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Tag: fairfax county board of supervisors

  • Fairfax County’s oldest rec center inches closer to planned renovation – WTOP News

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    According to county documents, the renovation project is expected to cost about $60 million. Some of the remaining bond package, which is expected to total $180 million, could be used to renovate either the Franconia or Providence rec centers. The Franconia center was built in 1980, and the Providence facility was built in 1982.

    Built in 1977, the Audrey Moore Recreation Center in Annandale is slated for an overhaul if voters in the Northern Virginia suburb approve a bond package next fall.

    During a Board of Supervisors meeting with Park Authority leadership last week, Deputy Director of Planning Nigel Fields said the department is “looking forward to focusing on Audrey Moore in particular for our next bond and being able to raise the level of community service there.”

    According to county documents, the renovation project is expected to cost about $60 million. Some of the remaining bond package, which is expected to total $180 million, could be used to renovate either the Franconia or Providence rec centers. The Franconia center was built in 1980, and the Providence facility was built in 1982.

    Jai Cole, the Park Authority’s executive director, told the board they may only be available to improve parts of one of the two centers.

    Construction costs have been going up since the pandemic, Cole said: “Audrey Moore is going to be a slimmed-down version of a rec center, just because of all the construction costs that have gone up through COVID.”

    Some of the rising costs are material and others are permitting, Cole said.

    “It’s all of these things that are creating the situation where everything is just costing more money,” she said.

    The county is considering ways to bring costs down.

    Earlier this year, the Mount Vernon Recreation Center reopened and has become increasingly popular.

    “Having driven by there a few times since, I don’t think I’ve gone by there where the parking lot is not completely packed,” McKay said.

    After getting sworn in to represent the Braddock District on Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors, Rachna Sizemore Heizer said renovating the Audrey Moore recreation center, after delays, was a priority.

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    Scott Gelman

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  • Fairfax Co. approves plan to significantly increase fees for trespass tows – WTOP News

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    The move comes months after a change in Virginia law went into effect that kept the minimum fee localities can charge at $135 but set the maximum to $210.

    The fee that drivers have to pay if their car gets towed in Fairfax County, Virginia, is going up, as part of a plan the Board of Supervisors approved Tuesday night.

    For passenger cars, drivers will now have to pay $210, an increase from the current $150 fee.

    The move comes months after a change in Virginia law went into effect. The switch kept the minimum fee localities can charge at $135 but set the maximum to $210.

    “As far as pricing, obviously, everything is significantly more expensive now, not just towing fuel, just everything,” Ashley Miller with Dominion Towing said at a public hearing Tuesday. “It’s affecting everybody, just like it’s affecting county residents.”

    The change in fee applies to trespass tows, which involve the removal of a vehicle that’s parked in violation of a property owner or manager’s rule.

    About 45,000 trespass tows occur each year in Fairfax County, according to county data, and there are 16 trespass tow operators.

    Under the approved changes, the hookup and initial towing fee for passenger cars is $210.

    For vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 7,501-10,000 pounds, the fee is increasing from $250 to $305.

    For vehicles other than passenger cars with a GVWR of over 2,000 pounds, the fee is increasing from $500 to $610.

    The storage fee after 24 hours is increasing from $50 per 24-hour period to $61 per 24-hour period. And the administrative fee is increasing from $75 to $92.

    County leaders said the changes are in line with recommendations from the Virginia State Corporation Commission and maximums allowed in state law.

    Michael Fernandez, owner of Battlefield Towing, said during the public hearing that the increase is “not about excess or greed. It’s about sustainability and accountability. It will allow responsible operators to pay fair compensated wages and provide health insurance, helping us retain qualified employees who take pride in their work and serve our community with integrity.”

    But some community members criticized the increase during the hearing.

    “This is absolutely ridiculous,” one speaker identified as Mandy said. “I understand that the Virginia law allows you guys to reach the maximum amount that you can increase it, but it doesn’t mean that we have to do that.”

    Another person described scenarios in which residents forget to display their parking decal and get towed and asked if “they really deserve to pay hundreds of dollars, even more so now with the proposed fee increase.”

