**UPDATE** The Sheriff indicates there will probably not be a vote on conflict of interest. I guess its ok to ignore the people. More indelible horse manure will stick to more boots.
**UPDATE 2** Sheriff thinks there will be a second but it will get voted down.
Click to here to get to the agenda
Today is the much awaited BOCS meeting where carry over funds are decided and where Pete Candland’s Conflict of Interest Resolution is supposed to be codified. County attorney Horan, many think at the direction of Chairman Corey Stewart, has advised that his Resolution would violate the law. Many citizens are crying FOUL over this suggestion.
Conflict of interest discussions have dominated the county landscape ever since Supervisor Wally Covington attempted to slide $100k to Rainbow riding where his wife served in a leadership capacity until very recently. Even though Covington pulled back his request after the blogosphere went wild over his audacity, it was like he had stepped in indelible horse manure and he simply has not been able to get it off his boots. The horsey stuff has also wafted over to the other supervisors and it has been behind most of the discussion about conflict of interest.
In fairness to Mr. Covington, he isn’t the sole reason but he created a situation everyone could wrap their minds around. Following the money and who gave what campaign contribution to whom and when is difficult for most of us. Most of us would rather let people get away with it than have to think about it and follow the paper trail. It truly is the work cut out for numbers wonks and not for the common man. That horse-doo changed the scenery and Covington provided us with a stage we could all understand and verbalize.
Kipp Hanley with News & Messenger summarized the Candland Resolution:
Fresh off the success of his resolution eliminating discretionary funds, Gainesville Supervisor Pete Candland is proposing a resolution that would extend the county’s conflict of interest policy to the voting of the individual supervisors.
If passed, supervisors will have to recuse themselves from votes that involve entities where they or immediate family members have a personal interest. This applies to supervisors or family members who serve as an officer or on an advisory committee of that group.
The exception to the rule would be supervisors who are appointed by their fellow board members to another board for official county representation. However, all votes that involve such an organization — for example, the Virginia Railway Express — would require that supervisor to file a written statement “why no conflicts of interest exist for the specific action being proposed for a vote by the Board of County Supervisors.”
The policy would also require the county to publish the individual’s personal interest disclosure statements on its website “to allow the public to easily navigate to the location of and to easily review these documents for each supervisor or chairman.”
Hopefully, the Supervisors will do the right thing and vote on the Resolution rather than using weasel words to get out of an up and down vote.
Also on today’s agenda will be the discussion about what to do with the millions of dollars “extra.” Somehow the press has gotten the idea that all the blog people want a refund for the taxpayers. I don’t want my money back. I want my money spent wisely and not to be buried somewhere so it can go to a superviso’rs pet project like Rainbow Riding who now stands to get around $200,000 instead of $100,000. I don’t want to help get Corey Stewart elected to Lt. Governor via some tricky dick accounting. I don’t want extra money given away so that favors are somehow owed. I realize the Grizzlies get a big pay back for Avendale but I don’t like it. There are many unfinished projects and long range goals that can be started or finished with extra money. What about that Catharpin Park that lost its financing? Let’s be honest, Ed Wilbourn tried to get that park up and running over a decade ago., Still we talk about it.
Silver Lake might as well be bull dozed over. The supervisors have ruined it. In the first place, it took 5 years to adjudicate who would even own it and what would be done with it. It was compromised from the beginning when Rainbow was allowed at the negotiating table. I still get the impression they think it is theirs rather than belonging to the people of Prince William County. Marty and Mike May tried to legislate a layer of protection around it but they were voted down. Politics as usual. They got called RINOs for their efforts.
The only upgrades that have been done at the lake were done by Dominion Power employees that I am aware of. Building a middle school right on top of the lake removed any chance of the lake being for passive recreation. Silver Lake is an example of bad stewardship. The county couldn’t let Bull Run Conservancy have it. They insisted on keeping it only to let it fall into neglect. it is the land time forgot. You can’t even drive back to the picnic area. Hats off to Pete Candland and his staff for attempting to turn this project around.
All of these things are quality of life issues. How about upgrading the electronic book situation at the libraries? Do some county beautification. Plant some trees in median strips. Wild flowers and bulbs can turn a median strip into a place of beauty. Nothing upgrades a neighborhood, especially an older neighborhood like some decorative trees or shrubs. Don’t send me a check. Finish the Catharpin Park, repair some potholes, cut the grass out of the street cracks, improve the county in some way. Cheap isn’t better. You get what you pay for. If we want to attract new people to the county who will bring in business, then make it look like something rather than someone’s redheaded stepchild. Upgrade the accounting systems in the county government. Come in to the 21st century. Pay for an analysis to make the county on top of things rather than 30 years behind.
