Thursday, February 7, 2013
The county administrator presented his budget proposal to Loudoun supervisors; public hearing dates announced.
County Administrator Tim Hemstreet told the Loudoun Board of Supervisors that the real estate tax rate in the county could be pushed lower than advertised without reducing revenue thanks to $15 million to $20 million in previously unanticipated assessment increases. Hemstreet presented his proposed FY 2014 budget to the board Wednesday, adding that supervisors could keep the rate at the advertised $1.23 per $100 of assessed value and fund additional county goals, or lower the rate 2-3 cents. The fiscal plan totals about $1.8 billion in appropriations for the general county government and school system. When initially advertised, $1.23 was the equalized rate, meaning the average tax bill would remain the same; now a lower rate would result…
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Controversies over rail decision and Sterling District supervisor were top issues of board’s first year.
Two issues dominated the first year of the current Loudoun County Board of Supervisors’ lineup – the question of whether to approve extending Metrorail’s Silver Line to Dulles Airport and into Loudoun County, and charges surrounding Sterling District Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio. Metrorail The Metrorail decision was not only the Board’s most important decision of the 2012, it may have been the most significant in decades. Seen as a major economic development stimulus by the business community – and some supervisors – it was also strenuously opposed by many residents for a variety of reasons, most notably the cost of the project and means of financing it. With an all-Republican board that placed a high priority on economic development, one …
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Airport was at the center of former Senator Charles L. Waddell’s professional and legislative careers.
Leesburg Today recently published a series of excellent articles written by Margaret Morton about Washington Dulles International Airport to commemorate the airport’s 50th anniversary. In one of those articles, Morton focused on former Virginia Senator Charles L. Waddell, who was one of Dulles Airport’s greatest champions over the years. Those who are new to Loudoun County may not be aware of Waddell’s long political career – first as a member of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors starting in the late 1960s, then as an influential member of the Virginia Senate for 27 years. As chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, then as a member of the Finance Committee, he used his influence to help fund improvements at Dulles, enact …
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Chairman of the last all-Republican Board of Supervisors died last week.
George Barton, who died Nov. 24, was one of the most influential people in Loudoun County during the 1980s and ’90s. He was a major player in the media, government and education during an era when the county was much smaller, both in population and the harder to quantify “sense of place.” He was a small-town editor at a time when Leesburg was still a small town, and Loudoun was a small county. When Barton edited the Loudoun Times-Mirror, it wasn’t unusual for community leaders walk in and complain about something they had read in the paper. He wrote a weekly column that bore his photo and gave readers a sense of where the editor stood on issues large and small. And he was the kind of editor who would lend not just his name, but his …
Thursday, November 15, 2012
The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors have declared Nov. 15 as a day to recycle.
The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors has proclaimed Thursday, Nov. 15, as America Recycles Day in Loudoun County. In 2011, Loudoun increased its recycling rate by 1.2 percent, recycling over 97,000 tons of material. More than 78 percent of the materials were bottles, glass, paper, plastic, and cans collected through residential and business recycling programs. The Loudoun County government also participates in recycling programs. During the past year, employees recycled over 100 tons of cardboard and paper, as well as plastic, metal and glass containers. Specialists from the Loudoun County Department of Construction and Waste Management suggest the following tips for local residents who would like to recycle: More information about …
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Swept by Republicans last year, Loudoun County turns out to be purple after all.
Tuesday’s election provided a sharp reminder to the all-Republican Loudoun County Board of Supervisors that this is not an all-Republican county. Loudoun County may have looked scarlet to them a year ago, when Republicans won not only every seat on the board, but also every constitutional office on the ballot as well as most Virginia General Assembly seats representing Loudoun residents. But the county that has now voted twice for Barack Obama for president remains undeniably purple. Obama not only won Loudoun again, he won it handily, with 51.4 percent of the vote to 47 percent for Mitt Romney. The president’s margin was slightly wider in Loudoun County than in Virginia as a whole. Some of the supervisors have at times conducted …
Monday, November 5, 2012
Due to the elections, the Loudoun County board will meet Wednesday morning.
Tuesday's Loudoun County Board of Supervisors meeting has been canceled due to the election. Instead, the board will meet at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, in the Board Room of the Loudoun County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E. in Leesburg. Documents for the board meeting can be found on the Loudoun County government website.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Board of Supervisors chairman is paying the price for his endorsement of Delgaudio.
Last year, Board of Supervisors chairman Scott York raised some eyebrows when he endorsed his controversial colleague Eugene Delgaudio for re-election to the board, despite the fact that York and Delgaudio had often clashed openly during their 12 years together on the board. York also openly wished for an all-Republican board. As my mother likes to say, “Be careful what you wish for. You might get it.” York got his wish, and now Delgaudio has become his thorniest problem. On September 25, the Washington Post reported that Donna Mateer, a former aide, accused Delgaudio with improperly using her services – while she was being paid by the county government – for campaign fundraising activities. She also said Delgaudio’s rants directed at his …
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Board’s practice of setting limits on budget proposals is a relatively recent development.
Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chairman Scott York made a good point on Oct. 3 when the board was discussing the fiscal guidance it would give the county administrator and school system regarding the development of the budget for Fiscal Year 2014. Earlier in the discussion, Blue Ridge District Supervisor Janet Clarke prefaced her remarks by saying, “I appreciate the fact that we have to go through this exercise every budget season.” By “appreciate,” I assume she meant that she understood that the fiscal guidance was a necessary first step in the process. But it really isn’t necessary. In fact, the board hasn’t always kicked off the budget process by delivering fiscal guidance. This is a relatively new phenomenon. When York’s turn came…
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Supervisors bypass School Board to challenge school administrators to find cost savings.
One of my favorite moments of this baseball season occurred when Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels and Nats rookie Bryce Harper faced one another for the first time in the Major Leagues. In that first at bat, Hamels plunked Harper in the back. Hamels later admitted that he was sending Harper a message: “Welcome to the big leagues, Kid.” Then, Harper responded in the best possible way, with a message of his own. After advancing to third base on a single, he pulled off one of the rarest and most thrilling feats in baseball – he stole home. Harper’s message for Hamels: “Mess with me and I’ll make you pay.” Messages sent and received. I remember when sending messages weren’t just about testosterone and macho posturing. Sending a …
No Toll Increase
2:36 pm on Thursday, January 10, 2013
They said we needed Dulles Rail to bring commercial development and bring down property tax rates. After less than 6 months, how's that working out? So far we have Toll Brothers asking to rezone Belmont Executive Center from commercial to more residential, and MWAA looking to monopolize commercial development with their property-tax-exempt land surrounding the Rt. 606 station. Bait and switch. more ›