Here we go again. We are approaching budget time in Prince William County. First of all, the 5 year plan has gone by the wayside. There is only one new person on the BOCS so I am trying to figure out why the supervisors voted in one thing and after a year, did a 180 and discarded their own plans. Is someone wimping out? Sounds like it. The county has a lot of catching up to do since the recession and it isn’t going to happen unless there is more revenue. I see and hear Tea Party mentality.
I am trying to figure out where the 1.3% figure is coming from. The COLA is 1.7% That’s a long way from a 4% increase in revenue. What baffles me is what happened to all the big talk about bringing the county back up to speed rather than going on the cheap? What happened to that leadership I saw? Has it vaporized?
Perhaps oddest of all are the areas that the CXO was directed to protect. First off, she was directed to protect first responders from any budget cuts. That sounds good. Does that directive cover equipment and support staff also? It’s great to add cops and firefighters but if the support folks aren’t out there, there is very little the actual first responders can do.
Who will maintain the cars, the fire trucks, the rescue vehicles? Hopefully we have cops and firefighters that can double as mechanics, accountants and programmers to support what “first responders” actually do. Otherwise, without the support systems, things are going to be tough on those “first responders.”
I don’t think libraries are a priority. I believe in literacy and have spent most of my life pushing literacy in one form or another but this library initiative is purely a political move to smack the chairman in the face over something he really didn’t say. Being the suspicious person I am, I am guessing that the libraries were thrown in there to secure Mrs. Caddigan’s vote. It was abundantly clear that the two newest board members had colluded prior to the meeting. Had they “reached out” to Mrs. Caddigan for her vote?
If it comes down to money for schools or libraries, I think I will vote for schools. I might vote for upgrading software that the county staff has to use over protecting libraries also. In a perfect world, there is money for libraries. I just don’t like them being singled out at this point when so many other areas are going to get jolted with budget restrictions.
I also would bury those electric power lines along Route 1. The plan to defund that $12,000,000 is absurd. Those things are unsightly and dangerous. Winter storms and summer storms both knock out the power. Furthermore, it is a political trick to try to make Frank Prinicipi “pay” for some transgression.
Lastly, Pete Candland, I am talking to you. The disrespect must stop. I get it that you don’t like Melissa Peacor. You have made that abundantly clear. In case we missed it, your bff, “the sheriff,” has made sure to spell it out. However, I don’t know a single woman on earth who doesn’t get royally pissed off when a man cuts her off mid-sentence and talks over her. Male voices resonate far more than female voices. Some males have a bad habit of continually cutting women off and talking over them. You did that to Ms. Peacor and it was unacceptable. It doesn’t matter if you like her or not. You are conducting the business of the people and you must use good manners, regardless of personal feelings. Cutting a woman off mid-sentence is a form of bullying.
Stop doing that. I have had it done enough times to me both professionally and personally that I will call it out each and every time I see it.
With the addition of Jeanine Lawson the funding for many new and existing programs will be gone. It appeared the other night that she and Candland were joined at the hip and she is an extreme fiscal conservative. Marty Nohe trys to protect cuts to CPS workers as an amendment and she said no. Very sad day when the county won’t protect the people who protect our children. My guess is the massive upcoming funding in the PRTC won’t be funded either. There will be cuts to intra and commuter bus service. I hope I am wrong about the future.
Yea, she was a real cheap ass. Of course, those two are only two votes. I blame Corey, Maureen, Mike, and Marty for caving in and voting with them. Marty raised a weak little croak and then went along with a lot of it.
They were all falling all over each other trying not to be out-republicaned. It made me sick. I guess Pete and Jeanine have forgotten about Lexie Glover and how important it is to have enough qualified, well-trained CPS workers.
Furthermore, and I have to say this, how freaking typical. Ms. Pro-Life must think life stops at birth. I see life more as a cradle to grave issue. We take care of our own. Obviously Pete and Jeanine aren’t quite as “pro-life” as they want us to think they are. Protect the jobs of those who protect the lives of little kids. That’s a little more important to me than a library. Next time I hear about pro life out of either (and I do hear these things) I am going to call bullshit.
