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Read the latest Blog Post by CFGF Board Member Peter Falcone on Resource Protection Areas (RPAs), the vital buffers that help safeguard waterways and stream beds in our community from the impacts of development, and the effects of the county's development approval process.  Click on BLOGS above to read the whole post.

Proposed 2027 County Budget — Administrative Savings Overview

On behalf of Citizens For Great Falls, the chart depicted below was submitted to Dranesville Supervisor James Bierman and Fairfax County School Board Representative Robin Lady, on March 22 2026, outlining a series of budget recommendations for their consideration. The chart illustrates approximately $30 million in potential administrative savings identified across Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) and general county operations.

 

Our recommendations emphasize FCPS central administration, contracted services, and internal operational efficiencies — and are specifically structured to avoid any impact on classroom instruction, school-based staffing, or countywide public safety services.

These figures represent constructive, community-oriented savings targets aimed at supporting responsible budgeting while preserving the services Fairfax County residents value most.

Citizens For Great Falls – FY 2027 Budget Reductions
Citizens For Great Falls

FY 2027 FCPS / County Budget
Targeted Reductions Justification Sheet

Proposed savings aligned with FY 2027 FCPS / County budget rationale
Item What We Propose How It Aligns with FY 2027 Budget Rationale
1. FCPS Vacant Central Office Positions $7M Freeze nonessential central office vacancies and permanently eliminate long-unfilled administrative positions; reassign duties within existing teams where feasible. Brings the budget in line with actual staffing levels and mirrors County and FCPS emphasis on "efforts toward greater efficiency" and limiting new resource requests, achieving savings without reducing current services or classroom staffing.
2. FCPS Nonessential Consultant Contracts $6M Scale back or cancel non-mandated consultant contracts in professional development, strategic planning, communications, curriculum consulting, and IT modernization; shift appropriate work to internal staff. Targets a known cost driver—contractual and professional services—while following the FY 2027 direction to implement agency-level savings that offset required increases, protect classroom instruction, and build internal capacity instead of relying on recurring consultant spend.
3. FCPS Software & Licensing Consolidation $4M Eliminate redundant or underutilized HR, analytics, workflow, and training platforms; consolidate licenses and negotiate enterprise pricing; delay noncritical upgrades 12–24 months. Responds to ongoing IT operating cost pressure by focusing on consolidation and smarter procurement, consistent with County and FCPS efforts to manage license and support costs while preserving essential instructional and information security systems.
4. FCPS Administrative Facilities & Leases $3M Reduce leased administrative office space through consolidation and expanded telework; pursue energy-efficiency improvements and right-size office footprints. Aligns with the County's broader push to rebalance facilities spending toward capital renewal and maintenance, shifting dollars from dispersed administrative overhead to higher-priority needs without affecting classroom space.
5. FCPS Training, Travel & Internal Programs $2M Limit central office travel and conferences; shift professional development to virtual or in-house formats; pause nonessential pilot initiatives. Uses the same first-line savings tools the County is applying (reductions in travel, training, and discretionary programs) to generate modest, targeted reductions that protect school-based training required by law or contract and maintain direct services to students.
6. Countywide Consultant Reductions (Non-FCPS) $5M Freeze new consultant contracts in non-public-safety agencies and reduce the scope of existing planning, analysis, and communications engagements; prioritize internal capacity. Supports the County Executive's strategy to implement a sizable reduction package while keeping the tax rate flat, by focusing cuts on back-office consulting rather than on core public safety or human services, and moderating overall budget growth.
7. County Administrative Overhead (Non-FCPS) $3M Reduce administrative travel, training, internal program budgets, and noncritical technology upgrades; freeze nonessential hiring in non-public-safety departments. Extends the County's documented approach of trimming administrative overhead (printing, equipment, training, personnel savings based on actuals) to realize savings with minimal service impact, helping balance the budget and prioritize high-impact programs.
8. Montessori Pilot at Great Falls ES – Transparency Request Transparency Seek clarity on site selection (including whether Title I schools were considered), long-term local funding after grant expiration, impacts on existing resources, and success metrics; request ongoing community input. Reflects FCPS and County commitments to transparency, equity, and data-driven decision-making by ensuring a partially grant-funded initiative is evaluated against clear criteria, equity goals, and budgetary tradeoffs in a year when both FCPS and the County face structural pressures.
Total Proposed Reductions (Items 1–7) $30,000,000

Citizens For Great Falls is actively engaged on the issues that matter most to our community.

See some of our latest actions below:

CFGF Testimony and Correspondence
Citizens For Great Falls

Testimony & Correspondence

Citizens For Great Falls is working on your behalf — engaging leaders and officials on the issues that shape life in Great Falls. Read about our recent efforts below.
Dec. 3, 2025
TestimonySupport for Lift Me Up! Special Permit application.
Jan. 7, 2026
TestimonyChallenging a zoning determination on pickleball in a front yard.
Jul. 15, 2025
CorrespondenceTo County Planning Commission — six specific requests to amend the proposed Zoning Ordinance on Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) to improve safety and protect adjacent residential property owners from insurance rate impacts.
Oct. 15, 2025
CorrespondenceTo County Planning Commission — objecting to a draft Zoning Ordinance Amendment on Electrical Substations, citing noise, visual impact, and safety concerns for nearby residential areas.
Oct. 30, 2025
CorrespondenceTo School Board Rep. Robyn Lady — concerns and recommendations regarding the ongoing school boundary review process.
Jan. 12, 2026
CorrespondencePreliminary endorsement of the residential development plan for Castleton Hills (former site of Wolftrap Nursery).
Apr. 3, 2025
CorrespondenceTo Supervisor Bierman — documenting the overnight tanker truck accident in which more than 2,000 gallons of hazardous material were discharged on Leigh Mill Road, and urging action on the safety risks posed by tractor trailers hauling hazardous cargo through Great Falls.
Apr. 10, 2025
EmailTo Virginia Dept. of Environmental Quality — requesting a formal investigation of the April 3 HazMat incident on Leigh Mill Road and assistance for homeowners in testing private wells that may have been placed at risk.


