included the replacement of two pneumatic ejector pumps with two submersible grinder pumps and rehabilitation of the existing 8-inch gravity sewer and manholes. This pump station is in close proximity to private residences, and coordination with affected property owners to maintain access, limit disruption, and to mitigate noise to the maximum extent possible was necessary at all times. Site restoration was completed to include new landscaping, fencing, paving and installation of a new stormwater drainage system. Learn more.