The Board met virtually on Tuesday for a regularly scheduled Board Meeting and authorized advertising publication of the FY 2022 Budget and tax rates. More information on the advertised budget and the March 22 Dranesville District Budget meeting are below. A few other actions include receipt of 2021 General Assembly Final Legislative Report, approval of leasing 22 county-owned properties for solar panel installation, and deferral of the decision on proposed changes to the Zoning Ordinance, part of the zMOD project.

This email also includes updates from the Health Department on COVID-19 Variants, more information based on frequently asked questions about vaccine registration, and CDC guidance for people who are fully-vaccinated. In addition, this email includes an update from Dranesville District School Board Member Elaine Tholen with 2 Virtual Teen Job Fair opportunities. Also, the Mclean Community Foundation is accepting grant applications until April 1. There are also several upcoming public meetings:

Please share this email with your friends and neighbors, and do not hesitate to contact my office if we can be of assistance; email Dranesville@fairfaxcounty.gov or call 703-356-0551.

Sincerely,

John

The Board authorized advertisement of the FY 2022 Advertised Budget Plan and a proposed real estate tax rate of $1.15 per $100 of assessed value, which is the current rate. The Advertised Tax Rate becomes the ceiling for how high the tax rate could be increased as part of the ongoing budget process and community engagement.

Budget town hall meetings will be held virtually to provide residents with the opportunity to learn more about the FY 2022 Advertised Budget Plan and to ask questions. Fairfax County Chief Financial Officer Joe Mondoro, Dranesville District School Board Representative Elaine Tholen and Assistant Superintendent of the Department of Financial Services Leigh Burden will join Supervisor Foust to discuss the proposal and answer your questions at the Dranesville District Budget Meeting:

Monday, March 22 at 7:00PM

Channel 16 (Cox Channel 1016; Verizon/Comcast Channel 16)

and streamed online and on Facebook

The virtual town hall will be televised on Channel 16 (Cox Channel 1016; Verizon/Comcast Channel 16), streamed online, and streamed live on Dranesville Supervisor's Facebook page. During the presentation, you can submit questions by calling 703-324-1114 or post them as a comment to the live stream of the meeting on Facebook. You can also submit questions by email in advance or during the meeting at Dranesville@fairfaxcounty.gov and include "Dranesville District Budget Town Hall" in the subject line.

Budget Policy Committee meetings take place in March and April, and public hearings are scheduled for Tuesday through Thursday, April 13-15. The Board makes changes to the advertised budget at the Tuesday, April 27 board meeting, and adopts the FY 2022 Budget on Tuesday, May 4. The full budget timeline is available here.

New strains of the COVID-19 virus are spreading across the United States, as well as in the D.C. region.

SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.351 (the “South Africa” variant) and B.1.1.7 (the United Kingdom (U.K.) variant) have been confirmed in Virginia.

The occurrence of variants is not an unusual development, say health experts. As a virus spreads from one person to another, it makes copies of itself and sometimes errors occur resulting in small genetic changes called mutations. Because of these mutations, new variants of a virus are expected to occur over time.

When mutations occur in parts of the virus that affect how it spreads between people or the disease it causes, variants can have different contagiousness or cause illness that is more or less severe than the previous virus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.K. variant may be 50% more contagious. While still uncertain, scientists from the U.S. also reported that it may cause an increased risk of death, although more studies are needed to confirm these findings.

The University of Virginia’s COVID-19 model that’s used by the state shows a continued decline in cases, even with the spread of the U.K. variant, as long as people continue to follow public health measures—but cases climb in face of these variants when people stop taking these important actions.

U.K.: Formally called B.1.1.7, this variant carries a large number of mutations and it has been detected around the world. It was first found in the US at the end of this past year. It has been found in Northern Virginia.

South African: The B.1.351 strain emerged independently of the U.K. variant and also carries multiple mutations. It was first detected in the U.S. at the end of January. It was found in Eastern Virginia, and three cases were identified in Maryland.

Brazilian: Called P.1, it was first detected in the U.S. at the end of January, although it has not been found in Virginia yet.