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News

Published On 11/19/2025
Citizens For Great Falls published its 2026 Legislative Scorecard and Priorities in advance of the General Assembly Prefiling period.

The documents were also submitted to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in advance of the consideration of the county's 2026 legislative program.
Fairfax County’s plan to hold a public hearing on Oct. 15 for amendments to the Comprehensive Plan’s Policy Plan is facing pushback from Citizens for Great Falls (CFGF), which is asking the Planning Commission to postpone the review until early 2026 to allow more time for public input.
Published On 9/19/2025
On September 10, 2025, Fairfax County released a draft amendment that would revise the Policy Plan portion of the Comprehensive Plan. A public Hearing is scheduled for October 15, 2025, by the Planning Commission. The draft document and staff report consist of more than 300 pages of content and address general countywide policy on land use, transportation, housing, the environment, heritage resources, economic development, and public facilities, including public parks, recreation, and trails. The draft also contains new sections on Equity and on Data Centers.

Citizens For Great Falls submitted a request to Planning Commissioner Phillip Niedzielski-Eichner asking that the public hearing be postponed to the first calendar quarter 2026 to provide opportunity for the public to review and comment on the revisions of proposed by the amendment.

In addition to the Policy Plan hearing, three other zoning amendment hearings are scheduled for October 8, 16, and 22.
Published On 8/21/2025
A local trash hauler has provided an update on how the Arlington County Unified Sanitation District program is working out and a link to a petition.
Fairfax County's zoning regulations are being applied in a manner that would permit outdoor pickleball courts on residential properties without adequate protections for nearby homes — a situation made possible because current zoning and noise ordinances fail to address the sport’s uniquely disruptive noise, leaving nearby homes vulnerable to constant disturbance.
Pickleball is here to stay. We support recreation but reject poorly planned development that harms residents.

Click here: https://chng.it/cXYsNdgYyc
As the Oct. 14 public hearing approaches, the county is ramping up public outreach through community forums, digital engagement, and informational materials. Officials say these efforts are designed to ensure that residents have the facts they need to weigh in on the future of trash collection in Fairfax County.
While the county sees USDs as a way to modernize and streamline waste services, small businesses and many residents fear losing the competition, care, and control they currently value.Fairfax County’s move toward establishing Unified Sanitation Districts (USDs) continues to draw strong opposition from small, local trash-hauling companies. With the public hearing now delayed to Oct. 14, private haulers are intensifying their critique, claiming the new system will severely harm their businesses and the consumer experience.
As our community has commercial and Industrial districts in proximity to residential districts, CFGF has significant concerns regarding the anticipated expansion of BESS in Fairfax County, particularly due to the increasing preference for Lithium-Ion batteries, which are valued for their power density, operational performance, and economic advantages. These batteries present well-documented risks of fire and explosion, with certain incidents demonstrating that such fires can be difficult to control or extinguish promptly. Allowing BESS installations in densely populated areas may introduce unnecessary risk to local communities, particularly if By-right.

The CFGF is especially concerned that, in addition to potential noise and environmental impacts associated with future BESS facilities, Fairfax County should be evaluating stronger regulatory measures, including additional possible restrictions within specific zoning districts.
Citizens For Great Falls (CFGF), the recently organized non-profit civic association, has hit the ground running. Beginning in April, while CFGF was still being organized by a group of concerned Great Falls residents, correspondence was forwarded to the Regional Director of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) expressing concerns over the impact of the release of fuel into the Difficult Run Tributary off Leigh Mill Road in Great Falls.
Data center development is continuing at a fast pace in Northern Virginia. They are becoming larger and growing in scale to accommodate increasing demands fueled by technology.

Against the backdrop of increasing community concerns over energy and water resource consumption, and the growing environmental impacts involving air quality caused by data centers, industry is balancing a global demand for increased computing power and developing strategies to navigate community opposition and government regulation. Engaged citizens should be prepared for what the future holds.
Citizens for Great Falls has learned that the Fairfax County School Board has authorized the acquisition of the King Abdullah Academy. Located in Herndon, the 40-acre site previously housed high school and middle school students for an enrollment of about 800 students. Currently assessed at $117,665,760, it is a fully equipped high school complete with state-of-the-art classrooms, labs, indoor and outdoor athletic facilities, and an eight-lane Olympic-style, 25-yard competition pool.

Announcements

Agenda Item Details
Meeting
Jul 17, 2025 - Regular Meeting
Category
Action Items - 8:10 p.m.
Subject
Revision to Policy 8130 Regarding Phasing

Recommended Action
That the School Board adopt the revised Policy 8130, as detailed in the item on BoardDocs.
Subject: Revision to Policy 8130
A Letter was submitted to the editor Great Falls Connection on July 1 concerning the proposed Unified Sanitation District.
Under the provisions of the Virginia Code, the volunteer officers of the newly formed Citizens for Great Falls selected John Halacy as President. Halacy assumed his duties immediately upon the vote of the officers.
Membership in CFGF is open for all residents of the 2206 Zip Code in Fairfax County and for residents who are in the Langley High School Pyramid designation. Annual Dues are $20 per member.
Published On 6/27/2025
A membership meeting is being planned for July to kick-off plans for the upcoming legislative session and to raise other community items that members would like to put on the agenda.