I recently read one of the top stories on Potomac Local about the new high school opening in 2021.

After reading, I had some thoughts about reoccurring themes happening in  Prince William County regarding the placement of public schools. I know that overcrowding has been a growing issue in Prince William County and we’ve compensated by building new schools around the county to accommodate the growth.

I’ve noticed that the school’s are being conveniently placed on the west side of the county, near Patriot High School, which can also be considered the more affluent side of the county. The school boundary lines set for these schools appear to exclude neighborhoods with a lower social economic status, which is basically gerrymandering.

The county has said the placement of boundary lines was unintentional toward these areas. Although, I understand where the school board is coming from based on the fact that there isn’t much room on the east side of the county to build new schools, however it still doesn’t change the fact that students attending these new schools are having access to better resources and technology resulting in a more advanced education.

The main purpose for adding these school is to tackle the problem of overcrowding in schools but it’s interesting to see what other “convenient benefits” come out of these new schools.

Proposed new residential developments in Prince William County — developments that need approval by the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors — have become one of the most contentious issues of our time.

Why? Because most new homes (if not senior living) could eventually house children who will use public education in our county, a county that currently has overcrowded classrooms and depends on trailers while new schools and additions are being built.

With that in mind, there is growing activism in our county to stop all development until the population, schools, r, ads and jobs are all in perfect alignment. Prior to almost every vote on proposed developments by Planning Commissioners and Board of County Supervisors, residents speak up about current and projected school overcrowding and demand denials to most developments.

Prior to the votes Planning Commissioners and Supervisors weigh all aspects of proposals including Impact Statements from Prince William County Schools (PWCS). The Impact Statement lists the number of projected students based on the number and type of homes and whether current or planned schools have (or will have) capacity to accommodate the new students.

While analyzing many of these Impact Statements and comparing them to PWCS Capital Improvement Plans and county planning documents, my office began to find some student projections that were erroneous and excessive (e.g., projections based on: inactive proposals, duplicate proposals for the same land, etc.).

This was concerning because voting yes or no on a development proposal is a very serious matter affecting not only residents, developers, and landowners, but also county budget decisions for public works, safety, education, and transportation. One cannot accurately set tax rates, suggest bond referendums, purchase school sites, and plan county infrastructure without accurate information.

After further analysis and vetting the problems with PWCS and county staff, I feel the errors are significant and that processes must be improved to ensure more realistic student projections in the future.

Our current reality is that we need more classrooms in certain areas to eliminate trailer classrooms and meet population projections. But, we must have accurate information to be good stewards of taxpayer money as we plan multi-million dollar school capital improvements over the next decade.

I do not believe that all residential development should stop, especially in light of predictions that our population will grow by 100,000 by 2040. I believe that ongoing, well-planned development is a sign of a healthy community.

My philosophy is that we should ensure homes for all levels of income, continue to work very hard to bring in more businesses, ensure jobs for all levels of education, improve our county comprehensive plan with agreement about specified areas for high and low residential density, make drastic improvements in public transit, and build schools and additions based on accurate information!

I am not casting blame for these errors as fingers could point in many directions, I am challenging our schools and county to join me in improving planning processes to ensure accurate information. Our Joint Board Committee for Capital that we started two years ago between Prince William County School Board members and Prince William County Supervisors is beginning to tackle these planning issues.

• Further overcrowd the already-overcrowded schools nearby (particularly middle and high schools), adding at least 376 students to already-overcapacity area schools. Nearby high schools currently account for 88% of PW County School District’s high school classrooms in trailers.
• Gridlock Devlin and connected roads during rush hours (per the county’s estimate, 5500 more vehicle trips per day on Devlin and surrounding roads when fully built out — 2-3 vehicles per house and 4 vehicle trips, i.e., 2 round trips, per vehicle).
• Likely lead thereafter to several thousand more houses being approved on nearby properties. The owners/potential developers of these properties are watching whether this project is  approved and they can thus go forward with their own projects. These projects can be approved quickly under the county’s DAPS process (Development Application Processing Schedule). Here’s a map of some nearby properties on the county’s DAPS map, which would bring thousands of other houses to the area (see https://www.pwcgov.org/government/dept/planning/Pages/Development-Application-Processing-Schedule.aspx ).
• Likely be tax-negative. While the developer’s lawyers at Walsh, Colucci, Lubelai, and Walsh PC claim otherwise, these claims are, of course, in no way legally binding on anyone and thus not credible. Tax-negative residential development is the main underlying reason why PW real estate taxes have gone up so much in the last ten years (35% for us), while remaining flat in nearby counties such as Loudoun. Also, don’t take too seriously any Stanley-Martin Homes Devlin Rd/Stone Haven II project proffers — i.e., worthless land and other promises to the county. Many projects’ approved proffers are withdrawn later by the developers and the BOCS when citizens are no longer paying attention.
• According to several reliable sources, the proposal, Devlin Rd/Stone Haven II, is currently expected to come before the BOCS for approval sometime around the 2018 Thanksgiving or Christmas holidays, undoubtedly to minimize input by ordinary citizens.

