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FY2010 Budget Process Questions and Answers

The information below is provided in response to various public and employee suggestions received as part of the FY 2010 Lines of Business and Schools Program Review process.  These suggestions were received from numerous sources including the community dialogues, the internet, and the budget phone hotline.  Suggestions are researched by staff and packages of responses are posted regularly so check back for additional information.  To find word or phrase in this list, press CTRL +F, type in phrase and press FIND NEXT (choose UP or DOWN depending where your cursor is located).

All files are PDF

Number	County-Related Suggestions	Number	School-Related Suggestions
1	Replace R4-7 “Keep Right Signs” with new signs and cover the metal pole holding these signs with a reflective surface so the poles are visible day and night.  Also, mount the signs so that they are not too high for the driver's line of sight.  Not only would this recommendation reduce sign replacement costs, but it would improve safety in intersections where the signs have been knocked down.	14	Convert incandescent light bulbs to CFL’s. Don't send a zillion SOL-practice packets (tons of photocopies) home. Make them available online.
2	Do not offer the same benefits for 20 hour merit staff as for 40 hour merit staff, specifically with health benefits (like other local governments - Prince William and Fairfax City).  Perhaps Fairfax County could grandfather in those employees already in the system and those newly hired would have to contribute a greater amount than they do now.	15	Reduce County/School Board supervisors’ salaries. Enact term limits for current members.
3	Eliminate the Office of Community Revitalization and Reinvestment.	16	Send home student’s report cards, forms, newsletters, etc. instead of mailing these to parents/guardians.
4	Limit wireless devices.	17	In New York State all the schools take a week off in February to cut back on energy costs. They began this in the 70's and discovered it worked so well they might as well keep it. They have also found that it cuts back on days of school missed for vacations.
5	Give Senior Tax Relief (a worthwhile program), but issue a tax bill that would have to be paid upon the death of the property owner.	18	Reduce the number of layers in the Assistive Technology Services (ATS) department in FCPS. Reduce funding for Inclusive Schools Resource Teachers (ISRTs).  Funds would be better used for full time teachers. Reduce the amount of funding to the autism program.
6	Restore the volunteer firefighter and Emergency Management Services (EMS) departments to viable, "first-due" entities.  Cut the average $54,000/day Fire and Rescue Department overtime to save over $19 million/year by improving volunteer recruiting, through making training more possible for volunteers (i.e. separate out Firefighter I and II classes), having more than one volunteer Firefighter Academy session per year, and not requiring every operational volunteer to play the role of both  Firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT).	19	Get rid of the Blackberries for the specialists/teachers.  They don't really need them.
7	Cut one hour of pay per 20 hours worked for all employees S-13 and above.	20	Consider a four-days week for school similar to options being considered by the Fairfax County government.
8	Utilize zip cars for County employees to reduce or eliminate maintenance, gas, insurance, and the need for employees not at the Government Center to run there to pick up county cars.  Instead an employee could pick the zip car up at a location near their house.	21	Shorten the school year by closing school two weeks earlier each summer.
9	Reduce the current number of 4 overnight therapists and/or counselors on-site at Crisis Care Program/Woodburn Place to 3 overnight therapists, saving over $100,000.  Another option would be to retain the fourth therapist on-site, but place him/her on not-awake status (at lower pay).	22	Advertisements on school buses.
10	Merge the school and county IT departments. Do not procure similar systems with taxpayer dollars or be unaware of emerging technology that one side may be using and the other may not be using.	38	Does FCPS currently have a controller general or ombudsman to answer questions from the community and to allow for public input on potential savings, efficiencies and improvements?
11	Delay any bonds that would affect 2010 and 2011 fiscal years unless the project is absolutely critical to the safety and security of our residents. It may not be wise to float bonds when the revenues are down by $400 million.	39	Has FCPS explored the possibility of using or purchasing hybrid or natural gas school buses? Is there any potential cost savings associated with this initiative?
12	Make the County Courier (employee newsletter) an online-only publication.	40	Has FCPS explored the possibility of allowing companies to advertise on school buses? Is there any potential revenue increases associated with this initiative?
13	Make all County contracts truly available to all County agencies (except informals because of the dollar limit), and strongly encourage agencies to collaborate on like solicitations in order to more efficiently use one of the County's most important resources, staff.	41	What is the current FCPS policy with regards to children bicycling to school? Could savings be generated by changes to this policy?