Shame on her for not supporting Marty’s amendment. Marty walks the walk every day of his life. Apparently with some it is only words.
The 1.3% is the Consumer Price Index – Urban from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. As you will see at the link for the table, it contains a lot of items that average up to the 1.3% for the period Nov. 2013 to Nov. 2014. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.t01.htm
The COLA of 1.7% is Social Security calculation on wages only. http://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/latestCOLA.html
Libraries: going to get intersting since the two Cities are looking HARD at the increasing costs to support the full system. Over in City of Manassas, that was a point our City Manager made when presenting the Five Year Plan which has a $500K hole in each of those five years.
And then there is that added piece “friendly amendment” by Mr. Nohe to protect CPS and Foster Care. Ok, can agree with the intent; however, excluded was protecting APS. APS is mandated, but IMHO, think it is off the BOCS radar as there has been no case that has made headlines, nor has a champion such as Mr. Nohe is for the children on the BOCS. PWC has six assigned APS staff where CPS has 80.
Race to the bottom. People want services – if you want people with good paying jobs to move to the county, you must provide a certain level of services. One can only cut so much money out of the system and either you cut essential services or you need to raise revenue. Creating sacred cows such as first responders is the worst way to try and manage a budget – tough decisions need to be made and they are putting hand cuffs on Peacor – so other departments will be slashed. Bad thinking on the BOCS part.
Sacred cows seem to be libraries and first responders. Let’s get real here. Protective services was rejected as a sacred cow. More beaten kids for the libararies? That makes no sense.
Peacor in handcuffs. Candland and Lawson joined at the hip. Well, that was predictable. The sheriff has been absolutely giddy at the thought.
I don’t know Ms. Peacor. I have heard both pros and cons about her. It doesn’t matter. We aren’t going to be personal buds. I am very tired of watching some members of the BOCS trying to beat her down. You know, that extension of the sheriff who has to denigrate her and make it sound like she has a school girl crush on various members of the BOCS. Yes, it’s harassment in its ugliest form and not gentlemanly.
@Ray Beverage
APS is adult protective services? What do they do?
I think an education is needed here…MINE.
VRS also uses the COLA.
Thanks for answering my question. I guess I don’t understand the difference in consumer price index and cost of living increase.
I honestly don’t believe the county can just blow off the lean 6 years and stick with the consumer price index revenue adjustments. that is an artificial target and I am furious that anyone would turn about and ignore the needs of this county.
Many of our county employees have been doing the work of 2-3 people for years now. Schools are way behind as far as salaries, benefits, and class size. They will never catch up.
Politics I hope….I predict a 3% tax increase???so Tea partiers can say they cut taxes and others can say they saved services. Being a County employee, severe RIFs are being proposed…it will gut the County
Hi Sean. I have a very bad feeling about all of this. I think it is definitely political and what we are seeing isn’t what we are getting.
Since when are libraries sacred cows? When someone’s vote is badly needed. Who do we have that is the patron saint of libraries, at least on this earth? hmmmmmmmm. It will be interesting to see how the voting goes.
@Moon-howler
Yes, Moon, you got it right on the acronynm for Adult Protective Services. Their mission is to support disabled over age of 18 and adults over 60 who are abused (mentally or physically), neglected or exploited.
Financial explotation is the “hot” APS issue at the moment. Public Guardianship also is works with APS. There is also the legal requirement of who have to report concerns of abuse, neglect or explotation. The link below is the PWC DSS webpage about it:
http://www.pwcgov.org/government/dept/socialservices/Pages/Adult-Protective-Services.aspx
On the Route 1 Power Lines: I have lived in this small City for 20 years now, and Route 1 has been an issue for many years. I ponder the fact that all the redevelopment plans for Route 1, the Potomac Community Study done by contract, PWC Comprehensive Plan, and the soon to be contract for the Dale City study all address burying the lines.
I just figure it all is a case on one hand talk about moving forward on a road key to redevelopment in the east vs. it cost too much and we don’t want to raise taxes. Government forgets it is a business where you have to spend money now, in order to gain the benefits. All local governments are becoming caught between that rock and a hard place.
