Christmas Day has come and gone, but the trees festooned with lights and tinsel for the occasion need to stay up for another week if you’re counting on a curbside pickup.
For the roughly 10% of residents served by Fairfax County, the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services will collect live trees for recycling from Jan. 1-13 as part of its regular waste services.
Private trash companies licensed to operate in the county are also required to pick up trees 8 feet or shorter that are set outside in single-family and townhouse communities during the first two weeks in January.
“At the end of the two-week collection period, residents serviced by the County can schedule a brush pick-up for trees,” DPWES said in a news release. “Those who utilize a private company should contact their hauler with questions regarding collection of Christmas trees following the two-week period for special tree collection.”
Community members can also dispose of their trees directly at the I-66 Transfer Station (4618 West Ox Road) and I-95 Landfill Complex (9850 Furnace Road) in Lorton during their operating hours, though both have a $9 recycling fee for Christmas trees.
Trees that get recycled are turned into mulch that the county offers to residents.
Lights, ornaments, stands and other accessories must be removed before disposal.
“DPWES asks residents to dispose of tree lights in their recycling or trash because they get tangled in our machinery and their components are bad for the environment,” the department said, noting that lights can be dropped off at the county’s e-waste disposal sites or potentially local hardware stores.
For artificial trees, the county advises donating them to a charitable organization or church if they’re still in good condition. Local options include the Springfield nonprofit ECHO, which accepts Christmas trees in November and December, and GreenDrop sites, which also accept decorations.
In the Town of Vienna, curbside collection services will be provided for natural Christmas trees throughout January, and Town of Herndon residents can get trees picked up on their regularly scheduled trash day from Jan. 3-5 and Jan. 10-12.
(Updated at 4:05 p.m. on 1/2/2024) The Rincon family business has officially staked a claim in Merrifield.
The Tex-Mex chain Guapo’s, which the Rincons have owned since 1990, welcomed diners to its new location in Gatehouse Plaza for the first time last Thursday (Dec. 21). The building at 3052 Gate House Plaza was last occupied by Chevys Fresh Mex, which closed over four years ago now, per Annandale Today.
Guapo’s soft opening came months later than its originally anticipated launch of early 2023, but the initial response from the community suggests the wait was worthwhile.
“People have been expecting it for a while now, and yesterday was very, very busy,” Guapo’s marketing manager told FFXnow by phone on Friday (Dec. 22). “So, customers are really, really happy that we brought it to Merrifield.”
Residents of Virginia since the late 1970s, the Rincon family opened its first Guapo’s in D.C.’s Tenleytown neighborhood in 1990. The flagship location has operated at 4515 Wisconsin Ave. NW ever since, though there were reportedly plans to move down the street in 2016 that got nixed.
According to Guapo’s, the business is now run by the founders’ children, who all graduated from Fairfax County schools and universities. It has expanded to Arlington, Fair Lakes, Bethesda, Gaithersburg and Georgetown, and the spin-off Charcoal Chicken and Taqueria can be found in Herndon and Manassas.
The expansion to Merrifield was inspired by the family’s history, according to the marketing manager.
“When the family first came from Colombia to Virginia, they lived in Gallows Road that’s why they chose Merrifield to honor their beginnings in the United States,” she said.
All locations are owned and operated by the Rincons, who haven’t tried franchising. Guapo’s says they plan to “stay local for now before we decide to expand nationwide.”
While the look of the Merrifield restaurant is more modern, the owners were committed to keeping the same recipes and level of customer service seen at other locations, according to the marketing manager.
The menu features many staples of Tex-Mex cuisine, including enchiladas, fajitas, burritos, tacos and a variety of meat, seafood and chicken dishes. There are also salads, soups and brunch options, such as omelets and eggs benedict.
Guapo’s is open in Merrifield from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. during the week and from 10 a.m. until midnight on Saturday and Sunday. A grand opening celebration planned for Jan. 10 will be highlighted by a live DJ and salsa music from a band at 5-10 p.m.
(Correction: This story previously misstated Guapo’s hours of operation and timing of the band’s performance at the upcoming grand opening.)
Located northwest of the Route 50 and Gallows Road intersection, Gatehouse Plaza is also home to Sweetwater Tavern, Uno Pizzeria and Grill, a Wendy’s, Starbucks, Panda Express and a Sunoco gas station.
