Good day, and welcome to the Fairfax County News to Use podcast of Aug. 26, 2008. Coming up, learn about the Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Community Dialogue and the Virginia Indian Festival. Links to topics mentioned in this podcast can be found online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/news.
Fairfax County is projecting a budget deficit of more than $400 million for FY 2010 (beginning July 1, 2009), which must be addressed through a combination of spending reductions and other strategies. Our challenge is to develop a budget with an appropriate level of services that are both sustainable and acceptable to the community.
To do this, Fairfax County Government and Fairfax County Public Schools will host 20 community dialogue sessions to gather comments from the public, and will use that input as a key factor to help guide the development of criteria for making budget decisions.
Each community dialogue will consist of presentations by county and school budget staff followed by facilitated small group discussions. The dates, times and locations are listed below.
Please register online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/budget to participate in the Community Dialogue sessions for Fairfax County’s FY 2010 Budget Process. Your input will be valuable in shaping the priorities of the FY 2010 Budget; we look forward to working with you.
For reasonable ADA accommodations, call 703-324-2391, TTY 711.
Fall is a time for festivals, and the Virginia Indian Festival is a nearby family outing you won't want to miss. Long before European settlers arrived on the shores of Virginia, the Native Americans lived in harmony with nature. The Fairfax County Park Authority invites you to spend a day exploring Indian lore and crafts, dancing and culture, as well as storytelling at the Virginia Indian Festival on Saturday, September 6, 2008 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at Riverbend Park in Great Falls. The program will be held rain or shine and admission is $8 per adult, $5 per child under 16 years, and free for children two and under.
Activities include demonstrations such as tool making and flint napping, dancing and drumming, storytelling, village life and dugout canoe construction. Purchase native pottery and crafts or learn to throw a spear or shoot a bow and arrow. Refreshments will be available.
Parking is located nearby with convenient shuttles. For more information, call 703-759-9018 or visit the Web site www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/ .
That’s all for this News to Use podcast. Thanks for listening. For more information about the topics in this podcast and for continuous news updates, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/news. You may also call 703-FAIRFAX, that’s 703-324-7329, weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. News to Use is produced by the Fairfax County, Virginia, government.