[00:00:32]
OKAY, THANKS EVERYBODY FOR COMING.
UM, USUAL OUR SPRING TOWN HALL MEETING IS, UM, WE USUALLY COVER THE BUDGET AND OUR PROPOSED BUDGET SO THAT WE CAN GET INPUT FROM THE AUDIENCE OR THE PEOPLE.
IF WE NEED TO CHANGE ANYTHING, IF YOU HAVE ANY, ANYTHING THAT YOU WOULD LIKE US TO CHANGE, THIS IS A TIME TODAY IS ONE OF THE LAST DAYS TO PROVIDE INPUT.
WE HAVE THE NEXT TOWN HALL IS, UH, THE DISTRICT ONE TOWN HALL WILL BE, UH, UH, UH, ELEMENTARY SCHOOL OF MARCH 31ST.
UH, I'M GOING TO MOVE THROUGH IT FAIRLY QUICKLY.
UH, BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS DURING THE PRESENTATION, PLEASE STOP ME.
AFTER I JUST THROUGH THE COUNTY SWAT, UH, DR.
REILEY WILL COME UP AND TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE, THE SCHOOL'S, UH, PLANS FOR 23.
UM, I'M GOING TO SKIP INTRODUCING EVERYBODY BECAUSE IT'S PRETTY MUCH EVERYBODY HERE.
UH, MAYBE I'LL INTRODUCE THE CITIZENS TONIGHT GOALS IN THE THIRD ROW AS WHEN THE HOPS BACK TWO ROWS FROM THE, UH, DUSTIN, UH, GRIFFEY FROM DISTRICT FOUR ROW THREE AND, UH, MANAGE SLOW.
LET'S SEE THE OTHER CITIZENS AND THE NEIGHBORS NOW, BUT MY SENIOR SENIOR QUIT ANYWAY.
SO I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND, UH, WE DO HAVE A BOARD AND REPRESENTATION.
UH, WE HAVE SEVERAL DEPUTIES, UM, SO MAYBE THEY'LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME UP AND ANSWER QUESTIONS.
SO I'M GOING TO GO THROUGH THE PROPOSAL THAT I MADE TO THE BOARD A FEW WEEKS AGO, THE BUDGET PROPOSAL, UH, WILL KIND OF GIVE A BRIEF UPDATE ON THE BOND REFERENDUM, UH, BROADBAND COVERAGE EXPANSION, UH, REDISTRICTING UPDATE, VERY SIMPLE, UH, VILLAGE PLANS, UH, PROPOSAL THE COUNTY-WIDE TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS AND, UM, HOW YOU CAN ENGAGE WITH US, UH, GOING FORWARD.
SO SOME KEY ASSUMPTIONS AS WE WENT INTO THIS BUDGET YEAR, OUR ECONOMY REMAINS VERY STRONG.
UM, OUR BUDGET CONTINUES TO MEET ALL OF OUR FINANCIAL POLICIES, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY AND EDUCATION REMAIN OUR PRIORITIES.
AND YOU'LL SEE THAT IN THE NUMBERS.
UM, WE'RE MAKING SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENTS IN OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS.
UH, WE'RE NOT PROPOSING A, A, A TAX INCREASE, A REAL ESTATE TAX INCREASE.
UH, WE ARE PROPOSING A SLIGHT REDUCTION IN THE PERSONAL PROPERTY TAXES.
AND THEN, UM, WE'RE PROPOSING AT THIS POINT, THE 3% MERIT, UH, FOR ALL COUNTY EMPLOYEES.
SO AS I MENTIONED, WE ARE NOT PROPOSING A TAX RATE INCREASE WHEN WE STAY AT 53 CENTS.
IF THIS BUD AS IS BUNDLE IS APPROVED, UH, UH, THIS JAR IS A LITTLE OLD, BUT WE SHOW HENRICO COUNTY IS PROPOSING A 2 CENT DECREASE IN THE TAX RATE, UH, HAVE JUST A FIELD ALSO PROPOSING A 3 CENT DECREASE INCREASE.
AND THEN ABOUT WITHIN THIS LAST YEAR, THEY WENT DOWN TO 79 CENTS.
THEY HAVE A MILLION WAYS TO GO TO GET THE OTHER 53 CENTS.
UM, AGAIN, OUR, OUR ALL FUNDS REVENUE BUDGET IS STILL MOSTLY, UH, REAL ESTATE PROPERTY TAXES.
AND WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF FUNDING FROM 13% OF OUR BUDGET COME FROM FOR ALL THE FUNDS COMES FROM THE STATE THAT INCLUDES FUNDING FOR SCHOOLS.
[00:05:01]
UM, THIS YEAR SHOWS THIS 0.7 MILLION PART OF THE BOND REFERENDUM THAT WE ISSUED FOR THE FIRE STATION.SO WHERE ARE WE SPENDING THE MONEY? 40% OF THE, ALL THE FUNDS GOES TO EDUCATION.
UM, THE REST OF IT, UM, A BIG INVESTMENT GOES INTO PUBLIC SAFETY UTILITIES IS, UM, NEXT PERCENTAGE WISE, BUT UTILITIES ACTUALLY FUNDS THEMSELVES WITH CONNECTION FEES AND, UM, AND THE WATER AND SEWER RATES, THE GENERAL FUND, WHICH IS THE BUDGET THAT WE ACTUALLY USE TO RUN, UH, COUNTY OPERATIONS.
UM, 72% OF THAT, OF THIS BUDGET COMES FROM PROPERTY TAXES A LITTLE BIT FROM OTHER LOCAL TAXES AND VERY LITTLE FROM US.
THAT'S A GOOD THING IN A BAD THING, BUT MOSTLY A GOOD THING AGAIN, HOW DO WE SPEND THE MONEY? THE MAJORITY OF THE GENERAL FUND MONEY, THE BIGGEST BUCKET IS EDUCATION FOLLOWED BY PUBLIC SAFETY.
UH, AND THEN MANY OTHER SMALL AREAS WE HAVE TO COVER, UH, GENERAL GOVERNMENTS, ONLY 11% OF THE OVERALL BUDGET.
UH, AS WE GO THROUGH THESE STRATEGIC GOALS, WE ALWAYS ALIGN OUR BUDGET TO OUR STRATEGIC GOALS.
THE FIRST GOAL, WHICH IS EFFICIENT, EFFECTIVE, AND TRANSPARENT GOVERNMENT WITH EMPHASIS ON CUSTOMER SERVICE EXCELLENCE.
UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING IS PROVIDING SOME ASSISTANCE TO THE CITIZENS MOST IN NEED.
UH, SO WE'RE INCREASING IN OUR PROPOSAL.
WE INCREASED, UH, THE EARLY ELDERLY AND DISABLED TAX RELIEF FROM 900 TO A THOUSAND DOLLARS.
AND THAT MEANS THAT SOMEBODY IN NEED, UH, DOESN'T HAVE TO PAY TAXES TO, I THINK IT'S LIKE $190,000 ASSESSMENT.
AS I MENTIONED, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, WE'RE ALSO DECREASING THE PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX RATE.
OUR PROPOSAL IS TO GO FROM, UH, OUR CURRENT 3 95 TO 3 85, UH, AND THEN EVERY BOTTLE OF THE YEAR FOR FIRE AND RESCUE, UM, GETS ONE PERSONAL CAR, TOTALLY FROM, UH, TAXES.
IT'S THERE IS A TAX RATE, BUT IT'S SO SMALL THAT YOU WILL NEVER SEE A BILL FROM IT.
THAT'S THE THING YOU GO TO, WHICH IS BALANCED DEVELOPMENT THAT CONTRIBUTES TO THE WELFARE OF THE COMMUNITY AND PRESERVES THE TO CHARACTER.
OUR GOAL IS STILL TO MAINTAIN THE COUNTY 85% RURAL.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO FOR THAT IS LAND VALUATION FOR TAX PURPOSES.
SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS THERE'S $713 MILLION IN ACTUAL ASSESSED LAND VALUE THAT WE ASSESSED AT A LOWER RATE USING A LAND VALUATION.
AND, UM, AND THAT ACTUALLY MEANS ABOUT 3.75 MILLION THAT GOES TO THAT.
FARMERS DON'T HAVE TO PAY THEM A LARGE LANDOWNERS DON'T HAVE TO PAY.
WE ALSO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE VPI EXTENSION AND MONICA SOLAR WATER.
UH, IN THIS BUDGET, WE, UH, MAKE SOME CAPITAL INVESTMENTS, UH, FOR SCHOOLS, $38 MILLION FOR SCHOOLS OVER THEN, THIS IS OVER THE NEXT FIVE-YEAR PLAN IS 97.3 MILLION TOTAL JUDICIAL AND INCLUDES OUR COURTHOUSE IS 29 AND A HALF MILLION.
SO MONEY AND FACILITIES, PUBLIC SAFETY INCLUDES CARS, ANY BUILDING RELATED EFFORTS, STRATEGICAL THREE, WHICH IS EXOGENOUS FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT.
WE CONTINUE TO DRIVE AND MEET OUR FINANCIAL POLICIES.
UH, WE HAVE $19.6 MILLION IN RESERVE, UH, IN OUR GENERAL FUND RESERVES, WHICH IS EQUAL TO 28% OF OUR CURRENT BUDGET.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE $19.3 MILLION IN ASSIGNED FUND BALANCE.
WHEN WE HAVE A PROJECT THAT WE KNOW WE HAVE TO DO, WE SET ASIDE, WE START SETTING ASIDE MONEY.
SO WE'LL START TO DO WITH PROJECT.
WE HAVE SO SOME STARTUP MONEY, IF NOT THE FULL AMOUNT, WE ALSO HAVE A $2.1 MILLION.
