LRP Committee Meeting on County Budget

The GFCA Long Range Planning & Development Committee (LRP) will hold this meeting to discuss local community priorities to be presented verbally and via letter at the Fairfax County FY 2016-17 Budget Public Hearing on April 7-9.  

Community priorities on Agenda for discussion:         

1. Additional FY16-19 funding for Grange Community Center interior improvements, ADA compliance, exterior parking and trails, etcetera, for non-profit community and FCPA weekend/summer/holiday profit-making activities.    
   
2. Minor new annual part-time staff budget additions to permit Grange lower floor active usage by youth and seniors as is currently supported in most localities throughout the County. 
   
3. Forestville Schoolhouse fee re-elimination for non-profit organization usage on Monday thru Thursday evenings, after 6 pm, from mid-September to mid-June.  On those evenings, trained local pre-approved persons could unlock, lock, & inspect the premises to eliminate any FCPA staffing expense. 
   
4. Assurance that Riverbend Park funding will remain reasonable without the drastic maintenance cuts occasionally proposed during the past two decades. Weekend/Holiday modest vehicle parking fees, from Easter to Labor Day, might be considered.   
   
5. Route 7 six-year financing, commencing in FY 2017, should be specifically budgeted to assure completion of six lanes between Reston and the Dulles Toll Road; this would finish Route 7 improvements from Tysons Corner to Winchester  begun in the 1980s, and, alleviate significant rush hour traffic jams. Furthermore,  local Great Falls road and bridge improvements should be maintained at financial levels consistent with other County localities. 
   
6. Assurance that library funding, commencing in FY 2017, for overall staff, computers, and resources necessary for kindergarten to high school student needs, will be maintained rather than continuously cut. 
   
7. That school budgets emphasize reasonable limits assuring non-excessive class sizes and sufficient teachers prior to financing for administrative and supervisory staffing and non-priority construction.     
   
8. Resident curatorship staff financing will commence shortly.  As planned, this should result in County budgetary reductions if implemented in a positive business-like manner without excessive County bureaucratic regulatory delays. Our community wants to actively assist/support the County on potential priority resident curator properties such as the Turner Farm House and Dranesville Tavern.
   
9. The highest Moody’s Triple A bond rating on County municipal bonds, that results in lower County interest rates, might be downgraded because the County has (i) not made its full Actuarial Required Contributions to its pension plans since 2002, and, (ii) most County capital improvements are funded via bonds rather than the budget, resulting in current/future debt payments now in excess of 18%.  The McLeans Citizens Association, on April 1, will consider a Resolution on County Pension Plan Costs and a Resolution on Determination of County Pension Obligations. GFCA might consider supporting the McLean Resolutions, if adopted, and further recommend limiting County bond debt repayments, commencing in FY 2018, to not more than 18.5% of each year’s budget.
   
10. Other Items Not Included Within the Aforementioned, including those raised at the Meeting or proposed by e-mail through April 1 to the GFCA LRP co-Chairs.