The BOCS agenda contains some very sobering cuts in the way the county does business. It is painful to read and if the budget shortfall is the worst case scenario, services in Prince William County will be severely curtailed.
Examples of a 33% cut would be no proactive police patrols. There would only be officers to react to serious crime. Forget that ounce of prevention adage that Chief Deane has always subscribed to. To put it bluntly, we won’t have enough police officers on the street. Period.
Fire and rescue fares no better. Promises were made to this department after the death of one of their firemen. It doesn’t look like those promises will be kept. There simply isn’t enough money to fund what was promised.
This agenda contains some heavy duty reading and it isn’t always easy to understand the implications without explanation. It would behoove all citizens of Prince William to familiarize them with the belt strangling situation we are in.
It appears that worst case scenario was created for each of the departments. Now, will all departments lose 30% of their revenue? Probably not. Historically, the more critical areas like police, fire and rescue, and other agencies that deal with public safety would take less of a hit than other departments that might be considered more of a luxury.
On the other hand, about a month ago, we lost 5 police positions due to an earlier budget cut and no one even batted an eye. The supervisors didn’t so much as blink and I only saw one letter to the editor about it. It seems bizarre that a community that was once ready to have its police force out nabbing ‘illegal aliens’ somehow didn’t seem to care that we were not replacing officers. There was no community hue and cry.
The link to the financial retreat agenda is above. When you get to the supervisor page, click right after CURRENT AGENDA. Scary stuff folks. The second ‘view’ is easier to read because it is from a power point presentation.
Looks like a fiscal conservatives dream. Liberal programs like outreach, specialty programs and prevention gone. Just what govt should be small and reactive.
Why do we need a specialty group for illegals? An arrest is an arrest. Besidea rule of law cleared them all out. Greg told us people were out strolling their neighborhoods again tippibg their hats to those they meet.
If your neighborhood is crummy – move. Why should it cost me to clean it up?
You don’t need to have police to have neighborhood watch. Why do we pay crossing guards to get our kids to school? Get parent volunteers or better yet take your own kids to school!
Just a few thoughts.
In the world of first responders, isn’t that what the first responders should be doing? Isn’t that how they got their name? Responding first? It doesn’t look like they are going to respond first after the county budget gets them.
Weeeee doggies, sure occifer, I’ll gladly wait while Mr. Burglar leaves.
These budget cuts suck and I hope the supervisors won’t consider them.
There’s one tiny “treat” in all of this mess. The board members are keeping their butts right here at The County Complex, and NOT traipsing off to some upscale venue.
Are they sleeping over in Board Chambers with tents and sleeping bags?
THAT would be fun to watch!
Well, after reading about the proposed cuts to Infant/Toddler and Early Intervention services…we may very well not move to PWC from Manassas Park. We may move elsewhere. Stafford, Faquier and Loudoun are looking pretty good. Thanks for the info. YOu may have prevented us from making a big mistake.
I find some of THE OTHERS comments intruiging…. Clearly they can’t read the document, which is I will say is counter intuitive in that it reads backwards. Things like Property Code Enforcement are the very last to go before things like vehicle maintenance and utilities. (Lights on in the buildings!) There are no crossing guards on the list, two Crossing Guard supervisors and one secretary.
Regarding the mounted unit, we all know from reading numerous posts about this program that it is funded mostly through dedicated donations with a small amount coming from the county’s coffers ($10K??). $10k against an $88Million dollar deficit won’t go a long way toward saving a job but okay let’s put it on the list.
To be helpful, we should be thinking about what we think government should provide us. The first post here is hopefully a spoof, – but exactly what DO we think government should provide us and once we decide what we need to decide how much of it. THAT conversation would be helpful but does require active brain cells…… and more than nine.
….and what do we think about the tax rate increase that is included in the first document on the link???
No one here has made any shallow and idiotic comments, but, I did just come from THE OTHER where they abound. That’s not helpful. And we all know that just like picking up litter, removing grafetti and guarding our 7-11’s we all want to be helpful.
Besides the schools are a player in this. Special needs, gifted/talented programs, music and art – how much of that if any do we as a community want for the children that live here? Special needs is not a requirement for my family so do I cross it out? Do we want to go back to the 40’s/50’s/60’s where those children whether physically handicapped or mentally challenged are locked away? Or prevented from going to school with other children just because they are deaf or in a wheelchair??
Should I care about a neighborhood experiencing blight and crime if it’s not mine? Do I have to pay for it? Shouldn’t those that don’t like it be expected to move instead of asking me to pay for property code enforcement simply for asthetics and to subsidize your home value?
What do we want from our tax dollars? Specifically and how much of it.
Jut, the sad thing is the first cuts will be in human services, as always. You see, it all goes downhill from there. When you aren’t caring for your most vulnerable, they become more and more needy and their numbers grow.
