City Council Meeting

Suzanne Levyof the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Catherine ReadIt is now time to proclaim. So I would like to ask Suzanne Levy and Eric Carzon and anybody else from our city library to come down for the Library Week Proclamation. This is for National Library Week. Whereas, libraries spark creativity, fuel imagination, and inspire lifelong learning, offering a space where individuals of all ages can explore new ideas and be drawn to new possibilities. And whereas libraries serve as vibrant community hubs, connecting people with knowledge, technology, and resources while fostering civic engagement, critical thinking, and lifelong learning. And whereas libraries provide free and equitable access to books, digital tools, and innovative programming, ensuring that all individuals, regardless of background,

Catherine Readhave the support they need to learn, connect, and thrive. And whereas libraries partner with schools, businesses, and organizations, connecting the dots to maximize resources, increasing efficiency, and expanding access to essential services, strengthening the entire community. And whereas libraries empower job seekers, entrepreneurs, and lifelong learners by providing access to resources, training, and opportunities that support career growth and economic success. libraries nurture young minds through story times, STEAM programs, and literacy initiatives, fostering curiosity and a love of learning that lasts a lifetime. And whereas libraries protect the right to read, think, and explore without censorship, standing as champions of intellectual

freedom and free expression. And whereas dedicated librarians and library workers provide welcoming spaces that inspire discovery, collaboration, and creativity for all. And whereas libraries, librarians, and library workers across the country are joining together to celebrate National Library Week under the theme, Drawn to the Library, now therefore I, Catherine S. Reed, Mayor of the City of Fairfax, do hereby proclaim April 6th through 12th, 2025, is National Library Week in the City of Fairfax and encourage the community during this week to visit their library, explore its resources, and celebrate all the ways that the library draws us together as a community. So without further ado,

Suzanne Levyremarks. I'm Suzanne Levy and I have the honor to represent the city on the Fairfax County Library Board of Trustees. And I first want to introduce you to our branch manager who's fairly new to Fairfax, Alaina When you come into the library, say hello. And our new director, Eric Carzon, who joins us from Montgomery County, he's been with us since I think the 4th of November, and he's still learning his way around the county, but we are delighted to have them both here tonight. I also wanted to mention that this month we are collecting food at the library. We have two bins inside the library, so if you're bringing books back and have some extra food to put into our food, appreciate it. And it is National Library this week, so stop in and say hello.

Okay, remarks? Should I make more? No? Okay. All right.

Brian FosterstaffThank you.

Suzanne LevyThank you so much.

Katie Johnsonpublic commentThank you. Good

Suzanne Levyabout you. Thank you so much. Thank you so

Catherine Readmuch. Library is important. You know how you know libraries are important when you grow up in a small town that doesn't have one, and your only library as a child is your elementary school library. Then you start to really appreciate the value of being able to walk into a public library and check out any book you want. I'm going to call up the board for Fairfax Spotlight on the Arts. It's that time. Spotlight on the Arts is celebrating its 40th anniversary here in the city of Fairfax. It is very important to our city. All right, I shall proclaim to you. Whereas, established in 1985, Fairfax Spotlight on the Arts was the vision of founding board members John Mason and Jane Woods spotlight on all the wonderful artistic opportunities that exist in Fairfax City and the surrounding area.

Catherine ReadToday, Spotlight has continued to be committed to supporting and encouraging awareness of cultural opportunities in the greater Fairfax community. And whereas Fairfax Spotlight on the Arts began as a small weekend initiative for some dedicated arts enthusiasts, and has grown to be considered one of Virginia's foremost arts festivals, with major collaborative efforts between the city of Fairfax, George Mason University, and Northern Virginia Community College. And whereas Spotlight also raises funds for scholarships that enable students from George Mason University and Fairfax High School to realize their dreams in the arts. As of 2025, Spotlight has awarded over 150 scholarships to deserving students.

And whereas the success of Fairfax Spotlight on the Arts and the passion of its members has allowed them to create opportunities for new arts groups, such as the Fairfax Art League and the Old Town Performance Series, and provide support for existing arts organizations. And whereas to celebrate 40 years of supporting the arts, the 2025 Spotlight on the Arts Festival will be held at Sherwood Center to capture the vibe and energy of the Stage Door Canteen, which served servicemen during World War II. In addition to the great lineup at Sherwood, patrons can visit Old Town Square to hear D.C. Spotlight Orchestra, Starlight Orchestra, play the big band hits of the 1940s. And whereas patrons of the arts can spend an evening under the stars

with the City of Fairfax Theatre Company at Veterans Amphitheater, check out the finalists of the Spotlight on the Arts contest, sponsored by Capital One Hall, displayed at the opening reception. Now, therefore, I, Catherine S. Reed, mayor of the city of Fairfax, do hereby recognize and honor Fairfax Spotlight on the Arts on their 40th anniversary and encourage the community to come out over the weekends of April 25 to 27 and May 2 to 4 to see some wonderful concerts and shows. So let's give it up for Fairfax Spotlight on the Arts and this wonderful board who would like to make remarks.

Speaker 25thank you mayor reed this is a very unfamiliar setting for me so on behalf of the spotlight on the arts board of directors i want to thank mayor reed and the city council not only for this proclamation but for the council's steadfast support of the arts over the years as the mayor said we are celebrating our 40th anniversary of spotlight was founded by former mayor john mason and former state senator jane woods and throughout the 40 years of its existence it has been true to its mission to enhance awareness of the arts to support local and emerging artists and to provide arts related scholarships this year um the art the the um as the mayor mentioned we're talking of the same talking points we've over awarded over 150

scholarships to some amazing students around the region who've continued their education in music I also want to encourage the mayor and the council to come out to the opening spotlight reception to help us kick off this year's festival. It will be on Friday, April 25th at 7 p.m. at the Sherwood Center. We'll be celebrating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the amazing music from that era. And I just want to announce I'm delighted to say that she's here. There she is. Jennifer Passy is city resident former member of the city council and the senior director of communications for the USL is this year's honorary chairperson so thank you and Jennifer really appreciate that thank you Mayor Reed

I want to one last time encourage the council to come out for the opening reception and all residents where you'll be able to vote and determine the winners of the second annual art contest here's some live performances including from some of our amazing scholarship recipients. Thank you very much. Thank you

Catherine Readvery much. Anyone else? Okay, then we're going to have a photo. All right.

JC MartinezstaffOkay, everyone smile. Perfect, thank

Stacy Hallyou. Are we done here at the opening? No. I don't need

Suzanne Levyit. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

ShinneberryclerkWe can move to the adoption of the agenda.

Catherine ReadIs there a motion to approve the agenda? Council Member Hartage-Handler. I move to

Stacey Hardy-Chandleradopt the agenda as presented.

Catherine ReadDo I have a second?

Thomas PetersonI'm going to be requesting an addition to the agenda. Appreciate guidance on whether that happens after the second. After the second.

Catherine Readokay the motion has been i'm

Stacy Hallsorry if we want to pull something out of the consent agenda

Brian Lubkemanstaffby voicethis isn't the consent agenda oh

Stacy Hallmy fault sorry okay

Catherine Readuh okay the motion has been made and seconded a roll call vote

Brian Lubkemanstaffby voiceactually i believe mr peterson wanted to make a okay

Catherine Reada

Brian Lubkemanstaffby voicemotion for to amend the agenda so

Catherine Readdiscussion on the uh the discussion on the motion council member peterson

Thomas Petersonyeah this is follow-up to a request from the city manager on Saturday regarding formal action that is needed on the authorization for the city to go to bid and proposal for the George Snyder Trail and there's a deadline associated with that. It's also a follow-up to two meetings we've had now at the Virginia Department of Transportation on exploring the flexibility for project modifications so I wanted to make a motion that would address both of those issues

Brian Lubkemanstaffby voiceso you want to first make a motion to amend the agenda to add this as a okay topic

Thomas Petersonso my first motion would be that we amend the agenda to add this topic is there a second

Catherine Readwe have a motion to amend the agenda, seconded by Council Member Hall. All those in favor, just aye? Aye. Okay. It is unanimous. Now, you can proceed with Council Member Peterson. Your motion.

Thomas PetersonThank you. And let me actually, the City Attorney provided a couple of copies here, I think, for Council Members. Let me hand these out. I'm going to read the motion, and proceed from there i move that the city shall not advertise the george snyder trail project in its current proposed configuration i further move that the city staff be directed to work with the city council on exploring possible modifications to the george snyder trail project we understand that v dot the virginia department of transportation has given the city a deadline of december 31 2025 to advertise for construction do I have a second second

Catherine Readokay a motion has been made by council member Peterson a second seconded by council member Hall a roll call vote

Shinneberryclerkcouncil member Amos

Catherine Readaye

Shinneberryclerkcouncil member Hall aye council member Hardy Chandler aye council member Peterson aye council member Bates aye Councilmember McQuillan aye motion passed unanimously

Brian Lubkemanstaffby voicemayor Reed I'm sorry we did skip one step if they could vote on actually adopting the agenda as well for the record

Catherine Readall right then I have another oh

Brian Lubkemanstaffby voiceso let suggest you adopt the agenda and then if someone wants to make

Catherine Readanother motion okay so we have had the motion has been made and seconded can we have a roll call vote on adopting the agenda

Shinneberryclerkcouncilmember Amos I councilmember Hall I councilmember Hardy Chandler I councilmember Peterson I councilmember Bates I councilmember McQuillan I motion passed unanimously

Stacy Hallcouncilmember Hall so I move that the city move I'm sorry I move that the city canceled the Country Club Hills connector trail is

Catherine Readthere a second

Ann Lauerpublic commentsecond

Catherine Readokay a motion's been made by council by Councilmember Peterson is there any discussion on this motion council member Bates

Billy Batesthank you I thought we were going to wait until we had a work session to discuss this

Stacy Hallcouncil member Hall if I may it seemed that there was support based upon previous conversations and I think actually you were the one who brought this up before we even were elected that it was a an option and so I think that we should move forward with cancellation of this councilmember Bates

Billy Batescouncilmember

Stacey Hardy-Chandlerparty challenge

Catherine Readokay councilmember Harden Chandler

Stacey Hardy-ChandlerI would be in favor of a work session on this and other in terms of how it fits into the broader landscape

Catherine Readcouncilmember Bates anything to add

Billy Batesyeah I mean I support canceling the trail but I think that given all of the that has been provided to council members on things like the budget that it would only be fair to allow for council members such as council member Hardy Chandler who haven't had the benefit of a work session such as I have to have that discussion with staff and with our colleagues before making final decision on this. So let's can we confer with staff on when that might be able to happen we were thinking maybe the the 22nd and then we can kind of swap that out with the Old Town Hall discussion well

Catherine ReadI think we need to leave Old Town Hall where it is for their own deadline reasons we can certainly schedule this item as an additional or in addition if the council desires that but I do think that it merits further discussion because we also need to be clear on if any of these grants and I think one is an eight million dollar maybe, well that one I think is an $8 million grant. I don't believe any money has been spent, but we certainly need to be clear on the financial obligations, if any, for returning this money if we cancel the country Club Hills Connector Trail. So I do think that it merits some discussion, and I think the public needs to be aware too that we are basically giving back grant money

to the NVTA and giving back $8 million is not something we should do lightly not just because it we submitted that project were awarded the project and given money to complete the project but the the future award of contracts to an unreliable partner might be something we want to consider as well and so I do think a discussion would be a good thing for the dies to have and also a good thing for the public to hear yes councilmember Hall

Stacy HallI would still like to cancel I recognize that a work session has been requested that being said a work session was not requested until I proposed canceling this tonight and so I think we've had sufficient time in our conversations around the budget over the past six or eight weeks to be able to request information on things that we thought might be important at the time. So my motion still stands that I would like to propose to cancel the trail. Is there any further discussion? Councilmember Bates.

Billy BatesWe had requested a work session some number of weeks ago on this. And my understanding was that we wanted to kind of get the George Snyder trail taken care of first and that staff would look at doing that after the fact. have had a lot of budget discussions and have had to prioritize that so this is not the first that we've proposed a work session on this and we had a work session on this last year with the previous council but we haven't had one with the current council and there are five new council members and there has been a stated desire from one of them to have a work session on this before making a decision so I do not think it would be at all prudent to vote on this before having that work session thank you

Catherine Readcouncilmember Amos

Anthony Amosso this will make my decision for me when's as soon as we can have a work session on this

Brian Fosterstaffwould be April 22nd there's there's multiple items on the agenda for that night as well but if council wishes to have it will certainly add it and

Anthony Amosthen And when would be the next opportunity for us to make a decision? That would be the next meeting?

Brian FosterstaffPresumably at the next meeting. However, I will look to the attorney. I assume after you have your work session, you normally go back into regular session, at which time you could make a motion after your work session discussion.

Brian Lubkemanstaffby voiceThat's correct. You have a lot of options

Anthony Amoson when you could do that. I'll go ahead and preface by saying I also support canceling this, but I also recognize that there have been, especially amongst us, we have felt kind of rushed into many of our decisions without the opportunity to actually look closer at it. And I think that we should have a work session together. So that's where I stand on that.

Catherine ReadOkay. For Councilmember Peterson.

Thomas PetersonOne concern that I have about a delay is the potential for the city to be expending any further resources on the development or implementation of this trail. trail, and it would seem to me that it would be prudent to freeze any activity on this unless until it's fully resolved, but in the meantime, that there should be no further activity engaged in on this trail. And I think there's another trail project that may fit into the same category as well, but one of the concerns that I have, I think it may be shared by other council members, is that because we have delayed taking action and considering these trails trail projects the meter has been running I do agree we asked a very long time ago for all of the trails to be part of a

work session so that we could do exactly this and that has been delayed more than once and so I am very concerned about the risk that we're going to be expanding resources unnecessarily as this

Catherine Readcouncilmember Hardy Chandler

Stacey Hardy-Chandlerso let me ask what is the risk between now and April 22nd in terms of activity

Brian Fosterstaffthat's Wendy to come forward please

Speaker 46good evening first I'll address the country club Commons we have not And I'm we're not planning to in the next few weeks. So I don't think there's any concern about that The other trail I believe that you're referring to is picket trail that project is in the right-of-way phase and the city has expended funds to Advance that project that project is an active project and it's very close to Advertisement authorization

Catherine ReadCouncilman Peterson

Thomas Petersonif I might follow up on that I know there has been a long-standing interest by a number of people I believe including Councilmember Bates on looking at a project modification for the picket road trail I think literally going from the east to the west side of route pick PICKET ROAD, THAT AGAIN SOUNDS LIKE AN ISSUE WE WANT TO EXPLORE FURTHER AND UNDERSTAND MORE CLEARLY WITHOUT EXPENDING ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ALONG THE WAY IN CASE A DECISION IS MADE TO MAKE A CHANGE THERE. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THERE'S A BIT MORE LEARNING WE NEED TO DO AROUND THAT, BUT I AM CONCERNED JUST AS I MENTIONED EARLIER THAT WE MIGHT CONTINUE WITH THE EXPENDITURE OF RESOURCES for that project when it may end up being a stranded cost so i wonder whether that's

one we should freeze so that we can have appropriate consideration of this

Catherine Readwe can put this on as early as the next meeting which is the 22nd and as far as the long delays I think we've been on this dice together for 98 days, so I don't know what anybody considers long We can Do a work session everything was moved off the work sessions for budget and that was also a request from the dais That everything except budget be removed, but we will now add this trails If it the die is so desires To the 22nd and we can get an update on where the picket road is We have been assured that no money has been spent on the country club Hills connector. So, Councilmember Amos.

Anthony AmosJust because the motion still currently stands, if it's okay with my colleague, I'd just like to add a friendly amendment saying until we have the work session, just freeze any activity at all so we don't have to think about it.

Catherine ReadI guess I'll support that. Okay. friendly amendment do we need a second on the friendly amendment

Brian Lubkemanstaffby voiceso who's second councilmember Hall suck no no council member

Catherine Readwhoever seconded needs to

Thomas Petersonagree

Catherine Readdo you agree to the friendly amendment

Thomas Petersonwith clarification and perhaps if necessary staff clarification but when you're saying we freeze everything that would include the CCH connector trail as well as the picket road trail would be frozen until we talk about them date certain yes that

Anthony Amoswas my intention

Thomas Petersonokay in that event I will second okay so

Catherine Readwe have

Brian Lubkemanstaffby voiceso just so we all understand the motion that's on the floor it's it's been modified to essentially freeze any city staff action with respect to Country Club Hills Trail picket trail anything else are

Stacy Hallthere any other trails we need to consider that we might not aware of thinking of right at the moment that are in the cip for fiscal year 2026.

Catherine Readi i think we're safe just with the directive that nothing is to be done on trails in the city would be my understanding until the meeting until the work session on the 22nd council yes mr foster

Brian Fosterstaffjust for clear although the uh mr amos made amendment i think the original motion which is still on the floor is to cancel the Country Club Hills project so if you vote for the motion I think you would be canceling the project unless you've not unless you modify the motion I

Brian Lubkemanstaffby voiceI took the amendment and it's entirely up to the maker in the seconder to actually modify the motion to simply pause expenditure of funds but if the maker would like to clarify if She is okay with that change Or if she wants to continue with the motion to cancel the

Stacy Hallmaker is not happy, but the maker will amend to be friendly

Brian Lubkemanstaffby voiceso the motion on the floor now is To pause the expenditure of any further funds with respect to those two named projects country Club Hills trail and picket trail

Catherine Readand councilmember Peterson

Thomas Petersonwell and to be safe because we didn't exactly get a response to the question of whether there are any other trails in the system I would like additional language added just indicate those two trails and any other that are in development so that we have a carte blanche freeze on trail development

Catherine ReadI think that's I think we all understand that sure okay councilmember Bates

Billy Bateswith the intention be roadway projects that include shared use paths such as the North Facts east-west roadway I'm guessing no sir are we only talking about dedicated shared use path projects that that don't include other elements

Brian Lubkemanstaffby voicemay read if I could make a suggestion just for cleanliness sake perhaps the council should vote on the motion that's on the floor and if there are any additional motions okay

Catherine Readsomeone can

Brian Lubkemanstaffby voicemake them at an appropriate time

Catherine Readokay so the motion as I understand it is that we are currently voting to to to eliminate any activity related to any trails independent of roadway projects currently in process would that be accurate councilmember Hall yes okay and is that do you agree with that councilman Peterson yes excellent so we will tell take a roll call vote on that motion Councilmember

ShinneberryclerkAmos

Anthony AmosAmos abstain

ShinneberryclerkCouncilmember Hall yes Councilmember Hardy Chandler

Stacey Hardy-Chandlerno

ShinneberryclerkCouncilmember Peterson

Stacey Hardy-Chandleryes

ShinneberryclerkCouncilmember Bates

Billy Batesyes

ShinneberryclerkCouncilmember McQuillan no okay motion passed three to two with one abstention

Catherine Readwell all right

Shinneberryclerkthen

Brian Lubkemanstaffby voicenow Mayor one other housekeeping item I was aware of councilmember Peterson's initial motion I was not aware of the additional motions that were going to be made so it would be appropriate for someone to make a motion to further amend the agenda to have included that second motion so if someone could just make in second that motion we'll clean up the record to amend the agenda to include the motion on Country Club Hills trail and picket trail and other trails that are not connected to roadways or whatever the motion read

Catherine Readcouncilmember Amos would you like to do that

Brian Lubkemanstaffby voicesure

Anthony AmosI

Brian Lubkemanstaffby voicejust

Anthony AmosI

Brian Lubkemanstaffby voiceso move I

Anthony Amosso move we

Catherine Readhave a second clarification

Rachel McQuillenas to what we're voting on now this

Brian Lubkemanstaffby voiceis just amending the agenda to actually add the item that you all just considered so that the agenda will read appropriately once we do the minutes

Catherine Readso that's oh councilmember Avis moved that would somebody like to second Okay, so we have a motion by Council Member Amos and a second by Council Member Hardy-Chandler. A roll call vote.

ShinneberryclerkCouncil Member Amos?

Catherine ReadAye.

ShinneberryclerkCouncil Member Hall? Aye. Council Member Hardy-Chandler? Aye. Council Member Peterson? Aye. Council Member Bates?

Billy BatesAye.

ShinneberryclerkCouncil Member McQuillan? No. Motion passed five to one.

Catherine ReadOkay.

ShinneberryclerkWe can move on to public hearings. Our first public hearing is a public hearing and council action on a request of the City of Fairfax School Board applicant by Dan Phillips, Agent, for a special use permit pursuant to City Code Section 110-3.1 to allow continued use of temporary modular classrooms at Providence Elementary School and the RM Residential Medium Zoning District in Architectural Control Overlay district sorry on the premises known as three six one six Germantown Road and more particularly described a text map parcel four seven dash three dash zero one dash zero four oh Claire Schweiger will provide the staff presentation good

Claire Schweigerstaffevening married in council tonight we're discussing a special use permit request for Providence Elementary School we're currently in the public hearing phase of the development review process we did not conduct a briefing or a work session on this proposal since it's an extension of an existing special use permit. So the applicant is requesting a special use permit to allow the extension of a previously approved special use permit for an expansion of schools, elementary, middle, and high to allow continued use of modular temporary classrooms at Providence Elementary School. This is the location of the subject property. Providence Elementary School is located along Germantown Road. subject property is the city county line in I-66 and across Germantown Road is

the Fairfax County property yard the zoning of the subject property is residential medium in the architectural control overlay district the comprehensive plans future land use designation for this site is green social civic network this place type includes public and private schools public spaces such as active and passive parks and playing fields and other public facilities. Here are some photos of the temporary classrooms. They're located in the rear of the school near the ball fields. So for some background, in 2008, the zoning administrator approved an installation of two temporary classrooms not to exceed one year. And in 2009, city council approved a request to allow expansion of the governmental use for five years. And then in 2019, city council

approved an expansion of schools elementary middle and high for five years and the expansion that I'm referring to here is just to allow the temporary classrooms that were approved in 2008 to continue to be used. So now the applicant is coming back to request an extension of the special use permit approved in 2019. In 2019, the projected student enrollment for Providence Elementary School was 897 students. Enrollment for the 2024 918 students and the applicant has indicated that the additional classroom space is requested to continue to accommodate general education students as well as multiple programs including English for speakers of other languages special education advanced academics and title one and after I give my

presentation I believe representative of the school board is here to speak to give more context on why the renewal is being requested so staff recommends approval of the special use permit with the condition that the special use shall be valid for a period of eight years. The way we got to the eight year extension was through conversations with the superintendent and with the bond referendum that was passed with the last election, eight years should give the school board time to make the improvements to the schools so that a renewal will not be necessary in the future once we've reached the eight year time limit. So that concludes my presentation. I'll invite Mr. Plattenberg and Mr. Phillips

provide more contact. Thank you.

Jeffrey PlatenbergapplicantThank you, City Council members, and thank you so much, Claire, for all your support and your staff and the work in this endeavor. You know, certainly educational cottages or trailers, as it's referred to, are not desired on any site, especially school sites. It's our preference to eradicate and remove those. In fact, that was part of the facility condition assessment that was performed, that was provided that identified the replacement, remediation, and removal of those to be in conformance with the requirements by the city. We were fortunate enough that the voters, an overwhelming majority of the voters in the city of Fairfax, voted in favor of the renovation of the elementary school to address that.

In that FCA and in the renovation, we included two classrooms to eliminate the use of those trailers and to additional classrooms to accommodate growth in the hopes that we would meet back here before you asking for any other additional disturbances that are similar to this. With that, I'm ready to answer any questions. I would like to add that our enrollment is up to 966 at Providence, so it's well above the 918 that was on the original application, and that's a significant amount of business is good for education in the city. so with that Madam Mayor and members of the council I'm ready to answer any additional questions you may have

Catherine Readokay I will open the public hearing the Shinneberry is this public hearing been properly advertised yes it has does the application do you have anything you want to share

Judy Fraserpublic commentprior to

Catherine Readthat okay then I will ask the clerk to call the speakers forward so everyone on the dais will have an opportunity to ask questions after the public has had an opportunity

ShinneberryclerkI had nobody sign up prior, so if there's anybody that would like to speak on this item, they can come forward.

Catherine ReadOkay, then I will close the public hearing. Council, are there any questions of staff?

Stacy HallCouncil Member Hall. I am in support of this. I know we've discussed it. I recognize that they are necessary. I did just want to point out a couple things. The first one is that at the elementary schools, I recognize that there's an eight-year limit on it. should the renovation hopefully be done sooner than that i think maybe it would be reasonable to have them gone within six months or a year or immediately since we are adding four classrooms on at each elementary school and hopefully they won't be needed that's a statement question on the high school ones we're not anywhere closer to getting rid of them and i do just want to point out When I was on the school board, but I do have concerns about the opening and closing of the doors

That lead to the learning cottages that are off of the gym And I recognize we don't have enough staff to be out there 24 7 well during the school day But I do just want to point out that I do have concerns about that safety risk. Thank you

Catherine ReadAny other questions of councilmember Peterson

Thomas PetersonThis may be my limitation in getting through the background document here by staff, but I do see a notation that the staff recommends approval with conditions. If somebody might just clarify very briefly for me what those conditions are or direct me to them, it would be helpful.

Claire SchweigerstaffYeah, so for the elementary school, the only condition is that it shall be valid for a period of eight years.

