Politics & Government

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

Deal $4 million less than original price set by the city in April.

The $40 million price tag on the deal to sell Falls Church Water to Fairfax Water seems fair to City Manager Wyatt Shields.

In April, the city set the minimum bid to sell the 80-year-old water system for $44 million. If the water system is sold, Falls Church’s boundary with Fairfax County would change and now include George Mason High and Mary Ellen Henderson Middle complex and the Falls Church City Public Schools athletic facilities, which sit just outside city limits.

“These agreement terms as a package, including the boundary adjustment, the financial terms and the non-monetary terms reflect the fair value of the system and are beneficial for the city, Fairfax Water and Fairfax County,” Shields said.

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Voters will get to vote on a referendum next November to decide the fate of the deal. Many current Falls Church Water customers would like to see the system sold. The deal, reached just before Thanksgiving, promises employment to current Falls Church Water employees for up to three years.

First term City Council member Phil Duncan is looking forward to hearing what city residents have to say over the next year about the referendum and the decision to sell the system. When city residents go to the polls next November, Duncan said he hopes to see a high turnout and a solid majority agreeing that the settlement is in the best interests of Falls Church.

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Duncan said he is extremely pleased that the city will annex the 42 acres of land where the high school and middle school sit, since this puts into the City’s hands the future land-use decisions for that property.

Selling the water system for less money doesn’t bother Duncan.

“It’s a fair deal for Fairfax County, Fairfax Water and the city, reached after years of strenuous negotiations in which both sides fought hard to protect their legitimate interests and the final terms took shape under judicial mediation,” Duncan said. “I see the county’s $40 million payment to the city as an acceptable sum.”

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