Who’s the wealthiest of them all?

MoonHowler

From Forbes:

Rank County State Median Household Income
1 Loudoun County Virginia
$117,876
2 Howard County Maryland
$108,844
3 Fairfax County Virginia
$107,096
4 Hunterdon County New Jersey
$105,186
5 Arlington County Virginia
$100,474
6 Stafford County Virginia
$97,606
7 Putnam County New York
$96,223
8 Somerset County New Jersey
$95,825
9 Douglas County Colorado
$95,324
10 Morris County New Jersey
$95,294
11 Montgomery County Maryland
$94,965
12 Prince William County Virginia
$93,744
13 Nassau County New York
$93,214
14 Santa Clara County California
$91,425
15 Charles County Maryland
$90,880

Prince William County is #12. That’s not too shabby. Half the households make more than $93,744 annually and half make less. Loudoun, of course, puts us to shame with a top median household income of nearly $118,000 per year.

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School Board needs to hold BOCS’ feet to the fire

MoonHowler

feet

Bristowbeat.com:

The Prince William County School Board gave the Superintendent guidance on preparing a budget that would explore cuts to discretionary programs, Wednesday, but would fund teacher salary increases and class size reductions across one grade level in the district.

In discussion, the proposal to eliminate full-day kindergarten proved to be unpopular amongst board members. School Board members were also unhappy about eliminating specialty programs, but nonetheless agreed to review them along with other discretionary programs. 

Back in December, the Board of County Supervisor’s provided its own budget guidance to the County Executive. They asked her to create the county’s Fiscal Year 16 [FY16] budget based on a tax increase of 1.3 percent, rather than the 4 percent tax increase prescribed by the board’s five-year plan.

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Cheap-ass BOCS antics threaten all-day kindergarten

MoonHowler

Washingtonpost.com:

Prince William County’s schools enrollment boom has outpaced the growth of the district’s budget for years, a quandary exacerbated by the recession. Class sizes have ballooned. Bus service has been cut. Per-pupil spending has flattened.

Faced with the prospect of the county’s enacting a smaller than planned increase in the property tax rate, the school board has again begun weighing drastic cuts, this time to the district’s treasured universal full-day kindergarten program, which Superintendent Steven L. Walts once touted as his “greatest accomplishment.” After years of cutbacks, board members said there are few places left to look to save money.

“It’s more of an economic calculation than an educational calculation,” said school board Chairman Milton C. Johns (At Large), who has championed the expansion of the program. “We’re out of options.”

So this is what it comes down to?  The BOCS needs to stop trying to “out-Republican” each other and do the right and responsible thing.  Cutting new funding back to a $12 million increase is not the right and responsible thing to do when PWC gets approximately 2000 new students per year.

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Cheapo actions by BOCS cause serious cuts to school system

MoonHowler

insidenova.com:

Prince William County could have “a fundamentally different school system” if a proposal to hold real-estate tax bills at the rate of inflation is approved, a move that could trigger up to $20 million in cuts next school year, School Board Chairman Milt Johns says.

The school board won’t discuss particulars until Feb. 4, but to brace for what Johns calls an “unplanned and dramatic revenue cut,” he’s asking board members to consider discretionary spending cuts to absorb a loss of about $11 million in expected revenue. At the same time, he wants to maintain a planned pay scale “step increase” for teachers, costing about $8 million, and a $1 million plan to reduce class sizes in one grade level.

Johns is asking the board to find savings in three areas: full-day kindergarten programs at non-Title I schools; bus service to middle and high school specialty programs and construction and renovation projects planned to begin in fiscal year 2016.

None are cuts Johns would advise, but they are the few large-ticket items that can be reduced to find significant savings in the division’s budget.

I have a plan. PWC needs to stop going on the cheap. They attempt it again and again. That’s how we get in these pickles to start with.   There cannot be a supervisors meeting without Pete Candland piping up and trying to “reform” us.  In December, he proposed to disregard the 5 year plan and hold revenue increases to 1.3%.  As it stands, the budget guidance is once again going on the cheap.

Pete and his sidekick are only 2 people.  Why did three other irresponsible people chose to support cheap again?   I don’t like paying taxes either.  In a perfect world. I would get really good services for nothing.  As it turns out, that isn’t how things work.  If I want decent services commensurate with Northern Virginia standards, I am going to have to cough up some money.

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BOCS protects first responders and libraries, neglects support staff

MoonHowler

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?

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Democrat Eric Young running for Brentsville District

MoonHowler

EY_small

Eric Young has announced his candidacy for the BOCS seat vacated by former supervisor Wally Covington.  Young is a life-long resident of  Prince William County  and grew up in Nokesville where he currently makes his home .  He will be running as a Democrat.

I am glad to see Mr. Young throw his hat in the ring for this race.  Even though I cannot vote for him, all supervisors influence the county.  There was just something about that other race that wasn’t quite meeting all requirements of my sniff test.

Mr. Young has taken the pledge to take no developer money.  Now there’s a switch.  It isn’t that Young is anti growth or even anti development.  He seems to want decisions based on what is best for the county, rather than who can throw the most money at each supervisor.  Novel concept, eh?

