Metro Special Tax District-Vote NO!

This was brought to my attention late last night, from Supervisor Williams "official" Facebook page:

I heard from a constituent that anti-metrorail activists were passing out a yellow flyer in Broadlands today raising the possibility of a 21 cent service tax district, or a special ‘metro tax.’ This is not a serious option being considered by the Board and I certainly do not support it. However, this does amount to another scare tactic by metrorail opponents (much like the fake LC Transit flyer passed out in the commuter bus lots) to cause unnecessary fear in the community and confusion about what is actually being considered.

The financing plan I would like to see for the project would be a mixture of a reasonable general fund or countywide commercial and industrial tax contribution and then create a limited service tax district to capture the large planned commercial developments around the stations. My only goal with any service tax district would be to make sure those developers will be paying their fair share because they will be profiting from the project. Metrorail will benefit the whole county, so I do not think the entire burden of paying for the project should fall on the homeowners around the stations.

Full text can be found on his Facebook page....https://www.facebook.com/williamsforsupervisor/posts/245255558920654

 

This isn't a scare tactic by an anti-metro group, this is one of the possibilities being considered by the board of supervisors. Just because HE doesn't support it doesn't mean his colleagues on the board don't. Until the entire board indicates that they will not go down this road, it is still a possibility...

 

When I spoke to someone in Ralph's office, she said that the tax rate of .21 for a 2 mile radius is not being seriously considered but that the special TD at a lower rate, and for a different radius, is on the table. They are hoping to write the proposal so it only affects businesses but that may not be possible. So, to clarify the .21 rate may be a scare tactic but certainly the possibility of a TD is on the table.

 

I agree. This is not a scare tactic. It is a fact that the Board is considering a Special Tax District.

Quite honestly, I have not heard Mr. Williams being outspoken in his opposition to this tax. He needs to be convincing the other supervisors to not support this tax district and stop worrying about anti Metro groups.

 

The map on those flyers was completely illegible. I learned that there's an airport and a few metro stations, but without using a magnifying glass and another map as a reference I have no idea what impact the proposed zone has on my family.

Waste of a back page, really.

 

I completely agree. If the BoS creates a special tax district, the problem I see is that the General Assembly is no longer in session. The GA is the ONLY legislative body that has the authority to "exempt" residential lots from a special TD (based on the Virginia Constitution, the County does not have this authority only the General Assembly does and they do not reconvene until Jan 2013). Which means if the BoS approves a TD, they do not have the authority to exclude residential lots. That worries me and the fact that Williams is only 1 out of 9 votes. Just because he opposes it, doesn't mean the other 8 Supervisors see it his way.

 

I felt that the "FINAL Property Tax Increase Notice" title of the flyer was a bit inflammatory and unclear, and I would have appreciated information on other options being considered by the board in order for people to have a conversation about this issue with their representatives. It made me feel like the special tax district was the funding proposal favored by the board, and other avenues weren't really being considered....

 

Here's the link again to the funding proposals:

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

There aren't a whole lot of other options on the table...

 

ONE Question for Shawn:

IF the 2 mile tax district is not a serious option for the BoS, then why is there a high resolution digital map of the 2 mile tax district on the county website?

If it's 5 cents for us and no one else, still unacceptable.

 

Loudoun Rail Now! has an easy way to e-mail the BOS via this web page;

http://www.loudounrailnow.com/emailsupervisors/

You can easily change the subject line and create an email that goes to all members of the board with your opinion of the funding options for the Silver line, or even your opposition to it. I'm sure the BOS wants to hear from their constituents about this issue, and this is an easy way to get your input to whomever needs to hear it.....

 

From the Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local...-silver-line/2012/06/08/gJQALUU9UV_story.html

"By the end of the work session, it appeared that establishing special tax districts was the most likely option if Loudoun chooses to sign on to the project. Supervisors appeared interested in the possibility of creating tiered, or “hybrid,” tax districts, meaning that properties closest to the Metro stations would be taxed at a higher level than those slightly farther away."

Is Shawn Williams at these meetings??

 

He sure is! This way, he tells everyone that they aren't a serious option, yet the other 8 know it is, and will vote that way. I had a very nice conversation with Suzanne Volpe today. I was forewarned on 'how it's gonna go'.

It's a total scam.

 

http://washingtonexaminer.com/opini...-labor-agreement-not-only-problem-dulles-rail


For a minute, I forgot that Metro uses union labor to run the trains and busses and elevators and information booths.....Wait, we are STILL a right to work state, aren’t we?

 

Mike, here is a link to the map.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/omagi/7211416828/in/photostream/

 

Thanks!

 

How did they "zig-zag" the line up at the top....I'd like to know why they did that and what neighborhoods are excluded and who lives in those neighborhoods? It looks a bit exclusionary to me at the top of the map...Its not like a STRAIGHT-through drawn line to me but rather a jagged one. Just curious about that.

 

Follows Belmont Ridge, Broadlands Blvd, and around down Ashburn Farm Pkwy. I have a pdf, it's easier to see but it's too large to load here.

 

Oh, Flynn, you overachiever, you! Very impressed!

 

Cool.