The following article excerpt is from our content sharing partner, FairfaxNews.com.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors this week inched closer to making changes in its pension plans for new county hires, acting on a longtime argument by Supervisor Pat Herrity that Fairfax pension benefits are too generous.
The board voted to authorize a public hearing on November 20, 2018 to consider proposed amendments to the ordinances for Fairfax County’s three retirement systems. The changes would be effective for new employees hired after June 30, 2019.
“Pension costs compete with our ability to provide quality services to our residents and to pay competitive salaries to hire the best and brightest teachers and employees,” Herrity said in an emailed statement. “We cannot continue to ask our residents to work after their retirement to pay significant increases in their taxes so our new County employees can retire as early as age 55 with a pension benefit that is much more generous than surrounding jurisdictions.”
The action has been a long time coming. In 2009, Herrity asked for a review of the county’s pension plans and in 2013, the board made some minor changes. Following additional advocacy for changes to address the plan’s unfunded liability and cost, the board began another review in late 2016.
Read more at FairfaxNews.com
Police Release Sketch of Vienna Robbery Suspect — Fairfax County Police have released a sketch of the suspect who robbed a man at gunpoint on Oct. 6 along path to the Vienna Metro station. [Facebook]
Rapid Pace of Tysons Development — The pace of development in Tysons is impressing even seasoned local business people. At a recent Greater McLean Chamber of Commerce breakfast, the gathered crowd was wowed by a slide showing buildings now under construction and approved developments in Tysons. [InsideNova]
Local Firms Place High on Fortune List — From the most recent FCEDA E-Bird: “Hilton and Mars Inc. are among the top three places to work — not just in Fairfax County but in the world according to Fortune.com. San Francisco-based Salesforce, Tysons Corner-based Hilton and McLean-based Mars ranked 1-2-3 based on employee surveys conducted by Fortune partner Great Place to Work around the world. Companies racked up points based on respect, fairness, pride, camaraderie, and trust.” [Fortune]
FCPS Digital Citizenship Week — “This week is Digital Citizenship Week in our county schools and it’s important for parents/guardians to help children become safe, ethical, responsible and respectful digital citizens.” [Fairfax County]
Cvent Makes Big Acquisition — Tysons-based event tech company Cvent has acquired D.C.-based event and venue planning startup Social Tables for, reportedly, more than $100 million. [Washington Business Journal]
Reminder: Social Media Week Fairfax Tomorrow — Social Media Week Fairfax, featuring a number of marquee speakers including Judy Smith of Scandal fame, will be taking place tomorrow (Thursday) from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. at Capital One HQ in Tysons. A complete agenda is available here.
For the second time in as many weeks, someone smashed in the door of the Enterprise Rent-a-Car on Spring Hill Road in Tysons.
The incident happened over the weekend. Fairfax County Police noted in a crime report that “this time nothing was taken,” a contrast from two weeks ago when a vehicle was reported stolen.
“Detectives are following up on leads,” FCPD said. More from the crime report:
BURGLARY / DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY: 1572 block of Spring Hill Road, (Enterprise), 10-14-2018, between 12:01 – 8:10 a.m. When employees arrived to work in the morning they noticed that the front door had been smashed in. The business was broken into recently but this time nothing was taken. Detectives are following up on leads.
Photo via Google Maps
In-Person Absentee Voting Underway — Fairfax residents can now vote absentee in person at 10 locations throughout the county until Nov. 3. Among the locations is the McLean Governmental Center at 1437 Balls Hill Road. [Fairfax County, Twitter]
Thieves Steal ATM Machine from Vienna Metro — “Police are searching for the people they say stole an ATM from a Metro station and then packed it into the bed of a stolen pickup truck. Five suspects in a heavy-duty pickup rammed into the machine at the Vienna station and dislodged it about 1:30 a.m. Monday, a Metro spokesman said. The thieves then lifted the machine onto the truck bed and drove off.” [NBC Washington]
Public Safety Agencies Holding Job Fair — “The public safety agencies of Fairfax County invite residents to learn more about career opportunities available at the Fairfax County Public Safety Career Fair on Saturday, Oct. 20.” [McLean Connection]
The former Marco Polo restaurant in Vienna went up in flames Sunday afternoon.
