March 2025 Civic Affairs Committee Report

March 2025 Civic Affairs Committee Report

This report also is available on the Chantilly Highlands website

If you’d like to join the Chantilly Highlands Civic Affairs Committee please contact Jeff Parnes at chhacivicaffairs@chha.org

Previous Month Report Next Month Report (when available)

 

Sully District Council of Citizens Associations

  • Sully District Council is Social!
  • The tentative Sully District Council of Citizens Associations schedule for the remainder of 2025 (subject to change) (agendas may not be available until the week/day of the meeting):
      • The SDCCA meets the fourth Wednesday of the month starting at 7 pm at the Sully Government Facility unless otherwise indicated. You may choose to join us virtually.
      • The agenda will have the necessary details:

    Sully DistrictBudget Townhall

    • 10 March: Sully District Council is a proud sponsor of Sully Supervisor Kathy Smith and Sully School Board member Seema Dixit’s FY 2026 Budget Townhall for FCPS and Fairfax County (in person only – Rocky Run Middle School)
    • 23 April: FCDOT/VDOT
    • 28 May: General Assembly Report by Delegates and Senators representing Sully in Richmond
    • 25 June: General impacts of Data Centers — air, JLARC, water, land combined discussion with JLARC Study Presentation by one of our representatives familiar with the study
    • 26 July and 23 August — No Summer meetings currently scheduled
    • 24 September: Sully District Council’s Eleveth Biennial State Legislative Candidates Night
    • 22 October: Sully BRAC appointees report
    • 19 November: Affordable Housing
    • 17 December: Economic Development Authority
  • The Joint Sully District Land Use and Transportation Committee meets the third Monday of each month starting at 7 pm at the Sully Government Facility unless otherwise indicated. Topics posted the week of the meeting, agenda available late on the day of the meeting
      • 17 March 2025:
        • At this time there are no items for consideration

Fairfax Federation

    • Fairfax Federation 27 March Meeting
      • County and School FY 2026 Budget Resolution
        7 pm at the Providence District Governmental Facility
    • Fairfax Federation Citizen of the Year Honors Banquet
      • 2023 & 2024 Years Citizens of the Year Honorees and Banquet information
        The Fairfax County Citizens of the Year Seventy-First Annual Awards Banquet is scheduled for Saturday, the Seventeenth of May, 2025 at the Springfield Golf & Country Club
        COY: 2023, Jay Johnston and 2024, TBD
        Citation of Merit: 2023, Karen Corbett Sanders and 2024 TBD
        For more information click here

Budget

    • Joint Committees to Find Efficiencies in the County and Public Schools Budgets
      • At last week’s joint budget committee meeting, the Board of Supervisors and School Board discussed how to find efficiencies and cost savings over the medium term, as well as possibilities to improve services.
      • The county is entering a time of likely unprecedented economic challenges, and the time has come to double down to find greater efficiencies and effectiveness in our budgets and services. Chairman McKay appointed Hunter Mill Supervisor Walter Alcorn and Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck, along with two School Board members to be named later, to serve on a joint board committee to take a deep dive/look at the county and schools’ IT systems.
      • The committee will be focused on finding cost savings and efficiencies. They will not be looking to expand existing programs unless it can be accomplished by reducing costs using shared, existing resources.
      • Along with a another joint Board committee focused on facilities, the two groups will meet after the FY 2026 budget is adopted in May and report back to both boards for consideration in the FY 2027 budget.
    • Community Feedback Survey on FY26 Budget Proposal
        Fairfax County is seeking community feedback on the proposed

Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Advertised Budget Plan

      • . You are encouraged to participate through various channels to help shape the county’s financial priorities and decisions. The online survey is

available here

      • for residents to share their perspectives on budget priorities.
    • Budget at a Glance
        The

Budget at a Glance

      • has important information, including highlights, summaries, and the

budget schedule

      • . If you would like to provide input during the process, you can do so through email (FY26Budget@publicinput.com), phone (703-890-5898, code 7574), and

online

      • . To testify at a budget public hearing in person, by video or by phone, sign up

here

    • . Call the Clerk to the Board’s Office at 703-324-3151 (TTY 711) or email clerktothebos@fairfaxcounty.gov for more information.