• Making the citizens who had come to address the Planning Commission wait for over two hours before even being allowed to speak against the Devlin Rd./Stone Haven II project. (The meeting went so late that many of them had to leave before it was finally their turn to speak.)
• Ignoring the pleas of the 15 citizens who remained — even after the over-two-hour wait — to speak against (only 6 in favor) and the pleas of Brentsville Planning Commissioner Patti McKay, who cited compelling evidence against the project as currently proposed and offered alternatives.
• Then voting 6-1 to approve the proposal, despite the overwhelming body of evidence showing it’s a bad deal for ordinary citizens. (For more info, click the following link, which includes an aerial view of the land to be used for the project: https://www.princewilliamtimes.com/news/stonehaven-lite-advances-in-bristow/article_a844cc36-bff2-11e8-98e3-4f16e15aa6b3.html).

• Devlin Road/Stone Haven II — We are hearing from several reliable sources that you may recuse yourself from the vote on this project because your wife owns an ice cream shop on Devlin Road, and the merchants in her shopping center, “Bristow Commons,” have come out in favor of the project. However, there is no conceivable conflict of interest for you if you vote “no.”
• John Marshall Commons — On May 15 2018 you voluntarily recused yourself from voting on this project, stating that your family owns a nearby ice cream shop. According to our friends at Citizens Alliance of Prince William, who checked into this, you did so despite the County Attorney reportedly assuring you that you could legally participate in the hearing, “after making proper disclosures.” The project was approved on a 4-3 vote; if you had voted “no,” it would have been defeated. (See: https://www.princewilliamtimes.com/news/county-supervisors-approve-more-townhomes-for-haymarket/article_03d403f2-5944-11e8-9e4a-97fc1d0e55c4.html).
• Blackburn — Without adequate notification to citizens and thus no citizen input, on 17 Nov 2015, you revived and persuaded the BOCS to vote for a previously-tabled proposal to build over  400 houses along Balls Ford Rd next to Coverstone, claiming that these would be luxury houses and thus not tax-negative. You also incomprehensibly claimed that by building a soccer field and possibly widening parts of Ashton Ave., Blackburn would, most importantly for you, help people living in Coverstone (what you called “a struggling area”), though you admitted that the Blackburn development “would be a hit” on roads and schools in the area. You then said you regretted that your actions would offend some constituents (all those who would be harmed by  more overcrowded roads and schools and more tax-negative residential development — i.e., ordinary citizens). But you noted that you couldn’t always please everyone and that your actions would please others — i.e., residential developers and their allies. (For further info, see: https://pwcgov.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=23&clip_id=2046 Agenda Item #13A, which is buried at the 4-hour 22-minute mark of an over 7-hour BOCS meeting.)
• Developer Campaign Contributions — According to your latest reporting, you have now received over $93,000 (35% of all your campaign $) from residential developers, including R&K Realty, the realtor for Stone Haven I and Devlin Road/Stone Haven II. This does not include thousands of dollars more that you’ve received from pro-developer cronies like Corey Stewart and Wally Covington. (See https://www.vpap.org.)
• Rural Crescent — To your credit, you’ve fought aggressively against the Bi-County Parkway (BCP), which would be built through areas of the Rural Crescent around Bull Run Battlefield and open up the whole area to large-scale residential development. We note that you’ve received $12,500 dollars from developer MaryAnn Ghadban (and brother Harry S. Ghadban), who lives in that area and has led the fight against BCP to keep residential development far away from her; and yet we’ve heard little or nothing from you supporting preservation of other parts of the Rural Crescent. (See: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/foes-of-bi-county-parkway-in-pr-william-and-loudoun-unite-in-grass-roots-campaign/2013/07/29/16487b30-e018-11e2-b2d4-ea6d8f477a01_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.5a93db85b10a. See also: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/realestate/1985/03/09/battlefield-owners-file-bankruptcy/682eb76d-0a97-41a7-a8f1-1c309e6c43f8/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.9a39576324b8.)
• Pay for Play — Considering the five bullets immediately above, it sounds to us like you increasingly support “pay-for-play” politics in PW County, just like Chairman Stewart and Chairman Connaughton before him. From now on, please say — and consistently show us — that it ain’t so. Show us that you consistently support the interests of ordinary citizens, who don’t deserve extremely overcrowded roads and schools into which they’re herded like cattle, higher taxes because of overwhelmingly tax-negative residential development, and relatively lower property values because of this overcrowding, higher taxes, less green space, and thus relatively lower quality of life in the county.

