This will Be an Issue-Oriented Campaign
Fiscal Discipline
Like other Americans, the residents of Stafford County are now suffering through the most severe economic recession in decades. During this difficult period, all of us have experienced an unprecedented degree of financial uncertainty-- including massive unemployment, falling home values, dramatic increases in home mortgage foreclosures, and substantially reduced financial security for those nearing retirement age. The business community has also suffered reduced sales as a result of decreased consumer spending.
The last thing any of us need in these challenging times is higher real estate taxes on our homes. Therefore, it is essential that the Stafford County Board of Supervisors exhibit fiscal discipline in budgeting for county government, finding new and innovative ways to increase revenue without raising tax rates for struggling home-owners.
Business, Professional and Occupational Licensing (BPOL)
An important positive step that has been taken by the current Board of Supervisors is the long-overdue implementation of BPOL in Stafford County. For too many years, Stafford has been virtually alone among all surrounding jurisdictions (Spotsylvania, Prince William, and the city of Fredericksburg), which have already enacted BPOL to achieve significant tax relief for homeowners by imposing reasonable fees on local businesses.
BPOL opponents have made a number of false assertions, in an attempt to confuse Stafford voters about this important issue. Each of these can be easily refuted, as shown by the examples below:
| False assertion | The truth |
|---|---|
| “Businesses cannot afford the BPOL fee.” | The vast majority of Stafford businesses will pay less than $2 per day, hardly a major expense. |
| “BPOL will cause Stafford businesses to leave the county.” | Since both Spotsylvania and the city of Fredericksburg already have BPOL in place, with fees that are equal to, or twice as high as Stafford’s, there is absolutely no incentive for any business to move. |
| “BPOL is ‘anti-business’.” | BPOL merely ensures that Stafford businesses pay their fair share of taxes at last, along with the county’s homeowners. |
| “We cannot afford BPOL.” | Next year’s budget already includes $4 million in BPOL revenue. If not assessed to area businesses, this $4 million shortfall would require major budgetary reductions, or increases in real estate tax rates for Stafford homeowners. |
Moreover, without BPOL, no complete registry of those businesses operating in Stafford County has been available. BPOL will ensure that, for the first time, every single enterprise in Stafford is duly registered with the county, encouraging all current businesses to operate in accordance with fair and honest business practices.
Ask My Opponent the $4 Million Question
My opponent in this campaign recently stated, in The Free Lance-Star (May 5, Stafford Extra, p. 1), “I would repeal BPOL. Absolutely. Without a doubt.” My question to her is: Which of the following alternatives would you prefer?
-Are you willing to cut $1 million each from the school system, fire and rescue services, the sheriff’s department and the transportation fund to make up this shortfall in budgetary revenues? OR -How much additional in real estate taxes will you require every Stafford homeowner to pay next year to make up the $4 million in budgetary funds we will otherwise receive from BPOL?
Education
For decades, Stafford has been recognized as having one of the best school systems in the entire region. However, in attempting to meet other county needs, the Board of Supervisors has not consistently provided the level of funding for education that is essential to maintaining a school system of the highest quality.
This situation has been further worsened by the impact of the current economic downturn. Recent school budgets have denied salary increases, and even basic cost-of-living adjustments, to our most experienced teachers.
As a result, many highly skilled educators have been leaving the county for the higher salaries being offered by Spotsylvania and the City of Fredericksburg, as well as Prince William. We simply cannot afford to permit this trend to continue, as it threatens the very fabric of Stafford County’s educational system far into the future.
The Board of Supervisors must work in partnership with the School Board to ensure that our educational system is appropriately funded. For its part, however, the School Board must commit itself to optimizing the utilization of existing school facilities, to take full advantage of the substantial financial resources that have already been invested in our educational infrastructure.
With regard to education, our overall objective must always be to attract, and retain, the best and most experienced teachers while maximizing the effectiveness of every dollar we spend on education. Within 5 to10 years, today’s students will become the new generation of adult citizens in Stafford County. They must be afforded the very best educational opportunities if we are to maintain our well-deserved reputation as one of Virginia’s best locations in which to live, work and raise a family.
Transportation
With respect to transportation issues, the troublesome Falmouth light remains the single greatest concern for many of our district's drivers. While budgetary approval has been given for the reconstruction of this infamous intersection, we must commit our best efforts to resolving its long-standing problems while still maintaining the integrity of historic Falmouth Village.
I strongly support Virginia Railway Express (VRE), and bringing high-speed rail service to Stafford County commuters.
Another essential objective must be to reduce the perpetual traffic gridlock on I-95, and improve overall highway maintenance and construction. The recent availability of nearly $700 million in U.S. stimulus funds for Virginia to support local infrastructure projects, and help create thousands of new construction jobs, represents a significant budgetary resource for the county now and in future years.
Finally, as Stafford’s economy improves, we need Smart Growth to ensure that future development will support – and not jeopardize – our standing as one of the most fiscally sound counties in the country. Even during the severe recessionary period we are currently in, Stafford County continues to experience the lowest rate of unemployment throughout the Washington, DC region. We must ensure that future growth patterns take into account the commuting and transportation needs of our growing population, to maintain the level of economic success that Stafford has consistently shown.