Friday, May 17, 2013
The eight FCPD positions have not been cut to four in county budget cuts.
The station logistic technician (SLT) position has not been cut in FCPD county budget cuts. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors recently approved fully funding all eight positions instead of eliminating four of the positions, said Captain Randy Joyce — commander of the Mount Vernon District Police Station — at the recent Citizen Advisory Committee meeting. One SLT is assigned to each of the eight district police stations. Because of budget cuts, the county was considering cutting it down to four SLTs for Fairfax County. SLTs are responsible for equipment and supplies inventory, maintaining police cruisers (average of 16 cars per week taken to and from the county garage for maintenance and repairs) and other duties around the district …
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Presented by Patch, the theme is 'Fairfax Is Beautiful.'
UPDATE: The deadline for the first annual Celebrate Fairfax Photo Contest has been extended to May 15. Enter today! Your photo could be on display at Celebrate Fairfax! --- Are you a natural photographer or just enjoy capturing snapshots of the world around you? Celebrate Fairfax is looking for the best photographs of the natural beauty of Fairfax County and announces their 1st annual Photo Contest! In order to enter, you must submit a photo of something beautiful you see in nature around Fairfax County. You have until May 1 to get your entry in! Let the county be your inspiration — the top 75 entries submitted will be displayed during the Celebrate Fairfax! Festival, which will be held June 7-9. Individuals will compete in one of two …
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Bands will perform at Grist Mill Park in Mount Vernon.
The Mount Vernon Nights Concert Series will kick off another season June 7 at Grist Mill Park in Mount Vernon. Concerts will take place Friday nights at 7:30 p.m. in June, July and August. Concerts at Grist Mill Park are cancelled when raining. If there’s a threat of inclement weather, call 703-324-SHOW(7469) after 6 p.m. for updates. JUNE 7 - Swing Shift 14 - Afro Bop Alliance 21 - Crawdaddies 28 - Anthony "Swamp Dog" Clark JULY 5 - Pablo Antonio y la Firma 12 - Elvis Tribute Band - Jed Duvall 19 - King Teddy 26 - Andrew Acosta Swing Band AUGUST 2 - Urban Frank 9 - The Winstons 16 - John McCutcheon 23 - David Bach Consort 30 - Squeeze Bayou For more information, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/performances. Grist Mill Park is located at…
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Trials in other Washington area jurisdictions have residents asking: Why doesn't Fairfax County have text-911 service?
Fairfax County plans to eventually give its residents the ability to text 9-1-1 in emergencies, but it likely won’t be any time soon. In March, Frederick County, Md., launched a pilot program allowing Verizon Wireless customers to text 911 in an emergency. And recent media coverage has Fairfax County residents asking whether the same service will be available to them. During an online chat Monday, county officials said they planned to wait to start any sort of trial program until the service was available on more providers than just Verizon. “Texting to 9-1-1 is one of several new means to contact 9-1-1 that will utilize smart devices (smart phones, tablets, etc.) to communicate,” said Stephen Souder, director of the county’s department of…
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
This year's event is Saturday, May 4, at Fort Hunt Park. Last year's event raised $30,000.
Grab your sombrero, it's time once again for Cinco de Surovell, the annual fundraiser event organized by Del. Scott Surovell, a Democrat who represents the 44th District in the General Assembly. Tickets for the fundraiser range from "Amigo" status, at $25, to "El Presidente," at $5,000. This year's event will be the fourth annual fundraiser, scheduled for Saturday, May 4 from 1-3 p.m. at Fort Hunt Park, at Pavilion B. Fort Hunt Park is located at 8999 Fort Hunt Road. Saturday's weather forecast, according to The Weather Channel is for "mostly sunny" skies and a high of 68 degrees. See the photo gallery from 2012's Cinco de Surovell event. The fundraiser in the past has featured Mexican food, Tejano music and beer as well as visits with …
Monday, April 29, 2013
County residents say they are skeptical, but not surprised about the real estate tax increase in the FY2014 budget. What do you think?