Recently, I read that our defense budget was signed into law on time for the first time in 10 years and want to thank Congressman Wittman for his part in making that happen.

I’ve known Rob Wittman over six years since meeting him at a veteran’s roundtable in Woodbridge.  He discussed how continuing resolutions kick the can down the road.  The result: passing budgets that hurt the ability of our military to plan how to combat current and future threats. 

Congressman Wittman was advocating for this years before we had a Defense Secretary like General Mattis who unapologetically called all of Congress out on it. Wittman has gone so far as to introduce legislation that withholds congressional member pay if a budget isn’t passed on time. That took courage.

It’s unfortunate but sadly typical for lives to be lost in the USS Fitzgerald collision last year before most of Congress to understand what Congressman Wittman was warning all along: lack of training and too old equipment leads to loss of life. He handled the collision investigation very well, not being afraid to hold the military accountable when he needed to while also using it to finally push Congress into action. 

Now that we have a defense budget signed into law, there is no longer a question for the Pentagon how much money they will have six weeks or six months from now. They can recruit more soldiers, make necessary restructuring to combat threats, and decide how to stay ahead of adversaries like China and Russia.

There has been a lot of discussion through the years about extending Metrorail from Springfield through Woodbridge to Dale City/Potomac Mills area. Three main reasons why this is a bad idea for the residents of Prince William County include:

• Limited economic benefit relative to the high capital and operating costs
• Long distance from the core of the Metrorail system
• Excessive amount of transportation options available to residents of Prince William County.

If you examine most end of the line Metro stations, most include similar land use configurations already existing in Eastern Prince William County. Limited non-residential development would occur in Prince William County due to Metrorail.

Prince William County currently allocates zero dollars to public transportation (Omniride and Virginia Railway Express) from their general fund. All local funding (~$20M) comes from a 2.1% regional gas tax or the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority 30% funding allocation.

In comparison, by 2025, Loudoun County will be paying over $80 million a year just to support Metrorail operating and capital costs. This would be much higher if the drivers on the Dulles Toll Road were not covering half of the cost of the Silver Line Extension. The tax district surrounding the Silver Line stations in Loudoun County will not cover the ongoing required subsidy.

It should be noted WMATA’s only goal between now and 2045 is to maintain a state of good repair and expand infrastructure to allow for all eight-car trains. If additional funding becomes available core capacity upgrades will be the first on the list.

A better solution is to continue to invest in the Virginia Railway Express 2040 system plan. The Commonwealth of Virginia, through the Atlantic Gateway Project, has committed to implementing a fourth track between Arlington/Crystal City and Alexandria and a new third track between Springfield and the Occoquan River.

The next step is finalizing the Long Bridge Expansion across the Potomac River. The state and federal delegation should be focused on securing funding for the Long Bridge expansion so VRE service could be doubled between Prince William County and Washington DC.

Along with VRE improvements, a mix with OmniRide service expansion, Fast Ferry and Slugging are the most time and cost effective solutions for the residents of Prince William County for the next thirty years.

Based on this information, Prince William County should remove all references to Metrorail extensions (Blue and Orange) during the planned update to the Transportation Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan and other relevant planning documentation and reject any planning funding to study this idea.

Mark Scheufler

Prince William County

The Prince William County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday spent a lot of time discussing whether or not Washington D.C.’s Metro subway will ever be extended to Woodbridge. 

Apparently, Prince William residents have trouble mastering some of the concepts of riding something as simple as a local bus.