    The changes went into effect immediately.

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Scott Gelman

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  • ‘Time is money’: Fairfax supervisors slam road project delays – WTOP News

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    Several Fairfax County leaders are speaking out about delays in finishing road safety projects that have already been funded.

    Several Fairfax County leaders are speaking out about delays in finishing road safety projects that have already been funded.

    During a Board of Supervisors budget conversation this week, supervisors pushed back against the fact that $82.12 million for infrastructure improvements had been allocated, but only about $12 million has been spent.

    The board previously set a $100 million goal for new sidewalks and road upgrades for pedestrian and cyclist safety. As part of a discussion about fiscal 2025 carryover funding, the county did not propose allocating any additional money toward that goal.

    Local news website FFX Now first reported details of Tuesday’s meeting.

    “I’m like a broken record on it, because I have had it up to here with hearing over and over again, ‘Delays, delays, delays,’ because also time is money,” Supervisor Jimmy Bierman said. “Time is money. It’s costing us more money on these projects because things are taking too long now.”

    Bierman called the spending numbers “unacceptable,” adding that not setting aside additional funding for the projects “so that we can meet the obligations that we as a board decided to put in place makes perfect sense, because we have not done nearly a good enough job of moving these projects forward.”

    Chairman Jeffrey McKay questioned whether builders and others involved facing challenges with Virginia’s Department of Transportation could be contributing to the delays.

    “That’s a lot of money still sitting there, and I would like to get a better explanation of why,” McKay said.

    “When we know that there are bike and pedestrian improvements all over this county that are desperately needed, how we can speed up the process on that is something that we should all be focused on here.”

    Staff with the county’s transportation department weren’t in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting, supervisors said.

    Bryan Hill, the county executive, said construction costs always come at the end of a project, and vowed to provide supervisors with a list of projects in process and what the cost is.

    “I get that the cost at the very end is when the money gets spent, but we still have a speed problem,” McKay said.

    Supervisor Dalia Palchik, meanwhile, said it can sometimes take 10 years to build a sidewalk, and “that’s just been the reality. I don’t know how much of that we can change.”

    Separately, Fairfax County’s Department of Transportation is hosting a series of meetings to discuss proposals for adding bike lanes and marked crosswalks to some neighborhoods, including near Forestdale Elementary.

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Scott Gelman

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  • Fairfax Co. holds off on considering potential changes to trash pickup to address misinformation – WTOP News

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    Fairfax County is holding off on considering potential changes to the way trash pickups are handled, in response to questions, concerns and misinformation that has surfaced.

    Fairfax County officials are pressing pause on a sweeping proposal to revamp residential trash collection, opting to delay a public hearing amid mounting confusion, pushback and competing narratives about what the changes could mean for homeowners and small haulers alike.

    At a meeting last week, the Board of Supervisors agreed to postpone a public hearing on the topic that was scheduled for October. A new date hasn’t been set.

    FFX Now was first to report the decision.

    Under current practices, most residents and homeowner associations handle the logistics of trash collection themselves. The county, meanwhile, handles the process for about 10% of residential customers, according to county data.

    But the county was considering a plan that would divide single-family neighborhoods into Unified Sanitation Districts. The county would oversee the process and handle negotiating prices on residents’ behalfs.

    “If you live in a single-family, detached home in a traditional suburban neighborhood in Fairfax County, and you don’t have a homeowners association contracting for you, then you’re on your own,” Supervisor Walter Alcorn said. “To me, it’s the Wild West out there for folks in that situation.”

    Christopher Herrington, director of the county’s Department of Public Works and Environmental Services, previously told WTOP that a change would help ensure prices are fair and consistent, and that there aren’t many companies operating within the same neighborhood.

    “For these residents, what we basically have is a retail market for trash collection and recycling collection, and those customers are paying retail prices,” Alcorn said.

    Under state law, counties can oversee trash collection once Unified Sanitation Districts are created, and they’re required to give private companies five years notice.

    “Most people have no idea that we’re talking about something that could happen five years or more from now. They think it’s like next week,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said.

    McKay said the county needs to take time “to clarify some of these things with the public a little bit better.”

