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Tag: jeff mckay

  • With extra cash, Fairfax Co. contemplates ways to bring in more tourists – WTOP News

    With millions of new dollars to help attract tourists to Fairfax County, leaders in the Northern Virginia suburb are coming up with ways to use the money.

    With millions of new dollars to help attract tourists to Fairfax County, leaders in the Northern Virginia suburb are recommending a grant program for local businesses and the possibility of upgrading sports fields to make it a more attractive place to host events.

    During a Board of Supervisors Economic Initiatives Committee meeting this week, Visit Fairfax CEO Barry Biggar said new investments can help the county increase its economic activity from tourism to $5 billion within three to five years. Tourism contributed $3.9 billion in economic activity in 2024, Biggar said.

    “We will expand direct sales,” Biggar said. “We will elevate our marketing to key areas that we know will perform. We will also utilize this to attract major events such as the National Senior Games, something we have never been able to do before.”

    The county is expecting to have $6.5 million in new revenue, as a result of an increase in the transient occupancy tax that went into effect last month. The shift increased the tax from 7% to 9%, and Virginia law requires half the funding generated from the tax to be used to promote tourism.

    “I guarantee and promise you that money will be invested to ensure the absolute maximum opportunity of bringing in more revenue to Fairfax County,” Biggar said.

    Biggar recommended several ideas for ways the county can spend the money.

    For one, the county could use $1.5 million to create a Tourism Capital Improvement Fund. It would cover the cost of field and facility upgrades to attract sports tourism events or be used to build a meeting and conference facility.

    Chairman Jeff McKay said if the county takes that approach, it would be the first time “potentially any money is invested in the sports tourism activities.”

    “Clearly, TOT tax return on investment is undoubtedly strong, and here we have an opportunity to double down on that and to say, ‘Hey, taking revenue from people who visit the county to create new opportunities for more people to visit the county, at least for this supervisor, is a real no-brainer,’” McKay said.

    Biggar said $1 million can be allotted each year to a grant program that would support hotels, restaurants and businesses. It would offer matching funds to extend the reach of promotions.

    And $4 million, Biggar said, would be used to support Visit Fairfax, funding marketing initiatives.

    It’s unclear whether the ideas will be incorporated into County Executive Bryan Hill’s budget proposal for fiscal 2027. During the meeting, Hill described the ideas as “a concept, and we’re trying to get the gauge of the board if the concept is going to work.”

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

    Scott Gelman

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  • Fairfax County concerned about impact of proposed cuts to homeland security funding – WTOP News

    Leaders in Fairfax County are seeking more information about the impact of proposed homeland security grant cuts that could leave the D.C. region without millions of dollars

    Leaders in Fairfax County, Virginia, are seeking more information about the impact of proposed homeland security grant cuts that could leave the D.C. region without the tens of millions of dollars it considers vital to keep the area safe.

    Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay said President Donald Trump’s administration notified local leaders over the summer that there would a 40% cut to the grants. But recently, they learned the cuts amount to 90% of total homeland security grant funding.

    The Washington Post first reported news of the proposed cuts, which could result in a loss of more than $40 million.

    WTOP has contacted the Department of Homeland Security for comment.

    “This is really critical, obviously, in a region like the DMV, where very sensitive incidents can occur very quickly,” McKay said.

    The grant funding, McKay said, helped reimburse the D.C.-area jurisdictions that sent law enforcement and first responders to help after the deadly midair collision near Reagan National Airport earlier this year. It helps the localities either pay overtime for responders that help with major incidents or backfill positions while personnel are responding to a major emergency.

    “If nothing changes here, and this 90% cut goes into place, it’ll have an effect of having every local government look at whether or not they say yes or no to requests for assistance,” McKay said. “What that does is put all of us at risk. It puts our first responders at risk. It puts victims in some of these instances at risk.”

