THE ATTENDANCE WAS SPARSE at Saturday morning’s Town Hall meeting on the Falls Church budget, more due to the beautiful weather than lack of important issues to discuss, it was presumed by City Manager Wyatt Shields (standing).

Those who did show, almost all members of the City staff, City Council, School Board and some from the Planning Commission discussed whether long-term planning based on only two percent growth was appropriate, whether maintaining a fund balance of 17 percent of annual expenses wasn’t too much, whether City employees should receive the same salary increases as School employees (in terms of take-home pay, City employees will experience a fourth year of no increase, while the School Board has determined a net 2 percent increase for its employees, and even a little more for teachers with Masters Degrees). Commissioner of the Revenue Tom Clinton complained that 80 of revenues derived from the “DMV Light” operation in his office have not come back to him, as mandated by State law, thus preventing him from hiring additional help needed to handle the load. (Photo: News-Press)