At yesterday's Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting, we recognized Fairfax Recycles Day and thanked our hardworking Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) team for their dedication to our residents and environment. Did you know you can recycle many, many things in the County, either curbside or at the I-95 and I-66 Landfill complexes? Everything from yard waste, to electronics, compost, oyster shells, metals, glass, plastics, paper, household hazardous waste and more. I encourage everyone to practice the 4R's - refuse, reduce, reuse and recycle, check out all we can recycle in the County and commit to adding some new recycling to your household routine. Learn more.

In recognition of the ongoing opioid challenges across the country, the Board approved two items in support of opioid abatement in the County. Both items address funding opportunities for enhanced services and one approves County staff to apply for recognition as a "Gold Standard" County. Information about funding for new programs can be found below.

The Board authorized allocating $450,000 from the Economic Opportunity Reserve (EOR) Fund to establish the Accelerate Entrepreneur-Investor Forum Program to promote entrepreneurism in the County. As a serial entrepreneur myself, I strongly support this program and all County efforts to support businesses - new and old, large and small.

As Chairman of the Board's Audit Committee, I was pleased to welcome our new Performance Auditor to the Board, Jennifer Girard. The Auditor's job is to review County budget, processes and programs and make recommendations to the Board to ensure your tax dollars are spent efficiently and appropriately. Read the press release.

We also recognized Adoption Awareness Month in support of adoptive families in our community and to emphasize the resources available. As an adoptive parent myself, I am aware of the challenges, but also the great rewards of bringing a child or young adult that needs a family into your home. Learn more.

Wishing you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving! As always, I'm very thankful to be able to represent you and serve our community!

Respectfully yours in public service,

Dan Storck

The following are highlights from the Board of Supervisors November 21, 2023 meeting, including items of particular interest to Mount Vernon residents. For additional information, please go to the County’s Board Agenda and Meeting Schedule. The clerk to the board's official Summary of Board Actions is available the week following each meeting. Information is also available by a video linked to the board agenda and the Board of Supervisors Highlights podcast. 

Para recibir la información de nuestro boletín electrónico en español, o para hablar con un hispanohablante, comuníquese con Madeleine Carcamo Reyes a su preferencia, por teléfono al (703) 780-7518 o por correo electrónico: Madeleine.CarcamoReyes@fairfaxcounty.gov.

To view the November 21, 2023 Board Package click here. For a complete listing of public hearings held and approved, please see the Clerk to the Board's official Summary of Board Actions, available the week following each meeting.

Item 2: Authorized an extension of the Review Period for the 2232 Application for the Gunston Fire Station until April 24, 2024. The full item can be read here.

Item 3: Approved turning over Julia Taft Way in Lorton to VDOT for public maintenance. The full item can be read here.

Item 5: Approved "$200 Additional Fine for Speeding” signs on Crosspointe Drive as part of the Residential Traffic Administration Program. The full item can be read here.

Item 6: Approved "$200 Additional Fine for Speeding” signs on Silverbrook Roads as part of the Residential Traffic Administration Program. The full item can be read here.

Item 8: Approved a "Watch for Children" sign on Rushing Creek Drive in Mount Vernon as part of the Residential Traffic Administration Program. The full item can be read here.

Item 10: Authorized the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) to accept $136,270 in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Justice. The funds will be used to expand the license plate reader (LPR) systems to combat a rise in violent car jackings and stolen vehicle events. The full item can be read here.

Item 11: Authorized the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) to apply for and accept $139,250 in grant funding from the Department of Criminal Justice Services, FY 2024 Combating Hate Crime Grant Program. The grant will be used to fund Gesher Jewish Day School (Gesher), Little River United Church of Christ (LRUCC), Pozez Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia (JCC) and Temple B’nai Shalom (TBS) to help assist with improvements to their locations to better secure their facilities to protect them against hate crimes. The full item can be read here.

Item 12: Authorized the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) to apply for and accept $223,000 in grant funding to be used for the design of the Pohick Stream Stabilization Project along the Noman Cole Plant in Lorton. The full item can be read here.

Item 13: Authorized the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board (CSB) to apply for and accept $305,969 in grant funding from the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority (OAA). Additionally, authorized staff to apply for OAA designation as a “Gold Standard” County. The full item can be read here.

Item 14: Authorized County agencies to utilize the opioid settlement Direct Distribution funds for the following projects supporting opioid abatement activities and to add eight new grant positions.

The full item can be read here.

Item 1: Approved a resolution to participate in the Virginia Juvenile Community Crime Control Act and to form a combined plan with the City of Fairfax with Fairfax County acting as the fiscal agent. The full item can be read here.