3% OF OUR BUDGET IS, UH, SET ASIDE FOR ABOUT, UH, VARIATIONS IN OUR REVENUE.
UH, THESE MONIES CAN BE, UH, CAN BE ACCESSED IF WE NEED TO, BUT THE RULES GET TOUGHER AS YOU, AS YOU GO FORWARD.
SO, UH, THIS REVENUE STABILIZATION, IF WE NEEDED TO, WE COULD PULL IT BASED ON, UH, BUDGET PROJECTIONS.
[00:10:01]
SO IF THERE WAS A CATASTROPHE, WE COULD START, WE COULD START THERE.SO WHAT DOES ALL THAT GOOD FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT MEAN? IT MEANS THAT WE HAVE, UH, AAA RATINGS FROM THREE AGENCIES AND THE BONDS THAT WE JUST ISSUED ALSO WERE RATED AT AAA, WHICH IS WHY WE HAD, I THINK, 30, 30, 2 BIDS FOR THOSE BONDS AND 11 DIFFERENT BANKS OR INVESTORS TO BUY OUR BONDS, WHICH IS GREAT FOR THE COUNTY THAT A FEW YEARS AGO, DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A AAA RATING.
UM, WE ARE DOING SOME OTHER THINGS TO KIND OF MAINTAIN OUR FINANCIAL POLICIES AND THAT ONE OF THOSE THINGS WAS THE CORE OF MANAGEMENT FINANCIAL SOFTWARE.
WE REPLACED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, AND WE'RE WORKING NOW WITH THE COMMISSIONER OF REVENUE AND THE TREASURER TO CHANGE THEIR, THEIR SOFTWARE AS WELL.
SO I'VE MENTIONED ABOUT OUR POLICIES, OUR POLICY FOR DEBT EXPENDITURES OR DEBT SERVICE IS, UM, 12%.
UH, BUT WE HAVE A TARGET OF NOT GOING ABOVE 10%, BUT EVEN WITH THE BOND ISSUANCE, YOU CAN SEE THIS BAR HERE IS THIS YEAR BECAUSE WE ISSUED $50 MILLION A MONTH, EVEN WITH A BOND ISSUANCE WE'RE WAY BELOW THE WAY BELOW OUR POLICY OR OUR TARGET.
AND SO WE WILL HAVE TO DO ALL THE BORROWINGS FOR THE FIRE STATION AND FOR OTHER SCHOOL PROJECTS.
AND, BUT WE WON'T DO THOSE UNTIL WE HAVE, AS WE PAY THE DEBT.
AND, UH, WE'LL HAVE MORE ROOM FOR THE REST OF THE, WHAT CAME OF THE $96 MILLION REFERENDUM.
IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT, HOW WE BUDGET.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS THAT IS PRETTY CLEAR IS THAT WE HAVE STAYED UNDER INFLATION.
THE ORANGE BAR BAR WOULD BE OUR BUDGET.
IF WE FOLLOWED INFLATION, THE WHITE LINE SHOWS WHAT OUR BUDGET IS EARLY ON BACK WHEN WE FIRST GOT ON THE BOARD, IT WAS A LITTLE TOUGHER TO BUDGET BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF, A LOT OF ISSUES TO FIX.
UH, BUT AS, AS, JUST AS WE GO FORWARD TO SEE THAT WE ARE STILL MANAGING OUR BUDGET WAY, WAY BELOW INFLATION INVESTMENTS.
I MENTIONED TALKING A LOT ABOUT THE SCHOOLS.
REILEY GOING TO COME UP AND TELL YOU ABOUT THAT.
WE INCREASED THE FUNDING FOR SCHOOLS THIS YEAR BY $1 MILLION OR 4%, AND THEN THERE'S A ANOTHER 7% OR SO INCREASE FROM OTHER FUNDING SOURCES FOR PUBLIC SAFETY.
AGAIN, IF ONE OF OUR PRIORITIES, WE ARE INCLUDING SEVEN FULL-TIME POSITIONS FOR THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, ALONG WITH TWO PART-TIME POSITIONS AND FOR FIRE AND RESCUE, WE HAVE SIX FULL-TIME POSITIONS AND ONE PART-TIME POSITION.
AND FOR THE ANIMAL SHELTER, WHICH IS, HAS BECOME A REALLY GREAT ATHLETE.
I GET LETTERS ALMOST WEEKLY FROM PEOPLE HAPPY ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE AT THE ANIMAL SHELTER.
THAT ONE YESTERDAY, THAT BROUGHT TEARS TO MY EYES.
WE'RE OUT IN ONE SHELTER COORDINATOR TO HELP WITH THE ADOPTIONS.
UH, WE'RE ADOPTING, UH, FEDS OUT ALMOST AS SOON AS THEY COME IN.
UH, FOR EMPLOYEES, AS I MENTIONED, WE'RE PROPOSING A 3% MERIT INCREASE.
UM, WE'RE THINKING OF, WE MADE BOTH ON THE BOARD APPROVES OF OTHER.
WE MAY, MAY GO A LITTLE HIGHER THIS YEAR WHERE WE HAVE A PRETTY HEALTHY ORGANIZATION.
SO OUR HEALTH INSURANCE COST DID NOT INCREASE.
SO OBVIOUSLY WE WOULDN'T PASS ANYTHING UP TO THE, TO THE EMPLOYEES WE HAVE.
THESE ARE THE TOTAL NUMBER OF POSITIONS.
SO 14 FULL-TIME POSITIONS FOR PUBLIC SAFETY, THREE PART-TIME POSITIONS FOR PUBLIC SAFETY AND, UH, TWO FULL-TIME PUBLIC UTILITIES POSITIONS.
AGAIN, AS I MENTIONED, THOSE ARE FUNDED BY THEIR, UH, REVENUE AND FOR FULL-TIME NON PUBLIC SECTOR POSITION.
SO YOU CAN SEE IT ABOUT FOCUSES STILL AROUND PUBLIC SAFETY.
AND THIS CHART SHOWS THAT REALLY WELL.
WE'VE BEEN USING THIS JOB FOR A WHILE.
YOU CAN SEE THIS, THIS RED LINE AS A PUBLIC SAFETY, THE REST OF THESE LIVES ARE OTHER GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES.
YOU CAN SEE THAT WE'RE STAYING PRETTY FLAT THERE.
I TOOK OUT SOME SLIDES FROM THIS BEFORE, UH, IN THE, UH, YOU GUYS YOU'RE NOT IN THAT IS SHARP AND CAN PETERS IN ANYWAY.
[00:15:01]
BUDGET FOR UTILITIES IS SEVEN AND A HALF MILLION.THEY HAVE 2.9 MILLION IN CAPITAL BUDGET, AND 6.1 MILLION.
THEY TOOK A LITTLE CREEK SERVICE DISTRICT.
WE ARE INCREASING WITH A FEW YEARS AGO, WE DID A RATE STUDY AND THEY RECOMMENDED CERTAIN INCREASES TO OUR RATE TO FULLY FUND THEIR OPERATION.
AND SO THE WATER RATE IS INCREASING BY 3% SEWER BY 4%, WHICH IS EQUAL TO THAT OF $3.88 BI-MONTHLY.
SO THAT'S EVERY TWO MONTHS THEIR BILL WOULD INCREASE BY $3 AND 88 CENTS.
THIS IS A GREAT, THIS WAS A REALLY GOOD YEAR FOR THE COUNTY ASSESSMENTS ARE UP AROUND 11%.
UM, BUT FUTURE BUDGETS MAY NOT BE ABLE TO RELY ON INCREASED ASSESS.
UM, SO THAT SERVICE NOW ISSUE BONDS.
SO THAT SERVICES HIGHER THAN IT WAS A YEAR AGO.
INFLATION IS HAVING A HUGE IMPACT, UH, THE SCHOOLS, I KNOW LOTS OF BUSES OR THEY'RE ON THE ROAD.
THEY USE GASOLINE GASOLINE, IT'S ALMOST $2 HIGHER.
60% OF OUR EMPLOYEES LIVE OUTSIDE OF THE TOWN.
SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT THEY'RE TRAVELING A LONG WAY TO GET HERE.
HOW ARE WE GOING TO KEEP THEM ON THE JOB IF WE DON'T LOOK OUT FOR THEM AS WELL, FUNDING FOR ROAD IMPROVEMENTS, IT'S ALWAYS DIFFICULT.
I JUST, I WAS JUST WITH A BURGER'S OFFICE.
WE THOUGHT WE HAD THE OIL BILL INTERCHANGE.
THIS IS, MIGHT BE A SURPRISE EVEN FOR THE BOARD MEMBERS, BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS BEING FUNDED IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE BILL.
WHAT I WAS TOLD JUST A FEW MINUTES AGO WAS THAT THE, ALL THE ROAD PROJECTS AND SPEND ORDERS PROPOSAL WILL PULL DOWN, PULL DOWN THE BILL AT THE MINUTE.
SO THE FUNDING FOR THE ALL WILLING TO CHANGE IS IT'S NOT THERE.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO MOVE THAT UP ON OUR LIST OF PRIORITIES FOR FUNDING.
SO THAT'S ALWAYS, ALWAYS A STRUGGLE, PUBLIC SAFETY TO GROW.
AND AS THE COMMUNITY HAS GROWN, WE HAVE ADDITIONAL NEEDS.
UH, AND SO WE HAVE TO WORK ON THAT.
WE'VE HAD PLANS, YOU KNOW, AND EVERY YEAR WE'VE ADDED A FEW DEPUTIES AND A FEW, UM, FIREFIGHTER, EMS, UM, EMPLOYEES, AND THAT'S GOING TO CONTINUE FOR AWHILE.
WE HAVE AGENT SCHOOLS AND WE NEVER REALLY KNOW WHAT PUBLIC FUNDING FOR THE SCHOOL IS GOING TO BE.
