[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-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",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_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",6427578,"mediaKeyId","5907302-8788a7b1049ed0e247cc47e83ce74bf6","parentId",5907302,"title","Council approves remote participation for Council Member Hall under Virginia code","audioSeconds",64,"startMs",48925,"endMs",113880,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5907302-8788a7b1049ed0e247cc47e83ce74bf6&start=48&end=113","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5907302-8788a7b1049ed0e247cc47e83ce74bf6/thumbnail_48925.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6427578/Fairfax-City/Fairfax-County/Virginia/Council-approves-remote-participation-for-Council-Member-Hall-under-Virginia-code","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6427578-9a160d02fbd9128a694ba9543cc6c90d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771174718&Signature=efPM-qCbIaBXPbaeCO-pdqtsF5CsNVJd9dw9P6m7xl3t2b0SvmbGPevwVN8fovBq08UZa1BVGU0N4bc21nbvyyqyW4~InaZrUw-vpfxhhXQR2OzGoUlaahkL1dLBqPe2UE~NWZoE3wCGohKl8EWcncZ2NPkNghXcXzn9YWQmBt6ZRmI2j~3aO27Gwg2ZaS1Ygy9YCZqKZQb81FZRZYyaxV2l1xdmYQ1GY7RO9aRqrTlxIF~YyIzlGuPX9ej-iiA~i-9E7iw6phETueJx9g-1SeavwrzoXtnE2uJK4miv6~5aPxpEeHJSOM~HA10eRC8O0W66hsHy4giQ0z1F3-fd9A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Fairfax City","date","2025-10-07T00:00:00Z","article","Fairfax City Council voted unanimously Oct. 7 to allow Council Member Hall to participate remotely in the council work session under Code of Virginia §2.2-3708.2 and the city’s adopted remote-participation policy.

At the start of the special meeting Mayor Reid called for a motion to approve remote participation. A council member moved to approve Hall’s request as properly submitted in writing prior to the meeting and “subject to compliance with the requirements outlined in the city council adopted policy and applicable law,” the motion said. Another council member seconded and the body took a roll-call vote.

During the roll call Council Member Hardy Chandler, Council Member Peterson and Council Member Bates were recorded as voting “aye.” The motion was announced in the meeting transcript as having “passed unanimously.” The city indicated the action was taken under Code of Virginia section 2.2-3708.2 and the city council’s own policy for remote attendance.

The approval allowed Council Member Hall to participate remotely for all or portions of the Oct. 7 work session. The council did not take other related votes during that motion and no councilmember commentary about the remote request was recorded in the motion’s portion of the transcript.

City staff handled the procedural steps required by state law and the council’s policy before the vote; the council’s motion referenced that Hall’s request had been submitted in writing in advance of the meeting.

The authorization for Hall’s remote participation is reflected in the meeting minutes and will be recorded as a formal action from the Oct. 7 special meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Work Session","oneSentenceSummary","Fairfax City Council voted unanimously to allow Council Member Hall to participate remotely for the Oct. 7, 2025 work session under Code of Virginia §2.2-3708.2 and the city's adopted remote-participation policy.","taxTitle","Fairfax City, Fairfax County, Virginia","taxId",59088,"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},6427572,"ETC Institute presents first statistically valid Fairfax City community survey; residents rate city services highly",1321,172670,1494630,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5907302-8788a7b1049ed0e247cc47e83ce74bf6&start=172&end=1494","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5907302-8788a7b1049ed0e247cc47e83ce74bf6/thumbnail_172670.jpg","/articles/6427572/Fairfax-City/Fairfax-County/Virginia/ETC-Institute-presents-first-statistically-valid-Fairfax-City-community-survey-residents-rate-city-services-highly","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6427572-f85c2819ec4c93536008876dab7bcc1b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771174718&Signature=jASgbdaYEAus-z-L4Ndl3P4pqnfRV5jPSdmZYEoKjz49BVMEcvrTdxGA9wOMJoUyVkjLhmH8V83IRAbKWOsDpPyccgrgVAKgOvoXIXD732vO2zF0i9L2sLxnrC27d2eG-~dBfg4gteatUzVZ1L0YuysntJwkWXZmwgv4vIOcQFvqQkpKjR38mLQgvmbpr71HV0lD8NbjkKQtI9Zys3IipowWroZ959U0~y0tk7JHTvXg7oI3mwCWw0yKHDqdceVMJOl1jQnlEvk7dLjKj5MmEa4AF-m3dstcnhQuKFE2Hwcny3GZXaSw3rv65KWAWZDtnJKpVEEBZkISneuYAp-AaQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","ETC Institute presented the results of Fairfax City’s first statistically valid community survey at the council’s Oct. 7 work session, reporting 425 completed surveys, a margin of error of ±4.7 percentage points at 95% confidence, and broad resident satisfaction with city services.

