We had our final FY20 budget work session, ahead of next week’s mark up where we make adjustments before adoption on April 22. We reviewed departmental highlights in housing and human services, library, public works, schools, human resources/city employee compensation, and senior tax relief. While each of those areas merit an entire […]
For the first time in a long time – we voted on the annual budget, CIP, and tax rate at first reading without much fanfare or public comment; we’ll have a final budget vote on 4/22. What was a tougher conversation was a request to authorize additional money for the City […]
March Madness has begun, and we’ve got a different kind of March madness underway locally. Aside from the annual budget (see last week’s post), we’re in 7 week sprint towards votes on a comprehensive agreement, a 99 year ground lease, and a conceptual plan for the 10 acre West Falls Church project in May. We made a commitment to citizens is that we would not issue any construction bonds for the high school until we ink a […]
Maybe the the proverb should be “fourth time’s a charm”? As anticipated, the start of this budget cycle (my fourth!) has been pleasant, a marked departure from previous years. The confluence of multiple factors (adherence to budget guidance + higher forecasted revenues + lower school enrollment + the spirit of “we’re all […]
Whew, what a week! This has definitely been one of those weeks reaffirming my belief in the importance and wide impact of local government. In work session, our topics were meaningful and weighty, spanning all parts of our everyday lives: the next round of the demographics study, exotic animal laws (find out if you have an […]
Happy snow (slush) day! Hopefully that is the last time we say that this year. If you, too, have an extra two hours this morning – settle down with another cup of coffee and this week’s update for a few minutes. Three quick highlights and takeaways: 1) Without much fanfare, your […]
We had a good work session this week covering some biggies: financials, parks, and development. In addition to the Q2 financial report (fiscal year 2019 is now half over), we are preparing for the acquisition of the Fellows Property, one of the largest remaining undeveloped parcels in the city and the […]
As you head into the long weekend, lots of links are in this week’s post for you to peruse over the extra day off. We’ve got several exciting business openings coming up (hint: get your quarters ready) and scheduled dates for Founders Row’s groundbreaking and the first construction community meeting. […]
It’s been a tough week to be a Virginian. As an antidote to the discouraging news in the state, I’ve been diving into books. Before getting into this blog’s usual topics (and we’ve got a meaty one this week), I highly recommend “So You Want to Talk About Race” especially […]
Happy February! With cold temps and still several months of winter ahead – if you see someone at risk of hypothermia, don’t hesitate to call city staff or the non emergency police line, who can offer resources or help get them to a hypothermia shelter. These winter months have once again highlighted for […]
We had a brief work session on parks and trees, we took our annual “Falls Church goes to Richmond” lobbying trip yesterday, and I’m including some PSAs on snow/ice removal and pneumatic guns – so this week’s post should have a little bit of everything for everyone. While many issues […]
As we head into the MLK Day long weekend, which we declared as our third annual day of service across the city, I hope you’ll be inspired to honor Dr. King’s life and legacy by seeking out ways to volunteer and join community events. In the morning – if you’re a FCCPS elementary family, […]