UM, AND WE ARE LOOKING AT ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS THAT MAYBE WE CAN IMPLEMENT NEXT YEAR, EVEN ADDING SOME PROGRAMS TO HELP THE RESIDENTS THAT NEED THAT NEED HELP.
THEN YOU'RE ON A FAMILY WRITTEN LEGISLATION.
YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT AM I GETTING? AND WE FOLLOWED SEVERAL BILLS THIS YEAR.
THEY WOULD HAVE HAD A HUGE IMPACT ON OUR, NOT NECESSARILY ON A FUNDING OR A BUDGET, BUT HOW WE DO OUR BUDGET AND WHEN WE CAN SUBMIT A BUDGET ITEMS. SO WE'VE ALREADY HAD A DOWN HALL, UM, AT THE, UH, COMMUNITY THIS ONE TONIGHT, UH, ON THE 15TH, WE HAVE, UH, WE HAD A CIP WORK SESSION AND THAT WAS A REALLY GOOD MEETING FOR BACK AND FORTH DISCUSSION ON WHAT'S NEEDED FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS, THE NEXT TOWN HALL MEETING.
SO MARCH 31ST AT BURTON ELEMENTARY, THEY KNOWN, UM, APRIL, APRIL 5TH.
IT'S GOING TO BE A LITTLE DIFFERENT MEETING FOR US BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE A TWO O'CLOCK SESSION.
WE'RE JUST GOING TO START AT SIX.
AND WE HAVE THE TAX RATE PUBLIC HEARING FOLLOWED BY THE PUBLIC HEARING AND THEN BUDGET, UH, AND RELATED ITEMS HERE, INTESTINAL PEOPLE IN AND EXPRESS THAT THAT WILL BE THE FINAL.
UH, AND THEN, UH, ON APRIL 19, THE BOARD, UH, WILL, UM, ADOPT THE BUDGET.
SO THANK YOU ALL FOR THE BOND REFERENDUM.
WE WERE THE HIGHEST, UH, BOMB TURNOUT AND VOTING.
WE, ONCE AGAIN, WE LET THE STATE IN VOTER TURNOUT AND 85%, UH, SUPPORT FOR THE REFERENDUM WAS, WAS TERRIFIC.
IT WAS THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE WIN OF ANY BONDS IN THE STATE LAST YEAR.
UM, WE'RE RIGHT NOW NOT READILY.
AND THE SCHOOL BOARD IS LOOKING AT HOW TO GET STARTED WITH THE SCHOOL PROJECT AND WHERE AS WELL, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE FIRE STATION AND EVEN THE COURTHOUSE, UH, RATHER THAN COVERAGE.
THERE'S A LOT OF NEWS OUT THERE.
WE'RE TRYING TO GET SOME DATES SO THAT OUR DATA FROM OUR PARTNERS IN THIS, IF YOU LIVE IN THE SHADOW HILL AREA, UM, YOU'RE GONNA GET CONNECTED PRODUCT BEFORE SUMMER.
[00:20:01]
THOSE OF US IN THE REST OF THE COUNTY, THOSE CONNECTIONS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN AT DIFFERENT TIMES BECAUSE THIS THE PROJECTS, AND I DON'T THINK I HAVE THE SLIDE, BUT THE WAY THAT THE PROJECT WERE FUNDED, THERE WERE MANY DIFFERENT GRANTS.AND SO THE PROJECT WAS HAPPENING AS THESE GRANTS ARE APPROVED AND FUNDED APPROVED, BUT WE STILL DON'T HAVE AN AGREEMENT WITH THE COMPANIES STILL DON'T HAVE AN AGREEMENT WITH THE PROVIDERS.
SO UNTIL THEY GET THAT, THEY CAN'T GET ANY FUNDING, BUT THEY'RE COMING ALONG AND WE'LL HAVE MORE DETAILS IN THE MAIN MEETING AND LAST THE, THE PROVIDERS TO COME AND TELL US A LITTLE, A LITTLE MORE ABOUT DATES, REDISTRICTING.
WE JUST, THE BOARD JUST HELD THE HEARING ON REDISTRICTING ON THE 15TH.
AND SO THE NEXT STEP FOR IS RESTRICTING IS THE PLAN IS IT'S OFFICIAL.
THE NEW PLAN IS OFFICIAL 30 DAYS AFTER THE BOARD VOTED ON IT, THE MORE, UH, VOTED ON IT.
AND YOU'RE NOT IN THE SPEED AT THE MARCH 15TH MEETING, THE NEW MAP IS ON THE WEBSITE WHERE WE'RE GONNA CLEAN UP THE WEBSITE, CAUSE IT STILL SAYS PROPOSED MAP AND SO ON.
AND, UM, WE'RE TRYING TO CLEAN IT UP SO THAT BECAUSE NOT REALLY OFFICIAL MAP, BUT IF YOU GO TO THE WEBSITE, UM, YOU'LL SEE IT.
AND WE HAVE AN INTERACTIVE MAP.
THAT'S BEEN REALLY, REALLY WELL-RECEIVED, IT'S THOUSANDS OF VIEWS.
AND THIS MAP, IF YOU GO TO OUR WEBSITE, GO TO, UH, VA.US WITH DISTRICT THING, THIS IS AN INTERACTIVE MAP.
SO YOU CAN ACTUALLY CLICK ON THIS LITTLE MAGNIFYING GLASS, PUT IN YOUR ADDRESS AND IT'LL TELL YOU WHAT DISTRICT YOU'RE IN.
AND IF YOUR DISTRICT CHANGED WHAT DISTRICT YOU USED TO BE IN AND WHAT PRECINCT TO VOTE IN.
UH, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, WE ARE DOING, WE CALL THEM SMALL AREAS, STUDIES ONE FOR THE CENTERVILLE AREA, AND ONE FOR THE COURTHOUSE AREA, THEY'VE ALREADY HELD A FEW MEETINGS WITH CITIZENS AND DEVELOPERS AND STAKE HOLDERS IN THE AREA TO TRY TO IDENTIFY WHAT THE NEEDS ARE OR THE WISHES ARE OF THE COMMUNITY.
AS FAR AS WHAT THE VILLAGES TO LOOK LIKE.
THERE ARE GOING TO BE MANY MORE MEETINGS.
WE'VE HAD REALLY GREAT ATTENDANCE, I THINK WANTED SENATE BILL A HUNDRED, 130 PEOPLE.
SO IT'S, IT'S BEEN REALLY, REALLY POSITIVE, UM, ROAD PROJECTS.
WE HAVE A FEW PROJECTS, I'M SURE YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT THE ROUNDABOUT FAIRGROUNDS ROAD AND 5 22.
WE HAVE TO MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS TO THE FUNDING BECAUSE LIKE EVERY OTHER PROJECT NOW THE BIDS CAME UP HIGHER THAN, UH, WHAT WE HAVE PLANNED.
UH, BUT IT'S NOT INSURMOUNTABLE.
UM, AND THEN, UH, THE FAIRGROUND ROAD EXTENSION, THE ROAD EVENTUALLY WILL CONNECT ALL THE WAY UP TO ROCK SIX OR DELTA, ROUTE SIX.
SO THOSE PROJECTS ARE MOVING ALONG, UH, ON THE EAST END OF THE COUNTY.
UM, WE HAVE A NEW INTERCHANGE STUDY AT 2 88 AND RIGHT BEFORE YOU GET TO THE BROAD STREET ON THE 64 CONNECTION, WE'RE LOOKING AT CREATING ANOTHER INTERCHANGE TO RELIEVE THE TRAFFIC AT TWO 50.
UH, WE'RE DOING ANOTHER PROJECT, UH, IN THE SET OF ALCOHOL COURTHOUSE AREAS, STUDYING THE NEED FOR SIDEWALKS AND WHERE THEY SHOULD BE AND SO ON.
AND WE SHOULD HAVE THOSE RESULTS, UH, BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR BY DOING SO THEN THE NEXT ONE, I JUST MENTIONED A FEW MINUTES AGO.
THIS IS A, UH, ROUNDABOUT OF THE OIL RELAXING IF YOU'VE EVER COMING TO GOOCHLAND AT AROUND RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC.
AND YOU'RE TRYING TO GET OFF OIL AND OIL BILL THAT EXIT SOMETIMES BACKS UP ALL THE WAY TO THE REST AREA.
SO THIS IS A CRITICAL PROJECT FOR US.
WE STARTED LOOKING AT IT BECAUSE IT WAS ONLY THE INFRASTRUCTURE BILL THAT WAS PASSED BY CONGRESS, BUT IT GOT PULLED OUT A BILL.
AND WE WERE GOING TO THINK THAT THIS IS A BILL, BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHERE IT IS.
SO I CALLED CONGRESSWOMAN SPAN BURGER'S OFFICE AND SAID TO THOSE WHO PULLED OUT.
SO WE, WE NEED TO NOW FIGURE OUT AGAIN HOW TO ADDRESS THAT ISSUE.
IT'S DEFINITELY A SAFETY CONCERN.
UH, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OF YOU KNOW ABOUT ALL THE NATIONAL AND ROAD.
THERE'S A, UM, PARKING LOT IN LA THAT'S NORTH OF 64 ON THE RIGHT
[00:25:01]
OF YOUR HEAD, IGNORE THAT PARKING, THAT POCKET RIGHT.BECAUSE ONCE WE DO THAT, WE FIX THAT INTERSECTION IS GOING TO HAVE A CONVERSION.
THERE'S NO ROOM UP THERE FOR US AND IT'S GOING TO BE REMOVED AND IT'S GOING TO BE PLACED RIGHT AT THE EXIT ONTO ROCKVILLE, UH, ON THE RIGHT.
