News Center

The Fairfax County Department of Tax Administration earned recertification for meeting the highest standards for tax appraisal and assessment practice.

It is one of only 57 assessment offices in North America to achieve a Certificate of Excellence in Assessment Administration from the International Association of Assessing Officers. The department is also the only county assessment office in Virginia to hold this certification.

“This certification marks Fairfax County as the best in class when it comes to assessing taxes equitably and efficiently, following the industry’s highest standards,” said Fairfax County Chairman Jeffrey McKay. “It’s a testament to the county’s ongoing commitment to fair and transparent assessments, and I am proud that Fairfax County ranks as one of the few in North America and the only county in Virginia to hold this prestigious certification.”

To achieve the certification, the department conducted a rigorous one-year self-evaluation, and the county’s practices were then judged by an independent panel of tax assessment professionals. The evaluation examined everything from the county’s land and property valuation methods to data and cybersecurity standards.

The county originally earned its certification in 2015, and this year it completed the recertification process that is required every five years.

The International Association of Assessing Officers is a nonprofit, educational and research association. It is comprised of more than 8,000 members worldwide from governments, businesses and academic institutions who are interested in the administration of property taxes.

For more information, contact the Department of Tax Administration at 703-222-8234, TTY 711.

Christina Jackson was appointed Fairfax County’s chief financial officer (CFO) by the Board of Supervisors at its meeting today, Tuesday, July 27. Jackson, director of the county’s Department of Management and Budget (DMB), succeeds Joe Mondoro, who is retiring after 26 years with the county, the last six as CFO. Jackson’s appointment is effective Monday, Sept. 13.

Jackson, who will continue in her role as DMB director, has worked for Fairfax County for nearly 18 years and served as DMB’s deputy director prior to her appointment as director in 2019. She began as a budget analyst in 2003.

As CFO, Jackson will lead county financial management and budget operations and oversee the departments of Tax Administration, Finance and Procurement and Material Management.  She also serves as a liaison with the county’s Office of the Internal Auditor and the Retirement Administration Agency.

As director, Jackson oversees the agency 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 and preparation of the multi-billion-dollar budget plan. DMB also manages bond sales and special financings, leads the coordination and development of the county’s Capital Improvement Program, and is currently helping to manage over $600 million received in federal stimulus funds. Fairfax County’s is the largest municipal budget in Virginia and is larger than some state budgets.

Jackson has a master’s in public affairs from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a bachelor’s in public policy studies from Duke University. She will receive an annual salary of $210,000.

Christopher S. Herrington will begin his appointment as director of the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES), effective Monday, July 12. He succeeds Randy Bartlett, who retired last month. 

Herrington has over 25 years of local government experience with the City of Austin, Texas. He served as the assistant director for the Watershed Protection Department and as Austin’s senior environmental policy officer, advising public officials, city departments and the public on a wide variety of development projects. He also served as staff liaison to the Environmental Committee.   

Herrington began his career as an intern with the City of Austin and advanced through several roles with the Watershed Protection Department before being promoted to assistant director. Austin’s Watershed Protection Department is a municipal stormwater management utility that focuses on reducing flood risk, restoring degraded stream systems, and protecting water quality throughout the city. While serving as Austin’s senior environmental policy officer, Herrington worked to ensure that the protection of Austin’s natural resources and residents received the highest priority in all public and private development. 

“I’m so excited to join the Fairfax County team. It wasn’t an easy decision for us to leave Austin and move halfway across the country, or for me to leave my City of Austin family after 25 years of service,” said Herrington. “But at our first visit we knew we’d found our new home. My professional life has been dedicated to delivering high quality public service and I’m honored to now serve the people of Fairfax.”

Herrington’s experience includes urban development, strategic planning, capital project delivery, integrated water resource planning, watershed restoration, urban forest management, land conservation, wastewater management, community climate plan implementation and intergovernmental relations. He has also been involved in major projects including regional land conservation planning, the design of a flood diversion tunnel in downtown Austin, permitting the new Tesla Gigafactory and revising wastewater permitting regulations for the State of Texas.  He has a dual background in ecology and engineering and has authored numerous publications on water quality and the environment.

DPWES builds and maintains safe, reliable infrastructure that improves public health and provides a high quality of life for residents. The department’s four business areas are: Solid Waste Management, Capital Facilities, Wastewater Management and Stormwater Management. These divisions work together to create and preserve sustainable communities.

Herrington has a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering, both from the University of Texas at Austin. He will receive an annual salary of $180,000.

A new historical marker recognizing Ona Judge, the African-American woman who fled enslavement by the Washington household and escaped to freedom, will be unveiled at a ceremony at Mount Vernon on Juneteenth—Saturday, June 19—at 10 a.m., hosted by Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck.

The event will feature guest speakers including Virginia Secretary of Education Atif Qarni and Dr. Erica Armstrong Dunbar, author of “Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge.”

Judge’s story was nominated for recognition with a historical marker by the students in Maura Keaney’s fifth grade class at Laurel Ridge Elementary School. The class wrote nomination letters as part of Gov. Ralph Northam’s Black History Month Historical Marker Contest. They will attend the ceremony along with Keaney.

According to the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon, Ona Judge, often called Oney by the Washingtons, was born at Mount Vernon in around 1774. She was the daughter of Betty, an enslaved seamstress living on Mansion House Farm, and Andrew Judge, a white English tailor whom Washington had hired. She fled the Washington home in Philadelphia in 1796 as they prepared to return to Virginia, eventually making her way to New Hampshire. She went on to marry and start a family, evading several attempts to recapture her over the years.

Attendees of the unveiling are also welcome to attend a noon presentation of “Freedom Skies” by Brenda Parker, Mount Vernon Character Interpreter & African American Interpretation & Special Projects Coordinator. “Freedom Skies” is a narrative reflecting the experiences of four of those freed after George Washington’s death. Told through story and song, is uses the gospel hymn “I’ll Fly Away” to bind together the stories of Frank and Lucy Lee, Caroline Branham, and Sambo Anderson on Manumission Day—January 1, 1801—when Martha Washington freed her late husband’s slaves.

“Freedom Skies” and the Lives Bound Together: Slavery at George Washington’s Mount Vernon exhibition are both free with general admission to Mount Vernon.

 The marker unveiling ceremony will be streamed live on Facebook.