Here’s the text of an email OmniRide sent to its passengers today: 

All OmniRide buses have automated announcements informing passengers of the location of the next bus stop, but in order to have the operator pull over at that stop, passengers must pull the cord or push the Stop button. Generally, bus operators pull into bus stops only if someone on the bus rings the bell to get off the bus, or if someone is waiting to board at that location. So don’t be shy! When your bus stop is one to two blocks away, let your operator know that you want to get off the bus by either pulling the cord or pushing the Stop button.

Sending Courtesy reminders is helpful but we know we can’t reach every customer with our courtesy messages. So what can you do to have a smoother commute? First, please show courtesy to others!

And if a fellow traveler seems discourteous, politely bring it to their attention. They may be new to public transportation, or they might be so caught up in their day that they don’t realize the impact they are having on others.

Your cooperation is greatly appreciated and will allow everyone to have a more enjoyable commute. Remember: Courtesy is Contagious!

Virginia’s Medicaid Expansion Keeps The Momentum Going

Millions of Virginians celebrated earlier this year when the state decided to expand Medicaid to provide healthcare to some 400,000 low-income residents who desperately need it. This was an amazing achievement, bringing to fruition the promise of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but our success doesn’t mean the health care fight is over. We need to preserve what we’ve attained and move forward.

There are few issues more critical or more personal than health care, and prospects for increasing coverage, lowering costs, and driving innovation will continue to shape family conversations, community priorities, and political races. Fortunately, we are on the right path.

Many policymakers will evaluate our health care improvements by the statistics; for example, the 20 million Americans who gained health insurance since the ACA or the 100,000 or more Virginians who can now obtain opioid addiction treatment under Medicaid. But for most people, the real measure of success is found in their own lives.[1]

For me, that centers on my son, Jay, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3. Before the ACA, his access to treatment was limited. The weekly co-pay totals for all of his required sessions was $200. This caused a financial burden on us as a middle-class family. Additionally, the health plan would only cover 20 sessions per year. This was inadequate for Jay, who is nonverbal and has been diagnosed with Level 3 Autism. 

The difference from the picture after the ACA is like night and day. Today, Jay can receive all of his required treatment with no limits free of charge.  They include speech and occupational therapy sessions, in addition to the applied behavioral analysis he previously received. This will help reduce the limitations he faces throughout his life.

As a member of the Dumfries Town Council, I hear similar stories from constituents all the time: a widowed mom who was offered a free fitness membership under her Medicare Advantage health plan, so she could get active and get out of the house more often. A woman who suffered for years with undiagnosed depression until the ACA guaranteed coverage for mental health services, and scores of patients with everything from cancer to autoimmune diseases or diabetes who were screened and then got treatment likely to lengthen and improve their lives.

Virginians are glad their health plans are doing more—not only covering more services at a lower cost, but also coordinating their care, offering telehealth options to get answers to medical questions 24/7, and even providing digital health coaching. We’re pleased the health care sector is adding jobs, and a healthier workforce is building a stronger economy.

Excellent health care means a lot to families in Dumfries and across Virginia. That’s why elected leaders can and should be working at all levels to retain the unique advantages and innovations of the ACA.

[1] https://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/medicaid-program-expands-access-for-addiction-treatment-but-the-death/article_ca0ad5f9-7b95-5b10-8521-800cd12b9614.html

On September 12th the Prince William Chamber of Commerce hosted its Policy Committee Meeting where we heard and engaged in a conversation with senior Prince William County Staff on the topic of the County’s Strategic Plan and more importantly, discussed the County’s “Moonshot Goal”.

The “Moonshot Goal” is to increase the percentage of commercial tax revenues to 35% of the County’s existing tax receipts. It is the only quantifiable goal in the approved plan, and it is ambiguous. The approved plan did not specify whether the goal was limited to real property taxes or to all taxes paid by businesses. The business community’s share of taxes is currently about 16% of all county real estate taxes, and roughly 24% of all general fund taxes collected.

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The “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” signed into law last December brought tax relief to middle-class Americans across the country. However, it will have the unintended consequence of causing tax bills to rise for over middle-class taxpayers and will hit Stafford County residents especially hard given Stafford’s high rate of homeownership and burgeoning middle-class.

In a recent video posted on Facebook, Stafford County Commissioner of the Revenue Scott Mayausky explains the incompatibility issue that exists between the federal and state returns and how it will impact Virginia’s middle-class.  The video has connected with taxpayers as it was shared more than 275 times and watched 10,000 times within a 4-day period. 

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