One Found Dead in Christmas Morning Fire — “One person was found dead in a Christmas morning fire at a townhouse in the Centreville area of Fairfax County, according to firefighters. Firefighters from Fairfax County Fire and Rescue arrived at the home in the 14100 block of Red River Drive early on Monday morning, they said in a release.” [NBC4]
Affair at Center of Frying Pan Area Killings — “A website that caters to people with sexual fetishes may have been used as part of a ploy to draw a man to a Herndon home before he and a woman living in the house were killed, according to new allegations laid out in the Fairfax County bond hearing of an au pair charged with murder in the case.” [Washington Post]
FCPS Concludes Review of Privacy Breach — “An investigation into how Fairfax County Public Schools accidentally shared other students’ private information with a parent during a fall meeting has concluded, Superintendent Michelle Reid said in a letter to families Thursday. The external review…found that the data breach occurred because the parent had access to old thumb drives with unredacted files, the school division said. [WTOP]
Demand High for Route 1 Hypothermia Shelters — “Fairfax County hypothermia shelters are filling up but have room for more people to come in out of the cold, according to figures provided by the Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) just before the longest night of the year…On the Route 1 corridor, during the week of Dec. 11, an average of 53 men and women per night slept in hypothermia shelters, according to HCD.” [On the MoVe]
County Police Report Rise in Violent Crime for 2023 — “The new report, released by Fairfax County Police in coordination with the Major Cities Chiefs Association, tracked violent crimes such as homicide, rape and robbery in 2023. Fairfax County ranked seventh among 69 participating jurisdictions, reporting an 8.7% increase in violent crimes overall, and increases in the number of rapes and aggravated assaults.” [WTOP]
Site Plan Approved for Restaurant Replacing Falls Church Motel — “The indoor-outdoor restaurant planned for the old Stratford Motor Lodge site can move forward after a site plan approval by the Falls Church Planning Commission Wednesday…A date for project completion is not yet known, but Dominion Wine and Beer’s Arash Tafakor told the Planning Commission it may come to fruition next year.” [Patch]
Firefighters Visit Kids at Inova for Holidays — “Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Santa, his elves, and reindeer ‘dropped in’ to spread holiday cheer to the kids at Inova Childrens Hospital. Members of #FCFRD @FairfaxCountyPD @PWCFireRescue rappelled ten stories, stopping at windows to say hi to kids and their families.” [FCFRD/Twitter]
New Bikeshare Stations Added in Tysons Area — “NEW STATION ALERT Check out the newest stations in Fairfax County(@ffxconnector), Prosperity Ave & Avenir Pl (funded by @novatransit) and Old Meadow Rd & Old Meadow Ln.” [Capital Bikeshare/Twitter]
It’s Tuesday — Expect rain mainly after 1pm, with cloudy skies and a high near 51. Precipitation chances are at 70%, with less than a tenth of an inch possible. Tuesday night will bring more rain and a low around 48. Precipitation chances increase to 90% for between a quarter to half an inch. [Weather.gov]
Home sales in Northern Virginia declined 9.8% in November from the same month in 2022, but were up 12.5% from October, according to new data from the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors.
The year-over-year decline continued a trend that has been ongoing since the middle of 2022 although it was not as much as in some prior months. And prices rose 5.7% from November 2022, NVAR reported.
“November data show that the market continues to adjust in this post-COVID time, and we haven’t quite found a new normal. We do know that housing inventory remains limited which drives down home sales. That in turn drives up demand for those limited homes to choose from, which leads to higher home prices,” said Casey Menish of Pearson Smith Realty and an NVAR board member. “I am optimistic that as mortgage rates fall, we will see more people ready to sell their homes, and more buyers ready to pick up their home searches where they left them.”
The months’ supply of inventory in November was 1.05, up just slightly (0.3%) from November 2022 but down from October’s 1.23 months. The average days on the market in November was 20, down significantly (23.1%) from the prior year but a little higher than October’s 17 days.
Homebuyers continued to have few options and that meant higher prices. The median sold price for a home in November was $656,500. That’s up almost 22% from the pre-pandemic November 2019 median sold price of $538,250.
NVAR’s newly released 2024 economic housing forecast, produced in conjunction with George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis, indicated that the residential and commercial real estate markets have not yet reached a post-pandemic normal. The forecast reported a possible downturn despite the economy attracting regional workers and creating jobs. As such, overall sales activity is expected to decline in 2024.
