Dan Storck Talks Fairfax County Budget, Crime, and Education with Experts
By Steve Hunt
Alexandria, VA – Following the virtual tour, Mount Vernon Supervisor Dan Storck and County Executive Bryan Hill discussed the FY25 county budget. Hill was scheduled to release his advertised budget plan on Feb. 20. He noted that this would be his eighth county budget and that Fairfax County schools were fully funded in six of seven previous budgets.
“I can’t say seven out of eight,” said Hill, in light of the FCPS superintendent’s request for $250 million in additional funding this year.
Hill also discussed law enforcement, saying FCPD Chief Kevin Davis has been doing an excellent job recruiting new officers to replace retiring officers, which had created 200 vacancies but now is down to fewer than 116 vacancies. One hundred forty officers were hired in the last three years. Sixty percent of those have bachelor’s degrees.
Storck and Hill participated in a Q&A session using question cards submitted by attendees. Questions included concern about crime in the Mount Vernon District police service area, including a carjacking in Montebello, commercial vehicles being parked alongside roadways, enforcement of the 35 mph speed limit on Richmond Highway, and the alleged drug dealing taking place in the vicinity of a convenience store on Russell Road in the Engleside area.
Regarding the carjacking, Hill recognized FCPD Capt. Marc Mitchell, Mount Vernon District Station Commander, who was in the audience, responded, “We are on top of that.” Hill noted that the number of carjackings in Fairfax County is lower than in surrounding jurisdictions, and FCPD’s arrest rate is higher.
Regarding other law enforcement issues in the district, Hill noted that Capt. Mitchell has established saturation patrols for the station’s neighborhood patrol unit and added that crime reduction “needs to be a team effort.”
About the increase in panhandling at intersections, Storck described the matter as “the elephant in the room” because panhandling in general is not illegal. When infractions do take place, a police officer must witness it.
Storck urged motorists who are approached by panhandlers at intersections not to encourage it by giving them money, saying, “Please don’t,” and noting that he does not, instead referring them to social service agencies.
Following the Q&A session with Storck and Hill was a discussion on education with NVCC Provost Dr. Diane Mucci, Kris Amundson, and Karen Corbett Sanders, who discussed career educational opportunities for high school students, including dual enrollment and post-secondary opportunities that do not require a 4-year college degree. Such certification and licensing programs are in healthcare, including dental and pharmacy, tech, data analytics, and more.
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