Countywide

Karen Johnson commutes two hours each way to get to work in Fair Oaks, leaving at 5 a.m. from her home in Fredericksburg.

Johnson, a child care center teacher, has tried to live in Fairfax County but can’t afford it, she said on April 12 at a budget hearing with fellow union members. She called on the Board of Supervisors to fund proposed raises to the county’s 11,000-plus merit workers.


Countywide

In a push to convince Fairfax County to fund the arts, one high school student put on a show.

The performance on April 13 provided a musical interlude after hours of in-person, phone, and video remarks across three days of budget hearings before the Board of Supervisors.


Countywide

The Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office has 71 vacancies. There are over 200 vacancies at the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board. And that’s not all.

Staff vacancies continue to be a challenge at county agencies across the board, administrators and employee leaders told the Board of Supervisors at budget hearings last week.


Countywide

Fairfax County government employees called on the Board of Supervisors to support workers with its new budget amid staff retention issues and financial pressures.

Union representatives discussed the impact of inflation and rising housing and health care costs on their members’ ability to live where they work during public hearings this week on the proposed $4.8 billion budget.


Countywide

When Centreville resident Jim Church received his property assessment, he saw a 14.5% increase, which he calculated would amount to $1,100.

Other residents shared similar concerns yesterday (Tuesday) at the first of three scheduled public hearings on Fairfax County’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2023, which starts July 1.


Countywide

Taxi drivers in Fairfax County will get some help at the pump.

The county’s Board of Supervisors approved a measure yesterday (Tuesday) to let taxicabs tack on a $1 fuel surcharge for each trip, following a staff recommendation and a private company’s request for twice that amount.


Countywide

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has increased the rates that property developers pay in certain areas to support transportation projects, citing inflation-related pressure.

The board approved 7.5% increases on March 22 for road funds in Centreville, Fairfax Center, Reston, and Tysons. The new rates will go into effect tomorrow (Friday).


Countywide

Worker resignations for Fairfax County government positions jumped up nearly 62% from 2020 to 2021, from 507 departures to 821 departures.

Fairfax County leaders are debating how to improve recruitment and retention, citing private-sector wages that created competitive environments for positions from police to information technology.


Countywide

Fairfax County’s running bamboo ordinance won’t start until 2023, but its implications are spreading almost as rapidly as the plant it seeks to contain.

On Tuesday (March 22), the county’s Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance that takes effect on Jan. 1, prohibiting people from letting running bamboo spread to someone else’s property.


Countywide

Fairfax County will soon require property owners and residents to prevent running bamboo from spreading and take steps to contain it.

After holding a public hearing in February, the Board of Supervisors approved the new ordinance yesterday (Tuesday), but officials reiterated that county staff will first seek to educate community members and let them correct issues voluntarily before fines are imposed.


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