Long plagued by personnel issues, the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) is seeing an unsustainable trajectory of staff turnover — one that staff says demands the immediate attention of lawmakers.
Covid-era initiatives that were once expected to be temporary have become permanent, but only out of necessity, three staffers told a Fairfax County Board of Supervisors committee last week.
Public benefits assistance, child care and senior center support services are just a few of the areas where Fairfax County might pull back on funding, as it seeks to close a $292.7 million budget gap.
If approved, the $59.8 million in potential reductions would be the county’s largest funding cut since it slashed over $90 million in 2009 following the Great Recession, County Executive Bryan Hill told the Board of Supervisors when presenting his proposed fiscal year 2026 budget plan on Feb. 18.
To further its environmental goals, Fairfax County’s to-do list should include building an electric vehicle charging network, addressing “critical” staff shortages, and addressing development pressure, the Environmental Quality Advisory Council (EQAC) says in a new report.
An employee compensation policy update to attract and retain workers in departments such as wastewater and solid waste was the top recommendation in the 2023 Annual Report on the Environment (ARE), EQAC Chair Larry Zaragoza told the Board of Supervisors during its environmental committee meeting on Tuesday (Feb. 29).
The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department is working on ways to improve service by reorganizing units and tackling recruitment and staffing challenges.
The changes were discussed at a Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’ safety and security committee meeting on Tuesday (Nov. 28).
All Fairfax County Public Schools employees will get a bump in their paychecks, starting next year, after the school board unanimously approved 2% raises last week.
The additional pay was made possible by the budget that the Virginia General Assembly belatedly adopted in early September, which provided money to raise teacher salaries across the state. But school board members and FCPS workers argue that overall state funding for education falls far short of what they need.
The Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board will have more money for mental health services, thanks to recent state budget amendments.
The CSB provides services related to mental health, substance use and developmental disabilities. Additional funding could include $2.5 million to cover both staff pay increases and the state’s program to standardize behavioral health community services (STEP-VA).
Fairfax County’s libraries are set to expand their hours later this month after going a year with reduced hours due to staffing shortages.
Last week, the Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) system announced it will move back to “normal operating hours” at all 23 branches starting Aug. 28.
Handling 911 calls has never been a regular 9-to-5 job, but a national staffing shortage has increased the hours and pressure felt by call takers and dispatchers across the country.
Fairfax County’s Department of Public Safety Communications wasn’t spared from the workforce challenges that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, dropping from close to 180 staffers before 2020 to about 160 people right now.
One of Vienna’s police officers recently got some kudos for giving the department a major staffing boost at a time when law enforcement is struggling with recruitment regionally and nationally.
Sgt. James Sheeran was named the Vienna Police Department’s “Employee of the Year” by the Rotary Club of Vienna, which presented its 2023 Rotarian M. Jane Seeman “Service Above Self” award to the sergeant at a banquet on April 19.
The Town of Vienna will hold its big Fourth of July celebration two days early this year, the second in a row that has required a scheduling change.
The festivities at Yeonas Park (1319 Ross Drive SW) had to be moved up to Sunday, July 2, due to continued staffing shortages in the fireworks industry, the town announced on Monday (May 1).