    D.C. and 11 other states filed a lawsuit in response to the proposed cuts, and a federal judge in Rhode Island ruled that the cuts couldn’t be made while the lawsuit proceeds. McKay called it alarming that Virginia was not one of the states that joined the lawsuit.

    In addition to reimbursement for first responders, McKay said the grants help pay for terrorist response training, camera networks, integrated radio systems, hazardous material detection and emergency alert systems.

    “Over time, what we’ll find out is if those funds go away, you’re going to have local governments not investing in some of those systems, which puts everybody at risk,” McKay said. “And you’re going to have local governments, when called upon in a critical incident, potentially say, ‘We’re going to have to pass on this one.’”

    Clint Osborn, director of D.C.’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, said the cuts are part of Urban Area Security Initiative funding, which helps prepare for, prevent and respond to terrorism and other threats across the region.

    “These funds are vital to the overall emergency preparedness and response capabilities where our threat level remains high, and where events designated as National Special Security Events occur frequently,” Osborn said in a statement. “The District will be requesting to the Trump Administration a full restoration of these potential devastating cuts.”

    In Fairfax, McKay and the board asked County Executive Bryan Hill to report how much in reimbursements could potentially be lost and what programs, training and equipment may no longer be available if they can’t be paid for with local funding.

    Mutual aid agreements, which allow jurisdictions such as Fairfax to send first responders to an incident that may be just outside of their borders, won’t be affected by the proposed cuts, McKay said.

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

    Scott Gelman

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  • Fairfax Co. extends car tax payment deadline, considers other ways to support federal workers – WTOP News

    Citing a struggle for many families who call Fairfax County, Virginia, home, the Board of Supervisors considered ways to help support federal workers during the current government shutdown.

    Fairfax County leaders approved a plan on Tuesday to delay the car tax payment deadline by a month and briefly considered additional ways to support federal workers during the current government shutdown.

    While the payment was originally due on Monday, the Board of Supervisors approved a plan to delay the deadline 30 days to Nov. 5. The move came during a special meeting as the shutdown is in its second week.

    “The timing of when taxes became due and the shutdown of the federal government running almost parallel makes this an unprecedented moment, and obviously a struggle for many of our families in Fairfax County,” Chairman Jeff McKay said.

    Virginia’s largest county is home to about 80,000 federal workers, according to its estimates. The move means fines won’t accrue until after the new date, McKay said, but it doesn’t relieve car tax payments for anyone.

    Local governments have the authority to extend the deadline for the car tax payments up to 90 days, and McKay said if the federal government closure continues, “We could consider adding additional days to this. But as we sit here today, we have no idea how long that’s going to last.”

    While the board approved the plan unanimously, Supervisor Pat Herrity said he supported it “with a little bit of heartburn, because I always worry about the people who made the decision to pay our taxes because it was the right thing to do instead of not pay it. But I think we need to do everything we can to help our federal workers.”

    Over 82% of residents paid the car tax by the due date at this time last year, according to Fairfax County Department of Tax Administration Director Jay Doshi.

    Separately, Herrity wondered whether the county could launch a program similar to one used in Maryland to support federal workers. In June, Gov. Wes Moore announced a program that offered former federal workers a $700 interest-free loan that has to be paid 180 days after a loan agreement is signed. Recipients have an option to seek a 90-day extension if there’s still financial hardship, according to a news release.

    “I don’t know if it’s legal for us to do that in Virginia or not (or) what the fiscal impact of that would look like,” Herrity said.

    Citing the Department of Government Efficiency cuts to federal agencies, Supervisor Dan Storck said the board can “make it a little bit easier and help people along the way to balance their budgets or personal budgets.”

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

    Scott Gelman

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  • ‘People are very scared’: Fairfax Co. supervisor on shutdown’s impact, available resources – WTOP News

    Fairfax County, Virginia, is home to one of the largest numbers of federal workers in the country, with about 80,000 federal civil servants residing there, according to the county.

    Fairfax County, Virginia, is home to one of the largest numbers of federal workers in the country, with about 80,000 federal civil servants residing there, according to the county.

