Fairfax Govt: Human Services Hearing, BRAC Commanders Honored
Public hearing on closing shortfalls in Community Services Board budget.
The Fairfax County Human Services Committee will kick off a series of public hearings Monday regarding gaps in the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board budget and the agency’s budget management plan.
The Community Services Board (CSB) faces an $8 million hole in its $150 million 2012 budget and an additional $9.4 million shortage in its budget for 2013. The CSB is self-described as "your link to local services for people with mental illness, substance use disorders, intellectual and developmental disabilities," according to the CSB website.
During its May 22 meeting, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors begrudgingly approved measures to mend the budget problems.
The CSB has identified ways to relieve stresses on its budget — including closing mental health facilities, cutting some services and creating waiting lists for others — but supervisors hope to close the holes by cutting as little as possible.
The public hearing will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Monday in rooms 9 and 10 of the Fairfax County Government Center. Click here for a full overview of the CSB’s budget management plan.
Residents wishing to speak before the Human Services Committee can email Dwight Curtis at dwight.curtis@fairfaxcounty.gov.
If residents want to submit their comments online, they are encouraged to take the county’s online survey.
BRAC Honors for Col. Moffatt and Col. Strycula
The board of supervisors will also honor U.S. Army Colonels Mark Moffatt and John Strycula for their work on the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) project at Fort Belvoir and their “contributions to Fairfax County” during its meeting on Tuesday.
Both Moffatt and Strycula’s duties at Fort Belvoir will come to an end in June. Moffatt retired Friday, and Strycula will leave on June 25 for an assignment in Afghanistan.
“BRAC is very important to Fairfax County and Col. Moffatt’s tireless dedication to his role played a large part in the success of the changes that have transformed the communities surrounding Fort Belvoir,” said Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity in a May 22 board matter.
Moffatt plans to stay in the Springfield District with his wife and two children, according to the document.
Strycula worked with the county to mitigate some of the well-documented transportation problems that came with the BRAC process.
“Col. Strycula came to Fort Belvoir in [2010] and immediately set out to deal with the challenges posed by BRAC,” Herrity wrote in a second board matter. “Throughout his time there he oversaw construction and realignment projects that totaled over $4 billion, and grew the population of Fort Belvoir from 30,000 to over 48,000.”
Click here for Patch’s September 2011 interview with Col. Mark Moffatt about the BRAC process.
