Fairfax County is looking towards the future of transportation with its new Bicycle Master plan.
The county planning commission will hold a public hearing on Oct. 1 about the plan, which aims to treat cyclists as valid users of the roadway as the county moves forward as an increasingly transit-oriented walkable and bikeable community.
The county bicycle master plan has been in the works for several years, building off of the county’s 2008 bike route map and the 2010 Tysons Corner Bicycle Master Plan.
The 2013 general county comprehensive plan says that “A keystone policy for future planning and facilities includes achievement of a multi-modal transportation system to reduce excessive reliance upon the automobile. Regional and local efforts will focus on planning and developing a variety of transportation options. Sidewalks, trails and on-road bicycle routes should be developed as alternate transportation facilities leading to mass transit, high density areas, public facilities and employment areas.”
To that end, the bike plan proposes to:
- Incorporate adequate, safe and secure bicycle parking at all public buildings, park-and-ride lots, transit facilities, libraries and school.
- Locate improvements for bicycle links and crossings, interchange improvements, transit station accessibility, stream crossings and road crossings.
- Coordinate with nearby jurisdictions on bicycle route connectivity.
- Provide a comprehensive network of on- and off-road bicycle routes.
- Evaluate road diets in order to establish on-road bike lanes.
- Consider various types of bicycle amenities, including shared roadways, shared roadways with safety treatment, shared-lane markings, striped shoulders, bike lanes, climbing lanes, buffered bike lanes, cycle tracks and shared-use paths.
While the Reston area already has a network of bicycle and pedestrian paths — including the Reston Association’s 55 miles of paved trails as well as the W & OD Trail — the county bike plan expands the area connectivity further, with additional trails throughout Reston. See the entire report and proposed trail maps on the Fairfax County website.
Reston also has a top bicycle amenity with the dedicated 200-space bicycle room at the Silver Line’s Wiehle-Reston East Metro station.
The county planning staff recommends the bike plan for approval, as does the group Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling (FABB). FABB has an online petition citizens can sign to show their support of the plan.
If approved by the planning commission, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will vote on it on Oct. 28.
The staff report says the county bicycling conditions vary greatly and that the county has some serious connectivity constraints. Among them: paths in poor condition, poor signage, lack of connectivity with other trails, barriers such as I-66 and the Dulles Toll Road, and aggressive behavior from car drivers.
Photo: Wiehle-Reston East Bicycle Room/file photo
This fall, Northern Virginia voters will go to the polls to select a U.S. Senator, U.S. House of Representatives (Reston is in the 11th Congressional District), as well as a proposed Virginia Constitutional Amendment and a transportation bond.
Can’t make on Nov. 4? In-person absentee voting begins today.
Here is what you need to know:
You will need a photo ID to vote absentee in-person. If you need a photo ID, there are many opportunities countywide.
In-person absentee voting for the Nov. 4 General Election begins Friday, Sept. 19 at the Fairfax County Government Center. Voting is in the Office of Elections, Conference Rooms 2/3.
Weekday Schedule
Sept. 19 to Oct. 10 (Office closed Oct. 13 for Columbus Day)
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Thursday: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Extended Hours Oct. 14 to Nov. 2
Monday – Friday: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday Schedule (Nov. 1 is last day to absentee vote in-person)
Sept. 27 to Nov. 1, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In addition, there will be seven satellite locations throughout the county, including at the North County Human Services Building, 1850 Cameron Glen Dr,, in Reston. Saturday hours beginning Sept. 27 and weekday hours beginning Oct. 14.
Weekday Schedule
Oct. 14 to Nov. 1 (Locations closed Oct. 13 for Columbus Day)
Monday – Friday: 3:30 to 7 p.m.
Saturday Schedule (Nov. 1 is last day to absentee vote in-person)
Sept. 27 to Nov. 1, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Absentee ballots, which voters need to have applied to receive by mail, will be mailed from the Office of Elections beginning approximately Sept. 19 to those whose applications have been received.
The deadline to submit an application to receive an absentee ballot by mail is Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 5 p.m. Except for some first-time registrants, a photo ID is not required for those voting absentee by mail.
More information on mail-in absentee voting and deadlines from Fairfax County.
