UPDATE (1/22/2015): Kat has posted a detailed report on her website of what transpired at the meeting last night. In short, it was very positive for photographers! The largest turn out ever seen at a Parks Authority Meeting made their views heard prompting an acknowledgement from Board members that “the process requires immediate change.” The Board thanked the group for educating them about the industry and how the current fee system affects their livelihood.
Next comes the requisite comment period and subsequent committee to decide what actions to recommend. Any changes or adjustments would come into effect April 1, 2015, but Kat is hopeful that the Board will suspend the permit and fee until a decision has been made, and that the final decision will be to completely remove them both.
This is a guest post by Kat Forder; she owns a portrait studio outside of Baltimore, Md.
Next Wednesday, the Fairfax County Park Authority Board will meet to hear public opinion on photography permit fees. These fees are uniquely applied to photographers in public parks – no other businesses or individuals using public parks are charged a special fee – and Fairfax is the only Virginia county to implement such a fee.
This is the last meeting they will hold before voting whether or not to continue requiring photographers to pay permit fees in all Fairfax County Parks. The rate is currently $100 per use in any public park, but the county has new proposed fees which have not yet been made public.