Another COVID outcome cited in the forecast is an increase in intraregional migration patterns — especially to distant suburbs — spurred by more work-from-home options.
“We expect home values to continue to increase due to historic low housing inventories across the region,” said Ryan McLaughlin, CEO of NVAR. “But we remain hopeful that recent spikes in mortgage rates will moderate and stabilize and help create ownership opportunities.”
The Northern Virginia Association of Realtors data include home sales in Fairfax and Arlington counties, the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church and the towns of Vienna, Herndon and Clifton. Here are highlights from the November report:
- Closed sales: 1,054, down 9.8% from November 2022 and also down from November 2019’s 1,430 closed sales.
- Average sold price: $780,193, up 9.2% from November 2022.
- Active listings: 1,407, down 23.9% from November 2022.
- Pending sales: 996, down 19% from November 2022.
Photo via Tierra Mallorca on Unsplash. This article was written by FFXnow’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
Local government offices are closing early today (Friday) to give staff a head start on Christmas weekend.
With Christmas Eve falling on Sunday (Dec. 24) this year, Fairfax County, Fairfax City and the towns of Vienna and Herndon are all instead observing the occasion with a half-day today. All local government offices will shut down at noon, though schedules vary for some other public facilities and services.
Government offices will close all day on Monday (Dec. 25) for Christmas. The county courts, which are closing at noon today, will pause operations through Tuesday, Dec. 26, as will Fairfax County Public Schools, whose students have been on winter break since Dec. 18.
Here are other notable closures and schedule changes coming for the holidays:
Trash and recycling
Fairfax County won’t provide trash and recycling collection services on Christmas Day, bumping all customers back by a day throughout the week. The I-66 Transfer Station and I-95 Landfill Complex’s recycling and disposal centers will be closed Sunday and Monday.
The Town of Vienna and Fairfax City will both collect waste and recycling for both Monday and Tuesday customers on Dec. 26. Vienna won’t pick up brush and yard waste that day.
The Town of Herndon will make trash pick-ups as usual, but Monday recycling will be collected on Tuesday instead.
Transportation
Metro is running modified service on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, with trains and buses following Sunday schedules. Rail stations will be open from 7 a.m. to midnight.
Fairfax Connector will operate on a Sunday service schedule on Christmas Day, and its customer service center will be closed. In Fairfax City, the CUE bus system will follow its regular schedules except on Dec. 25, when the service will be closed.
Like it did for Thanksgiving, the Virginia Department of Transportation is suspending most highway work zones and lane closures on major roads, starting at noon today and continuing until noon on Tuesday, Dec. 26. Rush-hour tolls for the I-66 Express Lanes inside the Capital Beltway will be lifted on Christmas Day.
Community centers
The McLean Community Center will be closed on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
The Reston Community Center will close its Lake Anne facility on both days, but Hunters Woods (2310 Colts Neck Road) will open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 24. The Terry L. Smith Aquatics Center will be open from 9 a.m. to noon on Sunday before closing for Christmas Day.
The Herndon Community Center is open today from 7 a.m. to noon and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. It will close on Dec. 24-25. The Bready Park Tennis Center and Herndon Centennial Golf Course will also be closed on Christmas.
The Vienna Community Center will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It’s also observing holiday hours of 8 a.m. to noon today and 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. from Dec. 26-29.
Libraries, Parks and Recreation
Fairfax County Public Library will close all branches at noon today, followed by closures on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Libraries will open tomorrow (Saturday) according to their regular hours.
All Fairfax County Park Authority facilities are open today except for the carousel at Clemyjontri Park in McLean and Sully Historic Site in Chantilly. For Christmas Eve, park visitor centers and other amenities will be closed, but all rec centers will open from 8 a.m. to noon, except for the George Washington Rec Center in Mount Vernon, which is opening at 9 a.m.
The park authority will close all facilities for Christmas Day.
In Fairfax City, both the Fairfax Museum and Visitor Center and Historic Blenheim are closed through Dec. 25.
