Board Votes to Ban Plastic Bags for Yard Waste

Yesterday, the Board approved a motion that will ultimately ban the use of plastic bags for yard waste. This action was taken despite previous Board direction to have County staff address concerns raised by residents, staff, and several Supervisors before proceeding. These concerns, which were raised the last time the ban was proposed by staff without notice, remain unaddressed.

 

I opposed the motion because an attempted change that was rolled out by staff without community or Board approval in 2017 raised a number of questions that are still unanswered and also faced significant community opposition. I do not want to see that repeated. Following that proposal, at the Board's Environment Committee meeting last June, the then-Chair, Supervisor Gross and I expressed concerns with the change and it was directed to be brought back to the Environmental Committee for further discussion of the issues that were identified (see discussion at 1:01.46 here). Here are some of the concerns yet to be addressed:

 

 

According to staff, the County has been engaged in an outreach campaign to educate the community about a prohibition on the use of plastic bags for yard waste. At no time was I made aware of this outreach and the results of a very unscientific survey of my neighbors and staff indicate they were not made aware either.

 

Furthermore, I have spoken to the owner of a northern Virginia regional composting facility who is one of the largest recipients of our County's yard waste. He has informed me that he does not recall staff recently conducting a site visit to his facility. The owner of this facility agrees that the removal of plastic bags would be beneficial to his operations, yet he remains concerned, as he was in 2017, that banning plastic bags will encourage more illegal dumping.He also echoed the concerns on waste diversion and impact on our waterways.

 

I would also note that the General Assembly specifically exempted plastic bags for yard waste from the proposed new plastic bag tax.

 

Every bag has an environmental impact; there are no silver bullets. Decisions that are made in the name of the environment must be made on science and fact, not emotions and misconceptions. Each decision has consequences - intended and unintended - which should be fully examined and publicly discussed. This decision was made without that careful consideration and discussion.

 

If you have concerns about this County initiative, I would appreciate it if you shared your thoughts by completing this short survey.

 

 

Advertised Budget includes a 5.25 % Increase for Average Homeowner

Yesterday, the County Executive released the FY2021 Advertised Budget. The budget includes a 5.25% increase in taxes on homeowners (a 2.5% increase in the real property rate and a 2.7% increase in assessments). This year's budget comes on top of a 25% increase in taxes over the last five years and is unsustainable.

Last April, I shared my concerns in the Herrity Report about the $75 million shortfall that would require a tax increase before even taking into consideration the additional spending being directed by the Board's FY 2020 Budget Guidance approved last budget session. In the last 10 months, the Board has directed the County Executive to spend even more through the addition of many programs. Although we've had some conversations on how to increase our tax base, we haven't had any discussions on how to increase efficiencies or prioritize our spending other than the County Executive's own initiatives to reduce costs.

The Board likes to say this is the County Executive's Budget, but this doesn't look like the County Executive's budget; this looks like the Board's budget because all the increased spending is Board-directed.What is worse is that this year's 5.25% increase comes on the heels of a 25% increase over the last 5 years which is completely unsustainable. Our residents' salaries have not increased 5.25% in the last year. This tax rate is far and above the rate we're seeing in our neighboring jurisdictions that have proposed flat rates or only slight increases.

I am even more concerned because the Strategic Plan is being used to prop up most of the additional spending as "what our residents want". It's not easy getting feedback from busy residents - especially those who must prioritize family, work and community responsibilities. It's difficult to reach a significant portion of the 1.1 million people that live here, but my understanding is that most residents are unaware of the Strategic Plan development. In fact, FCDOT received more feedback on a study of the Fairfax County Parkway than the County has received from residents on the Strategic Plan. I would also say it is a reasonable assumption that most of the feedback was from activists vice the typical homeowners I spoke with over the last year.

While there are some good initiatives in the Strategic Plan, my overarching feeling about this plan and this budget is disappointment. I believe the Board has a lot of work to do in prioritization and our taxpayers' wallets and the affordability of taxes needs to be higher on the list of priorities.

I have many concerns about this budget and the Strategic Plan and I will be sharing them at my Budget Town Hall on March 19^th from 7-9 pm at the West Springfield Government Center 6140 Rolling Road Springfield, VA 22152. The County Executive and staff from the Office of Management and Budget will provide a presentation on the budget.

Below are the key dates in the budget process beginning with the determination of the maximum real estate tax rate at our next meeting on March 10th.

March 19^th - Springfield District Budget Town Hall from 7-9pm at the West Springfield Government Center

April 14^th - School Board presents FCPS budget to Board of Supervisors

April 14^th -16^th - Board of Supervisors holds public hearings on budget

April 24^th - Board of Supervisors Budget Committee meeting for pre-markup to discuss changes to the County Executive's FY 2021 (proposed) Budget plan

April 28^th - Board of Supervisors FY 2021 Budget mark-up; determines budget package and tax rate

May 5^th - Board of Supervisors adopts FY 2021 Budget, tax rate and budget transfer amount to FCPS

Over 100 Residents Attend Town Hall on Proposed Residential Zoning Changes

Over a hundred residents attended my Town Hall regarding proposed zoning changes that could significantly impact the character of our residential neighborhoods. These changes include revising the zoning ordinance to address agritourism, add the ability to do a Rural Resort/Country Inn, and significantly reduce the requirements for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).

 

Because of the potentially significant impacts to our residential neighborhoods, especially in the Occoquan Watershed, I held a community meeting on February 19 to share information with and solicit feedback from citizens. Please see my last newsletter for details on the proposed changes. I appreciate all the residents that came and shared their views and asked questions about the proposed changes. In speaking with staff, they found the meeting very helpful and informative for them.

 

I continue to have concerns with the proposed Rural Resort/Country Inn use especially in the Occoquan Watershed (R-C) and the elimination of the restrictions on Accessory Dwelling Units that would give most residential housing the ability to add an additional dwelling unit and potentially significantly increase the density in our residential neighborhoods.

     

I will continue to keep you up to date as these proposals move forward or are modified.

• Teen Job Fair Reminder - First Two Jobs Fairs Next Saturday - March 7th