Phone Scammers Back — The Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office says phone scammers that hit area residents in July are back again. They claim to be sheriff’s deputies who demand money after they threaten arrest. Don’t fall for it. [Fairfax County]
Schools Falling Short — Virginia Department of Education officials say more than 30 percent of schools in the commonwealth failed to meet accreditation standards last year. That is actually a decrease from the previous two years, but DOE officials say the drop also has to do with changes in tests. Fairfax County Public Schools says 89 percent of its schools reached full accreditation. [WTOP, FCPS]
Dulles Plane Pull Saturday — More than 70 teams are registered for the Annual Dulles Day Plane Pull to benefit Virginia Special Olympics. The event is Saturday at Dulles International Airport. [Dulles Day]
New Police HQ Will Have LEED Features — Fairfax County officials broke ground on a new police and fire headquarters in Fairfax on Tuesday. The new building will seek LEED Silver certification with eco-smart environmental controls, green roofs, permeable pavement and more. [Fairfax County]
As the Washington 2024 group gets organized to make its bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics, Fairfax County may be a viable location for many Olympic venues, training centers and athlete and press housing.
The nonprofit Washington 2024 unveiled a new website and a VIP-heavy board of directors earlier this month as it seeks to be the United States Olympic Committee’s American entry for the games. Other cities in the running for 2024 are Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
The USOC will choose its nominee for consideration by the International Olympic Committee in 2017. The last Summer Games in the United States were in Atlanta in 1996. The Winter Games were held in Salt Lake City in 2002.
Fairfax County Supervisor Chair Sharon Bulova says that Olympic events in the region “could be a galvanizing event,” but there have been no formal talks with county officials.
“Our board has not passed a resolution [to get involved], but if someone made a motion, it would probably pass easily,” she said. “The idea is great.”
Fairfax County will get an Olympic-style test next summer, when the 2015 World Police and Fire Games will take place here. More than 12,000 law enforcement athletes, as well as families and spectators, are expected here, says Fairfax 2015 President and CEO Bill Knight. Athletes will compete in 61 sports at 53 Fairfax venues.
Russ Ramsey, Chair and CEO of Washington 2024, is on the Honorary Board of Fairfax 2015.
Knight points out that the police games actually have more athletes and more events than the Summer Olympics. One big difference between the two is the police and fire games use existing infrastructure, while Olympics tend to build new facilities, he said.
George Mason University’s Patriot Center, as well as other campus facilities, will host Fairfax 2015 events.
“George Mason has some beautiful facilities,” said Knight, who managed the events that took place at University of Georgia in Athens as part of the Atlanta ’96.
“For an event like this, it is not just about competition venues, it is training venues and spectators too,” said Knight. “It takes the entire region to support the Games.”
Meanwhile, Washington 2024 has had meetings with Loudoun officials about holding equestrian events at Morven Park in Leesburg, the Washington Business Journal reported this week. The committee has also looked at potential rowing and aquatics sites in Loudoun.
Bulova adds that Metro’s Silver Line would be an added bonus for Washington 2024’s bid. The rail line is expected to be completed by 2018, finally connecting Washington Dulles Airport with Washington, D.C. and the rest of the region.
“Visitors [by 2024] will be directly served by three airports — Dulles, Reagan National and BWI,” said Bulova. “The entire region would benefit.”
Photo: George Mason’s Patriot Center/File photo
Groundbreaking For New County Police HQ — Fairfax County officials, including Supervisor Chair Sharon Bulova and Police Chief Edwin Roessler will break ground Tuesday on the new joint headquarters for the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue and Police Departments. The new headquarters will rise next to the Herrity Building at Monument Drive and Government Center Parkway. It will replace the 44-year-old Massey Building in the City of Fairfax that houses first responders now. The headquarters is slated to open in 2017.
Peek At New Voting Machines Today — Reston-area residents are invited to look at Fairfax County’s new voting machines and apply for a photo ID if they need one at Reston Regional Library Tuesday from 3 to 5 p.m. The county has purchased more than 1,100 new integrated machines. [Fairfax County]
Reston’s StreetShares Matching Investors, Business Owners — A new Reston-based online lending platform to connect investors and small business owners, calls itself “Shark Tank meets eBay.” The new company has made 14 commercial loans since June totaling about $200,000. [Washington Business Journal]
Support SLHS at Chipotle — If you eat at the South Lakes Village Center Chipotle Tuesday between 4 and 8 p.m., 50 percent of the proceeds will go to Seahawk Athletics. Mention to the cashier you are with the Seahawks.
Photo: Walker Nature Center/Credit: Reston Association
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation is working on a new Comprehensive Transit Plan (CTP), a 10-year aspirational plan for Fairfax Connector and Metrobus service within the County. The CTP builds on the County’s 2009 Transit Development Plan (TDP) and will extend its 10-year plan’s horizon year from 2020 to 2025.
The county hopes to have the next draft organized in 2015, but is reaching out to the community now to get input on bus service.
From the county:
This plan will be supported by information collected through an extensive outreach effort, Connections 2015. We want you to help us develop the next 10-year plan through participation in Connections 2015. Your ideas and suggestions will help us develop bus service recommendations and an implementation plan.
We will be collecting feedback from County residents, workers, and visitors from Sept. 9 through Oct. 14. We will use your input to help us develop draft recommendations that will be released to the public for comment in the spring of 2015. Your input is an important element in crafting the recommendations for improving bus service so that the plan can better reflect your needs.
There will also be a community workshop in Reston on Monday, Sept. 22. The meeting is at 6:30 p.m. at Southgate Community Center, 2125 Pinecrest Rd.
For more info on the Connections 2015 project:
Deer management season begins this week in Virginia, which means many Fairfax County parks will have skilled volunteer archers at work controlling the deer population.
Fairfax County officials say archery “has been shown to be a safe and effective deer management tool to control deer populations on public and private lands in Fairfax County and other high-density jurisdictions.” Fairfax has been using bowhunters for deer management since 2010.
Parks and land near Reston include Fred Crabtree Park, Little Difficult Run, Difficult Run and Waples Mill Meadow. See a full list of locations on the Fairfax County website.
In 2013, the county archery program culled more than 1.000 deer. The county says 848 were killed by bow and arrow. Since Virginia began tracking hunting injuries in 1959, no injuries related to archery have been reported by bystanders anywhere in the state, Fairfax County officials said.
Archers are approved to hunt at assigned sites Monday through Saturday during legal hunting hours, 30 minutes prior to sunrise and 30 minutes after sunset through Feb. 21. Florescent orange and yellow signs are posted wherever managed hunting activity takes place and archers must stay 100 feet from property lines and 50 feet from established park trails.
Reducing the deer population cuts down on thousands of deer-vehicle collisions that occur in Fairfax County each year, as well as the spread of diseases such as Lyme disease, says county police chief Edwin Roessler.
“Reducing the number of injuries and fatalities that result from deer-vehicle collisions is one of the primary goals of the deer management program,” Roessler said in a news release. “Deer management is an integral part of creating a culture of safety in Fairfax County.”
Meanwhile, private homeowners on Sourwood Drive in Reston may also be hunting on their properties soon. In late June, Reston Association approved the three homeowners’ request to hire a private deer management company to cull deer. The homeowners were concerned about the deer population damaging property and harboring potential Lyme Disease-carrying ticks.
The Reston hunt was supposed to be OK for this deer-hunt season, but an RA spokesman said insurance and other final paperwork has not yet been finalized.
RA says it will discuss its overall deer policy in a meeting later this month.
Plans to redevelop Lake Anne Fellowship House have been put on hold indefinitely — and it looks as though some current residents of the affordable housing for seniors may have to pay higher rents in order to stay in the building.
Fellowship Square and Novus Residences had been working for more than a year on plans to tear down the senior housing in need of remodeling and rebuild on the site 140 affordable housing units as well as 285 market-rate housing units.
The plan was organized separately from Republic Land Development’s large revitalization project at Crescent Apartments and the area near Lake Anne Plaza. An initial Fairfax County Planning Commission hearing had been scheduled for later this month.
Lake Anne Fellowship House currently has 240 units for seniors, 114 of which are subsidized. The building, which was built in the early 1970s and does not meet all Americans With Disability Act standards, also has a 20 percent vacancy rate.
The Fellowship House Foundation notified Fairfax County zoning officials last week that the application was deferred “due to our inability to advance our land use proposal in a manner that will produce the best possible outcome for our residents.”
From the start, the proposed project had an obstacle in that there are two different mortgage holders for the six-acre property: The Department of Housing and Urban Development for the west side and the Virginia Housing Development Authority for the eastern half. Both would have to agree to consolidate and retitle, and Fellowship House board member John Thillman predicted last year that that could prove a long — and possibly fruitless — process.
