Fairfax Officials Are Waist-Deep in Complaints

"Some citizens would like us to mow 10 times a year," Hamilton said. "Our budget cannot support that."

Mowing is more than an aesthetic issue, the supervisors said. At some busy intersections, the grass is so high that it is obscuring visibility for drivers.

"You can't see!" exclaimed Smyth, whose district includes long stretches of such thoroughfares as Gallows Road and Route 50. "The sightlines are not good. At what point does the state assume liability?"

"They don't," answered Griffin, who has become so frustrated with the tall grass in the VDOT right-of-way near the county Government Center that he ordered county crews to mow it.

VDOT will, however, mow more frequently in locations where safety is an issue, Hamilton said. "We encourage our citizens, if they see a spot like that, to contact us, and we will take care of that," she said.

In addition, at Bulova's urging, VDOT has agreed to allow the county sheriff's department to mow along a portion of Braddock Road. With county labor, Bulova said, perhaps the median can be mowed more frequently but not at higher cost. If the pilot is successful, it could be expanded elsewhere in the county, she said.

In the meantime, supervisors say they expect more complaints from residents. And as election year wears on, the public can probably expect more hand-wringing from supervisors.

"A stern letter will be drafted from my signature," Connolly said.

Added a more lighthearted T. Dana Kauffman (D-Lee), who, perhaps coincidentally, is not seeking reelection this year: "There has to be a solution other than winter. Amber waves of grain are not patriotic in the median."