Wednesday, October 30, 2019 -- The City Council is looking for seven volunteers to join the newly-created Stormwater Task Force, which will update the list of stormwater improvement projects in the City's Watershed Management Plan (WMP). City residents can apply online (www.fallschurchva.gov/TaskForce) or pick up an application at the Mary Riley Styles Library (120 N. Virginia Ave.) or Community Center (223 Little Falls St.).
Applications must be received by the City Clerk's office by close of business on Friday, November 15. The City Council Appointments Committee will recommend task force members from the applicants, and City Council will make the final decision.
The task force is expected to meet four times total, from December 2019 through February 2020, with a final presentation to City Council in March 2020. The group was created because of extensive flooding in the past two years and the need to update the WMP, which was adopted in 2012 and contains a number of now-completed projects.
The report presented to City Council as part of the Fiscal Year 2021 Capital Improvements Program will prioritize projects in order of the most cost-effective stormwater improvements that will protect the most people.
The City Council will make the final determination on funding the improvements. Stormwater projects are expensive, and staff anticipates that in order to proceed, bonds will need to be issued by the City. The debt service on these bonds would be covered by an increase to the Stormwater Utility Fee. These important financing decisions will be made in the context of budget adoption in April 2020.