Region’s Busiest Travel Period Underway — “If you’re someone who travels out of the D.C. region for the holidays, one of the busiest winter holiday travel days has arrived…While the regional airports might sound busy, AAA Mid-Atlantic predicts the vast majority of travelers in the D.C. metro area, 98%, will be driving to their destinations.” [WTOP]
Two Arrested for Fatal Franconia Shooting — “Two juvenile suspects have turned themselves in for their involvement in the Franconia shooting that left a Woodbridge man dead. [On Wednesday], officers were notified of two juvenile suspects who turned themselves in to Arlington Police. Both juveniles were transported to Fairfax County and charged.” [FCPD]
ICYMI: Child Hospitalized by Chantilly Crash — “A child has been hospitalized after they were hit by a driver just down the road from Chantilly High School. Fairfax County police officers responded to the intersection of Stringfellow Road and Poplar Tree Road around 5:09 p.m. for the crash.” [FFXnow]
Report Shows County’s Progress on Affordable Housing — “Fairfax County invested $51.9 million in affordable housing during the past fiscal year, according to the newly-released Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s (FCRHA) fiscal year 2023 annual report.” There was construction on 1,219 new homes with another 1,210 “in predevelopment,” and 936 people were moved from shelters into permanent housing. [FCRHA]
Winter Weather Outlook Suggests Potential for Snow — “Brian Lasorsa, lead meteorologist with the National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington Office, joined Courtney Arroyo, the Department of Emergency Management and Security’s community engagement manager, for a special winter weather outlook for Fairfax County and Northern Virginia…While the overall winter may be mildly warmer, Lasorsa expects things to turn a bit colder and snowier as we head into January, based on long-range forecasts.” [Fairfax County Emergency Information]
Commonwealth’s Attorney Gives Grants to Nonprofits — “Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano on Dec. 19 awarded grants to five Fairfax County nonprofits that serve child victims of crime and victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence. Descano awarded the $5,000 grants through the second annual Community Partnership Grant Program, an initiative he unveiled last year.” [Gazette Leader]
Assault Prompts Security Changes at Fort Belvoir — “The Fort Belvoir Garrison Commander temporarily suspended the garrison’s Trusted Traveler Program effective Dec. 19 due to the investigation of an alleged assault on the installation in the early morning hours of Dec. 18…Everyone in a vehicle who is 16 years of age or older will need to show a DoD or military ID card or obtain a visitor’s pass.” [On the MoVe]
Route 123 Pipe Replacement Finishes Early — “When a portion of sewer pipe on Chain Bridge Road was found to have deteriorated and needed immediate attention, Fairfax City crews and contractors were able to complete the project more than a week ahead of schedule, despite frigid temperatures and high wind conditions.” [City of Fairfax]
It’s Friday — Expect a gradual transition from mostly cloudy to sunny skies, with temperatures reaching a high of around 46 degrees. Friday night will be partly cloudy, with lows around 33 degrees, and a southeast wind ranging from 3 to 5 mph. [Weather.gov]
(Updated at 12:50 a.m. on 12/22/2023) No holiday miracle was necessary for the McLean Central Playground Team to reach its goal of raising $400,000 to update the play equipment at their local park.
The group of moms announced on Tuesday (Dec. 19) that they have reached their fundraising target with days to spare before a year-end deadline set by the Fairfax County Park Authority, which is responsible for the planned renovation of the playground and tot lot at McLean Central Park (1468 Dolley Madison Blvd).
“We are amazed and humbled by the incredible generosity of our community and all of the partners who’ve supported us in achieving this milestone,” said Jessica Wu, one of seven mothers who collaborated on the fundraising campaign.
The park authority proposed a new playground for the 28-acre park as part of a development concept updated in 2022, but it only had enough funding — about $175,939 — to replace the school-aged equipment, leaving the slightly newer tot lot untouched.
When the park authority started soliciting public input on its concept in 2021, however, a group of moms led by McLean resident Cara Schantz began advocating for a more ambitious design. They wanted both facilities to be renovated, relocated the same place in the park and enhanced with accessible features.
The FCPA ultimately incorporated their design into its McLean Central Park development concept but tasked the moms with raising the additional funds needed to implement it.
Launched in early March, the fundraising campaign required “countless volunteer hours” spent on outreach to the community, meetings and organizing events that often involved partnerships with local businesses, according to a press release.
After hitting a lull around October, the effort got a boost from the McLean Community Center, which contributed $50,000, and the park authority, whose board approved a $20,000 grant. Organizers say the many smaller donations made by community members “helped significantly.”
“Every contribution, big and small, helped get us across the finish line,” Sarah Farzayee said, adding that she hopes the new playground “will stand as a symbol of community spirit and civic duty in Fairfax County.”
