Evening star., 1951-12-01
Fairfax Board
1oSet etUp.New
Assessing Unit
Supervisors Study
Legal Opinions on
Government Shift
By Mary Lou Werner

sNtSsy &S1 VVSsuSt
Members who will serve on tn
new Fairfax County Board of Su
pervisors beginning January
have resolved some of the frs
problems confronting them will
the shift to a county executiv,
government on the same date.
Meeting together informally las
night, members of the new boart
agreed to one important policy de-
cision-that a department of as
sessments should be established
separate from the department o,
finance. They heard the answer,
to a number of other legal prob.
lens involved in the shift, and ir
several instances decided that leg.
islation would be necessary te
make the county executive system
At Fairfax County.
Can Delegate Functions.
Legal opinions that the new
board members received from
Commonwealth's Attorney Hugh
B. Marsh and Attorney George T
Liddell included:
l. The town of Herndon will
not be entitled to a special repre-.
sentative on the County Schoo
Board, which 1t now has.
2. County functions not men.
toned in the county executive act
can be delegated to the county
executive. For instance, a division
Of sanitation could come under
the county executives department
although the county executive Law
does not make specific provision
for such department. The super
visors said they would seek legis-
lation, however. permitting them
to establish such departments as
they see fit.
3. The supervisors may author
lie the county executive or de-
partment heads to hire minor en-
ployes, such as clerks and secre-
taries. Until such authority is
given, however. all employees must
be appointed by the supervisors.
To Approve ALI Bills.
4. All bills would have to be
approved by the Board of Super
visors, which is a duty they have
not had to perform under the
present setup. They agreed to seek
legislation permitting the county
executive or finance officer to
perform that task.
5. Special legislation which now
permits Fairfax County to reassess
property continually no longer
would be effective and reassess-
ments would be limited to every
four years. The supervisors said
the county would lose a lot of
money by four-year reassessments
= because the higher value of re-
zoned property could not be re-
nected each year and they decided
70 seek legislation permitting
continual reaSseSSments. They
also favored legislation providing
for a board of appeals or equal
ization where assessment COM
plants can be aired.
6. The county executive law
takes precedence over any general
laws in operating the new govern
ment.
Answers Survey Questions.
The legal opinions answered
some OF the questions raised by
the University of Virginia Bureau
OF Public Administration in it's
survey of the Fairfax government.
The surveyors pointed out in
their report that the supervisors
could create a separate depart
ment of assessments under the
new government, or could leave
that function within the frame
work of the finance department.
Mrs. Anne Wilkins, supervisor
elect from Falls Church District,
was the lone opponent to sep
arating the two departments. She
said separating the assessments
from the finance department
would be a similar set-up to the
present system in which there is
a treasurer and commissioner of
revenue.
Only Town Using Law.
Mr.. Marsh said he thought the
new law clearly eliminates Hern-
don's representative on the School
Board. Fred w. Robinson, cur
rent representative from the town
on the county school board, is its
chairman and senior member
Arthur Shaffer, supervisor from
Mount Vernon district, who will
continue in Office January /, sale
he did not think Herndon was en-.
titled to a School Board mem.
ber because it gave the rural por.
ton of the county more repre-.
sentation than the urban areas
Maurice Fox, supervisor from
Dranesville district who also con.
tinues in Office, said the Schoo
Board had never favored one area
of county over another. He sale
Dranesville district in which
Herndon Is located has not hae
any new school construction II
IL years.
It was agreed not to consider
any more rezonings after Janu.
ary l until legislation can bt
adopted removing any doubt that
a referendum is needed to rezont
property.
Library Appointment Authority.
Mr.. Marsh and Mr.. Liddell sale
1t did not seem practical to con
strue zoning provisions of th'
county executive act to mean tina
a referendum would be required
for each reZoning. They eau
toned that the courts might holt
otherwise, however.
The supervisors were advises
that the new law gives them au
thority to appoint library EN-
ployes, but the Board of Librar
Trustees still would be appointe,
by the Circuit Court. The
agreed to seek legislation placin