AND THIS IS FULLY FUNDED BY SOMEBODY AND THEY'RE GOING TO COVER IT AND BE DOCKED IN THE BACK OF IT.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS THAT MADE IT ALL THE WAY UP HERE, AND THEN THE HOCKET ROAD REALIGNMENT IS ALSO FULLY FUNDED, UM, HOT-SEAT ROAD, UM, WHERE YOU COME OFF THE INTERSTATE AND THEN YOU GET TO BROAD STREET INSTEAD OF HAVING TO MAKE A RIGHT AND THEN MAKE A LEFT AT THE SUNSET GRILL TO GO SOUTH ON ROCK ON HOCKET.
THIS WILL TAKE YOU FROM THE, FROM NATIONAL ROAD ALL THE WAY DOWN TO IT WITHOUT HAVING TO MAKE THAT TURN.
IT'S JUST A MATTER OF GETTING, GETTING STARTED.
SO AGAIN, FOR CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT, I THINK EVERYBODY HERE KNOWS OUR WEBSITE HAS A LOT OF INFORMATION.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE A FACEBOOK PAGE.
IF YOU'RE NO COLD BREAD, YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR CODE RED AND THEN ANY EMERGENCIES WE'LL WE COMMUNICATED.
IT WAS, WE USED IT A LOT THE FIRST WEEK.
THEN WHEN WE HAD THE BIG SNOW STORE, LETTING PEOPLE KNOW WHERE THEY COULD GO FOR WATER, BATHING, UH, WORK, UH, WORKPLACE, ALL OF THAT.
AND OF COURSE WE HAVE OUR BOARD MEETING ON THE FIRST TUESDAY OF THE MONTH AND, UM, EVERYBODY IS WELCOME TO ATTEND AND EXPRESS THEIR PRAYERS.
SO YOU CAN EXPRESS ANY CONCERNS YOU MIGHT HAVE WITH THAT.
I'LL TAKE SOME QUESTIONS BEFORE I TURN IT OVER TO DR.
THE HOCKEY, I THINK IT'S GOT A TIMELINE HERE THAT THE SCIENCE PROPOSED TO START THIS YEAR.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF JOANNE, IF YOU HAVE ANY MORE ACCURATE OR NOT, THE CONSTRUCTION IN ADVERTISING, WE HAVE THE REALITY IS THAT WE HAVE A SON AND WE HELP THEM RIGHT AWAY.
RIGHT NOW WE HAVE ALL THE RIGHTS AWAY.
I KNOW THAT THERE'S SOME PROPERTIES HERE THAT NEED TO BE ACQUIRED.
UM, ALTHOUGH WE HAVE THIS RIGHT AWAY, I WAS RETIRED FOR TWO YEARS.
ALL THE QUESTIONS THAT I'M NOT, I KNOW THERE'S NOT A GREAT ANSWER.
DOES UH, 20, 20 CASTLE WHERE YOU ARE, UH, YOU KNOW, CDC HAS ALREADY DONE THE CORNFIELD AREA AND IT JUST DEPENDS ON WHEN THEY COME UP, WHETHER THEY KEEP COMING OR NOT CASTLE ROAD OR NOT.
AND SOME OF THAT HAS TO DO WITH THE MANIA.
DOMINION IS SUPPOSED TO RUN THE MIDDLE MILE AND THEN, UM, FIREFIGHT TAKES IT FROM THERE TO THE HOME.
IT'LL BE WITHIN THE NEXT TWO YEARS, FOR SURE.
UH, WE'RE SAYING IT'LL BE COMPLETED BY 2024.
UM, SO THAT'S, UM, THAT'S A GOAL AND OUR MEETING IN MAY, I HOPE TO GET BETTER ANSWERS FOR IT.
WE HAVE THIS STRUGGLE WHEN I WAS ON THE, WHEN WE WERE RUNNING THE INTERNET COMMITTEE, THAT WE WOULD GO TO COMCAST AND SAY, SHOW US A MAP OF WHERE YOUR CABLE IS AND THEY WOULDN'T DO IT.
CAUSE WE SAY PROPRIETARY INFORMATION.
YOU GO TO VERIZON AND IT'S THE SAME WAY, PROPRIETARY INFORMATION.
THIS IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT IN THAT.
WE JUST NEED TO CONVINCE PEOPLE THAT IT'S DIFFERENT BECAUSE WE'RE NOW INVESTING IN THIS.
COMCAST WAS USING THEIR OWN MONEY, THEIR OWN MONEY.
AND NOW THE COUNTY HAS INVESTED BY THE WAY, WE HAVE NOT SPENT ANY OF THE MONEY WE APPROPRIATED FOR THIS.
THE MONEY IS STILL IN OUR COUNTY.
THE MONEY WILL ONLY BE ISSUED TO THEM AFTER THEY DO THE WORK.
SO THEY'LL HAVE TO DO THE WORK, SEND US AN INVOICE, THEN WE'LL PAY.
SO THAT'S $4 MILLION AND WE HAVE NOTHING WHICH SET IT ASIDE AND WE DO
[00:30:01]
VERY GOOD AT PLANNING.SO WE'VE GOT THE MONEY SET ASIDE.
UH, BUT, UM, IT HASN'T CALLED TO THEM YET.
THAT WAS FROM THE, COVID A RELIEF MONEY.
KEN DOESN'T LET HER SPEND ANY MONEY.
AND YOU DIDN'T WANT TO STAY IN A THING.
UM, KAREN HORN SCHOOL BOARD REPRESENTATIVE OF DISTRICT THREE.
THANK YOU GUYS FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT.
SOME OF YOU ARE AT A LOT OF THESE MEETINGS AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.
UM, STUDENTS HAVE ALWAYS CALLED, UH, CARING WHAT WE CALL A SECOND BACKPACK.
AND A SECOND BACKPACK USED TO HAVE JUST THE THINGS THAT WERE HAPPENING IN THEIR OWN HOMES THAT AFFECTED THEM REGULARLY.
WHEN THEY CAME TO SCHOOL TO BE THAT STUDENT, WE KNOW SINCE MARCH, 2020, THAT THAT SECOND BACKPACK HAS GOTTEN HEAVIER AND HEAVIER AND NOT BECAUSE OF JUST WHAT'S HAPPENING AT HOME, BUT HOW HOME HAS BEEN AFFECTED BY WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN OUR COUNTY, OUR STATE, OUR COUNTRY, AND THE WORLD.
SO INDIVIDUALLY COUNTING OUR STAFF, PART-TIME FULL-TIME PEOPLE WHO FEED OUR CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WHO CLEAN OUR BUILDINGS, PEOPLE WHO MAKE SURE OUR BUILDINGS ARE SAFE.
PEOPLE FIXED OUR SCHOOL BUSES, PEOPLE WHO DRIVE OUR SCHOOL BUSES, PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THE CLASSROOM AND ALL THE MANY PEOPLE THAT SUPPORT THE TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM ARE REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT TO HELPING THOSE CHILDREN WITH THAT SECOND BACKPACK AND THAT FIRST BACKPACK.
SO IN THAT FIRST BACKPACK MIGHT BE THEIR I PAD, BUT THE SECOND BACKPACK, THIS, ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING, AND MANY PEOPLE HAVE HEARD LATELY THAT THERE ARE SOME CHALLENGES IN OUR SCHOOL.
REILEY AND HIS TEAM DO AN AMAZING JOB EVERY SINGLE DAY TO TRY TO MAKE IT A BETTER PLACE FOR THOSE STUDENTS AND TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO CONTINUE TO LEARN AND MEET THOSE GOALS IN OUR PROFILE OF A GRADUATE.
A LOT OF MOVING FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES IS I CAN'T ALWAYS REMEMBER WHERE ABOUT QUOTES, BUT JUST WANT TO SHARE THESE WORDS WITH YOU BECAUSE THIS I BELIEVE IS WHAT DR.
I SEE YOU, I BELIEVE IN YOU, YOU ARE SAFE TO GROW AND THRIVE HERE.
SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT.
PLEASE JOIN US AT OUR SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS.
WE ALSO WANT TO HEAR YOUR VOICE.
I HAVE THE NEWEST SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER.
AND FOR THOSE OF YOU, I HAVEN'T HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET YET.
I'M ANGELA ALLEN AND I REPRESENT WHAT IS CURRENTLY DISTRICT TWO, BUT WE'LL BE THE REPRESENTATIVE FOR DISTRICT THREE AT THE NEXT ELECTION CYCLE.
SO THERE'S SOME CHANGES COMING.
I CAN TELL YOU, IN MY FIVE SHORT MONTHS ON THE SCHOOL WARD, I HAVE LEARNED A LOT AND THERE IS MORE TO LEARN.
THIS ISN'T WHAT WE GREW UP WITH, RIGHT? YOUR MOM PACK TO A CHEESE AND MAYO SANDWICHES AND THREW AN APPLE IN THE LUNCH BOX AND OUT THE DOOR YOU WENT, OUR STUDENTS ARE GROWING UP IN A WORLD.
IT'S THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY, RIGHT? WHERE INFORMATION IS KING.
AND THEY'RE REALLY HAVING TO LEARN CRITICAL THINKING AND ANALYTICAL SKILLS.
SO THE OLD READING, WRITING ARITHMETIC IS KIND OF SECONDARY TO THE TYPES OF THINGS THAT WE NEED THEM TO EMBRACE AS PART OF THEIR LEARNING.
WE ALSO WE'RE UNIQUELY POSITIONED BECAUSE WE HAVE A DIVERSE COMMUNITY THAT IS CLOSELY KNIT.
AND I THINK CHILDREN ARE UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO LEARN FROM EACH OTHER'S THEIR TEACHERS AND OTHER ROLE MODELS OUTSIDE OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.