Expected to begin in spring 2024, the renovation will include updated equipment, more seating, poured-in-place rubber safety surfacing, fencing around the tot lot, sensory play options, an inclusive merry-go-round and more swings, including an adaptive tandem swing designed so that children and caregivers can stand face-to-face.
“Every playground should be accessible to children of all abilities,” mom Angie Golder said. “We hope that the new McLean Central Playground underscores the importance of inclusion in all public spaces.”
The playground team, which also includes Jenny Gregory, Lacey Obry and Rebecca Antzoulatos, says the Fairfax County Park Foundation, the park authority’s nonprofit supporter, can continue accepting donations until the second week of January at the latest. Any additional contributions “will be used to enhance the playground further.”
“We can’t wait to see the joy and excitement on the faces of children of all abilities and family and community members as they enjoy the renovated playground,” Gregory said.
With ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence-based tools becoming increasingly mainstream, Fairfax County Public Schools officials have started discussing potential guidelines to govern how the technology is used in the classroom.
The Fairfax County School Board broached the topic at work session forum on Nov. 28, led by outgoing board chair and Dranesville District representative Elaine Tholen and Sully District representative Stella Pekarsky.
While the discussion wasn’t recorded, Tholen says the school board felt it was a way to make the public aware that FCPS is developing a strategy for how it will handle AI, which is getting integrated into industries from public safety and health care to filmmaking.
“The School Board and FCPS recognizes that a comprehensive AI strategy is crucial for preparing students and educators for the future, enhancing the learning experience, and ensuring the school division remains competitive and adaptive in the rapidly evolving educational landscape,” Tholen said.
AI has been utilized for educational purposes for years, as apps like Duolingo and iNaturalist rely on algorithms that allow them to process data, identify patterns and adapt. But the recent advent of generative AI — which can create text, images and sound based on that data, with OpenAI’s ChatGPT and DALL-E as two high-profile examples — has raised new practical, legal and ethical questions.
In response to fears that students will use AI to cheat or do their homework, New York City Public Schools, Los Angeles Unified and other school districts have banned ChatGPT from their networks, while elsewhere, teachers suggest it could be a useful tool if handled responsibly.
The Highlander, McLean High School’s student newspaper, found that many students have at least experimented with AI, with 40% of 223 surveyed students admitting to utilizing it for at least one school assignment.
Fairfax County Federation of Teachers President David Walrod says the union’s members haven’t raised a lot of concerns about students using ChatGPT, but he’s aware that there are concerns “from teachers more generally across the country.”
“I do think it will require a change to some teaching practices, but I also see potential for positive change,” he told FFXnow.
In addition to using tools that can identify AI, similar to ones used to detect plagiarism, teachers may have to adjust what kinds of assignments they ask students to do at home versus in school, Walrod says. They could also put more emphasis on tasks that require students to show their work, such as an outline, graphic organizer or even a handwritten first draft for an essay.
While the technology presents challenges, it could help teachers by reducing or streamlining their workload. As examples, Walrod shared a hypothetical math lesson plan and discussion questions on the children’s novel “Bud, Not Buddy” generated by ChatGPT, noting that they could serve as “an effective starting point.”
“This doesn’t do all the work for me; I still need to generate examples, I need to find the materials to distribute, etc,” Walrod said by email regarding the math lesson plan. “But it does give me a general outline to follow and allows me to focus on preparing and creating the materials.”
According to the Highlander, some administrators in FCPS are also deploying AI tools “on a consistent basis,” using ChatGPT to help them write newsletters and other messages to the community, for instance. The school system approved ChatGPT and fellow chatbot Google Bard for staff use this year and has started providing training, the McLean High School students reported.
However, a clear framework is still needed to create boundaries and consistency around how FCPS students and employees use generative AI, which can produce results of questionable quality and accuracy and too often regurgitate biases from their underlying data.
According to Tholen, issues that future policies could address include:
- Ethical uses
- Cybersecurity and data privacy safeguards
- Equity and inclusion, including monitoring for any unintended consequences
- Professional development
- Accessibility
- Transparency around when and how the technology is used
- Guidelines for integrating AI into the curriculum
FCPS could also collaborate with outside experts, universities and other partners to support AI education and implementation.
Tholen says she’s “excited” to start that “groundbreaking work” after the school board voted earlier this year to contract the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) for a Lighthouse School pilot program, which will test “best practices for bringing innovation to learning.” About $500,000 for the pilot was included in the current fiscal year 2024 budget.
