Some projects are behind schedule in the Falls Church capital-improvement program (CIP), but they aren’t facing any major funding challenges.
Of the 37 active projects in the CIP, which range from roadway improvements to sports-field upgrades, 20 are listed as “on target,” six are “at risk” and 11 are “behind target,” according to a quarterly summary.
“We’ve got some good progress. A good number of projects are being completed now, compared to some past years,” said Caitlin Sobsey, the city’s CIP coordinator, at an Aug. 6 meeting of the Falls Church Planning Commission.
Some of the current delays are par for the course, Sobsey said. Acquisition of land and right-of-way is a tricky process that in some cases is “dragging on a considerable amount of time,” she said.
Coordinating projects with utility companies also can knock schedules off-kilter, Sobsey added.
On the plus side? “We don’t have any projects right now that are experiencing a confirmed funding shortfall,” Sobsey said.
Although some funding comes from the federal government, more is funneled through the state and city government and regional bodies.
Commission chair Andrea Caumont attempted to divine whether the current roster of capital projects is overtaxing the city’s ability to manage them.
“It’s helpful for us to have a sense of how much work the staff can do in a year,” she said. “Are we more behind than we typically are? Are we further ahead?”
“Beyond the last year or two, it’s hard to say,” Sobsey said of making a comparison.
The reason, she said, was that reporting methods have changed. Council and commission members are now seeing all the projects in the pipeline, rather than a select few, Sobsey said.
If the workload gets too heavy, Caumont expressed hope that city leaders would hear about it from staff, so the work could be prioritized.
“Not all projects are created equal,” the chair said.
She added that she appreciated getting the updates. “I find the report really helpful,” she said, as it provides needed context.
Her Planning Commission colleague Phil Duncan agreed, saying that he hoped more publicity would be given to the impact of capital projects.
“This more than anything answers the question, ‘Where do our tax dollars go?'” Duncan said.
Sobsey will be back before the Planning Commission in November with another quarterly update. At the same time, city officials will start planning for how capital projects will impact the fiscal year 2027 budget, which will be finalized next spring and go into effect July 1.