THE BIGGEST SURPRISE FOR ME SINCE BEING ELECTED BEFORE ELECTION DAY, THERE WAS A LOT OF CHATTER ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS.
I WAS PART OF THAT CHATTER TOO, SINCE NOVEMBER 2ND, IT'S CRICKETS.
[00:35:01]
THAT OFFENDS AND I'D LIKE YOU TO KNOW THAT I'M LISTENING.IT'S AN ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES POSITION.
WE NEED TO KAREN'S POINT TO HEAR HER VOICE SO WE CAN MOST EFFECTIVELY REPRESENT YOUR INTERESTS.
EMAIL ADDRESSES, PHONE NUMBERS, ALL ARE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE.
HAPPY TO GIVE YOU MY CARD THIS EVENING AS WELL.
PLEASE LET US SERVE YOU BY MAKING SURE WE UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU EXPECT AND LOVE HER JUST IN THAT WAY.
THAT WAS A FANTASTIC INTRODUCTION.
AND JUST TO ECHO WHAT MS. WARREN AND MS. ALLEN SAID AS YOUR SUPERINTENDENT, I'M EXTREMELY PROUD OF WHAT THE SCHOOL DIVISION HAS DONE IN THE LAST TWO YEARS.
UH, WE ALL KNOW THE CHALLENGES OF WHAT WE'VE GONE THROUGH PERSONALLY AND PROFESSIONALLY, BUT I'LL TELL YOU WHAT YOUR SCHOOL DIVISION HAS SHINED IN A LOT OF WAYS AND HAS MADE THOUGHTFUL AND DELIBERATE DECISIONS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE STUDENTS AND THE FAMILIES.
SENIORS ARE, UH, THE SCHOOL BOARD AND EVERY ELECTED OFFICIAL IN THIS ROOM HAS BEEN ON THE FRONT LINES OF A LOT OF CHALLENGES DURING THOSE LAST TWO YEARS.
BUT, UH, EVERY ELECTED OFFICIAL IN THIS ROOM HAS HANDLED THEMSELVES WITH GRACE AND COMPASSION AND HAS REMAINED FOCUSED ON WHAT IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THIS COMMUNITY.
AND I'M PROUD TO SERVE WITH OUR FIVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS WHO HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, REALLY HAD TO MAKE SOME DIFFICULT DECISIONS IN THE LAST TWO YEARS.
SO I'M HERE TO CELEBRATE OUR SCHOOL DIVISION.
I'M EXTREMELY PROUD OF WHAT WE HAVE DONE, WE ARE DOING, AND I KNOW WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO.
AND I JUST WANT TO SHARE A FEW HIGHLIGHTS WITH YOU THIS EVENING.
UM, MANY OF THESE THINGS, SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE HEARD IN THE PAST, BUT IT NEVER HURTS TO REMIND OURSELVES OF THE INVESTMENT THAT THE SCHOOL DIVISION HAS MADE IS MAKING IN THE FUTURE OF OUR STUDENTS.
UM, AS YOU HEARD EARLIER, RESIDENTS OF THIS COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTE A LOT OF THEIR HARD EARNED DOLLARS TO WHAT WE DO TO EDUCATE CHILDREN.
AND I'LL TELL YOU THAT THAT INVESTMENT IS REALLY IS BANGED EVIDENCE.
THE RESULTS THAT WE ARE SEEING IN A VARIETY OF METRICS, I WILL SAY, HAVE CONVERSATION WITH THE PRESIDENT TODAY, WE'RE DOING SOME STUDENT ASSESSMENT AND WALKED INTO THE OFFICE AND SAID, HOW ARE THINGS GOING ON? KIDS ARE CRUSHING IT THAT TOUGH.
SO WE'RE HERE, WE'RE SEEING SOME STRONG RESULTS, UH, JUST BASED ON WHAT WE'RE SEEING THIS WEEK.
SO, SO POSITIVE, POSITIVE MOVEMENT ACADEMICALLY.
UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE FORGET TO TALK ABOUT IS REALLY HOW OUR SCHOOL DIVISIONS WITHIN USE TO INNOVATE AND FIND WAYS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING ENGAGING EXPERIENCES FOR KIDS LESS THAN 500 SCHOOLS WORLDWIDE, OR AT THE DISTINGUISHED SCHOOLS.
ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS ARE AT THE TOP OF THIS THING WITH SCHOOLS.
AND SO IT'S, IT'S A TESTAMENT TO HOW WE'RE USING TECHNOLOGY, NOT AS BEING TOOL, BUT A TOOL TO SUPPORT STUDENTS.
AND IF YOU WANT STUDENTS TO DO THE WORK OF THE WORLD, BETTER, GIVE THEM THE TOOLS OF THE WORLD.
AND WE KNOW THAT TECHNOLOGY IS ONE OF THOSE TOOLS THAT STUDENTS WHO WANT TO NEED FOR SUCCESS LONG AFTER THE TIME THAT THEY LEAVE HIGH SCHOOL.
UH, WE ARE PROUD OF OUR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES, THE TEACHERS AND NURSES AND BUS DRIVERS WHO SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES, PERFECT MARKS, A HUNDRED PERCENT A PLUS PLUS ONE WHAT WE'RE DOING FROM AN ACADEMIC STANDPOINT AND FROM A COMPLIANCE STANDPOINT, THREE YEARS IN A ROW, AND ONLY A HANDFUL OF SCHOOL DIVISIONS, WHOEVER HEARD THIS ACCOLADE.
AND FOR FOUR YEARS IN A ROW, MITCH.COM, WHICH IS A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE GO TO THE AIR, THEIR GRIEVANCES CELEBRATE POSITIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
IT'S A PLACE WHERE A LOT OF PEOPLE GO AND THEY LOOK AT BUYING A HOUSE, WHICH IS KIND OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
NUMBER ONE, FOUR YEARS IN A ROW, FOUR YEARS IN A ROW.
LET'S NOT TAKE THAT FOR GRANTED FOUR YEARS IN A ROW AS BEING THE NUMBER ONE SCHOOL DIVISION AS RATED BY THIS.COM.
AND I DO WANT TO THANK OUR RESIDENTS WHO SHOWED UP AT THE POOLS AND SUPPORTED PUBLIC EDUCATION AND, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UH, I HAVE SEEN THIS NOT ONLY AS A REFERENDUM ON THE PROJECTS, BUT AS A REFERENDUM ON WHAT WE ARE DOING IN THIS COMMUNITY AND THE TAXPAYERS WHO HAVE CERTAINLY HAVE SAID, WE TRUST YOU, WE BELIEVE IN YOU AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK.
AND WE'RE GOING TO SUPPORT THESE PROJECTS, 85% APPROVAL RATING.
SOMETIMES YOU DON'T GET THAT WHEN YOU GO TO DISNEY WORLD.
SO EXIT SURVEYS OUT OF DISNEY WORLD MAY NOT EVEN BE THAT STRONG.
AND WE HAVE 85% APPROVAL, REALLY PROUD OF THAT.
UH, SO WE, AS A PART OF THE OVERALL COUNTY BUDGET DEVELOPMENT PROCESS, WE DEVELOPED A BUDGET AS WELL.
WE ARE A SUBSET OF THE COUNTY AND RELY HEAVILY ON THAT LOCAL TAXPAYERS FOR WHAT THEY DO TO SUPPORT PUBLIC EDUCATION.
SO AS WE'RE NOW, HOPEFULLY OUT OF THIS PANDEMIC, WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT WE NEED MOVING FORWARD.
HOW CAN WE CONTINUE TO BE RELEVANT IN THE MARKET? HOW CAN WE CONTINUE TO SERVE STUDENTS, HOW WE CAN CONTINUE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF AN EVER-CHANGING WORKFORCE.
AND SO SOME OF THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE ARE CERTAINLY DEDICATED AND ALIGNED DIRECTLY WITH OUR CORE VALUES.
AND SO OUR VISION IS VERY SIMPLE.
WE'RE INSPIRING THIS NEXT GENERATION MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT BECAUSE ULTIMATELY THEY'RE
[00:40:01]
GOING TO BE SITTING ON THESE SEATS.THEY'RE GOING TO BE LEADING THIS COMMUNITY.
THEY'RE GOING TO BE MAKING DECISIONS WHEN WE MAY NOT BE IN THE VICIOUS SINS THAT WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW.
SO WE NEED TO INSPIRE THEM TO MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE WORLD, AROUND THEM.
AND THEN OUR MISSION, WHAT DRIVES US DAY IN AND DAY OUT IS EXTREMELY SIMPLE.
WE ARE HERE TO MAXIMIZE THE POTENTIAL OF EACH AND EVERY CHILD THAT WALKS THROUGH OUR DOORS, MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE MAXIMIZING THEIR POTENTIAL TO HIS FULL LIST EACH AND EVERY DAY, OUR CORE VALUES ARE WHO WE ARE, EXCELLENCE, CREATIVITY, COURAGE, HONOR, AND OPTIMISM THAT DOESN'T CHANGE.
THIS IS WHAT DRIVES OUR WORK EVERY DAY.
AND THEN WE HAVE THREE STRATEGIC GOALS THAT ARE DIRECTLY RELATED TO WHAT WE WANT TO ACCOMPLISH IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS.
SO THE SCHOOL BOARD'S REQUEST IS NOW UNDER CONSIDERATION AT THIS POINT IN TIME BY THE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, UM, IT WAS VERY SIMILAR FROM A PROPORTIONAL SHARE FROM WHAT WE HAVE SPENT OUR DOLLARS ON IN THE PAST.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THIS IS A GRAPH THAT SHOWS WHERE WE ARE PROPOSING TO USE THOSE RESOURCES AND 78 CENTS.