“Setting a solid foundation for future work in AI and Quantum will help us adapt as technologies continue to evolve,” Tholen said. “We must prepare our students for the future of work and society and position our school district as forward thinking and committed to providing a modern, relevant education.”
Walrod says he’s “very curious” to learn about FCPS’ plans for ensuring AI is used safely and effectively by students and teachers, noting that any policy should recognize that technology isn’t a substitute for people.
“Tools like AI cannot replace the human element, either in teaching or elsewhere in the workforce,” Walrod said. “Like any tool, AI has the potential to allow work to be done more effectively, but it still requires a skilled professional to oversee and fine tune it.”
Photo via Rolf van Root on Unsplash
The Red Bird has landed in Vienna.
The hot chicken chain’s first Northern Virginia franchise is in the midst of a soft opening at 282 Cedar Lane in the Cedar Park Shopping Center, where it has replaced the McDonald’s that closed in 2022. The location is currently open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to Instagram posts.
The restaurant says there are “plans underway for our grand opening extravaganza,” but no date has been set yet. A spokesperson didn’t return a request for comment by press time.
Tariq Diab, who is overseeing The Red Bird’s Northern Virginia operations, previously told FFXnow that free sandwiches will be offered to the first 1,000 guests at the official opening.
Started just last year in Los Angeles, California, The Red Bird has operated pop-ups in Virginia and D.C. in the past, but the Vienna restaurant is its first permanent location in the area. A second franchise is coming to Reston’s South Lakes Village Center, and the company has said leases are in the works in Arlington, Falls Church and Ashburn.
Distinguished by its use of halal food, the chain sells chicken tenders, sandwiches, rice bowls and fries. Spice levels start at mild and top out at “Fck You Cra.” The company says it also makes everything fresh with no preservatives.
Other dining options at Cedar Park include Pizza Boli’s, Hunan Delight, Sushi Koji and Lezzet Restaurant, but The Red Bird is the first addition since America’s Best Wings and Toby’s Homemade Ice Cream opened in 2022. The women-focused gym Starfit Studios also opened earlier this year.
The shopping center will send out 2023 with a free “Noon Year’s Eve” celebration from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 31. A noon ballon drop countdown, a pop-up artisan market and vendor fair, DJ music, giveaways and other activities are planned for the event, which is being organized in partnership with Vienna’s economic development office.
At the halfway point of his administration, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin unveiled a budget proposal that calls for significant income tax cuts, increases in state sales and use tax — and a push to get rid of the car tax, which the Republican called “the single most hated tax” in Virginia.
“The car tax belongs in the trash can and not in your mailbox,” he said.
Speaking to the state’s joint money committees Wednesday morning, Youngkin reiterated his familiar themes that Virginia must take action to reverse ongoing population losses to other states and reduce residents’ tax burdens.
“Across the country today, there are winning states and there are losing states,” he said. “Virginia must compete even harder.”
But the governor’s speech took a less political tone than earlier addresses to the state’s legislative budget architects, offering fewer criticisms of prior administrations and acknowledging that Virginia government remains divided after Democrats narrowly won control of both chambers of the legislature this November. That outcome dampened Youngkin’s prospects for a presidential run and will force him to work across the aisle to achieve his key priorities.
Because Virginia operates on a two-year budget that is amended annually, the “Unleashing Opportunity” budget presented by Youngkin Wednesday represents the governor’s first crack at crafting a state spending plan from whole cloth. The last two-year budget, which was passed in 2022, was based on a plan from outgoing Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam.
With power divided between Democrats and Republicans in Richmond and historic state surpluses fueled by pandemic-era relief spending, the past few years have seen unusual levels of contention over the state budget. Amendments to the spending plan, ordinarily passed at the time the General Assembly adjourns in late February or early March, took until September this year to come to fruition as the parties bickered.
“I would ask us to deliver a budget on time when you adjourn sine die in March,” Youngkin told the money committees on Wednesday, referring to the final adjournment of the legislative session. “Virginians deserve it, and I know we can do it.”
This year, lawmakers will have less money at their disposal, with pandemic-era infusions of cash at an end and state economic officials projecting a mild recession beginning in the last quarter of fiscal year 2024.
The “overwhelming consensus” of state leaders, said Youngkin, was that in developing the budget, “we should build in caution.”
