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Metro Special Tax District-Vote NO!

Discussion in 'Broadlands Community Issues' started by TeamDonzi, Jun 6, 2012.

  1. TeamDonzi

    TeamDonzi ShowMeTheMoney!

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    Friends & neighbors, please read this important email and pass it on to everyone! Be sure your spouse signs as well if you are in agreement. There is NO time to hesitate.

    *By this July 4th, the Board of Supervisors will decide whether to create & impose a “2 Mile Special Metro Tax District” which would increase our taxes on TOP of what we are already paying by an additional $0.21 per $100 rate on ALL property in the zone! That means a house assessed at $500k pays an extra $1050/yr for the next 30+ years, and this can increase as costs mount or if they go over budget & need more to pay for it!

    The $0.09 rate is for a countywide industrial/commercial rate and not for the 2 mile zone. The 2 Mile Zone is essentially to Belmont Ridge on the west, Ashburn Farm to the North and Ryan to the South. http://www.flickr.com/photos/omagi/7211416828/

    Comstock and other developers are the ones who are pushing the 2 Mile Zone and Board Supervisors are strongly considering this, despite Residents from all over the county speaking at recent BoS meetings to say how much they want & need the metro. If metro means this much to our county’s future, then ALL of Loudoun should pay for it!!!

    If you are a business owner, this will have a cumulative effect on you as well. You’ll be taxed for your business as well as your home.

    This petition is NOT pro or anti metro, it is simply against the “Special Tax District” which many Board Members feel is the only way to fund, and, pass the Metro. It is outrageous that the BoS wants a very small percentage of us to bear the burden of the cost and spring this on us at the 12th hour after development of the Metro has been decades in the making.

    Say “NO!” by signing this online petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/lou...-creation-of-a-special-metrorail-tax-district

    ********************************************************************************************************************************************
    Additional resources:
    Back it up with an email to all the BoS Members ( BoS@loudoun.gov ), & CALL Supervisors Shawn Williams & Ralph Buona who represent our neighborhoods.

    For add’l info on how to contact individual members, and information for how to sign up to speak at the next BoS meeting http://www.loudoun.gov/index.aspx?NID=2178
    Shawn M. Williams (Broad Run): shawn.williams@loudoun.gov (Aides: Caleb Weitz, Elizabeth Neuffer) Direct line: 703-771-5088
    Ralph M. Buona (Ashburn): ralph.buona@loudoun.gov (Aides: Dorri O’Brien, Cathy Dorman) Direct line: 703-777-0105 & 777-0205
     
  2. nadir

    nadir New Member

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    Please stop with the alarmist mis-information.

    The BOS is currently considering alternative financing options. They are considering both a 1-mile tax district (which would include only properties south of Waxpool and east of Claiborne), as well as a 2-mile tax district which would indeed include all of Broadlands.

    They are considering a tax rate that ranges from $0.09 to $0.21 per $100 of assessed value, in both the 1-mile and 2-mile disticts. They are also considering no tax district at all, and would rely only on a countywide C&I tax.

    I am not saying a $0.09 increase in property tax is insignificant. I am saying that a statement indicating the BOS is only considering a $0.21 increase for all of Broadlands is totally inaccurate.

    This issue is very important. On that I am sure we can agree. For those who wish to educate themselves on what the BOS is considering, and would like to view the sensitivity analyses they have performed, please visit the presentation on Loudoun County's site, and then contact our Supervisor (Shawn Williams) with your informed comments:

    http://www.loudoun.gov/documents/11...int Presentation_Final_201205231012375853.pdf
     
  3. TeamDonzi

    TeamDonzi ShowMeTheMoney!

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    Not according to Ken Reid. He and the other Western Supers will support .21/100.

    Here is an excerpt from an email sent by Ken today:
    I cannot support county-wide taxes to pay for Metro and I do not think the rest of the Board of Supervisors will either because the data shows absolutely NO benefit of rail outside of Ashburn.

    The residents of the Town of Leesburg -- whom I represent -- pay 19.5 cents per $100 of assessed value to the Town on top of their County taxes. For this, we get many service duplicative with what the County and VDOT provide, but we pay it, and my district has many more folks on fixed income and in lower income brackets than folks in Ashburn. So, .21 cents is not unreasonable, especially if a portion of funds will provide road improvements.

    Please stop with the head-in-the-sand, pie-in-the-sky beliefs that these guys won't squeeze you for every dime if they can.

    It is what it is. We don't want any special tax zone, period. Forget about the metro, this is about the tax district.
     
  4. nadir

    nadir New Member

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    Where is the evidence that other western supervisors will follow Ken Reid?
     
  5. TeamDonzi

    TeamDonzi ShowMeTheMoney!

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    Ask them. They don't want to tax their constituents.

    Where is any evidence that Metro will cut traffic, reduce travel time, increase value, bring giant companies to Ashburn, bring revenue from FFX and DC, any of it?

