Fairfax County staff have sketched out details of a series of bond referendums for the next five years that would raise just under $2 billion for facility construction and renovation projects.
With both economic uncertainty and higher interest rates causing headwinds, however, alterations could be possible — even likely.
Metro leaders are taking steps that could permit the transit agency to ban people from its property if they commit crimes or otherwise demonstrate what is deemed improper behavior.
The measure was first discussed publicly at a Jan. 30 meeting of the Metro Board of Directors’ safety and operations committee. An agency spokesman told FFXnow on Monday (March 3) that the discussion “remains ongoing.”
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.
A new program launched by the Fairfax County Police Department hopes to take advantage of the increasing popularity of Ring doorbells and other at-home security systems.
Connect Fairfax County, announced by the department at the end of January, will allow law enforcement to leverage surveillance cameras to hopefully speed up investigations.
Undocumented immigrants in Fairfax County and elsewhere in Virginia could face threats on two fronts in the new year, with both national and state elected leaders proposing policies targeting that population.
As incoming president Donald Trump plans mass deportations, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin unveiled a budget proposal this week that would require local governments to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and withhold funding from those with cooperation-limiting policies, including Fairfax County.
Thanks to a grant of nearly $1 million, Fairfax County’s emergency response stands to capitalize on recent gains in artificial intelligence.
The county’s Department of Public Safety Communications (DPSC) is partnering with George Mason University’s Center for Resilient and Sustainable Communities (C-RASC) for a project that will embrace AI solutions to tackle challenges faced by emergency communications systems across the region.
Fairfax County Public Schools is set to allocate an additional $3.4 million to safety and security upgrades, drawing from surplus revenue identified in its mid-year budget review.
The funding includes $1.5 million from a class-action settlement with Juul, as well as higher-than-expected sales tax revenue and tuition payments from the City of Fairfax.
Fairfax City is stepping up surveillance of its historic downtown and two public parks with the help of private security guards.
Starting today (Monday), uniformed but unarmed guards will patrol the Old Town commercial district, Stafford Drive Park (3300 Stafford Drive) and Draper Drive Park (9797 Beech Drive) as part of an eight-week security pilot program developed by the City of Fairfax Police Department.
Approximately 100 Fairfax County Police Department personnel will be on hand in D.C. to provide public safety support services on Inauguration Day.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a memorandum of understanding today (Tuesday) with the D.C. government and U.S. Attorney for the District, authorizing county staff to participate in Presidential Inaugural Task Force from Jan. 17-21.
A congressional committee is urging Fairfax County to rethink its approach to the use of drones — specifically those manufactured in China.
In a letter sent to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors last month, top members of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party raised national and economic security concerns related to the county’s use of drones made by DJI Technologies.