Democrats have already signaled concerns with the governor’s spending plan — and some surprise.
“I heard the governor say this was halftime. And he came back out as a Democrat, a lot of tax increases,” wisecracked incoming House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, in an exchange with Virginia Secretary of Finance Stephen Cummings.
Senate Democrats on Wednesday afternoon issued a statement calling the governor’s budget “absolutely disgraceful” and “a slap in the face of our most vulnerable individuals.”
“We are smart enough and bold enough to know that his speech was the highlight reel and that he omitted the dirty details of his plan,” the caucus wrote. “Governor Youngkin believes that ensuring more tax cuts for wealthier individuals is most beneficial for low income individuals in our commonwealth.”
The proposal put forward by the governor Wednesday marks only the beginning of the state’s budget season. When the General Assembly convenes Jan. 10, both chambers will have a chance to modify Youngkin’s budget, removing parts they don’t like and accepting or strengthening those they do. The House and Senate will then need to reconcile their two versions of the plan — a process that historically has occurred behind closed doors through the legislature’s opaque conference committee system — and send it to the governor for his review.
“While we appreciate Governor Youngkin for sharing his budgetary vision today, it is imperative that we have a thorough examination of his proposal,” said Del. Luke Torian, D-Prince William, the incoming chair of the House Appropriations Committee. “This is the starting point to construct a budget that not only reflects our dedication, but also secures prosperity and fairness for every resident in the commonwealth.”
Here’s some of what Youngkin is proposing at the starting line.
Tax reforms
Youngkin has heavily emphasized tax reduction over the course of his administration, and the issue is the centerpiece of his budget proposal. Reducing the cost of living for Virginians, he argued Wednesday, requires reducing tax burdens and modernizing the state’s sales tax code.
He is calling for a 12% cut in income taxes across the board that would see the tax rate drop from 2% to 1.75% for the lowest bracket and from 5.75% to 5.1% for the highest.
“This cut reduces the personal income tax burden on Virginians by $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2025 and $2.3 billion in fiscal year 2026 and is a major, major step towards competing,” Youngkin said. “The data is clear: Since 2021, 26 states have cut individual income tax rates.”
To partly offset that loss in state revenues, the governor is proposing to increase the state’s sales and use tax from 4.3% to 5.2%, as well as expand the base of goods and services that tax applies to.
“Virginia taxes a narrow set of goods while our peer states tax a broader set of goods and services,” said Youngkin. To remedy that, he is asking the state to close what he called the “Big Tech tax loophole” on digital goods such as software packages, digital downloads, streaming services and more, “on which today, Virginia collects nothing.”
Democrats have already pushed back against the tax changes. In a statement, Scott said Virginia “must champion policies that address the pressing issues faced by our citizens – not those that would be detrimental to the financial well-being of low-income and middle class households, exacerbating economic disparities. By lowering taxes for the wealthiest Virginians and raising local and state sales tax, the burden is shifted onto those least able to afford it.”
Asked about those concerns, Youngkin said he was “very cognizant” of them, “and that’s why we included an increase in the earned income tax credit, so that in fact there would be support for Virginians who are on the lower-income scale.”
Under the governor’s plan, lower-income residents would be able to claim an enhanced earned income tax credit equal to 25% of the federal credit, rather than the existing 20% credit.
“We can reduce the tax burden and include a very important tax reform, which is shifting the burden of personal income taxes onto a sales tax system that is truly outdated and archaic,” he said.
Car tax
While not included in his budget plan, the governor urged lawmakers to work to permanently eliminate the car tax local governments are currently allowed to levy and instead have localities rely on further increases in sales tax.
“Everywhere I go, I consistently hear, ‘Please help us get rid of the car tax,’” he told reporters. “We need to work together to get rid of this.”
Outgoing Sen. John Edwards, D-Roanoke, noted the commonwealth spends almost $1 billion annually to reduce the car tax in localities and asked whether getting rid of the tax would require a constitutional amendment.
“The [Virginia] Constitution gives the car tax to the localities,” he said. “So how’s [he] going to do that, to abolish the car tax?”
Cummings said eliminating the tax would require a complex process and “a lot of changes and legislation.”
After his presentation, Youngkin told reporters, “I believe we would not eliminate the state subsidy of $950 million a year, that we can work in collaboration with local governments to settle on an increase in local and state sales and use taxes.”