Scientists are working to learn more about these variants, and more studies are needed to understand:

If the virus can’t spread it can’t mutate. Because the new strains are more contagious, it’s now more important than ever to continue practicing:

Fairfax County’s public health lab sends 10% of the positive specimens to the state for genome sequencing to identify potential variants.

Last spring, Virginia became one of the first states in the nation to track the virus’ genetic blueprint. This allows public health officials to track how these new variants are being spread across the state and how widely. To date, the state’s lab has sequenced more than 10% of positive samples received, and it is working with other labs like Fairfax County’s public health laboratory to get more samples.

The Health Department also has hired case investigators and contact tracers to investigate every reported COVID-19 case, identify their contacts and recommend isolation and quarantine, respectively. The Health Department has sufficient contract tracing capacity even if new variants spread in the county and it is important to follow the public health guidance given to keep the virus from spreading further.

The Health Department is answering more of your frequently asked questions about vaccine registration. Previous answers can be found here and here.

Our weekly allocation from the Virginia Department of Health has been increasing recently, and we expect that Fairfax County will continue to receive a higher number of doses throughout March.

As our weekly allocation increases, we will be we will be able to move through our current waitlist at a faster pace than we have for the past couple of months.

COVID-19 vaccines now are available from three different drug manufacturers: Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. This is good news because it means more supply and more options to help protect our community.

Ultimately, the best vaccine for you will be the one that is available to you. All three vaccines are extremely effective at preventing severe disease, hospitalization and death from COVID-19.

There is currently not an option to choose which vaccine you receive because Fairfax County is primarily using Pfizer for first-dose appointments right now. However, we expect to receive Johnson & Johnson vaccine over the next few months.

No. We are only accepting registrations for individuals who are currently eligible in Phases 1a and 1b.

The Virginia Department of Health does allow residents in the state to preregister before they are eligible. However, Fairfax County is not participating in the statewide registration system at this time. Our system only registers individuals as their priority group comes up and is not preregistering any future priority groups beyond the current 1a and 1b groups. If you live in the Fairfax Health District, we ask that you register on our website when your priority group becomes eligible.

When scheduling appointments, we do not prioritize one age group over another (such as 75+ over 65-74). We also do not prioritize one high-risk medical condition over another. Appointments for persons who are registered are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis based on the date and time when individuals registered in our system. Many people in the 75+ category were vaccinated first because registration was open for them a week earlier than it was for people in the other currently eligible categories.

As a reminder, we also adhere to Virginia Department of Health guidelines on how doses should be allocated. Roughly half of our supply each week is used to vaccinate people 65 and older, and the other half is allocated for people eligible in the other categories, including individuals 16-64 with a high-risk medical condition; frontline essential workers (such as teachers, childcare staff and public safety employees; and people living in correctional facilities and homeless shelters).

We ask that you only register one time. Registering multiple times congests our waitlist and results in additional data cleanup. If you do register more than once, your first registration will be honored and all subsequent ones with identical names and email addresses will be deleted.

Yes, VDH recently added two new categories to the frontline essential workers group in Phase 1b: clergy/faith leaders and janitorial/cleaning staff. Residents that meet this criteria are not yet eligible to register for a vaccine appointment, but will be before Phase 1c is open.

There are now currently 11 categories in the 1b frontline essential group, but only the first three (public safety, corrections and homeless shelter workers, and childcare and school teachers/staff) are eligible to be vaccinated now.

Some employees are eligible by the setting where they work rather than by their job description. For example, some clergy and cleaning staff may be eligible now if their jobs are performed in a hospital or school.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shared important new guidelines on how people who have been fully vaccinated can start to do some things they stopped doing because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

People are considered fully vaccinated:

With all the above, also follow Gov. Northam’s executive order on gathering sizes, which changed on March 1. For more information on vaccines, testing information and more, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/covid19.

Dranesville District Representative, Elaine Tholen, provided the latest information, resources, and meetings from Fairfax County Public Schools in her March newsletter, available online here. Including the Virtual Teen Job Fairs:

Fairfax County high school students looking for their first part-time job, summer and seasonal job opportunities, or who want more information about potential career pathways are invited to attend one of six upcoming teen job fairs and resume building workshops in Fairfax County. Local businesses and agencies will be on hand to offer a range of opportunities including part-time employment, internships, and volunteer work for prospective students.

