This week marks the 10-year anniversary of Mark Schwartz becoming Arlington’s county manager on a permanent basis.
Schwartz had been appointed to the role in an acting capacity in July 2015, and County Board members announced on Jan. 8, 2016 that they had decided to make the position permanent.
Arlington government leaders appear willing to fill financial gaps if the federal government reduces housing grants to support vulnerable populations — but they don’t know how big those gaps might be.
“We’re not going to not find a way to fund it. We’re not going to let that all fall apart,” Board member Maureen Coffey said at the Housing Commission’s Jan. 15 meeting, which looked at impacts of current and future budget cuts to federal housing funds.
The Arlington Commission on the Status of Women opened 2026 with a goal of increasing public awareness of its activities.
But the effort also came with a caution that the body not stray from its statutory role as an advisory panel to the County Board.
Arlington’s Pedestrian Advisory Committee is pressing county and state leaders to do more to keep public walkways clear after winter storms.
Committee members have agreed to send a letter with a list of suggestions to County Manager Mark Schwartz, hoping to potentially improve conditions this winter or in future years.
Concerns about monitoring and managing chemicals at Arlington County’s Water Pollution Control Plant have prompted a public hearing this week.
The hearing is a follow-up to a public comment period last September and October, where advocates sought amendments to the draft permit related to limitations and best management practices for PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances), also known as “forever chemicals.”
Matt de Ferranti is the new chair of Arlington County Board for 2026, while Maureen Coffey is the new vice-chair.
De Ferranti, who was first elected in 2018 and who previously held the chairmanship in 2021, used his remarks last night (Monday) to tout a local government that can be responsive to community needs and fight for local values while being prudent with taxpayer funds.
For nearly 65 years, Arlington County Board members rang in the new year with a Jan. 1 organization meeting.
Often drawing large crowds and extensive media coverage, the event was a chance for county leaders to lay out their priorities for the coming year after first voting in a chair to serve for the 365 — sometimes 366 — days ahead.
Waste collection will once again be pushed back in Arlington as various government offices close in honor of New Year’s Day this Thursday.
Thursday’s collection routes will be serviced on Friday, and Friday routes will be pushed back to Saturday this week. Parking meters also will not be enforced on New Year’s Day (Jan. 1).
Arlington’s summertime experiment using high tech to evaluate the state of sidewalks delivered mixed results.
The county used Kiwibots — laser-equipped robots — to roll up and down the sidewalks of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor for two weeks in July, assessing conditions.
Members of the county’s Disability Advisory Commission are hoping to become better known in the broader community during 2026, while also having more impact on public policy.
Outreach efforts will aim to increase public visibility and collaborate with other arms of the county government. Concrete goals include a 25% increase in the number of public speakers at commission meetings, plus the recruitment of two additional commission members.
The county government’s Adult Protective Services office is attempting to keep up with a surge in reports of abuse, neglect and exploitation.
“We’re in uncharted territory here in terms of volume,” said Rachel Coates, an official with the Department of Human Services, at the Dec. 15 meeting of the Commission on Aging.
The county government’s arborist is pushing back on accusations that an iconic tree was removed needlessly from a Lyon Park median.
But local residents aghast at the removal aren’t letting the county government off the hook for its actions.