23	Why is the Martha Washington Library scheduled for renovation? What is the status of this project and what is the estimated total cost? With the close proximity to Sherwood Library, why is Martha Washington being renovated instead of closed?	42	What is the policy on the walking radius for FCPS schools? Can the policy be changed and if so what would be the cost savings?
24	In the “Where It Goes” pie chart, explain the breakout of expenditures in the “Other” category.	43	What is the current FCPS policy with regards to bus drivers allowing school buses to idle while waiting for children to be picked up or dropped off? Could savings be generated by changes to this policy?
25	Explain the current County policy on travel and training for employees that takes place outside of the County.	44	How do athletic fees impact FCPS revenues?
26	Please provide the number and percent of foreclosures by magisterial district.	45	Provide a breakdown of what comprises the “85 percent of FCPS costs go towards instruction”
27	Can Fairfax County have a sliding scale for the tax rate that is tied to property value?	46	Compare and contrast FCPS membership growth to that in Prince William County.
28	Provide a summary of the current Fairfax County policy with regards to undocumented immigrants.	47	How do FCPS teacher salaries compare to surrounding jurisdictions?
29	Can the County save money by turning off the streetlights?	66	Require a small fee for participating in 4th grade strings and band programs that require additional staffing.  Fees would be on sliding scale.
30	Can individuals be charged a fee for ambulance services above and beyond the amount charged to insurance companies, as a deterrent to help reduce abuse of ambulance services?	67	Go back to having students pay for their own AP exams.
31	Is there a hiring freeze being implemented?	68	Set up fees for bus riders.  Have more children walk to school and let them attend schools close to home rather than busing them.  Have parents who choose a gifted program for their kids, drive their own kids to that school; the schools should not provide busing.
32	Explain the County policy on Reductions in Force (RIFs).	69	Eliminate the Chinese FLES (Foreign Language in the Elementary Schools) at Oak Hill. Expand language immersion availability since additional staffing would not be required.
33	What is the Enterprise School? What is the total cost and why is it being proposed for elimination/reduction?	70	What savings would be associated with eliminating the middle school Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) program and the International Baccalaureate Middle Years (IBMYP) program?
34	How will response time be impacted if 17 positions are reduced at the 911 call center?	71	How much does Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) currently expend on 10th grade Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) fees?
35	Please discuss the merits of offering early retirement to individuals beyond what the current County policy offers. What are the different forms it could take? What cost savings could be found?	72	How much would FCPS save by eliminating teacher workdays?
36	Please explain the County’s take home vehicle policy.  How many vehicles by department are taken home by County employees?	80	Please distinguish the cost differential between the AP and the IB programs at the high school level.
37	Please explain enforcement efforts (especially as pertaining to vehicles recently moving into Fairfax County) for collecting personal property taxes.	81	How and when is eligibility for Head Start and the Free and Reduced-Price Meals Program determined?
48	To raise additional revenue, would it be possible for Fairfax County to consider proposing a small yearly fee/county services tax (perhaps $20-$25) that would be paid by everyone who works in Fairfax County, regardless of their residence?  (See Pennsylvania's Local Services Tax.)	82	How much would FCPS save by eliminating modified calendars from schools?
49	Reinstate the purchase of vehicle decals at $25 per registered vehicle.	83	How much money does FCPS receive from the Virginia Lottery?
50	Look at increasing County taxes to meet the budget shortfall, especially those that would be levied on individuals who work but do not live in the County and that would not harm low income persons.    Consider such taxes as a Restaurant Meals Tax and pet license fees.	84	What savings would be generated by reducing the academy counselors’ contracts from 11 months to 10 months, like the other school counselors in FCPS?
51	Get rid of the uniform allowance for the Police Department and the Office of the Sheriff.	106	During school breaks, all schools should be closed and employees should be charged leave.
52	Reimburse employees for mileage rather than maintaining a fleet of cars.	107	Employees within two years of retirement should be offered incentives to retire early.
53	Offer Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board case managers the opportunity to work a 32 or a 20 hour work week. Many would like part-time jobs but they are not available.	108	Eliminate the free breakfast program in high schools.
54	Have the inmates of the Adult Detention Center (ADC) do the laundry and meals for the Juvenile Detention Center (JDC).  Have the ADC prepare Meals on Wheels to achieve economies of scale in the number of meals being prepared.	109	Reduce or eliminate programs and services for non-English speaking students.
55	Levy a small property tax upon each church according to church and property size.	110	FCPS should ask the state to allow individual school districts to open for fewer than 180 days.
56	Significantly cut back on the printing of Parktakes.	111	Does Fairfax City need a superintendent and staff?  Could the few schools involved be absorbed into the county?