Thomas PetersonThat's it? so it's condition not conditions right

Claire Schweigerstaffgreat

Thomas Petersonthank you

Catherine Readuh councilmember hardy chandler

Stacey Hardy-Chandlercould you talk a little bit more about the timing the eight year you mentioned was to align with the possible timing with the bond referendum and that kind of thing is there um any question or hesitation around that and part b is my question about the for that long period of time any thoughts about that recognizing that it's less than optimal but needed

Jeffrey Platenbergapplicantyes thank you very much councilwoman Hanley turner I appreciate the questions specifically the maintenance is the ongoing maintenance that will continue because they are in my opinion less than desirable we have a really good maintenance program to in terms of mowing around them and the skirting of the trailers, any type of HVAC issues are addressed within short order. In terms of the timing, the timing that is set is set in accordance with what the facility condition assessment cash flow and project schedule that were included in that condition assessment. And we're also a part of our bond action plan. We are currently in the process of we've received, we've advertised, put together the RFP, advertised

for their architectural services and have received those ever since the bond referendum we received them on April 3rd we have a team that is signed the non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements working with the city behalf through the city procurement office and we'll be evaluating that hopefully bringing it before the school board before the break for summer that plan is to continue to get the community outreach on the initial design the to begin in the fall of the school year. Now, this is predicated on the budget process, so there are some factors that are at our control that may end up impacting that, but the timeline is set forth to accomplish not only the design but also the construction in that time frame.

Catherine ReadCouncil Member Amos.

Anthony AmosAre there any concerns with this if we were to one of the options on the table is to defer the school bond for a year? Any issues with that that you could say?

Jeffrey Platenbergapplicantfrom my perspective I'm a council member Amos I'm always concerned about any delay deferral but I do understand the condition the difficult and challenging conditions we're in we have a commitment to get things done that that is I'm the type of person that likes to plant the grass seed that morning and mow that night so I don't really have a good answer for you on that other than I'm to try and get it done as soon as I possibly can.

Catherine ReadCouncilmember McQuillan.

Rachel McQuillenI'm looking at the projected enrollment numbers and the actual. Is two classrooms going to be enough?

Jeffrey PlatenbergapplicantWe believe so currently at this point, but it depends. It's four total. It's two to address the, yeah, thank you very much for that. It's two to eliminate the trailers that exist and two for additional growth. We have had a lot of development in the city, and we have been receiving positive student yields that are significantly higher than what was forecast, in my opinion, from what we've seen. We've been working with Mr. Foreman on revising those forecasts and the yields. He does an excellent job on behalf of the city forecasting from a lot of the new development. But we do believe that that will accommodate the growth. That was the intention. That's the plan. however if business continues to stay good and what I mean by that is Fairfax

County Public Schools has been stagnant if not decreasing their enrollment and we have had incredible growth in our enrollment and you might hear a little bit more about that in the public hearing comment but we believe at this time that should be able to address through

Rachel McQuillenthe eight years if

Jeffrey PlatenbergapplicantI was able to forecast that I probably wouldn't be here this evening but yes we anticipate eight years but things can happen that's why our for members of the audience well that's why you have a capital improvement program that's reviewed annually and that is forecast five years out

Catherine Readthing is not there we go anyway so any other discussion on the motion okay do I have do I have a motion councilmember Hardy Chandler I

Stacey Hardy-Chandlermoved that the city council approved the request of the city of Fairfax school board applicant for the special use permit pursuant to city code section one one zero dash three dot three dot one schools elementary middle high use to allow temporary expansion of Providence Elementary School using modular temporary classrooms in the rm residential medium zone on the premises known as 3616 germantown road and more particularly described as tax map parcel 47-3-01-040 subject to the following condition the special use permit scp shall be valid for a period of eight years is

Catherine Readthere a second Second. Motion's been made by Councilmember Hardy-Chandler and seconded by Councilmember Peterson. Is there any discussion on the motion? Seeing none, a roll call vote.

ShinneberryclerkCouncilmember McQuillan? Aye. Councilmember Bates? Aye. Councilmember Peterson? Aye. Councilmember Hardy-Chandler? Aye. Councilmember Hall? Aye. Councilmember Amos? Aye. Motion passed unanimously. We'll go to the next public hearing, which is a public hearing and council action on a request of the City of Fairfax School Board, applicant by Dan Phillips, agent for a special pursuant to city code section 110-3.3.1 to allow continued use of temporary modular classrooms at Fairfax High School in the RM Residential Medium Zoning District and Architectural Control Overlay District on the premises known as 3501 Lion Run and more particularly described as tax map parcel 58-1-02-003. Claire Schweiger will provide the staff presentation.

Claire SchweigerstaffAlright, so similar to the last item on the agenda, we're discussing a special use permit request for Fairfax High School. We're currently in the public hearing phase of the development review process. The applicant is requesting a special use permit to allow the extension of a previously approved special use permit for an expansion of schools elementary, middle, and high to allow continued use of modular temporary classrooms at Fairfax High School. This is where the high school is located. It's located to the north of Blenheim Boulevard and to the south of Fairfax Boulevard. Zoning of the subject property is residential medium in the architectural control overlay district. The comprehensive plan's future land use designation is green social and civic network.

This place type includes public and private schools, public spaces, such as active and passive parks, playing fields, and other public facilities. Here are some photos of the temporary classrooms. they're located on the east side of the high school and within the parking lot so for some background in 2012 City Council approved an expansion of a governmental use for two years and then in 2014 City Council approved continued use of the expansion of a governmental use to allow temporary modular classrooms for five years and in 2019 City Council approved an expansion of schools elementary middle and high for five years so now the applicant is coming back to request an extension of the special use permit approved in 2019

and 2019 the projected student enrollment enrollment for Fairfax high school was 2,243 students enrollment for the 2425 school year was 200 or 2,401 students and the applicant indicates that this that this is 99% program The applicant has indicated that the additional classroom space is requested to continue to accommodate advanced placement classes and the in-school suspension program and a study hall. so staff recommends approval of the special use permit with the conditions that the special use permit shall be valid for a period of eight years and that the sheds in the parking lot in proximity to the temporary classrooms shall be removed out of any required parking spaces so similar to the

elementary school conditional approval staff expects that after eight years the quads would be phased out the second condition is referring to two sheds that are located within required parking spaces in the parking lot as far as we know the high school did not obtain permits to construct these two structures and since they're located in required parking spaces that are intended to be utilized as parking they should be removed and so with that staff recommends approval the special use permit with the two conditions and that concludes my presentation and I'll again invite a mr. pottenberg up to speak

Jeffrey Platenbergapplicantthank you again I appreciate it and thank you council members and madam mayor with this situation that's similar to the one that I discussed before however we do not have a renovation those are the simple facts in discussion with staff we were trying to get an extension beyond the time we came to of the amount of time that we have before we would have to come back. The only thing I can say is when we did the facility condition assessment we did include addressing these issues as well as a part of the high school renovation. Due to the costs associated with the secondary schools, both Katherine Johnson Middle School and Fairfax High School, the team determined that moving forward with the elementary school renovation, similar to the precedent of what had been done

historically in the city in the past would be our best foot forward that being said the intention and plan is at some point to address and remove these what we call quads there are two quads out there which are a combination of nicer trailers not that that really means anything than what is at the elementary school they are an integral part of the school of the high school a lot of the advanced placement courses out there as was mentioned it's not just in school for study and remediation as well. And they're a necessary part as we continue to have the positive enrollment that was shown here this evening. In addition, the academy has approximately 1,400 students that arrive on our campus each and every day.

It's a busy place. It's an active place, but it's a very positive environment for the teaching and learning that we have in this city. I'm ready to answer any questions you might have at this time, Madam Mayor.

Catherine ReadAll right. hearing mission a berry has this public hearing been properly advertised yes it has do you have any other remarks you want to make mr. Plattenburg before we call up the first no man

Shinneberryclerkis there anybody in the room that would like to speak on this item that did not sign up prior

Catherine Readokay all right I will close the public hearing council are there any questions of staff or applicant okay councilmember Hall and then Councilmember Hardy Chandler.

Stacy HallCan you comment as to what the storage sheds are being used for?

Jeffrey PlatenbergapplicantWell, the storage sheds currently are temporarily located there. We have a plan to remove them within two weeks. We've been looking at placement on the school site, and we believe we found an appropriate location. Storage is, with the increasing in the number of sports and activities that we have, with the expansion of the number of programs and the club activities, There is a direct need for storage, and we believe where we're going to place it is down towards where other storage is, down in the lower part of the site and the back entrance towards the football field.

Stacy HallOkay, so you're prepared to move them. It wasn't a problem.

Jeffrey PlatenbergapplicantYes, ma'am, absolutely.

Stacy HallWas that our temporary press box, the one?

Jeffrey PlatenbergapplicantIt was. By the way, that was the other thing, Council Member Hall. Thank you for bringing that up. It was the temporary press box, and when we did invest in purchasing that temporary press box, because the prior press box was in such disarray it had to be condemned. We have a brand-new press box there now, and it's been well-received by the community and by the coaches and the students. That temporary press box, we wanted to make sure that that dollar investment was not in vain, and we planned on using that for the storage that's needed once we did get the permanent press box in place.

Stacy HallThank you. with this I do have a kid who's out there twice a day so again I said my security risk is the wrong time but I would like them to be safer thank you

Catherine Readcouncilmember Hardy Chandler

Stacey Hardy-Chandlerso my question has to do with clarifying the information that enrollment is at 90% of capacity 99% of capacity so this does not expand capacity over the next eight years, right? So how is additional projected numbers, how is that going to be compensated by the remaining structures?

Jeffrey PlatenbergapplicantYeah, that's an excellent question. In fact, we're looking at expansion of some electrical programs. Dr. Abe in this very room last night was presenting her state of the schools and her vision and her continued leadership at Fairfax High School. As far as the expansion, we really, she says that she can accommodate any children and any child that will have a need to be educated in the city in her building. She'll find whatever nook or cranny or space. But we are at a point where it is that percentage of capacity. We have had a little bit of a dip. I believe the number that you had up there originally was 24-1. We're at 2390 right now. I'm going to double-check that, too. I have the number. Let me correct that.

Anyway, we're down a little bit, but the thing is it does fluctuate. We're at 2390. That's the number I have. But 2360, 2390, you know, still it's business is good, but we're down from that. Usually there's a lot of in-migration and out-migration during the school year. Hopefully we'll be able to maintain at this level, but again, we look at our forecast, and when you look at the out-years, it says, you know, 2330, 2342. We don't believe that those are accurate. when you look at the current school year at 2296 when we have 2390. It's almost 100 students more. So long story to say, Council Member Hardy-Chandler, that we're looking at this closely. We will be monitoring it. We don't really have any other plans because there is no space.

We're bumped up against all the parking capacity that we possibly could have. That's why we have to move this temporary structure because it is taking up parking spaces now. But we will be monitoring it and speaking about it each and every year, as I mentioned about the whole CIP program.

Catherine ReadCouncil Member McQuillan.

Rachel McQuillenThis is more of a question for staff. It says that one of the recommendations is the sheds in the parking lot be moved. May I ask why that was recommended?

Claire Schweigerstaffyeah they're uh the two sheds that are there now are within required parking spaces so those parking spaces are intended for cars to be parked um and so they're taking up spaces and those structures were not approved to be constructed by staff so that's why we added of that condition they should be removed and

Jeffrey Platenbergapplicantthey and if i might add to that it clearly is taking a parking space where it's currently located and we did temporarily put it there because we had to move it out of the way when we put the actual press box in place on the hill that appears that we put in place so it was intended all along to be a temporary location while we found the best suitable place for it on the site

Rachel McQuilleni just know that it's quite a hike for the athletes that train on the way down especially in the dark at night late you know if they have to put equipment away so I mean losing how many spots is it that it was taking up like three

JC Martinezstaffsix maybe

Claire Schweigerstaffseven if I'm counting right if they were to leave the sheds there they would need to revise the site plan for the whole high school

Jeffrey Platenbergapplicantthat would be challenging

Rachel McQuillenokay um i also want to echo council member hall's statement about the security i too am concerned about that having been locked out during back to school night back there in the dark it's kind of scary and i know that we're not in the winter right now and so that's not an issue but i do why we have such focus on making sure we have somebody at the front and that we have security vestibules, one entrance into the building if somebody is able to drive around the back and access our children and teachers that way. So I just wanted to make that statement as well publicly. Thank you.

Catherine ReadOther questions or comments? Councilmember Peterson.

Thomas PetersonJust out of curiosity, the modular classrooms also are in a parking lot and displays certain number of vehicles what adjustment was made for that capacity was there somewhere else on site that that was picked up how is that being addressed

Jeffrey Platenbergapplicantthe actual location sir

Thomas Petersonwell there was park they're in parking lots

Jeffrey Platenbergapplicantyes sir right I

Thomas Petersondon't know what the displacement was in terms of the number of parking spots but there was a significant number how is that adjustment addressed at all

Jeffrey Platenbergapplicantor when when we originally spotted and located the and that was part of my time but when it was place it was to still meet the accommodation so a total site plan revision wouldn't have to be gone through from what I understand and that they didn't have to do it and that's why we were so concerned about the number of parking spaces that we displace because I think with the improvements and enhancements to the press box we also had to make some modifications to the parking there and just barely met it in under the amount that was required by zoning and I believe that's the answer to it

Thomas Petersonwell

Jeffrey PlatenbergapplicantI guess it's still not desirable to your point sir

Thomas Petersonyeah well the big picture question is is this a significant loss of capacity or is this really not given the scale of parking that's already in place and if it is a significant loss in capacity it's something you've already adjusted to but you're going to have to continue to adjust to now for some period in the future just curious to know where it of fits into that

Jeffrey Platenbergapplicantyeah we absolutely need the space yes sir um those those quads those buildings out there are absolutely necessary um as far as the storage shed we i believe we need the parking spaces back there i've had park back there many a time um and and it does displace it and it really it really doesn't belong in its current location

Thomas Petersonjust so I understand that with the modular classrooms themselves have you successfully adjusted to the loss of parking spaces that were once

Jeffrey Platenbergapplicantyes sir I'm sorry Ms. Councilmember Fitzgerald yes absolutely those adjustments have been made I don't know the original date that those quads were actually put in place there. Perhaps staff might have that information. More than 15 years? Yeah, more than 15 years is what I'm hearing.

Thomas PetersonOkay.

Jeffrey Platenbergapplicant2012? Well, that's not 15, but still. So

Thomas Petersonapparently that whatever set of adjustments, those are behind us and there's no sort of continuing difficulty associated with the loss of those is what my guess would

Jeffrey Platenbergapplicantbe. Oh, yes, sir. Everybody has had to adjust. Yes, sir.

Thomas PetersonOkay.

Catherine Readany other questions or comments okay is there a motion councilmember Hardy Chandler I

Stacey Hardy-Chandlermove that the City Council approve the request of the city of Fairfax school board applicant for special use permit pursuant to city code section 110 dash 3.3 dot 1 schools elementary middle high use to allow temporary expansion of fairfax high school using modular temporary classrooms in the rm residential medium zoning on the premises known as 3501 lion run and more particularly described as tax map parcel 58-1-02-003 subject to the following conditions this special use permit sup shall be valid for a period of eight years to the sheds in the parking lot in proximity to the temporary be removed out of any required parking spaces is

Catherine Readthere a second second emotions been made by councilmember Hardy Chandler and seconded by councilmember Peterson is there any discussion on the motion seeing none a roll call vote

Shinneberryclerkcouncilmember McQuillan aye councilmember Bates aye councilmember Peterson aye councilmember Hardy Chandler aye councilmember Hall aye councilmember Ramis I motion passed unanimously we'll go to our last public hearing item which is the public hearing on the proposed FY 26 budget this is the third and final public hearing on the proposed FY 26 budget the city manager presented on February 25th 2025 I

Catherine Readwill open the public hearing miss Shinneberry's this public hearing been advertised yes

Shinneberryclerkit has and I've had people sign up prior to the meeting of start of seven o'clock and after I go through the list if to speak they can come forward and we'll start a line up against the windows so our first speaker is jennifer disano okay next speaker is brian sullivan

Brian Sullivanpublic commentGood evening. Mayor, city council members, and Fairfax city residents. I'm here tonight as a Fairfax city resident and as the president of our Fairfax volunteer fire department. If I'm honest, I struggled a little bit with whether to wear my fire uniform or in my civilian and close, but I realize that my concerns are rooted in both. I am here, however, tonight primarily as a resident to express my concerns regarding the initiative to cut the 10% from the budget from our public safety services. I am fortunate to have a behind-the-scenes understanding of the resources needed to protect our community. I know I am obviously very biased, but I believe our public safety is fundamental to the quality of life in our community

and plays a significant role to what makes our city special. The Lyon Fire Department operates efficiently, with 88% of our budget allocated directly to salaries and benefits for the career personnel who risk their lives daily. The remaining 12% covers essential operational expenses such as equipment, supplies, and crucial training, all vital for effective and timely emergency response. Our volunteers, although unpaid, dedicate countless hours to staffing apparatus, supporting operations, and contributing significant financial resources. this included the transferring ownership of station 3 to the city without any monetary compensation a clear demonstration of our commitment to public safety and fiscal responsibility

additionally our volunteers consistently invest fundraising dollars to support essential operational needs including sustaining frontline apparatus reducing our department's budget by nearly two million dollars as proposed in this exercise would have would have severe consequences including the loss of 12 dedicated fire and emergency positions but these are not just positions these are firefighters medics emergency personnel who directly save lives our volunteers cannot replace these roles to maintain levels of public safety no matter how much I wish they could the proposed cuts would decrease emergency response effectiveness increase response times jeopardizing public safety they would undermine our ability to maintain

They would maintain recommended minimum staffing levels, putting personnel and residents at greater risk during emergencies. They would compromise emergency preparedness precisely when the demand for emergency services in Fairfax City has steadily increased over the past four years. These consequences are supported by evidence from FEMA and experiences with surrounding municipalities. I recognize the challenging budgetary environment, but compromising public safety to address fiscal shortfalls undermines one of our city's primary responsibilities, protecting its citizens. I aim to bring light rather than heat to this issue and urge this council to reconsider the proposed cuts to public safety, seeking alternate solutions to address these genuine financial challenges.

The safety of our community must remain a non-negotiable priority. The residents of Fairfax City deserve our steadfast commitment to their protection. Thank you.

ShinneberryclerkOur next speaker is Janet Jaworski.

Janet Jaworskipublic commentGood evening, Mayor Reed, members of the City Council. I'm Janet Jaworski. I'm at 3621 Heritage Lane here in the city. I do wear a number of hats here in the city. taxpayer this evening. I do have prepared remarks however I think I'm actually going to pivot and make a few remarks in light of Mr. Sullivan's comments. He's referring to some sort of cut to public safety which is quite concerning to me and I hope that that's not on the table. Having had to call 9-1-1 previously for a family member, I would hate to have our fire medics and paramedic staff be cut at all. I hope that you're looking to cut things rather than people. I don't think that people are on the table to be cut, but I'm a little concerned after

hearing his comments that that might be on the table. So I would urge you to not make any personnel cuts to our public safety departments, police unless they're absolutely necessary. I think that there are a number of things that you can do prior to that. One of the first things I did when after Mr. Foster unveiled the budget on February 25th is I took a very hard look at the CIP. Having served on the Planning Commission, I was familiar with that exercise. I went through it with the highlighter pen, Post-it notes, I highlighted things. I came up with a lot of ideas that I was going to come and share with you. when I signed up to speak tonight it was the end of March now that was before I came to the work

session last week and the open house and luckily you did start to dive into the CIP a little bit at the work session and I was happy to see that because my analysis as a citizen but having served on the planning commission would be I would look at the CIP first and see what could be deferred what could be cut. Nobody likes to defer capital projects to the out years and you don't want to keep kicking the can down the road. However, if the choice is between that and cutting firefighters or police officers, then of course we need to defer some things to the out years. So I was heartened to see that you guys started to get into it and Mr. Summers came up and suggested things that could be cut from his budget. Chair pitches came up and talked about the softball field

could be deferred. Those were all things that I had highlighted to discuss with you. So my comments are sort of moot at this point. I liked Mr. Martinez's five scenarios. I'm running out of time, I see, so I'll wrap this up. I prefer scenario four of those scenarios. Keeps the public safety step increases in place. I don't think those should go away. So I don't envy the decisions but I have confidence that you're going to get there, and I hope that you're not cutting any city employees. Thank you.

ShinneberryclerkOur next speaker is Peter Bonner.

Peter Bonnerpublic commentHi, good evening. I'm Peter Bonner. I live at 4334 Delegate Court. Quality of life in the city is great. Can you do something about the pollen? That's why my voice is as it is this evening. So my understanding is you started the budget preparation last fall. Last fall, inflation was coming down. Economic development was up. We are in a very different world right now. With what's going on with the federal cutbacks, with what's going on as you look at your 401 I did a little back-of-the-envelope calculation, and if the proportion of federal workers in Fairfax County to all the workers in Fairfax County is the same in the city, at the rate the cutbacks are going, we're going to lose about 6% of our workforce in the city

when you look at the federal workers and the contractors associated with their work. Raising taxes in a situation like this and raising the tax rate, the real estate tax rate when we're facing these types of dire economic times is just not the best approach. I encourage you to go back and take another look at that. I was not aware of the cutbacks in the fire department. And I, because I looked at as many of the budget documents as I could. A boss of mine said, if you're going to bring a problem, bring solutions. I don't know if these are solutions to look at or not. One of the things I saw in the presentation was non-negotiables and opening up. I encourage you to open up the non-negotiables.

I know that includes public safety. I know that includes education. I'm the husband of a retired teacher at Fairfax High School. These are tough decisions to make, but any place that you can look at those and opening up those non-negotiables, I think, is going to be useful. Second thing I saw, the biggest increase appears to be the flow through from Fairfax County in education. I'm based on the budget documents and based on trying to look at the Fairfax County budget documents that, frankly, are not as good as yours, as ours, in terms of the transparency. Pushing back hard against that I think is one of the only ways to get the budget down that I can see. And the last thing I saw that I didn't quite understand was the debt service consolidation

that went from $2 million to $13 million. I didn't see an offsetting decrease in some of those individual budgets when that debt service consolidation increased that much. So those are just a couple of thoughts about this. behavioral economists talk about loss aversion. You spent a lot of time on this already. I encourage you to combat that loss aversion as you look forward in the budget. Thank you for your time.

ShinneberryclerkOur next speaker is Carolyn Pitches.

Carolyn Pitchespublic commentGood evening. My name is Carolyn Pitches. I live at 10840 First Street. I'm here as chair of the city of Fairfax school board. I apologize. Some of this is going to be repetitive from last time I was here. I'm here to speak again about the tuition bill to provide clarity for the community. The school's tuition bill comes down to basic math. When operating costs go up and student enrollment increases, tuition costs rise, whether we contract with FCPS or we operate independently. Our tuition bill is increasing more than in past years for two main reasons. First, the cost of operating schools is up, but keep in mind operational costs are up in every school division. This is not just an FCPS issue, it's a regional reality.

Second, our student population is growing rapidly. In fact, while FCPS's overall enrollment is stagnant, our city's population is growing, which means we now make up a larger percentage of the total FCPS enrollment and therefore we pay a larger share of the overall costs and we have in the past we pay a reasonable per pupil tuition rate as I've previously stated it's slightly higher than Manassas Park Prince William and Loudon but it's lower than Alexandria City Falls Church City in Arlington and we're able to offer more programming and extracurricular options because of the scale of FCPS. In terms of student growth, the school board has cautioned about the impact of approving too many high density residential developments because of student yields.

Across FY25 and FY26, we are projected to add 161 new students. That alone accounts for $3.2 million in increased tuition. More students equals higher tuition. For example, we were told that Scout on the circle would yield very few students. We have 53. The point, we were told less than three students, we have 37. That's the equivalent of three and a half classrooms, a bus, an entire school bus. Boulevard 7, I'm sorry, Boulevard 6 has already yielded 12 students. and there will be more students coming from the newer developments like North Facts overlook pocket place and Park Road once they are complete we must recognize that the role of residential development has played in driving enrollment growth and therefore tuition costs the old assumptions no longer hold

true apartments condos and townhomes do yield students and the data is undeniable this increase in our tuition bill is not due to the mismanagement by the school board nor any erroneous charges by FCPS. It's the result of rising operational costs in all school systems and of increased enrollment. I urge us to refine our approach to residential development and prioritize diversifying our tax base. If the long-term vision is to mirror jurisdictions like Falls Church and operate our own schools is on the table, then we must build the commercial base to fund that vision.

ShinneberryclerkOur next speaker is Riley Brixis.

Riley Brixispublic commentHello, my name is Riley Brixis and I live at 3915 Maryland Avenue, Fairfax, Virginia. Thank you for letting me speak today. I'm here on behalf of the City of Fairfax Theater Company or CFTC to talk about why it's important to keep funding this program. I've been a part of the CFTC program for more than two years. CFTC is more than just a theater group. It's a place where kids like me can learn, grow, and have fun. Being part of CFTC has helped me become more confident. Now I can stand in front of you and speak, which is a big deal for me. Theater teaches us teamwork. We learn how to work together to put on a show. Everyone has a role, and we all depend on each other. This helps us make friends and learn how to communicate better.

These skills are important, not just on stage, but in school and life too. CFTC also brings our community together. Our shows give families and friends a chance to come together and enjoy a nice night out. It's a great way to meet new people and support local talent. Plus, it makes our own town a more exciting place to live in. means more kids can join and experience these benefits. It helps us get costumes, props, and everything we need to put on a great show. Without your support, some kids might not get the chance to be part of something so special. Thank you for listening to me today. I hope you see how important CFTC is to me and our community. Please continue to support and fully fund our program.

It means the world to us. And with this extra time that I have, I would like to say that I agree with not putting the 10% or whatever it was off of the fire department because I think that that's a very important thing to have in our community. Thank you.

ShinneberryclerkOur next speaker, Steve Latorett.