Stay tuned.

Mr. Young’s website:

http://www.ericyoungpwc.com/

 

 

Tweeting birdies say RUN, COREY, RUN!!!

MoonHowler

Yesterday I had a strange phone call from a county employee who identified themselves as an “ex-birdie.”  I almost hung up on them except his voice sounded very familiar to me.  Once we got the identity established, the fun began.  It seems that loyalty to staff counts a great deal at Complex 1 and at Independent Hill.

There are about 4,000 county staff and about 10,000 school board staff.  The caller then asked me (like I would know) why Pete Candland thinks that they would all vote for him rather than Corey Stewart.  I just listened, assuming that was a rhetorical question.  He went on to say that Candland has subjected their bosses to public embarrassment and humiliated them with supposed gotcha questions.  Additionally, there has been a great deal of public criticism over staff work projects over the past two years that we keep hearing about during BOCS meetings.  Now that is getting fairly personal.  He also told the budget director her numbers were wrong when in fact, they weren’t  wrong.

This employee was on a rant.   He then told me that Melissa Peacor was far more popular with staff than Candland realizes and that she had been attacked relentlessly (THAT part I know, the popular point I didn’t.)   Chris Martino was also called out by Candland’s BFF, the Sheriff, as being a financially  illiterate nincompoop.  Martino’s sound investment choices kept the county on an even keel for the past 5 years and Fairfax County routinely called him for advice, very often too late.  (I knew that Chris Martino was much sought after by other municipalities from some of my chick friends at Complex 1.)  (Too bad Fairfax, you snooze you lose, he’s ours!)

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Tea Party mentality vanquished by the BOCS 2014

MoonHowler

Budget time is always a contentious time of year.  This year was particularly awful.  It didn’t have to be that way.  The county tax rate was set at $1.148.  It probably should have been much higher to start bringing some of our deficiencies like class size and first responders into line.  But it wasn’t.  We should be glad that it is as high as it is.  The schools are still short several million dollars.

I am not sure why the notion that officials  need to “cut spending” is so popular amongst some people.  I live in this area because I want better than average services.  I hate tea party mentality.  I also don’t feel that I am over taxed.   “Cut spending” is a bumper sticker slogan.  Prince William has been so lean for so many years, “cut spending” just sounds stupid.

What particularly peeved me this time is the number of people who live in far more expensive houses than mine who whined about taxes and then tried to do it on MY behalf.  In fact, my neighborhood was cited by name.  For starters, it isn’t a poor neighborhood.  It is an older neighborhood.  There is a huge difference.  A lot of people who live near me have grown children.   We aren’t utilizing the schools.  We do want fast response time if we need the police, fire or rescue.  We want our streets maintained, swept, and the weeds killed that are growing out of the cracks in the road and sidewalks.  We want adequate lighting.  There are no street lights in my community.

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No library in the Gainesville District? BS!

MoonHowler

Several speakers at Citizen’s Time yesterday  spoke to the issue of a library in Gainesville.   In fact, one woman shrieked at the board for a solid three minutes.  Sadly, she did not make her point.  Shrieking anger  seems more blog-like than tone one should use addressing the BOCS.  I was extremely grateful when her three minutes were up.   Other speakers spoke for the libraries at citizens time, with considerable less vitriol.

What some of the people in Gainesville must not realize is that they have a library.  We call it Bull Run Regional Library up here in the original Gainesville District.  It’s right over in the Sudley North Center, off of Sudley Manor Drive on Ashton Avenue.  It’s very much in the Gainesville area.  It’s a modern, attractive,  large, well-stocked  facility with several community meeting rooms.

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Bristow Beat: Recap of BOCS Meeting

MoonHowler

One of the best re-caps  of yesterday’s BOCS meeting can be found at the Bristow Beat.  Stacy Shaw did a great job of summarizing the very long meeting as well as using citizen profiles and quotes to encapsulate the various points of view represented.  In fact, the Virginia Press Association named Bristow Beat the best in Breaking News Writing in the online-only category  at their annual awards banquet last Saturday night.  Congratulations, Bristow Beat!

Perhaps the most refreshing part of Stacy’s write-up was the air of neutrality.  I saw none of the bias one usually associates with local news, whether it is blog related or actual online or print media.  Yes, we expect blogs to portray bias.  That is sort of the point of a blog.  But all too often the actual online news sources can’t seem to resist showing their colors.  It is just darn difficult to find your news without an infusion of commentary.

One of the most touching parts of the meeting was listening to people speak to the needs of the Prince William Free Clinic.  It literally is a lifesaver for people who do not have health coverage and who might not have the out of pocket funds to get medical and dental treatment.  Not everyone gets Medicaid, especially men.  Where would these people be without the free clinic?  Hopefully, Ray B. will come along and enlighten us about who really does qualify for Medicaid in Virginia.  This illumination will be helpful when we listen to our state legislators argue the need for expanding Medicaid for 400,000 Virginians.

Meanwhile, be sure to read Stacy Shaw’s article covering the most recent Board of Supervisors meeting.  Keep up the good work, Stacy.

