After-school and summer programs that serve thousands of middle school students are at risk of ending under Fairfax County’s proposed budget.
To close a projected $292.7 million funding gap, County Executive Bryan Hill pitched a fiscal year 2026 budget last month that cuts nearly $60 million in spending and 208 staff positions across multiple agencies, affecting everything from public safety to housing assistance programs and park maintenance.
The Town of Herndon is joining Fairfax County, Fairfax City and other Northern Virginia localities in contemplating real estate and meals tax rate increases to address growing expenses and prepare for potentially tough economic times ahead.
The proposed fiscal year 2026 budget released yesterday (Monday) by interim town manager Christopher Martino bumps up the property tax rate by 1 cent — from 26 cents to 27 cents per $100 of assessed value — and the tax rate on prepared food and beverages from 3.75% to 4%.
Homeowners in Fairfax City could face an average 16.9% increase in real estate taxes under the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget released Feb. 25 by City Manager Bryan Foster.
In order to meet increasing costs — especially for schools — Foster proposes increasing the city’s real-estate tax rate from $1.03 per $100 of assessed value to $1.125.
A ridership revival has led to a $20 million increase in projected revenue from Metro passengers in the coming fiscal year.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) released new budget forecasts last week that now anticipate $464 million in passenger revenue for fiscal year 2026, which begins July 1.
Fairfax County leaders met on Tuesday (Feb. 25) to address a growing school budget crisis, but after hours of debate, they left without a clear path forward.
Faced with rising costs and economic uncertainty heightened by threats of curtailed federal funding, officials agreed on support for Fairfax County Public Schools as a budget priority but remained divided on how to pay for it.
As Fairfax County officials work to fill an estimated $292.7 million budget shortfall in the next fiscal year, public safety services will bear a substantial brunt of potential cuts.
Of the $59.8 million in reductions proposed in the advertised budget, which was unveiled by County Executive Bryan Hill earlier this month, approximately $26.2 million will come from the police department, fire and rescue department, and sheriff’s office.
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) could face a significant funding gap as county leaders weigh a budget proposal that falls short of what the school system requested, while looming federal policy changes threaten to cut millions in aid.
On Tuesday (Feb. 18), County Executive Brian Hill unveiled a proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2026 that includes $125.3 million in additional funding for schools, with $118.6 million going directly to FCPS’ operating budget.
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.
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.”
For the fourth consecutive year, Virginia lawmakers have sent the governor a bill allowing all localities to impose a 1% sales tax for school construction. Now, all eyes are on Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who has vetoed similar measures before.
Youngkin, who has historically opposed these tax proposals, will once again review the legislation. After the last session, he blocked the measure, citing the state’s existing efforts to fund school construction and concerns over its impact on taxpayers.
