After months of discussion, the Falls Church City Council has unanimously voted to change how the city funds residential trash collection and recycling.
City Council members voted 7-0 yesterday (Monday) to shift from a trash system funded through general taxes by all property owners, to one where only those in single-family homes and townhouses pay the cost.
Owners of apartment buildings and commercial/retail properties, who do not receive municipal trash collection, will no longer bear any of the cost.
Rates for homeowners will depend on the size of trash carts being used — $236 per year for 35-gallon bins and $336 annually for 65-gallon containers for the first year.
Some seniors, residents with disabilities and low-income residents will be eligible for relief from fees.
Because the $1 million annual cost of the recycling program will be moved out of the General Fund, Council members voted to reduce the real-estate tax rate from the current $1.20 per $100 assessed valuation to $1.185. All property owners will see the change reflected in tax bills due in December.
In the same action, Council members voted to add a third bin to the existing trash and recycling containers. The new one will be for composting organic waste including yard and food scraps.
Council member David Snyder, who previously had voiced concerns about the overall proposal, was pleased with the final package that emerged.
“We’ve worked very hard on this. We’ve asked many tough questions,” he said.
New composting bins, to be yellow, will be rolled out in coming months. City officials plan to launch an education campaign to let the public know about their uses.
Council member Marybeth Connelly said she believed outreach will help convince the public to use the new type of bin.
“There’s definitely some fear of the unknown, myself included and others in the community. I understand that,” she said.
At the same time, Connelly said the city was building on the work of several local jurisdictions that already include composting as part of trash and recycling services.
“Others have done it with success,” she said.
In other action at the Sept. 8 meeting:
Employees of Year lauded: Council members honored the city government’s two Employees of the Year.
Bethany Howard Tran, of the Finance Department, and Paula Hawkins, a staff member at Mary Riley Styles Library, were selected for the honor by the community-led Employee Review Board.
The employees were honored at a reception held immediately prior to the Council meeting.
“We are grateful that we have such terrific employees,” Mayor Letty Hardi said.
Portraits of past leaders unveiled: City officials formally unveiled two new portraits to join those of other past civic leaders adorning the walls of the City Council chamber.
Honored with the new portraits were Frederick Foote, Jr. (1846-99) and Carol De Long (1930-2023).
“Both of them broke barriers and opened doors — adding two voices to the story of who we are as a city,” Hardi said at the ceremony.
“Let it inspire us to keep moving forward,” she said.
Relatives of De Long and descendants of Foote were on hand for the unveiling.
Foote was elected town constable in 1875 and was the first elected Black member of the Town Council, serving from 1880-89. He also was a cobbler and business leader who owned a general store in the middle of the community.
“I wanted to emphasize Foote as a man of the community — a beacon and a source of pride for Falls Church,” artist Asia Anderson said. “He stands confidently behind the counter, holding a fountain pen, ready to write in his ledger. His posture and direct gaze convey strength, pride and determination, symbolizing the history he made and the legacy he left behind.”
De Long served on the City Council from 1974-1990 and in 1980 was selected the city’s first female mayor, a post she held through 1988. She also was active in affordable-housing issues.
“Carol was very proud that Falls Church qualified as a ‘Tree City,'” said artist Deborah Conn. “To honor that designation I have included a dogwood branch.”
Library report issued: Council members received the fiscal year 2025 Mary Riley Styles Library report from library director Megan Dotzler.
The library system has about 30,000 cardholders, with around 5,000 new ones registered during the fiscal year ending June 30.
There were about 507,000 items checked out during the year, up about 10% from fiscal year 2024.
Despite the rise in popularity of digital materials in recent years, physical materials continued to hold a two-to-one advantage in total number of checked-out items for the year. That gap, however, shrank from a year before.
Volunteers donated just under 1,900 hours of service during the year, and the Mary Riley Styles Public Library Foundation contributed $45,000 to support programs and services.
The five most checked-out books during the year were “The Women” by Kristin Hannah; “James” by Percival Everett; “The God of the Woods” by Liz Moore; “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store” by James McBride; and “Sandwich” by Catherine Newman.
