Supervisor Hudgins' News from the Board

Below are excerpts from the April 30, 2007 Board of Supervisors meeting that may be of interest to you as a Hunter Mill District constituent. To reach the back-up material that does not have a direct link, please go to my website at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/huntermill/. Some of the County links may not be active until later in the current week. If you have an item of interest or concern, please feel free to contact my office at (703)478-0283.

04-30-2007 Board Action Highlights

Presentations, Acknowledgements & Reports

• 4-23-07 Recognized Kerrie Wilson, Chief Executive Officer, Reston Interfaith, for receiving the Meyers Foundation Exponent Award that recognizes the Northern Virginia Region's most effective leaders of non-profit organizations

• 4-23-07 Recognized the late Malcolm "Rich" Richardson with a certificate of appreciation presented to his family for his years of commitment to the Fairfax County Public Library's celebrated Virginia Room and his work in preparing historic records for internet use.

• Recognized the robotics team from Forest Edge Elementary School and Herndon High School for their success in state and national competitions. www.fairfaxcounty.gov/opa/presentations.htm

• Designated May as Foster Care Month in Fairfax County.

• Adopted the revised sewer service charges and availability fee rates in the FY 2008 Budget Plan.www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/wastewater/

• Adopted the FY 2008 Budget, which begins on July 1, 2007. Last Monday, the Board marked up the budget proposal, which is based on General Fund Revenue growth of 2.34 percent over the FY 2007 Revised Budget Plan and 2.34 percent over the FY 2007 Adopted Budget Plan. The Board also approved total General Fund Disbursements of $3.3 billion, an increase of $28.41 million or 0.86 percent over the FY 2007 Revised Budget Plan. Excluding adjustments in the current fiscal year, the actual increase over the FY 2007 level is $103.73 million or 3.23 percent over the FY 2007 Adopted Budget Plan. Approximately $66.97 million or 64.6 percent of this budget growth is associated with increased funding for Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), while funding for new facilities and public safety account for approximately 11.2 percent of the increase.  The real estate tax rate was maintained at $0.89 per $100 of assessed value.  As part of the budget process the Board also approved the Fairfax County Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for Fiscal Years 2008 - 2012 (With Future Fiscal Years to 2017).

The County held three days of Public Hearings April 9-11, 2007, a series of Budget Committee work sessions, including meetings with Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax County Park Authority, and the Fairfax County Human Services Council.  Hunter Mill District had two community meetings: March 20 and 21, 2007.

FY 2008 Budget Information: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dmb/

FY2008Budget Motions

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dmb/FY2008_Adopted_Motions.pdf

Administrative Items

• Authorized the County's Fire and Rescue Department to apply for and accept funding from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) FY 2006 Homeland Security Grant Program through the Office of Commonwealth Preparedness, Office of Interoperability for $2,385,319 for the establishment of a Type 1 radio cache. The cache will consist of equipment designed to operate on all public safety radio frequency bands and capable of state-wide response, positioning the County and the region to integrate first responders from other parts of the Commonwealth into a local disaster.www.interoperability.virginia.gov/grant.html

• Approved for State maintenance, streets in Caris Clenne Section 2, Phase 1:Caris Glenne Drive (Rt 8186), Broad Creek Place, and Preference Waywww.virginiadot.org/info/faq-2ndaryroads.asp

• Authorized the County's Fire and Rescue Department to apply for and accept an Assistance to Firefighters Grant for $670,766 with a 20% local cash match of $134,153 to acquire an emergency vehicle simulator and a regional application requesting financial support to continue development and training of a National Capital Incident Management Team for which Fairfax County will serve as host applicant. www.firegrantsupport.com/

• Authorized the advertisement for a Board public hearings on May 21, 2007 @ 4:00 p.m. to consider proposed amendment to Chapter 61, Article1, Section 61-1-3 (d) (1) (a) 2c: (Building Provisions) of the Code of the County of Fairfax, Virginia (The Code) to allowfor $0 fee for permits associated with restoration work (repair, replace or otherwise re-construct a residential, commercial or industrial structure) necessitated by a declared catastrophic event. Under current legal requirement there is no provision for the waiver of fees where damage recovery efforts are often a strain of resources for the property owner.

• Authorization the advertisement for a Board public hearing for May 21, 2007 @ 4:00 p.m. to consider proposed amendment to Chapter 61-1-2 (Building Provisions) of the Code of the County of Fairfax, Virginia (The Code) to addresspermit applications that are being received for additions to homes, but are actually entirely new homes (most or all of the existing house is usually demolished). Utilities (water, power and sewer) may not be adequate for the new structure. Proposed amendment will add the term addition and will limit the amount and type of demolition and/or new construction allowed without being subject to the inspection and permitting requirement for new construction. Construction higher than certain percentages will be considered construction of a new house, including utilities and shall require a new Residential Use Permit. Clear distinction in county code between very large house improvement projects that more closely resemble new house construction.

Action Items

• Approved comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Implementation of 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Recommendations and related Army actions at Ft. Belvoir, VA. County has prepared letter and comments to send to Ft. Belvoir regarding land use, transportation, public facility, housing, park and recreation, cultural resource and environmental issues of concern. www.fairfaxcounty.gov/mountvernon/brac_2007.htm

• Approved the 7.8 percent parking reduction for Marymount University. Based on previous approval of Special Exception 2006-HM-022, the expansion of the number of evening students from 37 to 110 required an approval of a parking code reduction. Parking study indicated the existing 307 parking spaces will serve mixed uses proposed on the site and is sufficient because the hours of operation during the non peak hours of 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. other uses at this site are not operating.