Edward Byrnes, a member of the Fellowship House Foundation board and chair of its Lake Anne Redevelopment Committee, wrote in a letter to county officials that he still believed that foundation’s plan was a good one in spite of criticism that many low-income seniors would be displaced.
“We still believe that our proposal for 140 permanently affordable senior housing units and 285 market-rate units is the best available means for replacing our aging residential complex and retaining affordable housing for seniors in Reston for the next 40 years,” Byrnes wrote. “We arrived at this proposal after several years of reviewing alternate solutions … In the end, we concluded that a self-help strategy of using the increased value of our land at Lake Anne Fellowship House to finance the rebuilding of our complex provided the most dependable and achievable solution. ” Read More
Fairfax County has discovered that more than one dozen people may have voted in both Fairfax and Montgomery (Md.) counties during the 2012 General Election.
The Fairfax County Electoral Board has referred 17 names to the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney, the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia and the federal Department of Justice for investigation of possible voter fraud. The county says some of the people’s names have appeared in multiple federal elections over the last decade.
“The Electoral Board takes its responsibility to ensure election integrity seriously,” Board Secretary Brian W. Schoeneman said in a statement. “After our initial review of county voting records and a comparison to Maryland voting records, we determined that it was in the public interest to refer these individuals to law enforcement for investigation.”
Schoeneman says the people “have not been accused of a crime and are of diverse ages, genders and political affiliations.”
The issues were revealed earlier this year after a third party voter organization review. The county then requested voting records from Maryland, which were compared to Fairfax County’s records. A review of those records led the board to conclude that there was sufficient evidence to warrant referrals to law enforcement for further investigation. A statewide list was provided to the Virginia Department of Elections, Schoeneman said.
Now that the Silver Line is operational, Restonians are walking more than ever. That’s why it is a good time to tell Fairfax County how to improve pedestrian safety.
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation has introduced a new interactive online tool where you can show the county where you think pedestrian safety can be improved.
Says the county: “This tool is an extension of the existing process that allows residents to email the FCDOT and request sidewalk and trail connections, curb ramps, improved signage, and other strategies for improving pedestrian safety.”
County officials said the online tool “continues FCDOT’s initiative to be more open and interactive with the public.”
Recently, citizens have requested these improvements in Reston:
- A crosswalk at Upper Lake Drive and Sunrise Valley Drive.
- A sidewalk on Glade Drive at bus stop near Red Maple Lane.
- A crosswalk on Fox Mill Road at Stratton Woods Park.
- A “Yield to Pedestrians” sign on Steeplechase Lane near Lawyers Road.
To see other suggestions or to make your own, visit the FCDOT website.
Fairfax County has allocated more than $300 million for pedestrian improvements on routes near the Silver Line. But the Silver Line opened in late July without most improvements in place, says advocacy group Reston 2020. Also, the Board of Supervisors recently approved a $100 million bond referendum. If approved by voters, most of the changes will benefit walkers and bikers.
Reston 2020 pointed out in a recent blog post that only 500 feet of sidewalk near the station has been built.
Reston 2020 pointed out the lack of pedestrian upgrades in a recent post:
… There is absolutely no excuse for this pathetic county performance. In Reston, the RMAG (Reston Metro Access Group) gave sound recommendations for improving access infrastructure in Spring 2008 — six years ago. The Silver Line has been under construction since Spring 2009, and its design specifically locked down so the county knew what to expect.
Yet here we are, the Silver Line launched nine months late and work on improving access to the station not even half done. This is a pathetic and unconscionable performance by our Board of Supervisors on transportation planning and implementation.
Western Fairfax County returns to it agricultural heritage this weekend when the 66th Annual 4-H Fair and Carnival comes to Frying Pan Farm Park, 2709 West Ox Rd. in Herndon.
The fair runs Thursday through Sunday and will feature 18 competitions ranging from woodworking to vegetables to sewing to baking to livestock, among others.
There will also be carnival rides, carousel rides and wagon rides. Unlimited ride tickets can be purchased for $25 or individually for $1 each (most rides are three or four tickets).
Visit the Frying Pan Park website for a ride ticket discount coupon.
Schedule Highlights
Thursday
- Carnival rides 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Cow milking demonstration in the Kidwell Barn: 4 p.m; Free
- Free Concert: Afro Bop Alliance (Afro-Cuban/Jazz) 7:30 – 8:30 p.m.
