Dear Neighbor,

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Braddock Budget Town Hall earlier this week! From emailing questions, calling in, or commenting on the Facebook Live, your participation provided valuable feedback that will inform my approach to the budget process as we move forward.

Did you miss the town hall but want to view the recording? You can watch it on the Channel 16 website or on my Facebook.

The most frequently asked questions were about real estate assessments. If you believe your assessment this year was incorrect, you can file an appeal through the Department of Tax Administration. As I noted during the meeting, I will be working to reduce the real estate tax rate to minimize the impact of rising assessments on homeowners and provide for additional increases in county employee and teacher pay.

If you'd like to learn more about how the assessments are calculated, you can visit the Department of Tax Administration's page.



The Board will also be hosting a series of Budget Public Hearings from April 11-13 at the Government Center. We want to hear from residents and encourage you to sign up to speak in person, by video, or by phone at one of the three meetings.

Joint Braddock/Springfield FCPS Town Hall

This Tuesday, March 21, at 7:00 p.m., Braddock District School Board Representative Megan McLaughlin will co-host a joint District Town Hall with Springfield District Representative Laura Jane Cohen at Lake Braddock Secondary School. FCPS Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid and Student Representative Michele Togbe will be guest speakers.

Representatives will provide updates on FCPS' FY24 Budget, Strategic Plan development process, and other topics relevant to Braddock and Springfield District students, parents/guardians, staff, and community members. More information on the event is available here.

Salary Increase for 2024-2028 Board of Supervisors

Next Tuesday, March 21, the Board of Supervisors will conduct a public hearing to consider an increase in the salary of the 2024-2028 Board.

First, it is important to note that Virginia law does not allow members of the Board of Supervisors to raise their own salaries. Rather, the Board can only adjust compensation in an election year and following a public hearing, and the change can only be applied to the next Board, sworn in after January 1.

The Board of Supervisors' salary was last increased eight years ago and has only been increased once in sixteen years. Since the last increase in Board pay, cumulative inflation has been 25%. The Board receives no annual market rate increase or cost of living adjustment and is, appropriately, not eligible for other compensation increases.

While I will continue to listen to community feedback between now and the public hearing regarding the amount of increase in the salary of the next Board, I do believe that an increase that addresses eight years of inflation and is no more than the average increase that county employees received during the same time period is appropriate.

While the expenditures related to Board salaries and Board offices are a minuscule portion of the County's $5 billion budget, I believe in exercising prudence with every taxpayer dollar. Each Board office receives a fixed budget each year and that budget includes the Supervisor's salary, staff salaries, and other office expenses. In FY 2021 and FY 2022, my office returned $35,000 and $66,000, respectively, to county coffers.

The public hearing about the salary increases will begin at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 21 at the Government Center (12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA). You can provide in three ways:

• In-person
• By Telephone
• Pre-recorded Youtube video



You can sign up to testify using your preferred format here.

Yours in service,

Supervisor James R. Walkinshaw

Please share the newsletter with your friends and neighbors. If this email was forwarded to you, consider subscribing to receive Braddock District news & updates.

Continue reading below for more information on:

• New Braddock Citizen of the Month Nomination Form
• FCPS Strategic Plan Community Survey
• Sorenson High School Leaders Program Application Deadline
• Intern in the Braddock District Office!
• West Springfield CAC April Community Engagement Meeting
• FCPD's Road Shark Program
• Lake Accotink Dam Maintenance 
• Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at GMU

Do you know someone who lives in the Braddock District who exemplifies selflessness, displays a love for their community, has a passion for serving others, or volunteers their time to better the Braddock District?

Nominate them today to be recognized in Supervisor Walkinshaw's monthly newsletter, The Braddock Beacon.

Nomination deadline for April Citizen of the Month is Monday, March 27 at 11:59 p.m.

Contact the Braddock District Office if you have any questions.

Community members are invited to take FCPS' community survey, open until March 20. Employees are invited to complete a feedback form at the end of a strategic planning session on March 30.

For more information visit FCPS' website.

The Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership is accepting applications for its 2023 High School Leaders Program. HSLP is a two-week summer program and is a great opportunity for civic-minded high school students!

Participants of this program will learn about public service and public policy, and will develop their leadership skills, all while having the opportunity to experience a university environment. Upon completion of the program, students will earn 3 graded college credits from UVA.

Online applications are open until Monday, March 20. You can learn more or register on Sorenson's website.

Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw is seeking a College Intern for Summer 2023 to aid the Braddock District office. Rising college freshmen through Class of 2023 college graduates are encouraged to apply.

Internship description and details on how to apply can be found here. If interested in applying, send resume (including two references and summer availability) to braddock@fairfaxcounty.gov no later than 11:59 p.m. on April 7. 

The West Springfield District Community Advisory Committee (CAC) will be hosting a Community Engagement Meeting on Tuesday, April 4, at 7:00 p.m.

These meetings offer the community a chance to communicate more effectively with officers of the Fairfax County Police Department. Jim Kirkpatrick from the Crime Solvers Program will be the guest speaker. He will be discussing Crime Solvers and how it helps the community.

The meeting will be held in person at the West Springfield District Station (6140 Rolling Road, Springfield, VA). Follow the Fairfax County Public School system for any weather-related cancellations. Consider signing up for the West Springfield CAC newsletter by emailing wscacmailbox@gmail.com.

CAC meetings are generally held on the first Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. (except in July and August), and all ages are welcome to attend. If you have any questions, contact MPO Tony Capizzi at (703) 277-2363.

Fairfax County Police Department has rolled out their 2023 Road Shark campaign. Road Shark is a high-visibility and coordinated enforcement and education effort to deter aggressive driving, reduce crashes, and change driving behavior.

FCPD will have officers in high-visibility areas all over the county looking for an array of traffic violations including:

• Aggressive driving
• Excessive speeding
• Driving under the influence
• School zone violations
• Distracted driving and more

FCPD officers, along with Virginia State troopers, will utilize data-driven, risk-based enforcement strategies and operations that target areas with high crash concentrations to reduce crashes. They will also focus on concurrent education and enforcement campaigns to better inform and reduce unsafe driving behaviors across Fairfax County.

To learn more about the program, check out FCPD's website.

Lake Accotink Dam Maintenance 

The Fairfax County Park Authority is anticipating the start of maintenance work on the Lake Accotink dam by mid-March, weather permitting.

 The project will include removal of debris from the top of the dam spillway and replacement of the flashboards, which control water flow through the spillway when water rises above the crest level. These repairs are essential for safe maintenance and operation of the dam.

For more information visit the Park Authority’s website.

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at George Mason University offers hundreds of stimulating educational, social, and cultural courses, clubs, trips, and events each year on topics of interest to adults 50 and older.

The 2023 Spring Term Session runs from March 27 - May 19. Classes are held at sites in Fairfax, Loudoun, and Reston. Visit OLLI's website to sample a class, register now for the Spring term, and pricing information.