    Sutton-made a good point that a well thought out transit plan works. They don't know how to pay for this and it's complicated and it's rush, rush, rush. Frankly, it's not that well thought out either.

    Nadir, the petition discusses the special tax district, if you want pay it, then go for it. You can even donate extra money for it. But I'm fairly certain that Shawn hasn't been forthcoming with his support of this. He says he's still trying to figure it out. We'd like him to know how we feel about being singled out to subsidize the rest of the county. The rest of the county probably doesn't want to subsidize us either.

    It's very typical, everybody thinks it's a good idea until it's time to pay the piper. Pretty soon, we won't have a choice in the matter.
     
  6. beahmer

    beahmer Member

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    Taxing a SELECT group of residents is wrong. 1 or 2 miles - Period!

    Want to tax the new developments in those ares - I could probably get behind that - afterall those are the people making money off this mess!
     
  7. hberg

    hberg give me some of your tots

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    This is so true. For example, I do not support the 2 mile tax district. If I supported the 1 mile tax district, these are my neighbors and friends that are on the wrong side of Claiborne and are still in Broadlands and how is that fair? It's not. I say figure out another way to pay for it instead of a few select hard working families who probably won't use metro anyways (I know my two working household will use it maybe 2x a year) or don't build it.
     
  8. redon1

    redon1 aka Aphioni

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    why not put an additional tax of five cents on each metro ticket? then those who use it, pay more toward it, but not an outrageous amount.

    everyone will benefit even of they don't use it, so every one should be taxed equally. just because we line closer doesn't mean we benefit more, that is ridiculous!
     
  9. redon1

    redon1 aka Aphioni

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    live closer, not line... dang auto spell.. :)
     
  10. RMCS

    RMCS New Member

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    I sent an email to the Board this morning and got a quick reply from Ralph Buona and Shawn Williams letting me know that this is a scare tactic and that the Board on the whole does not support it. Here is the reply info I received from Shawn Williams, my Rep:

    Rita,

    I understand you may have received an email from another Supervisor demonstrating support for a sizable residential service district as the sole means to fund Phase Two of the Dulles Metrorail project. This is not a serious option being considered by the Board and I certainly do not support it. It is my objective to have residents around the station pay little or no premium as there will in fact be additional revenue as a result of the increase in property assessments because of proximity to the Metro. As your Supervisor for the Broad Run district, I wanted to make sure you knew where I stood on this issue.

    The financing plan I would like to see would be a mixture of a reasonable general fund contribution and then creating a limited service tax district to capture the large planned commercial developments around the station which will greatly profit from the Metrorail project. I want to make sure those developers will be paying their fair share since current homeowners will already be paying their fair share through regular property taxes and tolls on the Dulles Toll Road.

    Tonight we are working through more options and scenarios for financing but rest assured that despite my enthusiasm for this project I will advocate for financing that does not unfairly burden homeowners. I am confident that there is a reasonable mix of options that we can find to fund this project. Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts as we work through this challenging issue and feel free to ask me any more questions you may have. Also, feel free to pass along this email to any of your friends and neighbors who might be interested.

    Thanks,
    Shawn

    Here is the reply I got from Ralph Buona, the other Rep in Ashburn:

    Dear Ms. DeFilippo: Thank you for your input and for sharing your concerns on financing Rail to Loudoun. It has come to my attention that messages have been sent by a single member of the Board of Supervisors regarding his opinion about how to finance Rail to Loudoun and that this information is now being shared with many residents in the Ashburn and Broad Run districts. Unfortunately, I believe these messages were sent with the express purpose of creating fear and doubt among home owners in the hopes of stirring up controversy to defeat the project from ever occurring. This supervisor has been a vocal opponent of Rail to Loudoun for many years.

    Be assured, the full board will NOT support a 21 cent special tax district for a two mile radius from the Metro stops.

    The BOS has not yet decided how to finance the project and we are exploring several options. There is a work session scheduled tonight to discuss financing options in-depth. I personally believe it is premature to try to determine the exact financing at this time as there are things that could be done to increase the mix of financing options, such as seeking legislation to tailor a custom tax district around the Loudoun Metro stops.

    Some currently available options are:
    1. A slight increase in the real property tax rate for the entire county (This board has already proven we can lower taxes in this year’s budget, we expect to find more areas of savings in future years that will help offset any potential increase to finance Metro.)

    2. A commercial and industrial tax (C & I)

    3. Special service districts within to-be-determined radii of the Metro stops. There can be a combination of these districts, such as a larger amount for a ½ mile radius, slightly less for one mile, etc. It may also be possible to exclude residential from these districts.

    4. Reallocation of portions of the gas tax


    The Board is looking at all of these options and the likely solution results in a mix of some or all of these. Again, rest assured that I will absolutely not support such an egregious funding proposal due to its severe inequities.