Bristowbeat.com

 

Stewart, Jenkins, Principi and Nohe make the Hall of Fame

MoonHowler

A huge thank you goes out to Corey Stewart, John Jenkins, Frank Principi and Marty Nohe for attempting to keep the advertised tax rate at the current rate of  $1.181.  These supervisors understand that we must leave ourselves some wiggle room when numbers come in for real situations rather than predictions.  Predictions can change, based on many factors, at this stage of the budget game.   Supervisors Stewart, Jenkins, Principi and Nohe all have a place in the Moonhowlings Hall of Fame for their efforts to do the right thing at budget time.

Unfortunately, we had to reserve a row of   naughty chairs for Supervisors Caddigan, May, Covington and Candland.  Were they all trying to out-tea party each other?  Those 4 naughty chairs sit in the Hall of Shame for right now.  It’s not too late to redeem yourselves.

Mr. Candland’s response was not unexpected.  He and his minions had been preaching austerity and fiscal doom and gloom all along.  However, Mrs. Caddigan has always been a champion of the teachers–until she isn’t one.  Mrs. C–what kind of deal did you cook up over there at Ruby Tuesdays?  Please tell me I heard wrong!  You have lost your “supports teachers and children”  street cred.  Creating an unholy alliance won’t really protect you.  Mike May, I am surprised at you also.    No more ‘good guy street cred.’

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The taxman cometh to PWC (without the hysterics and girlie screams)

MoonHowler
Local man thinks his tax bill is tripling.
Local man thinks his tax bill is tripling.

Let’s face it.  None of us like to pay taxes.  It’s against our grain to turn over our money to anyone else without seeing something visible and tangible in return.  Local taxes are often invisible–Public money goes  to schools, roads, community services like fire and rescue other people’s welfare, and to fix broken pipes and water mains.  If you don’t commute, have kids in school or if your house doesn’t catch fire, then you might not have much of a notion as to where your ‘hard earned’ cash goes.

[Does anyone have money that isn’t “hard earned?”  Are there any of us who aren’t tax payers?]

This  Tuesday, the PWC Board of County Supervisors will set the proposed tax rate for  FY 15 which begins July 1, 2014.  To read local blogs, one would think that Tuesday is  Doomsday.  Prognosticators wearing long robes and carrying signs have been predicting the end of the world for months now with the evil chairman being the chief instigator to take that hard earned cash.  One would think the evil chairman was a one horse show, rather than simply one of 8 elected officials.  Enough about Wizard Stewart, the money grabber.  Let’s examine a few things about the tax rate and what it represents.

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Electronic town hall: The District of Nottingham

MoonHowler

Now we use the telephone

I used to live in the Gainesville District.  In recent times, I am not so sure what district I live in.  I have not moved.

Last night, my supervisor held an electronic town hall meeting.   I like the concept of the electronic town hall meeting.  I enjoyed the last one.  Last night, not so much.  All I heard were talking points from a local blog.  I was disappointed.  I pretty much heard affirmation of an uncooperative board of supervisors and an irresponsible school board.  I don’t believe either of these bodies are irresponsible.  Furthermore, the school board is not made up of members of society from a lesser god.  They are duly elected officers  of the county, the same as the board of supervisor members.

I wanted to ask a question but I figured I wouldn’t get through to my supervisor.  It wouldn’t have been well-received, I don’t think.

The question I would have asked is the following:

If I contacted the supervisor’s office or the county over something that irritated the supervisor, would he post my inquiry on his website, thus opening me up for ridicule and vicious attacks from local bloggers and contributors?

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BOCS considers county tax extension

MoonHowler

Manassas Patch:

Because of the federal government shutdown, the Board of County Supervisors should extend the deadline for paying personal property taxes, which are due Saturday, a Prince William County Supervisor said.

Brentsville Supervisor Wally Covington on Thursday said that he would ask the Board to extend the deadline for up to 90 days, the maximum allowed by state law. Thousands of Prince William County residents are employed by the federal government, and many may not be receiving paychecks, Covington said. He will propose the resolution at the Board’s Tuesday meeting.

“In recognition of the fact that many citizens have already endured years of economic uncertainty due to the inaction of Congress to pass their own budgets and now, many of those same citizens today literally do not know when their next pay check is coming, we as their elected officials have a duty to use our power to bring them some relief,” Covington said in a prepared statement.

Supervisor Peter Candland indicated he would probably support Covington’s resolution.  Manassas Patch stated that taxes were due today, October 5.  They are actually due of October 7.  Even if the resolution does not pass, supervisors should consider dropping the late fee and interest for those who are paying late.

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Prince William County: Well-managed Finances

MoonHowler

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Despite much whining out of some quarters about too much money being held in reserve accounts, apparently Prince William County’s Deputy County Executive Chris Martino feels the county is right on target.  Martino shared the Principles of Sound Financial Management updated and adopted in December 2012 as a backdrop to his explanation of county reserves.

The financial advisor for the county, JoAnne Carter, provided additional insight into just how important keeping cash reserves available for unforeseen events really is.  Ms. Carter is with the firm PFM and has been the county’s financial advisor for 12 years.  She shared some outcomes for counties who didn’t follow sound principles and who had lost their superior AAA rating.

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