- Free parking
Friday
- Carnival Rides: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- Cow milking demonstration in the Kidwell Barn 4 p.m.; Free
- Big Truck Night in the Farm Yard: 6 to 8:30 p.m.; Free
- 4-H Competition in the 4-H Building: Entry drop off and walk in registration 3 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
- Stationary departments judged: 7 p.m. (Closed to the public)
- Free parking
Saturday
- 4-H Exhibits, Animal Shows and Entertainment: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Carnival Rides: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Carousel and wagon Rides: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Tractor Pull: 4 p.m.
- $7 parking (cash or check; Debit and Credit cards not accepted)
Sunday
- 4-H Exhibits, Animal Shows and Entertainment: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Carnival Rides: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Carousel and wagon Rides: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- $7 parking (cash or check; Debit and Credit cards not accepted)
Photo of Fairfax County 4-H Fair courtesy of Fairfax County
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors hopes that the county will have 5 percent more trees by 2037.
The 30-years goals for the tree canopy are based on recommendations in the Tree Action Plan, funded by the Environmental Improvement Program.
The goal, formally adopted in 2007, is to increase Fairfax County’s tree cover to 45 percent by the year 2037. Currently, the county has 40 percent tree cover. If tree planting efforts are not increased, by 2037 Fairfax could lose approximately 4 percent of its tree canopy cover.
To reach that goal, an additional 2 million trees — an average of 83,740 trees annually — will have to be planted, says the Fairfax County Urban Forest Management Division. However, they point out that if every resident in Fairfax County plants two trees for every member of their household over the next 30 years, the county will exceed its longterm goal.
The county says it is limited by available space. here. There are only 4,200 acres available for tree planting on county-owned properties and commonly-owned open spaces. Therefore, the majority of tree planting required to meet the 30-year tree canopy goal will have to occur on privately-owned residential lots.
Here is what citizens can do to help Fairfax reach its goal:
- Plant trees on your property. Plant about 20 feet away from your home on the western exposures for optimum energy conservation.
- Plant at least one tree per car in your household to reduce your carbon footprint.
- Get involved with community tree planting groups such as Fairfax ReLeaf and Earth Sangha. For more information, visit www.fairfaxreleaf.org or www.earthsangha.org.
- Advocate for tree planting on commonly-owned open spaces in your community.
- Remember that all trees need to be maintained after they are planted. Visit the Virginia Department of Extension for more information about tree planting and maintenance.
- Be sure to plant the right tree in the right place. Use the Fairfax County Public Facilities Manual as a guide.
- Preserve trees during construction.
The Reston Comprehensive Plan Amendment, adopted by the Board of Supervisors earlier this year, says preservation of natural resources, including “use of closely spaced street trees and landscaping in open space areas to increase tree canopy in the transit station areas,” is a key element of Reston’s future.
Friends of Reston donated 50 trees to the community in honor of Reston’s 50th anniversary. The trees were planted on Arbor Day. Reston is a Tree City USA as certified by the National Arbor Day Foundation.
Photo: Tree planting at Walker Nature Center in Reston/file photo
Photo: New trees planted on Fairfax County property/Credit: Fairfax County
Bikeshare consultants looking at the feasibility of putting Fairfax County’s first bikeshare program in Reston, say Reston could support a bikeshare system.
Consultants Charlie Denney and Fionnuala Quinn of Alta Planning + Design, hired by the county last winter, say that the feasibility study should be finished by the end of June. At a community meeting at Dogwood Elementary School Wednesday, they gave participants some of the highlights of the study:
In general, bike sharing would be feasible in Reston as the community makes the transition to a transit-oriented place. In July, Metro’s Silver Line will open its first station here (Wiehle-Reston East), with the Reston Parkway station slated to open in 2018.
Phase 1 would consist of 13 stations with 130 bikes. Locations would include the plaza at the Wiehle-Reston East Silver Line Station; Sunset Hills/Plaza America; Reston Town Center/Freedom Drive; Bluemont/Transit Center; Restom-Wiehle East Southside; Town Center Parkway and Market Street; Reston Town Center/Fountain Drive; Market/Explorer Streets; Town Center Parkway/Reston Hospital; Bowman Towne Drive/Library; and two at the Spectrum.
