Gainesville Supervisor Pete Candland opposed the tax rate as did Brentsville Supervisor Jeanine Lawson.In a rare turn of events, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors adopted the advertised tax rate. They also adopted the FY16 budget.
By a 6-2 vote, supervisors approved the residential real estate tax rate of 1.122 percent for every $100 of assessed value, or a 3.88 percent increase from the FY15's residential tax rate.
Brentsville Supervisor Jeanine Lawson (R) and Gainesville Supervisor Pete Candland (R) voted against the tax-rate as they would have preferred only a 2.5 percent tax increase.
In addition to passing a budget, the supervisors instituted some new changes above and beyond those they had discussed at Thursday’s markup session.
Through cuts, the board found $1.2 million in funding to fund a 401A plan for all county employees who choose to opt into the savings plan. As a match, the county would provide .5 percent of an employee’s annual salary should the employee also fund the plan.
To fund the 401As the board decided to discontinue the county organizational survey; cut the annual contingency fund; wrap in the cost of a one-year project manager for parks into capital cost;,extend the life of protection gear for the fire department with the fire marshall’s approval; and extended vehicle replacement by 10,000 miles. They also found money within the holidays allotted on the FY16 calendar.
“I’m glad the Chairman was able to come up with this plan,” said Candland. “I absolutely believe this is an appropriate step to show the appreciation we have to the employees in Prince William County.”
Other supervisors agreed.
“I think this is going to really help morale in the county,” Supervisor Maureen Caddigan (R-Potomac) said.
Supervisors Candland and Lawson voted against the motion. They both made it clear that while they support the finding of funding for the 401A’s, but they are not voting against that aspect of the motion. They stated they were voting against the fact that the board did not find more savings within the budget.
The board also agreed to instate the $1 million grant in addition to the revenue sharing agreement. The money would be earmarked to fund class-size reduction should it be agreed upon by the School Board and matched by the school division as discussed Thursday evening. The same amount would be provided until 2020 under the same terms.
“This is probably the most important issue that both elected boards are facing right now,” Supervisor Frank Principi (D-Woodbridge) said.
Principi made the straw motion for the funding resolution Thursday; though it was a less aggressive resolution than the one first proposed by Candland and Lawson. That motion would have provided more money to the school division each year to fund additional class size reductions.
On the issue of the School Capital Improvement Plan, Supervisor Marty Nohe (R-Coles) announced that he would now be able to approve funding. This afternoon, the schools’ superintendent assured him that the Ferlazzo site would be used for a community elementary school not for a Porter Traditional conversion.
“Kudos to Supervisor Nohe and Supervisor Principi who worked on this with others,” said Caddigan, “and you won.”
The board also approved funding for water lines to Long Park fields in the Gainesville District and the Gainesville Neighborhood Library. Candland offered proffers given to the Gainesville District to be used in his district.
While another supervisor asked if digging a new well would be sufficient, Candland said the groundwater in that area has been contaminated off and on since the 1990s, so a permanent solution is now necessary.
At the end of the meeting, Chairman Corey Stewart (R) addressed a letter the supervisors had received from the Police Association. He assured them that the board voted funded the 401A because they believed it was the right thing to do.
“Some could interpret (parts of the letter) as a threat against current board members. I do not interpret it that way. ..If any group or special interest threatens this board, we would do exactly the opposite,” Stewart said.
Unlike previous years, the tone during citizen’s time was noticeably upbeat. Representatives of various organizations thanked board members for all that they have done for county employees, agencies and residents. Teacher organizations were happy with the $1 million grant to the school division. Business representatives were happy with the fact that the BPOL tax would be raised by $50,000 each year.
However, police representatives advocated for more frequent raises and the 401A plan, saying that allotting money for body cameras was not enough.
More information about the FY16 budget can be found via pwcgov.org.
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