Management and Budget

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12000 Government Center Parkway Suite 561
Fairfax, VA 22035-0074
Philip A. Hagen
Director

FY 2015 Budget Process Questions and Answers

The information below is provided in response to questions by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors during the FY 2015 budget development process.  Questions are researched by staff and packages of responses are posted regularly so check back for additional information.

 

Responses to BOS Questions – Package 1 (3/11/2014)

Number

County-Related Questions

Number

School-Related Questions

1

Provide a summary of the impact to the taxpayer that includes both residential equalization and other tax increases such as the Stormwater fee and Tysons service district.

 

 

2

How does the new School-Age Child Care model impact capacity?  Please provide an update on how fees are structured.

 

 

3

Please provide an update on fee–related adjustments for the development community, including Fire Marshall fees.  Has progress been made on the Board’s target for cost recovery?

 

 

4

Please provide a comparison between the revenue growth estimate included in the FY 2015 Advertised Budget Plan compared to what was estimated for FY 2015 in the FY 2014 Adopted Budget Plan.

 

 

5

Please provide a comparison of the dollar and percentage increases in the FY 2015 Advertised Budget Plan for the County and FCPS.

 

 

6

Please provide a list of the 65 job classes adjusted as part of the FY 2015 Advertised Budget Plan.

 

 

7

How many vacant positions are there in the County? How many have been vacant for over 18 months? What are they and what is the dollar amount associated with eliminating these positions? How many have been vacant for over 36 months? What are they and what is the dollar amount associated with eliminating these positions?

 

 

8

Please provide a chart that summarizes County disbursements that walks up from the General Fund Direct Expenditures through total All Funds.

 

 

9

On page 129 of the Overview Volume, it is stated that Operating Expenses increased by slightly more than $14 million over FY 2014. Five major areas of increase are identified, totaling roughly $10 million. Please identify, in detail, those additional items that are also increased.

 

 

10

Per page 14 of Volume 1, the Contributory Fund (Fund 10030) is increased by nearly $2 million over FY 2014. Please identify those items where funding was increased and provided a reason/rationale for said increase.

 

 

11

On page 16 and 17 of Volume 1, a summary of General Fund Direct Expenditures is provided. Maintain the same grouping shown on those pages (i.e. Total Leg/Exec Functions, Total Judicial Administration etc.,) please identify in dollars and by percentage how much each groupings increase over FY 2014 can be attributed to employee compensation adjustments.

 

 

 

Responses to BOS Questions – Package 2 (3/31/2014)

 

Number

County-Related Questions

Number

School-Related Questions

12

Please provide a summary of the $35 million short-term borrowing capital renewal program.  Please include the amount budgeted, sold and spent.

31

Referencing the WABE chart on slide 6 of the FCPS presentation on March 18, 2014, please provide information on how much of the 2014 cost per pupil is paid by the local government and how much is provided by the State.

13

Please explain the new SACC staffing model and how you are able to achieve the $0.27 million savings.

32

Please provide comparative salary data on FCPS administrative staff.

14

Regarding slide 29 of the County Executive’s presentation, the market scale study for uniform fire and rescue staff, what is the average increase that will result?

33

According to the latest CIP, FCPS has 900 trailers deployed.  Can you confirm how many of those are owned by FCPS, how many are rented/leased, and what the leasing costs are annually for each unit.

15

Please provide the benefits employees receive and the rate or amount each employee contributes towards that benefit, including retirement. Also provide the types of positions eligible for overtime and compensatory time.

34

How much of the School Board's flexibility reserve do you anticipate will remain unspent by fiscal year end?

16

FCPS represented 52.7 percent of the FY 2014 budget. If FCPS received the same 52.7 percent of the 2015 Advertised Budget, what would the amount be?

35

Please provide information on FCPS funds for staffing reserve and historical usage of such funds.

17

What percentage of the County's budget is salaries and benefits?

 

 

18

Please explain the County's computer replacement program and funding associated with this program.

 

 

19

Please provide information on the total amount of real estate taxes being paid by the RHA to Fairfax County on the properties owned by RHA. Please also include the total assessed value of all properties owned by the RHA.

 

 

20

Please provide information on the feasibility of instituting a Residential Permit Parking Decal (RPPD) fee to offset the cost of administering the RPPD program.

 

 

21

Please provide information on administrative, design, and project management costs for storm water management projects in FY 2014 and projected in FY 2015.

 

 

22

Please identify the source of funding and the proposed payment schedule for the funding gap for the adaptive reuse project at the Laurel Hill site currently estimated to cost $12 million.

 

 

23

Please identify the source of funding and the proposed payment schedule for the events center for the Lorton Workhouse estimated to cost $5 million.