WHEN EVERY DOLLAR GOES DIRECTLY INTO THE CLASSROOM, INCLUDING TECHNOLOGY, CLASSROOM MATERIALS, THE PERSONNEL TO SUPPORT OUR CLASSROOMS. SO WE'RE NOT SPENDING MONEY ON ANYTHING THAT GOES BEYOND WHAT WE NEED TO, TO SUPPORT OUR CLASSROOMS. OF COURSE, A FEW ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS HERE OR THERE FOR THE TRANSPORTATION COSTS TO BY AND LARGE, THE DOLLARS DIRECTLY INTO THE CLASSROOM TO SUPPORT CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION AND DOLLARS ARE GOING TO SUPPORT OUR DEDICATED AND TALENTED PROFESSIONALS WHO ARE DOING THE GREAT WORK OF OUR SCHOOL DIVISIONS DAY IN AND DAY OUT THIS MORNING MENTIONED THE VARIETY OF JOB CATEGORIES THAT WE HAVE AND NEED THEM ALL.
THERE IS NOBODY IN THIS SCHOOL DIVISION THAT IS MORE VALUABLE THAN ANOTHER.
WE NEED EACH AND EVERY PERSON WHO DOES THE WORK, OUR SCHOOL DIVISION TO HELP US BE SUCCESSFUL.
AND SO WE'RE DEDICATING A LOT OF RESOURCES TOWARDS SALARY AND BENEFITS SO THAT WE CAN ATTRACT, RETAIN AND TRAIN THE HIGHLY DEDICATED, DEDICATED PROFESSIONALS THAT WE NEED IN OUR SCHOOL DIVISION.
SO A DISTRIBUTION OF RESOURCES, UH, AS MR. ALVAREZ SAYS, THIS BUDGET IS BUILT OFF OF A MILLION DOLLARS IN ADDITIONAL LOCAL TRANSFER TO THE SCHOOLS TO SUPPORT PUBLIC EDUCATION.
UH, THE VAST MAJORITY OF OUR BUDGET DOES COME FROM GOOCHLAND COUNTY.
AND WE'RE QUITE THANKFUL FOR THAT.
WE DON'T TAKE THAT FOR GRANTED.
WE KNOW THAT WE ARE ENTRUSTED WITH YOUR PRECIOUS TAXPAYER DOLLARS, AND WE STRIVE EVERY DAY TO SPEND THOSE EXTREMELY WISE.
UH, WE GET SOME STATE MONEY, 12 AND A HALF PERCENT OF OUR BUDGET, A FEW FEDERAL DOLLARS HERE OR THERE, AND SOME MONEY FROM STATE SALES TAX FOR BY AND LARGE.
OUR BUDGET IS DRIVEN BY OUR LOCAL TRANSFER.
THIS JUST THOSE, A DISTRIBUTION OF THOSE RESOURCES OVER TIME.
AND ALTHOUGH THE POT HAS GROWN, UH, THERE'S NOT A SIGNIFICANT ADJUSTMENT IN THE OVERALL DISTRIBUTION BASED ON THOSE DIFFERENT REVENUE SOURCES.
AND SO I'M PROUD TO SAY THAT THE SCHOOL BOARD'S REQUEST IN FRONT OF THE SUPERVISORS IS A BALANCED BUDGET.
I HAVE WORKED IN SCHOOL DIVISIONS WHERE SUPERINTENDENTS HAVE PRESENTED A BUDGET THAT SAYS WE NEED AN EXTRA $5 MILLION PLUS THE COUNTY IN A REALLY DIFFICULT PLACE, BECAUSE THEY MAY NOT HAVE THE RESOURCES TO SUPPORT THAT BUDGET.
IT CREATES SOME BACK AND FORTH AND IS NOT NECESSARILY HEALTHY, BUT OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, THE SCHOOL BOARD HAS PRIDED ITSELF ON LIVING WITHIN ITS MEANS.
AND WHEN SUPERVISORS SAY, THIS IS WHAT WE CAN DO TO SUPPORT YOUR PUBLIC ED, OUR PUBLIC EDUCATION, THE SCHOOL BOARD HAS LIVED WITHIN THOSE MEANS.
SO THIS IS A BALANCED BUDGET AT $40.5 MILLION WHERE OUR REVENUES AND OUR EXPENDITURES MATCH.
SO LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE NEW NEUTRAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
UM, THIS HAS BEEN A LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR ME AS A SUPERINTENDENT.
I'VE NEVER BUILT A SCHOOL BEFORE.
UH, AND I THOUGHT THAT MY GOSH, IT'S GOING TO BE SO EXCITING TO BUILD A NEW SCHOOL AND ALL THE FUN THAT WE GET TO GO INTO JOSH.
IT'S A LOT OF WORK, A LOT, A LOT OF HEAD SCRATCHING.
NO, IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO WORK THAT WAY, BUT I'LL TELL YOU WE'RE, UH, WE'RE GETTING TO A MUCH BETTER PLACE ONE DAY.
AND THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF, LOT OF CONVERSATIONS BACK AND FORTH.
THERE'S BEEN SOME CHALLENGING ECONOMIC CONDITIONS THAT ARE IMPACTING ALL OF US PERSONALLY, AND IT'S IMPACTING THIS PROJECT AS WELL.
UH, WE HAD A MEETING WITH OUR ARCHITECTS TODAY.
AND THEN IT'S MORE ARCHITECTS THEN WE'LL SHARE WITH THE SCHOOL BOARD ON TUESDAY AND THEN BRING FORWARD TO A WORK SESSION WITH THE SUPERVISORS ON APRIL THE 12TH.
UH, UNFORTUNATELY RIGHT NOW WE ARE REALLY OUT OF BUDGET.
UM, YOU KNOW, WITH THE COST OF INFLATION AND MATERIALS AND GOODS AND LABOR.
UH, WE HAVE A BUNCH OF SHORTFALLS RIGHT NOW.
AND SO WE'RE WORKING TO REALLY CONSOLIDATE SOME OF, UH, SOME OF THE THINGS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS PROJECT WITHOUT COMPROMISING THE INTEGRITY OF THE PROJECT QUALITY OF THE PROJECT AND THE VISION FOR THIS PROJECT.
UM, I WILL TELL YOU, IT'S HARD TO SEE.
YOU CAN SEE IT WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT ON YOUR COMPUTER SCREEN, BUT THIS WILL NOT BE THE FOOTPRINT OF THE SCHOOL WHEN ALL WAS SAID AND DONE.
THIS WAS AN INITIAL DESIGN, UM, THAT HAD A LOT OF PRETTY POSITIVE CONCEPTS.
BUT WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE HAVE REALLY COMPACTED THIS DESIGN TO SAY ON EFFICIENCIES RELATED TO BILLING COSTS AND SITE COSTS.
WE ARE FACING A LOT OF CHALLENGES ON THE SITE
[00:45:01]
WITH WETLANDS AND SOME OF THE TOPOGRAPHY THAT'S THROWING US A FEW CURVE BALLS, BELIEVE IT OR NOT.UH, WE'RE STILL STANDING IN THE BATTER'S BOX.
WE FOULED OFF A FEW CURVE BALLS AND WE'RE STILL IN THERE FIGHTING.
UM, AND SO I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SHARE, UH, THE NEXT ITERATION OF THIS WITH THE SCHOOL BOARD TUESDAY, IT'S A PUBLIC MEETING.
SO FEEL FREE TO JOIN US FOR THAT PRESENTATION AND THEN ANOTHER PUBLIC WORKSHOP WITH THE SUPERVISORS.
SO MORE TO COME, UH, SHOULD WE GET TO WHERE WE WANT TO BE? WE MAY OPEN THE SCHOOL IN AUGUST OF 2024.
SO, UH, AS TIME GOES ON OR I'M FACING SOME CHALLENGES, BUT I'M EXCITED ABOUT WHAT THIS PROJECT CAN BE FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
UH, IN THE BACK OF THE ROOM, YOU HAVE A FEW MAPS.
THE COUNTY HAS JUST FINISHED THEIR ADJUSTMENT TO ELECTORAL DISTRICTS AND DISTRICTS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY.
UH, OUR WORK IS PROBABLY A MIDSTREAM RIGHT NOW.
SO AS WE BUILD A NEW MUTUAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, ULTIMATELY WE WANT TO DRAW STUDENTS FROM BOTH RANDOLPH AND FROM BIRD, OR WE HAVE CURRENT TRAILERS.
WE DRAW THOSE STUDENTS FROM THOSE TWO SCHOOLS.
WE GET RID OF THE TRAILERS AND WE CAN POPULATE THE BUILDING IN THE MIDDLE PART OF OUR COUNTY AND USE IT REALLY EFFECTIVELY AND EFFICIENTLY.
SO WE'RE GOING THROUGH THAT PROCESS.
WE'VE HAD A FEW PUBLIC MEETINGS RELATED TO THIS.
WE HAVE A STEERING COMMITTEE THAT REPRESENTS MANY FOLKS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY, UH, FIVE INDIVIDUALS FROM EAST, WEST AND CENTRAL.
UH, SO WE NOW HAVE A SURVEY THAT IS ONE OF THE STREET.
SO WE'RE GATHERING FEEDBACK ON THE TWO OPTIONS THAT YOU HAVE IN THE BACK OF THE ROOM, BUT THESE ARE SOME OF THE TENANTS OF OUR APPROACH WHEN YOU MAKE SURE THAT EAT NEIGHBORHOODS AND PACK, UH, THAT WE'RE BALANCING THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF OUR SCHOOLS.
WE DON'T HAVE A SCHOOL WITH 80% POVERTY IN A SCHOOL WITH 10% POVERTY, REALLY TRYING TO BALANCE THOSE DEMOGRAPHICS, AND THEN MAKING SURE THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS EVERY FIVE YEARS.
