[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6311671,"mediaKeyId","2394901-227a820bf47584c7d7fd3cae87b759b0","parentId",2394901,"title","Legislation roundup: Fairfax staff identify bills on short-term rentals, ADUs, faith-based housing, data centers, and parking tax concerns","audioSeconds",3852,"startMs",2167000,"endMs",6019000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2394901-227a820bf47584c7d7fd3cae87b759b0&start=2167&end=6019","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2394901-227a820bf47584c7d7fd3cae87b759b0/thumbnail_2167000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6311671/Fairfax/Fairfax-County/Virginia/Legislation-roundup-Fairfax-staff-identify-bills-on-short-term-rentals-ADUs-faith-based-housing-data-centers-and-parking-tax-concerns","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6311671-e3fce07c0fc5d5b8ef643734e73789b0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771184248&Signature=JwnBoguikDWen9WpdpNXHR9FHQAKoYcdkN9SXQS4aTjRr-wtFoBGkc57AzVdZ6zJAs7FVJWcdpy6ttRoVJRODRcMeUZkLWNXSlOb3AC3CxH6nQo5PkWPhjilh-wnoZ6Y-k-E~QGMXfwpX15JFNXCukdEpVB3GgLMpj52WsCATX6avsxlVB8jBv0zoJ1jI27oanwInusc6Q8WTnjcKx2Y0246m1iZgC8rlk9ddKjyBHfDDPthf5lp6okBW5UGynORlhj66VfDQA500oN73BmaYL1YBtzDQER8FBeP6LbB04k33yG3AwL-OHpuTScmhqnVYf3jrq-KF2EaSFvm7xfrhw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Fairfax County","date","2025-01-17T00:00:00Z","article","At its January meeting the Legislative Committee reviewed numerous bills filed in the 2025 General Assembly session that staff said merit positions, monitoring or further work with patrons.

Short-term rental registry (HB 1557): County staff described a state-run registry for short-term rentals and recommended supporting a version that would share more information with localities than past proposals. Staff said prior registries sometimes withheld addresses and remittance detail, hampering local auditing.

Project labor agreements (HB 1570): Staff recommended opposing a bill that would repeal the 2020 allowance for local use of project labor agreements; Fairfax identified the 2020 law as a county priority and advised opposition to repeal.

Accessory dwelling units (HB 1832 and related): Staff recommended opposing a permissive statewide ADU mandate that they said removes local ability to tailor size, attachment rules and special-use protections, arguing one-size-fits-all statewide ADU rules could allow detached units that in practice function as full houses.

Faith-based affordable housing (SB 1351 and related bills): Staff said one bill would allow religious or nonprofit property owners to build affordable housing by right on land owned before July 1, 2023, with only 40% of units required to be affordable and possibly unlimited density. Staff recommended opposing the bill and proposed seeking carve-outs or other language that preserves the county’s local planning and existing county programs that expedite faith‑community housing.

Housing growth and zoning bills (SB 975 and SB 839): Staff recommended opposing measures that would require localities to increase housing stock by a fixed statewide percentage or require by‑right residential use in all commercial zones, citing concerns about a one-size-fits-all mandate, local entitlement versus building realities, and infrastructure compatibility.

Data-center and utility studies (SB 960): Staff recommended supporting a State Corporation Commission study to examine whether electric customers broadly are subsidizing data centers’ energy use; staff said many related bills are expected and the county will continue to bring them forward for action together.

Parking-space tax to fund bike/ped improvements (SB 1007): Staff and several supervisors raised technical and equity concerns about a proposed 50¢ annual tax per off-street parking space across Northern Virginia that would route funds through NVTA. Tax administration staff said jurisdictions do not have readily accessible, auditable inventories of all parking spaces and that collection costs could absorb a large share of revenue; staff recommended extensive revision before support.

Other bills discussed included proposals on solar-site zoning changes, speed-camera authority on federal parkways, transit contractor labor rules, and changes to transient-occupancy tax treatment for longer short-term rentals. In many cases staff recommended opposing bills that would pre-empt local land‑use authority or create new unfunded administrative burdens and recommended monitoring bills that require more study.