 

 

24

Please provide amount spent on discretionary advertising, printing production, publications and public outreach by department. This should include advertisements in movie theaters, radio and print media.

 

 

25

What were the implications to the Middle School After- School program of the $200,000 reduction in County funding in FY 2014?  How much is being charged to participants?

 

 

26

If the County had approved the school request for transfer every year since 2008, what would the tax rate be today?

 

 

27

Please list the cost of police and fire overtime for each of the last five years, and the amount budgeted for FY 2015.

 

 

28

Please outline the fiscal and operational impact if firefighters were moved to a 40 hour work week (to reduce overtime) with appropriate hiring to keep current staffing levels.

 

 

29

Please outline the revenue that could be generated if an annual $250 per student charge for the Middle School After-School (MSAS) Program was instituted, exempting children eligible for free and reduced lunch.

 

 

30

What is the allocation for the former Penny for Affordable Housing in the FY 2015 budget and how it is proposed to be spent?

 

 

 

Responses to BOS Questions – Package 3 (4/7/2014)

 

Number

County-Related Questions

Number

School-Related Questions

36

Please outline the savings that would be achieved by a one percent, across the board, non-personnel spending reduction on the County side of the budget. 

41

The Budget Consideration Item reduction “Reduce ACE catalog mailings” has been requested.  Provide a summary of the reduction including the impact it would have.

37

Please identify the revenue gained from a five percent increase in SACC fees, exempting children eligible for free and reduced lunch.

52

Please provide a breakdown of all costs associated with the eCart program across all schools and departments in FCPS.

38

Please identify the revenue gained from a five percent increase in SACC fees, exempting children eligible for free and reduced lunch.

53

Please provide a breakdown of all restricted and unrestricted reserves (as defined by GASB 54) available to FCPS and their historical balances.

39

How much of the Sheriff’s budget supports service of process for private legal matters and how much of that cost is recovered from fees charged for service?

54

Please estimate cost savings from a realignment of the eight clusters into four administrative areas as was the case prior to the adoption of the cluster system in FY 2002.

40

Please provide a summary of the square footage of County facilities and School facilities.

55

Does Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) subsidize the cost of FCPS summer camps or does the tuition charged fully cover the costs of the programs?

42

The Budget Consideration Item reduction “Eliminate the $500,000 funding within the Environmental Improvement Program” has been requested.  Provide a summary of the reduction including the impact it would have.

 

 

43

The Budget Consideration Item reduction “Reduce communication positions over two years by 25 percent” has been requested.  Provide a summary of the reduction including the impact it would have.

 

 

44

The Budget Consideration Item reduction “Reallocate revenues from the Wedgewood property” has been requested.  Provide a summary of the reduction including the impact it would have.

 

 

45

The Budget Consideration Item reduction “Reduce deputies in civil proceedings” has been requested.  Provide a summary of the reduction including the impact it would have.

 

 

46

The Budget Consideration Item reduction "Reduce the Contributory Fund by $750,000” has been requested.  Provide a summary of the reduction including the impact it would have.

 

 

47

The Budget Consideration Item reduction “Eliminate the Consumer Affairs Branch” has been requested.  Provide a summary of the reduction including the impact it would have.

 

 

48

The Budget Consideration Item reduction “Delay the full staffing of the Providence Community Center” has been requested.  Provide a summary of the reduction including the impact it would have. Are there other staffing options including the use of volunteers to handle some of the areas proposed to be staffed?

 

 

49

The Budget Consideration Item reduction “Eliminate the Environmental Coordinator position” has been requested.  Provide a summary of the reduction including the impact it would have.

 

 

50

The Budget Consideration Item reduction “Reduce Parktakes mailings” has been requested.  Provide a summary of the reduction including the impact it would have.

 

 

51

The Budget Consideration Item reduction “Eliminate the $500,000 funding for Energy Education and outreach parties” has been requested.  Provide a summary of the reduction including the impact it would have.

 

 

 

 Responses to BOS Questions – Package 4 (4/10/2014)

 

Number

County-Related Questions

Number

School-Related Questions

56

Please provide information on the goals, mission, and objectives of both the Healthy Families program and the Live Healthy Fairfax program as well as information on expenditures and revenues generated by these programs. Please identify sources of funding for these programs.

 

 

57

Please review the Parking Reduction program to increase the fees in place of eliminating the positions which is an option in the reduction package.

 

 

58

The Budget Consideration Item reduction “Reduce positions associated with FOCUS implementation by 25 percent” has been requested.  Provide a summary of the reduction including the impact it would have.

 

 

59

The Budget Consideration Item reduction “Reduce administrative support ”has been requested.  Provide a summary of the reduction including the impact it would have.

