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Fairfax budget committee reviews $181 million carryover, earmarks for childcare, capital and energy upgrades
Summary
County staff told the Budget Committee that the FY2024 general fund carryover totaled just over $181 million and proposed allocations including capital sinking fund contributions, $10.5 million for a Hybla Valley childcare facility and energy and recruitment investments; board members pressed for clearer breakouts and context.
Katie Horstman, Deputy Director of Management and Budget, told the Budget Committee on Sept. 17 that “our General Fund carryover balance was just over $181,000,000.” The staff presentation laid out how that balance would be allocated and why the figure does not represent an unrestricted surplus.
The presentation, led by Horstman and introduced by Phil Hagen, Director of Management and Budget, divided the carryover into three primary buckets: FY2024 commitments (about $54 million), formula-driven allocations for reserves and the capital sinking fund and bicycle/pedestrian access (about $67 million), and other primarily one-time requirements (about $59 million). Staff also noted an administrative reappropriation of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) stimulus funding of roughly $59 million that must be obligated and expended under federal deadlines.
Staff highlighted specific investments recommended from the carryover. These included $10.5 million to support construction of a childcare facility at Hybla Valley Community Center (planned capacity: 86 children in seven classrooms) and associated feasibility work ahead of a potential 2026 bond referendum; roughly $38 million to the capital sinking fund (30% allocation) shared among county, parks and schools; and a 20% allocation (~$25 million) toward a bicycle and pedestrian access initiative that is targeted to reach $100 million in six years. Other line items cited were roughly $8 million for environmental and energy strategies (including a $4 million split for energy improvements between county and park authority facilities), nearly $1.4 million for a temporary overnight shelter at the North County Human Services building, and park authority adjustments totaling $13.35 million (including $5 million for escalating capital costs and $2.5 million for Lower Potomac Fields improvements).
On staffing, Horstman said the package proposes converting 22 School-Age Care (SAC) positions from benefits-eligible to merit status to address persistent recruitment shortfalls (staff reported a vacancy rate of over 70% for benefits-eligible positions in those programs). She also described state-driven staffing additions: eight support-coordination positions tied to an increase in Medicaid waiver slots, six positions to replace state-provided funding for victims services that has declined, and five positions for the Commonwealth’s Attorney based on state action. Staff said some unfunded vacant positions are being abolished (staff cited counts of merit, non-merit and temporary positions noted in the presentation).
Board members sought more detail. Supervisor Herrity asked for a breakout of carryover sources (revenue overage, unrealized expenditures and ARPA) and for the recurring vs. nonrecurring split; staff pointed to the carryover memo for a full breakout and supplied a recurring FY2026 impact figure of $8,630,000 in the meeting. Several supervisors urged clearer, accessible outreach materials and more precise salary and cost information for the SAC conversions to evaluate the trade-offs before any final carryover action by the Board.
The Board was reminded that action on the carryover is scheduled for Sept. 24, preceded by a public hearing, and that the numbers should be considered in the broader context of the FY2026 budget development. The presentation materials and the full carryover package were noted as available online.
