Falls Church News-Press 3-14-2019

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M a rc h 1 4 – 2 0 , 2 0 1 9

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 XIX N o. 4

Falls Church • Tysons Corner • Merrifield • McLean • North Arlington • Bailey’s Crossroads

Inside This Week W. Broad Lanes Limited Through Friday Underground work for Falls Church’s new Founders Row project will shut down lanes during rush hour on W. Broad St. in each direction starting Thursday morning and lasting until Friday afternoon. See News Briefs, page 9

Dolan Brings GoldMedal Instruction to F.C.

Shields Proposes $99.3 Million F.C. Budget With No Tax Rate Changes Huge Debt Service Bulge as New High School is Financed

by Nicholas F. Benton

Falls Church News-Press

Olympic champion Tom Dolan officially opened his second swim school in Seven Corners over the weekend, bringing his gold medal instruction closer to where his passion for swimming originated. See page 8

Temporary City Hall Lease Extended

As renovations to Falls Church City Hall move toward completion, the City Council acted out of an abundance of caution to authorize an extension to mid-May of its lease on the temporary City Hall digs. See News Briefs, page 9

Press Pass with Shaw Davis & The Black Ties

South Florida blues/rock/roots trio Shaw Davis & The Black Ties just plain rock. And locals will get a chance to see the rocking during a St. Patrick’s Day performance at JV’s Restaurant. See Press Pass, page 16

AT LAST FRIDAY NIGHT’S “Love Is Love” LGBTQ-themed dance party at Falls Church’s State Theatre, principal organizer David Tax (right) is shown with (left to right) Rebecca Tax, F.C. Police Officer Fallon Norloff and Misty Tax. (Photo: News-Press)

‘Love Is Love’ LGBTQ Event Is a First for Downtown F.C.

by Nicholas F. Benton

Falls Church News-Press

Index

Editorial................ 6 Letters.................. 6 News & Notes.10–11 Comment...... 12–13 Business News.. 15 Calendar...... 18–19

Classified Ads.... 20 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword......... 21 Crime Report..... 22 Critter Corner..... 22

For the first time last Friday night, the City of Falls Church’s downtown was graced with an institutional LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer/questioning) presence. A local business owner retained the use of the State Theatre to host an LGBTQ-themed public party, called “Love Is Love,” and an

estimated 300 attended a rousing celebration of pride and affirmation in a safe environment. More events are currently being planned. It was coincidental but still relevant that the event came as special recognitions have begun nationwide of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, the three days of protests of police abuse of the gay community in the Greenwich Village of New

York that took place in June 1969. The riots were credited with kicking off the modern, visible struggle for LGBTQ affirmation and rights. It also coincided with two push-back trends against the movement for full equality, including the recent-years’ economically-driven precipitous decline in clubs and bars catering

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As expected, Falls Church City Manager Wyatt Shields Monday night presented his recommended Fiscal Year 2020 operating budget to the F.C. City Council that comes in just shy of $100 million. The budget marks a 7 percent increase over the current year, but is balanced with no tax rate changes, up or down, including no real estate tax changes. The increase to the $99.3 million budget, which the City Council now has until April 22 to modify or adopt, is funded with economic development and a better-than-expected 3.4 percent increase in assessed property values. The biggest cause for the growth in the budget is in debt service, again as expected, with a 46.5 percent increase as the City issues the $120 million in bonds to build a new George Mason High School, construction of which is slated to begin this June. The parameters of the budget overall are in keeping with the best-case expectations of the City’s ambitious undertaking to build a new state-of-the-art high school and pay for it with proceeds from the long-term lease and dense economic development of 10.3 acres on the current high school site. If the plan continues according to expectations, in fact, the real estate tax rate in the City is projected to drop significantly in the next few years. Against the new debt, the budget is buoyed by an initial payment

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