April 21 - 27, 2022
Fa lls Chur c h, V i r g i ni a • ww w. fc np. c om • Fr ee
Fou n d e d 1991 • Vol. X X XII No. 10
The City of Falls Church’s Independent, Locally-Owned Newspaper of Record, Serving N. Virginia
Even Deeper Tax Rate Cut Mulled by F.C. Council
Under The Gingko Tree
Final FY23 Budget May Cut Rate Above 8¢ by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
There appear to be no major obstacles to the Falls Church City Council’s move to prepare its final version of its Fiscal Year 2023 budget at its public business meeting this coming Monday. But that doesn’t mean there still might not be some significant modifications to the version recommended by City Manager Wyatt Shields last month. As Shields proposed, the budget will fully fund the School Board’s request and offer significant salary boosts for City employees while slashing the real estate tax rate by a whopping 8.5 cents from its current $1.32 per $100 assessed valuation to $1.235 to partially, at least, offset the 11.4 percent hike in overall assessments that the City’s new assessor visited upon everyone in February. But based on discussions
Continued on Page 3
THE LATE FALLS CHURCH Councilman Dan Sze was honored at a ceremony delayed by the pandemic since his passing in July 2020 at the F.C. City Hall Monday that included the dedication of a ginkgo tree planted on City Hall grounds in his honor. Sze’s wife, Elizabeth, appears in the center of this photo in a red coat. See Editorial, Page 6. (Photo: News-Press).
Making Everyday Earth Day in Falls Church by Sandra Tarpinian and Amy Crumpton Special to the News-Press
The first celebration of Earth Day, two generations ago on April 22, 1970, was a global mobilization to demand environmental protections for the planet’s air, soils, waters, and threatened species. The
stakes were high then and fiftytwo years later the stakes appear even higher as we face the climate crisis, loss of species biodiversity, unremitting environmental injustice, and anxiety over the future. Earth Day also honors the many ways that communities care for their local environments. Here in the City of
Falls Church, community environmental stewardship has a rich history of partnerships among volunteers, local non-profit community organizations, and City government. The initiatives described here are by no means an exhaustive list of organized environmental activities in our City.
Since the 1970s, citizen participation has been integral to the success of the City of Falls Church as a leader in reduction, recycling, and yard waste collection programs. Annually, hundreds of volunteers partici-
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Inside This Week Falls Church Education Section: Spring 2022
Celebrating Easter in The Little City
See Education Section, Pages 10 — 14
See Photos, Page 15
The Little City and surrounding areas are full of wonderful learning opportunities, including both public and private schools as well as educational and more. Find out more in the Spring Education Section.
The Easter Bunny made his way to Falls Church last weekend for the City’s annual Easter Egg Hunt. Children gathered with their caregivers at Cherry Hill Park on Saturday to look for eggs.
Index
Comment...................................... 5,7,8 Editorial................................................ 6 Letters.................................................. 6 Crime Report....................................... 8 News & Notes..............................16,17 Calendar......................................18,19 Classified Ads.................................... 20 Education Section.................... 11—14 Critter Corner..................................... 22 Business News.................................. 23