57	We understand that Fairfax County Park Authority employees and their families can use the County recreation centers and County-owned golf courses for free.  Limit free use of RECenters to employees who actually work at the RECenters.  Also, limit free use of golf courses to employees who actually work at the golf courses.	112	FCPS should temporarily cut the library budget to help balance the deficit.  Schools could defer the purchase of new materials or seek contributions of materials from parents or community members.
58	Limit internal publications, put them on-line (i.e. Employee Handbook, and Employee Retirement System handbook).	135	Please provide a breakdown of FCPS enrollment (special education, ESOL, Free/Reduced Lunch) by cluster.
59	Reduce the inmate medical department at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.	136	With the potential for increased class sizes, teachers should spend more time with students in core classes.  With this in mind, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) should reduce the number of classes at the middle school level from seven to six.  This would reduce the number of student electives from two to one.  The reduction of one class period would then allow FCPS to increase instructional time for the remaining six classes and reduce the number of elective teachers.
60	Develop a working committee comprised of current volunteer managers and other key staff in developing a long-range strategy for increased use of volunteers in both the professional and other staff areas.	137	Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) should consider outsourcing as a means to reduce infrastructure including busing, security, custodial and cafeteria services.
61	Simplify the process to access the Court Public Access Net.  (I must submit three notarized documents, two of which are 8 pages long and duplicate each other except for one page.  I should be able to access a public record without so much duplication.)	138	Could FCPS track the amount spent on educating students who are in the country illegally and attending FCPS schools?
62	Install more parking meters to increase revenue.	147	What savings would be generated by eliminating Adult and Community Education (ACE) programs?
63	Increase the Mobile Phone Tax.	148	How much would FCPS save by eliminating instructional coaches and using seasoned teachers to coach new teachers?
64	Go after back taxes owed to the County.	149	Why does FCPS fund teachers for Homebound/Homebased services for students who are out of school on drug-related violations?
65	Raise the dog license fee from $5 to $20.	150	How much money is generated from high school parking permits?
73	What is the status of the County study that is being conducted on the four day workweek?	151	How much funding could be saved by reducing standards for educating students under the “least restrictive environment” by moving students requiring one or more dedicated staff members to a central location?
74	Explain the increase in the Department of Purchasing and Supply Management’s budget for Material Management in FY 2009.	152	How much money might be saved by eliminating Work After Retirement (WAR)?
75	What park-related programs are self supporting (including Parktakes)?
76	What is the work performance test given to Fairfax County firefighters?  What is the total cost and is the test required?
77	How many times did the Fire Department respond to calls for an ambulance with a fire truck? Of those times, how many times did the ambulance get there before or at the same time as the fire truck? For those times, how many times did the ambulance and fire truck both respond from the same station? Has there been a review of these situations to determine how many times the fire truck responding was a matter of protocol only, not because there was a concern that the ambulance couldn't, or was not likely to, respond before the fire truck?
78	Why is the County continuing to build, renovate and especially lease new buildings given the current fiscal situation?
79	Why does the Health Department have an Office of Emergency Preparedness (OEP) and how does this activity interface with the County’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM)?
85	Utilize furloughs during 3 pay period months.  Allow employees to voluntarily use Leave Without Pay (LWOP).  Perhaps use a system where employees are required to use LWOP 1-2 days per month. We can take a day with no pay once a month. Try a voluntary furlough.  A mandatory furlough will be difficult on people who live paycheck to paycheck. If additional furlough days are required before June 30, allow employees to choose the day they wish to take without pay.  This may help mitigate the disruption of services.
86	No new PC replacements for 1 year.
87	Rent out conference center facilities.
88	Consider the potential of switching from the considerable, increasing and ongoing costs of a Microsoft based enterprise computing environment to a phased migration to one of the Linux distributions.  Look at the County’s software licensing costs, continuous software and hardware upgrade requirements, data center management costs, server consolidation/virtualization costs, and other hidden costs that are not taken into account.  Compare that to the short and long term costs of a LINUX migration.
89	Between FCPS and County government buildings & properties, there should be one grass mowing service for all grounds.  Isn't there a lot of duplication of functions and equipment by having all of these entities perform their own buildings and ground maintenance?
90	Eliminate the DROP Program.
91	Eliminate the “time and a half” benefit for overtime worked.  Pay people their full hourly rate for every hour they work, but at the regularly hourly rate without the extra “half time” benefit added.
