Letter to the Editor
Dear Fellow Woodbridge Residents,
The nearly $2 Billion FY2014 Prince William Budget goes into effect July 1, 2013 with funding from several revenue streams, including a real estate tax rate of $1.181 per $100 of assessed value for both homeowners and businesses. This represents a cut to the tax rate outlined in the Board of County Supervisor’s Five Year Plan and represents a tax burden on families and businesses that is 30% lower than surrounding Northern Virginia communities. While the budget cuts result in a failure to invest in many of our critical unmet needs, it is far better than the flat tax bill proposed by other Supervisors.
I am pleased to report that the FY2014 Budget includes many of the programs and services that directly impact our community. The budget includes:
· 29 additional Police Officers and 15 new School Resource Officers
· Construction of the new central district police station
· 15 additional Firefighters
· Route 1 Widening from Featherstone Road to Neabsco Mills Road
· A 1,200 space commuter parking garage at Potomac Town Center (financed with the Virginia Department of Transportation)
· Five case workers for the Intellectually Disabled
· Preservation of the Health Department’s Programs
· 7 Additional Classrooms at River Oaks Elementary School
· Stadium Lights at Veteran’s Park
· Upgrades to Middle School Playing Fields for use by the Community
· New Voting Machines
In addition, the Board also slightly improved the long-standing Revenue Sharing Agreement with the school system. By increasing the school’s portion of General Fund Revenues from 56.75 percent to 57.23 percent, our children in the school system will receive more local funding. Despite this, we have learned that the school system still faces significant cuts both from the state budget and from the reduced tax rate. Fundamental to this and all future budgets is the need to keep pace with a growing population and a higher cost of living. As our county continues to grow, our budget must keep pace with the rate of growth.
During this budget season, there were many proposals on the table – some that funded our critical unmet needs and others that would result in devastating cuts to the most vulnerable of our citizens. Please join me in the continued implementation of our vision of a New Woodbridge and making our community a truly great place to live, work, and play.
Learn more about the vision by friending us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and visiting us at newwoodbridge.org. I’ll see you in the neighborhood!
Sincerely,
Frank J. Principi
Woodbridge District Supervisor
Prince William Board of County Supervisors
