Culminating a lengthy work session tonight, the Falls Church City Council and School Board agreed to the most collaborative budget process in the City’s history to navigate the closing of a Fiscal Year 11 budget shortfall of at least $7.5 million (out of a total budget of $60 million) at an early joint meeting aimed at getting a jump-start on the process that will culminate with the adoption of the next fiscal year budget in April.

Issues identified to be hammered out involve the School Board’s formula for establishing its needs, the need to incorporate consideration of the Capital Improvement Project (CIP) budget into deliberations on the operating budget, and an ambitious calendar of town hall meetings, hearings and joint meetings aimed at hammering out community consensus on how the shortfall will be overcome. The $7.5 million shortfall comes over and above no salary or program increases from the current budget, and could be as much as $3 million or more less than the deficit the City may actually face once cuts in federal and state funding, as well as pension funding obligations, are factored in.