At Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting, we advertised a 4-cent increase in our FY 2025 tax rate, as proposed in the County Executive’s FY 2025 Advertised Budget. The Board can adopt a lower tax rate than what we advertise, but cannot adopt a higher rate. I am looking closely at the County Executive's Proposed Budget for ways to lower this rate without compromising the quality of our education and County services for you. With budget adoption two months away, there is still plenty of time left in the FY 2025 budget process.

Join me, Mount Vernon District School Board Member Mateo Dunne and the Mount Vernon Council of Citizens' Associations on Wednesday, March 13 from 7-8:30 p.m. for my Virtual Budget Town Meeting to learn more about the County's fiscal outlook and to share your budget concerns and priorities! You can also provide budget feedback through several different options this year.

We also recognized this week as Consumer Protection Week. The County Consumer Affairs Branch is committed to ensuring that Fairfax County consumers – from young adults to seniors – have the resources they need to understand their consumer rights, avoid fraud and scams and make informed decisions. Did you know Consumer Affairs can help with vendor and landlord issues, help resolve disputes and get your money back? Learn more.

As we celebrate Women’s History Month, Fairfax County and the Mount Vernon District are home to a multitude of sites and stories that tell HERSTORY, celebrating the contributions of women to the United States. One of the most significant moments in women's rights movement was the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which secured women the right to vote. Now is the perfect time to reflect on all that women have achieved here in Fairfax County and to celebrate their contributions to our society.

Respectfully yours in public service,

Dan Storck

The following are highlights from the Board of Supervisors March 5, 2024 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: [email protected].

To view the March 5, 2024 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.

2:30 p.m. - Audit Committee

4 p.m. - Legislative Committee

9:30 a.m. - Economic Initiatives Committee

11 a.m. - Land Use Policy Committee

1:30 p.m. - Budget Policy Committee

3 p.m. - Safety and Security Committee

4:30 p.m. - Phase I Dulles Rail Transportation Improvement District Commission

4:30 p.m. - Phase 2 Dulles Rail Transportation Improvement District Commission

4 p.m. - Legislative Committee

Item 1: Approved Olive Court off of Collingwood Court into the State Secondary System to become a VDOT maintained road. The full item can be read here.

Item 5: Authorized to advertise a public hearing on the proposed amendment to Appendix Q to extend the trial period of the EV Charging equipment fee exemption. The Board public hearing will take place on March 19 at 4:30 p.m. If adopted, the amendment will become effective at 12:01 a.m. on March 20, 2024. The full item can be read here.

Item 6: Authorized to advertise a public hearing to consider amendments to Chapter 4, Article 11 of the County Code, that would increase the excise tax rate from one and one-half cents ($0.015) to two cents ($0.02) for each cigarette sold, stored or received. The Board public hearing will take place on April 16 at 3 p.m. The full item can be read here.

Item 8: Authorized to advertise a public hearing on the proposed amendment to the Fire Prevention Code (Chapter 62) and Building Provision (Chapter 61) for fee increases for FY 2025 to Fire Marshal plan review, inspection and permitting fees. The Board public hearing will take place on April 16 at 3 p.m. The full item can be read here.

Item 9: Authorized to advertise a public hearing on a proposed Zoning Ordinance amendment for an increase in zoning application fees and planned district recreation minimum expenditure. The Planning Commission public hearing will be held on April 3 at 7:30 p.m. and the Board public hearing will be held on April 16 at 3 p.m. The full item can be read here.

Item 10: Authorized to advertise a public hearing on the proposed amendments to Appendix Q (Land Development Services fee schedule) of the County Code regarding adjustments of the fees charged by Land Development Services for plan review, permits and inspection services. The Planning Commission public hearing will be on April 3 at 7:30 p.m. and the Board public hearing on April 16 at 3 p.m. The full item can be read here.

Item 11: Authorized to advertise a public hearing on recovering costs from sign violations to approve the recommended increase to the administrative fee from $10 to $50 for each sign illegally placed within the limits of a highway to recoup a portion of the County costs. The Board public hearing will be held on April 16 at 3 p.m. The full item can be read here.

