Speechless over BOCS failure

Charles Gallion
Published: March 22, 2008

I’m speechless again.  For the third time in as many weeks, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors (BOCS) has been unable to settle on a tax rate to advertise to the public (Potomac News
Article, Thursday, March 20, 2008 entitled “Board fails to decide on tax rate”). Come on gang this isn’t rocket science. Pick a rate and move on. How about $1.36 per $100 of assessed value?  Does that rate sound familiar to anyone? It should. That was the rate for about 8 years running in the 1990’s when property was still reasonable and appreciation was non-existent. Surely, you will never approach
THAT number in the budget. Personally, I think $1.01 is good enough.

If the BOCS cannot even reach an agreement on the “maximum” rate that it might impose on its citizens, I have little hope that they can even address any of the really difficult questions that will face them during this year’s budget discussions. 

The inability to come to an agreement on what should be a fairly easy decision is already impacting the budget approval cycle and may lead to a potential crisis in the weeks and months ahead. 
Unbelievable!!

It is about time for the BOCS to get on with the business of the people and make the hard choices. Maybe it is time to issue a “vote of no confidence” in the current board in order to get their attention. I suggest that each of the board members reevaluate the direction that they seem to be heading based on input from their “advisors.” 

Many of these advisor’s positions DO NOT reflect the mainstream concerns of the PWC citizens. I suspect that the typical voter is more reasonable, more moderate, and more centrist than any of the current crop of extremists.

Let’s not be disillusioned about board member’s chances of reelection or advancement to higher political office if the BOCS cannot get this tax rate-budget issue sorted out soon. The citizens of the county are watching this mess closely.

CHARLES GALLION

Woodbridge