About 450 Manassas Park residents received a Real Estate property tax bill for less than they owed.
Keystone, a firm contracted by the city to handle all of its financial transactions, from taxing, permitting, and utility payments, underbilled the property owners $156 on average, resulting in about $70,000 fewer tax dollars for the city.
Six PDR properties identified: This week, Stafford County recognized the owners of the six properties most recently added to its Purchase of Development Rights Program. The properties bring the total number of acres preserved by the program to 1,035 and the number of development rights retired to 273. [Stafford County Government]
Open road: Route 628 (Winding Creek Road) in Stafford County reopened to through traffic today between Route 733 (Embrey Mill Road) and Route 1947 (Walpole Street). [Press Release]
[Corrected on December 17] A border crossing into El Salvador by a man living in Stafford County led to the discovery of a stolen firearm.
On August 30, the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office learned of the theft of a firearm from a house in North Ferry Farm. The weapon is a Springfield Armory 9 millimeter handgun. The victim provided the serial number to enter the gun into a law enforcement database as stolen. Detective A. Sanchez, Jr. led the investigation.
[Updated December 21] A Manassas woman died after a car ran off a road, struck a tree, and caught fire.
At 2:24 a.m., investigators with the Prince William police Crash Investigation Unit went to 12500 block of Purcell Road, just outside Dale City. The driver of a 2011 Honda Accord was speeding east on Purcell Road and lost control of the vehicle, police said. The car struck a tree, and a fire consumed the vehicle.
A mosque in Manassas will soon expand, allowing more women to use the facility.
The Manassas City Council unanimously approved a special use permit for the Prince William Islamic Center at 9002 Mathis Avenue. Imam Dr. Mohamed E. Hassan plans to build a 3,000-square foot addition to the mosque opened in 2008.
Triggered by its police and fire departments, leaders in Prince William County will create a new policy that allows its local government employees to collectively bargain for higher wages.
Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun counties, and Alexandria city made similar moves this year after the General Assembly voted to allow collective bargaining for local government employees, reversing the 1970’s-era ban on the practice.
The city’s Equity and Inclusion Committee held a series of pop-up listening sessions, regular online video meetings, and discussions with area leaders. The most commonly used word in responses received from residents was “equality,” said commission Chairman George Odom.
During a speech to the city council, Odom reminded elected leaders equality and equity is not the same. “Equality treats everyone the same without deference to different races, sexes, or social classes,” said Odom. Meanwhile, “equity” deals in judging the fairness of an issue, Webster’s Dictionary defines.