Item 2: Authorization of Economic Opportunity Reserve Funding to establish the Accelerate Entrepreneur-Investor Forum Program to promote entrepreneurism in the County. The program will consist of three investor pitch events per year, one each quarter, leading up to the annual Accelerate Investor Conference. The Accelerate Forums will focus on high-growth innovation and technology industries and will be held in Fairfax County. The full item can be read here.

Item 4: Approved the 2024 Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan for the Fairfax Connector. This is another step in the process for the Fairfax Connector to apply for future federal grants for the Richmond Highway Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. The full item can be read here.

Item 5: Approved County comments on the preliminary alternative concepts of the I-495 Southside Express Lanes Study. While I supported the comments drafted by County staff, I got the Board to add language emphasizing the following:

The full item can be read here.

The Board heard Public Comment on the 2024 Legislative Package to be adopted at the December 5 Board meeting. Read the package here.

Approved the proposed Zoning Ordinance amendment including changes to the sign regulations contained in Article 7 and related subsections, including: revised limitations on electronic display sign brightness; consolidation of the current Comprehensive Sign Plan (CSP), special exception (SE), and special permit (SP) application types related to sign modifications into one SE application for all sign modifications; and other changes to a variety of sign regulations, including but not limited to illuminated window signs, subdivision signs and signs in multifamily developments. The full item can be read here.

In 2005, Pastor Andy Casper was driving off the I-95 Lorton exit and felt a calling to open a church and serve the South County community. After numerous picnics and surveys to determine the community’s needs, Pastor Andy opened South County Church on Easter – March 23, 2008, at South County High School and has been engaged in our community ever since, with a specific eye to supporting those in need. You can often see members of the church on weekends putting up signs around Lorton inviting everyone to services.

“Care to serve our community and the world” is one of the three core missions of South County Church and members accomplish this through their many Care Projects in South County. They are known for raking leaves around the community, serving snow cones during summer community events and hosting an annual Easter Egg Hunt - they are here to serve. Over the past year, South County Church has assisted my office at several community events including the Grand Opening of the Lorton Community Center, Library and Park, Fall Fest and the Grand Opening of the Lorton Police Station and Animal Shelter with hundreds of attendees at each event. They also assisted us at our first Back-to-School Community Day which had more than 1,500 attendees! At those events they provided thousands of hot dogs, chips, drinks, snow cones and dozens of volunteer hours. South County Church has been a great partner that the community, County, and I can always count on to serve when called upon. Thank you to this generous ministry for their 15 years of service helping to ensure that nobody is left behind.

Hunger and homelessness are not new problems in our community or nation, but these issues are top of mind of as the holidays and cold weather approach. Each year, the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Student Campaign Against Hunger designate the week prior to Thanksgiving as National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. Food insecurity impacts more than 60,000 people in Fairfax County, according to Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization. Learn more and how you can help.

As winter approaches, Dominion Energy Virginia is reminding customers of energy-saving tips to help save money and providing bill payment assistance options for customers in need. The fall and winter months typically bring higher energy bills as customers use more electricity to heat their homes. Learn more.

It's almost Thanksgiving, the time when many families travel and lodge in unfamiliar places. In the hectic pace of this season, you might not be thinking about fentanyl as a danger to babies and small children; however, they could find a pill or powder on the floor and put it in their mouth. They might get into unsecured medications or illicit substances laced with fentanyl and even share them with others. It’s important to be mindful of situations where your children may be exposed to unsecured medications and other substances, or powdery residue left on surfaces. A tiny dose of fentanyl can be fatal. Learn more.

According to a new study conducted by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), Virginia school divisions are underfunded in large part due to flaws and inadequacies in the state’s Standards of Quality (SOQ) funding formula. The JLARC conducts program evaluation, policy analysis and oversight of state agencies on behalf of the Virginia General Assembly. Learn more.

November 1 marked one year since the FCPD began using Flock Safety & Axon LPR technology and the program has shown some incredible results. FCPD is using cutting-edge LPR technology to elevate the Department’s ability to solve crimes and find missing people. This technology has been used in an impressive number of cases over the past year. Learn more.

It has become increasingly important to address the challenges posed by climate change. The County is taking proactive steps to tackle the causes and effects of climate change through various plans, including the Resilient Fairfax Plan. Allison Homer, senior community specialist with the Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination, was featured on a recent episode of the “County Conversation” podcast. She explains the Resilient Fairfax Plan’s purpose, its key pillars and the steps being taken to make the County more resilient. Learn more.

Is your business looking to hire employees or interns? George Mason University’s Career Services provides you access to well-qualified applicants. Mason students and alumni possess the latest industry knowledge and in-demand transferrable and technical skills. Post your job/internship, attend a career fair, or interview students on campus. Learn more.

Learn more.