DISPELLING RUMORS...more to come

 City trash service costs $5.1M/year, serving about 7,000 homes. Currently, 30% of taxpayers who don’t get service still pay via taxes. Switching to an enterprise fund would charge serviced homes $729/year instead of $519, costing users about $210 more. Those without service would see a decrease in their taxes. Changes to bulk pickup and frequency could also affect costs. 

Something to consider - yes. 

Early cost projections raised serious concerns, with high operating expenses and limited revenue creating potential tax impacts that I could not initially support. Working closely with staff and fellow councilmembers, we pushed for a more sustainable financial plan that significantly reduced costs and improved the long-term outlook. With new cost-sharing commitments and a stronger cost-recovery model in place, the project is now on much firmer financial footing and I was happy to vote YES on April 28. 

 I trust our staff and value the expertise they bring to their work every day. Asking questions is not about doubting their ability—it’s about ensuring I fully understand the details before making decisions that affect our community. Careful review and open dialogue are part of responsible governance, not a lack of trust. 

 This is a significant decision that deserves careful, data-driven evaluation—not assumptions. Our current partnership with Fairfax County Public Schools provides our students with access to a wide range of academic programs, specialized services, and extracurricular opportunities that would be challenging to replicate on our own. Before considering any change, we need a comprehensive, transparent analysis that fully examines the costs, impacts on students, and potential benefits of independence. Until we have that, it would be premature to draw conclusions