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Proposed 2027 County Budget — Administrative Savings Overview

On behalf of Citizens For Great Falls, the chart depicted below was submitted to Dranesville Supervisor James Bierman and Fairfax County School Board Representative Robin Lady, on March 22 2026, outlining a series of budget recommendations for their consideration. The chart illustrates approximately $30 million in potential administrative savings identified across Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) and general county operations.

 

Our recommendations emphasize FCPS central administration, contracted services, and internal operational efficiencies — and are specifically structured to avoid any impact on classroom instruction, school-based staffing, or countywide public safety services.

These figures represent constructive, community-oriented savings targets aimed at supporting responsible budgeting while preserving the services Fairfax County residents value most.

Citizens For Great Falls – FY 2027 Budget Reductions
Citizens For Great Falls

FY 2027 FCPS / County Budget
Targeted Reductions Justification Sheet

Proposed savings aligned with FY 2027 FCPS / County budget rationale
Item What We Propose How It Aligns with FY 2027 Budget Rationale
1. FCPS Vacant Central Office Positions $7M Freeze nonessential central office vacancies and permanently eliminate long-unfilled administrative positions; reassign duties within existing teams where feasible. Brings the budget in line with actual staffing levels and mirrors County and FCPS emphasis on "efforts toward greater efficiency" and limiting new resource requests, achieving savings without reducing current services or classroom staffing.
2. FCPS Nonessential Consultant Contracts $6M Scale back or cancel non-mandated consultant contracts in professional development, strategic planning, communications, curriculum consulting, and IT modernization; shift appropriate work to internal staff. Targets a known cost driver—contractual and professional services—while following the FY 2027 direction to implement agency-level savings that offset required increases, protect classroom instruction, and build internal capacity instead of relying on recurring consultant spend.
3. FCPS Software & Licensing Consolidation $4M Eliminate redundant or underutilized HR, analytics, workflow, and training platforms; consolidate licenses and negotiate enterprise pricing; delay noncritical upgrades 12–24 months. Responds to ongoing IT operating cost pressure by focusing on consolidation and smarter procurement, consistent with County and FCPS efforts to manage license and support costs while preserving essential instructional and information security systems.
4. FCPS Administrative Facilities & Leases $3M Reduce leased administrative office space through consolidation and expanded telework; pursue energy-efficiency improvements and right-size office footprints. Aligns with the County's broader push to rebalance facilities spending toward capital renewal and maintenance, shifting dollars from dispersed administrative overhead to higher-priority needs without affecting classroom space.
5. FCPS Training, Travel & Internal Programs $2M Limit central office travel and conferences; shift professional development to virtual or in-house formats; pause nonessential pilot initiatives. Uses the same first-line savings tools the County is applying (reductions in travel, training, and discretionary programs) to generate modest, targeted reductions that protect school-based training required by law or contract and maintain direct services to students.
6. Countywide Consultant Reductions (Non-FCPS) $5M Freeze new consultant contracts in non-public-safety agencies and reduce the scope of existing planning, analysis, and communications engagements; prioritize internal capacity. Supports the County Executive's strategy to implement a sizable reduction package while keeping the tax rate flat, by focusing cuts on back-office consulting rather than on core public safety or human services, and moderating overall budget growth.
7. County Administrative Overhead (Non-FCPS) $3M Reduce administrative travel, training, internal program budgets, and noncritical technology upgrades; freeze nonessential hiring in non-public-safety departments. Extends the County's documented approach of trimming administrative overhead (printing, equipment, training, personnel savings based on actuals) to realize savings with minimal service impact, helping balance the budget and prioritize high-impact programs.
8. Montessori Pilot at Great Falls ES – Transparency Request Transparency Seek clarity on site selection (including whether Title I schools were considered), long-term local funding after grant expiration, impacts on existing resources, and success metrics; request ongoing community input. Reflects FCPS and County commitments to transparency, equity, and data-driven decision-making by ensuring a partially grant-funded initiative is evaluated against clear criteria, equity goals, and budgetary tradeoffs in a year when both FCPS and the County face structural pressures.
Total Proposed Reductions (Items 1–7) $30,000,000
Citizens For Great Falls  |  FY 2027 Budget Advocacy  |  Great Falls, Virginia

Citizens For Great Falls is actively engaged on the issues that matter most to our community.

See some of our latest actions below:

CFGF Testimony and Correspondence
Citizens For Great Falls

Testimony & Correspondence

Citizens For Great Falls is working on your behalf — engaging leaders and officials on the issues that shape life in Great Falls. Read about our recent efforts below.
Public Testimony
Dec. 3, 2025
TestimonySupport for Lift Me Up! Special Permit application.
Jan. 7, 2026
TestimonyChallenging a zoning determination on pickleball in a front yard.
Correspondence & Letters
Jul. 15, 2025
CorrespondenceTo County Planning Commission — six specific requests to amend the proposed Zoning Ordinance on Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) to improve safety and protect adjacent residential property owners from insurance rate impacts.
Oct. 15, 2025
CorrespondenceTo County Planning Commission — objecting to a draft Zoning Ordinance Amendment on Electrical Substations, citing noise, visual impact, and safety concerns for nearby residential areas.
Oct. 30, 2025
CorrespondenceTo School Board Rep. Robyn Lady — concerns and recommendations regarding the ongoing school boundary review process.
Jan. 12, 2026
CorrespondencePreliminary endorsement of the residential development plan for Castleton Hills (former site of Wolftrap Nursery).
Regulatory & Agency Outreach
Apr. 3, 2025
CorrespondenceTo Supervisor Bierman — documenting the overnight tanker truck accident in which more than 2,000 gallons of hazardous material were discharged on Leigh Mill Road, and urging action on the safety risks posed by tractor trailers hauling hazardous cargo through Great Falls.
Apr. 10, 2025
EmailTo Virginia Dept. of Environmental Quality — requesting a formal investigation of the April 3 HazMat incident on Leigh Mill Road and assistance for homeowners in testing private wells that may have been placed at risk.
Citizens For Great Falls  |  Advocacy & Community Engagement  |  Great Falls, Virginia