Steve LaDourettepublic commentHi, mayors and council members, my name is Steve LaDourette. I live at 3716 Richard Avenue. I have been living there since 2003. I am a former member of the Commission on the Arts. and I'm here to advocate for performing arts and specifically for the bands. I entered the Commission on the Arts in 2018, and before I went to my first meeting, I had a heart attack. And then I went to the meetings, and they were so supportive. And one of the people who's here, Jeff Seffins, the soon to be former director of the Main Street Band and it's a little too dramatic for me to say it saved my life but it really made a difference to my life and there's going to be lots of things that he's probably going to say and others might say about the value

of performing arts from an economic standpoint and all those things but the emotional side that I have this is a wonderful city and one of the reasons it's a wonderful city is that it supports the arts it would not have that kind of frisson of I don't know fun of depth of whatever it is and so I clearly didn't have any prepared remarks so it's a little rough but I just urge you to continue funding the performing arts to not think of it as something frivolous it's a rather small portion of the budget and it's not frivolous to make this a good place to live. And that's all I have to say. Thank you so much.

ShinneberryclerkOur next speaker is Lori Hubberman-Hayes.

Lori Hubberman-Hayespublic commentGood evening. My name is Lori Hubberman-Hayes, and I live on 10405 Stratford Avenue. Thank you for the opportunity to be here today to talk about something that's incredibly important to me and to so many others in our community, the arts. In a world where it's easy to focus on technology and industry, the arts often get pushed to the background. But I am here to tell you that the arts are not just a luxury, they are a vital and irreplaceable part of what makes our city and our lives so vibrant and meaningful. The arts are about so much more than just entertainment. They provide a platform for self-expression, foster creativity, and help shape the future of our children. They teach discipline, empathy, and teamwork, and they allow us to see the world through different perspectives.

The arts are a cornerstone of the community where relationships are built and where we can come together, celebrate, and share experiences. For over a decade now, the City of Fairfax Theatre Company has been doing just that, enriching our city through the power of the arts. Since its founding in 2009, the Theatre Company has not only provided outstanding performances, but it has also become a crucial part of our arts education landscape. Through its programs, it has given countless individuals the opportunity to engage with theatre, develop new skills, and become active participants in the creative process. most impactful ways the theater company has contributed to our community is through its commitment to arts education. Every year we offer scholarships to

children who might otherwise not have the financial means to attend camp. These scholarships ensure that kids, regardless of their background, have the chance to experience the transformative power of the arts, and I can personally attest to the difference it makes. My children have been deeply involved in arts education through the theater company, and I've watched them grow not only as performers, but also as young people with strong character, resilience, and compassion. The opportunities they've had to perform and learn alongside others have shaped them into who they are today, talented individuals with a strong sense of purpose and lifelong friendships. These experiences have also made a profound impact

on how they see the world and how they engage with others. Beyond individual growth, the arts have a powerful way of bringing people together. The City of Fairfax Theatre Company has fostered a thriving arts community in our city where relationships are built through shared experiences and where the entire city can come together to celebrate creativity and talent. When we support the arts, we are building more than just an audience for performances. We are building a stronger, more connected city. By funding the arts, we are investing in the heart of our community. The arts improve quality of life, they create lasting friendships, and they contribute to the vibrancy of our neighborhoods. So, thank you for your time today, and let's continue to support the arts in our city.

Imran Salikpublic commentThank you.

ShinneberryclerkOur next speaker is Ann Lahr.

Ann Lauerpublic commentAnn Lauer, Instructor at George Mason University, a former student there and a member of the board for the Fall for the Books, which has been a partner with Fairfax City for almost 30 years. As you may know, the city of Fairfax has been a one-third owner since 1998, and this collaboration has involved a $25,000 grant each year, 15% of our budget. It's a lifeline. It's not just funding for us. As so many other people have talked about it here, it's part of the art community that the council has been so good to support. It's just this is at a different level. There are huge economic benefits to hosting this particular fault for the books for the city writ large. economic studies that the 10,000 attendees who come every year generate between five

and seven times a return on the $25,000 that Fairfax City provides us. These benefits are seen in business for restaurants, hotels, shops, and the like. In addition, the cut that is being considered here would zero out the $25,000 amid rising And with potential national endowment for the arts cuts looming, this could end the festival and the year-round events like the author talks and youth literacy programs that we also support through Fall for the Books. I'd also like to mention that it would be 100% cuts in parks and rec while general revenue like street paving and things like that could absorb a cut like this with a lot less impact. It's not a nice to have for us. It's an essential ingredient for us to continue this festival.

But I think one of the things that's hard to capture and we can't put economic data to is the cultural importance. This festival has hosted authors like Stephen King, Amy Tan, Bonnie Garmus, who wrote Lessons in Chemistry. Some of the top writers in the country have come to this event. And if you'd been in the room last fall when we had Bonnie Garmus and 1,100 people listening to her every word, you would feel the joy that this created among all of us. And I think the main thing I want to say is that at a time of huge uncertainties in this world, there's nothing more important than the arts. Reading books has no downside risk. It's addictive in a positive sort of way. and this festival promotes it in a wonderful, joyful way.

So I hope as a new council you will take a harder look at this potential cut and reconsider it because we would greatly request it if you could restore that $25,000. It's so important to this program. Thank you.

ShinneberryclerkOur next speaker is Jeffrey Seffins.

Jeffrey Seffinspublic commentHi, good evening. My name's Jeffrey Seffins. I live at 1009 Cornwall Road. That's 1-0-0-0-9 Cornwall Road in Country Club Hills in Fairfax. First of all, I want to commend all of the previous speakers. They were amazing and had quality, quantitative things to say, and that little girl was amazing. I would hire her in a heartbeat. So I would like to just say a few words this evening in support of both the arts in general and the City of Fairfax Band Association. From 2008 until 2021, I had the honor and pleasure of serving on the City of Fairfax Commission on the Arts. I was a band person, but during my time on the commission, I came to understand and appreciate how important the arts are, all of the arts, in creating and sustaining a vibrant, welcoming,

and diverse community in which we live, and to making the City of Fairfax a destination for visitors to enjoy cultural activities, such as the upcoming Spotlight event. Pretty cool. The objectives for the cultural arts division of the Department of Recreation in the 2026 proposed budget reflects that same feeling when it says working in partnership with city businesses, local schools, performing groups, artists to cultivate a creative community that will benefit the many advantages and economic benefits that the arts can bring to all groups and levels of our community. community that's one of the things when I was on the Commission it was often referred to as bringing with the arts performances you have people coming in

for dinner before the performance or after you have this additional thing going on it really is a supporting of local businesses and what has been said recently about the other benefits in terms of the heat the spirit and what we with other people in the post recently they had a diagram of the world and the scale of happiness and the u.s is 24th behind the uk and the the arts do an awful lot to improve the quality of life whether it's reading playing an instrument singing whatever i do want to mention the city of fairfax band association is one of those arts organizations which has brought attention to the city of fairfax and has helped to make the city a destination both for the performing and visual

arts as well as fine dining starting as one band in 1968 the association now includes two adult bands a swing band a german band four ensembles one of which was playing in the in the lobby before we had started the meeting, a youth outreach program. And we also have an honor flight band, which performs both at Dulles and Reagan, welcoming World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam veterans to the nation's capital as part of the honor flight program. This is a national organization that transports American veterans to Washington, D.C. to honor and celebrate them for their service and sacrifice and selfishness, selfishness, selflessness, and enable them to see their memorial the city of band organization has a lot of things that

they do for the city and there's a wonderful relationship we value our relationship with city council thank you for all that you've done i know you've got tough decisions we hope you'll keep this in mind though as you as you begin to make those thank you very much i'm sorry i'm late Thank you.

ShinneberryclerkOur next speaker is Amanda Snellings.

Amanda Snellingspublic commentGood evening, Mayorita, members of the City Council. My name is Amanda Snellings. I am not a resident of the city, but I feel like I might as well be working at George Mason University and here tonight in my role as Artistic Director of the City of Fairfax Theatre Company. Thank you so much for the opportunity to speak tonight and for all of your past support. In 2024, your investment helped us accomplish incredible things. We produced five full-scale productions and one cabaret, including two premieres by local playwrights. 135 creative team members and 102 cast members came together to make this magic happen and brought in 3,631 audience members, helping to drive foot traffic and business to local restaurants, shops, and services.

Even when we're not performing for an audience, we are active throughout the year with in-person gatherings for rehearsals, meetings, tech days, and education programs, such as our camps, which ran over eight weeks, serving 237 young people, including a new adaptive camp serving kids with different needs, and producing two junior musicals with all things done by the kids. Importantly, we awarded $7,500 in camp scholarships to ensure every child, regardless of financial background, could participate, learn, and grow through theater. Our work stretched across three performance venues and five rehearsal spaces in the city, further activating those spaces and reinforcing how integrated the arts are in the fabric of Fairfax.

We donated 845 tickets to veterans, service members, and their families, and committed funds to providing American Sign Language interpretation, audio description, and a sensory-friendly show for at least one performance of every single production, keeping live performance accessible to all. We were honored with 20 Washington Area Theater Community Honors Award nominations and seven wins, recognizing excellence on stage and off, and putting Fairfax in the spotlight among similar organizations across the entire D.C., Maryland, Virginia region. CFTC is more than a theater company. It's a driver of quality of life, youth development, and economic vitality, but we are an all-volunteer organization.

We do not have a development director or any sort of full-time arts manager to go out and secure those big-time donations. We could not do the work that we do without the support of the city and especially the wonderful Parks and Recreation staff. We are deeply thankful for the city's commitment to the arts and we urge you to continue supporting not only our work but also the city band, Fall for the Book, Spotlight and the Arts, and all those cultural programs that make this city so vibrant. Thank you for believing in the power of the arts and for believing in the people who make them possible. We're proud to be part of what makes Fairfax such a special place to live, work, create and visit.

Thank you.

ShinneberryclerkOur next speaker is Nicholas Persini.

Nicholas Persinipublic commentGood evening, Mayor and Council. My name is Nicholas Persini. My pronouns are they, them, and I live at 10627 Ashby Place. I'm a member of the Commission on the Arts of Fairfax City, and I serve as the chair performance committee. The commission was notified in our last meeting that the parks and recs included cutting our budget as part of their proposed cuts. Given that, I just wanted to provide my perspective as a commissioner. The City of Fairfax Commissioning on the Arts receives an annual grant of $40,000 or .02% of the city budget. This $40,000 allows the commission to not only support programming directly to our city residents, but also supports local artists to further their programming to city residents.

Half of our grant goes toward the Commission on the Arts Grant Program, where we give grants to organizations providing arts events and services to city residents. Some of our past recipients include Fairfax Art League, Fairfax Ballet, Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, FX Players, Jazz for Justice, and many more. The other half of the grant we receive goes toward programming the Bonita Lastina Old Town Hall performance series, Funday Monday, Arts Screen, Arts Walk, and so, so much more. Our programming also brings revenue to local businesses. Attendings at cultural arts events in the city spent an average of $22.61 as part of their arts outing. That puts money directly into the city of Fairfax economy. That is a really huge return on investment for 0.02% of the city's

budget. On a more personal note, the arts have always been my safe haven as a disabled, transgender, non-binary person. And as a 16-year veteran of music education classroom, I can personally attest that a thriving art scene is a way to give space to everyone and celebrate all the unique identities that we hold. My service on the commission helps me provide that space to others. And our commission is a very dynamic intergenerational group of passionate people that work hard to provide high quality arts programming for our city. Mayor Reed and Council, I thank you for your support, your past and continued support of the arts and the positive impact that they have on our life in the city. Thank you.

ShinneberryclerkOur next speaker is Alice Magelson-Green.

Alice Magelson-Greenpublic commentHello. My name is Alice Magelson-Green. I'm not a resident of the city, but I am here on behalf whom which I work with. For those of you who don't know, Fall for the Book is a local nonprofit serving the community of the city of Fairfax among others. We've been around since 1997. It really was a partnership born from the city of Fairfax, George Mason University, and the Fairfax County Public Library. Happy Library Week. Thank you so much for that. And it was founded so that we could help readers connect to the writers that they love. Our goal every year is to find a book for every reader, and a lot of the work that we end up doing is bringing our community together. We've brought some really big-name writers who our residents have been able to go and see right here at the Sherwood Center,

fighting out for parking spaces in that parking lot, along with people playing games in Van Dyke Park. They've gone to Mason's Campus to see Stephen King, and they've done this for free. generally book festivals and local book festivals are supported often times their entire budget by local cities we're very lucky in that through this partnership that has built this independent non-profit that the city of Fairfax gets this and gets year round literary programming for $25,000 a year and the generous use of your spaces and again the big name writers like Diana Gabaldon, Rainbow Rowell Angelina Johnson these get a lot of attention but these events, they bring people together to talk about everything from soccer to addiction recovery

to bringing a local elementary strings teacher who wrote a best-selling mystery novel about the theft of a violin and you had former students of his in the audience cheering him on. So that's what Fall for the Book brings to you. Again, the $25,000 is a huge amount for us. We're a very small organization. it's less than .1% of the city's budget. I think probably one of the recurring themes you're hearing from all of my fellow colleagues in the arts is that we're doing a lot for very little. We really thank you for your support. None of this would be possible without the support of the city. And again, I think times are gonna be quite challenging in the next couple of years. Having the arts as a free opportunity

or a low cost opportunity for your residents really incredibly valuable and at the same time they are a driver of the economy. Thank you so much for your support and I hope that we will see some of you at some of our upcoming book events.

ShinneberryclerkOur next speaker is Jennifer Rose.

Jennifer Rosepublic commentGood evening, Mayor and members of City Council. Jennifer Rose representing the Central Fairfax Chamber of Commerce located at 103.04 Eaton Place. I'm here tonight to share the perspective of our Chamber members and the broader business community who are vital to Fairfax City's economic and cultural fabric. You received a more detailed statement earlier today, but I wanted to take this opportunity to reiterate our position. Raising the real estate tax rate alongside rising property assessments increases costs for both property owners and tenants. Some property owners have reported real estate tax assessments that have increased by as much as 150%, which directly impacts businesses of all sizes.

Many businesses operate on paper-thin margins. These increases limit their ability to reinvest, hire employees, or even remain in the Fairfax City long term. Because many of them are not residents and have no vote, they could easily vote with their feet by leaving the city or not coming to the city at all. percent meals tax increase disproportionately burdens local restaurants and food service businesses still recovering from pandemic-related challenges and our current economic challenges. This tax affects not just dining out, but also prepared foods purchased by busy families, making it a significant financial burden compared to neighboring areas that do not impose such a tax yet. The six percent increase for wastewater treatment and stormwater

utility fees continue an unsustainable trend, on property owners and businesses alike. In fact, the stormwater utility will have increased 19% since its 2022 introduction if the proposed rate is approved. As for the impact on economic development, these tax and fee increases send a negative message to potential businesses and undermine efforts to retain existing ones. They conflict with the city's stated priority of fostering economic development and improving its reputation as a business-friendly community. all doom and gloom from the chamber, we are supportive of several items that were included in the proposed budget, including funds allocated for transportation improvements, merit increases

for police and fire personnel, and dedicating part of the real estate tax to affordable housing. Because chambers are problem solvers, we wanted to make the following recommendation for balancing priorities. Provide targeted relief programs for businesses to ease their financial burden to include expanding economic development initiatives such as the LIFT and FIG programs, as well and capacity building programs to support business retention and growth. Continue the funding and support for events and programs such as Rock the Block, the Independence Day evening show, Spotlight on the Arts, Festival of the Book, Chocolate Lovers Festival, Asian Festival on Main Street, and the Fall Festival. These events and activities draw thousands of visitors to Fairfax City,

benefiting local businesses through increased foot traffic, hotel stays, and local spending. In closing, Fairfax City small businesses are resilient and deeply committed to this community, but need your support to thrive amid rising costs. While we understand the need for responsible budgeting, we urge you to consider adjustments that balance fiscal responsibility with policies that foster long-term economic growth and preserve as well as improve our reputation as a business-friendly city. Thank you for your time and consideration of these perspectives tonight.

ShinneberryclerkOur next speaker is Imran Salik.

Imran Salikpublic commentGood evening, Mayor, Council members, and city staff. My name is Imran Salik and I am proud to stand before you as the President of the City of paramedics IFF local 2702. I appreciate the opportunity to speak tonight on behalf of the men and women who serve this community every single day. We understand that budgeting is never easy. Balancing the needs of a growing city with financial realities requires tough choices. But I'm here to remind you that public safety is not a luxury. It's a fundamental responsibility to its residents. And it depends heavily on two key things, proper staffing and strong infrastructure. Proper staffing is not just about efficiency. It's about safety. It ensures our firefighters can operate under safe conditions

with the right number of personnel to handle emergencies effectively. When we're understaffed, we face greater risks on the fire ground and during medical calls. That compromises not only firefighter safety, but also the level of care and protection we can provide to our citizens. Reduced staffing leads to reduced service, times, fewer available units, and ultimately a community that isn't as well protected as it should be. Just as critical are our capital improvement projects. Our current ladder truck is outdated, becoming increasingly unreliable, thus more and more expensive to maintain. A new truck is vital to protecting our growing city, especially with the vertical development we're seeing. And our fire station. While it has served us well over the years, it is no longer suited to

meet the demands of our modern fire service. It lacks the space, design, and infrastructure necessary to support current operations and ensure the health and safety of our personnel. Delaying these capital improvement projects only increases costs and compounds the risks. The longer we wait, the more expensive these investments become, whether through rising construction costs, increased maintenance of our aging equipment, or the operational strain placed on our firefighters. Every year we postpone these upgrades, we lose valuable time that could be spent improving service delivery and safety for both our crews and our citizens. Investing in a new, properly equipped station is not just about upgrading a building. It's about creating a safe, efficient, and sustainable environment

to serve the community for decades to come. The fire department's proposals are not just numbers on paper. There are carefully considered plans based on operational needs, current challenges, and the future of our department. So with that, we're not just asking for support. We're asking for a commitment to the safety and well-being of every resident, every business, and every visitor in the city of Fairfax. And we urge you to not only consider what's in the best interest of the citizens, but also what's in the best interest of the dedicated employees who serve them every day. Thank you for your time, your attention, and your ongoing commitment to our great city.

ShinneberryclerkAll right, is there anybody else in the room that would like to speak on the proposed budget? Yep,

Leslie Hatchpublic commentyou can

Shinneberryclerkcome forward. And then if there's a line, start by the window and bring you one by one. And we just ask that you state your name and street address and your comment. Val Morgan,

Val Morganpublic comment3617 Cornell Road. I was going to speak on trees, but you could save a lot of money to put for our band. I'm in one of the bands. I'm not a very good one. Richard is, and our director, Jeff, is great. I have talked to many people who see how we really needed to repave this street. I think we could save money by not paving the street so often. We could save money by this project out here that I think we spent $650,000 on. Could have been not done at all because we don't have anybody to maintain it. And I know there were way too many plants in it, but nobody studied that but me. I also know that Board of Architectural Review, besides approving that, approved those stupid brick pillars over behind the police station

and decided one needed to be in the park. those weren't necessary for anything. They just thought they'd be cute decorative items. So we're putting money into stupid stuff. And like one more thing, we're killing our trees. We're supposed to be a tree city. If you ever look out in the woods and see a tree doing this and getting mulch up to its armpits, you don't. Do you ever see a tree hiring somebody to get some kind of trimming device to go cut through its roots? it but we do it here it's like why are we trying to kill our trees and then they decided to lift the limbs up on seven trees over by the police station i don't think they needed all their limbs lifted up we need somebody to pay attention when we are deciding to do a project i don't know who

decided this project out here the board of architectural review had no idea about the plants that were there and I did and I said this is way too many and you're stuffing them all together nobody has a clue nobody will be able to maintain it because they don't know how to maintain anything now I've watched it for years we could save a lot of money if we just got a few people with common sense to look at some of this stuff we could save a lot of money and I know we don't need to pave these streets every time we turn around because, like, where's the boo-boo? Like, just a lot more thoughtful stuff. And please put that George Snyder Trail thing in the trash can. And the picket trail, there's a sidewalk right there, for God's sakes.

Find some common sense somewhere. I know it's a flower that doesn't grow in everybody's garden, Thanks.

ShinneberryclerkNext speaker can come forward.

Rory Burgesspublic commentMadam Mayor, distinguished council members and wonderful staff. My name is Rory Burgess. I live in the city at 9803 Sherring Court. I'm here representing in case it's too small to read the City Fairfax Band Association. As you've heard, the City Fairfax Band started back in the late 60s. And in my 34 years in the band playing French horn, I've been honored to serve as president and vice president and treasurer at various times. Also served seven years on the City Fairfax Commission on the Arts as treasurer. So it's been through your support and governance and, you know, just the exciting programming we've been able to put on years and years that we've become one of the most admired bands in the country.

One of my jobs when I was working on the search committee for our new director within the was to find another band organization that operated, had the breadth and depth of your city Fairfax band, and there were zero out of close to 700 members of the association of concert bands. No one does it better, and that comes largely because of all the support we get from you and other wonderful folks. Nationally, we're known as part of the organization That's been about 13 years. I've been doing that. Dulles Airport, Reagan National Airport, people come out and volunteer. We take Fairfax, the city of Fairfax, and its musicianship and culture to a number of ACB, Association of Concert Bands, conventions, and spread that word around.

Now, we, also, some of you may or may not remember that we went to Normandy for the June D-Day celebrations back in 2017. So we took Fairfax and the nation over to Europe. Now, because of your generosity, the city's generosity, we're able to offer people, students, 25 and under free into our concerts. We're able to take our groups to form with local schools, side by sides, so on. We have 165 volunteers on a regular basis in the city Fairfax Band Association, and they give back to the community and to the city. And I just want to say that the council needs to know that our group loves the city. We want to continue supporting the city with a wholesome family-friendly entertainment of which the residents can be proud.

Thanks for your support and music for life.

ShinneberryclerkNext speaker can come forward.

Leslie Hatchpublic commentGood evening. I'm Leslie Hatch. I live at 3812 Hemlock Way. And I just wanted to say thank you for all that you're doing, particularly on this issue. I realize that it's very difficult. And while I was surprised when I got the letter that said what my taxes might be, I just wanted you to know that my second thought was I get my money's worth. I really appreciate all of the services that are in the city. It's a wonderful place to live. I have access to so many different things, more things than the people here have talked about tonight. And it just, it, I just wanted to express how appreciative I am of all of that and that when I talk to city employees I always get excellent service. It's never been anything less than that. So I

realize it's a very hard job you have in front of you and I appreciate everything you're doing.

ShinneberryclerkNext speaker can come forward.

David Gellerpublic commentYes, hello. I'm David Geller at 10305 Darby Street. It was just incredible to hear everybody today. We're talking about the arts, we're talking about books, we're talking about the fire department and I understand there's some very difficult decisions that have to be made. Very difficult. I mean I'm an artist, I mean a musician, I've been to a lot of the concerts, I love Fall for the Book. I mean luckily I haven't really needed the fire department but I'm really glad they're there. But what I'm really asking and it's probably common sense and I'm sure you're all doing it now is to look at the budget really carefully. You are so I'm really just saying what I feel. It's probably not going to help.

But line by line to see what is necessary, what might be necessary, what is nice to have and what might really be a luxury. Because we're just not in normal times. I think everybody would realize that. The financial situation of everybody is really up in the air. I mean, who knows what's going to, you know, when you read the paper tomorrow morning, what's going to be on the agenda. So that's what I'm asking. Carefully look at every line item to see where and what you can cut. And I know it's going to be hard and I don't envy your job. I really don't. I know how difficult it's going to be. But the tax increases on top of everything else are just not anything anybody is really going to want. So I appreciate

I appreciate you're listening. Thank you.

ShinneberryclerkThe next speaker can come forward.

Roxanne Morgan Rowleypublic commentHi, Council Members and Mayor. Thank you for letting me speak. I'm Roxanne Morgan Rowley. I'm at 10118 Cavalry Drive here in Fairfax City. I've been a resident of Fairfax City for 20 years. I married and bought my first home here. I'm raising two kids here and I've grown my career and my artwork. I am a dancer and a choreographer and I have a very small dance company here in Fairfax City. I felt very welcomed by Fairfax City Parks and Rec and Megan Dubois and Christine Vincent of the Cultural Arts Development Division here. I have served also as a member of the Commission for Women for Fairfax City and I love watching the programs there grow. I'm also very, I have love for the social standings in the city, watching the village grow and the Women of Influence Award.

I was sort of on the base of that, which was fun. That aside, so I was fortunate to find a home here to nurture my dance company and even connect through other artists. Megan Dubois has been wonderful at helping me connect where to rehearse, where to have my home, where to make work. where to have performances even through COVID the Commission on the Arts funded programming for me to do performances outside for the city residents which was wonderful I'm just advocating of course for the arts like everyone else seems to be here which is wonderful but we're such a small part and the grants that the Commission gives out are very small and that's part of the maybe part of the siphoning off that might happen and I don't want that to happen because that's

like my livelihood here so anyway please give that some thought I am not used to talking in front of people I am used to dancing in front of people so I apologize I'm so nervous anyway please consider that thank you so much

Shinneberryclerkis there anybody else in the room that would like to speak on the proposed budget

Catherine ReadI guess we'll move on to general public comment

Shinneberryclerkneed you to close the public hearing first

Catherine Readall right I will now close the public hearing process on the proposed FY 26 budget the budget adoption will be on May 6 2025 beginning at 7 p.m.

Shinneberryclerknow we can go to general public comment okay I'm gonna call the speakers who signed up by 7 o'clock p.m. tonight and then whoever else in the room can come up after so we'll start with Philip LaTassa.