\"We found that residents have a very positive perception of the city of Fairfax,\" Jason Marrado, director of community research at ETC Institute, told Mayor Reid and the council. Marrado said more than 90% of respondents rated Fairfax as an \"excellent or a good place to live and to raise and educate children,\" and that the city rated above U.S. averages in 46 of 47 comparison categories.

The survey used a mail-and-online random sample methodology. Marrado said the firm mailed 3,000 questionnaires to generate 425 completed surveys, which matched the firm’s target for a municipality of Fairfax’s size. He described respondent demographics as consistent with U.S. Census benchmarks the firm used to check representativeness.

Areas that stood out in ETC’s report included particularly high ratings for customer service provided by city employees (reported as 47 percentage points above the U.S. average on ETC’s comparative metric) and for the overall quality of city services (about 37 percentage points above the U.S. average). Public safety and parks and recreation also scored highly.

At the same time, the survey identified resident priorities for city leaders over the next two years: traffic flow and ease of getting around the city, and economic development. Within transportation, top priorities included how well traffic signals provide efficient traffic flow and availability of sidewalks. On planning and economic development, respondents prioritized redeveloping blighted or vacant commercial corridors and managing growth.

Council members asked follow-up questions on methodology and representation. Council Member Amos asked how many surveys were mailed; Marrado confirmed 3,000 were mailed to achieve the target number of responses. Marrado also explained that 37 additional, nonrandom online responses were received but excluded from the statistically valid sample; those results can be tabulated separately for comparison.

Council Member Peterson asked about differences between respondents and nonrespondents; Marrado said ETC ensures the survey sample reflects the city’s demographics by tracking age, race and ethnicity, gender and household income, and that cross-tabulations by demographic groups can be provided.

Multiple council members and the city manager said they intended to use the survey results in budget and strategic-planning discussions. City staff said the full report and maps would be posted to the city website the day after the presentation and that ETC would provide crosstab analyses and other follow-up data if the council requests them.

The survey also asked about possible changes to council term lengths: 55% of respondents said to keep the current two-year terms; 34% preferred staggered four-year terms and 11% preferred four-year terms with all seats elected at once.

ETC and city staff encouraged public feedback; Marrado said the city’s report will be a baseline the city can use for future trend analysis if it chooses to run similar surveys on a recurring schedule.","ETC Institute presented findings from Fairfax City’s first statistically valid community survey: 425 completed responses, a margin of error ±4.7 percentage points, strong overall satisfaction with city services, and top resident priorities of traffic flow and economic development.",{"_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},6427550,"Council hears Germantown Road multimodal improvements update; project proceeds to public hearing and 60% design",1947,9356840,11304690,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5907302-8788a7b1049ed0e247cc47e83ce74bf6&start=9356&end=11304","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5907302-8788a7b1049ed0e247cc47e83ce74bf6/thumbnail_9356840.jpg","/articles/6427550/Fairfax-City/Fairfax-County/Virginia/Council-hears-Germantown-Road-multimodal-improvements-update-project-proceeds-to-public-hearing-and-60-design","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6427550-eb6586829223ffcee6ea496f28f9c7aa/orig.mp4?Expires=1771174718&Signature=WhgO37RMtXi8K~0XVdrgQFMZkCwZh8ZZOWVWEBgO8pVBumSDeoV2Hx33BCe-ZeaDC7yahLMAJRA8X2LFiWFMVAff9HoyaW~YItDWkZAzVsaci3b4oXaFjeCKpCqPewbYAZufVWd-MgbXvs7zfa0bT4Pckp3jHRn7iCBKIR0jRVOdL9ATVRavyMQZbAN70-ZK~lxeqcuxhweeFwrPqXkzd5XiseBh14lPz4tCkt-4OHUxckOXtC3c5EXjErRhu6noxdxwf790fOj7V29P0qBIFVfn129ixVQGZ7RBtjP2XGvq30g3hGMK6HAzrsjIkJP-g7myDNA24PyumzhToZJH3Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City public-works and planning staff and consultants presented a 60% design update Oct. 7 for Germantown Road (between Route 50 and the Fairfax city line), outlining multimodal improvements that include turn-lane additions, medians, access-management changes, a 10-foot shared-use path, signal and crosswalk upgrades, retaining walls at constrained locations and proposed tree mitigation.