A fire broke out in the vacant building at 245 Maple Avenue W. shortly before 2 p.m. A second alarm was sounded as firefighters worked for around an hour to get the blaze under control.
Firefighters from around Fairfax County and as far away as Arlington battled the flames. The Vienna Volunteer Fire Department also assisted at the scene.
Photos posted online show firefighters using ladder trucks and water cannons as heavy smoke billowed from the restaurant’s roof.
It’s unclear what caused the fire as the building was reportedly vacant. No injuries were reported.
The building has been discussed as a possible site for redevelopment, though thus far no solid plans have been revealed.
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UPDATE 200 block Maple Avenue West: The fire is under control. The structure was vacant at the time of the fire. pic.twitter.com/9J0PMOcdg7
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) October 14, 2018
Photo (top) via Vienna Volunteer Fire Department/Facebook
Theater for Tysons Galleria? — “We’re starting to get a glimpse of the next round of change coming to the high-end Tysons Galleria, as the mall’s owner may look to replace the Macy’s there with a theater, among other tenants, according to documents submitted to Fairfax County.” [Washington Business Journal]
Sales Tax Receipts Up — “Sales-tax receipts distributed to the Fairfax County government by the state government in September totaled $14.9 million, an increase of 3.7 percent from September 2017, according to new figures from the Fairfax County Department of Management and Budget.” [InsideNova]
Transportation Projects Slowing — “The organization… projects transportation revenue growth to be flat through 2024, and VDOT construction allocations are at their slowest since 2013 when the Virginia General Assembly passed House Bill 2313, legislation intended to generate more revenue for transportation projects.” [Fairfax Times]
Have you been glued to news about the stock market, Kanye or the hurricane this week? If so you might have missed some of the local happenings in and around Tysons.
ICYMI, here are the five most-read articles on TysonsReporter.com since last weekend:
- Founder of Falls Church-Based Kiddar Capital Arrested on Securities Fraud Charges
- Virtual Reality Entertainment Center Coming to Tysons
- Poll: Should Fairfax County Government Offices Remain Open on Columbus Day?
- A Look Inside The Boro, the Massive New Development in Tysons
- Legal Insider: Thin Line Between Social Media and Employment
Weather-Related Road Closures — Amid windy weather, several roads are closed around the area due to downed trees. [FCPD]
Bank to Hold McLean Grand Opening — MVB Bank is planning a grand opening for its new banking center at 1313 Dolley Madison Blvd., Suite 100, McLean. The location opened in early September. [Virginia Business]
Vienna Conducting Resident Survey — “The Vienna town government is in the process of taking the pulse of town residents through a new survey, which is being sent to 1,600 randomly selected households.” [InsideNova]
Friday: Affordable Housing Discussion — “Join as we host Abdi Hamud from Fairfax County’s Affordable and Workforce Dwelling Units Program at this month’s meeting. Abdi will facilitate a roundtable discussion about affordable housing in Fairfax County and more specifically in Tysons.” [Tysons Chamber of Commerce]
Heavy Rain, Wind Today — Expect heavy rain and strong wind as a cold front moves through the region, ushering in fall-like weather. Today’s rain may cause flash flooding. [Twitter, Twitter]
Maple Avenue in Vienna may be home to a number of vacant storefronts, but some of those vacancies are in the process of being filled.
In addition to MoMo House (131-A Maple Avenue W.) and Shin Se Kai Ramen (234 Maple Avenue E.), another new eatery is on the way. Nothing Bundt Cakes, a national bakery chain, is coming to Vienna at 129 Maple Avenue W.
The bakery chain specializes in circular bundt cakes, offering ten flavors and forty unique designs, as well as merchandise like gifts and decor.
The interior of the location is currently undergoing renovations. The owners of the Vienna franchise were not available for comment, but a sign on the exterior of the store said Nothing Bundt Cakes will be opening this fall.
An employee at the nearby Dulles location said the Vienna store hopes to be open sometime early next year.
