The Department of Management and Budget (DMB) is chiefly responsible for coordination of the County's annual budget process, which includes the financial forecast, development of budget guidelines, review of agency and program requests, presentation of recommendations to the County Executive, preparation of the Advertised Budget Plan, support of deliberations by the Board of Supervisors and preparation of the Adopted Budget Plan.

As a growing and diverse community, Fairfax County faces significant budget challenges regarding increasing service demands in a climate of constrained fiscal resources. In addition to requirements associated with population growth, Fairfax County’s budget has been impacted by external factors. Restrictions on revenue diversification, for example, severely limit the County’s flexibility in addressing budget requirements and place a disproportionate burden on property owners, particularly residential taxpayers. Similarly, balancing the maintenance of an aging infrastructure with the needs of a growing population requiring expanded or new facilities is challenging.

Transparency and Community Engagement

The department aims to expand public access to budget information and increase transparency. DMB engages residents and businesses by participating in community meetings and supporting civic groups, helping residents better understand County services and their role in budget decisions. This affords residents a better understanding of their county government, the services it offers, and the role they can play in shaping budget decisions. In addition, the use of technology has played an increasingly significant role in the dissemination of budget information. Technology plays a key role, with expanded availability of online data such as published budget volumes, quarterly reviews, historic documents, and economic reports. Through collaboration with the Departments of Information Technology and Finance, as well as Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), a countywide transparency initiative was launched to provide resources to view amounts paid to vendors, County and school expenditures, and financial reports, offering residents clear insights into how tax dollars are spent.

Collective Bargaining

DMB continues to play a key role in the implementation of the collective bargaining agreements between the County and the bargaining units that represent its employees. DMB participates on the negotiation team; provides financial analysis and projections to ensure the potential impact of the proposed agreements on the overall budget are aligned with budgetary limitations; and provides an in-depth review of proposals to identify policy and system impacts that require policy updates and IT system modifications.

Award Recognition

As a measure of the quality of its budget preparation, Fairfax County was awarded the Government Finance Officers Association’s (GFOA) Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by meeting rigorous criteria for the budget as a policy document, financial plan, operations guide, and communications device for the 40th consecutive year. The department will continue to build on this success by continuing to enhance accountability, transparency, and usefulness of the budget.

Role Beyond Budget Preparation

DMB’s work extends beyond budget preparation and plays an essential role in many efforts that intersect with the budget, as well as those that involve cross-cutting issues, multiple County agencies, and the community.

DMB oversees the sale of bonds which fund the majority of the County’s capital program, including school construction; coordinates special financings which optimize the timely and cost-effective provision of critical facilities; and leads the coordination and development of the County’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP). In terms of legislative analysis, DMB monitors and analyzes proposals at the state level for fiscal impact and partners with agencies on issues concerning changes at the federal level that have programmatic and/or fiscal impacts on the County. In addition, DMB continues to partner successfully with the Department of Human Resources and all agencies to integrate workforce planning into County business operations to ensure that appropriate staffing resources are available to achieve strategic goals and objectives. This proactive focus enables the County to anticipate needs and collaborate on the most cost-effective means of meeting those needs.

Countywide Strategic Plan

The department was closely involved in developing the first-ever Countywide Strategic Plan, which was adopted by the Board of Supervisors in October 2021. The plan focuses on four key drivers which are being used to immediately catalyze organizational change: Equity, Community Outcomes, Data Integration, and Inclusive Engagement. These elements set a new foundation for the way different functions within County government work together under a shared vision, in pursuit of achieving real and sustained progress for the benefit of all people who live, work and play in Fairfax County. The work of the plan is coordinated by the Countywide Strategic Planning Team in DMB, in close alignment with the Countywide Data Analytics Team and One Fairfax. The process to move the strategic plan forward is directed by a Steering Committee led by the County Executive and grounded in the work of employees throughout the County. As this work is strategically coordinated through DMB, the plan will be continuously integrated into preparation of the County’s annual budget and decision-making process.

Countywide Data Analytics (CDA)

DMB is also home to the Countywide Data Analytics (CDA) unit. The division produces data and develops tools that increase the routine use of actionable information for planning and decision-making. CDA products and services provide data on the social, economic and demographic status of Fairfax County. This includes data about the County’s population, community trends and needs, and housing characteristics, commercial and industrial space, and land use. The County’s forecasts of population, households, and housing units are also produced by this division.

CDA also conducts quantitative and qualitative research and develops methodologies to enrich data assets, improve data quality and help build capacity in analytics capabilities. To optimize data resources, CDA plays a leadership role in cross-system, regional and national initiatives to strengthen data management practices and conduct targeted analyses to inform priorities, strategies and equitable outcomes. For more information on CDA and current efforts, please visit https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/data/.

Performance Measurement Program

DMB coordinates the County’s performance measurement program, with reporting on efficiency and effectiveness as well as comparative benchmarks included in the annual budget document. DMB’s goal is a comprehensive program which integrates metrics at all levels of the organization to inform policy and budgetary decisions by County leaders, as well as provide a means for residents to easily track measures of most interest to them.

FOCUS System Administration

The department is also home to the centralized functional support group for the County’s enterprise resource planning system, FOCUS. The FOCUS Business Support Group (FBSG) serves in the capacity of functional system administrator for the FOCUS system. All work is implemented in partnership with the core business process owners (Department of Human Resources, Department of Management and Budget, Department of Finance, Department of Procurement and Material Management, and the Fairfax County Public Schools), who determine how policies and procedures should be applied in the system, and the technical system administrators for the system (Department of Information Technology).

One Fairfax and DMB’s Commitment to Equity

DMB is focused on advancing racial and social equity by fostering an inclusive workplace, improving access to data and information, and ensuring resources are allocated to create fairer outcomes. Through thoughtful planning and community engagement, we are working toward measurable, equitable solutions. Learn more about the County’s One Fairfax racial and social equity policy. 

DMB aims to promote equity through every aspect of its work. Key areas of focus include:

• Budget Development: Equity is a key consideration in discussions that occur throughout the budget and Capital Improvement Plan development processes. The Equity Impact Form that agencies submit with their budget requests is one tool that supports this work.
• Data Analytics: Accessible data allows residents, County agencies, and leaders to better understand our community and the issues affecting it. DMB’s Countywide Data Analytics division produces, and helps build capacity within County agencies to produce, data that supports decision making in pursuit of greater racial and social equity.
• Countywide Strategic Plan: The Countywide Strategic Plan provides a framework to set the conditions for meaningful change throughout the County. Equity is one of the key drivers of the plan, intentionally considered in developing the plan’s focus areas, actions, and outcomes. 

Equity in Action: Our Equity Impact Plan

Each year, DMB creates and implements an Equity Impact Plan (EIP) to ensure that equity is embedded into everything we do. Our EIP outlines concrete steps we’re taking to make our services, operations, and decision-making processes more inclusive and equitable for all. View DMB’s current and past EIPs.