Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Fairfax City's mayor talks affordable housing, GMU's evolving relationship with the city, and more.
- GOVERNMENT
-
Wednesday, April 10
Did you know Fairfax City Mayor Scott Silverthorne was first elected to the City Council when he was just 24 years old? That's just one of the fun facts he reveals about himself in this interview with Connect2Mason, George Mason University's (GMU) student-run television station. On Saturday, April 6, Connect2Mason sat down with Mayor Silverthorne for an informal chat. Silverthorne spoke about the changing relationship between George Mason University and the city, affordable housing projects, his favorite places in Fairfax, and more. Get an inside look at the man behind the city, and check out more videos like this on Connect2Mason's YouTube channel. PATCH WANTS TO KNOW - What else would you like to learn about our mayor and the other …
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Council members said they would rather not raise taxes, but costs are increasing for capital improvement projects and schools.
The Fairfax City Council on Tuesday night approved the top rate that they can raise residential tax rates for Fiscal Year 2014, calling for a possible maximum increase of 7 cents per $100 of assessed property value. For someone with a $400,000 home in Fairfax City, that could raise real estate taxes by more than $250 per year. On a 4-3 vote, the council rejected a staff recommendation to increase real estate taxes by 8 cents, and instead approved advertising a residential real estate tax rate of $1.08, a potential increase of 7 cents from the FY 2013 adopted rate of $1.01. The Tuesday council action does not set the tax rate. It merely sets the maximum amount that the city can seek to levy next year when it adopts a final rate at its May …
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Fairfax City Council considering raising the rate by 8 cents per $100 of assessed value.
Fairfax City Council is considering a staff recommendation to increase real estate taxes by 8 cents for Fiscal Year 2014, in part to make up for increased costs in capital improvement projects and the city's school tuition bill. At a Tuesday night council work session, the staff unveiled City Manager Bob Sisson’s budget blueprint for next year. Read about the city's proposals for employee pay and police and fire here. Check back with Patch on Wednesday and Thursday for more updates on the city's school tuition bill. The plan calls for a residential real estate tax rate of $1.09 per $100 of assessed value, an increase from the FY 2013 adopted rate of $1.01. The proposed hike comes on top of a 7-cent increase in the real estate tax the …
Level funding also expected for Fairfax City's police and fire departments.
The single largest increase in Fairfax City's Fiscal Year 2014 budget proposal is the employee retirement funds, which are projected to cost $2 million more next year due investment market swings Fairfax City Manager Bob Sisson’s $176 million budget blueprint for next year — an increase of 8.6 percent from the current fiscal year — leaves pay and benefits for the city’s 430 employees will remain unchanged. The city currently contributes 12.54 percent of the qualified employee’s salary to Virginia Retirement System. A proposal to add a cost-of-living adjustment for city employees was eliminated from the proposed budget due to financial constraints, Sisson said. The city manager wants to add one sanitation driver, at a cost of about $46,000 …
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Ordinance approved by City Council makes it easier for residents to form new parking districts, or attach to one that already exists.
Fairfax City residents who have long complained about their inability to find parking may soon find relief coming their way. At its Tuesday meeting, the council approved a change in the city’s parking permit ordinance that will make it easier for neighborhoods to become part of existing parking districts. Residents complained that they were having trouble finding parking spaces near their homes because they were being taken by George Mason University students – who took advantage of the free street-side parking. Brian Lubkeman, city attorney, said the modifications will allow areas smaller than a city block to create a parking district or attach themselves to an existing one. The city previously prohibited areas smaller than a block from …
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
The council approved a $67,000 redevelopment contract Tuesday to study, expand and improve development in a main stretch of Fairfax City.
In preparation for future commercial redevelopment along Fairfax Boulevard, the Fairfax City Council unanimously approved a $67,000 consulting analysis to help the city expand the range of businesses that locate along one of the city’s main thoroughfares. The analysis will look at what is available along the boulevard and how the city can convince future developers into building retail space or office facilities in addition to apartment buildings, said Geoff Durham, the city’s economic development manager. The contractor, Streetsense of Bethesda, Md., was selected from a field of nine bidders and will deliver its analysis later this year, Durham said. Councilman Jeffrey Greenfield questioned whether this contract was really necessary …
Monday, March 11, 2013
City continues to weigh deal with Fairfax Water.
Fairfax City is continuing to weigh a new offer from the state's largest water utility that would put the city out of the water business, but potentially save it upwards of $45 million in upgrades, and in a few years, cut down on residents' water bills, to. The City issued a new brochure late last week — 'At a Crossroads: The Future of the City of Fairfax Water System' — to answer residents' questions about the sale ahead of a public input meeting March 21. See a copy of the PDF at right. Currently, Fairfax City operates its own water and sewer services serving over 8,000 city customers and 3,000 county customers. Some of those customers are within city limits; others are in Loudoun County, where the city's water facilities, Goose Creek …
Monday, February 25, 2013
Fairfax Water would be responsible for water and customer service in the city limits.
The state's largest water utility has made Fairfax City a new offer — and now council members are turning to residents and business owners again to see how they feel about joining Fairfax Water. The council will have until April 9 to make a decision. This isn't the first time Fairfax Water approached the City of Fairfax. Water became a campaign issue in 2012, with council members and the public split on the best route for the city. If the city goes all in, selling its water system piping and property within the city limits and opting for full service with Fairfax Water, residents and business owners could start to see savings in three years. Currently, Fairfax City operates its own water and sewer services serving over 8,000 city …
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Police recommended adding cameras at busy intersections on Fairfax Boulevard and Main Street.
Council members debated a request Tuesday night to consider adding red light enforcement cameras at six intersections in Fairfax City. City of Fairfax Police Chief Rick Rappoport suggested taking advantage of newly relaxed Virginia Code restrictions in order to fight potentially dangerous red light violations in the city. Virginia Code now allows jurisdictions to install up to 10 red light cameras. There are currently red light cameras monitoring eastbound and westbound traffic at North Street and University Drive, and eastbound and westbound traffic along Fairfax Boulevard at Fairfax Circle. If council members decide to move forward with expanding the program, they will have to consider whether to install only a few cameras, or all six, …
Walt Potock
6:21 pm on Thursday, March 21, 2013
Why don't we all take a step back and think about what we write before showing that we too are probably guilty of exactly the same thing of which we accuse our City Government leaders. Several replies show the writer is someone having done their homework while others are merely venting because of the presented opportunity. If you don't like our city government, you should run for office and then … more ›