Item 12: Authorized to advertise publication of the FY 2025 Budget and Required Tax Rates, based on a Real Estate Tax rate of $1.135 per $100 of assessed value, which is a 4-cent increase over the FY 2024 Adopted Budget Plan. The full item can be read here.

Item 1: Approved the Calendar Year 2024 Forest Pest Management Program. The full item can be read here.

Item 2: Approved the Disease Carrying Insects Program to (1) continue mosquito suppression strategies (e.g., surveillance, larviciding mosquito breeding areas and public outreach), (2) continue tick surveillance program and public outreach and (3) continue outreach and education efforts for other disease-transmitting insects. The full item can be read here.

Item 3: Approved comments on Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's (WMATA) Proposed FY 2025 Operating Budget and FY 2025-2030 Capital Improvement Program. The operating budget totals $1.79 billion, a 23% overall decrease from FY 2024. The full item can be read here.

Item 4: Approved the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services to submit a Head Start/Early Head Start Under-Enrollment Plan to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start. Currently, the Head Start/Early Head Start program is serving 94% of the total funded enrollment. The Head Start/Early Head Start program must maintain 97% of the funded enrollment to meet the Head Start Program Performance Standards. The full item can be read here.

Approved the Montessori School of Lorton LLC located at George Fox Place to increase approved home daycare from 7 children to 12 and have 2 non-resident assistants. The full item can be read here.

Approved the sale of Sewer Revenue Bonds, Series 2024A in an estimated maximum amount of $175,000,000 during the week of March 11, 2024. The proceeds from this bond Series will be used to fund a portion of the County’s share of construction costs for Capital Improvement Programs (CIP) at the following Wastewater Treatment Plants (WTPs): Noman M. Cole, Jr. Pollution Control Plant (NMCPCP), Upper Occoquan Service Authority and more. The proceeds from the Series 2024B will be used to refund a portion of outstanding sewer revenue bonds pending market conditions at the time of the bond sale. The full item can be read here.

Notice of Land Use Public Hearings to Renters in Apartment Buildings and to Owners and Renters within Manufactured Housing Communities - Joint with Chairman Jeff McKay and Supervisors Kathy Smith, Rodney Lusk and James Walkinshaw

Chairman McKay's Board Matter on December 6, 2022, directed staff to explore whether Fairfax County’s written notice procedures for land use applications meet the Board’s goals to encourage robust public participation in the land use process. Specifically, the Board identified two areas of concern. The first relates to whether renters of apartments and renters and owners of manufactured homes are receiving adequate notice of land use applications, particularly applications that apply to the property on which they live. The second relates to the requirement that written notification be provided by certified mail, which can impact accessibility if residents are not home to receive the certified mail. While individualized written notice is only one way in which the community is engaged, it is one of the most direct ways to inform and encourage public participation in development proposals in our neighborhoods.

On January 18, 2024, staff delivered a memo to the Board reviewing these issues and recommending a pair of pilot projects related to written notice.

First, staff recommended a pilot project for the County to provide written notice to (i) all residents of a manufactured housing community of any public hearing for a land use application on or adjacent to that community, and (ii) to all residents of any apartment complex that is the subject of a land use application. As discussed in the memo, such notice would be provided in the same manner and on the same schedule as other written notice of public hearings. This additional notice would be in addition to any outreach efforts undertaken by the applicant and/or the Supervisor’s office during the land use process.

Second, staff recommended a pilot project to use first-class mail rather than certified mail to deliver written notice of public hearings on zoning applications. As expressed in the memo, applicants would prepare notice packets, using first-class mail stamps, and deliver those packets to County staff with appropriate documentation for review and mailing. This will require some modifications to the current affidavits and documentation used, as well as coordination on appropriate timing to meet the requirements of the Virginia Code and the Zoning Ordinance.