    Ralph M. Buona
    Ashburn District Supervisor
     
  11. lilpea

    lilpea Member

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    I know that there is an email that is floating around and many homeowners in Broadlands have either recieved it or the email was forwarded to them. The email in question was the genesis of this thread, was from Supervisor Ken Reid about the 1-2Mile Tax District. And at first blush the "facts" he cited in his email do seem problematic and it has cause a bit of fear-mongering and ginning up controversy.

    I will readily admit I had a visceral reaction to Ken Reid's email and immediately contacted our BoS member Shawn Williams.

    The true & factual reality (replete of dramatics & hysteria) is Supervisor Shawn Williams understands the concerns of the potential 1-2 mile tax district. He and most of his colleagues are look at a multitude of options. His email response was similar to the one RMCS posted.

    I would encourage residents to please keep an open mind, this is a learning curve for all of us and nothing has been set in stone.
     
  12. TeamDonzi

    TeamDonzi ShowMeTheMoney!

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    Special service districts within to-be-determined radii of the Metro stops.

    The POINT of this is there should be NO special tax district which includes your home. None, nada, zilch. What if the number isn't .21 but .19? It is still unacceptable and we need them to take this option OFF the table. If it's good for us, it's good for the WHOLE county!
     
  13. VoiceGuy07

    VoiceGuy07 Member

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    Seconded!
     
  14. fidothedog

    fidothedog Member

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    Okay...if we have to pay for it then we should be the only ones who get to ride on it....
     
  15. TeamDonzi

    TeamDonzi ShowMeTheMoney!

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    Yes, VoiceGuy, I'm on a hysterical rant...
    York says, At the end of the day, we'll fund this with special tax districts.

    • Shellhorn Ext to 4 lanes-UNfunded
    • Sterling Blvd to 4 lanes-UNfunded
    • 606 to 6 lanes-UNfunded
    • Lockridge to 4 lanes-UNfunded
    • Transit connector bridge at 772-UNfunded
    • Bridge at Davis Dr. rt. 28-UNfunded
    • Pacific Blvd Ext. to 6 lanes-UNfunded
    • Rt. 28 to 10 lanes-Partially funded
    • Greenway to 8 lanes-Who knows??
    VA state offered ZERO dollars for ANY secondary roads to feed the precious rail stations.
    This rail will provide virtually NO traffic relief, and is only designed to handle more E/W capacity if needed. 19 out of 21 intersections will see no relief.
    Gas tax taken from busses and given to subsidize rail will create 2 problems:
    1.Bus riders lose their fare subsidy and fares will jump to $12 per ride, up from $8
    2. 15-Intra county bus routes will be discontinued due to lack of funding.
    • I-66 gets an F with or without metro
    • 28/606=D
    • Greenway=F
    $5B and $30MM per year thereafter and they don't know when revenues will begin, maybe in 2018. But they can never meet or exceed cost, not even beyond 2040.

    And finally, because all the feeder roads are unfunded, they don't even think they'll be done by 2018 when Metro is projected to arrive.

    It's the biggest mess I've ever seen, but then, I'm hysterical...
     
  16. KTdid

    KTdid Well-Known Member

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    Residents should know the worst possible scenario. I for one, do not want to subsidize Metro no matter what amount is being "considered"
     
  17. LightningBuggs

    LightningBuggs Member

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    Agree. But, in this thread, many of the other options which are on the table are being ignored and the light is shining solely on the worst-case scenario. This scenario is not the deciding factor for Loudoun to opt in or opt out. At least, it isn't at this point.

    Personally, I only hope residents are considering all the financing options, just as the BoS is.

    Just my $0.02.
     
  18. TeamDonzi

    TeamDonzi ShowMeTheMoney!

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    This is based on info we received. I'm halfway thru 8 hours of worksession, from which I will deliver what was discussed. In every scenario except one, the Tax Distict is absolutely still on the table. "Those who benefit the most from metro, should pay the most" Direct quote from Ralph Buona. So much for his email!!

    Stay tuned, there's much more!
     
  19. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    As I mentioned in a previous thread...the western Supervisors want the east to pay for Metro. As if NOBODY west of RTE 15 will use Metro!!

    Went to the BoS meeting last night. A lot of talk using the 2 mile district with the .09 increase for residential.
    Then discussion turned towards looking at a tax rate for 1/2 mile, then a lower tax rate for the second 1/2 mile.
    Also discussion at looking for ways to tax commercial/industrial without taxing residential. That is what the real intent is.
    Still no decisions made.
     
  20. cobymom

    cobymom Sheila Ryan

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    Doesn't the entire county reap the benefits of increased businesses in the county, brought here by Metro? If they're going to create a special tax district, then they should create a special "spending district" for us as well, and use the taxes they get from the businesses around the Metro to benefit the special tax district that is paying for it. That seems fair to me....
     

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