Lee District Monthly Newsletter                       March 2016

The McKay Messenger
Fairfax County
 Boa rd of Supervisors
Jeffrey C. McKay 
 
March is well underway and we've almost made it to Spring! With this new season comes the end of another General Assembly Session. We never know what challenges will come our way throughout the legislative process. This session was full of surprises but I feel confident having our Senators and Delegates working hard on our behalf down in Richmond. Budget season is still in full swing and I'll be continuing to focus on that in the month ahead. 
General Assembly Session Recap 

The regular session of the 2016 General Assembly adjourned on Friday, March 11 (one day ahead of schedule). 3,286 bills and resolutions were introduced. 1,920 bills were reviewed by County operational and legal staff. Most of which were fast moving (one of the many reasons we are lucky to be one of the only local governments who have professional staff in Richmond). The Board took formal positions on 220 bills. 

Numbers only tell part of the story. Perhaps most importantly, the GA passed a new 2016-2018 biennium budget which contains very good news for Fairfax County and Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS). 

The budget restores $5.6 million in Cost of Competing Adjustment for K-12 support staff in FY2017 and $5.8 million in FY 2018. For NOVA, the restoration of these funds was a tremendous accomplishment -- both the Governor and our General Assembly delegation deserve special thanks for helping to make this happen. 

For Fairfax County, we are projecting nearly $21 million in anticipated additional state funding for FCPS in FY 2017 which is almost a penny on the tax rate. County and FCPS budget staff are working together to provide additional detail about this funding. This will continue to be a long process, but strong steps were made towards the goal of more funding for education this year. 

While we did not see the usual onslaught of problematic tax bills this year, the GA did consider a number of bills that diminish the county's land use authority. The most consequential of these bills, related to proffers, has already been signed into law by Governor McAullife.   That legislation includes numerous exemptions from the new requirements that will be especially helpful for Fairfax County, but it will take the Board and staff time to fully assess and adjust to the changes brought by the new law.  

Overall, this was a productive legislative session and I am proud and honored to serve as the Legislative Committee Chairman. 

Another General Assembly Session is in the books. You never know how things are going to turn out down in Richmond, but we're incredibly lucky to be represented by these two. A big thank you to Delegates Paul Krizek and Mark Sickles. Their advocacy for Lee District and Fairfax County truly makes a difference. 

LOBs Survey 
As part of chairing the Budget Committee this year, the Board decided to engage in a Lines of Business review process to shape the county's strategic direction and validate priorities which will position the Board of Supervisors to develop and approve a sustainable financial plan to invest in the County's future success. Your input is critical. Please take this online survey available through March 21 at this link.

The results will be compiled and presented to the Board of Supervisors in April.


An Update on the Fairfax County Budget-Get Involved!

On March 1, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, in a bipartisan vote after much discussion and debate, agreed to advertise a tax rate of $1.13, a 4-cent increase from the current rate of $1.09 per $100 of assessed value. The Board can now adopt a tax rate that is lower, but not higher, than that 4-cent rate.

So what now? It's crucial to weigh in to tell the Board of Supervisors what programs and services are important to you. Public hearings are scheduled for  April 5-7, and the Board will adopt its budget  April 26. You can view the county executive's entire proposal  here. You can sign up to speak  here.

A full list of important dates are listed in the column entitled "Budget Timeline."
Know of anything exciting going on in Lee District? We're always interested in being involved with events going on in our community. Let us know. 

Police Week

Following the lead of the U.S. Congress and the President of the United States, I was pleased to introduce a Board Matter at our Board Meeting on March 15 to designate May 15-21, 2016, as Police Week and May 15, 2016, as Peace Officers Memorial Day in Fairfax County. It passed with unanimous support. 

The Fairfax County Police Department and the Sheriff's Office serve County residents every day, safeguarding life and property, protecting against violence and disorder, and defending the innocent against deception and the weak against oppression.

The officers of the Fairfax County Police Department and Sheriff's Office are loyal, faithful, devoted, and selfless in their service to our diverse community and have established an enduring reputation of preserving the security and rights of all residents in the County

Road Conditions
I know after all of the snow this year that our roads are in less than pristine condition. 

I am meeting with Delegate Mark Sickles and representatives from VDOT this Thursday to make the state aware of the ongoing problems with potholes and road deterioration. 

Have a problem with a road near you? Click here.  
  Budget Timeline
  • March 30: LDACO meeting at Franconia Governmental Center at 7:00 pm
  • April 5: School Board presents FCPS budget
  • April 5-7: Public Hearings
  • April 19: Board meeting to mark up county executive's budget recommendations
  • April 26: Board adopts FY17 budget and tax rate including transfer to FCPS
  • May 26: School Board adopts FY17 approved budget
  • July 1: FY17 begins
  Community News

* Missed the first Master Plan meeting for Lake Accotink? There's another one May 16.

 

*April 2 will be a clean up day at Lake Accotink Park. Click here for more information.

 

*Fairfax County needs Election Officers for upcoming elections. Training begins in May. Election Officers must be registered voters in Virginia and complete required training and forms. For more information, call 703-324-4735 or their website.


 

*Fairfax County will commemorate 50 years of the National Historic Preservation Act with a symposium on Saturday, April 16, 2016 on "Setting the Stage for Local Preservation.
Student Free Fare Program

When the Fairfax Connector Bus service/Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) announced the Student Free Fare Pilot Program, I requested that Edison High School be included as one of the targeted schools.This past fall, the Student Free Fare Program was successfully launched at Edison, Chantilly, Madison, Mt. Vernon and South Lakes high schools.

Under this program, a student bus pass allows them to ride Fairfax Connector for free from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday-Friday. This program establishes an important component of the County's transportation system - especially with Millennials. It fills gaps for school transportation impacted by new, later school hours, providing flexibility and access to before and after school activities, and increases Fairfax Connector Ridership.

The program is being internally promoted though the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) with assistance from FCDOT. With over 11,000 students enrolled, the program has already generated 52,000 student trips in 20 weeks. I am happy to report that out of a population of 1,936, Edison High School distributed 814 passes. That equates to 42% of the students at Edison, and of the 5 targeted schools in Fairfax County, the highest percentage of students signing up at any one school. It is a wonderful sign of our youth valuing the investments we make in public transit.

Students who are not already signed up but wish to participate should contact their school to sign up; parental/guardian consent is required for this program.



Thank you for subscribing to my monthly e-newsletter. I hope these updates will keep you in the loop with some of the major events in our District.

If you'd like to learn more about something in the newsletter or have an idea for a future edition, please don't hesitate to contact me or my staff.
  
Sincerely,
Jeffrey C. McKay
Lee District Supervisor
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
703-971-6262