September 2021 County Board Meeting Agenda Highlights

Published on September 11, 2021

The Arlington County Board will consider and act on dozens of items at its Regular Board Meeting on Saturday, September 18, 2021, and its Recessed Meeting on Tuesday, September 21, 2021.

The meetings, held in the County Board Room on the third floor of 2100 Clarendon Blvd., are open to the public. Visit the County website for information on speaking at a County Board Meeting.

The County Board has resumed in-person meetings. Virtual participation options are available to the public through Microsoft Teams. All visitors to the Ellen Bozman Government Center at 2100 Clarendon Blvd. must wear a mask or maintain a 6 ft distance from others. If you are sick or experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, please consider watching the meeting's live webcast or cable broadcast or participating virtually via Microsoft Teams. More information on how to participate or watch virtually provided below.

Comment on Agenda Items and Speak at the Meeting

Send your written comments on agenda items to the County Board at CountyBoard@arlingtonva.us. All comments received by the Board are made part of the public record and are before the Board members as they consider items.

If you wish to comment during the Public Comment period at the start of the Regular Hearing, or on a Regular Public Hearing Item, register in advance on the County Board website, where you can also find more details on public participation in virtual Board Meetings, or call the Board Office at 703-228-3130 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday. Online Registration opens once the agenda for the meeting is posted, approximately one week before the meeting.

Watch it Live

County Board meetings are live streamed on the County website and on YouTube and broadcast live on Arlington TV, the County's cable channel, with live captioning on Comcast 25 & 1085 (HD) and Verizon FiOS 39 & 40. Videos of Board meetings are archived on the County website (with captions and staff reports) and on YouTube.

Saturday, September 18, 2021 — Regular County Board Meeting

View the agenda and staff reports (Note: some reports are posted closer to the meeting date).

Small Business GRANT 2.0 — The Board will consider dedicating $2 million of American Rescue Plan funds for the Small Business GRANT 2.0 Program, which would provide grants of $10,000 to up to 200 eligible businesses with fewer than 50 employees. Businesses may use grants for employee salaries and benefits and other business capital and operating expenses directly related to the impacts of COVID-19. This program follows Arlington's successful first Small Business Emergency GRANT program, which awarded 393 Arlington small businesses grant funds totaling $2.7 million in 2020, provided immediate relief to impacted businesses. Grantees primarily used the funds for payroll (56%), rent and utilities (52%), and business operations including equipment, safety measures, supplies, and vendors (15%). Approximately 96% of businesses that received a grant in 2020 are still operating. To read the staff report, scroll to item #43 on the agenda.

Plastic Bag Tax —In an effort to align with County environmental goals to reduce pollution and protect natural landscapes, the Board will consider a measure to adopt a 5-cent tax on disposable plastic shopping bags. The move comes after the Virginia General Assembly recently gave counties and cities the option of the 5-cent tax with revenues earmarked for local environmental education and cleanup. The tax gives shoppers an incentive to bring their own reusable totes rather than accept single-use disposable plastic that can wind up polluting local waterways or simply tossed in with trash destined for incinerators and landfills.

The plastic bag tax would go into effect in January 2022. Should the tax be adopted, the County will embark on a fall education campaign to help residents understand the benefits including saving at the register with reusable bags and a cleaner community. The County also will develop strategies to help those who may be most burdened by this tax, aligning with the County's equity focus. To read the staff report, scroll to item #44 on the agenda.

Stormwater Infrastructure — The Board will consider authorization of a fund transfer of approximately $15.16 million to APS for construction of stormwater infrastructure at Cardinal Elementary School at 1644 N. McKinley Road. The transfer includes approximately $2.5 million as contingency. To read the staff report, scroll to item #41 on the agenda.

County Park Improvements Contracts — The Board will consider awarding several contracts for various projects related to Arlington County Parks, including improvements to Marcey Road Park, turf conversions at Thomas Jefferson Community Center Park, Towers Park playground renovations and others. To read the staff reports, scroll to items #23-27 on the agenda.

New County Logo - After an extensive community engagement process, the County Logo Review Panel will present final options for a new County logo to the Board for consideration. The Board will make its final selection of the new logo and consider a timeline for replacing the existing logo and County seal with the new logo. To read the staff report, scroll to item #45 on the agenda.

Potomac Yard-Four Mile Run Trail Connection — After a competitive bid process, the Board will consider awarding a contract for the construction of the Potomac Yard — Four Mile Run Trail Connection. This project will provide a trail connection from the Route 1 trail to the existing Four Mile Run trail located in the City of Alexandria. To read the staff report, scroll to item #22 on the agenda.

Tuesday, September 21, 2021 — Recessed County Board Meeting

The virtual Recessed Meeting will begin at 3 p.m. with reports from the Board Members and the County Manager.

The meeting will be live streamed on the County website, and on YouTube, and broadcast on Arlington TV, the County's cable channel, with live captioning, on Comcast 25 & 1085 (HD), and Verizon FiOS 39 & 40. Videos of Board meetings are archived on the County website (with captions and staff reports) and on YouTube.

View the agenda and staff reports (Note: some reports are posted closer to the meeting date).

Public Hearings

No earlier than 6:30 p.m. the Board will hold a public hearing and consider items pulled from the Saturday Consent Agenda. Regular public hearings will be held after carryover Consent Agenda items are considered.

Media Contact

Cara O'Donnell, 703-228-7943

View this release in our newsroom