Transportation Director Wendy Sanford and consultants from AMT explained the corridor’s issues — high access density (many driveways and side-street entrances), rear-end and angle crashes, peak-hour congestion and limited pedestrian/bicycle facilities — and described measures intended to address those problems.

Key components of the draft design include adding dedicated right- and left-turn lanes at several intersections, replacing two-way center-turn lanes in some segments with medians and dedicated turn lanes to reduce conflict points, extending the northbound merge lane adjacent to Route 50, and optimizing signal timing. For pedestrian safety, the design calls for high-visibility crosswalk markings, rapid-flashing beacons (RRFBs) at school-area crossings and pedestrian refuge islands where appropriate.

A 10-foot shared-use asphalt path on one side of the corridor and a five-foot concrete sidewalk on the opposite side are proposed to close a gap to the county’s I-66 trail and to provide an all-ages-and-abilities route for bicyclists and pedestrians; the consultants said the plan aims to connect to the wider I-66 Trail at Phoenix Drive across the city line. The design requires retaining walls at constrained segments — the largest near Katherine Johnson Middle School would be about 500 feet long and up to 10 feet high — and staff said proposed plantings would include an estimated 95 ornamental trees and nine shade trees as mitigation where existing landscaping must be removed.

AMT described access-management changes to reduce conflict points: converting several full-access driveways to right-in/right-out configurations, consolidating closely spaced stops or entries, and relocating some entrances to create four-legged signalized intersections where feasible. The consultants emphasized that such changes are intended to reduce angle-crash risks and to make turning movements more predictable.

Staff noted an anticipated construction cost estimate of about $18 million versus the city’s current NVTA funding allocation of $21 million for the corridor, meaning the project currently appears to be within budget. Staff said a VDOT-style public hearing is planned for Dec. 9; right-of-way acquisition and utility relocation work would follow the 90% design phase if the council proceeds.

Several council members raised questions about pedestrian crossings near schools, lighting, trees impacted on private property and coordination with adjacent county projects and developments. Council Member McQuillan asked whether a raised crosswalk at Carroll Street had been considered for visibility and safety; the consultants said raised crosswalks are typically avoided on arterial streets but that the team would reexamine options and continue to refine crossing treatments. City staff also said they would meet with adjacent property owners as the right-of-way process advances to explain impacts and mitigation options.