92	Close government offices the week between Christmas and New Year's Day to reduce utility costs.
93	Regulate temperature controls at Burke Centre Library.  Consider raising the AC in the summer and lowering the heat in the winter in our County buildings to conserve energy and cost.
94	Implement an oversight or task force to enforce payment of license and taxes by businesses.  This could generate additional revenue for the Department of Tax Administration (DTA).
95	Require licenses for landlords who rent properties in Fairfax County.
96	Require Fire Marshal Inspections for rental properties on an annual basis.  Zoning Enforcement cannot keep up with the inspections in a timely manner.
97	Eliminate or reduce funding for the Consumer Affairs Branch.
98	Implement varying property tax rates by district.
99	Increase the user fee for FASTRAN from $80/month to $100/month for individuals in the Sheltered Occupational Center (SOC) of Northern Virginia Program.
100	Provide electronic billing for Personal Property and Real Estate tax bills.
101	Lighting policies must be reviewed to include the following:  1. Turn out all task lighting every night.  2. Turn out overhead lighting when the last person leaves the office.  Do not leave lights on for the cleaning staff.  They can turn on and off lighting as needed.  3. Turn off lights at public counters as soon as the counter is closed to the public.  4. Turn off display lighting in all buildings as soon as the building closes. 5. Turn off all computers and monitors every night except Thursday for IT updates.  Monitors can still be turned off separately on Thursdays.
102	Reduce hours of operation at the Herndon Senior Center.  Open the Center at 11:00 a.m. and leave closing hours the same and Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
103	The Huntington Community Association requests continued funding for permanent flood protection.  In June 2006 the community sustained more than $10 million in losses from a devastating flood.  The County incurred substantial expenses, including staffing a round-the-clock emergency operations center for weeks.    The County immediately funded a study by the Army Corps of Engineers, which will complete a 65% design of a levee in February.  The earliest possible completion date is 2011 at an estimated cost of $20-$25 million.  We understand that the County will seek state and federal assistance.  For FY 2010, we request funding to continue the Corps work to prevent any delay.    The continuing threat of flooding adversely affects property maintenance and values, greatly diminishes the quality of life, and increases the risk of Huntington becoming a blighted neighborhood.
104	Eliminate the Strategic Planning Coordinator position in Mental Retardation Services.
105	Significantly cut back in the printing of the Board Summary and offer information online.
113	Have a private agency do the background on applicants (monitored by a sworn person).  This approach is used by many public safety agencies world-wide.
114	Discontinue bill-back for telecommunications from the Department of Information Technology.
115	As a taxpayer I have always wondered why the various schools’ libraries and the County libraries are totally separate operations.  This clearly does not make sense.  The operations and business functions overlap substantially.  Please merge the two entities and save funding.
116	Explore the increase of fees for the following:    Pregnancy testing could be raised to $8 from $6. This would add at least $10,000 based on the 5,700 tests done each year.  Tuberculosis (TB) screening could be raised to $15 from $12. Based on the almost 15,000 people screened this would add several thousand dollars of income even though not all screenings are charged.  Administration fees for adult/travel immunizations could be raised to $15 or $20 from $12.
117	The Health Department could perform all duties within a 4-day work week.  This would have a savings, including the reduction of staff vehicle gas expenditures.
118	Reduce the number of hours for Clinic Room Aide (CRA) employees.  For example, schedule CRAs 5 hours less per week.
119	Charge a nominal fee for library card holders.
120	Charge communities who request the Residential Traffic Administration Program (R-TAP) traffic calming program.
121	Eliminate paper receipts at the library or make them optional for patrons.
122	Charge a fee for inter-library loans, which cost the County an average of $45 per transaction.
123	Eliminate the County’s foreign missions to the U.K., Germany, Israel, India, South Korea, etc.
124	Offer Falls Church Community Services Board (CSB) relief staff and counselors who currently work on an as-needed basis at night, the opportunity to work full time schedules during peak hours.  In addition, counselors who are credentialed could be offered the opportunity to work as therapists instead of using the night positions as a second job to supplement their full-time day jobs.  Thus, relief staff could be employed as permanent part-time staff without benefits, and credentialed professionals working as counselors could move into therapist positions.
125	Stop giving monetary employee awards.  Maybe the day off as an award would be all that is needed.
126	Analyze other area jurisdiction's Fire/Rescue staffing to reduce labor costs and consider 12 hour shifts versus 24 hours shifts.  Fairfax County is unique in that it is not effectively utilizing 12-hour shifts and volunteer Fire and Rescue professionals. Fairfax County could utilize 12-hour staffing assignments rather than 24-hour staffing assignments in many facets.  For example, in Montgomery County and Loudoun County, a station's Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulance unit could be staffed by career Fire and Rescue staffing during the day and volunteer Fire and Rescue staffing during the night.
