Water Bills to Decrease in 2 Years for McLean Residents

McLean residents and other customers will pay about a dollar less per 1,000 gallons for water in two years if the sale of Falls Church goes through in November.

Falls Church City Council voted unanimously to approve an ordinance to sell the water system to the Fairfax County Water Authority, setting up a public referendum vote in November.

If the public votes to sell the system, Falls Church Water customers who pay $3.27 per 1,000 gallons of water would pay the Fairfax County Water rate of $2.26 per 1,000 gallons.

“It’s a win – win for everyone,” City Attorney John E. Foster said during the Monday’s City Council meeting referring to Falls Church receiving $40 million in cash for the 80-year-old water system.

Council set a minimum bid of $44 million to sell the water company in April 2012 but agreed to sell the system to Fairfax County Water after litigation and negotiations.

• See: City Officials Fine With $40M Deal to Sell Falls Church Water

The sale would also increase the city’s size from 2.2 to 2.3 square miles by moving George Mason High School, Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School and the property yard into the city’s limits. A three-judge panel needs to approve the related boundary adjustment before that could happen. The schools and property yard currently sit just outside the city’s boundaries.

Under the current deal between the two water companies, current Falls Church Water employees have their jobs guaranteed for the next three years.

City Manager Wyatt Shields said a plan to release all of the factual details to the public is in the works and should be released sometime in July.

Vice Mayor Dave Snyder said Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bulova who oversaw several meetings and negotiations between the two parties propelled the proposed sale.

“I wanted a good outcome and this is what we have,” he said.