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Council approves auction plan to raise funds for Clifton Elementary legal fees after withdrawing direct appropriation
Summary
After debate over funding legal challenges to Fairfax County’s closure of Clifton Elementary, the council withdrew a proposed $25,000 appropriation and approved a plan to start an auction — ultimately advancing a motion that raised the auction to $25,000 with a recorded opposed vote.
Clifton, Va. — The Clifton Town Council discussed supporting legal fees tied to community efforts to challenge Fairfax County’s decision to close Clifton Elementary and opted not to directly appropriate funds at this meeting.
Vice Mayor Dwayne Nitz described the school closing as “a terrible loss to the Town of Clifton” and said residents stepped forward to challenge the county decision. Mayor Bill Hollaway said the council wanted to support the community effort. Councilor John Powell moved to appropriate $25,000 to the Friends of Community Schools to cover legal fees, but Powell later withdrew that motion.
Instead, the council approved a sequence of motions to authorize fundraising: Councilor Wayne Nickum moved to start an auction at $5,000 (seconded by Mayor Hollaway), which was approved unanimously. Subsequent motions incrementally raised the auction amounts; the final motion to raise the auction to $25,000 was moved by Chuck Rusnak and seconded by Bill Hollaway. That motion passed with one recorded opposing vote (Wayne Nickum). The transcript records other motions that were opposed by individual members during the sequence but does not show any direct appropriation from town funds at this meeting.
Why it matters: The council expressed formal support for community efforts to contest the school closure, but members opted for a fundraising mechanism rather than immediately committing town appropriations. The voted auction target provides a path for raising funds for legal fees while avoiding a direct appropriation at this meeting.
What’s next: The Friends of Community Schools and town staff will pursue the auction and any associated fundraising logistics; any future direct appropriation would require a separate council vote.
