PWC’s ‘plan’ and an out-of-touch BOCS

Keith Kessler
Published: August 27, 2008

Prince William County is in the process of updating the “Strategic Plan” to lay out the long-term vision to the year 2012.  This will provide the strategies, objectives and outcomes in the areas
of “Economic Development, Education, Human Services, Public Safety and Transportation.” 

The plan centers on developing a matrix which defines what are considered risks to the community, and then when the Board of County Supervisors gives their budget guidance each November, it is
applied to this matrix which is supposed to be the core needs for the county. Each of these goals can be expanded in terms of programs or retracted.

At the Aug. 5 board meeting, Ms. Peacor presented and answered the five areas of the matrix to the BOCS, which they approved. As usual, Human Services would be the most likely to take a major hit.
There is no talk in the plan to streamline duplication of services or reduce other areas in the plan. For a document that is supposed to be based on community input, the BOCS seems to be ignoring us
again. 

How can we be a community — as stated in the vision statement “where citizens and businesses grow and succeed together” — if we are not taking care of the needs for the citizens who are aged or
disabled?

Why are we going into a public meeting without all the information about how the plan will be used being on the table and without “first” giving the community all the facts for public input?

The BOCS is not in touch with the aged or disabled population of our area and fails to acknowledge them as being most likely at risk or in need of services. If there are no support services, then there will
be increased costs in safety services.

Will this affect the annual support to the nonprofits in our area such as ACTS, which provide services the county cannot? 

The answer is to look at ALL areas on an equal basis and see what area is supportive to “protect the individual in the community” or as mandated by law.

KEITH KESSLER

Dale City