Education

    • Reassessment of School Boundaries
      • FCPS is conducting a comprehensive reassessment of school boundaries for the first time in 40 years.
      • Themes:
        • Boundary Stability
        • Community Engagement
        • Fixing the Problems
        • Moving 6th Grade to Middle School
      • What to Expect:
        • Limited, if any, boundary revisions for most schools.
        • Attendance islands will be eliminated.
        • Split feeders will be reduced or eliminated.
        • More children biking or walking to school.
        • Shorter bus rides.
        • Middle schools will transition to Grades 6-8
      • For more information see FCPS’s website
    • Student Free Bus Pass Program
        Students can sign-up for a Free Student Bus Pass SmarTrip card at all Fairfax County High Schools and Middle Schools and ride the Fairfax Connector and City of Fairfax CUE bus for free. The free student bus pass SmarTrip card permits students to ride Fairfax Connector or City of Fairfax CUE buses for free from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., 7 days a week, all year. All other times you will need cash or a standard SmarTrip card. For more information you can go

online

    •  or visit your school’s administration office. Parent/guardian consent is required for this program.


Housing and Community Development

    • Public Comment Opportunity: Draft FY2026 One-Year Action Plan
        Starting February 5 through March 18, the County is seeking

public comment on the Draft FY 2026 One-Year Action Plan

    • , which describes the specific activities for which federal funds received annually will be applied to achieve the overall goals and strategies contained in the Five-Year Consolidated Plan for FY 2022 – FY 2026 (the Consolidated Plan).

Legislation

  • Legislation Update
      Senator Stella Pekarsky, Senate District 36th, and delegates Dan Helmer, 10th District, and Karie Delaney, 9th District, will hold a townhall to discuss the results of this year’s legislative session at the Sully Governmental Facility 7pm 20 March


Public Safety

    • Community Police Academy Accepting Applications for Spring 2025
        Interested in learning more about local law enforcement? The Community Police Academy is

now accepting applications

      • for the Spring 2025 session that will meet from

March 13 to May 17, 2025

      • . The Community Police Academy is designed to give participants a glimpse behind the badge and to provide information about training, policies, and the many units and divisions within the Fairfax County Police Department.

 

    • Announcing the Connect Fairfax County Program
        FCPD is launching

Connect Fairfax

      • , a

free

      • program aimed at improving public safety by allowing County residents and businesses to register their security cameras with FCPD’s Real-Time Crime Center (RTCC). This

valuable crime-fighting tool

      • helps them quickly reference a map of relevant cameras that may contain actionable evidence for our detectives to review.

Registering your camera does not grant FCPD access to your footage

      • —it simply lets FCPD know where cameras are located so they can request footage if needed. Learn more

here.

Public Works and Environmental Services

    • Save the Date for Green Breakfast Event on Climate Action and Community Resilience

Come learn more about climate action in Fairfax County

      • and the county’s work to “Sustain Fairfax”. The event is on

March 8 from 9 to 11 a.m. at Ornery Brewery, 3950 University Drive in Fairfax

      • . Sara Girello with Fairfax County Government’s Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination will highlight the county’s climate plans, programs, and progress and what you can do to save money, reduce your emissions, build resilience, and help our community.

Register here.

    • ‘Sustain Fairfax’ Campaign Promotes Collective Action to Address Climate Change
        A new county-sponsored

public awareness campaign

      • draws attention to actions that residents can take to foster environmental stewardship and promote sustainable practices that will ensure a greener, healthier future. The “

Sustain Fairfax

    • ” campaign makes it easy for residents to get involved. It lists actionable steps, as well as resources, information and opportunities to participate in various climate action programs and initiatives.
  • Invasives Awareness: Running Bamboo
    • Last week was National Invasive Species Awareness Week, and the Fairfax Invasive Removal Alliance offers resources to learn more about the many invasives in our area such as running bamboo. It’s one of the fastest growing plants on the planet, spreading underground by as much as 15 feet per year. This is one reason the Board of Supervisors initiated several anti-running bamboo efforts in 2021. Fairfax County now recognizes it as an invasive species. The county’s Vegetation Ordinance requires property owners to contain bamboo from spreading beyond their property. Property owners could face fines for failing to contain it.
    • Learn More

Sully District

    • Sully District Office is Updating its HOA List


The Sully District Supervisor’s Office is updating its community HOA/Civic Association list. They use this list to conduct community outreach for land use applications and other important events in Sully. If you are the contact for your HOA or Civic Association, please send an email to sully@fairfaxcounty.gov

      • with the following information: Association Name, Association Website URL, Contact Person, Contact Email, Contact Phone Number, HOA Mailing Address,

would you like to subscribe to Supervisor Smith’s weekly Sully newsletter?

