Earlier this week, Fairfax County supervisors set a public hearing for next month to determine the fate of the county’s Tenant-Landlord Commission.
The advisory body, established in 1971, is slated for elimination, in part because it has become increasingly difficult to find people willing to serve on it. A public hearing and, likely, a vote on the body’s fate has been set for Tuesday, March 18.
Tasked with providing “objective and fair assistance” to both tenants and landlords, the commission is authorized to have 10 members appointed by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, including three each representing tenant and landlord interests and four others representing the public.
Currently, however, only three seats are filled: two with tenants and one with a member of the public, according to county staff.
Over the last four years, only 22 of 48 planned commission meetings were held, owing in part to difficulties fielding a quorum. During that same period, the body issued only one recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.
County staff said many of the commission’s responsibilities can be absorbed by the Department of Cable and Consumer Services and other entities.
“The action will result in no loss of engagement, representation or governance on behalf of tenants and landlords in Fairfax County,” county staff predicted in a report to the Board of Supervisors for its meeting on Tuesday (Feb. 18).
But not everyone is so sure.
At the Board of Supervisors meeting, Hunter Mill Supervisor Walter Alcorn said that, when operating well, county advisory panels can bring points of view and discussion on the real-world implications of policy changes that others cannot.
“I just want to make sure we don’t lose the policy piece,” he said. “Sometimes the changes don’t come from staff. Sometimes they come from the community.”
But Alcorn seemed to accept the likelihood the body would disappear.
“Given the amount of activity — the lack of activity — the last few years, this probably makes sense,” he said.
Rebecca Makely, director of the Department of Cable and Community Services, said her staff regularly reviews policies related to tenant-landlord issues, and works with other departments to provide feedback and ideas to county leaders.
Last year, the supervisors authorized a review of the county government’s more than 80 advisory boards, authorities and commissions to ensure their missions remained relevant. That review flagged concerns about the Tenant-Landlord Commission.
Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said there are a number of activist groups in Fairfax focused on tenants’ rights, and the county government should strengthen ties with them, as well as getting staff feedback on related issues.
Both Arlington County and Alexandria have tenant-landlord bodies advising top leadership, but most other local governments don’t appear to have similar commissions, based on their websites.
