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Finance committee earmarks fund balance for crosswalk study, invasive-species program and other one-time needs
Summary
Committee voted to reallocate unassigned FY2025 fund balance for specific one-time uses: $950,000 for a Whitfield Place crosswalk study, $2 million for an invasive-species removal program, and advanced a packet approving $123.7M in FY2026 uses and guidance for FY27 one-time funding.
The Finance, Government Operations and Economic Development Committee recommended a set of uses for Loudoun County's $194.4 million in unassigned FY2025 general fund balance on Dec. 9, approving targeted one-time spending and directing staff on FY27 inclusions.
Key votes included creating a $950,000 line item to fund a Whitfield Place Crosswalk safety improvement study, moved from the federal impacts contingency; supervisors cited a recent pedestrian fatality near county facilities and near-term housing and retail redevelopment that will increase pedestrian demand.
The committee also voted to move $2 million out of the federal impacts contingency to fund an invasive-species removal program that has distributed grants through partnerships with Soil & Water Conservation and community groups. Vice Chair Turner, who asked for the motion, described the grants as 'exceeding expectations' and praised strong community engagement; Chair Bridal emphasized potential economic losses to wineries and farms from spotted lanternfly infestation as a rationale for the investment. The invasive-species motion passed 4-1, with Supervisor Umstead voting no and citing competing human-service needs.
After individual motions (including Whitfield and the invasive-species funding), the committee approved a packet motion recommending the Board of Supervisors appropriate $123,692,805 for FY2026 uses and to direct staff to include up to $34,000,000 for one-time purposes in the FY27 proposed budget. That packet motion carried 5-0.
Committee members asked several procedural and policy questions about the origin of the federal impacts contingency (staff said it was an accumulation of prior discussions and not a single prior motion), limitations on using CIP contingencies versus operating fund balance, and whether NOVA Parks projects (a requested $750,000 Goose Creek bridge design item) should be considered in the CIP work session instead of the finance committee. Staff confirmed design funding could be appropriated now and CIP budgeting for construction would be addressed in the CIP process.
The committee's actions change the composition of the fund-balance recommendations sent to the full Board and were presented as one-time appropriations rather than ongoing base-budget increases.
