Monday, May 13, 2013
Fairfax County Economic Development Authority officials say despite high number, sequestration will cause job growth to slow down.
The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) helped bring more than 1,400 jobs from 27 different companies during the first quarter of 2013. Salient Federal Solutions, a company that provides information techonology support to government and commercial customers, created the most opportunity countywide, adding 530 jobs in Fairfax, FCEDA officials said Friday. “In today’s environment, any business growth is remarkable,” FCEDA President and CEO Jerry Gordon said in a statement. But the number of new jobs was still down from the first quarter of 2012, when the FCEDA worked with 46 different businesses to bring in nearly 2,000 jobs. Gordon told Patch the slowdown was caused by cold feet from business owners, who hesitated to grow…
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Presented by Patch, the theme is 'Fairfax Is Beautiful.'
UPDATE: The deadline for the first annual Celebrate Fairfax Photo Contest has been extended to May 15. Enter today! Your photo could be on display at Celebrate Fairfax! --- Are you a natural photographer or just enjoy capturing snapshots of the world around you? Celebrate Fairfax is looking for the best photographs of the natural beauty of Fairfax County and announces their 1st annual Photo Contest! In order to enter, you must submit a photo of something beautiful you see in nature around Fairfax County. You have until May 1 to get your entry in! Let the county be your inspiration — the top 75 entries submitted will be displayed during the Celebrate Fairfax! Festival, which will be held June 7-9. Individuals will compete in one of two …
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Presented by Patch, the theme is 'Fairfax Is Beautiful.'
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Officials will likely attempt to put a meals tax referendum to voters in future elections, though the proposal has had little success in the past.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is once again considering a meals tax — but the proposal has a long way to go before it is put to voters in a future election. For the eighth time during his tenure, Supervisor Gerry Hyland (D-Mount Vernon) proposed this week that a meals tax referendum appear on ballots during the election. In his resolution, Hyland estimated the tax could generate between $80 and $100 million annually. Such revenue, which Hyland calculated with a hypothetical 4 percent meals tax, might allow the Board to alleviate stress on the county’s real estate base, which just saw an increase in tax this budget cycle. “As was clearly evidenced during our budget discussions, the county is still over reliant on the real estate …
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Offers fresh produce, products from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
The Annandale farmers market, located in the parking lot of Mason District Park located at 6621 Columbia Pike, opens for the season Thursday, May 2. The hours of the market are 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. The market will be open weekly through Nov. 7. Read profiles of 2012 Annandale farmers market vendors in Patch's "Fresh Market Finds" column. The market includes everything from fresh tomatos to peaches. From May to November, there are 11 farmers markets across the county that come to life with a feast for the senses. The vibrant colors of freshly picked fruits and vegetables contrast with the fragrant perfume of cut flowers. The aroma of freshly baked bread and pastries floats across the market while patrons savor samples of creamy artisan cheese…
Offers fresh produce, products from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The Wakefield farmers market, located in the parking lot of Annandale's Wakefield Park at 8100 Braddock Rd., opens for the season Wednesday, May 1. The hours of the market are 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. The market will be open weekly through Oct. 30. Read profiles of 2012 Annandale farmers market vendors in Patch's "Fresh Market Finds" column. The market includes everything from fresh tomatos to peaches. From May to November, there are 11 farmers markets across the county that come to life with a feast for the senses. The vibrant colors of freshly picked fruits and vegetables contrast with the fragrant perfume of cut flowers. The aroma of freshly baked bread and pastries floats across the market while patrons savor samples of creamy artisan cheese. …
Sunday, April 28, 2013
The AACC hosted a gala event at the Westin in Tysons earlier this month.
The Asian American Chamber of Commerce hosted its 3rd annual awards gala at the Westin Tysons Corner earlier this month, honoring businesses and business leaders of Asian and Pacific Islander descent for contributions to the business community. Public and private sector businesses, as well as for-profit and non-profit organizations, were recognized at the ceremony, which had more 200 attendees. A list of award recipients can be found below: The ceremony also recognized Judge John Tran, who was elected by the Virginia General Assembly on April 3 to be a Circuit Court Judge in Fairfax County. Tran will be the first Asian-American judge to sit in a Virginia court of record, according to a release from the Chamber. Click here to learn more …
Monday, April 15, 2013
Savings from two other projects leaves enough money to tackle road projects elsewhere in the county such as improving signage off of I-395 southbound to westbound Route 236.
Thanks to a reallocation of some funds and savings on two big county projects , the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has identified about $11 million to complete planned improvements to pedestrian and road projects across the county. The money became available when two other large transportation projects were unexpectedly completed under budget. Burke Centre’s Virginia Railway Express parking was finished with $3.9 million to spare in federal Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) funds; another $7 million in federal Regional Surface Transportation Program (RSTP) money was left over after the widening of Route 29 and Gallows Road to three lanes. Supervisors also approved the use of $1.65 million in commercial and industrial (C&I) …
Friday, April 12, 2013
Employees have 8.66 percent less purchasing power than they did six years ago, they said, which may cause them to leave for jurisdictions with better compensation plans.
Fairfax County faces a number of budget challenges in Fiscal Year 2014. But top on the minds of county employees, they said at a public hearing with the county Board of Supervisors: better, fairer compensation. County Executive Ed Long's $7 billion FY2014 budget proposal raises real estate taxes and cuts funds to parks and libraries, among other services. It also includes a 2-cent increase in the real estate tax rate from $1.075 per $100 of assessed value to $1.095, expected to raise millions in revenue. But the budget doesn't include market rate adjustments to county employee salaries. The school system hopes to be able to give employees an increase of just under 2 percent. Randy Creller, chairman of the Employees Advisory Council, …
Residents and stakeholders advocated for human services and employee compensation funding on Wednesday night.
Human services were on most people’s minds Wednesday night during the second marathon public hearing on the proposed Fiscal Year 2014 budget plan. A majority of the 50 or so speakers at the second of three hearings this week urged the Board of Supervisors to restore funding to services for the county’s most vulnerable residents. County Executive Ed Long’s $7 billion budget proposal includes an $8 million reserve to address cuts from sequestration and other federal reductions, but many human services officials say more is needed. The county’s Human Services Council has recommended supervisors approve an additional $3.3 million in funding, $1.25 of which would be put in a fund used only for immediate services needs. Many speakers during …
Ray Smith
10:16 am on Wednesday, May 8, 2013
I oppose this 100%. The County should figure out ways to lower costs before they raise more taxes. Once they have this authority they will never give it up. I avoid eating in DC because of the meal tax and County businesses will suffer. My real estate taxes at least are tax deductible. more ›