AND COMMUNITIES CERTAINLY STRUGGLED WITH BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENTS.
OUR COMMUNITY IS DOING A GREAT JOB.
WE'RE GETTING SOME VERY GOOD FEEDBACK.
AND THEN WE ALSO NEED TO THINK ABOUT TRANSPORTATION AS WELL AND HOW TRANSPORTATION NETWORKS IMPACT OUR FINAL DECISIONS.
SO EXAMPLE OF WHAT THE FIRST OPTION IS, YOU CAN SEE THAT WE'RE PULLING STUDENTS BOTH FROM THE CURRENT BIRD AND THE CURRENT RANDOLPH ZONE.
AND THE SECOND OPTION DOES NOT MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THE FIRST OPTION.
SO WE'RE PULLING STUDENTS FROM BIRD ON THE SECOND OPTION AS WELL, SO THAT YOU CAN SEE THAT EASTERN BOUNDARIES A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
SO THE FINAL VERSION MAY BE A COMBINATION OF THESE TWO AND MAYBE OPTION ONE OR OPTION TWO WE'RE GATHERING FEEDBACK RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE ULTIMATELY WE WANT THIS TO BE REPRESENTATIVE OF WHAT OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS WELL INTO THE FUTURE.
SO WE DO HAVE A SURVEY THAT'S ON THE STREET, ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO BE A PART OF THAT.
UH, WE HAVE SOME PUBLIC MEETINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING AS WELL, COMING UP IN THE FUTURE.
AND SO ULTIMATELY IT'S EXPECTED THAT I'LL PRESENT A RECOMMENDATION TO THE SCHOOL BOARD IN MAY, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE A FINAL VOTE AFTER JUNE 14TH, COORDINATING, UH, WE ARE HAVING A CONVERSATION IN OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT HOW WE CAN GAIN SOME ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONAL DAYS FOR STUDENTS.
UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT A ATTENTIONAL BALANCED CALENDAR WHERE WE READ THE STRICT SOME DAYS ACROSS THE 365 DAY CALENDAR.
UH, LOOKING AT THIS, NOT ONLY FROM AN INSTRUCTIONAL STANDPOINT AND ALSO LOOKING AT IT FROM A FISCAL HEALTH AND FROM A MENTAL HEALTH STANDPOINT WHERE WE CAN TAKE TWO WEEKS TO START A LITTLE BIT EARLIER AND GIVE THOSE TWO WEEKS BACK WITH A FALL BREAK AND AN ADDITIONAL WEEK AT SPRING BREAK.
ULTIMATELY RECOGNIZING THAT THE CURRENT CALENDAR HAS A PRETTY FAST RATE.
SO YOU START IN AUGUST AND YOU RUN HARD UNTIL JUNE CATCH YOUR BREATH FOR ABOUT 10 WEEKS AND YOU DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN, BUT WE'RE ASKING QUESTIONS.
WOULD IT BE BETTER IF WE PACE OURSELVES DIFFERENTLY AND PROVIDE BREAKS THAT WILL HELP THOSE BE MORE PRODUCTIVE, MORE HEALTHY, HEALTHIER.
UH, SO ANYWAY, THAT'S A CONVERSATION THAT'S HAPPENING IN THE COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW.
WE HAVE ANOTHER SURVEY THAT'S ON THE STREET RELATED TO THIS.
AND SO THERE ARE SOME HIGHLIGHTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS THAT WE'RE SHARING WITH OUR COMMUNITY.
AND THEN ULTIMATELY, UM, I'LL MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO THE SCHOOL BOARD IN APRIL, JUST IN A FEW SHORT WEEKS.
AND SO WE'LL CONSIDER THAT PUBLICLY.
UH, SO A FEW THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING, WE'VE HAD A FEW PUBLIC MEETINGS AND GATHERING FEEDBACK, AS I SAID.
UH, SO A LOT OF THINGS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, SETTING OURSELVES UP FOR THE FUTURE.
WE CONTINUE TO BE TRANSPARENT AND OUR WORK WELCOME THE FEEDBACK OF OUR COMMUNITY BECAUSE ULTIMATELY WE ARE A PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM.
WE ARE THIS COMMUNITY'S PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM AND WE REPRESENT EVERYONE'S WILLING TO SERVE.
AND I'M PROUD TO SAY THAT WE'RE DOING A GREAT JOB OF IT, AND CERTAINLY WANT TO CONTINUE THAT WORK WELL TO THE FUTURE.
SO I'LL ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE.
UH, HOW IS THIS, THAT THIS THREE DAY IS A DISTRICT BAIT FOR THE MEMBERSHIP IN THE VIRGINIA ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS.
RIGHT OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, I'D HAVE TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT THE INVOICES.
IT'S NOT A SIGNIFICANT EXPENSE.
[00:50:01]
DON'T KNOW THE EXACT FIGURE.I BEEN INTERESTED IN KNOWING THAT BECAUSE I FIND THEM TO BE A POLITICAL ORGANIZATION NOW, A NOT-FOR-PROFIT POLITICAL ORGANIZATION THAT I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND WHY OUR X DOLLARS ARE GOING TO IT AS A POLITICAL ORGANIZATION.
AND WHAT OTHER ORGANIZATIONS MIGHT BE LIKE THAT, THAT ARE GOING TOWARDS, LET'S SAY, POLITICAL ORGANIZATION THAT LOBBIES AND AS CERTAIN ACTIONS TAKE SPORT AND I'LL REFLECT BACK TO WHEN THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS POOL THE AUTHORITY TO PULL OUT A BACO BECAUSE OF THE INITIATIVES THEY WERE PUTTING FORTH WERE JUST NOT BENEFICIAL FOR THE COUNTY, ESPECIALLY WITH CONCERN.
SO THE TAXPAYERS ARE MAKING MORE.
LET ME GET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS AT THE END OF THE NIGHT, AND I'LL BE HAPPY TO DO THAT RESEARCH AND SEND YOU THAT INFORMATION.
I MEAN, I CAN, IF YOU'D LIKE TO WRITE IT DOWN, SEND IT ALSO OR WHATEVER THE CASE, MY BABY BOY.
I'LL, I'LL JUST, I'LL JUST GET YOUR INFORMATION AT THE END OF THE MEETING AND SEND THAT TO YOU.
I SHOULD GET IT TO YOU TOMORROW.
THE SALES TAX EARLIEST FINDINGS, HAVE YOU HAD ANY IMPACT OR PERCEIVED IMPACTS THAT WERE OCCURRED BY REDUCING TAXES IN THE STATE GAS OR? YEAH.
SO ACROSS THE STATE PUBLIC SCHOOLS GET ONE, ONE, 8% OF THE SALES TAX ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH.
AND THAT COMES DIRECTLY BACK TO US BASED ON STUDENT POPULATION, AS WELL AS SCHOOL-AGE POPULATION IN THE COMMUNITY.
IT GOES BEYOND JUST THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT WE HAVE.
UM, SO RIGHT NOW OUR BUDGET IS BUILT OFF OF, AND OUR NORTHLAND'S BUDGET.
IT'S JUST NOW A COUPLE OF MONTHS OLD AND THERE WERE SOME GROCERY TAX, UM, MONEY IN THERE'S SOME CONVERSATION ABOUT OLD HARMLESS RELATED TO THE GROCERY TAX.
AND ULTIMATELY THAT'S ONE OF THE CONVERSATION THAT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY WILL HAVE SOON.
UH, AND SO HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET RESOLUTION ON THAT BECAUSE WE DO RELY ON THE SALES TAX DOLLARS TO PROVIDE REVENUE TO SUPPORT THE SCHOOL.
SO WE'LL HAVE TO WAIT TO SEE WHAT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY DOES.
THERE IS GOOD IN ATLAS I SAW ON YOUR SMILE.
I THINK IT WAS A LITTLE TIN THAT WOULD BE, YEAH, IT'S SIGNIFICANT.
IT'S BASED, IT'S AN ECONOMIC VARIABLE.
AND I'LL TELL YOU THE SCHOOL BOARD BUDGET VERY CONSERVATIVELY WHEN IT COMES TO THAT, SOME SCHOOL DIVISIONS WILL SAY, WE'RE GOING TO BUDGET FOR A HUNDRED PERCENT OF WHAT THE STATE'S TELLING US.
WE BUDGETED ABOUT 97.5% OF THAT SIMPLY BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO RELY ON A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THAT JUST IN CASE SOMETHING DOES HAPPEN.
UM, BUT YEAH, IT IS A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF REVENUE YOU'VE REACHED, UM, SAVINGS AND YOUR PRESENTATION, UM, UM, SHELTER, ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNER, UM, COORDINATOR POSITION THAT, THAT WE TO PREVAIL A LOT OF PROGRESS GOING ON.
AND I WANT TO COMMISSION A WAY THAT SOMEBODY THAT WORKS WITH ALL THE PROJECT, WE HAVE SOME PART-TIME.
YEAH KNOW, WE CONVERTED SOME POSITIONS THAT MIDDLE OF THE YEAR TOO, BUT I THINK THERE WAS A PARKS AND REC OPPOSITION IN THERE.
SO THAT'S THE FOUR POSITIONS WE HAVE REQUESTS.
I THINK WE, WE, UH, THE, UH, DEPARTMENTS REQUESTED MORE THAN 30 PEOPLE.
AND, UM, BUT WE, WE LIKE THE SCHOOLS.
WE HAVE TO BALANCE OUR BUDGET.
SO, UH, WE ALSO, ONE THING THAT I DID NOT MENTION, I, WELL, TWO THINGS, ONE THING THAT I DID NOT MENTION WAS THAT WE ALSO SET ASIDE SOME FUNDING TO WE'RE DOING
[00:55:01]
A SALARY STUDIES.SO WE'RE, WE'VE GONE OUT AND WE HAVE A CONSULTANT.