    Under the proposal, private-sector contractors working with the county directly would pick up residents’ trash. Herrington previously said the proposal didn’t explore decisions about what service would be provided and how often.

    Meanwhile, Larry Foster, one of the owners of Evergreen Disposal, said the board’s decision to hold off on considering the change “opens the door for meaningful collaboration, and we’re committed to ensuring future policies prioritize what residents really deserve — affordable, dependable service with the freedom to choose.”

    Foster said if the county handled the logistics of trash pickup, “it would put a lot of the small haulers out of business.”

    “If someone’s not happy with their current hauler, they could switch based on service, based on price, a lot of variables that would not be available in the USD,” Foster said.

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Scott Gelman

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  • Unions rally to support a casino that could go up in Fairfax County – WTOP News

    Unions rally to support a casino that could go up in Fairfax County – WTOP News

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    Several unions united Tuesday morning to urge the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to support a referendum that would allow voters to choose if a casino and entertainment district is approved for Tysons, Virginia. 

    Dozens of union workers and supporters rallied outside the Fairfax County Government Center on Oct. 22, 2024, urging the county board to back a ballot referendum before the new legislative session for the commonwealth begins in 2025.
    (WTOP/Luke Lukert)

    WTOP/Luke Lukert

    union workers unite with signs
    Virginia Diamond, president of the Northern Virginia AFL-CIO, told WTOP the jobs that would come out of the casino would “lift people out of poverty” and make buying homes and renting more affordable in the notoriously-expensive Northern Virginia suburb.
    (WTOP/Luke Lukert)

    WTOP/Luke Lukert

    union workers unite with signs
    Groups who oppose the Tysons Corner Casino argue it will hurt local businesses and property values as well as increase traffic in the area. But union workers say it will bring much-needed jobs to the area,
    (WTOP/Luke Lukert)

    WTOP/Luke Lukert

    Members of several unions united Tuesday morning to urge the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to support a referendum that would allow voters to choose whether a casino and entertainment district is approved for Tysons, Virginia.

    Dozens of union workers and supporters rallied outside the Fairfax County Government Center to ask the board to back a ballot referendum before the new legislative session for the commonwealth begins in 2025.

    Rafael Cruz who works with a hospitality union said the jobs are life-changing in times of inflation and economic worry, “You can see … the benefit in wages.”

    Virginia Diamond, president of the Northern Virginia AFL-CIO, told WTOP the jobs that would come out of the casino would “lift people out of poverty” and make buying homes and renting more affordable in the notoriously expensive Northern Virginia suburb.

    “We have agreements in place that will allow more than 5,000 workers to be able to choose freely, to become part of a union. And having a union job is life-changing,” Diamond said.

    Unions that wouldn’t see direct jobs also support the project.

    David Walrod, president of the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers, said in a statement, “This is an important opportunity to bring in more commercial tax revenue for schools and other county services, which is sorely needed.”

    A study conducted in 2019 by the Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission found that a Northern Virginia casino could generate upward of $155 million annually in tax revenue.

    Earlier this year, Virginia’s Senate Finance and Appropriations committee voted against a bill that would have allowed the county to have a ballot referendum on building a casino. They instead decided to carry the bill over to next year’s session, hoping to get more research on the project.

    Groups who oppose the Tysons Corner Casino argue it will hurt local businesses and property values, as well as increase traffic in the area.

    Democratic Sen. Jennifer Boysko, who represents parts of Fairfax County, is among those who opposes the casino.

    “This is where Fortune 500 companies have come to make their home,” Boysko said of Tysons Corner during the session. “This is not something that Fortune 500s would like to have in their community.”

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Luke Lukert

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  • Residential tax rate increasing as part of approved Fairfax Co. budget – WTOP News

    Residential tax rate increasing as part of approved Fairfax Co. budget – WTOP News

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    Homeowners in Fairfax County, Virginia, will see their yearly tax bill increase as part of the fiscal 2025 budget leaders approved Tuesday.

    Homeowners in Fairfax County, Virginia, will see their yearly tax bill increase as part of the fiscal 2025 budget leaders approved Tuesday.