Next steps: Staff said they will return to the board with refined recommendations and will seek to coordinate negotiation and technical fixes with bill patrons and the county delegation.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Jan. 17, 2025 Legislative Committee\t","oneSentenceSummary","County staff reviewed a wide set of pending bills, recommending positions or monitoring steps on issues from short-term rental registries to accessory dwelling unit limits, data center studies, and a proposed parking-space tax for Northern Virginia.","taxTitle","Fairfax, Fairfax County, Virginia","taxId",3338,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6311675,"County officials hail several governor amendments for crisis and school mental-health funding, urge scrutiny of childcare changes",178,854000,1032000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2394901-227a820bf47584c7d7fd3cae87b759b0&start=854&end=1032","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2394901-227a820bf47584c7d7fd3cae87b759b0/thumbnail_854000.jpg","/articles/6311675/Fairfax/Fairfax-County/Virginia/County-officials-hail-several-governor-amendments-for-crisis-and-school-mental-health-funding-urge-scrutiny-of-childcare-changes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6311675-c3a9e7c7f9c611dc9cf532bd95c119cf/orig.mp4?Expires=1771184248&Signature=eYgexVwjRI50w0lKzUanQFk5-aJ1P7BE2TwBt9brK4xxNMDepmKqXsTMO~xcQ8MJBQgbsg2XZadTApBLokRV69zEXyAb3uMBSw6bNoXXY5rq8uSmaipShYVkSk8DSBH1uLT1bMmarE16k-xzSrRyh4ONJa1b51~8wGNN3PFk2ON5b~bTFsygDtbJ9zj04zdiHLepg35S-6RAE-4XpBr~520-IXaYfxtwOjUX~RPTuPajimK3sz0uxjJ-Eo2E3Br2OiQ54C-aTqOee-9bN9aAKgnYivfzoo1y-Umwn3nnRTSKo682L0OaH8dyJ10ghGkzyvg6rl7S17jeW-IjEqqNxA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Fairfax County human-services staff briefed the Legislative Committee on governor-proposed budget amendments that the county largely supports for behavioral health and child welfare, while cautioning that several early-childhood changes need closer review.

Ariel McAloon, the county human services legislative liaison, told the committee the governor’s amendments would authorize Medicaid coverage for services to beneficiaries during short-term acute psychiatric or residential stays under an 1115 serious mental illness waiver, a change county staff said aligns with the county’s legislative program and could improve crisis-service reimbursement. The amendments also add flexibility for school-based mental-health funds and include $1 million in FY2025 for outreach and education on youth mental health, substance use and social media.

Why it matters: County staff called several items “positive,” noting they may expand reimbursement for crisis stabilization, relieve some law-enforcement burden, and improve access to psychiatric consultation for primary care providers.

Key behavioral-health items noted by county staff include a $35.2 million FY2026 allocation to allow the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to provide funds to private hospitals for special conservators of the peace, which the county said could reduce law-enforcement custody burdens during emergency holds. Staff also highlighted $1.5 million in FY2026 to pilot two regional adult psychiatric access-line hubs run by the Medical Society of Virginia.

On the Children’s Services Act (CSA), staff said the governor’s amendment would simplify the reimbursement model but would also cap state reimbursement rates for private day educational services at no more than 2.5% above the previous year’s rate; staff warned the cap would apply only to the state share and not limit local liability if providers raise prices above that cap.

Early-childhood provisions drew the most questions. Staff reported additional childcare-subsidy slots but flagged several amendments that could create barriers: a new family co-payment of $5 per month in 2026 for households under 100% of federal poverty (a cohort that currently pays nothing), a potential 90-day job-search time limit, and limiting new childcare-subsidy enrollments to children birth to age 5 unless designated “hard to serve” by the Virginia Department of Education by July 1. Staff warned those changes could reduce access for school-age children unless the governor’s proposed work group produces alternative solutions. County staff also noted the proposed removal of the cap on the Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) could reduce state funding for local VPI slots by roughly $5.1 million in FY2026 if enacted.

On foster care and adoption assistance, the governor proposes raising maximum payments by 3% in FY2026 ($1.5 million general fund and $1.4 million non‑general fund noted in staff materials), a change the county called a positive step because Virginia’s rates have been comparatively low.

