Non-City Customers Hope Falls Church Water Sells

Fairfax County residents hope city residents vote in favor of 2013 referendum to sell Falls Church Water.

Dick Rosenbaum is hopeful city residents will vote on a November 2013 referendum that would complete the transaction of selling Falls Church Water to Fairfax Water. As a McLean-area resident, Rosenbaum has been a Falls Church Water customer for some time and felt he was being charged too much for the service. Rosenbaum said he has written City Manager Wyatt Shields in the past about the prices the water company charged. He says it wasn’t the prices that were his biggest problem. “It troubled me that the money I paid went to supporting the City of Falls Church government,” Rosenbaum said. “When we found out they were transferring money from the water department to the city’s general fund, that upset me.” Others have voiced their optimism …

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SPEAK OUT: Should the City Sell Falls Church Water

A deal was reached to sell the water company to Fairfax Water, pending a public vote in November 2013.

For months the city has tried to sell Falls Church Water and Tuesday, a deal was reached to sell it to Fairfax Water. The deal still needs a majority of the city’s resident’s support on a November 2013 referendum. Tuesday, the city agreed to sell the water company to Fairfax Water for $40 million, $4 million less than the original minimum bid. Selling the company to Fairfax Water would see rates drop for current Falls Church Water customers. According to a graph on the Fairfax Water website, their customers pay $60.19 per 24,000 gallons over a three-month period. Falls Church Water customers, according to the same chart, are paying $86.55 for the same services. If the deal goes through, Falls Church Water’s boundary with Fairfax County …

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Speak Out: Falls Church Water Deal

A recent attempt to sell the Falls Church water system to Fairfax Water failed. Are you disappointed?

Last week, the City of Falls Church decided to end discussions with Fairfax Water to sell the utility company. That leaves Falls Church Water customers, including many who live in McLean, with no choice but to pay higher rates than residents in other parts of Fairfax County. McLean resident Kirk Randall complained that Falls Church uses Fairfax County customers like a personal ATM machine. Patch reader Rob Jackson wrote, "In my opinion, the City of Falls Church is violating state law by refusing to justify its higher rates for water with Fairfax County" What do you think about the botched deal? Let us know in the comments section. Related Content: City Will Continue Operating Falls Church Water

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Falls Church Water Customer Unhappy With Failed Sale

Kirk Randall said Falls Church uses Fairfax County customers like a personal ATM machine.

The decision not to sell Falls Church Water has not settled well with at least one customer.  McLean resident Kirk Randall has gotten his water from the water company since 1959. Randall said unlike utilities such as Dominion Power and Washington Gas, the Falls Church City Council can charge its county customers pretty much whatever it wants. "This means that over 120,000 Fairfax County customers will continue to pay nearly 50 percent more for their water than their neighbors," said Randall. The City of Falls Church decided to end discussions with Fairfax Water Wednesday to sell the 80-year-old utility company. Mayor Nader Baroukh said the city took a business approach to the negotiations but is happy to continue providing water. The city …

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Phil Duncan

8:44 pm on Saturday, August 11, 2012

To clarify: It is not the case that "The City of Falls Church decided to end discussions with Fairfax Water." Rather, the parties engaged in negotiations and were not able to come to mutually agreeable terms. The City had three meetings in July with Fairfax County and Fairfax Water to discuss a possible sale of the City’s water system. The City was clear throughout the discussions that any sale …   more ›

City Will Continue Operating Falls Church Water

After months of considering a sale of the water utility, the city decides to retain the system.

Talks between Fairfax County, Fairfax Water and Falls Church Water have been discontinued. Since April when the City of Falls Church council started entertaining bids for the water system, Fairfax Water emerged as a potential suitor. The minimum bid was set at $44 million by the city. The city will now instead retain operation of the water system. “The city took a business approach to these negotiations,” Mayor Nader Baroukh said in a written statement Wednesday. “The goal was to explore the possibility of a sale agreement that would benefit city taxpayers and all of the customers of the water system. We did not reach such an agreement and we are happy to continue to provide vital public water services to the city and county as we have for…

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Fairfax Water Chairman Writes Falls Church Mayor about Potential Merger

Philip Allin outlines the benefits of combining the Falls Church system with Fairfax.

The chairman of the Fairfax County Water Authority wrote a public letter to Falls Church Mayor Nader Baroukh outlining the benefits of merging the county's water system with the system in Falls Church. Philip Allin wrote that water rates across the county could be reduced by up to one-third if the merger moves forward. It would also save Falls Church as much as $47 in capital expenditures, Allin said. The letter is available on the water authority's website. A full copy is also available directly above this article.

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Auction for Falls Church Water Off Until Further Notice

McLean residents are customers of Falls Church Water

The auction for Falls Church Water, which supplies McLean,  scheduled for last week has been canceled until further notice. The Office of Legal Counsel of the Headquarters U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provided a written opinion on March 8 stating the Washington Aqueduct was authorized to sell water to an investor or government owned water system, according to a release from the city Thursday night. According to the release, the city “relied on this written determination in moving forward with an open, fair and competitive bid process.” Council approved the sale of the water company in April and set the minimum acceptable bid at $44 million. The city sent out a Request for Expression of Interest in February and received interest from nine …

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Falls Church Council Sets $44M As Minimum Bid for Water System

Falls Church Water supplies McLean residents with their water.

Nine companies have told Falls Church of their interest in buying the city's water system. Now the city wants to see the money: at least $44 million. The Falls Church city council voted 6-1 Monday night to send invitations to bid on the water system starting Wednesday. Sealed bids from public and privately owned utility companies are due May 25. Most McLean residents are customers of Falls Church Water. Ninety percent of the Falls Church customers live in Fairfax County. “All the bidders will have to do is provide us with a number,” Shields said. “On May 25, there will be a public meeting and we’ll put each company’s bid up and conduct it auction style.” The city sent out a Request for Expression of Interest in February and received …

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McLean Morning Report

Latest McLean News-Friday March 2

Morning Briefing

Good Morning Neighbors, Italian Restauranteur to Open French Restaurant. Assaggi owner to open second downtown McLean restaurant. Proposal for New Downtown McLean Apartment Building. Latest plan for Elm Street parking lot. Fairfax Water Proposes Merger with Falls Church. Object: to lower water bills for county customers, many of whom live in McLean. Handgun Ban Lifted. Govenor signs bill to allow unlimited handgun purchases. Please vote by 9 am on your favorite McLean breakfast place.

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