Part of the FCPA’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget request was for $751,964 for staff to help expand the IMA program. In fact, FCPA listed this as one of its four highest priorities for fiscal year 2023. Despite this, the County Executive’s fiscal year 2023 proposed budget (called the “advertised budget”) included only $50,000 of this request.
The MCA’s Environment, Parks and Recreation (EP&R) Committee reviewed this situation and actively advocated for full funding for the FCPA’s request for its IMP. The EP&R Committee held a meeting with Dranesville Supervisor John Foust and addressed this topic. Following this meeting, on March 28, 2022, Supervisor Foust submitted a FY 2023 Budget Consideration Item asking the other Supervisors to consider fully funding this FCPA request.
Restoration of full funding for this FCPA request also became the subject of two MCA Resolutions, one by the EP&R Committee and a separate resolution by the MCA Committee on Budget & Taxation (the B&T Committee). On April 6, 2022, the MCA Board of Directors adopted both of these Resolutions which were then sent to the Board of Supervisors, the County Executive and relevant County staff.
On April 22, 2022, the Board of Supervisors held a pre-markup session on its Fiscal Year 2023 budget. Members of the EP&R Committee, members of the B&T Committee as well as other civic organizations spoke at the Board of Supervisors meeting in support of full funding of this FCPA request. Following the public comment period, the Board of Supervisors accepted Supervisor Foust’s recommendation and restored full funding of this FCPA request.
On May 10, 2023, the County Board of Supervisors adopted the FY 2023 county budget. Full funding of this FCPA request was included in the final FY 2023 Adopted County Budget.
This demonstrates that with time and effort devoted to advocacy, MCA’s voice is being heard. While MCA was not the only civic group that supported this FCPA funding request priority, MCA’s committee and its Board of Directors were focused on this issue and its sustained efforts were effective to help bring a success result. MCA once again made a positive difference for our environment and our parks.
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