Proclaiming March 31, 2024 as Transgender Day of Visibility - Joint with Chairman Jeff McKay and Supervisors Kathy Smith, Jimmy Bierman, Dalia Palchik, Walter Alcorn, Rodney Lusk and James Walkinshaw

March 31 is International Transgender Day of Visibility. It was created in 2009 as a day dedicated to celebrating the lives and accomplishments of transgender people and to raising awareness of the continuing challenges faced by transgender people.

Fairfax County is home to the Transgender Education Association whose mission is to support transgender and gender-nonconforming people and their friends, family and partners, and to provide educational resources and information to all interested parties.

In celebration of the County’s richly diverse population and our One Fairfax policy, we affirm and restate our commitment to build a culture of inclusion and acceptance of transgender individuals and appreciate that we grow stronger as a County when we recognize and celebrate all persons in Fairfax County.

As we celebrate Women’s History Month, I’d like to mention that Fairfax County is home to a multitude of sites and stories that celebrate the contributions of women to the United States. One of the most significant moments in women's rights was the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which secured women the right to vote. Now is the perfect time to reflect on all that women have achieved here in Fairfax County and to celebrate their contributions to our society.

Here in Fairfax, you can learn more about HERSTORY in Mount Vernon at the Lucy Burns Museum at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, where Suffragists were imprisoned and brutalized for their 19th amendment advocacy. Nearby, visit Occoquan Regional Park to explore the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial, a national memorial that pays tribute to ALL of the women who fought during the suffrage movement and is the first of its kind in America.

In Mason Neck, visit the Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge and learn about advocate Elizabeth Hartwell’s fight for the creation of the first refuge in America created specifically for the protection of the nation’s symbol, the bald eagle.

And finally, at George Washington's Mount Vernon you can learn about a self-determined woman, cunning fundraiser and the founder of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA), trailblazing philanthropist, South Carolinian Ann Pamela Cunningham. Throughout the history of Mount Vernon, many different women have been at the forefront of making the estate what it was and what it is today. If it were not for them, the estate would not exist as it does today for the public to enjoy and learn from.

An increase in Automobile Crimes has been reported recently. FCPD ask our community to please consider some tips.

Lukens Lane in Mount Vernon will be closed from March 11 - March 14. During construction, crews will have one lane open from 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. each day. A flagging crew will be controlling traffic during this time frame.

Fairfax County Animal Shelter Lorton Campus - Community Room, 8875 Lorton Road

The Department of Animal Sheltering (DAS) and the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) will discuss uniting animal care and control services under one department, to bring the County in alignment with industry best practices, expand service delivery to the community and optimize County resources. Learn more.

The Fairfax Countywide Strategic Plan was adopted in 2021 by the Board of Supervisors and is focused on setting the conditions for meaningful change. The 2024 Fairfax Countywide Strategic Plan Annual Report, released concurrently with the County Executive’s FY 2025 Advertised Budget presentation, outlines steps taken over the past year to implement the plan and highlights key actions and progress in the 10 community outcome areas. Learn more.

Land Development Services (LDS) is continuously developing resources to help improve customer access to services. One of those resources is the Education and Outreach Events webpage which details the different types of educational opportunities and outreach events available at LDS including: Building Permits 101, Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance and Silver Shield.

As Virginia heads into the rainy season, Flood Awareness Week (March 10-16) is an opportunity to encourage residents and owners to learn about their flood risk and protect themselves. Flooding is the most common and costly natural disaster in the United States, and it’s becoming more frequent and severe with climate change. The Resilient Fairfax Plan is being implemented by the County to boost our resilience through climate-ready communities, resilient infrastructure and buildings, adaptive environments and integrated action planning. Learn more about the LDS Flood Awareness tool.

Beginning July 1, 2024, children under age 18 can ride the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) for free! Currently, only kids age 10 and younger may ride for free when traveling with a paying adult. Learn more.

Join neurologist Jennifer Pauldurai, MD, from the Inova Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Center, as she shares information on how neurodegenerative disease can be a very stressful time for the brain. When the brain experiences stress, it can manifest as depression, anxiety, insomnia, hallucinations or delusions. Understanding why someone might be experiencing these behavioral changes can help family caregivers help them. Learn more.