The project remains in design and will proceed through final design, right-of-way and permitting; staff said they will return to council with the public-hearing record and final design updates following the Dec. 9 hearing.","City staff and consultants updated council on the Germantown Road multimodal corridor project between Route 50 and the city line: measures include turn-lane extensions, medians, access-management changes, a shared-use path, signal and crosswalk upgrades, and retaining-wall work. A public hearing is planned for Dec. 9; the project is within current ",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6427557,"Q Transit TDP proposes 3-route network, more frequent west route and stop consolidations; public outreach to begin",3769,5585744,9354939,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5907302-8788a7b1049ed0e247cc47e83ce74bf6&start=5585&end=9354","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5907302-8788a7b1049ed0e247cc47e83ce74bf6/thumbnail_5585744.jpg","/articles/6427557/Fairfax-City/Fairfax-County/Virginia/Q-Transit-TDP-proposes-3-route-network-more-frequent-west-route-and-stop-consolidations-public-outreach-to-begin","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6427557-b92f7c9b7166dab7b3cc5e20fcbc407d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771174718&Signature=ZWFExh8V6a8LXb5y8-5LafGMZqI-asf0mN-yfAi0w3IyxeMLPa4w-gQut4GivNj~cjcgYWQ0KqXxtlVKX4tISqMa0OB8BHXkf3iguqAMJ0vcbYJrAVilUNWJg3AgorQbxKYqQRHQP9SQemxEOo2xkxtdPV6ct1mFbb0UXOB4tVlYz6svCFs-~3bwhfcplxh6Vovm5QnTN7IhM6RmFYY00vQO3kJt5wTr5uQNcDNJSRtT0l2NcKuxdleEhrJPGiIgYEo~26f~X2nQydnxLv~HUX1ir12YnTga2j4myhC8M65KPfZ3eFmFaHASW-OrlqCC61lDWqwPrvGAXPRE7ZGN6Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City transportation staff and consultant Kimley Horn presented draft recommendations Oct. 7 for the Q transit development plan (TDP), proposing a restructured network, stop consolidations and an outreach plan for public comment.

Wendy Sanford, the city’s transportation director, introduced the plan and said the draft recommendations will be released to the public for comment the day after the council work session. Lucas Muller of Kimley Horn summarized the technical analysis: three bidirectional routes that create more direct one-seat rides between Metro, George Mason University and Old Town; an increased frequency target of 20 minutes on the western route during afternoon peak periods; and stop consolidation to improve speed and reliability.

\"One of the most interesting outcomes…was to increase access to frequent service, so which we're defining as 20-minute service or better,\" Muller said, noting the proposal would improve frequent-service access for tens of thousands of area residents and jobs in the broader region served by Q.

Kimley Horn’s analysis used ridership heat maps, operational data and a cost-constrained approach that keeps total service hours roughly constant so the plan can be implemented with existing resources. The consultants said some stops would be removed or relocated — largely where boardings are low or where stop spacing is closer than recommended — to speed service and improve reliability. The draft plan is designed to retain roughly 96% of current Q boardings within a quarter-mile of a proposed stop, the consultants said.

Sanford and the consultant team outlined an outreach program that begins the week after the council meeting: ride-alongs with multilingual ambassadors to collect rider input, targeted pop-up events at high-boarding locations, an online interactive comment map and decals and QR codes on bus seats to encourage feedback. The plan envisions returning to council with a final TDP for adoption in January, after considering public feedback and operational testing by fleet operations staff.

Council members asked detailed implementation questions. Council Member Hall asked whether microtransit or on-demand models like Winchester’s WinReady had been considered; the consultants said microtransit can be appropriate in lower-density, low-ridership areas but is generally more costly per passenger than fixed routes, and that Q’s current ridership levels favor investing in fixed-route frequency and reliability.

Council Member Bates and others said clearer communications about route changes and rider education would be critical, noting a high share of city residents reported never having ridden Q in the earlier community survey. City staff and consultants agreed and planned communications collateral, station signage and app updates as part of implementation steps.

Sanford said the recommended network maintains total revenue hours so that no additional buses or drivers would be required to operate the draft proposal. Fare policy changes remain under separate review and will be the subject of a November work session, Sanford said.

