Following a critical “Letter to the Editor” from Falls Church resident Donald Camp printed in the News-Press last week, Falls Church City Manager Wyatt Shields announced Tuesday that he made an administrative decision to reversed a controversial new policy of charging $100 in set-up fees for block parties in the City.

Shields said block parties promote community unity and he doesn’t want fees to stand in the way of that. “They’re a good thing and we want them to happen,” Shields said Tuesday. “If the fee was keeping that from happening, we have to suspend it.”

The City of Falls Church averages between 15 and 20 block parties a year that often involve blocking off a street to vehicular traffic for a few hours. Shields said the fee covered the delivery of barricades to block off the streets. Residents still need to apply for permits to host block parties, he noted.