As our 2023-2024 operating year draws to a close, it’s a good time to review some of the highlights of the second post-COVID “reboot” year. Perhaps the best news is that Council membership continues to increase. We are up to 36 members, which is a 50% increase over our first year back in operation. As you might recall, we set an ambitious goal of 40 active members and we are inching ever closer to that goal. The ExComm will continue to do outreach and I would ask that current members also talk up the Council to friends or colleagues who live in a community that is not a current member.

On 23 April, the Council co-sponsored the Annual Legislative Review with Senators Dave Marsden and Stella Pekarsky along with Delegates David Bulova, Vivian Watts, and Delegate Dan Helmer (represented by his chief-of-staff, Stephanie Sedgwick). Attendees were treated to a deep dive into the many issues that confronted the General Assembly during the session just completed. Well, almost completed, as the General Assembly will go back into session in May to finalize the state budget. Our elected representatives were very candid about how the General Assembly and the governor dealt with the many contentious issues during the session. One such issue is increased K-12 funding. Virginia ranks behind Alabama and West Virginia in spending per pupil. Also at issue is the funding formula that is used to determine how much state funding each jurisdiction receives for its school system. The funding issue was not solved during the 2024 General Assembly but will be back on the table next year. Other issues include a proposed casino in Tysons, “skills game” legislation to allow slot-like machines in convenience stores, minimum wage increases, an assault weapons ban, creation of a pharmaceutical cost review board to deal with the high cost of prescription medicine, creation of a retail cannabis market placed that could be regulated and taxed, and paid family medical leave. While many laws were passed by the General Assembly and signed by the governor, the governor also vetoed a record number of bills. So there will be some heavy lifting in May to reconcile differences and pass the state’s two-year budget. One thing that became evident as the meeting went on was that our Richmond delegation works very hard year-round, not just during the General Assembly session, on very complex issues that affect the Commonwealth as a whole, not just Fairfax County.

In terms of Council business, the ExComm has finished with its review of a first draft of a long-overdue revision of the Bylaws. Two documents will be posted on the BDC website at the “About” tab where the current Bylaws reside. One document is in “track changes” format so that you can see what was deleted/added. The other document is a “clean” first draft with all the changes accepted. This will allow an article-by-article comparison with the existing Bylaws. Please look at these documents prior to the June meeting where we will discuss the revisions. The goal is to have a smooth document ready for approval by the members at the September annual meeting.

We will also post a document titled “Association Best Practice” under the “About” tab at the “WHY should a community organization join the BDC?” entry. I would ask for input from you to share your ideas that have worked in your association so that we can share them with other associations who might be having trouble getting people involved in community governance.

Paul Hartwell, Aging in Place Program coordinator, has teamed up with Webmaster Charlotte Hannagan to add an online repository for all things pertaining to the AIP, including YouTube presentations. You can find this resource under the Senior Outreach tab and then “Aging in Place” on the drop-down menu. Paul has some interesting ideas for AIP going forward, so stay tuned for more information. Also, if your association is interested in starting up a senior outreach program, please contact Vice-chair Marie Norman at bdcfxvicechair@gmail.com.

I am proud to announce that our webmaster, Charlotte Hannagan, recently graduated from the Braddock District Neighborhood College program. This is an intensive six-week course in how the Fairfax County government operates that helps participants get more involved in solving community issues. Each participant must present a capstone project on some issue facing Braddock District. The main outcome of the program is to develop leadership and problem-solving skills that can be used to improve the quality of life in Braddock District and beyond. Charlotte is already a proven community leader who has helped immensely in getting the Braddock District Council up and running after the pandemic.

The final meeting of the current operating year will be held on 19 June at 7 p.m. in Braddock Hall. Please circle this date on your calendar since this is the meeting where election of officers for the next BDC year are held. The current officers are all willing to serve one more year; however, this does not preclude nominations prior to the meeting or from the floor for any officer position. An official announcement of the election will be sent out in early June.

As a final note, Treasurer Barbara Smith is now sending out invoices for next year’s dues. Please pay your dues by 1 July if possible. This will help Barbara as she develops the 2024-2025 budget which will be presented to the membership at the September meeting.

In closing, I would like to thank all the member associations for helping to make this year a very successful one in terms of building the Council into a more effective organization serving the interests of member associations. I look forward to seeing all of you at the June meeting and working with you in the upcoming year.

Bob Cosgriff

Chair, BDC