Budget Open House
The City of Fairfax Budget Open House is a public engagement format in which residents and business owners can interact directly with city staff and elected officials about the city's budget. 3 separate matters touch this plan or program; each has its own status.
The Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center at 3740 Blenheim Boulevard is a City of Fairfax facility that has served as a venue for community events and as the anchor for a broader redevelopment effort known as the Willard-Sherwood Health and Community Center project.
- General Updates
A Budget Open House is scheduled for October 21, 2025, from 4–7 p.m. at the Stacy Sherwood Community Center, giving residents and business owners the opportunity to engage with city staff and elected officials about the FY 2027 budget.
Fairfax Presbyterian Church
- General Updates
A Budget Open House is scheduled for October 21, 2025, from 4–7 p.m. at the Stacy Sherwood Community Center, giving residents and business owners the opportunity to engage with city staff and elected officials about the FY 2027 budget.
George Snyder Trail
The George Snyder Trail (GST) was a VDOT-funded shared-use trail project (UPC 112816) intended to provide multimodal connectivity through Fairfax. The project received approximately $20.6 million in Transform 66 Outside the Beltway Concession Funding, with a remaining $16 million budget at the time construction bids were sought.
- Mar 25, 2025City Council · item 14Council Comments and Committee reports out
Councilmember McQuillen encouraged the public to attend the Budget Open House at the Stacey Sherwood Center on April 2, 2025.
- Apr 7, 2025School Board
Superintendent Platenberg attended the Budget Town Hall and noted the great turnout, appreciating the opportunity to inform City residents about the budget and process.
- Upcoming Meetings
The City Budget Open House is scheduled for Tuesday, October 21st.
- Old Business – Budget Update
The Budget Open House was not well attended; budget enhancements are due soon with all usual requests being submitted.
In full
Two instances are documented in this record. The first was held on April 2, 2025, at the Stacey Sherwood Center, as part of the FY 2026 budget cycle; it drew a notably positive turnout, with Superintendent Platenberg attending and commenting on the community's engagement. The second was held on October 21, 2025, from 4–7 p.m. at the Stacy Sherwood Community Center, focused on early/front-end input for the FY 2027 budget before any formal budget proposal was on the table; it also featured community survey results.
Unlike the spring 2025 event, the October 2025 open house was poorly attended, a fact noted both in PRAB records (November 13, 2025) and by at least one council member. As the FY 2027 budget process continued into early 2026, it remained uncertain as of late January 2026 whether a further budget open house would be held that cycle, and as of late March 2026 that question had still not been definitively resolved publicly.