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Reston Association board orders staff to price dozens of member budget suggestions; several motions win board backing
Summary
At a lengthy June 24 meeting the Reston Association Board directed staff to price a large set of member budget suggestions, adopted a process to narrow recommendations and took several recorded votes on pricing several bundles of items that will feed into the 2026 draft budget.
The Reston Association Board spent more than two hours on June 24 reviewing more than 100 member budget suggestions and gave staff direction to price a wide set of proposals for consideration in the 2026 budget process.
CEO Mac Cummins and staff presented a tiered approach to let the board indicate which suggestions should be priced and brought to the fiscal committee for prioritization. The packet grouped suggestions by the number of board members who earlier had expressed interest; staff asked the board to tell them which items to send to the fiscal committee and to have priced so the cost impacts can be weighed.
After discussion the board adopted a motion directing staff to price items 1–19 (items that had 5 or more board “yes” indications) so fiscal can consider them; that motion carried. The board also moved to send an additional group of items to staff for pricing — including items that had fewer board votes — and approved several narrower pricing requests by roll call. For example, the board directed staff to price an improved pedestrian walkway at Lake Audubon (item 25) after discussion; that vote carried with 7 in favor, 1 against and 1 abstention.
Board members repeatedly emphasized process concerns: several directors said they wanted staff to present estimated cost and the assessment impact for every priced item, and some urged staff to provide timelines and operational impacts as part of the pricing. The board also asked staff to cluster pool‑related proposals and bring back options for extending pool hours and seasons. In another outcome, the board agreed to defer one item (a proposed monitoring system at tennis courts) to collect more legal and privacy information before pricing.
Votes at a glance - Approval of board minutes (05/29/2025): approved by voice vote (unanimous of those present). - Lake use request (Reston Museum): motion moved and seconded, carried by unanimous consent of those present. - Motion directing staff to price items 1–19 (member suggestions with broad board support): motion adopted (motion result recorded in meeting). - Motion to price pedestrian/walkway improvements at Lake Audubon (item 25): carried (vote recorded as 7 in favor, 1 against, 1 abstention).
Ending: Staff will price the directed items, return estimates and assessment impact ranges to the fiscal committee and then to the board for inclusion decisions in the draft 2026 budget.