Philip LaTassapublic commentMayor and Council I speak tonight representing the Friends of Akatink Creek. What an exhausting hike we have all been taking together debating the George Snyder Trail as we decide whether and how its vision can lead to a better future for this city. The Friends of Akatink Creek say we can find that better future on the many miles of existing pavement we already maintain. Our forests cannot be improved by pavement but our pavement can be greatly improved by enhanced pedestrian and bicycle safety and by finding room for a bit more greenery alongside our finite forests cannot fulfill the infinite demands we might make of them the same reasoning also applies to plans for the picket road connector trail now made even more redundant by the new route 50 shared use path in

the county thank you

Shinneberryclerkall right our next speaker Shelly Vance

Shelly Vancepublic commenthi I'm Shelly Vance I live at 3220 Cambridge Court in Cambridge station I am speaking this evening to again ask the City Council to vote to stop the George Snyder trail in its current design if the city and V dot must move Nectar Bike Trail, please create an alternative that preserves the woodlands between Eaton Place and the Mosby Woods neighborhood and overall preserves our wetlands and wildlife habitat. These would be admirable goals, even if they were the only benefits from a different trail footprint. But a different footprint located on Eaton Place itself would enable cyclists to access businesses at Point 50, where Andy's Pizza and Amazon Fresh are, and to access University Drive and from that, Old Town Fairfax. Placed on Fairfax Boulevard, the trail would provide access to

Fairfax Marketplace and other businesses as it moves east to Draper Drive. Two birds with one stone, preserving our natural wealth and providing access to our business offerings, neither of which is a feature of the current design. It's a win-win outcome. Thank you. Our next

Shinneberryclerkspeaker is Tom Blackburn.

Tom Blackburnpublic commentThank you. I'm a resident of McLean, Virginia, not of Fairfax City. I am speaking tonight on behalf of the 5000 member Northern Virginia Bird Alliance which is a chapter of the National Audubon Society. We do more than watch birds, we have a very active environmental practice. This is the fourth time I've spoken to this council about the George Snyder Trail and I'd like to ask again tonight that the council make the decision to move the western portion of that trail out of the forest and onto the roads and cancel the eastern portion. I'm not an NIMBY and I said I don't live in the county. I didn't even in the city. I didn't even know there was a forest in Fairfax City until I heard about this trail.

But I'm here because this trail as proposed now will do irreparable damage to the environment. More than 900 feet of that trail will be on boardwalks or on bridges. A significant portion of that construction, as well as other on-ground construction, especially in the western portion of the trail, will be within resource protection areas. The fact that a significant portion of the trail is on a resource protection area should have been enough to stop the planning at the very earliest stages of this trail. There's a March 10 memorandum for the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services to the county's Department of Transportation that makes this very clear. They've been looking at RPA issues and trail issues for 30 years.

That memorandum states that hard surface trails should be constructed through RPAs only as a last resort. that means you don't construct the trail through an RPA if there's any other alternative the memo points out that the trails through RPAs degrade the environment with significant impacts to the wetland communities or a vector for invasive species they exacerbate erosion alter the floodplain its function which is to protect the water quality reduce stormwater runoff and reduce erosion. There's 4,120 feet of the trail. We'll be either above ground or below ground. You've heard me speak or read what I've written about the impact of that with slopes as high as 10 feet above grade, excavation 7 feet below grade. We can do better than this.

If there is an obvious alternative and that is to move it off the woods and onto the road on the western side and cancel the eastern portion of the trail and that is the role the role that I think makes by far the best sense thank you

Shinneberryclerkour next speakers Mariana Forney

Mariana Fournierpublic commentI kind of had to rush to get over here. I'm Mariana Fournier, Spring Lake Terrace, Fairfax, Virginia. You know me. Okay. I was very excited about Tom's suggested way of dealing with Vidoff. What I would suggest is all of you write your suggestions as to how it should be done right. forward it to Tom and you work with VDOT on their suggestions. Okay. Excuse me. I am getting old. I was really shocked that you didn't kill the connector trail. I thought you all realized what a mess that is. It is a matter of justice denied. It came about during COVID, and it was just sort of slid across without the necessary public meeting. It was poorly advertised, a minimum of engagement with the citizens. now I will look up my records

and I will send you all my speech to the council where I list all the things going against it but the fact if you haven't figured it out by now I love procedure, I like rules and I love going by the book and this one was sloppy No wonder many of us are incensed. I hate to tell you this, but for too long, former councils thought they knew best, and they treated Fairfax City as their own little fiefdom. I'm very happy to look and see smiling faces, as opposed to looking at what was like the judges of the Salem Witch Trial. Now, if there's anything I can do to help, you know I'm always here. But, no, the Country Club kills connector. Mm-mm, mm-mm, mm-mm. I really expect you to think, we don't need all these projects.

let's get rid of one that people really hate. Thank you, have a good evening.

ShinneberryclerkOur next speaker is Val Morgan.

Val Morganpublic comment3617 Cornell Road. Of course I'm here because a lot of us love trees because we breed. and there are a lot of birds there and there are insects we can't even see that live there and we haven't figured out yet most of us or a lot of us that we're part of nature and when we kill it off bit by bit we're killing ourselves off bit by bit and at some point it's going to be too late and we're all done and I have grandkids and I really don't want to see us do all this stupid stuff. When there's a street right over there, you don't put a street through the woods. You use the street. That's why it's there. It seems obvious. And we ought to have the trees in the city look, have somebody run out and see what the trees in the woods look like.

The trees in the city should not have mulch. It's terrible for the trees. and having the guys take a trimmer like they use along the sidewalk of grass with a metal blade this deep, cut through roots this big, like the oak trees right in front of the police station. Why are we killing our trees? They're going to try very hard. It's hard to really kill them quickly unless you just cut them down, but we're spending a lot of money to try and kill trees. so we're going to have to be instead of tree city we're going to have to add tree killers USA because we're doing dumb stuff we don't need the guys I mean if that's what their job is then we don't need them so there's somebody we can get rid of it's the guys that are going around

outside of the mulch taking out tree roots I mean that's dumb and piling mulch up to kill the trees is also dumb If you've ever watched the news and there's some news person standing at the White House and you see the trees in the background, there is no volcano mulch. If you go to Fredericksburg, no volcano mulch. I hear Charlottesville is the same. And most of the rest of the country doesn't do this either. And we also could just ditch these trails and save money. And I'm sure we could save money by not paving all the streets every time you turn around. and yay for getting the saving our bands they're really important I mean I'm in the Main Street band they let me play the bass drum so I'm not very good but

our director who spoke Jeff and Richard who also spoke are great musicians and the gentleman that were all playing the brass group out there they're super it and your soul to attend these things so we need to keep these things up and we save a lot of money by not buying all that mulch to kill the trees and take away those toys that are killing trees

Shinneberryclerkis there anybody else in the room that would like to speak on their general public comment okay we'll ask that you line up by the windows

Judy Fraserpublic commentHi, good evening. My name is Judy Fraser, 3514 Spring Lake Terrace. Good evening, Mayor and Council members. I don't know who suggested cutting all these wonderful programs, but it's been at least wonderful to meet, in a way, all these lovely people in our community who do so much to make this a very special place. So I know you won't cut their programs. I feel very certain of that. about the wonderful work that they are doing. Your efforts as well to find a better path forward for the GST has been noted and appreciated. The Woods themselves have received reprieve, if only temporary tonight. This is because you all, VDOT staff, our staff and the community work together. We have started that process, we need to keep going.

I would like especially to make a call out to VDOT because they are an organization the center of controversy in the middle of opposing forces and angry voices. More roads versus protecting open space, for example. One of the more surprising revelations of this experience has been that, in fact, they were coming up with compromises that they would have liked us to consider years ago, but we didn't hear about them. And this is a reminder that our government employees generally know their job is to serve the community. In fact, if VDOT had been listened to those years ago, your 98 days here probably would not have had anything, no time spent on the George Snyder Trail. What a timeline that would have been.

Well, you might have gone to a ribbon cutting. But we know there is work to do, and certainly some unknowns, and many of us have committed to helping engage the community going forward to find that better path. So thank you for your unanimity tonight. I think that was a great show of working together. And I am sure that staff will provide you the support that you've requested to find that path. Thank you.

ShinneberryclerkOur next speaker can come forward.

Susan Kylerpublic commentWell, my name is Susan Kyler. I live in Cambridge Station. and I want to echo a lot of Judy's and others' remarks. I want to thank you for meeting with VDOT about the George Snyder Trail and for VDOT's willingness to consider alternatives for the western portion of the trail. As Judy noted, they suggested this a couple years ago, that the city build the western portion until the city could figure out how to address public concerns about the eastern portion. A few citizens have already developed a concept alternative for the western portion of the GST that goes from Chainbridge Road along Eaton Place and Fairfax Boulevard to Fairwoods Parkway. The alternative moves the GST from the wetlands behind the Willowwood office buildings to the sidewalks on Eaton Place and Fairfax Boulevard.

One of our married men, Judy actually, was so encouraged by the opportunity that VDOP had granted us that she highlighted a city map to show where the GST grant money could be used to fill in the gaps between other existing, approved, and proposed bikeway segments, which do not use GST funds, to form a continuous bikeway from I-66 to Fairwoods Parkway. Some of the alternative benefits are it makes Fairfax Boulevard Eaton Place and key intersections safer for pedestrians and cyclists, something the city plans to do anyway, and in some places is already doing. Two, it brings people from neighborhoods such as Cobdale, the Assembly, and Northvac safely across Route 123 to the businesses on Fairfax Boulevard.

It provides access to Old Town on University Drive. It preserves the woodland buffer that protects the Moseley Woods neighborhood, and last but not least, it preserves our wetlands and wildlife habitats. to pass the resolution to pause the George Diner Trail, bid advertisement to allow the Transportation Division, the Council, and concerned citizens to develop a concept alternative for the western portion of the George Diner Trail. This resolution will enable the city to take advantage of the opportunity VDOT has afforded us to direct the Transportation Division to work with Council, especially Council Member Peterson, whom VDOT specifically mentioned in a meeting two weeks ago, alternative and public outreach program for the western portion of the GST.

As another little thought, there are also alternatives for connecting to the Wilcoxon trails as funds permit, such as extending the bikeway along Fairfax Boulevard, the western portion, or by using Cardinal Road through Draper Drive Park to Beach Drive to Fairfax Boulevard, not by tearing up people's front yards and sidewalks as some have asserted, but by painting bicycle icons on the rows and making the Draper Fairfax Boulevard intersection safer. I thank you so much for the resolution you have before you tonight, and I know that many of us want to work together to develop a good public outreach program for this. Thank you.

ShinneberryclerkOur next speaker can come forward.

Katie Johnsonpublic commentHi, I'm Katie Johnson. I'm at 10132 Spring Lake Terrace. I want to say, much like the arts, I'm touched by what you guys were talking about, but I want to offer spending time in nature offers numerous benefits for both physical and mental health. Stress reduction, improved mood, enhanced cognitive function, increased creativity, lower blood pressure, improved immune function, reduced risk of chronic disease, increased physical activity. I'd like to say that the connection with nature, nature for nature's sake, not nature for our benefit, but nature for nature's sake. I'd also like to read, my daughter had much, very timely, one of her questions on her homework tonight. I flipped it open. It's a practice test.

It says, every year, more than 300,000 acres of wetlands are drained for building purposes. Three-quarters of all North American waterfowl breed in wetlands. Imagine that at a local town meeting, there is a proposal to permit developers, that's the city of Fairfax, to use a substantial amount of wetland around your area. As an informed citizen, you need to take a stand on this issue. My daughter's 12, and they're asking her to make these decisions. I'm asking tonight, I'm stating our forest and wetlands cannot handle an additional 600 mature trees lost. Our wetlands and our forest cannot handle an additional 7 to 8 acres of disturbance. please take advantage of the opportunity provided by VDOT to realign the George

Snyder trail to preserve our remaining woodlands wetlands and all the life they support including ours is

Shinneberryclerkthere anybody else in the room that would like to speak on their general public comment okay we can move to the consent agenda

Catherine ReadIs there a motion to approve the consent agenda? Council Member Hardy-Chandler.

Stacey Hardy-ChandlerI move adoption of a consent agenda for agenda item number 7A, consideration of the March 18, 2025 special meeting minutes. Agenda item number 7B, consideration of appointments to boards and commissions. Agenda item number 7C, introduction of an ordinance amending the re-adopting, of the re-adopting amending and re-adopting chapter 90 article 2 division 1 section 90-33 of the code of the city of fairfax virginia pertaining to classification and taxation of certain real property in the city of fairfax used for zoned for used used for zoned for commercial and industrial purposes and to establish a separate tax rate on such real property effective as of January 1, 2025, revenue from which would be used exclusively for the transportation purposes

that benefit the City of Fairfax. Agenda Item 7D, Introduction of an Ordinance Amending Chapter 102, Article 2, Section 102-31 of the Code of the City of Fairfax, Virginia, to increase the wastewater utility rate by 6% for FY26. agenda item number 7e introduction of an ordinance amending chapter 102 article 5 section 102-203 of the code of the city of fairfax virginia to set the rate for stormwater utility service furnished by the city at six percent billing unit bu agenda item number 7f introduction of an ordinance amending chapter 90 taxation article 6 tax on meals section 90-2 6-2 of the code of the city of fairfax pertaining to the levy and amount of tax on meals I move to approve the consent agenda items number 7a through

f and the motion accompanying the consent agenda as item as printed

Catherine Readthe motion has been made by councilmember Hardy Chandler is there a second

Stacy Hallmayor member Hall I'd like to pull out item 7d 7e and 7f and vote on them independently we generally do that when we have a second so my apologies would you like

Catherine Readto second would you like to second the motion

Stacy Hallokay

Catherine Readso a motion's been made by councilmember Hardy Chandler and seconded by councilmember Hall are there any items council would like pulled for additional discussion councilmember Hall

Stacy Hallyes I would like to pull out item 7d 7e and 7f independently.

Catherine ReadAny other items from any other members of the dais? Okay. So items 7D, 7E, and 7F will be removed for discussion. Roll call vote on the consent agenda minus agenda items 7D, 7E, and 7F.

ShinneberryclerkCouncil Member McQuillan? Aye. Council Member Bates?

Billy BatesAye.

ShinneberryclerkCouncil Member Peterson?

Billy BatesAye.

ShinneberryclerkCouncil Member Hardy-Chandler? Aye. Council Member Aye. Councilmember Amos? Aye. Motion passed unanimously for 7A through C. So 7D is the introduction of an ordinance amending chapter 102, article 2, section 102-31 of the Code of the City of Fairfax, Virginia to increase the wastewater utility rate by 6% per FY26. I'll recognize JC Martinez, Chief Financial Officer.

JC MartinezstaffGood evening, Mayor and Council. In conjunction with the City's financial advisors and consulting engineers, a wastewater utility multi-year financial and capital planning analysis had been developed. The primary goal of the analysis was to create a comprehensive cash flow planning model to take into account existing and projected operating and capital needs while minimizing rate increases for existing customers. Based on the analysis, staff recommends a INCREASE OF 6% IN THE CITY'S WASTEDWATER UTILITY, THE CITY RAISED RATES OF 10% IN 2014 THROUGH FY 2020, 8% IN FY 2021, AND 6% FROM FY 2022 TO FY 2025. INCREASED RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL WASTEDWATER USER RATES ARE REQUIRED TO FUND THE CITY'S

INCREASING COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE AGING INFRASTRUCTURE WITHIN THE CITY AND TO COVER with the operation of and the capital improvements at the Nomen coal M wastewater treatment plant also known as the plant the city contracted for 6.2 7 percent capacity in the plant which is owned and operated by Fairfax County major plant upgrades are necessary necessitated by stringent federal regulations designed to improve wastewater treatment and quality the critical plant construction and renovation projects needed to replace the and improve aging infrastructure the proposed 6% rate increase would impact user fees as follows one residential consumers for the first 5,000 gallons or less per quarter increase up to $68.35 per 1,000 gallons for all water in

excess of 5,000 gallons it would be $13.07 commercial consumers for the 5,000 gallons or less it would be $80.42 per 1,000 gallons of water in excess of 5,000 gallons it would be $13.07 apartment buildings would be billed at a minimum wastewater rate of 53.31 per dwelling per month happy to answer any questions that you may have

Stacy Hallcouncilmember Hall do you have questions no questions just want to vote on them separately okay

Catherine Readcouncilmember McQuillan

Rachel McQuillenCould you go into a little more detail on what the analysis composed of? You said it was based on an analysis. I'm just curious what factors were included aside from the county's increase of and federal regulations.

JC MartinezstaffSure. So the largest part of the analysis has to do with capital improvements to the plant. We did have a discussion with them some years back, them being Fairfax Water, specifically at the plant. some capital upgrades that were required i think we are in year three of year five of that plan of significant capital contributions i think this year we're at either eight or nine million dollars trying to trail that down for the next two years about seven or eight million dollars for the next two years as well and then after that we should have a my words breather before other capital improvements will probably have to happen within that plant as well but that is the main driver of the cost is the capital infrastructure within that that specific

site

Thomas Petersoncouncilmember

Catherine ReadPeterson

Thomas Petersonthank you those investments for improvements were they planned and expected

JC Martinezstaffyes they are planning expected as I mentioned I think we are in year three of five we did have a discussion with Fairfax waters specifically on the plant capital improvements right before I showed up and that was the plan going forward that these were the capital improvements that were required. They had discussions with us and we sort of agreed to that plan of capital improvements within that area.

Thomas PetersonAnd are these attributable, the need for this, is this attributable solely to aging or is it use related? In other words, is this driven by the number of users, and is that causing the need for investment? Are we seeing an impact because of increased use, and that's what's driving this?

JC MartinezstaffSo it's my understanding in discussions with Fairfax Water that this is just aged infrastructure. This infrastructure has been in there for 20 or 30 years, if not longer. It just is routine maintenance. Our capacity has slowly been increasing as a city, yet we still have some capacity there. Again, it is mostly based on my understanding and discussions with them on just replacing aging infrastructure.

Catherine ReadThank you. Any? Councilmember Hardy-Chandler.

Stacey Hardy-ChandlerAnd just for clarification, those rates that you gave for X number of gallons, that was by quarter, correct? Correct.

Catherine ReadCouncil member Bates.

Billy BatesJust to clarify, we're just voting on the introduction, right, and we can amend the ordinances when we vote on them to, say, amend the tax rate or what have you?

JC MartinezstaffThat's correct. Correct. Okay, thanks. This is just a procedural introduction.

Billy BatesYeah. Okay.

JC MartinezstaffCouncil

Catherine Readmember

JC MartinezstaffAmos.

Anthony AmosI guess to just briefly build on that just for logistical understanding. voting to advertise the public hearing and then we would make a decision on it if we were not to approve it tonight, what would that mean? Just nothing happens?

Brian Lubkemanstaffby voiceI'm not sure I understand your question. I mean, obviously the ordinance won't be introduced or advertised or any public hearing conducted if you don't vote to introduce the ordinance.

Catherine ReadAnything else from the dais? before we take a vote okay seeing none a roll call vote

Shinneberryclerkcouncilmember Amos

Brian Lubkemanstaffby voiceI'm sorry we need a motion to someone needs to read the motion on item D because they were okay

Catherine Readis there a motion for item D councilmember Hardy- Chandler

Stacey Hardy-ChandlerI move for adoption of consent agenda item 7d introduction of an ordinance amending chapter 102 article 2 section 102-31 of the code of the city of Fairfax, Virginia to increase the wastewater utility rate by 6% for FY26. Is

Brian Lubkemanstaffby voicethere a motion attached to the actual agenda item and it's a little different than what you read. I'm sorry. If you could pull that up. And actually the CFO may be handing you the motion.

Stacey Hardy-Chandleri move to introduce an ordinance amending chapter 102 article to section 102-31b of the code of the city of fairfax virginia to increase the rates for wastewater service by six percent i further move to waive the first reading and set the public hearing for april 22nd 2025

Catherine ReadIs there a second? Second. Okay. A motion has been made by Council Member Hardy-Chandler and seconded by Council Member Amos. Is there any additional discussion on this motion? Seeing none, a roll call vote.

ShinneberryclerkCouncil Member Amos?

Catherine ReadAye.

ShinneberryclerkCouncil Member Hall?

Catherine ReadNo.

ShinneberryclerkCouncil Member Hardy-Chandler? Aye. Council Member Peterson?

Billy BatesAye.

ShinneberryclerkCouncil Member Bates?

Billy BatesAye.

ShinneberryclerkCouncil Member McQuillan? No. Motion passed 4-2. Okay, we'll go to 7E, which is the introduction of an ordinance amending Chapter 102, Article 5, Section 102-203B of the Code of the City of Fairfax, Virginia. Set the rate for the stormwater utility service furnished by the city at $34.30 per BU billing unit at 6% increase. I'll recognize J.C. Martinez, Chief Financial Officer.

JC Martinezstaffgood evening again mayor council the city stormwater utility funds initial rate was at 28.80 per billable unit also known as bu and it was set at a time when the stormwater utility was created on december 14th 2021 this action is to set the rate at 34.30 per bu or a six percent increase for calendar year beginning January 1, 2025. User fees are expected to generate the stormwater utility revenue of approximately $3.2 million, an increase of about $184,000. Happy to answer any questions.

Catherine ReadDo we have questions from the dais? Okay. Do I have a motion for 7E, Council Member Hardy Chandler?

Stacey Hardy-Chandleri move to introduce an ordinance amending chapter 102 article 5 section 102-203b of the code of the city of fairfax virginia increasing the rate for billing unit used in calculating the stormwater utility fee for the calendar year beginning january 1 2025 to 34.30 cents i further move that move to waive the first reading and set the public hearing for april 22nd 2025

Catherine ReadIs

Stacey Hardy-Chandlerthere a second?

Catherine ReadSecond. Okay. Item 7E has been removed by Council Member Hardy-Chandler and seconded by Council Member Peterson. Is there any discussion on this item? Council Member Peterson.

Thomas PetersonThe rationale for the increase, can you repeat that? Is this simply because it's expanding revenue generation or is there more to it than that?

JC MartinezstaffSure. so the rationale is a couple of fold so the majority of the increase would go to offset increase investment within the stormwater utility requirements within the city the majority of these requirements are also federal requirements whether it's tdml and or other DEQ requirements regarding stormwater runoff. There has been many years of deferment with investment within our infrastructure in the stormwater fund or utility that we are now trying to catch up as well that is listed in the CIP and we're trying to maintain and catch up on that programming and investment in our community for the stormwater aspect.

Thomas PetersonThank you.

Catherine ReadAny other discussion, questions? Okay, seeing none, a roll call vote.

ShinneberryclerkCouncil Member Amos? Aye. Council Member Hall?

Catherine ReadNo.

ShinneberryclerkCouncil Member Hardy-Chandler? Aye. Council Member Peterson?

Catherine ReadNo.

ShinneberryclerkCouncil Member Bates? Aye. Council Member McQuillan? No.

Catherine ReadTheir mayor votes aye.

Shinneberryclerk4-3. Okay. Our last item, the introduction of an ordinance amending Chapter 90 Taxation in parentheses Article 6 in parens tax on meals Section 90-262 of the Code of the City of Fairfax, Virginia pertaining to the levy and amount of tax on meals. I recognize JC Martinez, Chief Financial Officer again.

JC MartinezstaffThank you. Mayor, Council, as stated, Section 90- 262 of the city code currently provides for a 4% meals tax. The proposed ordinance would increase the amount of the meals tax to 6% as set forth in the city manager's recommended FY2026 budget. The effective date of this change would be July 1, 2025. The previous meals tax was changed from 2% to 4% in 2004 or 21 years ago. An increase to the meals tax reduces the financial burden on residents as the meals tax can offset the need for higher real estate taxes due to visitors and non-residents paying this tax. In the handout in the staff report there are deletions to the current language as shown through strikethroughs and then additions would be double underlying tax.

The 2% proposed increase would generate approximately an additional $4.4 million in meals tax revenue 1% generates about 2.2 million the change would result in a tax increase of approximately $1 on a $50 meal happy to answer questions

Catherine Readquestions council council member Hardy Chandler

Stacey Hardy-Chandlerso again this is an introduction but it doesn't necessarily lock us into that 2% specifically is that correct

Brian Lubkemanstaffby voicethat's correct this establishes the maximum amount of an increase

Catherine Readother questions councilmember Bates

Billy Batesjust want to reemphasize a point from the staff report that all else all equal other rates held equal and all other given a certain set of expenditures for the budget if we do not raise the meals tax that means that given the same amount of expenditures that amount of money has to be made up by another tax rate such as further increase in the real estate tax rate

Catherine Readother comments or questions or okay do I have a motion for 7f council member Hardy Chandler

Stacey Hardy-ChandlerI move to introduce an ordinance amending chapter 90 article 6 section 90-2 6 2 of the code of the city of Fairfax Virginia pertaining to the levy and amount of the Mills tax I further move to waive the first reading and to set the public hearing for April 22nd 2025 is there a second second

Catherine Readmotion has been made by councilmember Hardy Chandler and seconded by councilmember Peterson is there any discussion on the motion councilmember

Anthony AmosWould it be possible since we all kind of hate the meals tax to a degree and I think we're all recognizing that two percent is probably a little too high within context can we reduce it to one for the advertisement for the public hearing for the max to be considered you

Brian Lubkemanstaffby voicecan certainly do that it again it's the maximum rate you could adopt and I think the other reason for staff recommendation in addition to it's incorporated in the proposed budget is it does allow you the flexibility if anything changes between now and when you adopt the budget that said you can certainly amend it upward or downward on the introduction

Anthony AmosSorry, I'm just thinking about the Sprout grant right now. The potential for loss grant over time is what bugs me, but I also don't want to support this. Just being honest.

Catherine ReadWell, we're just, this is advertising it so that it can be, this is not locking us in. It's kind of like, I believe Mr. Martinez's analogy of having a mortgage that's more than what you actually spend. we're setting up this high we're saying this highest possible rate it doesn't mean that we're locked into this it just means that this is the upper limit of what we're saying of what we're stating that's my understanding is that correct mr. Martinez that's correct

Stacey Hardy-Chandlercouncilmember Hardy Chandler in addition the public hearing allows for the public voice correct

Catherine Readcouncil member Amos

Anthony Amosand I don't disagree with that but I also note that it does fall on us to reduce the incoming debt that's coming I would feel more comfortable if we capped ourselves at one if folks are amenable to that then I'd be willing to support this

Catherine Readcouncilmember Peterson

Thomas Petersonclarification so our maximum right now the maximum allowable rate is for which is equal to the actual rate that is set Is that correct? We set, I'm just looking historically, we set the current rate at 4. Is that right?