• Approved the 2007 Zoning Ordinance Amendment Work ProgramThe 2007 Work Program includes 31 amendment items for consideration; two have been authorized, 20 carrying over from 2006 priority work program and 9 new items added. A number of housing initiatives dealing with ADU high-rise; ADU For Sale pricing; ADU and Independent Living Bedroom Mix; Workforce Housing; Affordable and Workforce Parking; and RSU (Residential Studio Units) are included. Other items will require major efforts including Residential Compatibility; Planned Development Districts; Open Space and Outdoor lighting. Additional information can be found at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpz/zoning/

• Approved a Resolution to amend Virginia Railway Express (VRE) Master Agreement for Subsidy Allocation Formula and Governance Changes so Fairfax County's regional share of the VRE budget is proportional to ridership, amounting to a reduction of 4% over a 4 year period. The County's share for FY 2008 is $4,700,508. www.vre.org

• Approved the Proposed Consolidated Plan One Year Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2008, to include an estimated $10.4M available for funding projects and activities in Fiscal Year 2008. The Proposed Consolidated Plan One-Year Action Plan for FY 2008 contains the proposed uses of funding for programs to beimplemented in the third year of the Five-Year Consolidated Plan for FY 2006-2010. Anannual action plan is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment (HUD) for four federal programs. These programs include: CommunityDevelopment Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME),Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG), and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS(HOPWA).

Information Items

International Building Safety Week, May 6-12, 2007. The Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) is conducting a campaign to promote public awareness of building safety in Fairfax County. Several Safety Information booths will be set up at home depot (including the one located in Reston) - staffed by DPWES and Code Enforcement from Arlington County, Town of Herndon, Cities of Fairfax, Alexandria and Falls Church. The outreach program is designed to educate residents on the provisions of the building codes, increase the level of awareness on building safety and save lives. DPWES presented its Building Safety Community Partnership Award toMr. Bill Sutton, Architect with Sutton, Yantis Associates, for 18 years of service as the Chairman of the Liason Committee between the Northern Virginia Building Industry Association (NVBIA) and Fairfax Building Code Enforcement staff.

Board Matters by Supervisor Hudgins and approved by the Board

• Authorized the Board to contribute $50,000 as part of a regional share to the Dulles Loop Implementation Group (DLIG) to study land use and transportation issues in the area surrounded by Route 50, Route 28 and Route 606 to determine what improvements are needed to facilitate traffic to and around the airport with the following written conditions:
  1) That it be recognized that, with the exception of a portion of Route 50, the Dulles Loop Project has not been identified as a Fairfax County transportation priority for funding,
  2) The Dulles Loop is not a part of the Dulles Toll Road Corridor. Therefore, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors does not support the use of any Dulles Toll Road revenue for construction of any part of the loop, and
  3) Any further expenditure of Fairfax County funds for the Dulles Loop would first require Board of Supervisors approval of the project as a Fairfax County transportation priority

• Forwarded recommendations from the High-rise Affordability Panel to County staff to review and develop language, complete with timetables, for the Board's approval and implementation.

The High-riseAffordability Panel recommended the following:

• Maintain 12 percent expectation as policy applicable in Fairfax County's defined "Development Centers," as identified in the Comprehensive Plan

• Serve three income tiers between 80 and 120 percent Area Median Income

• That the Board adopt an interim policy in advance of Ordinance/Plan amendments to provide for administration of proffered units, in a manner similar to the ADU program

• Grant one (1) unit bonus market unit for every one (1) affordable/workforce unit provided, with a maximum bonus of up to 20 percent

Received the recommendations from the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee for the County to take the following steps:

• Establish new affordable housing goal of preserving or producing an additional 2,200 units, using the Penny for Affordable Housing Fund by the end of Fiscal Year 2011

• Increase the number of households earning 50 percent of the Area Median Income and below that are served using the Penny for Affordable Housing Fund

• Use the Penny Fund for new construction

• Make investments in Single Room Occupancy Residential Studio Units

Public Hearings

None for this Board Meeting involving Hunter Mill District

Announcements:

• TaxiAccess offers new transportation service for Fairfax County residents with disabilities. TaxiAccess will provide subsidized taxicab service to county residents who are currently registered users of MetroAccess, a service provided by WMATA. Please call 703.324.1204 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fcdot/taxiaccess.htm

• Register NOW for South Reston Neighborhood College - Class of 2007

• How to get involved in your community and how to make a difference

• Meet your community and local government leaders

• Cultural competency in our multicultural community

• Leadership development training

Class size is limited. Call for a registration form at 703-787-4962. Class begins on May 3^rd. Deadline to apply is May 2^nd.

• During CY06, the Fire and Rescue Department was dispatched to a total of 9,559 calls in the Hunter Mill District. Of that amount, 6,213 were EMS in nature, 2,704 were of a fire nature, and the remaining 642 were public service (lock-outs, lifting assistance, crime scene assistance, etc.)

• The Police Department is looking for potential candidates for the Crime Solvers Board. If you are interested, contact the Hunter Mill District Office.

• The Fairfax County Athletic Council has a vacancy for a Hinter Mill District Alternate Representative.

Special Notice: