Charles Reichley
Published: May 8, 2008

A few weeks ago, I wrote a rather scathing column about the one dollar advertised County property tax rate. While I mentioned it was the maximum rate, not the final rate, I expressed doubt that any lower rate would be considered: “the final rate could theoretically be lower.  However, I wouldn’t expect it.”

Well, color me pleasantly shocked.  I think I owe an apology to Supervisor May, of whom I said somewhat derisively “maybe Supervisor Mike May will push for a lower final tax rate.” It turns out he did, and in the end, even the tax-and-spend crowd had to join the 8-0 vote, setting our tax rate at 97 cents. 

But the police car cameras, whose cost was unfairly being charged to the illegal immigrant resolution, are gone. Some board members had used the camera price tag to push a higher tax rate. But when
Corey Stewart offered to increase the tax rate to 98.7 cents in order to fund the cameras and extra police officers to support the resolution, four supervisors, including two who supported larger tax
increases a few weeks ago, voted no. Meanwhile two who fought for lower rates voted with Corey (the measure failed on a 4-4 tie).

This isn’t as strange as it sounds, because behind the tax vote was a concerted effort to change the “Rule of Law” resolution’s directive for police questioning of legal status. Supervisor Frank Principi, who voted against the traffic cameras, tried to rescind police questioning entirely. He lost that vote 7-1.

But with the traffic cameras and extra police gone, something had to be done.

So the board unanimously voted to stop asking people about their legal status unless they are being arrested, and to ask everybody who is arrested. Since the police no longer have any choice to make about when to ask the questions, they don’t need a camera to prove they didn’t ask for the wrong reasons. 

The effect of this maneuvering is that first, we have a decent tax rate. It’s still an average increase of about five percent, but much better than the dollar rate hanging over our heads for three weeks. More importantly, we have a significant shift in the illegal immigrant policy, something between the draconian cutback proposed by Principi, and the existing resolution that had many people, rightly or wrongly, afraid of police interaction.

The impact of the new rules remains to be seen. By investigating every person arrested, the new policy will certainly catch more people who are in the country illegally.

And since most people favor deporting illegal immigrants who also violate other laws, the new policy should be much easier to defend against charges of racism or unfairness.

On the other hand, for those who are pulled over by police but not actually arrested, we have reverted to the rules that existed before the first resolution was passed.  Police can ask about legal status, but at their discretion. Since the complaint last summer was that “discretion” really meant they wouldn’t ask, it’s likely the new resolution will mean no questioning for people pulled over for traffic violations, expired tags, or other reasons. So some illegal immigrants who may have been caught under the old resolution will be untouched under the new resolution.

This change should also ease some tension, as many opponents had used the fear of being deported over minor traffic violations to make their case that the resolution was too harsh.

However, those who argued that the resolution made us safer by catching illegal immigrants before they committed serious crimes may be upset that only those who already are arrested will be checked.

This change should help the police, who no longer have to worry about being sued for doing their job. There may be some complaints when citizens start getting questioned about their legal status. But since they will have been arrested anyway, they may have bigger things to complain about.

In my opinion, this weakening of the resolution will actually strengthen it, by focusing more on the population that is the biggest threat (arrested illegal immigrants), by taking the pressure off the police force, and maybe, just maybe, easing some of the tensions in the community that arose from the previous resolution.  Maybe it’s just wishful thinking, but I hope that those who are here legally, citizens and immigrants, of whatever nationality or race, will see this as a positive development.

Charles Reichley has been a Prince William County resident since 1981. He can be reached at critically .