Brian Lubkemanstaffby voiceThat's correct. And absent any action to change it as part of this budget cycle, it remains at 4.

Thomas PetersonAnd when we did that, just if anybody happens to know, did we advertise it at 4 and then move up to that from a lower level like 2?

JC MartinezstaffThat I don't know. I'd have to go back and look. The only thing that I was able to find was specifically the date and the year that it was last changed. But I'm assuming we would have gotten compliance and would have had to advertise it, but I don't remember at what percentage it was advertised.

Brian Lubkemanstaffby voiceActually, I'm sorry. The staff report does note, again, that the previous meal tax change was from 2% to 4% in 2004.

Thomas PetersonAnd my question is, so the procedure that was used at that point sounds like it would have been to advertise that for and then following public hearing, et cetera, go ahead and move to that level.

Brian Lubkemanstaffby voiceThat is typically the process for most taxes that are advertised is there's a maximum advertised and then it's in the hands of the council as to how it wishes to handle that.

Thomas Petersonwish to handle that by moving it up to the maximum rate that was advertised is that correct in terms of what happened

Brian Lubkemanstaffby voiceagain we'd have to go back and look at that staff report we don't don't have that institutional memory offhand

Catherine Readokay councilmember Amos

Anthony Amosthis is more of a question for my colleagues because it would help me mathematically each percent that we take off we have to find 2.2 million what is our target real estate tax rate we're thinking about we were we're coming up for a vote here and I'm wondering where are we going to find 2.2 or 4.4 million well

Catherine ReadI think there's a strength just a little bit and trying to this needs to be a vote on this ordinance and this tax rate we're not locked in to this tax rate being what we adopt if we if we pass this advertise it open a public hearing and let the community come in and tell us then decisions will be made by the dais and the more robust conversation that you're looking to have I think we will have in the work session which is like how do we make the math work out I think at this juncture the very narrow question we are asking is at what rate do we advertise this and open a public hearing it does not lock us in to setting the rate at six there is every possibility that you could do this and keep the rate at four all it's doing is

setting the upper limit councilman mr.

JC MartinezstaffMartinez I appreciate

Catherine Readthat

JC MartinezstaffI would say this is very similar to what the body did a couple of weeks back regarding the real estate tax rate where the manager proposed a certain rate council went head and actually increase that advertised rate again does not lock in council at at all to maintain a potential dollar 15 tax rate I think it seems like very understandable that I will not be anywhere near that so again this just gives that option to council to potentially go there but if need be can go significantly less or at its current rate

Catherine ReadCouncilmember Hardy Chandler

Stacey Hardy-Chandlerso I think that councilmember Amos is making a good point maybe for a different time but hold on to that because I think looking at the landscape is exactly the approach we want to take so I hear what you're saying in terms of the landscape and I think that that's part of the broader scenario discussion councilmember Amos

Anthony Amossince its advertisement I'm willing to let it go although I likely won't support the full 2% when it comes out also want to reiterate I've been pretty clear for about a month month and a half now that I want to know what we're trying to get to and I'm glad that we have the scenarios on board now but I haven't heard anything about what the ideal real estate tax rate is and right now that's kind of operating in tandem with this meals tax until I find out how we can reduce it so I just wanted to reiterate that

Catherine Readwell give us 15 minutes and we're going to get to that 50 50 get through this motion and I think we're gonna be where you want to be so we have a motion on the floor at least I think we do have a much do we have that was somebody keeping track okay we have a motion on the floor it was made and seconded we had discussion is there any more discussion before we take a roll call vote

Ann Lauerpublic commentapparently we are

Catherine Readred so

Thomas PetersonI think the dilemma here is part of it is chicken and egg where we're sequentially not considering this at a point in which necessarily have the context that would let us be comfortable with the level. Granted, this is just authorizing a hearing to take place, but this one is particularly difficult because I am not hearing in my own case any support for this from constituents. It does raise concerns that the presumption is we're going to move upward to a maximum rate. If that's not in the cards, I'm not sure we want to be advertising at that. It doesn't sound like that's in the cards in terms of folks I'm hearing from, which is pretty broad scale in terms of inputs on this. So I am a little bit concerned about setting the stage for something that is not really

supported and may not be something we end up wanting to pursue.

Catherine ReadWell, Councilmember Bates.

Billy BatesWell, I think it's safe to say that nobody supports raising taxes within itself. but I think that residents do support the services that they get from the city and I for later on during the work session I'd like to propose a compromise that involves a 3.5 cent increase the real estate tax rate and then a 2 percent increase the meals tax rate sort of a somewhat modified version of scenario four but I'd like to have a chance to discuss that and see if my colleagues are amenable to that.

Catherine ReadCouncilmember McQuillan.

Rachel McQuillenI am not amenable to that because I don't believe in the meals tax. I don't want to increase the meals tax. I've been pretty clear and honest with you guys about that so just so that there's no confusion where I stand on that I will not be voting for meals tax to increase the meals tax.

Catherine ReadOkay, so this really is sort of a process question. This is just a process that we go through so that we can have a robust discussion about what the options actually are. In order to be able to consider all the tools we have in the toolbox, we have to put the tools in the toolbox, which to me, that's what this is. We are setting the stage to say we've got options, we've got tools, we've got resources, and we need to figure out in what combination those resources will or will not come together to get us to the tax rate that this body is willing to vote on. So this is a process to say, if you don't support it, you don't have to vote for it, but this is a process to say, these are the tools in our toolbox to get us to a budget and a tax rate to support the budget.

And it's just a process that we're going through. So, Council Member Hardy-Chandler.

Stacey Hardy-ChandlerAnd I am in support of hearing from the public. And so if this is the door that opens and sets the public hearing so that we can hear from the public, that's what I'm in support of. Okay. So

Catherine Readare we ready for a roll call vote? Okay. I think we're ready.

ShinneberryclerkOkay. Council Member Amos? Aye. Council Member Hall?

Catherine ReadNo.

ShinneberryclerkCouncil Member Hardy-Chandler?

Catherine ReadAye.

ShinneberryclerkCouncil Member Peterson? No. Council Member Bates? Aye. Council Member McQuillan? No. May read?

Catherine ReadThe mayor votes yes.

ShinneberryclerkOkay, motion passed four to three. Well,

Catherine Readall right then. So we are now going to go into our work session and take a five-minute break in between. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Anthony AmosThank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Catherine ReadThank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Suzanne LevyAll right.

Catherine ReadWelcome to our work session. Ms. Shinneberry?

ShinneberryclerkOur work session item is a discussion on the proposed FY26 budget. I recognize Brian Foster, the city manager, for the discussion.

Brian FosterstaffThank you, Mayor, members of council. So, again, this is to continue our discussion. on the proposed budget. We've had several work sessions. We had what I thought was a very successful open house this past week, which we got a lot of feedback from our residents. And so this evening, again, there's no specific agenda. There's several things that we can, several directions we can go, depending on the preference. I know that last time there was a request for certain departments to be here I know you asked a lot of questions of individual departments especially I think as you had questions related to CIP so those those departments are here parks of fire economic development specifically and then of course have

public works and and pd are also here earlier today jc sent out a revised it was a spreadsheet form revised uh cip that showed um reductions uh or or changes based on um the previous discussion that we had so we had some suggestions from a bit at the last meeting from schools from public works from parks so we've incorporated all of those um and so that was sent to you probably not all of you maybe have had a chance to really digest it so we can we can review that um if if that's a council's desire um as well and then also we had the various scenarios um that we presented last meeting which I know at the last meeting since we had just presented them I know you didn't have you did not have any time to discuss those or really ask any

questions as I recall or at least very limited questions because you were just seeing that for the first time so we can also pull those back up and can talk about those in more detail if that's council's desire so anyways we're We're basically ready to follow your lead as far as specific questions or information that you would like to discuss.

Catherine ReadSo, Council Member Amos, I promised you 15 minutes to circle back around to your question. So, you started out by saying that you have questions about the meals tax and getting to the tax rate. So, where would you like to start?

Anthony AmosI'm just trying to figure out where we're headed now. I'm glad we got scenarios on the table And I'm glad that we're looking at our overall debt considering that we also need to readjust with the school bond on the way but I Am not completely clear on where we're heading with the real estate tax and that's Somewhat that's directly connected with the meals tax in my opinion currently so I would just like to know what direction written Do you think this scenarios are helpful with that? Is that a place to start?

David Gellerpublic commentYeah,

Anthony Amoswe can take a look at that and see if there's a preference for particular scenarios, and we can work from there.

Catherine ReadDoes that sound okay to everyone, to look at the five scenarios one more time and pluck at those things? Council Member Hardy-Chandler?

Stacey Hardy-ChandlerAnd perhaps just an overview of changes from the revised CIP.

Catherine ReadOkay. Okay.

Stacey Hardy-ChandlerDoes that sound all right with everyone?

Catherine ReadCouncil Member Peterson?

Thomas PetersonWell, so it would be helpful, I agree, to kind of get an overarching update on what has changed across the board with scenarios because there's been a lot of movement, a lot of inquiry, and a lot of updates on this, that, and the other. But I'm wondering whether the format for that is to go through each and every scenario or whether it's to do an overview and then focus on a little bit more targeted manner. If that's the case, my own preference would be we start by getting a pretty clear update around what's going on with Scenario 5 based on things that have been developed since we last met and how that potentially is affected by identification of reductions through CIP, et cetera.

Brian FosterstaffOkay, so we can pull up the scenarios. JC can pull up the scenarios that we presented last time. And I think I heard you say scenario five, so we can jump to that. If

Thomas PetersonI might, just the other piece of this, though, is that I think you have been working responses to questions that have been submitted by council members and were not able to provide all of those responses to us prior to this meeting but anticipated during the meeting verbally you might be able to provide responses because there was a question set for instance that council member hall had but um is that correct so

Brian Fosterstaffcouncil member of okay so council Mr. Rahal submitted additional questions this morning. Is that the ones you're referring to? There was a number of questions that we got this morning. We've gone through them. We don't have very many answers yet, but we are working on them. But we can certainly share what it is that we do have. and that was I believe relating to a lot of them focused around scenario five which if that's what you know if that's what you want is that the questions to which you are referring some

Thomas Petersonof them are general questions in terms of some further inquiries around CIP issues for instance I think also there's some points that from my standpoint it'd be helpful to get We received a very helpful response from Director Summerfield. But I think it might be, I have some follow-up questions around that, that I would certainly like to have the opportunity to be able to walk through that and understand that a little bit more clearly. I have a follow-up question for Director Summers from the presentation he made that listed a series of potential CIP reductions, but I think they need a little bit further clarification from my standpoint. opportunity to talk at least with some key people about some of those follow-ups from the information

Brian Fosterstaffwhich we can i just don't know what you what what it is you want to do first again we we the those folks are here we have the scenarios we can talk about we can have the the we can go through the the the cip which we we can show you all of the comments that were made last time about CIP and potential changes the JC and his staff have gone so we can pull that up and show you how that the Delta would you know basically it's a reduction and we can show you what that reduction looks versus how the what was proposed versus what it looks like there so again we can do all of that I just need to know where you'd like to start

Stacy HallMary yes

Catherine Readcouncilmember Hall

Stacy Hallsorry in the interest of those that are here, I recognize we're probably going to need JC and Gwen for much of the night, but maybe it would be beneficial for the others if we could try to answer or ask our questions of them and that way they can go home to their families sooner than later. Maybe start with Mr. Summers, Parks and Rec, et cetera.

Catherine ReadThat's fine with me. I'm all about, you know, looking to the benefit of our staff who probably do would like they would like to go home before midnight so if is that all right with the rest of the dies that we start with our staff here and ask them the questions we want okay so with whom would you like to begin councilmember Hall

Stacy Hallmaybe mr. Summers

Catherine Readokay mr. Summers could you please join us if

Anthony AmosI

Catherine Readcould also ask

Anthony AmosI know that we also have fleet here oh you're already on way up perfect

Catherine Readall right then questions for mr. Summers Councilmember Peterson

Thomas Petersonjust a math question that may involve more than one person thank you so much for running out a list of potentials for CIP reduction that you did with us and my recollection in the meeting recognizing that it happened that it totaled up knocking the door at about two million dollars and then we received a table afterwards which was somewhat less than that yeah it's around one and

Speaker 9a half and

Thomas Petersonthe difference between the two is that just that we double-check things or okay

Speaker 9however mr. Hall has some additional after I did my list I met with mr. Hall and he has some additional things he can offer if you'd go ahead

Speaker 29good evening and so just wanted to kind of give an overview

Speaker 27oh sorry as i'm a rookie here right uh so with this with our fleet services i think it's around 11 million dollar capital improvement budget we have so we kind of have a plan here um i have a copy for everyone we can reduce uh 560 000 for fy 26 um with that an overview real quick that we have a very strenuous uh like we go we start in april every pre-budget year and we do our own like defer process so we started out in fbi 26 with 40 assets and we reduced 20 or 19 assets by 1.4 million dollars so we do hands-on evaluations the certified technicians have a three-page inspection list we do fluid analyst testing we do data um Our fleet management system will tell us by the records if something fits the criteria in a 15-point scale.

And then from there, we still do a hands-on evaluation of pictures and looking at reports. And so with that, we're just being very strategic as we present this budget to, you know, Mayor and Council, just understanding that we understand the importance with this. So as we present this budget reduction right here, that's just a second reduction we've done so far in this budget season with our reduction. It takes us almost to $2 million from our original replacement schedule. So I think we're very pleased to present this to you guys this evening. And any questions?

Speaker 9And Lee met with the specific departments who would receive these vehicles before he made these cuts.

Speaker 27And just I know that fire is a hot topic. I can say our foundation here in the city is built to withhold these storms are going through. There's a lot of local jurisdictions that have not to have this foundation. And so the support with this, like prime example, we're pre-ordering apparatus that it has a 48 to 60 month lead times. But with that, the savings we have. So the tower truck that's on order, we have saved $500,000 roughly by ordering it at that time because all of the increases, inflations, upcoming expenses, and we're staying within the replacement schedule. So with that, understanding the back part of it to know that those tough decisions that we have to make is for a long-term here for the city

to make sure that our services are not affected.

Catherine ReadAll right, questions for us. Yes, Council Member Hall.

Stacy HallI want to thank you for taking the extra time to do this and for those that are listening and watching at home I think I speak for everyone but if I don't please feel free to speak up for yourselves the 10% reduction especially for fire and police it was an exercise just like the fall for the books and all the other things it was just an exercise no one's saying slash and burn 10% here or there everywhere it's an exercise it's a conversation to get at numbers to see where we can be So hopefully that's been reiterated for those at home. We certainly, I believe, don't want to make any decisions up here that are going to impact response time, the number of police officers or firefighters that are out there doing their jobs to serve our community.

So we understand, I understand, excuse me, that there are many, many areas of our budget to be considered. This was one of them. Police was another one. And all the other departments were as well. So thank you for doing this. Just to confirm, the things that you're proposing here are not going to be things that residents will see or feel or will have any disruption in service or response time. Is that correct? Yes, ma'am. Thank you very much.

Catherine ReadAll right. Any other questions for Mr. Hall or Mr. Summers? Councilmember Peterson.

Thomas PetersonI need a little help understanding the status of a couple line items and where they sit. So first off, let me just say these relate to climate programs, which I, of course, support enormously. but my understanding is that there are a couple of major projects that are either in FY25 but not yet conducted or in FY26 and again not yet conducted and I had a difficult time sort of figuring where they were and what it means for something to have been listed in FY25 but not conducted and so off the top of my head climate resilience plan for 220,000 I think there's a climate mitigation plan clean energy and climate mitigation for like another 220 there's a flood management mitigation plan for 350 my

math is right we're at 790 on that and then we've got at the same time part of The reason I'm asking this is, unfortunately, I think that we may have lost a key staff person who served as a climate and energy manager who would have been with us for a stretch, which is completely unrelated but unfortunate. But it reduces project management capacity in these areas. These are three complex sequential projects that have acquired a lot of technical and facilitative assistance. a very significant project management burden that actually probably would not have been handled by one person, probably is going to require a couple of people to handle. I mean, I don't know where all that stands, but when you cobble that all together,

it's basically a million dollars worth of consulting projects happening, the three big projects concurrently. So part of my question is, where do these things stand? and second are we still able to actually conduct this work given now the changes we've seen in staffing that affect these and and i just really couldn't tell when i looked into the documents

Speaker 9yeah the um most of these uh programs you're talking about i believe are somewhat grant funded i know the uh the stormwater resiliency i believe is 50 funded in our stormwater utility so um That one I believe that as far as we know the grant is still viable but these projects they if they were funded in 25 they have started as far as the grant being lost for the climate resiliency yeah that's something that will probably we'll have to figure out what we're going to do. I'm not sure if you're looking for cutting these programs. I'm not sure how much money we have spent yet, and I could follow up on that.

Thomas PetersonI am not saying that I do want to cut these programs. I'm really saying right now I just would like to understand more clearly where things stand. And my understanding is that the resilience plan has not started and neither has the mitigation plan. And those, as I understood it, were both about 220 a pop. And then the flood mitigation plan is separate. I don't know its status, but it reads as if that also has not yet started. But it would be good to clarify the timing of these things. And then when you look at the realistic implementation schedule for them, some of these things, you know, delay these, I'd like to just get a better sense for what the timing and trajectory really looks like and whether some of this stuff is going to slip and go into next year anyway. And if that's

the case, is there a way for us to reflect that in our understanding of the FY26 budget that makes it a little bit more current and accurate? I just don't know. I'm just observing that these things are at risk of delay and that could have an implication here.

Speaker 9Yeah, we could certainly get you that information. I will request that from Mr. Ito for the flood resiliency, and the other projects are managed by Ms. Kupka. Right. So I will get you the status, where we're at, and what's the schedule for those.

Thomas PetersonFantastic. And, again, I'm not signaling a lack of support of these. I'm really just wanting to understand more clearly the realities of the timing that are involved and then the capacity for implementation, understanding the nature of these things. pretty significant variables for us to sort of get a better sense of.

Catherine ReadOther questions? Council Member Hall.

Stacy HallRecognizing that the fire station is a very large budget item, I don't believe we're going to have any sort of work session between now and when we need to vote on the budget. Is that correct?

Brian FosterstaffThe station 3 project update is currently scheduled for the 22nd.

Stacy HallOh, okay. My apologies for missing that then. Thank you.

Catherine ReadOther questions? Other questions? Councilmember

Thomas PetersonPeterson. I can't lay my hands on it at the moment. So I may be mistaken, but I thought I saw somewhere, and this is not in the grand scheme of things huge, but there's a reason behind this. I think I saw the acquisition of a $62,000 vehicle for the urban forestry program. Again, I am not suggesting that's not an important, yeah.

Speaker 38That was in the original proposed that was submitted in November. After changes and looking at what we could afford on stormwater utility, that was removed in the proposed budget, full budget.

Thomas PetersonNo wonder I can't lay my hands on it back in November. But I guess the broader issue, and I'm really sorry that we live in this situation. we had a cancellation of a major grant, the Sprout grant. We're having some difficulties here because of federal funding impacts that are affecting grant programs, they're affecting staffing, they're affecting families that have a trigger effect in terms of staff retention here in the city. So these are difficult things we're going through. But with the loss of the Sprout grant, it would just be helpful to know whether there are ongoing expenses associated with that that will be terminated that were not a part of the grant, things that were sort of standing outside of it that should be

incorporated into the budget. And I don't know the answer except it may be that this is a grant that wasn't being funded entirely within the four corners of the grant. There could have been some additional staff support x y and z do you have any sense of it because there's a big program right and i know there were a lot of sort of tentacles of this if you will that were reaching out into other areas

Speaker 9just like i mentioned with mr ito and mr kubka we'll reach out

Thomas Petersonto

Speaker 9our urban forester and get the information status on that

Thomas Petersonyeah that would be a big help and again i'm so sorry this has happened it's just kind of created a big gap that was very important to the city but does have financial implications, it would be good to understand.

Catherine ReadOkay. Anything else? Because I think Council Member Hall is on to something here. Council Member Hardy Chandler? No? No, I was just saying, I think she's got the right idea about us giving people the leave to go home, basically. So that's what I'm asking you. So Council Member McQuillan, ask what you have to ask.

Rachel McQuillenThis might not be specific for you, but in general, since he was asking about grants, how do we have any operating expenses that are paid for by grant?

Brian FosterstaffWe'll need to double check, but I believe the answer is no. Okay. I mean, other than grant, the funded positions, but if you're talking about like cost recovery grants. I'm talking about

Rachel McQuillenall of it. Just because then the next question would be, what's our plan? Should those grants get cut? Same thing as applied for any CIP projects that we are relying on grant money for.

Brian FosterstaffSure. So, I mean, obviously, if grants are canceled or reduced, we would have to reevaluate whether we continue with, whether it's a capital project, whether it's operational. So, So, I mean, the Sprout grant was pretty much all operational, and that was, you know, funding specifically, amongst other things, funding a position. And so that's a conversation. So we have that covered through the end of this current fiscal year, so it's through June 30 of 20, that specific position. But that's one. So that just happened on Friday, so as far as getting notice of the grant cancellation. So we are already in the process of evaluating in terms of what the grant was paying for. So are there programs that we want to continue that the grant was paying for?

And then how would we pay for those? So we're evaluating that right now. And the same thing goes for the position is what do we want to do? And so we just haven't had the time to really analyze and sort of figure that out yet. We will be, that is one of the things that our staff is working on now. But in terms of other, I'll have to look as far as the staff that's here. I don't know if any of them have specific grants programs, but again, we would have to do the same thing. So certainly most of our transportation projects are, I mean, I guess you could say they're a grant, but there's various pots of money, both federal and state, that fund a large portion of those. So right now, I don't believe any of those are at risk.

Certainly the ones that are state funded or through NVTA. but again if something were to happen then yes we'll need to reevaluate those but most of those funds are for capital projects not for not a not a general operational something so we can you have to look at those it should that happen but again we don't for sure at least for the transportation side of things that we're not aware of anything that's that might happen as far as any of those

Rachel McQuillenSo aside from transportation, do we have any other large CIP projects that are grant funded or

Brian Fosterstaffheavily grant funded? I'm going to look to the finance team to help me with that.

JC MartinezstaffSure. So just as the manager stated, we actually have a very small amount of grants that we receive outside of other funding sources, is specifically tied to either an enterprise fund, ARPA, which we've already obligated and have encumbered. There are other state and federal grants that we receive, either I-66, SmartScale, NVTC, the CNI, NVTA 30 and 70. The private grants specifically, very similar to Sprout, is a very small amount. It's about $300,000 per year or so that we receive I am only aware of two individuals right now that are associated to the grant to any grant specifically I will say that those two positions when the offered letter is given to them they are completely notified and aware that it is a restricted position exclusively tied to

the grant funding so they're aware of that and in the case that we just had this past week we notify the individuals and try to work with them if need be to extend any grant funds that we have. But our exposure to grants is very small other than the transportation like the manager was saying specifically tied to other funding sources, NVTA 30, 70, the CNI tax, revenue sharing, DRPT, NVTC, I-66, and SmartScale. Sure.

Catherine ReadDid you have something, Councillor Hardee-Chandler?

Stacey Hardy-Chandlerokay okay i don't know if this is going to get everyone home early but i certainly hope so bear with me over the weekend we had an opportunity to talk through our priorities right and i hope that those discussions about our priorities actually frame where we're headed budget-wise and answers council member amos's question my priorities are certainly quality that means honoring safety and our first responders their needs their spaces and their equipment the other thing of course is what we heard earlier and all of the very high return on investment small dollar things that really add to our culture and quality of life in Fairfax so when I think about those priorities at least for me I'm as councilmember Hall talked about earlier

Those things are just so important. They're preventative. So when I think about those things, it puts me between scenario, some mutated or altered is a better word, I guess, version of scenario three, four. That's where I'm sort of landing. So my question is, is there a variation on scenarios three and four that when you consider the revised CIP and remove the elements that impact people, meaning positions, I am not in favor of any vacancies being frozen. and I think that that adds work to the remaining people. And the nonprofit grant program, those kinds of things. But I do think that the real estate fund is on the table, the cash transfer, the deferral of the schools for as little time as possible from four,

and the Renaissance Housing Program. So my question is, could other things from the revised CIP make up some variation of those two possibilities? And that might involve input from other people in the room efficiently to potentially get there. And I hope that answers the question for you in terms of where I sit on this. But again, I go back to my priorities. and that's what guides the opportunity here to look at some variation of three slash four. Is that a clear question?

JC MartinezstaffI think it is, and I think staff, and I'm speaking for the manager, but I think staff are always willing to make modifications and or do a subset of the five general scenarios that were presented last week. I think councilmember Hall's already requested some modifications to a scenario we can always modify other scenarios to try to Figure out where there is a commonality if need be I will say very quickly on The CIP So there is a summary tab that was emailed that I will try to expand this so the changes not including what mr. Hall just presented tonight the changes there that incorporate everything makes the reduction of about 4.5 million dollars so the top graph or top table is what was proposed as of the end of

February when the manager proposed the FY 26 budget the revised incorporates THOSE CHANGES THAT WERE DISCUSSED BY ALL THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS LAST WEEK WHICH WAS POLICE, PARKS AND RECREATION, SCHOOLS, AND PUBLIC WORKS AS WELL. AGAIN, DOES NOT INCORPORATE WHAT WAS PRESENTED THIS EVENING BY MR. HALL. THERE IS A REDUCTION THERE IN FY26, SLIGHT INCREASE IN 27, and then minor reductions in 28 29 and 30 overall reduction of about 4.6 million dollars over the span of the five years we can go through that I will note that as a potential and I would have to figure this out but as a potential schools did identify 1.2 million dollars so that was appropriated IN FY25 THAT WAS NOT BEING UTILIZED AND COULD POTENTIALLY BE GIVEN UP.

