"Reston has always paid for recreational amenities desired by the community that exceed those in other parts of the County, or those provided to RA by the Developer..."
First, a little history. When the issue of a community center located in Reston arose in the 1970s, Fairfax County refused to pay for one. It was not a matter of Reston wanting something beyond what the County provided elsewhere. It was, and is, a matter of Reston wanting the same facilities that County built elsewhere. To make matters worse, when Reston residents approved a bond referendum to pay for construction of a community center, the County created Small Tax District No. 5 and insisted that Reston pay for both construction and operation of the community center. If the County had abided by the wording of the bond referendum, Reston would have stopped additional taxes for Small Tax District No. 5 when the bonds were paid off some years ago. Instead Reston continues to pay the operating costs and any new capital costs
Second, the Reston Community Center is far inferior to the recreation centers operated by the Fairfax County Park Authority. RCC is smaller than the recreation centers, has no gym and so on. Even the County has recognized that RCC does not provide the same level of services that a recreation center would. Many years ago, the Park Authority proposed to build a recreation center adjacent to Crossfield elementary school, just south of Reston, but the neighbors killed the project. If life were fair, the County would put a recreation center at Lake Fairfax Park to serve Reston and the northwest portion of the County.
Third, it is true that Reston has paid extra for recreational facilities, but there's no good reason to continue the practice. Surely the fair arrangement would be for Fairfax County, through the General Fund or through the Park Authority, to assume financial responsibility for the Community Center and to pay for any new recreational facilities.
Two small points. The first Reston residents paid for the facilities operated by Reston Association when they bought their homes. The cost of the facilities was built into the original prices. Bob Simon and/or Gulf Reston did not provide them out of the goodness of their hearts. The RCC's answer also states that Falls Church and Fairfax City pay for their own recreational facilities in addition to paying Fairfax County taxes. Falls Church and Fairfax City are not part of Fairfax County, however. Their residents pay only city taxes, not county taxes.