@Ray Beverage
My stepson had to deal with that in California several years ago. Some woman had instant designs on his widowed father in law. It was a horrible situation and very little can be done because some old goat thought that he was such a stud that some 50 year old had the hots for his irresistible self.
It got very dicey as his the family tried to protect his (and their ) assets.
@Ray Beverage
It was decided and voted on back last year. The two major entrances into PWC (and Manassas/Manasssas Park) are 28 and route 1. Both look like you are coming in to a third world country. They always have. Forget the asthetics of having electricity in storms and after traffic accidents. A beautification program addressing these two areas is long overdue.
What Candland hopes the people are too stupid to realize is that money going to those power line couldn’t go to education anyway. Furthermore, he is the first person out there to cut the budget. Like it or not, the reality is a good infusion of money is what is needed to improve the classroom situation–roughly $100,000 per added classroom. That’s really the only way to get it.
Land use, land use, land use. As long as PWC continues to rely on residential property taxes to fund the government, we will continue to see this choice between higher taxes or less services. We HAVE to establish a commercial tax base and stop maximizing housing density if we ever want to break this cycle.
What commercial establishments really want to come here if their first impression is coming in on route 28 and route 1?
I have quietly watched this thread and some of the attendant hysteria, waiting for the local press to print what I already knew.
To those who have derided Candland and Lawson for shooting down poor Marty’s motion regarding child protective services and foster care workers, it was obvious that you weren’t paying attention to the meeting or simply seizing upon one aspect of the deliberations to focus undue criticism.
From the Bristow Beat:
“Piggybacking on Lawson’s motion, Mary Nohe (R) of the Coles District proposed a motioned that child protective services and foster care workers should also be protected from cuts to the county’s proposed budget. Both motions passed with only Jenkins and Principi opposing”.
Noting that both Lawson and Candland voted in favor of Marty’s motion (and that Jenkins and Principi opposed it) I expect an apology from those who asserted that as a result of Candland and Lawson’s actions it was a “Very sad day when the county won’t protect the people who protect our children”.
One of us is hallucinating. I watched the video,. I heard her not accept the motion as an amendment to hers. I heard her say No. I was already having apoplexy over the sacred cows anyway.
Just out of curiosity, who ARE the first responders? Wouldn’t it have been smarter to define them? if you have a house fire, firefighters and rescue would be first responders. If you have a cholera outbreak, I would redefine and suggest that the county medical staff to include all school nurses be pressed into service as “first responders.”
Who is going to be the support staff for the police? Who does the maintenance on the police cars? Fire trucks and ambulances? Who does the computer work?
It was such a poorly crafted motion no one really knows. I stopped watching I got so disgusted with all of them trying to out-republican each other. Why did Lawson decline to have the CPS workers as a protected species?
Want to tell me why the libraries are a priority over everything else? I like literacy but I fail to see why libraries are sacred cows unless it was a trade off for a vote. If there is going to be a budget cut before a budget is even established, then why do we have sacred cows in the first place?
I criticize the entire process and without apology. Elena had nothing to do with it. I wrote the post. She was busy undoing the entire fuster cluck from that night.
I was extremely disappointed in what I saw out of all of them.
Stern look and “I told you so” to Elena
@Moon-howler
Tsk, tsk, tsk Moon. Writing your reports for Cliff Notes and not the novel.
As to the motions themselves, they merely serve as starting points and placeholders, the real budget work has yet to begin. The upside is that it appears a round of real budget deliberations and prioritizations may occur for the first time in my memory. Peacor’s dog and pony show is not likely to be rubber-stamped, and for me that is good enough as I view it as the root of all of the county’s problems. It is long past time that her numbers should be questioned.
That’s not Republican rhetoric, that comes from several years of analysis of the numbers that 99% of the residents don’t have or aren’t given access to.
I saw:
1) Candland grinning from ear to ear as he rushed to tell everyone that he and Lawson were going to combine Budget Committees
2) Candland actually speak for Lawson. “….what she meant was…”
The first is not truly an issue, it was the delivery and frankly a controlling way to start.
This is not an independent person coming on the BOCS as you strongly asserted a few weeks ago. They couldn’t make it past the first hour. Unless she comes on as a more independent person at the next meeting, all the assurances previously made about her independence are off the mark.