I don’t live in low income housing. I would say I am about in average range. I don’t pay that much in taxes. I have sent 3.5 kids through the school system over the years. (don’t ask….its complicated about the half kid) At 3.5 times 10k times 13 years, that is a lot of bucks. That’s almost a half million dollars in per pupil spending. I doubt if I have paid that much in real estate taxes to cover all those kids–not even close. I don’ t want it back. Honest!!!! I resent being characterized as a cheap skate. If I am portrayed as a leftie, at least don’t make me a cheap leftie.
Yes, exactly, you are inflating costs. And now the equivocating starts. Oh no, Marty speaks.
Tens of millions we have saved! Peter brings up an excellent point. Yet, there’s still no Catharpin Park.
Corey is getting flustered.
Candland needs a spreadsheet to nail them, should have asked for help, I could have taken this apart.
I think they all are. Peter seems to be the only staying on point and focused. I’ve heard a lot of studdering.
Don’t get me started on the Gypsy Moth and Mosquito levy. Then where in the hell is the bug man and his spray in my hood this year? Poor has had no spray in her DARK hood for years.
err, *Moon* has had NO……
So why weren’t the overages in things like the fire-levy factored into the budget discussion earlier in the year, had they been, the fire levy likely would have been lower and thus the actual real property tax rate lower. They knew there would be an overage early in the year but didn’t factor it into the current year budget discussion. This is where “inflating costs” comes into play.
“This is not a budget process this is a carryover process” did she really just say that. Heaven forbid I were sitting at the dais, she’d be wondering where the nuclear strike came from.
She’s not being a professional in my opinion. She’s about in tears. Do you remember, Do you remember??
BARF…
There goes Peacor again talking about forecasting something to $5 but it’s only $4. That’s a 20% forecasting error. However, about an hour ago they were talking about how accurate the forecast is. Nearly perfect I think they said. Well, Melissa, which is it?
YES, Let’s discuss this fall with the citizens. It’s OUR money!
Ouch that had to hurt.
There they go about bond ratings again. Enron, Lehman Brothers, mortgage-backed securities, AIG, Prince William County – all rated high investment grade bonds!
I think Corey’s countdown clock to happy hour went off long ago. He’s sweating and stuttering.
Thanking Reinbow Riding for their participation in government. Nice, Corey, real effin’ nice…participating in riding off with saddle bags full of OUR money.
This county is such an embarrassment at times. Today definately being one of them.
Perhaps, you could slide down there and slip him a taste of happy hour.
Eww, you make that sound like a Chic-Fil-A protest.
An d what was the word of the day, boys and girls?????
ANGST
Good for Pete for asking those questions. i am willing to bet, other than Mr. Jenkins, a lot of the other 6 didn’t know the answers to a lot of the questions Pete asked.
They just don’t want to admit it. Now Mr. Jenkins, he is a budget wizard!!!
What time do they caome back to finish up business? I do not want to miss this one….especially post potables. [winkwink nudgenudge]
I Think the same thing as you MH – most of them don’t understand. But if they asked they’d be admitting to years of not understanding! Are they coming back?
Moon, did you get to hear the end of the afternoo session with clarification of their return? The next meeting is NOT until 9/11/2012. I certainly hope they return to finish business. We’ll see soon enough. I don’t see any message saying the board will return shortly.
Hello Laf – how are the store lights coming?
@Lyssa
You mean street lights? I’ve got them. It’s poor Moon that’s lacking light in her neck of the woods. 🙂
I did mean street.
I am really confused — is it legal to move the location of a meeting to another building that does not have tv cameras with which to record what is transpiring? How many of the general public knows that the location of the meeting has changed. What happened to transparency of government?
That was a real hose job if I ever saw one, Watchful.
So what happened to the Candland Resolution. It is now after 9, They must not be coming back.
Check out the Sheriff. The resolution was offered but no second. It died.
unfrigging believable!
I have to give Mrs. Nohe applause – that Lady has spunk! I roared with laughter when she referenced prior BOCS when there were more ladies….LOL! But good relating how those Lady Supervisors’ husbands were active in the community. Although I had to sigh a moment when she referenced attack by bloggers – have not heard or read anywhere I follow attacking her…and I would defend her work with CASA and Adoption in a moment!
Sheriff, it looks like I gave your credit for guessing it right, even though you disagreed with me. LOL
You should walk that one back….
👿
I am not even sure it was legal to do that. The BOCS took the conflict of interest resolution away from the prying eyes of the public. I think that vote might have to be done at a regularly announced meeting.
Meanwhile, how do we get a resolution on this NOv’s ballot as a referendum?