The draft TDP will be available for public comment through early November; staff said they will compile feedback, run operational tests on the proposed routes and come back to council with a final plan and adoption request in early 2026.","City staff and consultants proposed a draft transit development plan for the Q bus system: move from two loop routes to three bi-directional routes, increase frequency on the western route to 20 minutes during peak, consolidate some stops to improve reliability, and release draft recommendations for public comment in October.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6427565,"Council authorizes staff to prepare charter-amendment resolutions on transient-occupancy tax cap, board compensation and election timing",2246,3216670,5463030,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5907302-8788a7b1049ed0e247cc47e83ce74bf6&start=3216&end=5463","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5907302-8788a7b1049ed0e247cc47e83ce74bf6/thumbnail_3216670.jpg","/articles/6427565/Fairfax-City/Fairfax-County/Virginia/Council-authorizes-staff-to-prepare-charter-amendment-resolutions-on-transient-occupancy-tax-cap-board-compensation-and-election-timing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6427565-eb7e667b417daa31d191f00573c9cb12/orig.mp4?Expires=1771174718&Signature=L64mB7vP-ZBBBgg5DrcmRLpm0f2plGwuh06pB2d4f6DKdhVbPfAzzZtyn9~xdKQ5Y-wu-J1x9VI6af0cunuNswC8RoiTvu3chdvcMMZKwIv4k2R-wnLaTz~hzWpsXBy4dgQ24~MvMT~3j3ua0~EBfj24DrL1hjSk63tF9shNRhICyFbQU1DewyYCtIXy~z8fGjdSt54T3ZZOHfmPm9ekoZnD5bpy4dCAUHdHpCUO6uHbKsshzKuQ2seH9c4TuK2zwftoK7fpV7ZmHrZfc~y~zp12Mm-7e8Qf9qSEd8um8C9twlXPkWn2Y41h-L2IeVX5ToBjMrDfZZebvGvZXvmMZw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Fairfax City Council instructed staff to prepare resolutions introducing charter amendments that would remove a cap on the city’s transient-occupancy tax, delete a $50-per-meeting compensation cap for boards and commissions, and clean up election/timing references in the charter.

City Manager Bridal Foster opened the discussion by saying the chief driver for the potential charter changes was the city’s inability under the charter to raise the transient-occupancy tax above 4%, and that the council should decide whether to seek state approval to remove that cap so the option is available for next year’s budget if desired. “If you wish to pursue this… we would put a resolution on the consent agenda at your next meeting to introduce, set a public hearing for your October 28 meeting,” Foster said.

Council members discussed implications and next steps. Foster said removing the charter cap would not obligate the council to raise the tax; it would only give the council the option to do so if it chose. City staff estimated 1 percentage point of transient-occupancy tax currently yields about $110,000–$112,000 annually; the full 4% cap equates to roughly $450,000 under current conditions. Staff added that changes in the number of hotel rooms would change any projection.

On board compensation, Foster said the charter currently caps compensation for service on boards and commissions at $50 per meeting; removing that text would let council set different compensation levels later if it chose to do so by resolution or ordinance.

Council members asked about adding a proposed fourth charter change — removing the requirement that appointees be registered voters so long-term noncitizen residents could be eligible for boards and commissions. Several members said they wanted more time or more legal review before adding that item to the October introduction and public hearing. Others said they supported placing that item on the hearing list so the public could comment.

Foster and other staff advised the council that if it wanted to include any item in an amendment package, that item needed to be placed in the introduced resolution at the Oct. 14 meeting to meet the timeline for state legislative consideration and to be effective (if approved) by July 1, 2026. Majority council support was sufficient to introduce the resolution; the mayor could break ties on later votes.

Council consensus at the end of the discussion was to move forward with the three items involving the transient-occupancy tax cap, board compensation cap removal and election language cleanup; the registration-for-appointment item requiring more legal review was not added to the introduced package that night. Staff will prepare the formal resolution for introduction on the Oct. 14 consent agenda and set the public hearing for Oct. 28 as part of the charter-amendment process.

If the council later approves introduction and the General Assembly enacts the local amendment, the transient-occupancy tax option would be available for council consideration before the budget adoption process in spring 2026.","Following council discussion, staff will prepare resolutions to introduce charter amendments removing the 4% transient-occupancy tax cap, eliminating a $50 per-meeting compensation cap for boards and commissions, and updating election timing language; a public hearing will be set for Oct. 28.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Council approves remote participation for Council Member Hall under Virginia code

ETC Institute presents first statistically valid Fairfax City community survey; residents rate city services highly

Council hears Germantown Road multimodal improvements update; project proceeds to public hearing and 60% design

Q Transit TDP proposes 3-route network, more frequent west route and stop consolidations; public outreach to begin

Council authorizes staff to prepare charter-amendment resolutions on transient-occupancy tax cap, board compensation and election timing