From Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust:
Dear Dranesville Resident,
Welcome to the February 2013 issue of the Dranesville Dispatch. I hope your year is off to a great start.
On February 26, the Board of Supervisors will receive the County Executive's Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 Advertised Budget Plan. I will include a review of the Advertised Budget in the next issue of the Dranesville Dispatch. Once again, we expect big challenges. I seek your input as we work to set budget priorities and strive to balance the burden on taxpayers while funding the many essential programs and services provided by the County. My citizen budget task force, headed this year by Dranesville resident John Ulfelder, has been meeting since October. They will examine the proposed budget in great detail and submit a report that I will share with the Board. I will be hosting community budget meetings in McLean (March 12 at 7 p.m. at the McLean Community Center), Great Falls (April 2 at 7 p.m. at the Great Falls Library), and Herndon (April 3 at 7 p.m. at the Herndon Town Council Chambers). Public Hearings before the full Board are set for April 9, 10 and 11. I am also available to attend homeowner and community meetings to discuss your budget concerns and priorities. On April 30, after extensive community input, the Board will revise the Advertised Budget and adopt the FY2014 budget.
In other news, we are working on an agreement with the Virginia Department of Transportation that will allow Fairfax County to take over responsibility for removal of advertising and political signs in the public right-of-way. Signs will be removed by the Sheriff’s Community Labor Force and fines for illegal posting of signs will be collected by and paid to Fairfax County. The Board is also considering changes to regulations for home childcare facilities. Details on these issues and their associated public hearing dates can be found in this issue.
Last month, we opened a new scenic pull-off and parking area on Georgetown Pike, across from Clemyjontri Park. This pull-off makes 22 spaces of additional parking available for that very popular park. Residents may also notice that through trucks have been banned on Balls Hill Road and eastern Georgetown Pike. The ban was approved by the Virginia Commonwealth Transportation Board in December. Through trucks are now banned for the entirety of Georgetown Pike.
Fairfax County is also working on its Dulles Rail Bus Service Plan. That plan proposes Connector Bus routes and schedule changes to access the Phase I Silver Line Metro Stations. County staff has just concluded several public meetings to present proposals and collect public comments. If you have not already done so, please review the plans and let the County know what you think. Details on the proposed Dulles Rail Bus Service Plan are in this issue.
It is an honor to serve you. As always, I welcome your thoughts on how to best serve the Dranesville community. Please feel free to contact us with your suggestions and concerns.
Best Wishes,
John W. Foust
Dranesville District Supervisor
6649-A Old Dominion Drive
McLean, VA 22101
Phone: 703-356-0551
Fax: 703-821-4275
