Falls Church City Council members seem split on how much to raise their salaries, now that they have state permission to approve a potentially hefty boost in pay.
Council members currently earn $11,500 per year, and the mayor earns $12,000. Virginia law now permits a maximum salary of $21,000 for Council members and $22,000 for the mayor of a city the size of Falls Church.
Motorists using W. Broad Street (Route 7) eastbound through Falls Church will find road construction ongoing through at least early June.
Work will impact the 1000 block of W. Broad between the West End Plaza shopping center and the intersection with West Street.
In a cost-saving move, Falls Church leaders on Monday (May 12) voted to reconfigure how the city oversees its economic-development, planning, zoning and permitting operations.
In adopting the fiscal 2026 budget, City Council members eliminated the position of Community Planning and Economic Development Services director.
In just a few months, Falls Church leaders are hoping to reach a final decision on whether to shift how they fund city trash collection.
City Council members on Monday directed City Manager Wyatt Shields to set up a task force on the issue and come back to Council members by Aug. 4 with recommendations.
Falls Church property owners are probably getting a tax cut, though it’s not as high as initially proposed.
City Council has tentatively settled on a rate of $1.20 per $100 assessed valuation, down from $1.21 in the current fiscal year.
The Falls Church City Council marked the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon last week with a celebration of the city’s Vietnamese-American community.
“Thank you for being part of Falls Church,” Mayor Letty Hardi said at Monday’s Council meeting, attended by several dozen community representatives.
Falls Church leaders are seeking a compromise on a new ambulance fees agreement with Arlington County.
In addition to increasing the amount that the City of Falls Church pays for fire and ambulance services, the proposed agreement would cap the amount of revenue that the city can receive from ambulance transport fees at $295,000 annually.
The City of Falls Church plans to spend more on paving roads in the coming year, but it will still have unfunded needs.
The proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget includes $1.4 million for road-paving initiatives, up from $870,000 in the coming fiscal year.
The race for four seats on the Falls Church City Council is underway.
Incumbents Laura Downs and David Snyder have already qualified for the Nov. 4 ballot. Several other aspirants, including incumbent Marybeth Connelly, have started the process of qualifying, city elections director David Bjerke told ARLnow.
The amount that the City of Falls Church pays Arlington County for fire and ambulance services could be about to surge.
Under a proposed new agreement, the projected cost of these services would increase by 20% — from an anticipated $3.24 million to $3.89 million.
The Falls Church City Council has reached a compromise on accessory dwelling units, allowing for by-right development on most single-family parcels.
The unanimous 7-0 vote followed public discussions with the public last summer and nearly a year of further deliberation. Most public speakers showed up in support of the decision, although some controversy remains on issues such as setbacks.
The Falls Church City Council is keeping the door open to maintaining the same tax rate in the coming fiscal year.
Council members unanimously voted on Monday night to advertise a maximum tax rate of $1.21 per $100 assessed valuation — unchanged from the current rate.
