Max Smith, wtop.com
FAIRFAX, Va. – Roads, taxes, money for families and the disabled — just some of the things Fairfax County citizens say the General Assembly should tackle when they get back to work this week.
Most of the state senators and delegates representing Fairfax County residents sat in the council’s chamber Saturday for hours of requests and complaints from the public.
Elected leaders, including Vienna Mayor M. Jane Seeman and Sharon Bulova, chair of the county Board of Supervisors also spoke to the group at the public hearing.
Vienna’s mayor, and Vienna town councilmember Laurie Cole particularly focused on Fairfax County’s recently passed ordinance that blocks Vienna Water from charging higher rates than Fairfax Water. Customers of Falls Church and Vienna Water who live outside the towns’ limits testified in favor of the new Fairfax County ordinance, and against a bill that State Senator Chap Peterson plans to introduce in Richmond that would block it.
Others, like Al Frances, from Clifton, spoke about transportation issues.
“The secondary roads in my subdivision have not been repaved once in 25 years,” he says.
Senator Richard Saslaw, who chaired the public hearing, agreed with Frances’ assessment that VDOT simply doesn’t have enough money.
“Would you be able to maintain your same standard of living you had the same income today that you had in 1986?” Saslow asked.
“The General Assembly, we’re of the opinion that VDOT should be able to do that. And obviously, it ain’t workin'”
When Betsy Martin asked the legislators to pass a bag tax similar to those in effect in D.C. and Montgomery County in order to prevent litter, Saslow directed her to local leaders.
“That bill gets put in every year and never gets more than two or three votes in committee,” he said.
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