I’d guess libraries and parks then education come next.
The county has less chance of cutting emergency services because just about everyone agrees these are necessary. However, in this case, nothing is certain.
It appears they are going to drill down to simply what is necessary – nothing proactive which is usually what makes governments good – the proactive part. Most people don’t think services should be available until THEY need them for themselves. Human nature – well, some human nature. VA ranks 48th I think in spending on Human Services……. guess we will help move that down to 50th. We are all against government in our lives until something happens and we need it.
There is a less chance of cutting emergency services, but a greater chance of cutting the education and prevention programs in those areas. They are services and are not required.
Again, how much of what do we want.
Well, Juturna, PWC certainly is going to bring down VA’s average even more, it looks like.
Obviously the first responders will have to keep the lion’s share of the funding. They provide, well, first response. Those folks aren’t luxury if your house is on fire or you are in a wreck, being robbed, etc.
Human services that aren’t necessities would just have to go. Or, the BOCS could stop worrying about being reelected and just set the tax rate where it needs to be to help us through this mess. We don’t want to become a third world county because someone wants to get re-elected on no new taxes (or illegals or whatever).
I think the good looking firefighters and cops ought to do some Prince William County hunk calendars.
hunk calendar? hahahaha!!!
They could have a competition to see which county department could raise the most dinero.
LMAO!!! MH, you’re a trip.
I don’t know. I once had a “hot squad” take me out on a stretcher. It was surreal, all these gorgeous guys hovering over me when I was SICK as a DOG. More humiliating than anything else!
Our foreclosure numbers are ten times worse than the neighboring counties. This is a direct result of Corey Stewart’s disastrous leadership. If we were in the same boat as our neighboring counties (national economic downturn WITHOUT making matters ten times worse) we’d be looking at much higher real estate tax revenues, higher budgets for county services, schools, and public safety, and lower taxes too.
All of these things attract new home owners and new investment. When you destroy these factors by following extremist hysteria into costly and ineffective legislation, you make the possibility of sharing in the coming economic recovery even more remote. Things will pick up in America. Things will pick up in NoVA. Let’s pray that PWC is not entirely left behind.
If only Corey Stewart would resign. He really should after what he has caused. And it would be our best chance of pulling out of this.
NGL, you can’t honestly think that Corey Stewart is the one and only reason for the shape PWC is in with foreclosures. That’s like saying Titanic sank because of water and forgetting to mention that it ran straight into an ice burg, started to sink, broke in half and then flooded.
The county would be a better place without Mr. Stewart, no matter what.
Jorge, I like that idea. We could also run a first responder centerfold contest. Let people pay to get to vote. Voting for hunks is a lot more desirable than having them have to go beg for every damn penny. Their lives are on the line every time they go to work.
I was not happy seeing our BOCS just vote to not fill positions. I was not happy seeing how many firefighters had to come out and almost beg for funding for their dept. They will move on to areas where they are appreciated and we will be stuck with greenhorns.
I don’t think Corey Stewart single-handedly caused our current economic crisis in Prince William County. I do think that careless, ill-conceived, stubborn opportunism, executed by Corey Stewart, helped us arrive at a perfect storm from which this county might never recover.
His mission was clear and he shut out all other opinions and he shut out facts. He did not represent all the residents in attempting to problem-solve.
hello,
I have put a thread up discussing this home foreclosure crisis. The oddity which needs accounting is the difference between Counties. Obviously the whole country is dealing with this issue but what makes us different is the sheer numbers which far exceed any neighboring jurisdiction.
Admins, please remove the gay slur via “your gay.” Thank you.
Perhaps everyone needs to see ‘your gay’ make an ignorant ass of themselves.
I believe they meant to say ‘you’re gay.’
Hello, with your Titanic analogy, Corey Stewart would be the captain of the ship, and Greg Leteicq would be the first mate. The ice berg would be the economic impact of the anti-immigrant frenzy they fomented for the purposes of the 2007 election.
We could blame the ice berg. We could blame the water (the larger economic crisis we now face as a nation). But we wouldn’t be sinking INTO that icy water if it weren’t for the captain and his first mate steering us directly toward it with only election victories in their eyes.
Hi NGL… okay, I read your analogy and I could not disagree more. I think that the Titanic would be the housing market (all PWC houses and their tenants), the ice burg is the bad economy coming this way. The housing market (Titanic) slams head on into the bad economy (ice burg) and gashes suck a deep cut that it’s fatal, it’s just going to take a little time before it’s on the ocean bottom. Then there is the water, the bad bulk head design, the breaking of the ship into two….. Corey Stewart could be in there somewhere but he is no ice burg.
@ Alanna,
Thanks for putting this on another thread… 🙂