[1] Within the limits set forth by the Virginia General Assembly, the Board is responsible for setting local tax policy, approving land use plans and appointing officials to various county government positions, including a County Executive who prepares the annual budget and carries out ordinances enacted by the Board.

[4] The Board exercises its taxation power primarily by setting the county's real property tax rate, which accounts for more than 63% of the general fund revenue.

Elected in November 1967 following a tough campaign against Mason District Supervisor Stanford Parris and a last minute write-in campaign mounted by supporters of Vienna Mayor James C. Martinelli, Frederick Babson was the first person to hold the newly created chairmanship, from 1968 to 1970.

Privately, Hoofnagle had stated his frustration with the limited power of the position, which allowed him to vote only on matters before the board in the case of a tie.

In the November 1972 contest, Democrat Jean R. Packard emerged victorious from a crowded six-candidate field.

[24] Importantly, Fairfax County voters also overwhelmingly approved a referendum allowing the Chair to have a full vote, rather than merely acting as a tiebreaker.

[26] The resignation of Sandra Duckworth in August 1984 to follow her husband to Hawaii, where he had been named director of the Bishop Museum, cleared the way for a different majority to take over the Board of Supervisors.

During that period of growth, the Board advocated for the construction of Interstate 66 inside the Capital Beltway and for the Dulles Toll Road, as well as for a major expansion of Tysons Corner, Virginia, which now is home to many employers in the information technology industry.

[30] The elections in November 1991 created a Republican majority on the board for only the second time in the 20th century, with Thomas Davis becoming the chairman, Robert B. Dix, Jr. defeating long-time Centreville District Supervisor Martha Pennino, and Republican candidates taking the open Dranesville, Sully and Mason district seats.

[32] The Centreville District, which had not actually contained Centreville since 1971, was renamed the Hunter Mill District in 1993, fulfilling a campaign promise of Supervisor Robert B. Dix, Jr. [33] The Board voted to make itself Virginia's first full-time local legislature in December 1993, subject to the approval of the Virginia General Assembly, which was not forthcoming.

[37] The regular elections of November 1995 saw the Mason District seat on the board change hands when Democratic candidate Penelope A.

Gross defeated Republican William B. Bailey by 327 votes, reestablishing the Democratic majority on the board by a margin of 6 to 4.

A December 1993 vote by the Board of Supervisors to officially make itself a full-time body was rebuffed by the Virginia General Assembly.