    And as the government shutdown wears on, many of those government employees may need to lean on services provided by the county.

    Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay joined WTOP’s Anne Kramer and Shawn Anderson on Thursday to talk about the local impact of the shutdown and what the county is doing to mitigate it.

    Read and listen to the full conversation below.

    Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay joined WTOP’s Anne Kramer and Shawn Anderson to talk about the government shutdown’s impact on Fairfax County.

    The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

    • Anne Kramer:

      We’re only two days into this shutdown. But what kind of impact could this have on Fairfax County, or is it already having on the county?

    • Jeff McKay:

      Well, the actions that are happening in Washington, D.C., have had a profound effect on Fairfax County for the better part of this last year, which is really concerning, because that’s the backdrop under which this shutdown comes at us, and so we’re very concerned. And I think the real impacts for the people who are laid off or furloughed, you know, will depend on how long this shutdown lasts. And so we’re hopeful it doesn’t last long, but we’re planning in the event that it does last long to make sure that we’re prepared and ready to help people.

    • Shawn Anderson:

      Can you give us an idea of how many people in Fairfax County, who live in Fairfax County, work for either the federal government or contractors connected to the government, and how they’re affected?

    • Jeff McKay:

      Well, we know there are upward of 80,000 federal employees that live in Fairfax County, and that does not count the contractors, which we believe is another 40,000 to 50,000. And so you’re talking about a lot of people here impacted. And I had met yesterday with a number of the contractors who are very concerned. And you know, the longer this lasts, the more likely they are to lay off employees. And remember, these are contractors that have already had to lay off employees because of the DOGE cuts that are happening as well.

    • Anne Kramer:

      You mentioned chairman that the county is preparing in case this does stretch into a certain amount of time, or last several days. We’re already seeing some things where it might go into next week because of the timing of everything.

      What kind of preparations and what kind of services do you look at to say we’re here to help, or we need to be ready for this?

    • Jeff McKay:

      Well there’s a number of things. We have a coordinated services planning line that we set up during COVID to deal with emergency help for people who are having trouble with food insecurity or paying their rent, utilities. If they’re having trouble with their SNAP, TANF or WIC benefits, or they’re just struggling to pay their bills, they should be calling the coordinated services planning line in the county so that we can link them up either with a county resource, or help them with a federal problem, or hook them up with a nonprofit in our community that provides that assistance.

      The second thing that we’re doing is we’re looking at our own programs and making sure that for children in School Age Child Care after school, if they can’t pay their SACC bills, we want to work with them on a payment plan. Car tax bills are coming due if people can’t pay their car taxes or real estate tax bills, we want them to call the Department of Tax Administration, who will work out a payment plan for them that recognizes this unfortunate situation we’re in.

      So we want to be a partner with the community here. I think my No. 1 concern is protecting the residents of Fairfax County. That doesn’t mean we’re not angry as heck that this is happening, and we find it completely irresponsible. But as mentioned earlier, there’s little I can do at the federal level. What we’re going to do at the local level is help as many people that need our help as possible.

    • Shawn Anderson:

      You mentioned anger. What other kinds of feelings are you getting from your constituents in Fairfax County about not just what’s going on right now with the shutdown, but how the last eight or nine months have been going here?

    • Jeff McKay:

      People are very scared. You know, I’ve talked to so many highly skilled professional federal workers who have spent their career as patriots in public service who are being treated poorly or who have lost their jobs altogether. And so I think this is a Commonwealth of Virginia problem, not just a Fairfax problem, because, of course, if our economy suffers, the rest of the state is affected.

      They rely on us. Almost half the GDP in Virginia is created in Northern Virginia. And so when Northern Virginia’s economy is suffering, the rest of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s economy is going to be suffering. But there’s real fear. There’s anger among our county employees and in the business community. There’s just real frustration over how unpredictable this is.