Continued increases in education spending
Over the next biennium, Youngkin is proposing an additional $764 million for Virginia’s K-12 schools, including $160 million for re-benchmarking — the process of updating the amounts the state provides in direct aid to schools — $122 million to cover another 2% raise for teachers in fiscal year 2026 and $53 million for a 1% bonus in fiscal year 2025.
Youngkin also proposed investing $61 million to expand the hiring of reading specialists, $40 million to support students seeking industry-recognized credentials through “Diploma Plus” grants and $40 million to develop a new state assessment system.
More behavioral health investments
Youngkin is proposing $316 million in the budget for his “Right Help, Right Now” plan to further expand access to behavioral and mental health services across the commonwealth. This includes over $150 million to add additional developmental disability waivers, which fund services for people with long-term care needs. The governor’s plan aims to provide waivers to the 3,400 Virginians currently on the “priority one” waitlist — consisting of those individuals who urgently need the services and support offered by the waiver in a year or less.
“This is going to be a big initiative, but with the providers out there seeing this money is there, I think we can generate the kind of infrastructure we need to help address this important area,” said Virginia Department of Planning and Budget Director Michael Maul.
Over $35 million will go toward funding additional crisis services, like Virginia’s 988 suicide and crisis system and crisis stabilization units, to minimize response services that rely on emergency rooms and hospitals.
An additional $58 million is being invested in behavioral health loan repayment, more clinical training sites and residency slots and salary increases for state hospital clinicians. A new JLARC report this month found Virginia’s nine psychiatric hospitals are increasingly short on both beds and staff, which poses risks for both patients and personnel.
When it comes to hiring, “we are competing with McDonalds and Starbucks,” Maul said, “and it’s hard sometimes to get the people we need.”
Medicaid spending
The budget includes $714 million to fund the cost of Medicaid while adjusting for inflation.
Maul said this biennial budget includes significantly more money than the previous two-year spending plan because the state’s Health Care Fund, which is sourced from tobacco taxes, has less money to cover Medicaid costs than it did in prior years.
During COVID, Maul said Medicaid enrollees “weren’t going to their doctors or getting their checkups,” so Virginia spent less to pay for providers than what was initially budgeted. Now, he said, the state is expecting a significant rise in utilization.
“We’re not expecting very big amounts to go into the Health Care Fund, and tobacco tax revenues are going down,” Maul said. “We believe we’re going to need over $250 million a year to help offset the fact that those funds will not be available to help with Medicaid.”
Child care
The Building Blocks for Virginia Families initiative, announced by Youngkin earlier this month, would put $437 million toward child care and early childhood education programs in an effort to keep child care accessible to families struggling to shoulder its high costs.
Wednesday’s proposal is $10 million less than the governor previously outlined but would put $412 million toward the state child care subsidy program and $25 million to help with startup costs for providers in areas that lack child care services.
“We were using a big chunk of one-time funding, of public funding, to help subsidize the cost for child care,” said Maul. “That’s one of our biggest economic development issues, because if workers can’t find child care, they can’t get to work.”
A state report by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission recently found that child care is unaffordable for the vast majority of Virginians.
“The whole goal is to make sure that anybody in the program today and those who would likely be in the program can continue to do so in the next biennium,” said Maul.
No new increases for Metro
Despite Metro’s threats of potential service cuts and fare increases in response to a $750 million shortfall, the governor’s budget includes no additional funding for the bus and rail operator above the state’s normal allocation.
Youngkin said before any funding is appropriated, a plan must be created to address the change in ridership and demand for services.
A view of the Tysons Corner Metrorail Station in Fairfax County. (Nathaniel Cline/Virginia Mercury)
“I am a huge supporter of Metro,” Youngkin said after his presentation. “It is critically important to Virginia and the entire DMV. But we need to face reality here and develop a business plan that works for Virginia, for the District and for Maryland, and then we will talk about what we will do in order to support it.”
Metro said Virginia’s proposed contribution for fiscal year 2025 is $347.9 million.
Metro said it needs notification of what the neighboring jurisdictions will provide by mid-March to make any budget adjustments.
Photo via Virginia House of Delegates/Flickr. This article was reported and written by Sarah Vogelsong, Nathaniel Cline, Charlie Paullin and Meghan McIntyre for the Virginia Mercury, and has been reprinted under a Creative Commons license, with some edits for length.
