Falls Church City Council members and staff on Oct. 7 mulled a number of possibilities that could change the way city residents pay for trash collection and recycling.
But with the exception of solid support for expanding the composting part of the program, there seemed enough disagreement on bigger issues for City Council members to push consideration to a later date.
“We’re kind of split,” Mayor Letty Hardi acknowledged.
For the time being, Falls Church is likely to stick with its current policy of including the cost for residential trash collection as part of the overall tax bills for about 3,000 homeowners.
Several City Council members voiced support for retaining the current system, with some modest tweaks of the current system. Others had more enthusiasm about alternate methods of covering costs, including charging by the amount of trash generated by individual homes.
“I’m not sure staff has anything close to guidance — we’re reading tea leaves,” City Manager Wyatt Shields said after robust discussion.
And no matter individual positions, many around the table wanted to keep decision-making simple enough so no expensive consultants needed to be hired to sort through proposals.
“I balk at the idea of spending $200,000 [proposed for consulting services],” Hardi said.
“Let’s see what manageable options might exist,” added City Council member Erin Flynn.
The work-session discussion also included comments about the economic impact on owners of condominiums, who currently pay the same residential tax rate as single-family homes but do not receive government trash service.
More Time Sought By Developer of Senior-Living Homes: Members of the Falls Church City Council will decide later in the month whether to grant the developer of senior-living units in the West Falls development project more time to complete procedural steps in advance of construction.
The one-month delay would allow the project’s developer, Experience Senior Living Development LLC (ESL), time to acquire needed funding.
“The capital markets are coming back alive, [but] things have not moved at the pace expected,” said Hunter MacLeod, representing ESL, at the Oct. 7 City Council work session.
ESL plans to complete 215 units as part of the larger mixed-use West Falls project. There will be 131 independent-living units, 58 assisted-living units and 24 units in a memory-care wing.
City Council action on the request for a delay is slated for the end of the month.
“Do you expect another extension? Hopefully the answer is no,” Mayor Letty Hardi said.
“We are nearing the finish line,” said William Maggard, representing ESL.
The broader mixed-use development, located on Leesburg Pike where Falls Church and Fairfax County collide near Meridian High School, also includes condominiums, rental apartments, a hotel, grocery store and retail, set on a 9.8-acre parcel.
Council Notes Anniversary of Attack on Israel: Falls Church City Council members opened their Oct. 7 work session with a moment of silence marking the one-year anniversary of the Hamas-led attack on Israel.
“We grieve … we all wish for peace,” Mayor Letty Hardi said.