      I mean, if you’re a business person, how do you long-term plan for how many employees you need for a potential federal contract? Or how do you look at expanding your restaurant if so many people are out of work locally that they’re not eating out anymore? And so the uncertainty that this creates in the private sector is also a huge piece of the story that we’re watching closely.

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    Thomas Robertson

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

    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.

    Scott Gelman

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  • Despite concerns, Fairfax Co. supervisors tout proposed Beltway toll lane extension to cut commutes – WTOP News

    Several Fairfax County Supervisors on Tuesday indicated support for a proposal to extend toll lanes through an 11-mile stretch of the Capital Beltway.

    Several Fairfax County Supervisors on Tuesday indicated support for a proposal to extend toll lanes through an 11-mile stretch of the Capital Beltway, despite concerns about neighborhood impacts and bike and pedestrian infrastructure.

    During a Board of Supervisors Transportation Committee meeting Tuesday, Michelle Shropshire, the Northern Virginia megaprojects director for the Virginia Department of Transportation, provided an update and overview of the project.

    The plan would offer two express lanes in each direction, starting on the western end near the Springfield interchange. The express lanes would continue eastward across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge to the 295 interchange, and then there would be one express lane in each direction for the remaining section of the project to the Maryland Route 210 interchange, Shropshire said.

    The proposal includes more than 7 miles of bike and pedestrian infrastructure, and would include a new bus route connecting part of Prince George’s County and Tysons.

    The project, which is in its early stages and is subject to change, would relieve congestion, improve safety and create additional travel choices, Shropshire said. An initial traffic analysis found 2,400 more people would be moved during peak hours.

    It also would still allow for the possible expansion of Metro across the Wilson Bridge, Shropshire said.

    A ‘political problem’

    However, the project’s fate is unclear, particularly because Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said it has a “pretty significant political problem.”

    “The linchpin problem here is that Virginia has lost its capacity on this project to reasonably communicate with Maryland, and that’s unfortunate,” McKay said Tuesday.

    WTOP has contacted Gov. Wes Moore’s office for comment on his position on the proposal.

    In October, the D.C. area’s Transportation Planning Board will vote on whether to include the Virginia Beltway project in its regional Visualize 2050 transportation plan. The final plan is scheduled to be approved in December. The Virginia project wouldn’t be able to get funding from the federal government if it’s not included in the plan.

    If the board doesn’t approve the plan, McKay said it may be four years before the project can be considered again.

    “All the data and work that’s been done here is garbage because four years from now, we’ll be talking about how much worse delays, how much worse traffic is in this area, all new conditions that have to be reevaluated,” McKay said.

    Support for the project at the TPB, Shropshire said, “does not mean that it is a vote for us to build the project right away and start moving dirt, but it’s about continuing with our process. It is continuing to refine the scope.”

    Possibility for faster travel times

    VDOT has been studying the corridor for years, starting with an environmental assessment initiated in 2022. The transit agency said the project would increase average speeds in the general purpose lanes, and result in faster travel times.

    Shropshire said if the process continues, the next step would be a detailed traffic analysis that includes the impact on local roads, to “ensure that these adjacent roadways or parallel facilities would operate in an acceptable manner.”

    Mt. Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck said the main issue he’s hearing from residents is “making sure that it truly has a net benefit to the communities that it’s, if you will, bisecting.”

    As for the proposed more than 7 miles of bike and pedestrian infrastructure, Supervisor Rodney Lusk said the plans “are not as expansive as they could be.”

    Still, local lawmakers signaled support to continue exploring the possibility of extending the toll lanes.

    “As someone who uses this almost every day, it’s approaching gridlock, American Legion Bridge-style gridlock, in the PM heading toward Maryland and in the AM heading into Virginia,” McKay said.

    Supervisor Dalia Palchik said the connectivity should be helpful to the economy because “we need housing. We need transportation. We need jobs, and we need them to be connected, right? And that’s what we hear from our community.”

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    Scott Gelman

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