SO THESE ARE MY NOTES ON THE SIDE HERE OF 1.2. WE COULD REALLOCATE THAT, AND I DID AS AN EXAMPLE. THESE ARE JUST EXAMPLES. ULTIMATELY IT WOULD BE COUNCIL'S WILL TO DIRECT US HOW TO DO IT. BUT WE COULD APPLY A PORTION OF THAT TO THE $3 MILLION THAT WOULD BE NEEDED TO DO for schools. So either that frees up of that $3 million, I'm going to use that word very loosely, frees up that $3 million to where if we were projecting a six or seven month potential deferral, now we would actually be on target because we have almost half of that back potentially or utilize that somewhere else if need be. But it was my suggestion to just apply to the $3 million there. So that would be now an alternate scenario in

that respect if need be.

Stacey Hardy-ChandlerAnd that other $4 million doesn't really impact staff.

JC MartinezstaffCorrect. So you're talking about this $4 million right here.

Stacey Hardy-ChandlerIt

JC Martinezstaffdoes not impact. I think the manager's been very clear that the CIP, the only way to really impact the CIP is by reducing the transfer from the general fund

Tom Blackburnpublic commentcash to

JC Martinezstaffis a part of one of the scenarios. That varies based on overall net expenditures. As that goes down, so does the required 5% minimum on that transfer.

Stacey Hardy-ChandlerOkay. That's right. Consistent about that. Okay. That's helpful and that makes me more optimistic about the plausibility of these scenarios. Thank you. Okay.

Catherine ReadCouncilmember Hall and then Councilmember Peterson. Thank

Stacy Hallyou. Do you know what the minimum transfer now would be, or is it too early to tell with the other information that's still needed?

JC MartinezstaffSo this would be the CIP. That doesn't really impact the net expenditures on the general fund. That's what the policy is off of. So I would need to know the net expenditures on the general fund side before I can figure out that aspect of it.

Stacy HallOkay. That's what I thought. I just wanted to make sure. I'm trying to take notes here.

Thomas PetersonGood mathematician. Council Member Peterson. I want to go back to your comment on CIP, and it's actually a question that I'm thinking Director Summers would be best at answering initially, but it's a broader question mark, and that is I think the real question here is, what is the full costing of CIP? It is my understanding that the development of CIP itself, not to mention the ultimate implementation of CIP projects, which include maintenance and operations and what have you, is done by staff quite significantly. Yes, we retain contractors. We do extramural assistance for that. But there's a very significant staff loading, and it will vary depending. anecdotally that a lot of staff time goes into getting these CIP projects won and then

started up and then implemented. With transportation in particular, but this could be any of these things, how much of that is cost recoverable through the funding source? Is it cost recoverable and do you track it so that you can do cost recovery so the grant actually pays for that or are you only doing cost recovery for your extramural resources, for the contracting, et cetera, that you do to be able to get these started?

Speaker 9For transportation projects, the cost recovery is typically during construction. So the folks that I use, whether they're contractors or staff, doing the construction management and the inspection, are billed to that capital project. Is that what you're asking?

Thomas PetersonDuring construction.

Speaker 9The

Thomas Petersonstaff are billed during construction to the project.

Speaker 9During design, typically the consultant is

Thomas Petersondoing

Speaker 9it. As far as my staff time and Wendy's staff time and Sonny's staff time, we do not bill to the project.

Thomas PetersonAnd I think it's important because technically the cost of the CIP includes that staff time that is funded out of the general fund. Right? Is that correct? And as a consequence, that's actually tax financed. It's not grant financed.

JC MartinezstaffYou're talking about public works staff time. So, for example, like the project manager, Sonny Cernar?

Thomas PetersonYes.

JC MartinezstaffYes, so they, he is funded through the general fund, but I think to Director Summers' point, if allowed, they would be able to bill back to the CIP.

Thomas PetersonWell, and so allowable cost recovery is part of the issue. The other part of the issue is having a measurement system that enables you to do that, but it's my impression that a lot of staff time, and it varies, but there's a really significant loading. It's not an insignificant that's associated with being able to generate CIP and then actually and that that's not always cost recoverable. That is something that's built into, that's an expense that's associated with the CIP. And so when we talk about the benefits of reducing CIP volume, one of the benefits of that is reducing the staff expenses that are paid for by the general fund that are associated with that. How big that is, I wouldn't know until somebody was able to provide some measurements around it,

but it's possible that that's a really significant number in some areas. But I just want to note, unless I'm mistaken, that that is a general fund expense, and it's a significant one that is CIP-driven. Is that not the case?

JC MartinezstaffIt is a general fund expense. I would hesitate to say how significant it is until analysis was done.

Speaker 9I would say it's probably larger in transportation than the other divisions, you know, because of the effort involved in getting the grant money, you know, the buckets of money available, and in administering a design project for a very big project. But for the other divisions of public works, there really isn't those large capital projects where you need that much oversight. And a lot of it is required by VDOT because they have a dashboard and they manage how we're doing. So in order to get this funding and retain this funding and be in their good graces, the effort needs to be there, especially for transportation.

Thomas PetersonWell, again, it's just very helpful because I think it's important not to leave the impression that all of the CIP-related expenses by the city are paid for by grants. There's the upfront, which is not typically unless you're in a particular cost recovery, and then there's later stage, right? But

Speaker 9there's another side of that coin because, and I mentioned this earlier, when I construct a large transportation capital project, that takes away all these elements of the infrastructure that normally I would have to maintain with operating funds like paving, concrete, pipe replacement. All that stuff gets done as part of the CIP, which reduces some of my maintenance expenses, which is a good question that comes up about, you know, I believe that there are things in the CIP that maybe aren't CIP projects, like paving and some of my maintenance, pipelining and all. Years ago, they were decided to be put into the CIP. But to me, they're non-discretionary maintenance.

Thomas PetersonThere will be CIP things that result in new infrastructure being built. That's a different story. Right. Right. Okay. I think it's just really important to keep that in mind when we look at the full costing of the CIP loading we have.

Speaker 9And I would like to just say real quickly that I would be careful about the Wastewater Enterprise Fund because I know we're asking for 6%, but of the $15 million that's spent in wastewater, 11 million is Nomen coal plant contribution, which is non-discretionary. They treat all our wastewater. So that leaves me around four or five million to maintain all of the wastewater lines, pump stations, manholes in the city. And if you look at the CIP, it's pipelining and repair. And what happens if I don't line these pipes, then I can't line them and I gotta replace them. And the cost goes up six, seven fold. take away my maintenance money for storm or wastewater, it's going to cost a lot more down the road

because I can't line it when they reach a certain deterioration. So, and the amount of compliance requirements that are required for both storm and wastewater and maintenance, there really isn't a lot of wiggle room. So I just wanted to put that out there.

Thomas PetersonJust my final, I'm guessing, knowing you, as I do, I think I do, that when you identified whatever, this $1.5 million or whatever, you certainly did that in a way that was careful not to create a false economy series. You do that, right? Yes, sir. Got it. Thank you. Council Member Amos.

Anthony AmosJust a quick clarifying question. So for the $1.2 million back from schools, and if we were to receive that and allocate it towards the school bond, we also consider the option of deferring the school bond by seven months to a year how exactly does that look can we redistribute it elsewhere or what would the plan for that be

JC Martinezstaffwe could redistribute it elsewhere if need be it's currently in the CIP so the way I look at this and bear with me is so you have the minimum cash distribution of the 5% from the general fund to the CIP So that's your left arm. If we were to fund the initial $3 million for schools, that will also come out of the general fund to the CIP fund. That's your right hand. So you got two parallel tracks, two transfers going into the CIP from the general fund. Because 1.2 already resides in the CIP from a previous year appropriation, I could reduce the right-hand transfer, that $3 million, if need be there. So again, in some of the different scenarios, one scenario is we funded completely. if that was the I think that was the manager proposed scenario if that was the

case then now that sort of frees up 1.2 million dollars that I would not have to transfer from the general fund to the CIP in a different scenario we start potentially pushing that out either by one and a half million or six months I can still push it out for or reduce the transfer by one and a half knowing that the one and a half there so it actually can start on time but not have to transfer the full amount as well and i can walk through these some of these scenarios now that um we started having more guidance or clearance on where the cip might be coming in at if that's council's will again so i just put it there as a placeholder if i if we get directed to move it somewhere else then we could do that as well

Catherine ReadCouncilmember Hall

Stacy HallIf it's okay with everyone could we maybe get back to the departments and then do those tax scenarios after? Again, I want to be respectful of their time

Catherine ReadOkay, so do we feel like we can bid a good night to Mr. Summers and Mr. Hall? Yes? Yes, a fond adieu Thank you, guys Councilmember Hall

Stacy HallEDA, maybe? hopefully quickly? OK. I just want to start. Yeah, sure. I just want to thank you for giving back the $5 million and in such a quick turnaround and conversation. I think that was very helpful I'm sorry that it came to that and I do hope that those funds or other funds like it will be available in the future to have another conversation with

Catherine ReadCouncil Member Peterson

Thomas Peterson10% exercise would love to know your thought process on how you approach that what you found should understand that we really are trying to help everybody understand that across the board for all of the departments and related units of government I know people who are listening in are very interested and they're learning a lot just by the thought process how you would approach this and if you could just share with us a little bit about how you approached it and what you found we recognize as I think we stated at the outset of this 10% exercise that not all agencies are created equal, right? So that said, but if you would share what you did and found and thought.

Brian Sullivanpublic commentCertainly. So as you mentioned, we

Speaker 29are a little different than most of the other agencies. We don't have a capital improvement program. So the 10% exercise that we undertook looks at the services that we provide directly to businesses and the people that provide those services. We did go through the exercise. received a briefing document I'm happy to go through some of the specifics of it but from a high level what we did we sort of broke them down into we broke our programs down into two categories things that we have been running that have a direct capacity building component to businesses and then larger programs that serve as investment or marketing or provide marketing services for the city and for the the business investment programs that we do run as I've

is sort of broken into a number of portfolios. One portfolio is business investment. We have programs. I'm actually joined tonight by our assistant director of programs management. We have finance and operations, which sort of runs the background scene to keep the entire operation moving. And then we have a public relations and marketing portfolio. We also have a subset of programs is tourism. And then sort of on top of that, we have this sort of amorphous real estate reuse and reinvestment portfolio that works with us and across the portfolios. And then we have the economic development authority management portfolio that is shared across all of the divisions. So we sort of triaged when we were going through the 10% exercise to determine what we could

continue providing a basic level of services without. And that's where this document that you have hopefully in front of you, or it was in the memo that I believe finance had sent last week came from. What we've done is we've we've looked at you know the sort of least painful reductions so we've removed about thirty nine thousand dollars from our program's portfolio which includes honestly elimination of some programs that people like but they are programs that we can suspend or pause for a year and then look to reinstate with cost savings in in future years. Some of those programs include the culinary careers collaborative which is a partnership with the town of Vienna the Women's Empowerment Luncheon, and a number of our ribbon-cutting programs and reserve funding for promoting new business events of that nature.

Somewhere else that we reduced additional funding was in our public relations and marketing programs. Most of these were funds that were dedicated to support George Mason University programs and collaborations. it's only a reduction of $34,000. So that's, it's a substantial piece of that program, but it is something that we could continue providing the actual service without marketing the specific program. The business investment program, we proposed a reduction of $45,000, and that's mostly in conference travel and some of our strategic partnerships. I will be honest, that is probably a pain point for these reductions, because a lot of what business investment is, is promoting the city beyond the city

to potential investors for businesses. And frankly, it's where we've seen a lot of success over the last couple of years, filling some of our office spaces. But it is what we proposed as a reduction, hoping that it would be more of a temporary reduction for the coming year or two. We also removed or reduced some of our executive director budget, which I actually, saying that out loud, really dislike the name, but that's where we have funds reserved legal counsel for the economic development authority if they're involved in any kind of transaction that requires independent legal counsel. So those are sort of the first bucket of funds that we've reduced from the ongoing programs. The second bucket, which is I think

the bulk and probably the one you're most interested in, is $206,000 from the economic opportunity fund. So this fund is actually similar to the real estate opportunity fund, which we discussed last week. This is a fund that the council has been funding for at least 15 or more years which has enabled the Economic Development Authority Commissioners to make decisions to develop programs that serve as incentives for new businesses or property owners to reinvest in their properties or new businesses so for example the reduction here would unfortunately or fortunately include the reduction of the facade and interior improvement grant program which is what we call fig and the lease incentives for Fairfax tenants program I

That would be another pain point, but it would not mean that we could not provide basic services through the Economic Development Office. Is that an adequate answer for the first part?

Catherine ReadCouncil Member Hall.

Stacy HallWould cutting that in half allow you to still do the LIFT and the FIG programs or not?

Speaker 29Not meaningfully, unfortunately. The lift program alone is $300,000, I believe. And I think the facade and improvement interior investment program is $400,000. It is worth mentioning that after speaking with a couple of other departments that analyze this information, a $400,000 investment actually resulted in approximately $2.8 million of private investment on those projects for 33 projects. good programs that generate revenue. Similarly, the LIFT program, if I can find it quickly, thank you, Tara, we invested $300,000 and it resulted in approximately $1 million of generated revenue. And through the 18 tenants that we've issued LIFT grants to, it was approximately 25,000 square feet, a little bit more than that actually,

in leased space that participated in this program over the past nine months. hasn't even been a full year it's been a very popular program we have had a lot of requests to continue the programs both of them from the broker community and the property owner community to answer your question not really

Catherine Readcouncilmember Amos

Anthony Amosjust to touch on that a bit more because I know that while Jennifer was here earlier with the chamber I do wonder if if the meals tax were to be increased can a percentage or portion of it be dedicated specifically those programs?

Speaker 29I think that would, that's more of a finance question.

Anthony AmosThat might be a finance legal question, but I believe we should have the authority to dedicate it.

Brian FosterstaffMr. Councilmember Ramsey, if you wish to carve out a specific, you know, funding source, you do have the ability to do that.

Catherine ReadYes, Mr. Martinez.

JC MartinezstaffIf I could add as well with the meals tax. So there is, and I think Vienna does it as well, so you can actually, in addition to a carve-out, also do a sunset as well. That's something that can be potentially utilized as a signal to businesses that it's not a permanent tax. You can identify a time frame associated with that if need be. Council Member Amos?

Anthony AmosCan you also set a sunset for, and this is odd, but let's say you wanted to sunset the meals tax once the 1% sales tax for school construction was received. Could you do that as well? That way we're not just double taxing restaurants and businesses if we were to go down this path?

Brian FosterstaffIn essence, yes. I don't think you would sunset it. You would just choose to reduce or eliminate. because you wouldn't typically with a sunset you're specifying the sunset date in advance and with the one person you wouldn't know that if this one percent school funding were to come about but in but in essence what you're asking is yes if you want to do that you you you certainly could you know offset if that's something you're wanting to do although we would definitely need to check to make sure there's no provisions about supplanting existing revenue in the legislation. But since the legislation hasn't been adopted, we'll cross that bridge down the road.

Catherine ReadCouncil Member Peterson.

Thomas PetersonA big picture question that I hate to ask, and I hope it's nothing that we ever experienced, but what impact does recession have on you? And then, you know, in budget land, what does it do to you? Because this is a bit of a new ballgame since you got started on FY26.

Speaker 29Yes. So I think, well, let me back up and say the Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance, which we are a member of, is actually about to start studying what impact both recession and then the question around government contractors is having on the Northern Virginia region specifically. Certainly there's a spectrum of impacts that we would anticipate from people going to restaurants, businesses, contractors leasing space in office buildings. I suspect there would be an impact and it would mean we'd have to adjust and be somewhat flexible. Too

Thomas Petersonsoon to tell what that would do to any of your line items.

Speaker 29Yes.

Catherine ReadOther questions? Other questions? Well, are we ready to let them go home? Okay, we bid you... This is like the sound of music. So long, farewell, we hate to... Okay, goodbye. It's all those theater people who showed up tonight. I feel like singing show tunes now. Okay, Council Member Hall, who else?

Stacy HallUm, I probably fire will be faster than park. Sorry.

Catherine ReadOkay. Fire is fast. Chief O'Neill

O'NeillstaffI've been waiting for you to sing to me all night.

Catherine ReadWell, there you go. I've got I've got more tunes. I've got a lot of show tunes Okay, council member Peterson

Thomas PetersonWe truly did miss you last time we were together and are glad to have you back. We started a line of questioning with everybody that we wanted to pick up again when you were able to join us here, which is the general question of how things went in terms of the 10 percent, both with capital improvements and then other areas of expense, general fund, where you saw the opportunities for how did that land for you?

O'NeillstaffIn the memo that I provided the city manager,

Speaker 9I stated that

O'Neillstaff88% of our cost is salary and benefits. That leaves 12% for general operations. When you look at our operating cost over the last two to three years, they've remained almost flat. So our purchasing power is even less today, particularly with a lot of contractual obligations. it wasn't clear to me to look at or possibly recommend deferring any capital projects. Since that time, I've certainly heard, you know, your line of questioning at the other meetings, and I've looked at it. I know that Mr. Hall had looked at something a while ago, and I think 275 of that 500,000 he was offering up came from fire, and certainly we're supportive of that and his rationale to it. looking at FY26 if I had to defer something

it would be that 1.6 for the foam equipment and hope that we don't have an incident at our largest target hazard in the city and hope that we don't have an incident with the 400 gasoline tankers up and down our city streets that's what we looked at

Thomas Petersonthank you

Catherine Readother questions for the chief Yes, Council Member Amos.

Anthony AmosJust wanted to say we appreciate you and our condolences to you and your family. So more power to you during this time.

O'NeillstaffThank you. Appreciate that. I know several of y'all have reached out, and it really did mean a lot. It's been tough losing both mom and dad within a four-month period.

Catherine ReadSo you've got a fire truck on order. I think Mr. Hall basically said we ordered early. The savings was... We have two.

O'NeillstaffI actually have three currently on board.

Catherine ReadRight, and the money was set aside for that. I just want to bring that back to everybody's attention that we had to set aside the money at the time we ordered it, so that's not really on the table because they've been ordered and we had to have a purchase order and all kinds of things. But in the long run, it has saved us money because it just gets more expensive. The

O'Neillstaffcost

Catherine Readof

O'Neillstaffescalations have been ridiculous in that industry.

Catherine ReadI would think so, too. And so with your foam equipment, what is the likelihood that deferring it is going to dramatically increase what it costs if we put it back next year?

O'NeillstaffBy deferring it, there would be a cost increase what that estimate would be. I'm not exactly sure. You know, some of it is like with all vehicles and the potential of tariffs have that impact on it. Right. But it's not the same as a custom fire apparatus, I would say. Not as great, I would guess.

Catherine ReadBut you're considering that the foam equipment is essential and critical, and you mentioned gas specifically. So why is this such a critical tool to have? In what cases would this be the most effective way of responding to an incident?

O'Neillstafftypically you can't put out fuel particularly liquid fuel driven fires with water you need something to suppress the vapors of the foam the foam suppresses the vapors of the gasoline or diesel or even avgas or jet fuel

Catherine Readso in addition to tanker trucks colliding which could happen anywhere but we do have the tank farm here in the city which makes us a little different have a tank farm it's our most maximum risk in the city right right so I just kind of want to put that out there too is to the fact that we're in a different situation because of that tank farm and if this is in the budget there's a reason it's in the budget and even though it might be it could be deferred I

O'Neillstaffmean and it has been deferred it's been deferred in the past for a couple of years based on mr. Hall's recommendation because it much like the command post that was with the police department because it is a low mileage vehicle, if you will. So for several years it was deferred because of that. And then last year we actually opted as the department to defer it while we were looking at what green foam that we were going to transition to and the platform associated with that to get away from PFAS-driven foam.

Catherine ReadAnd are those, and are greener materials available?

O'NeillstaffYes.

Catherine ReadThey are. to do?

O'NeillstaffOh, yes. Okay. Yeah, and that's the plan, and with the foam engine, that's on order. That's the plan, and recently, the military had approved several mil-spec foams, which kind of drives what the airport fire departments and DOD fire departments use, so there are several on the market now that are, seem to be of high quality and, and better than the first version of green foams that came out, as far as suppressing those vapors.

Catherine ReadSo, if, so if we don't have this in the of the nearest fire station maybe in the county, let's just say to the tank farm, as far as being able to respond to a fuel-driven incident?

O'NeillstaffThey have a couple of foam assets. You know, one of them, of course, is over by their, you know, fuel farm in the Newington section.

Catherine ReadNewington. That's kind of a far away.

O'NeillstaffAnd then the other one is off of Etzel Road, the station off the interstate.

Catherine ReadOkay. So that seems pretty far away to me. seems kind of far away to me if something's fuel something's burning and it's fuel based okay well again I just want to dig a little deeper that this is I mean some of the things we're looking at we have to consider we don't need it every day but the one time you need it and you don't have it because it's in Newington or it's a road and

O'Neillstafflike I said you know both before because it was a low use slows mileage vehicle you know Mr. Hall had recommended deferred several years ago like I said last year we had recommended it for another year so we could decide what platform we're going to go to mr. Hall's assessment when we talked to him about it this year was that the general mechanical condition particularly of the truck itself was in fair condition

Catherine Readokay okay well just all this is very important for us to consider especially with with fire and first responders any other council member Hall

Stacy HallI'm half joking and bringing this up but someone did message it to me there's been a request maybe to bring back bingo at the fire station which would also be a fundraiser opportunity

O'NeillstaffI love

Stacy Hallit so

O'Neillstaffyou know the Fairfax volunteer fire department while it's our partner is a private independent corporation that was And a lot of it had to do, of course, with COVID at the time. But even before COVID, they were struggling with staffing that. Now the Fairfax Volunteer Fire Department does do significant fundraising and helps offset support to some smaller vehicles when they can and support equipment when they can. and the proposal that we have to rehab the existing ladder truck so we have a mechanical reserve something that we're lacking now and something that we can't always borrow with the climate of particularly replacing apparatus not only for us but regionally and across the nation at their board meeting they have discussed in supporting us of paying you know half of that

half a million dollars so 250k to go towards the rehab of that ladder truck to be partners with but their membership has not taken action yet, so it's not in writing, so I haven't sent it to the city leadership yet. But I hear that all the time, particularly on the 4th of July. You'd be surprised at the number of times that people tell me or recommend to bring back Bingo.

Stacy HallIf we could find people that were willing to be your emcee for the evening, is it something that could be considered? and as an aside, growing up we used to go to a pancake breakfast a couple times a year, which was a huge fundraiser and was just a lot of fun, especially for young kids.

O'NeillstaffThe volunteer department does continue to do the Christmas pancake breakfast. I forget what it yielded this past year. They had a good year. $3,800. If I remember correctly.

Catherine ReadIt was huge

O'Neillstaffthough. It was huge. you know, when they were doing bingo, that would net, I think, around between $80,000 and $100,000 a year. So

Stacy HallI think you have your first volunteer here for being an MC. And I think we could certainly find others to do it if it's something that you were all open to.

O'NeillstaffWe have one of the volunteer board members here, and I'm sure he'll more than gladly take it back to the board. Certainly I can bring it up as a talking point. When I first started volunteering in 1977, it was started as volunteering with bingo. At that point in time, there was still smoking in the firehouse. I think that's where a lot of our occupational cancers probably came from back in those days.

Stacy HallHonestly, I think the fundraising is a side benefit of it, but I do think it's a really good, wholesome, fun activity that's kind of lacking. I know when they do it at the elementary school every year, it's a huge event. So I would certainly be on board.

Anthony AmosCouncilmember Amos. I don't know the answer to this question, so I would appreciate someone's input from a zoning perspective. I've seen with the county that, you know, when certain developments go in, they can also proffer a condition for them to issue some kind of infrastructure money to – oh, I know – but they can proffer some type of infrastructure money for, for example, fire stations with lights. Can we do that with – Mr.

Catherine ReadHarden is coming to answer that question.

Brooke Hardinstaffby voiceProffers can be applied to capital improvements. They can't be applied to operational costs.

Anthony AmosSo that would also apply to, for example, vehicles, if that were to be something that we'd like to consider at some point.

Brooke Hardinstaffby voiceThe only time that I've been aware that's been discussed was regarding QBUS, and I don't believe QBUS qualified within the state code parameters. That's the one that comes to mind. But physical fixed infrastructures certainly can

O'Neillstaffbe. several years ago that made it more restrictive.

Stacy HallMS. So who wants to sponsor a poll? Yeah, the fire poll, right? MS.

Catherine ReadWell, something to think about, I guess. MS. You know, it's getting later. MS. Okay. All right. Any other questions for Chief O'Neill before we sing him off the stage? Okay, so long, farewell, we hate to say goodbye.

O'NeillstaffThank you very much.

Catherine ReadOkay,

Stacy Hallthank you.

Catherine ReadGo, Rachel. All right, Council Member Hall.

Stacy HallParks and Rec plus, I think, probably zoning to discuss collectively. Willard Sherwood, please. But if there's other Parks and Rec questions for us, please feel free.

Thomas PetersonMay I ask, are we planning on talking with our police department or no?

Stacy HallI am not. I thought we did the 5%, but you certainly can.

Thomas PetersonWell, it's always great to hear from them. I guess I'm wondering whether we need to retain them for the evening. I feel safer when you're here, but I don't want to keep you from your loved ones.

Catherine ReadI'll leave it to the dais. They answered. Okay, well, okay. So long, farewell, we hate to say goodbye.

Ann Lauerpublic commentOkay.