    As part of the package, the residential tax rate is increasing by 3 cents, and will now be $1.125 per $100 of assessed value. The result, the county said, is an average real estate tax bill increase of just over $450.

    The increase is necessary, lawmakers said, to offset the loss in commercial tax revenue caused by a rise in telework in the aftermath of the pandemic.

    “Clearly, we are in a place where I think we might have sustained problems over time, looking at the commercial tax base in particular, and trying to figure out what’s really going to happen with office properties,” Supervisor Rodney Lusk said at an April 30 budget meeting. “We’ve got to come to a decision, I think, collectively as a board in terms of how we’re going to respond to this specific long-term challenge.”

    The residential tax rate increase is part of the budget package the Board of Supervisors voted 9-1 to approve. Supervisor Pat Herrity voted against it.

    The budget also includes pay increases for most county employees, ranging from 3.25% to 6%, and millions in extra funding for Fairfax County Public Schools.

    “I know we will continue to work to identify savings and efficiencies with the tools we have, while also looking to advocate to the state for a more fair and just tax system,” Supervisor Andres Jimenez said at the April 30 meeting. “It is obvious that we will not be able to count on real estate and property tax to get out of our main issues.”

    Initially, County Executive Bryan Hill proposed a 4-cent increase to the residential tax rate.

    “Like probably all local jurisdictions or most local jurisdictions in this country, we’re moving into an era where we’re going to have to figure out how to do more with less, because that commercial office market is not going to recover in a year or in two years,” Supervisor James Walkinshaw said.

    Supervisor Dalia Palchik said the county relies on real estate taxes to fund 66% of its budget.

    “That is becoming harder and harder for so many in our community,” she said.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Scott Gelman

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  • Fairfax Co. police to use AI to analyze body camera footage, improve interactions with public – WTOP News

    Fairfax Co. police to use AI to analyze body camera footage, improve interactions with public – WTOP News

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    Video captured on police body-worn cameras is becoming a widely used method of documenting how officers interact with the public — one local Northern Virginia police department will now use artificial intelligence to try to improve those interactions.

    An example of the body-worn cameras being used by Fairfax County police.(Courtesy Fairfax County Police Department)

    Video captured on police body-worn cameras is becoming a widely used method of documenting how officers interact with the public. A local Northern Virginia police department will now use artificial intelligence to try to improve those interactions.

    Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis told the Board of Supervisors Tuesday that the department will be the first in Virginia to utilize Truleo, a Chicago-based company, which analyzes and automatically categorizes body camera videos instead of having people manually review them.

    “It captures audio only, and transcribes every word that the body-worn camera catches — every word,” Davis told the supervisors.

    Davis said the department trains the Truleo AI on words that officers shouldn’t generally be using in their interactions with the public.

    “There are occasions in policing when language is used that’s not always pristine,” Davis said. “But we’re also interested in other words, like ‘thank you,’ ‘you’re welcome,’ and ‘how can I help you?’”

    Davis said having artificial intelligence sort through officers’ interactions with the public is far more efficient than hours spent manually reviewing tapes during performance reviews.

    “So now, you’ll be able to pull up Kevin Davis’ Truleo, and see what words he is using to interact with the community, and are these words consistent with our expectation?” Davis told the supervisors.

    He said information on the officers’ word choice can be used in training, “to keep ahead” of problems and live up to the department’s goals of transparency and trust-building.

    “We look at (the words) and say, ‘Are they consistent with what we say out loud — are we walking the walk, or just talking the talk?’” Davis said.

    In response to privacy concerns raised by Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik, Davis said information that would currently be redacted would continue to be redacted, in transcriptions gathered by Truleo.

    “Truleo is only on when the body-worn camera is activated. When the body camera is not on, Truleo will not be on,” Davis told Palchik.

    According to the company’s website, Truleo is being used with dozens of law enforcement agencies across the country.

    “Truleo partnered with FBI National Academy to build models that detect critical events and deconstruct officers’ language into professionalism metrics to help agencies promote best practices, train new officers, and mitigate risk,” Truleo’s website outlined.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Neal Augenstein

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