Board of County Supervisors - Organizational Meeting - Jan 14, 2025

meeting

Prince William County Board of Supervisors 5h 7m 5 speakers 8 agenda items transcribed 1 day ago official recording ↗

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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

What is discussed at the start of this meeting?

Deshundra Jefferson 23:52

I feel like I haven't seen you guys in a year. I had to do it. I had to do it. I'm sorry, y'all. All right, let's get started. Welcome to our first meeting of the year. This is our organizational meeting. We are going to start with a moment of silence.

Deshundra Jefferson 24:17

Thank you, everyone. Please rise if you are able for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Deshundra Jefferson 24:28

for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. All right. Thank you, everyone. We are now moving on to agenda item number three, approval of the minutes. I would like to entertain a motion for 3A through 3D to approve the minutes for November 26, December 2, December 10, and December 17.

Andrea O. Bailey 24:53

So moved, Madam Chair. Second.

Deshundra Jefferson 24:55

All right. Any discussion? All right, seeing none, let's go ahead and take a vote. Are they working? Nope.

Victor S. Angry 25:08

Still on vacation. Starting off the new year

Unknown 25:11

well. Okay, well, how about we do a voice vote? Everybody in? Supervisor Ingrid? Aye. Supervisor Bailey? Aye. Supervisor Bodie? Aye. Supervisor Franklin? Aye. Supervisor Vega? Yes. Supervisor Weir? Aye. Supervisor Gordy? Aye. Chair Jefferson? Aye. Vote unanimous. All

Deshundra Jefferson 25:34

right. Next, we are going to move on to organizational matters. As required by law, I am supposed to give a state of the county every year. So I shall do it from my seat.

Deshundra Jefferson 25:54

Hello, everyone. DeShondra Jefferson, chair at large at the Prince William Board of County Supervisors. It is an honour to reflect on the remarkable journey we've shared over this past year and the exciting future ahead. Last year, I made a commitment to collaborate with my colleagues on the Board of County Supervisors so that we may better serve you. I also pledge to lead in a way that encourages dialogue while respecting each other's decisions. I am proud to say that we have a board that has truly come together, putting the needs of the greater community at the forefront of the decisions we make. This includes passing a unanimous budget that reduced the real estate tax rate to one of the lowest in the region.

Deshundra Jefferson 26:33

This rate was made possible because the board took bold action to raise the business C&P tax rate from $2.15 to $3.70, the highest rate we could adopt. The board also voted to extend the due date for the car tax by 60 days to provide temporary relief to taxpayers. We also continued our commitment to invest in education. The board increased our contribution to Prince William County schools by 105.1 million, or 13% more than the previous budget. This is the largest year-over-year dollar increase ever in our county's history, and we are equally committed to increasing safety within our community. That's why we added new funding for new police officers and medics in our most recent budget. Additionally, we took the historic step of ratifying and implementing collective bargaining agreements with our police and fire personnel, creating a supportive environment that allows us to attract new recruits and retain employees by remaining competitive in the workplace.

Deshundra Jefferson 27:33

And we were able to accomplish all this and more while maintaining the county's coveted AAA bond rating, enabling us to borrow money at lower interest rates and signaling our long-term financial health. We are one of about 53 counties across the country and 12 in Virginia that have earned the highest rating by all three agencies. Prince William County is a special place. It's truly a special place. It's a growing place. It is a desirable place. This year we will confront the challenges to affordable housing, which plays a critical role in the vitality of our community. Many of you have heard my journey as a single mom buying a home in Prince William County. We need to make that dream a reality for others in our community and create opportunities for those who want to continue the rent.

Deshundra Jefferson 28:22

That's why the board created an affordable housing office as part of our budget and allocated $5.5 million in fiscal years 25 and 26 to an affordable housing trust. We also anticipate adopting an affordable dwelling unit ordinance this year. These actions will help stimulate the development for more affordable housing units so that many of our teachers, police,