On Monday night, Police Chief — and former interim city manager — Douglas Keen presented the fiscal year 2026 (FY26) budget to Manassas City Council, proposing a nearly 8% increase in the average resident's tax bill.

Keen said the total budget for FY26 was $327.8 million, a 1.7% decrease from the adopted budget in fiscal year 2025, which was $333.6 million.

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Stafford County's Board of Supervisors and School Board will hold their respective meetings on Tuesday, February 25. Both meetings will be streamed live, with agendas available online. Board of Supervisors Meeting – 5 p.m. The Board of Supervisors will review the transportation biannual update, focusing on the Transportation Master Plan and various state and federal grant programs. Transportation Master Plan Overview

• Phase 1 ($225 million):
  • Four projects under construction: Berea Church Road, Route 1 at Telegraph/Woodstock, Staffordboro Boulevard sidewalk, and Route 1 at Courthouse Road ($57 million total).
  • The Courthouse Road project has a $3.2 million shortfall. However, Berea Church Road and Telegraph Road projects are under budget, with surplus funds moving into contingency.
  • Eight projects in the engineering phase totaling $168 million.
• Phase 2 ($600 million+):
  • Includes four projects in engineering and 12 roadway and 33 bike/pedestrian projects in planning.
  • Major areas of focus include Kings Highway, Chatham Heights, Mine Road, and Greenspring Drive.
• Phase 3 ($1 billion+):
  • Proposed projects include a new north-south corridor west of I-95, running parallel to Route 1, and widening Courthouse, Mountain View, and Shelton Shop roads.

The 2040 Strategic Plan aims to reduce congestion, improve safety, and enhance accessibility throughout Stafford County. School Board Meeting – 5 p.m. Work Session | 7 p.m. General Meeting The 5 p.m. work session will focus on the proposed 2025-2026 school year budget. Samples of the proposed Fiscal Year 2026 Budget include:

State Funding: almost $292 million, an increase of $10.5 million from last year

Departmental Savings: $890,000 in savings from departmental budgets

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Historic Downtown Manassas is set to host Restaurant Week from Wednesday, February 26, through Tuesday, March 4, allowing locals and visitors to explore the town’s diverse culinary scene. With 16 participating restaurants, food enthusiasts can enjoy a variety of promotions, special menus, and discounts tailored to showcase each restaurant’s unique offerings.

"It’s been a while since we’ve had Restaurant Week here in Historic Downtown," said Kristen Kiefer, Executive Director of Historic Manassas Inc. "Given that February is a slow month for restaurants, we saw this as a great opportunity to bring people downtown, support our local eateries, and introduce the community to new dining experiences."

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A group of Belmont Bay homeowners has filed a complaint with the Virginia Office of the Common Interest Community Ombudsman, accusing their homeowners association (HOA) board of violating transparency regulations. The complaint, submitted by KP Lau, president of Concerned Citizens United for Belmont Bay (CCUBB), alleges that the HOA board conducted business behind closed doors, failed to notify residents about key meetings, and did not follow its own communication protocols regarding land deals and rezoning discussions.

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The February 19, 2025, Prince William County School Board meeting devolved into a shouting match between board members Loree Williams of Woodbridge and Erica Tredinnick of Brentsville. Williams refused to acknowledge Tredinnick as a black woman as part of her Black History Month statement.

Williams acknowledged the race of other black school board members but purposefully left out Brentsville representative Erica Tredinnick, a black Republican. Her efforts had the unintended consequence of displaying why identity politics is so divisive. Prince William GOP posted on X after the meeting, “Guess [Tredinnick] isn’t ‘Black enough’ in [Williams’] mind. This is the left’s identity politics at work: it’s not about representation, it’s about control.”

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Latoya Crabbe, the Manasas woman accused of shooting and killing her estranged husband, Curtis Crabbed,  was released from jail on Friday, February 21, 2025. At the county jail, she had an emotional reunion with her mother, Marilyn Martin, who patiently waited for officials to release her from the lockup she’d been in since being charged on October 21, 2024. 

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Updated 11 a.m. – Less than two months after announcing she would not seek another term, Stafford County Supervisor Monica Gary has reversed her decision. She will run for re-election as an independent candidate.

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Happy Friday, Manassas! Welcome to another City Council preview, this time for the Feb. 24 regular meeting. This week’s meeting will be held at the City Hall Council Chambers at 9027 Center St.

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The Prince William Board of County Supervisors unanimously approved an amendment to the existing noise ordinance on Tuesday. The noise ordinance has been in place for many years but has been undergoing review since July 2022. According to county documents, in January 2023, county staff recommended the Board reconsider County Code Section 14-4(b), which places fewer restrictions on residential heating and cooling systems (HVAC) at night. This was approved in February 2023. The code's text ensures HVAC systems serving a residential building will not be subject to maximum nighttime sound level limits. This is meant to prevent non-residential buildings from doing the same. The staff recommendation also included a "sunset clause" that was set to expire on Feb. 28, 2024, but was delayed until Tuesday in a January 2024 decision. The Board again extended the clause and its impacts until Feb. 18, 2026, at the recent meeting. A sunset clause stipulates that a law is no longer effective after a specified date unless a legislative body takes further action. "The extension of the sunset clause will provide county staff the time needed to assess the noise impacts associated with data centers and develop recommended changes to the noise ordinance for the Board's consideration," county documents state. Brentsville District Supervisor Tom Gordy thanked Gainesville District Supervisor Bob Weir at the Board's Feb. 4 meeting for leading the charge with this amendment. "We've been having some issues in the Brentsville District with [construction] starting at 6 a.m. in areas near neighborhoods," Gordy said. "I really appreciate the county staff working to get this done in an expedited manner to help protect our citizens from what is becoming an almost incessant construction of both data centers and residential areas in [my district]." Gordy also expressed interest in amending the code further. Section 14-4(c) of the county code states construction can begin at 6 a.m. on weekdays.

"This is something that brings us in alignment with many other localities to move the start time for construction from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m.," he said on Feb. 4.