Tuesday, Oct. 28 — The Falls Church City Council last night shifted an additional $25,000 toward an emergency aid fund, now to total $50,000, in light of the heightened food insecurity facing the entire region due to federal and contractor employee layoffs and the ongoing federal government shutdown. With health care costs set to rise and food assistance SNAP programs due to expire on Nov. 1, much of Monday’s meeting was devoted to discussions of plans to meet the crisis, culminating in a unanimous vote to shift the $25,000 of FY25 budgetary surplus funds from the committee to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary next year to availability for immediate public aid.
F.C. City Manager Wyatt Shields reported to the Council about regionwide efforts to prepare for what may arise from the new situation, noting that Gov. Youngkin has declared a state of emergency, indicating the state will step in to help with the SNAP program, even if temporarily. Shields said that there are no specific details yet on how regional governments will coordinate efforts, but that talks are underway. He noted that demand is already way up on what food banks and non-profits are able to provide.
Mayor Letty Hardi noted the importance that programs like the WIC (woman , infants, children) component of SNAP (the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) needs to be particularly noted. Council member Marybeth Connelly added that “we need to make sure than our safety nets don’t have holes.” The efforts of food banks and non-profits need also to include the schools and the Falls Church Education Foundation.
In giving preliminary approval to an overall allocation of the budget surplus Monday night, the Council voted to send $835,000 to its capital reserves, including $116,000 to a contingency fund, that can also act as a backdrop to efforts to meet emergency food assistance and other needs, Connelly said.
The Council is slated to give a final approval to the allocations at its Nov. 10 meeting.
