Fairfax County: Community health and human services facilities bonds ($75,000,000)

Official plain English statement

This referendum asks voters whether Fairfax County should be authorized to contract a debt and issue bonds in the maximum principal amount of $75,000,000 for community health and human services facilities. The County’s current plans for the proceeds of bonds that may be authorized by this referendum are set forth below. These specific plans may be altered, but in any case, the bonds can only be issued for purposes described in the ballot question. Virginia law permits the County government to borrow money to buy land, purchase capital equipment, and construct or improve facilities by issuing general obligation bonds, which are sold to investors and repaid over time with County revenues. Money received from the sale of bonds provides funding for many County facilities. Bond financing permits the costs of those County facilities to be repaid over a period of years. However, before the County may incur a general obligation debt, a majority of the County voters must authorize the County to borrow those funds. The County currently plans to use $35,000,000 in bonds to renovate or replace the Joanne Jorgenson Public Health Laboratory, located in the former Belle Willard School building. The current 11,800-square-foot facility includes Biosafety Level 2 and Level 3 laboratories. In 2020, the County added a 1,500-square-foot modular lab to expand Biosafety Level 2 testing capacity in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and address space constraints. The laboratory is the only local public health laboratory in Virginia and performs more than 200,000 tests each year for Fairfax County and surrounding communities. Renovation or replacement of the laboratory will expand the existing facility to integrate the modular lab’s space and expand future testing capacity. The integrated design will focus on improving operational efficiency, flexibility, and readiness to address future public health, environmental, and clinical testing needs and support emergency response activities. Current plans also include using $40,000,000 in bonds to renovate or replace facilities supporting three programs at the Tim Harmon Campus: A New Beginning, Fairfax Detox Center, and the Cornerstone Facility. A New Beginning provides residential treatment programs for adults with substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health challenges. Fairfax Detox Center is a 32-bed residential program offering a safe, structured environment for individuals detoxing from alcohol or drugs. The Cornerstone Facility was repurposed as a Northern Virginia Adolescent Treatment Center, which is a 16-bed residential treatment center for youth with co-occurring substance use and mental health conditions. Renovations or replacement plans include modernizing outdated building systems, food service equipment, plumbing, and mechanical systems. Plans also include enlarged common use spaces, flexible program spaces accommodating changing program and service needs, durability features to withstand heavy facility use, technology integration, updated building security, reconfiguration and expansion of the medication suite with updated secure access capabilities, and adding on-site studio style supportive housing units.