The estimated cost of phase 1 would be $1.2 million: $54K is for startup costs, $766K for capital (cost of stations, docks, bikes), and $397K for operating costs.
What is not yet certain: who would pay the bikeshare costs. In other suburban-area bikeshares (Arlington, Montgomery County), funding came from a combination of federal, state and local money, as well as developer proffers, county bicycle coordinator Charlie Strunk said.
Those networks are owned by the jurisdictions but operated by Alta Bikeshare, which oversees maintenance, rebalancing, and the warehouse, among other things. Operations are partially funded by user fees. Membership fees range from $7 an hour to $75 annually, with additional charges per use.
Eventually, Phase 2 would include stations in the Lake Anne and South Lakes areas.
— Bruce Wright of Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling contributed to this article.
File photo of Capital Bikeshare in Arlington
Two big glimpses into the future of the area’s two-wheeled transportation will happen in Reston on Wednesday.
Fairfax County officials, who are eying Reston as a possible location for the county’s first bikeshare program, will present the results of a feasibility study at Dogwood Elementary at 6:30 p.m.
Fairfax County recently contracted with Alta Planning + Design to determine if bikesharing would work as Reston prepares to become a transit oriented community with the opening of Metro’s Silver Line next month.
“I get calls from Westfield, Chantilly, asking when can we get a bikeshare,” Fairfax County bicycle coordinator Charlie Strunk told participants in a community bikeshare meeting at Lake Anne Elementary in January. “The easy answer, probably not. Those places don’t have the density. We picked Reston because we think Reston is the best choice. Tysons is a way off. Reston has fairly good density, mixed use, a mix of shopping, office and residential.”
The feasibility study was paid for with a grant from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. Main questions asked were who would use the bikeshare, where should stations be located, and would suburban residents use bicycles as a transportation alternative and not recreation.
Immediately after the bikeshare meeting the county will present the final draft of the Fairfax County Bicycle Master Plan from 7:30-9 p.m.
Fairfax County is developing a countywide bicycle master plan. The plan will determine what steps should be taken to improve the existing transportation system and make Fairfax County bicycle friendly.
Coming in the plan: recommendations for a network of both on-road and off-road facilities that will serve as a bicycle transportation network as well as ideas on how bicycle friendly design can be incorporated into future roadway projects and transit projects.
Photo: Capital Bikeshare station at Pentagon City/File photo
Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins says she is disappointed that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has decided to accept the Meals Tax Task Force report but not take action yet.
The task force report was given to the supervisors earlier this week. The task force is comprised of former Board of Supervisors chairs Tom Davis and Kate Hanley, as well as members of two dozen county organizations, including Republican and Democratic parties, the county Chamber of Commerce, the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, Visit Fairfax, the Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance and the Fairfax Education Association.
The group was assembled in April by Supervisor Chair Sharon Bulova with this mission: whether or not to proceed with a referendum for a meals tax; if it is the recommendation of the group to do so, the task force should recommend the timing (what year?) for the question to be put to voters; and the task force should return with a recommendation for how revenue from a meals tax should be used.
It is estimated that a county meals tax similar to the ones in Fairfax City and Vienna (4 percent) could result in $88 million annually for Fairfax County.
While the task force weighed the pros and cons of a meals tax, it did not recommend whether there should be a referendum or how the money should be spent. Instead, that decision will be up to the Supervisors, who deferred action until the report could be read more thoroughly.
“I am disappointed that the Board of Supervisors has chosen only to accept the report, and is not moving forward at this time,” Hudgins said in an email to Hunter Mill residents. “Hopefully, after a thorough reading by each member, the Board of Supervisors will decide to further explore this option of diversifying our revenue, as have 47 counties and 104 towns in Virginia levied in tax year 2013.
Pros included: The county needs the revenue; 28 percent of the taxes would come from non-county residents; and diversifying the tax base could have a positive effect on commercial land owners, among others.
Among the cons: The county populace is already overtaxed and the county should manage its money more effectively; the food tax unfairly targets the food service industry; Fairfax restaurants could actually lose business to Loudoun and Prince William counties, where there is no food tax; and the referendum itself will cost money, even if it ultimately fails.
The report also looked at when in the next three election years to hold the referendum and some of the possible areas in which the money could help the county. See the full report on the Fairfax County website.
A meals tax proposal went to a Fairfax County voter referendum in 1992, where it failed.
Photo courtesy of PassionFish
