Fairfax County Planning Commission members on Wednesday (April 8) joined a growing chorus calling on county leaders to emphasize maintenance of existing government facilities over construction of new ones.
“Prioritizing preventive maintenance and system renewal is a fiscally responsible alternative to the higher cost of full renovations or facilities replacements,” said at-large commissioner Timothy Sargeant.
Sargeant led the commission’s two-month review of County Executive Bryan Hill’s $8.7 billion proposed fiscal years 2027-2031 capital improvement program (CIP).
The county’s CIP is a five-year roadmap focused on the planning, funding and constructing government infrastructure projects, and serves as a companion to Hill’s annual budget packages.
With little discussion and no dissent, commission members voted to support Hill’s CIP proposal as submitted. But Sargeant then asked for a separate motion, encouraging the Board of Supervisors to focus more on maintenance even if it meant deferring new projects.
The message delivered by the Planning Commission was not a new one.
“We’re consistently communicating to the board that that’s something that continues to need attention,” said planning commission chair and at-large member Phil Niedzielski-Eichner.
“There’s a lot of work that has been done to meet that need historically, but we’re still not quite there yet,” he said.
Joseph LaHait, deputy director of the county’s Department of Management and Finance, said Hill and staff were on the same page as the commission. Both the CIP and the proposed budget focus funding on maintenance, he said.
“I think you can see we made some noticeable, significant changes and enhancements — and dialed back on trying not to do as many new things as possible,” LaHait said.
The goal, he said, was to “protect and enhance the base before trying to extend ourselves too far.”
Braddock District Commissioner Mary Cortina said things are moving in the right direction.
“I definitely see that in the budget,” she said regarding the focus on maintenance. “I really appreciate that. It’s definitely a shift.”
Over the past year, the county has seen a number of problems with existing buildings. In one notable example, the Pennino Building — which houses human-services operations — has been closed since early February owing to flooding from a water-line break in the building.
The county’s historic courthouse has also been out of commission since December after an HVAC system breakdown made the aging building uninhabitable.
A lack of preventive maintenance has been a longstanding concern, and “now it’s coming to roost,” Cortina said at the April 8 meeting.
A focus on ongoing maintenance will ultimately pay for itself, Sargeant said.
“Maintaining assets in a state of good repair reduces the county’s long-term reliance on bond-funded projects,” he said.
“Ultimately, the cost of new buildings is just so expensive,” Cortina added.
County officials have released an interactive map showing all the planned FY 2027 CIP projects.
Many capital projects, including some maintenance efforts, are funded through bond referendums sent annually to county voters. As part of his fiscal 2027 package, Hill is proposing the following upcoming referendums, subject to approval of the Board of Supervisors and the Fairfax County Circuit Court:
- 2027: A $75 million human-services bond and $180 million park bond
- 2027: A $460 million schools bond
- 2028: A $200 million Metro bond
- 2029: A $460 million schools bond
- 2030: A public-safety bond with $52 million for police and $64 million for fire facilities
The county government currently has about $3.4 billion in net debt, according to county data. The estimated $393 million in debt service being spent this fiscal year represents about 7% of all county General Fund expenditures.
Also at the planning commission meeting, Sargeant won consent from his colleagues to request that they meet earlier and more often with county staff in advance of CIP updates.
The proposal didn’t require a vote, but Sargeant or Niedzieslki-Eichner will follow up with staff.
“We’ll work on that,” Sargeant said, adding that the extra, earlier meetings would should prove beneficial for both sides.