Next steps: Committee members asked staff to continue monitoring these amendments and to work with early‑childhood and school staff to assess net impacts to families and county budgets.","Fairfax human-services staff highlighted amendments that expand Medicaid coverage for certain behavioral-health settings, add flexibility for school mental-health funds, create outreach grant funding, and raise foster care payments — while flagging potential risks in childcare-subsidy rule changes.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6311680,"Fairfax staff outline effects of governor’s 2024–26 budget amendments on county services and FCPS",523,96000,619000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2394901-227a820bf47584c7d7fd3cae87b759b0&start=96&end=619","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2394901-227a820bf47584c7d7fd3cae87b759b0/thumbnail_96000.jpg","/articles/6311680/Fairfax/Fairfax-County/Virginia/Fairfax-staff-outline-effects-of-governors-202426-budget-amendments-on-county-services-and-FCPS","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6311680-be428b2d53abea857a8882b7fbb473ba/orig.mp4?Expires=1771184248&Signature=fhvDBChr~1x5MRuEbpmiAAjoSELt3XwI13eizSWmA6557lhGdEEOmLMzhh6fCMjhzkDOfZMRu99d~rQplGktMY-Jjp1WxzZB2w68RW2EF~ZScB2U9n1u76faoZsecG17q0K0bQDPRTGg~JT-k41NAtu0IZRDWQ68zNw950BZ5UX-EfR~Y4HSjdiM8-0phDKXvts1Hu-YaMLlvhfAJOlaMbCHObtrVNi-mi-O-U19jBq~A967fQ-aoO88H2PtoA7luoEoR5kzxQM8UkhZCw2oS0~eSBIM-mJpSmb9O0g1RkpGavLDzjO07qOit0jeb4DSUM9heypCNHWRYb7bIEyw0w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Fairfax County Legislative Committee received an overview Friday of the governor’s December amendments to the Commonwealth’s 2024–26 biennium budget and what those changes would likely mean for Fairfax County and Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS).

Claudia Arco, legislative staff, and Albano of the Senate Budget Office walked board members through the governor’s assumptions and specific line items. The governor’s package assumes stronger revenue growth—about 4.1% in fiscal 2025 and 2.6% in fiscal 2026—adding roughly $4.7 billion in general fund resources over the biennium, but it does not increase most compensation items and leaves some Fairfax priorities only partially funded.

Why it matters: Fairfax officials said several proposed additions would not meaningfully benefit the county and that FCPS remains exposed to a potential shortfall if the governor’s package were adopted as written.

The county’s briefing noted the governor did not add funding to address recommendations from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) on school funding. FCPS would receive no additional funding for the JLARC recommendations in the governor’s amendments, and staff said eliminating the local ‘support cap’ — a JLARC priority — would yield almost $45 million for FCPS if adopted. The governor’s budget includes limited compensation funding for schools: a 3% salary increase is funded only in part, covering about $18.2 million of an estimated $91 million cost to FCPS, leaving an estimated net local cost of roughly $73 million.

On public safety, staff said the governor proposes $2.5 million to help localities buy radio and communications equipment and $5 million for protective equipment for firefighters, but those awards are prioritized to localities with above-average fiscal stress, which likely excludes Fairfax. The proposed $3.5 million to reimburse law-enforcement time spent transporting individuals under temporary detention orders similarly prioritizes other localities and therefore likely will not offset Fairfax County Police Department costs; staff estimate the county spends more than $500,000 annually on that function.

The governor’s package includes a $1.1 billion refundable car tax credit (to be paid from the fiscal 2025 surplus) and makes the standard deduction amounts permanent; staff said these tax changes will affect state revenue but do not directly change county revenue flows. The budget also proposes ending state income tax on TIPS income, reducing projected revenue by about $35 million in FY2026 (half-year) and $70 million annually thereafter.

County leaders flagged a potential gap for FCPS: compared with FCPS’s internal fiscal forecast, the governor’s amendments would reduce the projected state support by about $600,000 in FY2026, creating a modest shortfall if the governor’s plan were enacted without other adjustments. Board members discussed opportunities to engage the General Assembly on items that affect long-distance transport reimbursements and the state’s treatment of law-enforcement funding (the HB 599 program). They also noted supplemental pay included for public defender supplements could help Fairfax if funded and urged continued monitoring.

Looking ahead: Staff said the governor’s proposal will be negotiated by the General Assembly and that county staff will track member budget amendments, including a senator’s proposal for $125 million toward the Richmond Highway bus rapid transit project.","County staff reviewed the governor’s December amendments to the 2024–26 biennium budget, highlighting changes to revenue assumptions, education funding shortfalls for Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), public safety reimbursements, and targeted grants that likely will not benefit Fairfax.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Legislation roundup: Fairfax staff identify bills on short-term rentals, ADUs, faith-based housing, data centers, and parking tax concerns

County officials hail several governor amendments for crisis and school mental-health funding, urge scrutiny of childcare changes

Fairfax staff outline effects of governor’s 2024–26 budget amendments on county services and FCPS