Author: Scott McCaffrey

A Northern Virginia native, Scott McCaffrey has four decades of reporting, editing and newsroom experience in the local area plus Florida, South Carolina and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. He spent 26 years as editor of the Sun Gazette newspaper chain. For Local News Now, he covers government and civic issues in Arlington, Fairfax County and Falls Church.

News

County board allows residents to be exempt from cut-through traffic restrictions

By Scott McCaffrey
Carolyn Road in Lake Barcroft has a restriction on cut-through traffic during the morning rush-hour (via Google Maps)

Fairfax County residents who live on streets that limit cut-through traffic can now get exempted from those restrictions.

The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday (Feb. 18) to begin accepting petitions in July from neighborhoods that want to provide the carve-out for residents while retaining restrictions on other drivers.

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‘Community safety officers’ may help fill gaps in Fairfax County’s police staffing

By Scott McCaffrey
A Fairfax County police officer at the Mosaic District in Merrifield (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County will look at creating a corps of “community safety officers,” who would have fewer powers than sworn law-enforcement personnel but could support the police department’s mission in an era of recruiting challenges.

“Based on experiences in other jurisdictions around the country and in our region, it could have some merit,” Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw said when proposing on Tuesday (Feb. 18) that staff study the issue.

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Proposed Fairfax County budget mixes higher taxes, largest program cuts since 2010

By Scott McCaffrey
Fairfax County Government Center (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Additional taxes, including the possibility of a meals tax, program and staff cuts and less-than-requested funding for the school system are all incorporated in the Fairfax County government’s draft $5.7 billion fiscal year 2026 budget proposed by County Executive Bryan Hill.

“I don’t think anybody is happy with this budget, but this is where we are,” Hill said when delivering his proposal to the Board of Supervisors this morning (Tuesday). “We have been working diligently to figure out how to make this mildly palatable, to find the right balance.”

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Fairfax County’s bid for pilot to address loud vehicle exhausts hits roadblock

By Scott McCaffrey
Automotive exhaust (photo via Oscar Sutton/Unsplash)

An effort by Fairfax County officials to crack down on excessively loud vehicle exhaust systems is facing an uncertain future in Richmond, where state legislators recently voiced concerns about the possible costs.

The powerful Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations voted 10-4 Monday night (Feb. 17) to send the proposed legislation to the State Crime Commission, which will study its provisions and report back later to the General Assembly.

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Fairfax County School Board considers adding more student representatives

By Scott McCaffrey
Fairfax County School Board student representative Megan Sawant speaks during a board meeting on Dec. 5, 2024 (via FCPS)

Fairfax County School Board members are mulling whether to increase the number of student representatives on the body.

The proposal, currently in the exploratory stage, is part of a broader push toward more direct engagement with the 180,000-plus students enrolled in Fairfax County Public Schools.

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Fairfax awaits police union approval to consolidate animal-control services

By Scott McCaffrey
A Fairfax County Animal Protection Police van (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Pending final agreement with a key bargaining unit, Fairfax County government officials are ready to move forward with a consolidation of animal care and protection services.

The change, which was approved last year as part of the county’s fiscal year 2025 budget, will move operations currently handled by the Animal Protection Police (APP) within the Fairfax County Police Department to the county’s Department of Animal Services (formerly the Department of Animal Sheltering, or DAS).

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Fairfax County staff pitch moving wildlife management from police to park authority

By Scott McCaffrey
A buck walks by a house in Vienna (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors reacted tepidly this week to a staff proposal that would shift wildlife management responsibilities from the county’s police department to the Fairfax County Park Authority.

“We need a little more time to discuss this [and] make sure we think this through, very carefully,” Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn said at a meeting of the board’s safety and security committee on Tuesday (Feb. 11).

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Fairfax County convinces state lawmakers to delay FOIA bill for further study

By Scott McCaffrey
State Sen. Adam Ebbin presents Senate Bill 876 to amend Virginia FOIA rules before the House open goverment subcommittee (via Virginia General Assembly)

Concerns by Fairfax County officials helped convince state lawmakers to take a deeper look at proposed changes to Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) rules intended to make decision-making at the local-government level more transparent.

The measure patroned by state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-39) had sailed through the Virginia General Assembly’s upper chamber unanimously on Jan. 31.

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Fairfax County casino bill goes to House Appropriations Committee

By Scott McCaffrey
Comstock is proposing to build a casino-anchored entertainment district on a vacant lot near the Adaire Apartments and Spring Hill Metro Station in Tysons (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Discussion of legislation permitting a referendum on a Tysons casino has moved to the powerful House Committee on Appropriations.

Members of the House Committee on Local Government were directed by Speaker Don Scott (D-88) yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) to send the bill to the chamber’s appropriations committee without acting on it.

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News

Herndon, Vienna, Clifton would benefit from revisions to plastic bag tax law

By Scott McCaffrey
A plastic grocery bag (via Christopher Vega on Unsplash)

Its future remains uncertain, but legislation in Richmond could bring the towns of Herndon, Vienna and Clifton more money to spend on environmental and social-service initiatives.

A bill patroned by Del. Marty Martinez (D-29) would allow Virginia towns to get a portion of the plastic bag tax revenue collected by their surrounding county. After passing the House of Delegates on a 52-45 vote on Jan. 23, the measure advanced from a Senate Committee on Local Government on a party-line tally of 8-7 on Monday (Feb. 10).

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