The average Fairfax County homeowner’s real estate tax bill will increase by more $200 when the Board of Supervisors approves the Fiscal Year 2014 budget next week, begging the question: How do residents feel about it? Brigitte, a Tysons resident who only provided her first name, wasn’t particularly concerned about the increase she told Patch on Thursday outside the Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library.. “It doesn’t really bother me that much,” she said. She was, however, much more concerned with the increase in her real estate assessment due to the Silver Line, which is scheduled to open at the end of December 2012. Brigitte said she didn’t think the cost of the Silver Line project was worth the benefit. “As a resident here, all we get as a …
Monday, April 8, 2013
The first of three public hearings on FY 2014 plan is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday. Speakers can sign up in advance.
A series of public hearings on Fairfax County’s Fiscal Year 2014 budget package will kick off Tuesday evening, giving residents a chance to advocate for changes to funding allocations and other issues. County Executive Ed Long’s advertised $7 billion budget, unveiled in late February, proposes raising the county's real estate tax rate and making cuts to some county programs and services in an effort to close shortfalls. The 2-cent increase in the real estate tax rate, from $1.075 per $100 of assessed value to $1.095, is expected to raise approximately $42 million in revenues. But on top of new, higher real estate assessments, the increase would burden the average resident with approximately $262 more in taxes each year. Some officials have…
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Fairfax County urban foresters will begin aerial spraying to suppress fall cankerworm caterpillars starting in mid-to-late-April.
This year, Fairfax County will spray approximately 2,000 acres to suppress fall cankerworm caterpillars in the Lee and Mount Vernon districts. Helicopters will spray Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a naturally-occurring insecticide, in infected areas in the two districts starting in mid-to-late April, according to a recent news release. Treatment areas for the aerial spray program are chosen through an annual Fairfax County survey of the fall cankerworm population. Because weather conditions are unpredictable, county officials do not know the exact days when spraying will be conducted. Once spraying begins, it may take ten days or more to complete, depending on the weather. A detailed map showing these treatment areas is available at public …
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Replacement for Superintendent Jack Dale should be in place by May, school board members said Monday as they explored the kind of relationship they wanted with the system's new leader.
Fairfax County School Board members are on track to have a new superintendent chosen by the end of April. After a work session Monday afternoon, School Board Chairman Ilryong Moon (At Large) said the Board was keeping to the schedule outlined in November 2012, hoping to publicly announce the new leader of one of the country's largest school systems in May. “We are having our first round of interviews this week,” Moon said, adding that he and his colleagues were planning to hold interviews Wednesday and narrow the pool down to approximately three finalists by Sunday. Those chosen will interviewed a second time, and the Board will then choose its preferred candidate, Moon said. During the work session, the Board explored the relationship …
Supervisor McKay, Lee District School Board Rep Tammy Kaufax will host the meeting in Franconia.
Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay, Lee District School Board Representative Tammy Kaufax, and county and schools budget staff will host a presentation and Q and A session on the proposed Fairfax County budget Wednesday night. "Over the past decade we’ve worked hard at diversifying our economy but between 10 and 20 percent of our local economy is related to defense or federal contracting to the tune of about $25 billion," McKay said in an email sent to constituents on Monday. "With a substantial amount of the county’s workforce involved in some way with what happens on the federal side, that’s a lot of potential drop in retail sales, car purchases, home sales, and the like." The budget presentation and Q and A will take place from 7 to 9 …
harry lehman
11:47 am on Sunday, May 5, 2013
Thank you PATCH for providing this story about having the option to text 911! THANK YOU Fairfax County for taking a mature position of a "Wait and See" on the details of the texting 911 trials. Please spend out tax money wisely. Too often Fairfax County has jumped on-board a new idea or program only to have spent money with no results. "Texting 911" may have pitfalls that are hidden in the … more ›