VIRGINIA NEWS – Fairfax County community speaks out over cuts to education and law enforcement

Laila Kirkpatrick, Staff Writer

Dozens of citizens in Fairfax County have spoken in a series of budget public hearings this week. They have continually urged leaders in Northern Virginia suburbs to reject proposed tax hikes and cuts to law enforcement agencies and educational programs. The county is facing a nearly $300 million budget deficit and is struggling with ways to address it. Fairfax County Executive Bryan Hill is now proposing changes to the county’s Employee Child Care Center.

The center is only available for county employees and contractors and works with kids ranging from 6 months to five years old. It’s licensed for 100 kids, but county documents say that because of its limited capacity, most county workers can’t take advantage of it. The workers pay for the program, but revenue generated from employees using the ECCC does cover the full cost of the program, with the General Fund that is currently subsidizing the ECCC by approximately $0.86 million, according to the county.