127	The Police Department currently produces copies of General Orders (GOs) and their updates regularly.  Some employees now receive the updates on a CD, however employees are still required to have a paper copy.  Get rid of the duplication since the GOs are available online.
128	Annually the Health Department pays for 2 full days for Clinic Room Aides (CRAs) to train on days that are not scheduled, one before the school year and one during.  Could the County consider eliminating those training days to reduce spending?
129	(1) Stop the Saturday Respite Program before the end of FY 2009 because it is only used by only a few people; (2) Have FASTRAN increase its fees to generate more revenue to support additional rides/routes to Adult Day Health Care Centers (ADHC) because transportation is critical to that program; (3) If Annandale ADHC closes, send program assistants to the three centers that are at capacity so that they can admit more clients (the County must maintain strict staffing ratios and cannot admit more clients without more direct care staff).
130	In lieu of conducting two special elections (one to fill the Chairman's position and another to backfill a district seat) don’t the current laws/rules for Fairfax County allow the Board to appoint a person to fill the Chairman’s seat from January 2009 through November 2009, then in November 2009 hold simultaneous elections for the Chairman’s seat (with those current Board members wishing to run for that seat having to resign from their current seat to run) and backfilling district seats (if necessary)?  Thus one election fills all positions and the County only pays for one election.
131	Create a new fee for building code modification and preliminary meetings before a plan is submitted.  Waive the fee for nonprofit organizations like FCPS and churches.  In 2008, the County processed approximately 138 code modification and has processed 96 so far this year.  Conservatively assume the County could charge for 100 code modifications at $400 each and collect $40,000 in a year.  Each building plan review rejection is $125 per rejection per trade for new buildings and $65 per rejection per trade for existing buildings.  So for one round of rejections by each of the five trades the cost is $625 for a new building and $325 for a renovation of an existing building.  Assume the fee is set at $400, just less than the average of the two.  Assume there are about 2 preliminary meetings per week on average in Building Plan Review.  Thus 2 times 52 times $400 is $41,600 per year.  Adding together the code modifications and preliminary meetings is $81,600 in additional collected fees per year.
132	Consider using floating holidays for employees in place of some regular holidays. Certain holidays (e.g., Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Columbus Day, Veterans' Day, and the day after Thanksgiving) could be made regular workdays while employees are permitted an equal number of "floating holidays" -- days they could take off with pay under the same conditions as regular leave. The advantage to the County is that no holiday overtime would be paid for those who work on the days that had been holidays but would now be regular workdays.
133	Create a fee for handling mailed-in permit applications.  Most permits are applied for in person, but the State requires the County to accept permit applications by mail.  A mailed application must be managed by County staff as it goes through the permitting process in each location. Could there be an added fee of $50 for residential permits and $150 for commercial permits for each submission?
134	Consolidate tax bill distribution to commercial building owners. Currently each tenant gets a bill for the portion they occupy and the owner gets one for the building common area. This requires a significant amount of staff time to track these bills. Instead of 30 bills being calculated and sent, one is sent for total area of the building, which is constant from year to year. The landlord can distribute the cost as they see fit to his tenants as part of their leasing cost. This will save several positions used to measure size of buildings, as well as tracking changes as tenants expand and contract.  This will result in a reduction of staff time dedicated to tracking tax delinquencies.
139	In lieu of closing Adult Day Health Care Centers (ADHC), would it be feasible to combine centers?
140	Describe the role of the Watch Officers. What are they watching and/or monitoring that is different from Police and Fire?
141	How many non-medevac Police helicopter flights and flight hours were flown in the last year? What is the cost per flight hour? Was any amount of the costs recovered from insurance or other sources?
142	Please explain why overtime pay cannot be replaced by comp time for all County staff. In addition, no one should be allowed to earn overtime in the week a furlough is scheduled.
143	How do County Police officers determine which code (County or State) to use when issuing citations? When researching violations on the vehicle installed computers, which codes are displayed? Is the computer set up to automatically display the pertinent County code or is the officer required to do an additional search? Can the computers be reconfigured (if necessary) to display the County code sections as the default setting?
144	Please explain why some County residents receive trash and leaf service from the County and others do not. Who pays for the service?
145	Can School Public Health Nurses work a ten month schedule to match the student calendar?
146	What is the County’s policy with regards to bottled water?