Catherine ReadGoodbye. All right, then. um council member peterson do you have things you'd like to start with

Thomas Petersonyes uh so again thank you for your follow-up um on the uh the parks and recreation um issues a couple of clarifying questions start if you could just again explain the 500 and where that sits and what impact that has on budget is that money that's already built into a budget and it's been adopted so your description of that program was merely describing a cash flow that doesn't have any potential for reduction or was there something more to it than that?

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voiceI just didn't want anyone to confuse

Alice Magelson-Greenpublic commentbetween the two. There's two

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voiceNova Parks CIPs and they have the same picture so I know in the past it has been confusing. It's both, they're both gateway park. and so there is already allocated funding for the eventual the eventual rehabilitation and improvement of that park into a wetlands educational area that's the current Nova Parks plan I have reached out to the executive director of Nova Parks to find out kind of a timeline on where they are on that that renovation project I have not heard back yet I will say the other thing to just note is that Paul Gilbert who is the executive director has announced his end of the year so his job has just been posted he sent out a message to all of us kind of letting us know and so I think there might be a delay in some of

the projects they have in the pipeline but yet unseen and then the second Nova Park CIP is our annual contribution and that is for that comes out of both CIP and operating and when Gwen and I were going through our CIP it came to both of us that the operating had been counted twice. So the operating was included in the CIP and was also included in our operating budget. So we were able to reduce the amount of ask by $53,000 because it appeared in both places.

Thomas PetersonChair Greg Musil Well, thank you. And then one more.

Philip LaTassapublic commentMs. Yeah.

Thomas PetersonChair Greg Musil The 1.6.

Philip LaTassapublic commentMs. Yes.

Thomas PetersonChair Greg Musil So if I understand it correctly, you were this as something that could be redeployed. I guess my question is whether the only option is to redeploy or whether there's an option here where those funds can in any way contribute to an FY26 savings of some kind.

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voiceYes. So just to explain for anybody at home.

Thomas PetersonYeah.

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voiceI'm

Thomas Petersonsorry to speak in code language here. No, no,

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voicethat's okay. I don't think because it's just been sent to council. There was $1.6 million held in an FY22 CIP, which was the remaining balance when Stafford Park was built. And when Stafford Park was built, it was budgeted as a two-terf field, lighted park. It was reduced in scope to a one-terf field, and then it remained unlit due to neighborhood input, and that there was not an interest in having that field be lit. Those funds have remained in the CIP, just kind of hanging out there, because they are, there was kind of this thought that at some point we might put in the field lighting. and the conduit was run but the field lighting was never installed and at this point it doesn't seem like something that's immediately on the horizon and so we had looked at potentially

reallocating that we had had a lot of community push to increase some security measures at the park including security cameras blue light emergency buttons and safety lighting and so So that could cover some of that project. It could also cover the remainder of our CIP requests for the upcoming year. We don't have a lot of them, but it could cover all those with funds remaining.

Thomas PetersonI guess the bottom line question is how much could that $1.6 million contribute to the achievement of a budget scenario here by identifying some funds that are either going to be categorized as a reduction or an alternative for funding something that's in the scenario I mean are we going to be able to capitalize on this in some way that helps us achieve some of these reduced tax rate scenarios I

JC MartinezstaffI think the answer to that question could be zero to $1.6 million. It's very similar to the school's $1.2. I can put it somewhere to sort of show, as listed on the screen and displayed there, what Stacy was mentioning that I reallocated and basically did way with any FY26 parks and recreation expenditures other than Willard Sherwood. Or I could change that and apply it to something else, very similar to the transfer that would be required from the general fund to the CIP, or to schools or some other CIP project as well. That that is ultimately what council would direct us to do.

Thomas PetersonWhat do you need from us to make that decision?

JC MartinezstaffI think a little more clarity of what the intent would be. I think very similar to what Council Member Amos has been sort of hinting at, those are my words, of what Council sort of wants us to be at as a direction. If we want a close to zero tax rate, if we want a one penny, two penny, something that provides direction that I can sort of mold and modify scenarios to bring back to council to show what that would look like.

Thomas PetersonThat's helpful, very very helpful and something I anticipate we should follow up on but as we do that I guess my question would be from your standpoint the trade-offs associated with not redeploying those funds. You mentioned there's some security issues, et cetera. If there's something that involves risk exposure, we'd certainly want to know about that as we make this determination.

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voiceI do think there is quite a community push for more security at the parks, especially where we have a lot of kids out on, I think the first two identified were Draper and Stafford Park, been some incidents that had occurred there and the number of youth that are on site every day. But it is ultimately the will of the council as to what you want to do with the funds.

Catherine ReadCouncil Member Hall.

Stacy HallI would strongly support, I think, security at both Stafford and Draper. I have a couple questions. First is, I believe that funds were allocated in the previous year for the turf fields at the middle school? Where does that stand? Where are those funds?

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voiceThey are still being held. We have $4 million. The estimate for the upgrade, regardless of synthetic or natural turf, sits in the range of $10 million, simply because the site has some difficulties with stormwater and that is comprised mostly of fill that is made up of the previous middle school so they when they read when they redid KJ they they took a lot of the old school and buried it underneath that field and so included in the plan that's been proposed because we had been working with the middle school was two fields two multi-purpose fields fenced a perimeter gravel trail that could be utilized by the middle school cross-country program because that was a to run cross country and then to improve the track facility so that it is a standard distance.

The current one is not a standard distance so they have to run I think like two and eight around and so it's an odd amount and then to include a small paved section in the center to be utilized by the gym classes. The individual facilities are not the big expenditures. The site work is the big expenditure. Bless you.

Val Morganpublic commentOkay.

Stacy HallAnd what year was that allocated? Do you recall? It wasn't last year. It would have been 2004 or

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voice2003? I believe it was FY23.

Stacy HallIt

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voicewas originally ARPA dollars, which we then shifted around to utilize those ARPA funds at Theis Park so that we wouldn't lose them. Okay.

Stacy HallYeah, that's curious. I know that's a pretty controversial conversation regardless of, well, not regardless, but depending upon which type of field we were to go with. It's also a large amount of money to be sitting for years to not have a purpose. Thank you for clarifying that. thing to consider on, I think. Okay. Does anyone have other specific parks and rec questions? I don't want to take over from anyone, but I have a bigger question after this.

Thomas PetersonJust to follow up on this point, so what is the translation then of that $4. million and a potential opportunity to give us some help with the FY26 budget? Is this something that's a candidate for a push forward? I mean, where does that leave us?

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voiceSorry, Jay. So we, there's really, it's really unlikely that it would be expended in the next year, so we could push it forward and then I will leave it to Mr. Martinez to tell us what that would do to the budget.

JC MartinezstaffI don't know if that project has been officially canceled in any way. if council in my opinion were to sort of say this project is not viable to sort of return those funds back then we would go ahead and do that but until we have that direction I think the intent would be either to continue to try to find additional funding and complete the project and hold those in reserve until that time is identified or until we get a different direction I think in the other two THAT WERE MENTIONED TONIGHT, ONE FOR SCHOOLS THAT WAS CLEARLY TOLD AND DEMONSTRATED TO US THAT THAT WAS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN AND THAT WE'RE BEING TOLD AT THAT POINT BY THE SCHOOL BOARD CHAIR TO GO AHEAD AND NOT DO THAT. AND THEN THE STAFFORD DRIVE ONE WHERE THAT DOESN'T SEEM VIABLE AS WELL GIVEN COMMUNITY FEEDBACK AND NO MOVEMENT ON THAT PROJECT.

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voiceand I would just like to add that with the KJM turf fields that is a safety issue where there are safety concerns with the current field so we would like to maintain those funds and try to add to them either through foundation dollars additional dollars to be added in the future especially to make be able to make those improvements with the additional fact that the middle school is adding sports programs

Judy Fraserpublic commentmore questions Kim

Stacy Halljust a comment I'm personally I would think keeping those funds for right now and not recalling them would be the best choice I do have concerns about where we're going to be headed with middle school sports with the county at this point in time but I'm hopeful that that is a bit of a short term burden that will eventually be worked out but I don't want to completely option by recalling the four million dollars and again not potentially solving some of the other like issues that are going on as opposed to just pulling money from here and there just to make a budget for the one year so any other can I move to a Willard Sherwood question anything

Catherine Readelse just straight parks no okay I think we're ready to to move

Stacy Hallokay can we discuss Willard Sherwood a little bit, please? I mean, I can ask questions, or I can... You can give us some information first, whatever you're prepared to do.

Brooke Hardinstaffby voiceMaybe... Maybe questions. I will, though, state staff would appreciate the opportunity to come in and have a work session on Willard Sherwood. Ideally, that would happen before you consider the budget. So if there is time for that to occur, we'd like to do that because it's a project with a lot of complexities and a long history and would like to be able to share that and kind of step you through the bigger picture and some of the details that we may not be able to do in conjunction with this type of discussion. So I will say that, but yes, please ask questions.

Stacy HallI'm completely on board with the work session, especially for something as big as this right before budget when it's nine million dollars

Brian Fosterstaffyes so that's a great segue if you would allow me to one of the questions I was going to ask so you we have the next meeting on the 22nd of April and there are several things that are on the work session in addition to budget including old town hall and and that was that was moved and so one of the questions wanted to ask is would council be amenable to starting the work set basically coming in early before seven i would we will start as early as you're willing to start but But whatever time that is, 5 o'clock, 5.30, 6 o'clock, 1.30, we don't care. But whatever time, the suggestion would be we would have a work session. All of these things that have been pushed, we could add Willard Sherwood.

We can talk about Old Town Hall, all of those kinds of things. And we would just get in as much as we can get in prior to 7 o'clock. Then you would then have your normal meeting. You have multiple public hearings, and then we would then have the work. Then we'd go back, and whatever work sessions we did not finish ahead of time, we would then continue with the work session. So keep in mind that on the 22nd, again, the way our schedule is set, what we would really like to have happen is that by the end of the meeting, on the 22nd, is that we basically have the framework of the budget that you want with the tax rates that you want to adopt. So then that gives us time to prepare all of the necessary resolutions and ordinances, et cetera, for adoption on May 6th.

And then so that is the preferred mechanics, if you will, process, because what we don't what we want would like to avoid is coming up with all these scenarios on May the 6th when we're trying to adopt a budget and trying to make in making sure that all the numbers balance so well I don't know how much more discussion we'll have this evening and maybe we'll start getting there but if you're willing to start a work session early on the 22nd we can certainly add this as well.

Catherine ReadCouncil Member Amos.

Anthony AmosYes, but I will also reiterate that that's something we should reevaluate in general moving forward, especially for work sessions or actions that don't require decision just starting earlier. And I know I proposed that earlier on in January. Context is different now and we've had a couple meetings under our belt, but yes.

Brian FosterstaffSo, so we, we, we stand and we have time to show that we would be, in essence, the work session, I guess, would be maybe considered a special meeting from 5 or 4 or 3 or 6.30, whenever we start. Okay, yeah. So that would be the suggestion. We'd start a work session at whatever time you all can get there and whatever time you set. So think about, and you don't have to necessarily tell us right this second, poll you, but we really, if you can, if you can give us as much as I would even say two to three hours, we'll feed you. And so you don't have to worry about dinner and we can get through some of these things if you would like. I'll make cookies. How about that?

Catherine ReadI was about to say, do we have a budget for dinner? But anyway, Council Member Hardy-Chandler.

Stacey Hardy-ChandlerAbsolutely. And especially for cookies. No, I would definitely want to do that. on the 22nd and um as early as people can accommodate

Catherine Readcouncil member hall

Stacy Halli'm also on board with that so maybe i i feel like some of my questions are important to have now in preparation for the 22nd so i can at least do some digging on my own um so some of my primary concerns with willard sherwood um is that people that will be coming into the willard portion of this may have infectious diseases, measles, mumps, rubella, COVID, right? I mean, that would have been a big thing a while ago. So I have a lot of concerns about the fact that there's no direct access from the parking garage, to my understanding, correct me if I'm wrong. We don't really have the ability to separate people. We're going to have senior citizens there. We're going to have multiple child care centers there. And we may have a population of people that don't speak English

are too sick to recognize signs around them to recognize where they need to be going and I think that yes we're gonna have apparently a ton of staff to the tune of 2.1 million dollars annually and only going up but I there's a lot of problems with the current design of this building for me and I am also concerned that if and again correct me if I'm wrong because I'm only going upon previous things that I've read and heard but if we have another COVID or another outbreak of some sort does the county have the ability to shut down this building because it's a health center and not let us access our spaces that being said I don't know that we would want to access our spaces for senior citizens or for

childcare if we are in the middle of another pandemic of some sort. My other questions are, how much square footage are we actually occupying there?

Brooke Hardinstaffby voiceTotal building square footage is 103,500 square feet. The breakdown, as you've probably seen, is 58% county, 42% city. So that works out to roughly 43,500 square feet city, 60,000 square feet county.

Stacy HallDoes that include the gym?

Brooke Hardinstaffby voiceYes.

Stacy HallAnd what is our square footage at Green Acres? It's about 40,000 square feet there now?

Brooke Hardinstaffby voiceThe entire building is about 40. all used for for community center purposes necessarily but yes

Stacy Hallwell no but I mean the one side is used for child care the other side is largely used for green acres and then there's like the cafeteria the gym and all that stuff in the fields right

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voiceyes we use most of the building except for what's below there's a stairway about halfway through the building kind of just dropping down about four stairs which does limit our ability to use that section of building due to ADA. So we have, we utilize just the room down there for the preschool and then rental space.

Stacy HallWhat's

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voicerental

Stacy Hallspace?

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voiceJust some various like HOA groups will use it, but it's definitely less desirable and less used because it's down those stairs and there is no ramp and there's no way to put a ramp in.

Stacy HallNo, the only way to get in would be to go around the outside and come in the side of the building there.

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voiceYes. Which is at

Stacy Hallground level.

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voiceIf you need to use the restroom, you have to go back outside, go around and come back in the primary door. That's convenient. Yes.

Stacy HallOkay, so ramp. And does that include our parking at all?

Brooke Hardinstaffby voiceThat square footage does not include the parking.

Stacy HallOkay, and roughly how much parking is there, and is it dedicated 4258 as well, or do we have X number of spots?

Brooke Hardinstaffby voiceIt is not. There would be 235 spaces in the garage. There will be additional spaces surfaced parked on the overall site, but 235 in the garage. Parking would be shared among all of the uses, but the way that the parking was allocated per the agreement, it would be the number of spaces that are required to support the use as opposed to the 52 42 58 it it worked out to 64 percent county 36 percent city so if you wanted to assign those spaces it would be 150 in the garage county 85 city but again they wouldn't be marked or dedicated these are all going to be shared. The 6436 was just a way to apply cost share to that portion of the building.

Stacy HallOkay. And our employees that would be working in the building each and every day would be included in those 85 or 150 spots shared as well?

Brooke Hardinstaffby voiceThey would. They would. And, you know, patrons, visitors to the building as well.

Stacy HallOkay. And how big is the gym that's being planned? Do you know offhand? I know you said it's included in the 43,500.

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voiceIt's a full-size gym large enough for us to accommodate four pickleball courts, volleyball, and it is, I've got to look up the dimensions, the full-size basketball where it can split into two halves and play a small game sideways.

Stacy HallOkay, so it's like the equivalent of like one half of the like when they put the divider down?

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voiceYes, because you have a full, yeah, I think it would be, yes, because you've got a full court. I'm not going to hold you to the exact square

Stacy Hallfoot, but I just tried to understand.

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voiceOkay. It's a full court, and it does have a divider plan so that we can drop it down and potentially you could have open gym with basketball on one side and then still play two pickleball games on the other.

Stacy HallOkay. Thank you. And then, JC, I think you and I had discussed a little bit last time annual operating to start in fiscal year 2020 not 2028 I believe right and then the operations I think based on the presentation I read was looking like the non-personnel cost would start in 2029 that's

Brooke Hardinstaffby voicecorrect

Stacy Hallokay and those were

Brooke Hardinstaffby voicenon-personnel in 2029 1.2 I

Stacy Hallthought I read 2.9 somewhere or 2.7 I

JC Martinezstaffthink collectively it's 2.7 Yeah, 2.7 total. Yep, 2.7 total operating costs. Annual maintenance starting in FY29. Capital repairs is set aside starting in FY34. Security, $75,000 starting in FY29. Custodial, $105,000 starting in FY29. Utilities, $84,000 starting in FY29. that amount equaled 2.7 and then you also had a one-time cost of building FFME of about 1.3 in FY27 and then to your point council member Hall staff about 2.1 starting in FY28-29 Again, I think it was previously communicated to new full-time and about 35 to 42 part-time. Some benefited, some not.

Stacy HallOkay, so rough math. We're looking at about $4.8 million operating costs every year starting whenever they start, which would be roughly about 5-ish, .5 or 6 cents on the tax rate? Am I doing that number right?

JC Martinezstaff8.25? About 4.8 or so and about 5.7 cents is what I would calculate.

Stacy HallOkay. At

JC Martinezstaffthe current penny value of $835,000.

Stacy HallOkay. Okay. And roughly what are we anticipating generating in revenue?

Katie Johnsonpublic commentSo

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voicethe building does have less potential for revenue because a lot of it will be programmed with city programming space. I think the two biggest potential revenue spaces are the upstairs patio, which can be rented out in the evening for different events. And is, can see, well, the fire capacity is right around 300, so that's a big venue for the city. It is outdoors. There's the two upstairs classrooms as potential rental revenue. revenue. Given the demand currently in the city for indoor gym space, it is unlikely to be a large revenue driver rental wise simply because currently, and this could change, our arrangement with FPYC is free space. So we do not charge for space with our partner organizations of FPYC or Little League. And so that does greatly diminish our revenue

possibility in that space.

Stacy HallOkay,

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voicewe're looking at a lot of senior programming in the gymnasium during the day. I mean, right now, she's got a request to buy bollards because the amount of pickleball players at Green Acres is becoming so great that we are becoming a fire hazard in the hall. So, I mean, that could slow down. Anything could change in the next few years, but the demand for gym space for programming is quite high. And now we do generate some revenue with programming but it is not the same rate as rental revenue.

Stacy HallOkay so do we have a rough dollar amount for annual revenue generation or not really?

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voiceWe do not at this point but I can start to work up very loose numbers just based on we haven't set pricing for anything there's of course no rates and levies we can look at some comparable spaces but for instance the two classroom upstairs so currently the footprint of the upstairs senior center is pretty comparable to the senior center at Green Acres, and that space overflows into a number of classrooms in the building. And so we would utilize those two classrooms through most of the day with senior programming and then have them open in the evening for rental.

Stacy HallAnd the

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voice300-people

Stacy Hallpatio space sounds great until it rains, right? Yes. Yeah, it is very weather dependent. Okay. So committing someone to rent that could be a little bit difficult. Yes. Okay. And roughly, I might not have this prepared, but what are our rough operating costs at Green Acres right now as far as staffing goes, just as a comparison?

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voiceIt is, I can pull them for you. It's fairly low. We do have a single entrance, so we just have one desk. and we typically have one to two people at that desk during the day and then we have staffing within the senior center which would be the same so some of those employees would move over and I can identify those but there are more desks to staff and more facilities to manage yeah

Stacy Hallokay and

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voicefor example right now the fitness center at Green Acres is really just available to our seniors in the community so if you're senior you can pay a price we do offer a community rate which is actually quite a deal but and so you can come over after five o'clock and work out but it is an older space it does not have great air conditioning so we don't have a ton of people we would have a new fitness center would require someone to be in there managing that space so there is some membership revenue percent up potential so those are numbers that we can work out as well so the biggest probably the biggest revenue potential that we're looking at is

Stacy Hallmemberships okay and actually I'm glad you brought that up I think I sent this to you in my questions but I actually was on board initially for a opportunity to consider charging our seniors as we talked about before but I want to withdraw my support for charging our seniors for the senior center I I think they get a lot of benefit, and I think that they've done a lot for our city. They continue to pay real estate taxes in most cases, and I do not support a cost recovery model for seniors specifically. So I think that's all my questions, unless there's something else you think we should know about this for me.

Catherine ReadCouncil Member Amos.

Anthony AmosI don't know if this was the last CIP portion. I just wanted to bring back up that I know Councilmember Bates had mentioned earlier about A proposal that he wanted to discuss regarding the tax tax rate So just wanted to remind us so I know it's getting a little late so bringing that out

Catherine ReadOkay, are we are we done with the okay the one one thing I wanted since we're talking about charging the seniors membership fee can we just go over one more time about the reciprocity with the county and what the county charges their seniors in the fact and how that works right now

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voiceyes so if you join the county senior center right now I believe the current rate is oh it's been a long day 65 and they're going up to 78 this upcoming year so if you are city resident and you join one of the county senior centers that is the PRICE AS A COUNTY RESIDENT. SO WE OFFER THE SAME RECIPROCITY AT GREEN ACRES. CURRENTLY WE DO CHARGE JUST A ONE-TIME $10 FEE TO JOIN THE SENIOR CENTER AND PARTICIPATE IN AS MANY OF THE ACTIVITIES, DRINK FREE COFFEE, GET FREE FOOD AND ENJOY THE PERKS OF THE SENIOR CENTER. AND SO WE DO HAVE, PROBABLY, LAST TIME I CHECKED AND I CAN LOOK AT OUR NUMBERS AGAIN, IT IS HARD BECAUSE WE DON'T CHARGE A RESIDENT NON-RESIDENT RATE. we're usually around 45% county residents

55% city residents just to look at how many people are in our current makeup of the senior center could

Stacy Hallwe just charge county residents since we have to pay to go there or do they honor our zero

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voiceit's similar reciprocity if you're a county resident you go to the senior center it's $65 if you're a city resident you go to the senior center it's $65 and because we don't charge a membership fee if your county resident you come to our senior center it's zero it's ten a ten dollar one-time fee if you're a city resident come to our senior center it's a ten dollar one-time fee so it's reciprocal yes sorry

Catherine Readquestions so yeah council member yeah that's what I'm bringing it so I think

Stacey Hardy-Chandlerthe question correct me if I'm wrong councilmember Hall is can we charge a different fee for non-residents that's aligned with the county fee but not impacting our residents keep our residents at the $10 but the county people would have to pay $70 if they went to a county facility FACILITY ANYWAY, RIGHT? COULD THEY BE THE ONES PAYING THE $70 COMING TO A CITY FACILITY?

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voiceSO BRIAN LUBCOMEN IS INVESTIGATING WHETHER OR NOT THIS IS A FORMAL ARRANGEMENT OR JUST ALWAYS BEEN AN INFORMAL RECIPROCITY ARRANGEMENT. THE ONLY POSSIBILITY WOULD BE THAT OUR CITY RESIDENTS MAY BE THEN CHARGED THE NON-RESIDENT RATE FOR SENIOR CENTERS IN THE COUNTY, SOME OF WHICH HAVE POOLS AND SERVICES THEY ACCESS, AND THAT NON-RESIDENT RATE WOULD GO UP TO I believe around $150.

Catherine ReadOkay. Yeah. Yeah. We need to figure this out. We need to figure this out. But I understand that we want to provide this benefit to our residents and all of that. But there is this reciprocity where they can use the county facilities. And we have 45% of the people from the county using ours. So we need to figure that out to make it somewhat, I don't know, if equitable is even the right word. It just needs to make sense. It just needs to make sense. Yes.

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voiceJust one more piece in there is that if you are a city resident, you go to a county senior center, you're not eligible for financial assistance, and that would be the same. We don't offer the same, you know, same as summer camp, for example. If you, we take county residents at summer camp, but we don't offer financial assistance for county residents, only city residents because it is supported by the city. So if you were to implement the senior center membership fee, we would offer financial assistance to our city residents.

Catherine ReadSo that just needs probably a little more consideration anyway, regardless of probably not a huge financial impact. It's just at some point you need to institute systems that make sense or things that make sense. We just haven't up to this point done that.

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voiceI think there's also some ways that it could be rolled out, too. I don't want to charge our seniors anymore. I think we want to offer any sort of financial assistance we can if we need to do some cost recovery in that space. But I think there's also ways of rolling it out over a year time and giving people some lead time into the fee being implemented, giving current members maybe an additional six months before the fee kicks in, different things like that, so that there's time to adjust to that rate change.

Catherine ReadAnd quite frankly, the Willard Sherwood Senior Center is going to be an upgrade. Yes. The facility itself.

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voiceYes. I think a big draw for the city center is we offer great services. We have great staff. They're always there. We're very responsive. Our downside is definitely that Green Acres is a very, we have very limited parking. We're often out of parking. It's a very challenging building ADA wise we share bathroom facilities with the preschool so there's a number of downsides to the current facility

Catherine Readcouncil member Hardy Chandler and then so

Stacey Hardy-Chandlerwhen you do the contextual presentation some of those scenarios would be presented as well and I guess I think I just want to emphasize that I would want to see some proportional benefit for our city seniors who are using city facilities, even though there's an exchange of costs. Of course, we're part of a larger region, but if that's a possible scenario to present, that would be great.

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voiceAnd what we do currently, because we don't charge a resident, non-resident rate for any of our programming youth or senior, is we offer a lot of early registration to our city residents for programs that will sell out quickly. Summer camp, senior bus trips, senior parties, all of those are available to city residents to register earlier than non-residents. So we try to make up some, you know, offer some additional incentives for our city residents.

Catherine ReadCouncilmember Hull.

Stacy HallYou may not know this, but do you know how many parking spots are roughly at Green Acres?

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voiceI think it's a, I will find out. be wildly off. The challenge being that, of course, we share with Main Street Child Care Program.

Stacy HallThey do a lot

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voiceof drop-off.

Stacy HallI mean, I understand they have employees, but there's mostly drop-off and whatnot. And those same people would be coming and going from Willard Sherwood as well, correct?

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voiceYes. Okay. I think the one group we'll lose is the GMU students trying to avoid paying for GMU parking. So thankfully, parking enforcement is very good to us and come over and ticket a lot of students for us. I understand the desire to sneak through the woods onto campus and pay no parking fee. Yeah, I totally support

Stacy Hallparking enforcement.