The biggest laugh is these people making decisions about a billion dollars based on first responders but it was clear no one had a clue exactly what that meant. Taxpayers should be far more concerned about giving them a billion dollars to “manage” than Peacor. They are clearly only being politicians; NOT stewards of our tax dollars.
@Mom
I went back and rewatched. Oh what a treat. Yes, they eventually voted for Marty’s motion. Howevaaaaaa….why did she shoot it down in the first place and not allow it as a friendly amendment? hmmmm….I think I have a pretty good idea.
I oppose cutting that budget back to 1.3% and then throwing in Candland’s pet projects. I stand by my OPINION that the libraries were there hook. I stand by my questions about support staff and first responders, including who they really are. The motion was vague.
I stand by my concern over Ms. Peacor being dismissed when she was attempting to dumb down what is essentially an integral calculus problem regarding what has to be cut.
If you exempt libraries, CPS, “first responders” from losing bux, then any cuts are going to have a far greater impact on everything else. Just is. That’s the nature of math. It will get worse over the next couple of years.
Why plan anything. It is at the whim of the politics du jour.
Mom, you might want to go back, starting at supervisors time, and listen to what Mr. Candland had to say about the powerlines on both ends of the county. Oh Dear God!!!
Mom,
I am too busy trying to protect the west end from a destructive power line. Not sure why you are singling me out for an “I told you so”. I am not the author of this thread.
I think during this sensitive time in Pete’s district, I would stay away from any talk of power lines in any other district. Period. By anyone.
@Mom
No, I wasn’t there. Were you?
I guess a video is just as good for my purposes. I have no problem with them having a work session. It seems a little late in the game.
Now I have to say ….you are trying to reassure me that numbers that 99% of the residents don’t see…stop. Right there. I trust Peacor more than I trust many of the residents on those budget committees including the committee that Candland rarely attended.
Peacor has a task to do. Do you really think she gives a rat’s ass personally? I am tired of reading on certain blogs scenarios that involve Peacor getting something no one else is getting. Why should she care? She is not a politician.
It’s just far too personal with Candland. He needs to go to Manners 101 and learn to cut the personal out of his political dealings.
@Elena
Go listen to the video starting with supervisors time and you will spit nails.
I don’t know why *I* got the blame for that. I wasn’t up on the dais spouting bullshit. Pete was.
Also, and yes, I have read the Petey blog today, I can bet money that Frank Principi didn’t use the expression “Indian Giver.”
@Wendy
I caught that also. It was a well-rehearsed scene Tuesday night. Well rehearsed and well choreographed.
Mom, are you using your smart phone from your “office?” I can see what time it is.
You should have invited Elena and me.
Al Alborn has two great posts….he nails it and I think he is spot on
I think he brought out several important points.
I disagree on Mrs. Caddigan. Watch her votes over the next few sessions.
@Sean
I have put up a link to his blog. Last time I cleaned up my links, he was on hiatus from blogging. I had taken it down. He is now back up.
One Libertarian’s Point of View by Al Alborn
@Elena
At the risk of “inventing things,” I sent you a video of your group getting thrown under the bus over the Amazon/Dominion fight. It happened right during the BOCS meeting.
I don’t mean to imply that YOU think I am inventing…..
Our beloved supervisors have made a mockery of their responsibilities as the elected overseers of the professional management of the county government. One year into a five year plan, at the very last minute, they do a COMPLETE turnaround on budgetary oversight, all due to a loud minority of ultra-conservative voices. No manager in the world could run a government with this kind of idiocy.
How in the world can you protect “first responders” from cuts without protecting those that support them? What about the dispatchers, investigators, technicians and all the other support personnel? How can you give direction to professional staff without definitions for the groups to be segregated and protected?
Who will get the severe cuts that will have to be made to allow those above to be protected? County staff in watershed management, planning, land use, schools, library services, zoning, code enforcement, etc., have already been cut to the bone. There are two or three planners left in the county. Development plans will be rubber-stamped with no professional scrutiny. Erosion and sediment controls will fail with no monitoring.
Do we want a government or not? Where do we cut now?
Standing ovation, Middleman! I totally agree with you.
