Did you know that Fairfax County residents will be voting on a bond issue to finance the county's portion of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's (Metro's) Capital Improvement Program -- a $5 billion six-year program also known as Metro Matters?  
 
The ballot question is as follows:
 
TRANSPORTATION BONDS
Shall the Board of Supervisors contract a debt, borrow money and issue bonds of Fairfax County, Virginia, in addition to the bonds previously authorized for transportation improvements and facilities, in the maximum aggregate principal amount of $120,000,000 for the purpose of providing funds to finance the cost of constructing, reconstructing, improving and acquiring transportation improvements, including improvements to primary and secondary State highways, off-street parking, pedestrian improvements, and ancillary related improvements and facilities, and including capital costs of land, transit facilities, rolling stock and equipment in the Washington metropolitan area allocable to Fairfax County, Virginia pursuant to the provisions of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Compact?
 
According to Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity’s September report, the County Board was asked to approve this "plain English" ballot question at its September 14th meeting.  Herrity believes the average voter will assume that a substantial portion of the $120 million will go to "constructing, reconstructing and improving primary and secondary State highways" since those are the first uses listed in the question. Instead, all of the money (and an additional $23 million) will go to Metro, per the County’s Transportation Bonds Explanation.