      • and would you be interested in having Supervisor Smith attend one of your HOA/Community meetings?
    • Sully District Seeking Volunteers for Boards, Authorities & Commissions (BACs)
        Are you, or someone you know, interested in volunteering as a Sully District appointee? The Sully District currently has vacancies on several

Boards, Authorities & Commissions (BACs)

      • , for which we are considering candidates. If you are interested in serving on a committee, contact the Sully District office at sully@fairfaxcounty.gov, or by phone at 703-814-7100. Please provide a current resume. We currently have vacancies for the

Board of Equalization

    • , the Architectural Review Board, Board of Building and Fire Prevention Code Appeals, Commission for Women, and the Human Services Council.

Transportation

    • APPLY NOW!: 2025 Walking College Fellowship!
        America Walks is excited to announce that applications to join this year’s Walking College fellowship class are open now through the end of February. Now in its tenth year, the Walking College is America Walks’ signature training program aimed at strengthening our grassroots partnerships to achieve safer, healthier, more accessible streets and communities.

 

      • The six-month, online program is open to those interested in honing their skills and understanding around improving community design to achieve greater livability and access. Participants are paired with Walking College alumni and experienced leaders and peers working across the country. They learn the history of America’s transportation landscape, the basics of people-first design and policy, and fundamental leadership skills. Over the course of the program, fellows also identify an opportunity they hope to tackle in their communities and develop a blueprint for taking meaningful action to make a difference.

 

      • We welcome all candidates demonstrating a general understanding of and interest in the importance of walkability and a desire to become more effective to improve walkability. There are no restrictions on age or professional background, but we prioritize those applying in teams of 2-3 people and, this year, those representing rural communities that lack access to places to walk.

 

      • The fellowship begins in early May and ends in September. Participants are expected to:

        • attend a one-hour online discussion forum meeting with their assigned group once every three weeks
        • participate in a virtual coaching session with their mentor once every three weeks
        • complete an action plan that outlines a problem and series of steps for improving walkability in their community by the end of the term

If interested, see their website

 

    • WMATA’s Riders’ Advisory Council annual report to the WMATA Board of Directors
        The Board asks WMATA’s Riders’ Advisory Council each year to highlight some of the challenges in the rider experience and solicit solutions from riders. While WMATA’s team does an incredible job with their scientific surveys, this report is intended to be a more qualitative product directly from riders.

 

      • If you are a WMATA Rider, please fill out this feedback form and distribute it to other WMATA riders in your organization. This is an incredible opportunity for you and your members to share your thoughts about how to improve the system and better serve our community. It is only a few questions and should take no more than 5 minutes to complete.

Survey link

Last year’s annual report

More about the Riders’ Advisory Council

    • Fairfax County Launches New Manual for Multimodal Transportation Studies
        The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) has announced a new

Comprehensive Transportation Analysis

      • (CTA), a tool for developers, transportation industry practitioners and community members to study the impacts of proposed changes to a transportation system or planned land use.
    • Fairfax County Partners with VDOT to Conduct Survey for Secondary Street Acceptance Requirements Process
        Fairfax County is working with VDOT to conduct an assessment of the Secondary Street Acceptance Requirements Process (SSAR) in Fairfax County. This is the process to accept developer-built roads into the state system for maintenance. It is important to obtain input from all the different stakeholders involved in the process to learn what works well and where there are areas for improvement. You can complete the survey

here

      • . Survey responses are due by

5 p.m. on March 14

    • .

Enjoy,

Jeffrey M. Parnes

Civic Affairs Committee Chair

Chantilly Highlands Homes Association

703.424.2956 (P)

484.307.2552 (F)

chhacivicaffairs@chha.org

Chantilly Highlands

@chhaweb

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