Volunteer opportunities and resume building workshops will also be available for younger students. Free booth spaces are provided to local businesses. The first two job fairs will be held on Saturday, March 13, from 2 to 5 p.m., and Saturday, March 20, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

The Great Falls Citizens Association (GFCA) will host a public meeting to discuss a proposed telecommunications monopole on the Wolf Trap Fire Station property, located at 1315 Beulah Rd, Vienna. The 114-foot tall monopole with 2-foot lighting pole and compound are proposed to be located on the southeast side of the fire station in an open area and would accommodate up to five carriers.

The meeting will feature a presentation by the applicant followed by a question and answer period. Registration is required and can be completed on the GFCA events website here. Once registered you will receive an email with the meeting link.

More information including a map, details of the application, and public hearing dates can be found here.

Monday, March 15, 2021

7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

For more information, contact Ben Wiles in my office at benjamin.wiles@fairfaxcounty.gov or 703-356-0551.

The McLean Community Center (MCC) is asking residents of Small District 1A-Dranesville, who pay a real estate tax surcharge to support the center, to “Fill Us In” on what kinds of new programs and services they would like to see offered and/or improved upon in the planning for the center’s FY2023 fiscal year. Residents can access an online survey to submit their ideas, here.

In addition, MCC is holding a Virtual Public Hearing on FY 2023 Programs on Wednesday, March 24 at 7:30 p.m., over Zoom (ZOOM Meeting ID: 817 619 39845; Password: 559547). The hearing is the first step in planning for the FY2023 budget cycle, which begins July 1, 2022 and ends June 30, 2023. MCC’s operations include the Robert Ames Alden Theatre and The Old Firehouse Center. All meetings of the board are open to the public.

Tax district residents who plan to log in to the hearing and wish to speak are asked to call the Center at 703-744-9348, TTY: 711, to have their names placed on the speakers' list; however, speakers are not required to sign up in order to speak. Residents also may submit comments by mail, email or in person up to seven days after the hearing.

For more information, call the Center at 703-790-0123, TTY: 711, or visit: www.mcleancenter.org.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) will hold a virtual public meeting on proposed paving and restriping changes in the Dranesville District. As part of its annual maintenance, VDOT repaves hundreds of roads in Fairfax County each year. FCDOT and VDOT collaborate during the repaving and restriping process to efficiently implement the Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan that seeks to improve traffic safety and provide transportation options to people around the County. Community members can learn about VDOT's repaving program, proposed striping changes and give feedback.

Thursday, March 25, at 7 p.m.

OR

Dial In Information: 1-844-621-3956, Access Code: 129 163 8072

For Virtual Meeting Instructions click here.

For those unable to attend the meeting, a recording of the session will be available after the event. The comment period for Dranesville District paving and restriping projects closes April 18, 2021:

See VDOT's Northern Virginia Paving Program page for more information on road specific projects, status, maps and contact information, which is updated weekly during the paving season. Unfortunately, no additional roads can be added to the preliminary 2021 paving schedule at this point. If you would like to request road repairs, please follow the "I need a road repaired" link on the VDOT portal or call 1-800-FOR-ROAD (1-800-367-7623).

The McLean Community Foundation (MCF) is a non-profit formed in 1978 by the McLean Citizen’s Association to meet the philanthropic needs of a growing McLean community and awarded its first grant in 1981. The focus is entirely on efforts that benefit the McLean community. MCF is accepting grant requests for its current grants cycle until April 1, 2021. Applications can be found on the MCF’s website at mcfonline.org.

The McLean Community Foundation awarded $105,950 in grants that benefitted the McLean Community in 2020. SHARE, Inc of McLean received $25,000 to help those with food insecurity. McLean Cares, a new organization designed to not only provide meals to those less fortunate but to also purchase these meals from local McLean restaurants that are struggling to survive was awarded $15,000. Additionally, The Women’s Center that has seen a 25% increase in new patients as well as a 40% increase in need among patients who were there prior to the pandemic received a $25,000 grant. Additionally grantees include Capital Caring Health, Clemyjontri Park, Our Minds Matter and several area schools.

Fairfax County is closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation. Residents are strongly encouraged to utilize the resources listed below: