The Falls Church City Council is considering a major increase to a pool of funding to support local residents facing short-term financial difficulties.
City staff originally proposed adding $20,000 to $25,100 previously allocated for an assistance fund that provides eligible households with up to $1,000 in support per year.
At a Council meeting yesterday (Monday), Council member Erin Flynn successfully amended the proposed measure to add another $25,000 to the fund, with the possibility that additional funds would go to support local food pantries.
Her amendment, which would increase the pool to $45,000, passed 7-0. The additional $25,000 would come out of a planned $50,000 appropriation to support the city’s commemoration of the nation’s 250th birthday, which would be cut to $25,000 if the measure is approved.
The city has already distributed about $10,000 during the first three months of the fiscal year, officials said at an Oct. 20 work session.
The revised total is “more than we’ve done historically, with the exception of the height of the pandemic,” City Manager Wyatt Shields said.
Depending on how federal downsizing and the current government shutdown continue to impact Falls Church residents, this may not be the last time additional funding is put into the effort over the coming year, city officials said.
“It’s quite possible we might come back to Council in January with further information and a further request,” Shields said.
The cash would come from funding left over from the fiscal year that ended June 30. Council members will hold a public hearing and take final actions on Monday, Nov. 10.
Falls Church has been one of the Northern Virginia localities hit hardest by the Trump administration’s downsizing efforts coupled with the government shutdown that began Oct. 1. In late September, state officials reported the number of Falls Church residents confirmed as unemployed was up 60% year over year — the highest rate of increase in Northern Virginia.
The city manager said he was not proposing using the surplus for any major new initiatives, preferring to “stay focused on what we’ve already promised.”
Instead, much of the available balance will be transferred into reserve funds.
Meeting with School Board likely to focus on enrollment: While it’s still more than a month away, City Council members are beginning to tee up topics for discussion when they meet with their School Board colleagues on Dec. 1.
Near the top of the list will be determining why Falls Church’s student population remains below estimates despite the opening of a number of mixed-use properties in recent years.
“We had 20% housing growth and yet we’re losing student population,” Mayor Letty Hardi said at an Oct. 22 calendar-setting session. “I care less about the budget implications [than] are there broader issues we should be aware of?”
At the meeting, Council members Laura Downs and Debora Schantz-Hiscott each wanted to know why overall student enrollment was short of projections by about 150 students this year.
Schantz-Hiscott referenced new data showing that outmigration is exceeding inmigration statewide across Virginia, with West Virginia and North Carolina reaping some of that population change.
Local newspaper again comes up empty at Council: City Council members on Oct. 20 again deferred any action that would funnel more cash into the Falls Church News-Press.
Council member Laura Downs again proposed using surplus budget funds to buy additional advertising in the newspaper, “just to get people aware of what’s coming up” on the Council’s agenda.
Downs, who is running for re-election, said a familiar complaint in the community is that residents don’t know what City Council members are working on.
Purchasing an additional half-page ad per month in the weekly print newspaper “would be about $12,000 for the year,” Downs said.
The City government already purchases one full-page ad per month in the newspaper at a cost of $1,600, city officials said. That has been consistent in recent years, they said.
“The city has not reduced advertising in the News-Press,” Mayor Letty Hardi said. “It’s not like we’ve cut back in any way.”
Hardi noted that the city had maintained its expenditures even as the newspaper eliminated free at-home delivery and moved exclusively to bulk drops in locations citywide.
Nicholas Benton, owner of the News-Press, recently launched a $40,000 fund-raising drive to support a return of at-home delivery. He also has pressed city officials to advertise more in effort to keep the print edition afloat.
A number of Council members said they preferred taking a broader discussion of communications options, ranging from upgrades to the city’s website to a print newsletter.
Council members favored a future work session involving the city’s communications director, Mary Catherine Chase, before taking further steps.
Council member Justine Underhill pressed for “a holistic discussion” leading to “an overarching strategy.”
