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No money for strike team
A majority of Fairfax County supervisors are in agreement that county executive Anthony Griffin's FY 2009 budget recommendation to leave the Enhanced Code Enforcement Strike Team without additional funding is unacceptable.
Last year the board approved the formation of the strike team, pulling inspectors and staff from various county agencies to combat illegal overcrowding and zoning violations in single family homes.
Despite adding 10 positions last September, costing $1.2 million, staffers on the strike team are reportedly overworked and understaffed, leaving a small number of people tackling a growing mountain of work.
The county executive also reported to the board that a long-term plan to consolidate all of code enforcement into one department, a move which could reorganize staff and also help the strike team receive funding, has been shelved. Also, a recommendation by the head of the strike team to move blight and blight abatement to strike team control was not included in Griffin's budget.
The county's code enforcement is currently split between Fire and Rescue, the health department, the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services and Planning and Zoning. Staffers on the team are paid from their respective agencies, meaning that the team has little to no funding for increased operations.
The strike team's lack of resources has also left them unprepared for combating overcrowded apartment complexes, where hundreds of cases flourish.
“Adding the necessary inspectors to our county strike force is absolutely key and I can unequivocally say that I will not support any budget that fails to include it,” said Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay (D-Lee).
Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross (D) thinks that holding back the budget for a single issue is “dangerous,” but said the least the board can do is provide the team with a boost, similar to what was ok'd last September. For years Gross has worked to increase zoning enforcement for problem apartments in the Culmore area of Falls Church.
Pat Herrity, Springfield District Supervisor (R), said that Prince William County's stance towards illegal immigration has resulted in an increase in illegals moving to the county.
Herrity said the consolidation of zoning enforcement seems a logical step to securing funding for the strike team.
“I'm having trouble understanding how streamlining something makes it more expensive,” Herrity said, adding that he also would not support a budget without adding to the strike team.
“It is essential that we focus on expanding the strike team,” said supervisor John Foust (D-Dranesville), “since it is the obligation of the county to provide livable communities.”
Aging neighborhoods in the county are prey to boarders, said Sully supervisor Michael Frey (R), who sees boarding houses creeping into his district.
“(Overcrowding is) moving into neighborhoods you'd never expect,” Frey said, agreeing that the least the board can do is add 10 staffers to the team.
“The strike team is important to residential communities ... It's a very difficult situation. The county executive had to close the deficit and he had to leave things unfunded to do it,” said Braddock supervisor Sharon Bulova (D), who chairs the budget committee.
The board will discuss the issue at a workshop this weekend.
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