Blog posts are the personal views of Letty Hardi and not official statements or records on behalf of the Falls Church City Council

Dear Friends,

With no City Council meeting this week, today’s update will be brief. However, I did want to call out two important items on Monday’s agenda that I know many of you are paying attention to – the FY18 budget and Mt. Daniel. I also highlight the schedule for the FY18 budget process, specifically the opportunities to learn more about the budget, ask questions, and give feedback. Monday’s City Council meeting is a regular meeting, so there will be public comment opportunity if you’d like to speak. Or you can send an email to all of Council, and it will entered into public record and summarized at the beginning of the meeting.

Finally – mark your calendars for a fun, educational, and family-friendly way to celebrate Women’s History Month. We are inviting the community to join the Falls Church Women’s History Walk on Sunday, March 26 from 2:00-5:00 p.m. The event will be a combination of history, wellness, community and education, hosted by the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation and the six elected women serving the City of Falls Church. This flyer has more details. The walk will end at the Falls Church Community Center with a Community Resource Fair, which is a great opportunity to bring together civic organizations and women-owned/women-led businesses to support, empower, and connect women. If you’re interested in joining the fair (tables are free!), sign up here.

Best,
Letty

Monday’s City Council Agenda:

Link to agenda

• City Manager presents FY18 Budget – this is the first time the City Council will be seeing the full city budget – general government combined with the requested school budget. After Monday, we’ll have a series of work sessions and public hearings about the budget before final adoption on April 24. See schedule below.
• Mt Daniel Budget Amendment – the School Board has requested additional funding of $2.6MM due to higher than expected construction costs. Typically, we would have a work session prior to a budget amendment vote, but in order to keep the construction schedule on track to begin this summer, we are being asked to consider the budget amendment on Monday. As you may recall – in order to gain Fairfax County approval, the project was reduced in square footage/student capacity limited to 660, so we expected lower construction costs that would offset any inflation from the delay.
• Other: streetscape design guidelines, resolution to support re-districting in Virginia, Nichols/Red Top Cab land sale, approval of contract for playground replacement at Cherry Hill.

Budget Meeting Info:

We are trying a modified public engagement schedule this time – a combination of weeknight and weekend opportunities to accommodate different schedules. Public comments are always welcome in our regular Monday meetings. We have also scheduled two Town Halls where community members can ask questions and make comments. These meetings are scheduled for Monday, March 20 at 7:30 P.M. (in concurrence with the City Council Work Session) and Sunday, April 2 at 3:00 P.M.

The proposed budget, presentations, and videos are available at www.fallschurchva.gov/Budget

What’s Coming Up:

• Today, March 10 – GMHS Economic Working Group (730 am, City Hall Dogwood Room)
• Today, March 10 – GMHS Campus Working Group (9 am, School Board Offices)
• Monday, March 13 – City Council Meeting – City Manager presents budget (730 pm)
• Monday, March 20 – City Council Work Session – Budget Review & Town Hall #1 (730 pm)
• Sunday, March 26 – Falls Church Women’s History Walk (2-5 pm)
• Monday, March 27 – Pinwheel Garden Planting at Cherry Hill to recognize April as Child Abuse Awareness Month (7 pm)
• Monday, March 27 – City Council Meeting – Budget Hearing (730 pm)
• Sunday, April 2 – Budget Town Hall #2 (3 pm)
• Monday, April 3 – City Council Work Session – CIP Review (730 pm)
• Monday, April 10 – City Council Meeting – Budget Hearing (730 pm)
• Monday, April 17 – City Council Work Session – Budget Review (730 pm)
• Monday, April 24 – City Council Meeting – Budget Adoption (730 pm)