We have a county of over 400,000 people. The county is governed by professional managers. 8 officials are elected over oversee, produce revenue and give general direction. We now have 2 supervisors who are going to want to micromanage the professional team and cause dissention on the board and within the ranks. Perhaps these people should just apply to become CXO. I believe they would both find out how little they really know.
You are right. It is idiocy. Who are included as first responders? That definition would change if there was a train wreck or an outbreak of ebola. Who do they really mean? When clarification was asked for, I heard some really snippy answers being given.
Let’s hope cops and firefighters can multi-task and will be able to do their own accounting, service all the automobiles and trucks, answer the dispatcher lines, etc. I wonder how much support staff is needed for one cop “first responder?”
The news flash is, neither one of those latest supervisors are really “fiscal conservatives,” whatever that really means. Fiscal conservatives don’t place libraries on a protected list when trying to guard taxpayer money. They also don’t create continual tasks for a staff that still isn’t at capacity since the recession. How many times has Candland’s whining sent the budget office scrambling back, recalculating a different rate? Last time I asked they were using Excel or some other more primitive software. Candland needs to cut his cheerleader blog off at the roots also.
If *I* know who is behind it all, and the every county employee knows, then I bet he knows also. What a totally sorry assed way to govern. ——-> If you don’t vote the way I want you to vote I am going to ridicule you and make you look like a crook and an A-Hole. If you don’t cow-tow to me I am going to have my cheerleader blog ridicule you on personal appearance, honesty and make suggestive innuendo about you despite the fact that you are really an employee.
In the longer run, we need to change the funding paradigm, as I indicated in my post above. But until then, we HAVE to provide funding to run the county government, not just the “first responders,” whatever the h*ll that is.
Absolutely. You are correct.
Agree, a thorough scrub and change in governing and the resulting cost adjustments has to happen. But in that order. They’re approaching it backwards. Change the process and the scope first. (That’s called a strategic plan and there’s a reason they’re done for a five year period) but I prefer to call them out on their lack of stewardship with my money. Stewardship is almost a virtue….
The First Responder debacle is a clear indicator that while they may all well be financial experts they’re at a loss to grasp the process. Maybe the next debt issuance and corresponding bond rating will happen in time for reality to set in.
We haven’t heard from the schools yet. That should be interesting!
The constant blame game and rudeness toward Walts and Peacor makes me wonder why this smart BOS doesn’t just fire them. NOW. From the complaints it’s clear BOS believes they are more than 50% of the problem. So why don’t they act? Afraid they’ll have to handle things? They should answer that question – why don’t you fire Peacor and Walts? What’s stopping you?
Candland has always wanted to step in and provide guidance for the schools. It appears that he would just brush the school board aside.
We worked long and hard in Virginia to have elected school boards just so that couldn’t happen. The school board has oversight of the money once they receive it and this fact apparently chaps Candland. The schools are so strapped now it is ridiculous.
My sister in law just told me that they are going to get an extra day for showing up at work the awful snow day, Tuesday. She is in Loudoun. Fairfax will also get an extra day. So many employees simply couldn’t get there. (they wont get the extra day). Walts said he doesn’t think there is the money for Prince William to do that. Well, why isn’t there money? Is the BOCS going to start counting paper clips and staple strips on the school board?
I said it earlier. The votes were not there to crater the plans to bury power lines on Route 1.
How many more of Candland’s diatribes will the people of PWC have to endure?
I found it interesting to learn, via Mr. Candland, that Fairfax teachers aren’t underpaid. Are you serious? Check out last week’s article on Superintendent Garza’s quest for teacher raises.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/superintendent-seeks-pay-raises-for-fairfax-county-teachers/2015/01/10/00c340bc-98f7-11e4-8385-866293322c2f_story.html
Fairfax is hurting also. More money has to go to the schools.
It was good to see the many supporters of Woodbridge step up at the supervisors meeting. The County needs to cleanup RT28 too. Both eyesores really detract from Prince William.
They certainly do, Clueless. The last time I went down Route 1, however, it made Route 28 seem like Monument Avenue by contrast.
Route 1 also runs from Florida to Maine. That can’t help.