 

 

60

*                   The Budget Consideration Item reduction “Privatize refuse collection” has been requested.  Provide a summary of the reduction including the impact it would have.

 

 

61

The Budget Consideration Item reduction “Realign the SACC program to attain budget neutrality” has been requested.  Provide a summary of the reduction including the impact it would have.

 

 

62

Please provide an update on SACC parent fees, the sliding fee scale and capacity issues.

 

 

63

Please provide an update on the County’s reserves including the sequestration reserve.

 

 

64

Please provide additional information on the School Readiness Program including the staffing plan and operational strategies that the proposed new funding will support.

 

 

65

Please provide additional information on Behavioral Health Services including the staffing plan and operational strategies that the proposed new funding will support.

 

 

66

Please identify by line item each item in the budget which has increased more than 3 percent over the FY 2014 Adopted Budget Plan, and describe the reason for the increase.

 

 

 

Responses to BOS Questions – Package 5 (4/16/2014)

 

Number

County-Related Questions

Number

School-Related Questions

67

Please provide data on the number of Police officers who have left County service the last three years, including any information learned as to why they left (e.g., for other jurisdictions)

68

Within the Contracted Services budget category, there's a line item for Other Professional Services budgeted at just over $27 million in FY 2014.  Can you provide an estimate for how much of that will be spent this year?

 

 

69

Please provide comparative salary data on FCPS central administrative positions, similar to the earlier response (County Q&A #32) on FCPS administrative staff.

 

 

70

At the April 8, 2014 Public Hearing on the FY 2015 budget, a speaker provided the Board of Supervisors with a grading rubric outlining specific grading criteria which he stated significantly increased the work necessary to grade assignments.  Can you please provide information on the use of this rubric, or similar rubrics, and whether this is driven by federal, state or local policies.

 

 

71

Please provide comparative data on full compensation for FCPS teachers (similar to response provided in FY 2014 to County Q&A #14).

 

 

72

Please update the earlier response (County Q&A #54) estimating cost savings from a realignment of the eight clusters into four administrative areas as was the case prior to the adoption of the cluster system in FY 2002.

 

 

73

For each year from FY 2005-2013 show actual expenditures and percentage of total expenditures for the Instruction Category:

a) as Instruction is defined by, and reported to, the Virginia Dept. of Education; b) as Instruction is defined by, and reported in, the FCPS budget documents.  Please also show all line items that comprise the differences between the two category definitions. 

 

Responses to BOS Questions – Package 6 (4/25/2014)

 

Number

County-Related Questions

Number

School-Related Questions

74

Have other localities set aside funds for litigation involving the Virginia Tax Commissioner’s ruling on BPOL apportionment of gross receipts?

 

 

75

Identify all one-time funding in the FY 2015 budget.

 

 

76

Provide a list of SACC positions by title, indicating whether they are merit.

 

 

 

Responses to BOS Carryover Questions (8/27/2015)

 

Number

County-Related Questions

Number

School-Related Questions

C1

Please provide possible scenarios for phasing in the remaining 15 percent social security offset for service related disability over a 3, 4 or 5 year period.  Identify the costs of phase in options and how a phase in could be incorporated into the annual budget process.

 

 

C2

As a follow-up to the Human Services Committee meeting of July 21, 2015, please provide a summary of how the County will be improving Crisis Intervention Services.  Please provide information in the context of the General Fund support for the Mobile Crisis Unit included in Carryover, the $142,972 received from the State, maximization of existing resources in the Police Department, Office of the Sheriff and Community Services Board as well as how the "bridge" funds identified by CSB will be utilized.

 

 

 

Responses to BOS Carryover Questions (9/15/2015)

 

Number

County-Related Questions

Number

School-Related Questions

C3

In various venues we have heard the success of Opportunity Neighborhoods (ON), including a presentation to the Human Services Council in February 2014: “FY 2014, 2015, and 2016 Trends & Work Priorities Affecting the Human Services System,” along with multiple presentations to the Successful Children and Youth Policy Team (SCYPT) Committee and Leadership Fairfax. The County and FCPS staff have conveyed the priority and/or success of the Opportunity Neighborhoods pilot program. The Program was unveiled in South County in 2012, and reports indicate positive results for that community. The next phase has been discussed, with implementation in North County; however, this next step has been on hold for nearly two years. It appears clear that there is a return on investment for ON.  Please provide what is needed in funding and time-frame to begin implementation of the next phase of ON in FY 2016 in North County.
In addition, how does the increase of $650,000 for the Prevention Fund support ON program efforts?

Please provide what is needed in funding and time-frame to begin implementation of the next phase of ON in FY 2016 in North County.

In addition, how does the increase of $650,000 for the Prevention Fund support ON program efforts?

 

 

 

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