With over 1 million trips taken, middle school and high school students in Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax have been enjoying the free Student Bus Pass Program since 2015. Students have used their bus passes to take free rides on Fairfax Connector and the City of Fairfax CUE bus to get to and from school, as well as internship locations, job locations, sporting events and more. With parent/guardian approval, students can sign up through their school administration office. In addition to providing a valuable service to students who may not have access to reliable transportation, this program builds future transit ridership by familiarizing young people with our safe and reliable transit network.

Recently, Justice High School in Falls Church started a pilot program where students can also ride certain Northern Virginia Metrobus routes for free as part of the Student Bus Pass Program. The students at Justice High School can use specially designed and programmed SmarTrip cards that are valid on Fairfax Connector, the City of Fairfax CUE buses and specific Metrobus routes. We are grateful for this fantastic partnership with WMATA's Metrobus. I hope that if the results of this pilot program are successful, the Metrobus option can be expanded to other middle and high schools throughout the county to add even more flexibility to our busy and hardworking student population. 

Proper disposal of unused or expired medication can help protect human health, as well as our drinking water supply and aquatic life that are necessary for a healthy ecosystem. You can help. October 27th from 10am - 2pm is the next semi-annual take-back day.  Fairfax County participates in this national event to provide residents another way to remove unused medications from their homes.  All eight Fairfax County district police stations are participating as a collection site.  Please see the flyer for more information on drug take-back day, permanent dropboxes located in your area, and how to properly dispose of medications in the trash, when necessary. More information.

The Police Department's body-worn camera pilot program ended in August. Training for the cameras began in mid-February and full implementation was completed by mid-March. The 90-day pilot was extended to allow all stakeholders the opportunity to better assess the program areas and impact. A research team at American University is gathering and studying the findings from the program, which included 203 body-worn cameras distributed to trained officers at three stations: Mason, Mount Vernon and Reston, and a sampling of Motor Squad officers and Animal Protection officers. The research team is surveying community members and police officers to determine what effect the cameras had on police activity and perceptions of police legitimacy in the community. In addition, they will be analyzing data regarding the number and nature of complaints against officers from this time period. A full report from American University is expected in early 2019.   Get more information on the Police blog.

During the the September 25 Board of Supervisors meeting, the Board approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 carryover package. Carryover is the process by which certain unspent or unencumbered funds for commitments to pay for goods and services at the end of one fiscal year are re-appropriated to the next fiscal year. FY 2018 ended on June 30. The FY 2018 carryover balance, after funding prior year obligations and associated reserves, is $58.16 million, which is approximately 1.4 percent of the county's total General Fund budget. The carryover package includes $34.89 million for funding county reserves and infrastructure needs based on county policy, $6.03 million to support infrastructure needs at county facilities, $4.5 million to support a countywide energy strategy and $2.42 million for new and continuing IT projects. When combined with the $0.12 million held in reserve as part of the FY 2019 Adopted Budget Plan, a total of $4.61 million is to be set aside in reserve for one-time FY 2019 and FY 2020 requirements.  If you weren't able to attend the meeting, you can watch it on video on demand or listen to the BOS Highlights Podcast.

1. Replace a lightbulb with an LED

2. Change the air filter on your air conditioner or furnace 

3. Plug your electronics into a power strip

4. Check out a thermal camera at the library to find air leaks in your home

5. Buy Energy Star Certified Appliances 

 

For more information, visit Fairfax County's NewsCenter and Fairfax County's Energy Action Fairfax Website. 

This evening, October 11, from 7pm - 8pm at the Fairfax County Government Center, Wanda Suder from the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Zoning will give a presentation and answer questions specifically pertaining to nonprofits and places of worship. She will provide an overview of:

This event is free and all are invited to attend. For more information, please visit www.eventbrite.com/e/ins-outs-of-development-and-construction-nonprofits-places-of-worship-tickets-49943933650. For questions, please contact Anne Cissel at 703-324-2743 or  [email protected].