It’s time. I was going to wait until July 16 to put up a thread about budget woes of the county because I believe in working with facts rather than with rumor and gossip. I will continue to wait. However, a lot of people have something to say about this latest event which as I understand it, is a matter of under-budgeting. You know, one of those nasty little mathematical human error types of mistakes. No one has stolen anything or tried to gip the taxpayers out of their hard earned dollars.
There is a certain contingency in the county who want to fry various county employees and supervisors. There is another contingency who hate a witch hunt and who want facts. This is a spot for facts about the county and how you want it governed.
Please, send us you FACTS.
From Channel 4 News 11:00 PM 7/2/13
View more videos at: http://nbcwashington.com.
Ms Howler – I find that my pals and I have difficulty getting our comments posted in Nottinghamn. Usually if our comments include or address an explanation for a situation or an attempt to defend the numerous county employees vilified there it is not posted. In light of recent news, this information should be shared with the citizenship of PWC – but I am unsure that it will see the light of day there (of course, back stepping has occurred frequently if pointed out to the public or if we “dare” the blog owner).
The comment below is in response to a question posed by an individual that made the cut. It’s wonderful that citizens are interested enough in local government to read these belts, its unfortunate that the blog owner is less concerned with correcting mis-information and more concerned with personal attacks.
Thanks for the freedom to post here – PWC is in the top 0.4% among localities in the US as regards financial management.
Q – Is there a reason the budget and books aren’t audited by an external firm annually?
A – They are. Called the Single Audit Act of 1984. All non-Federal agencies spending more than $500k in Federal funds are mandated by law. All rating firms the county uses mandates that as well. All bonds and notes bought require that too.
For many years, PWC has enjoyed a AAA bond rating. Statistically 72 out of the 17,669 (or 0.4 percent) local governments throughout the country have acheived this level of rating. This rating has saved millions in debt service – millions. This is due to the collective work of your county employee.
According to financial experts both private and public PWC is in the top 0.4% in the US of local governments as regard to financial planning and financial management.
I put our group message on Nottingham and was called “Jason”. Jason Grant, I presume. Childish response when you have nothing going for you in the way of discussion.
Fact – before the transfer $5M is 0.005% of total billion dollar budget.
Fact – after the transfer $5M is 0.01% of PWC Govt share (half a billion)
Fact – External Auditor already called in
Fact – Only employees/officials that knew (before “leak”) were a very small group of key executive staff and Board.
Response to the Sheriff’s spin spin spin–Leak Leak Leak.
It’s pretty easy to bust a story right out of Candland’s office, isn’t it?
It’s obvious. Watch the layers of understanding being peeled away over the days.
By the way, Captain Obvious, how are the supervisors supposed to “inform” the public?
One supervisor did inform the public through the blogs. Now there’s the way for limited understanding to craw out from under a rock, isn’t it.
Scream in the best high pitched voice imaginable that the sky is falling before all the facts are in.
I want to know, who does not believe that Pete Candland’s office is the direct conduit to the “sheriff”? It’s like we have our very own briebart in PWC and that is no compliment. Is this clerical issue a problem, of course it is. But we aren’t talking about embezzlement here folks, we are talking about a math screw up, albeit a serious math screw up, but nothing nefarious. And the cover up? What a bunch of melodrama…OY VEY! How about they find out the facts and then have a proper response for the public.
We have serious issues in this county regarding the school system and attracting new businesses that need to be addressed. These gyrations around supposed scandals detract from the business at hand. The Sheriff has done nothing to enhance PWC, his agenda is otherwise. This is tiresome. I would say that Pete has lost control of the Sheriff but I doubt he ever had any. I think it is the other way around which to me is frightening. It also bothered me that in the latest post article it was Reece Collins being quoted and not the Gainesville Supervisor. That does not seem normal to me but perhaps other Chiefs of Staffs have been quoted. Any examples?
We are a fairly well run county if you want to compare us to the other 2000 in the US and we are not perfect. We have a lot of strengths to attract business here. This is what they (staff and the BOCS) should spend their time on. Not made up scandals.
Sorry for the previous post, it did not contain any facts. So here are some facts about people employed IN PWC. This isn’t about the county government but they are facts. Why are we so far below the national average?
http://www.insidenova.com/news/local/employment-wages-up-in-prince-william-county/article_4ce1ba1a-e31c-11e2-9f55-001a4bcf887a.html
From the article:
Average weekly wages for those employed in Prince William County stood at $863 in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to federal figures, an increase of 2.1 percent. The national average was $1,000.
Among other jurisdictions in the local area, the average weekly wage for the fourth quarter of 2012 was $1,703 in the District of Columbia, up 2.2 percent from a year before; $1,625 in Arlington County, up 2.1 percent; $1,588 in Fairfax County, up 4.3 percent; $1,460 in Alexandria, up 2.5 percent; and $1,171 in Loudoun County, up 4.3 percent
Are those figures for those employeed BY the county or just those who live here?
I have pondered if the error was caused, when they merged various databases, one of the ones from the constant “budget drills” to find a number accidently got appended – which is a truly logical error when you are sent back constantly to come back with a lower number…or a range of numbers.
Absolutely, Ray! I laugh at how some of these supervisors bark out for them to go back and see what it looks like if we do this, or do that. Last I heard they use outdated software because the county is too cheap to buy new software. It is extremely time consuming to do budget drills.
I think its time to buy state of the art finance software. For want of a nail…..
Who knows what they use?
@Ray Beverage
I suspect you are right on the mark Ray.
Folks need to remember–it takes 1,000 million to equal 1 billion. 5 million – 1/200 of 1 billon. So $5 million is a very small number in this thing. The whole thing is another example of the Sheriff creating a Tempest in a Teapot.
Moon,
I bet a new updated softwareprogram is substantially cheaper than needing to find 5 mil!
I’d donate to Stewart’s next campaign if he’d call him out –
Sheriffites all (all 5 of them) seem to have some sense of paranoia. Somebody done somebody wrong. Somebody is after the taxpayer. Somebody is picking the sheriffites’s pockets.
Stewart is craftier than that, Wendy.
I have never heard so of many people who now in the Stewart camp.
@Friar Tuck
That blog really cracks me up lately – I think it’s spinning out of control. Elected official leaking information to anonymous paranoid bloggers fueling mis-information and the uninformed into a foaming frenzy..
Ah, not there yet. Waiting for some action
@Moon-howler Those who just live there.
That speaks volumes.
What I would like to figure out is why there is a contingency of people in this county, on a certain blog, who have a persecution complex. It baffles me.
@Moon-howler
Those figures are for individuals who hold a job within the county. Someone who works for the county, or any other business within the county, would be included. Someone who lives in pr. Wm. but works in another county would not be included.
All retail. Well the other blog is doing its best to prevent any good development in the county.