News / Articles

$2.5M Spent By Tysons Casino Backer On Lobbyists, Donations

Michael O'Connell, Patch staff | Published on 7/2/2025


CEO Chris Clemente has invested millions in promoting legislation to authorize a casino in Fairfax County.  The legislation he has supported is so narrowly drafted it would appear to make one of his holdings a likely candidate for a future casino site.


$2.5M Spent By Tysons Casino Backer On Lobbyists, Donations

To date, Comstock Holdings has paid $2.5 million in its quest to build a casino on Metro's Silver Line outside I-495 in Fairfax County


Michael O'Connell, Patch Staff

Posted Wed, Jul 2, 2025 at 10:54 am ET

RESTON, VA — Twelve lobbyists were paid a total of $500,399.31 to help Comstock Hospitality Holdings in its efforts to push legislation through the 2025 General Assembly meant to pave the way for a casino to be built in Tysons.

That figure is about five times the combined total of the $52,213 that Comstock Holdings paid to five lobbyists during the 2024 legislative session. In total, Comstock spent $552,612.31 on lobbyists the past two years.

Adding that total to the $1,999,050.18 the Reston-based developer has spent on campaign contributions since 2023, Comstock Holdings has paid $2,551,662.49 in its quest to build a casino on Metro’s Silver Line outside the Capital Beltway in Fairfax County.

All lobbyists in Virginia are required by law to file financial disclosures with the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council by July 1. The following are the totals that Comstock's 12 lobbyists reported in their disclosures:

TOTAL: $500,399.31

* The fees paid to each of the lobbyists in parentheses were included in the financial disclosure of the adjacent lobbyists.

** Snesavage filed for a reimbursement of $60.84 for a meal that took place Jan. 14 at the Little Pearl restaurant in Washington, D.C. He listed Sen. Mamie Locke (D-Hampton), who is a member of five Senate committees, including the Rules Committee, which she chairs.

Locke was one of the 24 senators to vote in favor of Senate Bill 982, which the Senate passed Feb. 4, 2025 on a 24-16 vote. The bill died in the House Appropriations Committee on Feb. 18.

Five lobbyists Comstock Hospitality retained or employed during the 2024 legislative session filed disclosures totaling $52,213 by July 1, 2024:

  • $5,000 - Robert G. Crockett of Advantas Strategies was retained on Dec. 21, 2023 to handle the administrative and legislative duties concerning Comstock Hospitality.
  • $12,513 - Matthew James, a former member of the House of Delegates, was retained on Jan. 1, 2024 to handle issues concerning Comstock Hospitality.
  • $20,000 - David Jones was retained on Jan 1, 2024 to handle legislative matters for Comstock
  • $10,000 - Teddy Petersen of Arbor Strategies was retained on Dec. 18, 2023 to issues relating to a potential casino in Northern Virginia.
  • $5,000 - Kyle Shreve of Advantas Strategies was retained on Dec. 21, 2023 to handle all executive and legislative matters relating to Comstock Hospitality.

TOTAL: $52,213

Lobbyists are required to report the names of legislative and executive officers, as well as family members, if the average value was more than $50 for each person attending.

Also See ...

Looking ahead to the 2026 legislative, Comstock Hospitality Holdings has already retained seven lobbyists: Mindy Carlin, Susan Gaston, Andrew Macaulay, David May, Chris Petersen, Mark Snesavage, and Cassidy Taylor, according to the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council. The public will need to wait until July 1, 2026, to find out how much they were compensated.

Comstock Holdings Political Donations

On Sept. 15, 2023, Comstock Holdings formed Comstock Hospitality Holdings, LLC as a limited liability company, so it is really a separate business entity rather than a PAC, according to the State Corporation Commission. 

As a business entity, Comstock Hospitality doesn’t have the same filing requirements as the company’s Building a Remarkable Virginia Political Action Committee.

Although Comstock Hospitality was formed in September 2023, it did not begin making political contributions until January 2025.  Between 2023 and June 30, 2025, Building a Remarkable Virginia made campaign contributions of $731,400 overall, according to VPAP. Comstock Hospitality donated a total of $898,186.18, according to campaign reports filed in the first six months of 2025. From 2023 through the first six months of 2025, Comstock CEO Christopher Daniel Clemente made $369,464 in political contributions, according to VPAP.

Comstock Holdings’s Total Expenditures For 2023-2025

  • $898,186.18 - Comstock Hospitality Holdings
  • $731,400 - Building a Remarkable Virginia PAC
  • $369,464 - Comstock CEO Christopher Clemente
  • $552,612.31 - Lobbyists

TOTAL: $2,551,662.49

This does not include the $490,000 Clemente contributed to Building a Remarkable Virginia. That money was counted as donations paid out by the PAC to candidates or their campaigns.

This story is based on campaign finance reports filed with the State Board of Elections and lobbyist disclosures reported to the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council.

Read all of Patch's reporting on Comstock Companies' plan to build a casino on Metro's Silver Line in Fairfax County at Silver Line Casino.

 

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