Stacey Sommerfieldstaffby voiceYes.

Brooke Hardinstaffby voiceAnd just to touch on parking, if I may, I shared there was 235 in the parking garage, 347 spaces overall. I don't know if I mentioned the overall figure. So if you bring in the existing spaces at the Sherwood Center and some spaces that would be created on site that's the overall number

Stacy Hallbut they're well sorry there will still be programming and things like that going on at Sherwood in those same places in which they exist now though right correct okay so those parking spaces if they're all being fully utilized now will still likely need to be utilized even after this

Brooke Hardinstaffby voicethey would and and the the properties are tied together already the city has an agreement with the county are ready to utilize the Willard Center and in fact you can't fully operate the Sherwood Center without the Willard property currently the way that that Sherwood was was constructed and approved and so that that happens now you know because the size of the spaces will change a little bit you know what that mix is will change a little bit but the properties are tied together now

Stacy HallI'm sorry you mean they're tied together for as far as parking goes correct okay not physically

Brooke Hardinstaffby voicenot physically for parking thanks

Catherine Readso we're really so are we done here we're done with these two okay so

Ann Lauerpublic commentlong farewell we hate to say goodbye We

Catherine Readbid you a fond adieu. All right. And so is all right. Are we ready to just talk? Great. Okay. Council Member McQuillan.

Rachel McQuillenI do have a question. This is more for you. Have we ever done efficiency audits for any departments? Does anybody know for our departments? Do you know?

JC MartinezstaffI think the answer is no. Melanie probably has the longest history with the city here, and she's shaking her head saying no.

Rachel McQuillenOkay. I would be interested in learning more about how that works for city governments. You know, since we are new here, and it sounds like there's been a lot of time going through the budget line by line, and it seems like a lot of work for staff. So I'm curious as to how that would work, having if it would be a contract or having an independent audit done on the different departments to kind of give us recommendations and things. Not necessarily for this year, just something to consider in the future since this has never been done. And it does seem like there's some opportunities to make some areas more efficient, especially since coming under scrutiny and going through the line items. It does appear that different departments have been able to provide different options and scenarios.

We've been given some scenarios. So I'd like to learn more about how that would work or how that would be introduced or discussed.

Catherine ReadThank you. Okay. Anything else before we start talking tax rate? Council Member Bates. Well,

Billy Batesthis is kind of tax rate related. So, well, for knowing that there is not sufficient support on the diets, it sounds like to increase the meals tax at all, that kind of simplifies my tweaks to scenario four.

Ann Lauerpublic commentbut

Billy Batesmy

Ann Lauerpublic commentyou know again there are a lot of things on here that

Billy BatesI would have grave concerns about but my idea would be to take scenario four and just take that 1.2 million from the school's projects and use that in place of, as Mr. Martinez suggested, in place of the school bond project, but just do the $1.2 million instead of the $3 million, and then just zero out the meals tax increase, and then take whatever that delta is there between that $1.2 million and then the, 0.5% meals tax revenue plus the further reduction to the CIP transfer that would be possible and put that toward, you know, while still keeping the in compliance with the 5% policy and then put that toward the nonprofit grant program and then maybe raise either the real estate tax rate or the property tax rate whatever additional little amount is

needed to bring us back up to three hundred thousand for the nonprofit grant program because again I strongly do not believe this is the time to cut that I still have grave concerns about zeroing out the EDA real estate resource fund and the the Renaissance housing fund and deferring the school bond project but my idea for kind of a compromise

Catherine Readthoughts councilmember Amos do you have thoughts on this

Anthony Amosgive me some time to think about it if we could get this maybe jotted down or emailed out that'd be helpful okay I don't hate it though

Catherine Readokay well we'll call this scenario the councilmember Bates scenario because now help us understand where it came from since it's so councilmember Hardy Chandler you had said you were kind of a little bit between scenario three and four is councilmember Bates edging closer to your your yeah

Stacey Hardy-ChandlerI think that's a good starting point I am not leaving off the mills tax at this point for me at least some component of it the the point five for scenario four is a and the three only goes up to 1%, which is within the range that was previously discussed. So I am still in some combination of the three, four range considering those factors. But I think that gives us maybe a starting point and maybe a place of common ground and compromise. Again, I just go back to our priorities discussion, which was not an exercise. I think it is a frame for discussing what we are comfortable with leaving off or putting on. And for me, again, it goes the minimal impact on staff or positions, because positions are people, is a higher priority for me.

But I think that's in that area, and it sounds like we're inching toward common ground, which makes me optimistic.

Catherine ReadCouncil Member Amos.

Anthony Amosto say that regarding the meals tax in comparison with like the wastewater and stormwater tax it goes directly for example from stormwater to stormwater related projects and i know a lot of our meals tax money is used by eda but if if we do consider any increase in the meals tax i would be more supportive of being willing to do that if it goes directly into at least a portion of it goes to the lift and fig programs. That way there's direct tangible benefits directly to the businesses.

Catherine ReadDo you want to speak to that, Council Member Hardy-Chantler?

Stacey Hardy-ChandlerAnd it could be sunsetted. And it could. Which could be.

Anthony AmosSo I know I brought up the sunseting thing earlier. It was probably because I was comparing it to Vienna. But so I guess the question is if we were to try to sunset it, would this be during the duration of the school bond Again, if we get the 1% sales tax, I don't want to double tax people either because I was brought up tonight, and that's a very good point.

Catherine ReadCouncilmember Hall and then Councilmember Peterson.

Stacy HallSorry, mine's just a direct response to you, to Anthony. Sorry, Councilmember Amos. I know. I'm just a little confused by your conception of putting the sunset on the meals tax then to go when the school 1% comes in. One, you're suggesting goes to the EDA, and then when that ends, then you're suggesting that 1% that would be used for the school. So you're not suggesting the meals tax goes to the schools until the 1% kicks in. You're saying whatever portion of MilaSax goes to EDA?

Anthony AmosWhen I say that, it's more focused on the debt service aspect, less directly to the school bond, but more for the, for example, with the $3 million this year, next year it's a little bit higher. That's all I was referencing.

Catherine ReadOkay. Thank you. Okay. Council Member Peterson.

Thomas PetersonI need to see these numbers settle down a little bit to understand more clearly where we are, and I'm not able to commit right now to a tax rate. A lot of updates have occurred this evening and prior to it. We need to see this, and it may well fall below this level. So I just want to be clear on that and look forward to being able to see things a little bit more clearly after we do a lot of these updates, the updates that have occurred, and then understand where they're emerged from this, options that are decision points for us in terms of where we may make some financial moves that make certain things possible. One thing to call out, the real estate acquisition fund, whatever it's called in EDA, just a note, that is one approach that can be used for this

catalyst function for EDA, where you literally have a fund. There are other approaches. There are other ways to go about that sort of catalyst function that don't require capitalization with a fund, at least not at that size. So I certainly, we didn't have time with Director Bruno tonight, certainly would want us to have a longer and thoughtful conversation about the concept of options that could happen at EDA before assuming that we should be trying to replenish that fund through a budget move that we make here. And I'd be, you know, I think that's probably a post, my own view is that's a post-budget discussion we should have, but it's an important one that we would want to do as we look to the future for EDA.

Catherine ReadOkay, other comments?

Thomas PetersonOh, Mr. Martinez.

JC MartinezstaffIf I could just ask for clarity. I know it's late, but for Council Member Peterson, let me get out of this. So on making an assumption, and if the assumption is not right, then I need guidance from the body. The assumption here would be we save $1.2 million on making the assumption to assign it here. So I would reduce the $3 million or the $3 million transfer from the general fund to the CIP to start the initial process for the school renovation. I'M ALSO MAKING AN ASSUMPTION, THE 1.6 THAT STACY WOULD REAPPROPRIATE FROM STAFFORD PARK, I CLEARED OUT SIX OR SEVEN PROJECTS. IF THAT ASSUMPTION IS NOT CORRECT, AND I THOUGHT I HEARD, AND WHAT I NEED CLARITY IS, DON'T DO THAT. apply it to the tax rate. Those are my words.

But I need clarity of how to build these scenarios. Councilmember Bates gave me very clear guidance of how to build the scenario. If someone else wants a different scenario and say add this, subtract this, multiply this, the sun and the moon on the 4th of July match, then I will make that happen. I just need clarity. If not, I'm going to make an assumption based on what I think would satisfy everyone's needs, but I don't know if those are truly your needs. If you could help me, if the body can help me and the manager have clarity.

Thomas PetersonWell, I think I said at the very beginning, and we didn't, I think, don't have time to go through an examination of this, but all these updates, I'd really like to see where that leaves us with scenario five.

JC MartinezstaffAnd again, sir, you say updates. I don't know. Half a million dollars. Half a million dollars is not going to significantly reduce things.

Thomas PetersonOkay, but there were a series of things. It was a half a million dollars from DPW. There's a million dollars floating around also for DPW for a couple of consulting projects and the loading associated with them, right? Then there's the 1.6 and whether there is some portion of that that's possible and available. I mean those are the kinds of things that would be nice to sort of clear up.

Brian FosterstaffSo the those projects you're talking about the only way to impact it is to not do them if you don't want to spend the money so I think the JC's point the the two biggest that you know is and I'm not we're not asking you to to to commit to a tax rate, but I think for, in order to really be able to show you what I think are additional options is what goes back somewhat to what Council Member Amos is asking, is there a ceiling, is there a ceiling of tax rate that you are unwilling to go beyond is that you want us to get to zero tax rate impact. For example, the two things that JC just mentioned, the 1.2 from schools, the 1.6 from parks, that's 2.8. If you wanted to, you could supplant the cash transfer.

We keep talking about the cash transfer to CIP. If you want to impact the tax rate, then just take that 2.8 or some portion of it and offset the cash transfer. Then you would gain so many pennies of reduction in real estate tax. But what JC is saying, but then you earn all of those projects that he said we wouldn't have to fund, you still have to fund or not do them. So you can't count it twice. So I understand what you're asking is how these things shake out. Well, we give you that information, but then we're no closer to trying to come up with whatever scenarios that you want. So if you can, rather than us trying to come up with a multitude of scenarios, if there is if there are if you can if you say my ceiling is this whatever this

is then we that gives us the opportunity to give you just like we did here various options and to incorporate all the things that you heard this evening but absent that all work where we can give you the answers to how these shake out if you want to see what that but then it doesn't get us any closer to getting you the options that you might ultimately wish to consider

Stacy HallMary yes I think it's all the things that were discussed tonight also in conjunction with all of the things that came out of public works in the last meeting plus the school I mean there was a seven million dollars I think roughly if I had to ballpark between 1.55, 1.2, 1.6, 560,000. I mean, if you add all these numbers up, I might be overestimating, but all those things were not included in these five scenarios because they weren't known at the time. So I think what Councilmember Peterson is trying to say, or what I'm trying to ask is I sent you the hall scenario, which started at five, scenario number five, added in a couple things, gave some priorities that were important to me, but now there's additional things CIP related that need

to be added in there. So I'm not saying I want to bare-bones fund the cash transfer to the CIP, but I kind of feel like we need to look at let's say scenario four, scenario five, maybe even scenario three because that's Councilwoman Hardy Chandler wanted that one. But see those with these new changes before I feel like we can have a more educated conversation. That being said, I like scenario five. For me, this covers a lot of the things. There might be some things I'm willing to add or subtract, and I think I gave those in my email. But that's for me. One thing I will say I am not willing to move on delaying the schools especially because the schools just gave us back 1.2 million dollars and that is almost a third ish of what we need that was a 70

percent supported bond and I'm not willing to negotiate on that one from my perspective if

Catherine Readmr. Martinez

JC Martinezstaffso it shows here all the collections which were previously incorporated everything except for what mr hall presented tonight is 4.5 million dollars reduction from fy 26. now a part of that almost 2.8 million of that is a reappropriation from a previous year 1.2 from schools 1.6 from parks i can and this is where i need clarity I CAN MOVE ALL THAT MONEY AND APPLY TO THE CIP CASH TRANSFER. THAT FREES IT UP. I CAN PUT IT ALL TO THE SCHOOL BOND AND THEN THAT FREES UP THE DIFFERENT SCENARIO. ADDING ANOTHER $500,000 OF WHAT HALL, MR. HALL SAID TODAY, IS NOT GOING TO REALLY DO ANYTHING BECAUSE IT'S JUST A REDUCTION OF AN EXISTING PROJECT OR REPLACEMENT. so it's not it's not cash it doesn't have as much impact so I guess that's

what I'm asking the clarity is how do you want me to apply the 1.2 in the 1.6

Stacy Hallpersonally I think the way you did it is is good with me I'm a little on the 1.6 but to me it's a starting point of a conversation but I 100% think that the 1.2 needs to reduce the 3 million for the schools.

Catherine ReadOkay. Council member Bates?

Billy BatesOn that note, I wasn't aware the 1.6 could be used in that way as well. I'd like to propose further modifying mine to put that 1.6 toward the schools as well. So that would bring us up to almost 3 million, I think.

Catherine ReadCouncilmember Hardy-Chandler.

Stacey Hardy-ChandlerAs a starting point, because that's where we're trying to get is just to identify some common ground, can we use the Bates scenario and the Hall scenario, which I think kind of echoes some of the sentiments expressed earlier. are just the starting points for our subsequent conversation. So that brings five different scenarios down to at least two that we're not locked into but become starting points for conversation. Can we maybe, is that helpful?

JC MartinezstaffDefinitely. Okay.

Rachel McQuillenI just wanted to say thank you. Sorry. I just wanted to say thank you because that's exactly where I'm at. I'm between the two. I'm leaning more towards scenario five but I really like the options that councilmember Bates has presented here so I think that's a great starting point

Stacey Hardy-Chandlerand it I'm sorry just to follow up it and it folds in what we've learned as things have evolved and modified and that's I think the next evolution from the excellent scenarios that were initially presented I feel like that progress.

Brian FosterstaffSo in the scenarios that you say you like, is it the tax rate implication that you like, or is it all the cuts that you like? Because I heard, like in Mr. Bates' example, there was a couple of cuts that he didn't like, and he was suggesting alternatives, which makes me believe that it's really the tax rate is what you're after and not necessarily the cuts. But we can certainly work with, we can absolutely incorporate these additional items on scenarios four and five and show you what those could look like in sort of like a 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B kind of scenario. We can certainly do that.

Catherine ReadCouncil Member McQuillan.

Rachel McQuillenTo answer your question, for me it's both. I like the options that Council Member Bates presented for cuts and actually after going to the open house and really exploring more stuff as to what the cuts entail as well. But yes, the real estate rate is very attractive, as is no meals tax increase, as I've stated previously. So for me, it was a combination of both. Okay.

Catherine ReadThank you. Council Member Hardy-Chandler.

Stacey Hardy-ChandlerI agree. This is an or. This is a complex situation, and there may be things that eat. prefer more or like as you put it in you know any of these scenarios ultimately why can vary so long as we come up with some common ground where we can entertain some compromise and present something that we can all stand behind so I don't think it's an or I think it's an and and that's really good for something as complex as this.

Catherine ReadOkay, Councilmember Peterson. It's

Thomas Petersonquarter after 12. And we, in my own view is that I'm happy to start specifying assumptions or changes in assumptions to scenarios, certainly five, maybe four, something in that territory, but I don't think now is the time to do that. Two things. One, I think I would like to see some of these updates made and have a chance to stare at them. The other is that I am reluctant to make these kinds of decisions at this hour of the day under these circumstances and would like to reserve the right to do this in the light of day when we've had a chance to collect information and look at it more carefully.

Catherine ReadCouncil Member Hardy-Channel.

Stacey Hardy-ChandlerYeah, none of us want to do that. I think we're trying to provide Mr. Martinez some clarity for him to devise these new scenarios. In the meantime, we have an opportunity to go and reread documents, reread our emails, put together our information so we can give some coherent feedback. the idea is not to make a decision tonight the idea is to provide clarity so that they can come back with some narrower options for us

Catherine Readokay so that do you feel like you have some clarity mr. Martinez I do okay this is so good okay councilmember Hall

Stacy HallI just do reserve the right to ask for another scenario next week. I also, just real quick, can we do council comments? Oh, we're going to do that. Okay. I have to... Oh, yeah. Okay. I'm good. Thank you. You have to

Catherine Readreconvene the regular meeting. Are we... Council Member Bates.

Billy BatesWe never really came to an agreement on a start time for the 22nd. If I were to wear my suit to quantum mechanics and assume that we're going to have a working dinner, then I think I could be here at around 4.30 if we want to aim for that.

Catherine ReadOkay. I think we can all do that. I don't think I have it yet. Yeah, we'll

Brian Fosterstaffset it up. We'll set it up. Will you? So, no, well, if you can tell me right now, we're good. I'm cool, 4.30. 4.30? Yeah, I

Catherine Readthink 4.30.

Brian FosterstaffOkay.

Thomas PetersonI'll be a few minutes late. I have a meeting that wraps up at 4.30.

Brian FosterstaffSo just if I may, there are, we have seven items currently for the work session. And I just want to make sure, because if there's something you want to push off, you certainly can do that. But I'd rather ask you very quickly. So we have the fire station three update, which I think you wanted. sort of separate but in conjunction with that is the PPEA RFI that we did on that project with the old town hall update or I say update go over that I think Andrew will be able to share what the bids are and other concerns about the paint scheme and scope and so forth so we'll have all of that available with willard sherwood which was just at this evening that's the first four the fifth thing that we wanted to have is we have done our procurement for the community survey and

we wanted to have the vendor come in and talk with you on the front end so you could get a feel for what what they're how the process works what they're going to be doing allow you to ask them some questions we and we were proposing that on the 22nd just because I know you're wanting to get that done this is not to determine what the questions are or anything like that you all we will you will all get to weigh in on that as well this is really just the high level this is who we are this is what we're going to do for you etc so you all can be comfortable with what they're going to do is that acceptable for them to is that as part of the work session yeah okay

Catherine Readsounds good yes councilmember Amos

Anthony Amosonly thing I might add is that and I'm not sure how we want to go about this just trying our best to hit everything in those two and a half hours before I guess seven o'clock

Brian Fosterstaffno well we'll be lucky to get through those five

Anthony Amosyeah but

Brian Fosterstaffthen we were we were we We would reserve the budget and the quarterly financial review for, if we get through all of that, rock and roll to that, we will absolutely do that. But what I would suggest is we do the sort of what I'm going to call sort of non-budget or budget adjacent on the front end as much as we can and then the budget and then finance will do their third quarter financial update. that would be in the regular part they kind of go hand in hand and then we would be having our hopefully final budget discussions where we can hopefully develop a framework and so remember there is no meeting next week so you this we our next meeting will be on the 22nd but we will get you these revised scenarios well in advance of that so you have time to look at them

prior to the 22nd.

Catherine ReadRight. Okay. I just bought you a guy. So it sounds like that we all agree. So 430, seven items, front load, the non-budget things at the beginning, which I think makes sense. Yeah, we can have a closed session require we'll put it on the budget I mean on the budget on the agenda on the it will put on the agenda okay now are we ready for me to reconvene the regular meeting one

Billy Batesone more thing yes are we still gonna have the trails work session on 22nd

Brian Fosterstaffeight

Catherine Readyeah

Brian Fosterstafftrails sorry you're right that just got added this evening so yes

Catherine Readokay okay all right anything thank you all right anything else okay I'm the regular meeting I'm reconvening the regular meeting managers report out do we have anything to add

Brian Fosterstaffwas just to schedule the work session which

Catherine Readwe've already done okay councilmember McQuillan I

Rachel McQuillenjust want to congratulate our winner of the women of influence award Anita light councilmember Stacy Hall and I were sworn in yesterday to the women's club of Fairfax we look forward to serving this incredible group their signature project this year is and prevention, which I think is really a huge topic to bring awareness to. I'd like to take a moment to highlight that this week is both National and DMV Food Waste Prevention Week. It began yesterday or Monday. There's a great lineup of educational and fun events happening virtually and in person, and I encourage everyone to check out the details at foodwastepreventionweek.com and dmvfoodrecoveryweek.org. It's a wonderful opportunity to learn more

and get involved in the efforts to reduce food waste in our community. I'm looking forward to this Friday, April 11th, Commission on the Arts. The John Mason Arts Awards will be at Stacey Sherwood Center at 8 p.m. and I'm wishing everyone a safe spring break, Passover, and Easter holiday. Thank you.

Catherine ReadCouncil Member Bates.

Billy BatesBig congratulations to Anita Light and thank you to her for all her work for the city.

Catherine ReadCouncil Member Peterson? It'll still work.

Thomas PetersonI wanted to thank the Virginia Department of Transportation for being so willing to work with us and the city and all of our community on the George Snyder Trail. but it's clear from the meetings we've had that they are a sincere partner to the city, and I think that they've demonstrated their desire to be not only a resource but really an enabler for us to kind of bring people together and achieve good outcomes here. So I think it's been great to be able to work directly with them on this particular issue. also to know that they are there so we can continue to work with them when necessary at high levels on other issues, and I'm sure those times will come. The only other thing I would say is just the sympathy and concern that I have, and I know

others do, for people here in the city of Fairfax who are suffering right now because federal actions and the broader changes that we're seeing in our economy that are unstable and we're at the stage now where this is translating into people we know losing their jobs people we know losing their ability to have monthly rental and mortgage payments on their homes people who are having to make very difficult decisions and looking down the pike and seeing that that could continue for a long period of time. So this is real, and I'd certainly like everybody to know that I am aware of this and trying to do everything I can to be helpful around it, but I really would love folks to do their best to hang in there and let us know where we can be helpful to you.

Thank you.

Catherine ReadCouncilmember Hardy-Chandler.

Stacey Hardy-ChandlerI would like to thank everyone who came out to the budget open house, all of the wonderful staff who expertly put that on on such short notice, but all of the residents who came and asked questions, all of the feedback that I got anecdotally was that it was something that people wanted to do again. I hope we get an opportunity to do it outside of budget season. the second major event I want to highlight is our home for life event hosted by village in the city and again all of the staff and volunteers who put that together the sponsors all of the sponsors I spoke to said that it was a very worthy use of their time they wished other cities did that really focusing on an array of resources to allow people to live in their homes as

as long as they possibly can. It's those kinds of things that make our city so welcoming and inclusive to everyone. I do also just want to acknowledge all of the people who came to the hearing tonight, particularly a young lady who talked about her experience in the theater and how it contributed to her ability to speak in front of city council. that really touched me, recognizing that some of the things that people may think are extra, are icing on the cake, are actually core to the cake, so to speak. And I know that that is something that really enriches the resident experience here in Fairfax. But really excited about all of the things that we're doing while working on budget season and certainly recognizing the experiences of our residents.

We're residents, too, and living this while we're trying to serve. So thank you, everybody.

Catherine ReadThank you. Council Member Hall.

Stacy HallI won't belabor what everybody else has already said except to say how excited I am to now be a part of the Women's Club of Fairfax. That was very exciting last night, so looking forward to that. and yes Riley Brixis was amazing tonight she yes great job I was able to attend the school board meeting last night and I just wanted to give you some stats from that last night we had principal Dr. Georgina A presented kind of her state of the schools and she's always so entertaining and fun if you ever want a high school principal it is her. So just to give you some ideas, for some of the AP classes between the school year 2023 to 2024, we had 1,912 kids in AP classes. For 25 to 26, we have 3,047 students in AP classes.

Dual enrollment, same time frame, 417 students previously, now 752. And honors classes, We had 2,317 students. We now have 3,456 students. I point this out simply because I know schools are a hot topic, and I know we're talking about elementary school as far as bond goes, but these are some of the great things that these elementary school students become when they get to high school. And the fact that we have all these great opportunities for them here with the academy, with the other opportunities, it's priceless. Regards to total AP students in 2020 we had 793 in 2024 we now have 891 the number of students that took exams the number of exams that were taken sorry 1865 in 2020 now we're at 2132 and

our AP students with scores of three plus which is what you're looking for for college went from 618 to 690. Our percent of total AP students with scores of three pluses stayed right around the same. It was 77.93 and now it's 77.44. Some exciting things that are hopefully coming soon is called Electrical Pathway, which is going to be talking about the electrical program that they're going to be bringing. So another sort of trade that is able to be offered at our great academy. Funds that are covered by the school board also pay for the learning lounge and Saturday support. The learning lounge allows time, excuse me, and space for students to remain after school each Wednesday and Thursday so they can have

tutoring services, study hall model, reteaching and intervention opportunities. They also focus clubs and activities during that time to allow for kids to be able to stay late for one thing and also stay for another but then still have a ride home and total support students 620 students so about 30 ish percent I think of the kids that are at the school I would highly recommend that you check out the I won't go through anything else but highly recommend that you check out the presentation that was on the school board meeting agenda from last night but just a huge shout out to our kids at Fairfax High School and the administration there for all that they're doing and I look forward to and all of our students. Thank you.

Catherine ReadCouncil Member Amos.

David Gellerpublic commentNo.

Catherine ReadWell I'm going to keep it brief too. We do not have a meeting next Tuesday. It's our bye week on April 15th but it is tax day and for all those who owe taxes I just want you to know that I feel your pain because of all the times to have to dip into any stock-based accounts to pay your taxes you're just really in a bad bad situation and following along to what council member peterson said we understand that the pain is real that things are going on every day that we can hardly imagine what people are going through it is a wonderful city we do our best this whole budget exercise has been about doing the best we can to deliver the great services that people moved here for, stay here for, and trying

to minimize the economic burden. It is hard times right now. But as a community, we are going to get through this. And we are working very diligently up here. And we understand that there's a lot going on out there that we don't see. But we know that there's a lot of pain and suffering going on right now. So stay strong, and we will see you on the 22nd. I now adjourn this meeting at 12.31 a.m. on Wednesday.