Meet with Jeff McKay and Sharon Bulova on Wednesday

Jeff McKay and Sharon Bulova will speak Wednesday at the Fracnonia Governmental Center.

Lee District residents can discuss the November meals tax referendum with Supervisor Jeff McKay and Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova this Wednesday at the Franconia Governmental Center.

McKay and Bulova, along with Joe Mondano from the county’s department of management and budget, will be speaking about the referendum, as well as other issues residents wish to talk about. The meeting is hosted by the Lee District Association of Civic Organizations.

The meals tax has become a contentious issue among residents since the Board of Supervisors voted 8-2 in June to put the measure on the ballot. Both McKay and Bulova voted in favor of the referendum.

The four percent tax would enable the county to diversify its revenue stream and would generate $99 million per year, according to the county’s white paper on the subject. Seventy percent of the income generated by the tax would go toward the public school budget, according to the county.

Opponents of the measure, including local chambers of commerce and some food establishments, say that the tax would hurt small businesses, make the county less competitive, and disproportionally affect lower- and middle-class families.

Most other municipalities in Northern Virginia — including Arlington County, the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, and Fairfax, and the towns of Herndon and Vienna — have meals taxes. Loudoun County and Prince William County do not.

The meeting is open to all residents and starts at 7:30. The Franconia Governmental Center is located at 6121 Franconia Road.