WE JUST WENT THROUGH THE JOB ASSESSMENT TOOL THAT THEY PROVIDE.
AND WE'RE DOING A, A REVIEW OF HOW WE COMPARE WITH OTHER ACCOUNTANTS THEY'RE IN W WE'RE USING, THEY JUST APPEAL THAT DON'T HAND OVER ANY RYKO.
SO THEY ALREADY HAVE A LOT OF NUMBERS AND WE WANT TO COMPARE, WE DON'T REALLY COMPETE WITH, FOR, FOR SALARIES.
WE LOSE PEOPLE TO HAND OVER AND RYKO AND JUST TO FEEL SO WE'RE COMPARING THE, WE COMPARED WITH ALL, ALL OF THE LOCALITIES IN THE PLAN, OUR VA COMMUNITY.
SO WE HAVE MONEY SET ASIDE SO THAT WHEN THEY COME BACK, WE DON'T THINK THEY'RE GOING TO BE DONE BY THE TIME THE BUDGET GETS APPROVED SO THAT WHEN THEY COME BACK AND WE LOOK AT SALARIES AND WE'LL LOOK AT THEIR RECOMMENDATION, WE CAN GO BACK AND PROVIDE ADDITIONAL PAY INCREASES TO FOLKS THAT SORT OF, SO WE HAVE MONEY SET ASIDE FOR THAT.
BEFORE YOU GO BACK, I WANT TO SAY, I FORGOT TO SAY IT UP FRONT, BUT FROM DISTRICT THREE NEIL SPOON HOUR.
COULDN'T BE HERE BECAUSE HE'S GOT A FRIEND WHO'S DISABLED IN KENTUCKY, PADUCAH, KENTUCKY KNOWS WHO THAT IS.
AND IT'S BREAD TAKEN CARE OF BY BROTHER.
THAT BROTHER PASSED AWAY SUDDENLY.
AND SO NEIL IS OUT THERE TRYING TO HELP HIM GET HIS LIFE STRAIGHT SO THAT HE CAN CONTINUE TO LIVE.
THANK YOU WITH THE, UH, COURTHOUSE BUILDING STUDY THAT'S GOING ON.
AND I THINK A RECENT ARTICLE SANDY MENTIONED NOVA TERM, UH, ON ANOTHER ISSUE.
THE FACT THAT FAIRGROUND ROAD IS AN ARTERY TO THE WEST END AND TO THE CITY AND SO FORTH.
IT'S A MAJOR THOROUGHFARE OUT OF THE VILLAGE, ELLA GENERAL, CENTRAL AREA, GOOCHLAND COUNTY, AND THE 2040 SHOWS, DEPENDING ON THE LLS THAT IT'S GOING TO BE UPGRADED.
AND I SEE NOTHING IN ANY OF THE PLANS TO TALK ABOUT THAT SPECIALLY FOR MONEY WITH REBARS RULE HILL AND A NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS ON FAIRGROUND ROAD THIS YEAR, THERE HAVE BEEN 19 REPORTED JUST BY OUR LOCAL SHERIFF'S OFFICE, NOT INCLUDING ANY.WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE TO EXPLORE THE RAILS AND OTHER POST-IT ADVANTAGES THAT ARE NOT RECORDED AND STATE POLICE.
UM, IT APPEARS TO BE A SITUATION WITH THE 19 CURRENTLY LESS THAN TWO MONTHS, DECIDED TWO MONTHS AND SYMPHONY OF ALL LAST YEAR WITH THE INCREASED DEVELOPMENT, THE INCREASED TRAFFIC, HOW IS THE COUNTY WORKING TO GET FAIRGROUND ROAD? LET'S SAY UP TO WHAT IS IN THE 24 THOROUGHFARE PLAN.
AND WHAT'S THE AMOUNT OF TIME IT TAKES TO GET ANYTHING LET'S TAKE DOWN TO THE COMMONWEALTH.
YOU WANT TO START A BETTER, THAT'S THE ONLY ANSWER.
NOW WE ARE, AS YOU SAID, IT'S IN OUR 2040 PLAN.
WE ALWAYS LOOK AT THE NEXT YEAR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN.
SO WE BOUNCED THIS COMING YEAR.
WE, WE, UM, OR WE FUND THIS COMING YEAR WITH BALANCE.
THE NEXT YEAR WE CAN'T GO OUT TO 2040, BUT IT IS OUT THERE AND WE ARE WORKING, TRYING TO WORK OUT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT NEW MONEY COMING IN FROM THE, UM, CVA TBTA TAXES.
I'M JUST GOING TO SAY THE ACCIDENT RATE IS ALREADY ESCALATING YAWN AND SEE THAT'S SOMETHING, AS FAR AS I'VE BEEN ABLE TO TELL AT ALL, LIKE THE FISH, IT'S NOT COUNTING THE LLS STUDIES THAT THEY WANT.
IAN, WE MIGHT BE EXCEEDING, LET'S SAY WAITING FOR 2040, WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
ESPECIALLY AS THOSE TWO DEVELOPMENTS BUILD OUT AND OTHERS ARE, YEAH, I ALREADY KNOW AN ANSWER IS ONE THAT KNOWS SOMEBODY THAT CAN ANSWER.
CAN YOU MAKE JOY AND HECTOR? UM, SO WHEN WE DID THE, UH, MAJOR THOROUGH HER PLAN, BUT SHE CAME UP WITH ALL THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS.
THEY DID LOOK AT THE LAND USE PLAN AND DO A BUILD OUT BASED ON ALL OF THE, UH, UM, PROJECTED LAND USES.
SO, SO THAT IS TAKEN INTO EFFECT.
UM, WHAT WE DO DO IS WHENEVER SOMEBODY COMES IN FOR A REZONING PROJECT, UM, WE MAKE SURE WE GET THE RIGHT OF WAY DEDICATED.
UM, AND THEN WE'RE CREATING A PRIORITY LIST ON PROJECTS AND WORKING THROUGH THEM.
BUT UNFORTUNATELY WITH ROAD PROJECTS, IT'S OFTEN HAD TO GET REALLY BAD BEFORE WE GET THE FUNDING.
[01:00:01]
MY SLIDE FUNDING IT'S DIFFICULT.AND SOMETIMES EVEN WHEN YOU THINK YOU HAVE IT, IT JUST DISAPPEARS.
YOU HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION LEAVING TRANSPORTATION.
LET ME JUST, JUST WAIT, GO QUICKLY.
TODAY WAS MY DAY AT THE COUNTY THIS MORNING AND TOOK A GOOD CHUNK OF IT WAS WITH OUR TRANSPORT TRANSPORTATION MANAGER AND, UH, ALL OUT ON THE TPO TRANSMISSION, OUR TPO, AND THEN OF COURSE, NIELSEN HOURS ON CDTA.
WE HAVE A GOOD REPRESENTATION AND ENGAGE OUR PRESENTATION, SUSAN, THAT WE CHAIR NEXT YEAR, THE TPO.
AND SO WE'RE ENGAGED AT THAT LEVEL.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO, FOR ME, IT'S LEARNING TOPICS, SUSAN AND JEN AND OTHERS AROUND, UH, TRANSPORTATION HAS CHANGED IN THE TIME WE'VE BEEN HERE WITH THE CDTA MONEY AND CBJ MONEY AND SOMETHING THAT CAME UP AGAIN TODAY.
AND WE'RE REALLY WATCHING THAT WHEN WE GET ABOUT 200,000 A MONTH IN THAT.
AND SO 3.1 MILLION, BUT THE BIG QUESTION IS HOW DO WE UTILIZE THAT? SO WE'RE LOOKING AT WHAT OTHER, WHAT OTHER COUNTIES ARE DOING.
WE, NOT THAT WE'RE GOING TO FOLLOW THEM.
WE'RE JUST TRYING TO SEE HOW ARE PEOPLE TRYING TO LEVERAGE IT FOR PROJECTS? DO YOU DO SMALL PROJECTS? I MEAN, THAT FUNDING GAP THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, THAT YOU SAW ABOUT THE FAIRGROUND ROUNDABOUT, THAT'S PROBABLY COMING TO DC.
SO MY STUDY IS TO LOOK AT AN ALIGNMENT.
SO FAIRGROUND ROAD IS GOING TO WORK ITS WAY UP.
IF, IF THIS BUILD-OUT HAPPENS IN THE COMMUNITY, LIKE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE FAIRGROUNDS, THE ROADS WORK ITS WAY UP THE LIST.
UM, BUT WE WERE LOOKING AT THE LIST OF DATA AND TRANSPORTATION LISTS AS LAW AND THE BOARD'S GOING TO START GETTING ENGAGED IN PRIORITIZE.
WE'RE GOING TO ASK THE REGION TO DO WHAT WE'RE GOING TO LOOK FOR.
SMART SCALE PROJECTS, AND ALSO HOW WE'RE GOING TO DEPLOY CPTA MONEY, BUT IT'S A BLOOMING SITUATION.
SO IT'S HARD TO TELL YOU WHEN, BUT JOANNE WAS CORRECT.
I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE WHEN, WHEN THE NEED ARISES, LIKE, HEY, THIS, THIS IS BECOMING CRITICAL IN TERMS OF ACCIDENTS OR JUST, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TRYING TO GET BEFORE ACCIDENTS HAPPEN.
WE TRY TO ENGAGE WHEN YOU SAID LOS, THIS IS A QUESTION I'LL READ, YOU TALKED ABOUT LOS LEVEL OF SERVICE.
IS THERE A LEVEL OF SERVICE SCORE FOR JUST ROADS? I ALWAYS THINK WHAT I'VE SEEN IS THERE'S ALWAYS AN INTERSECTION.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I'LL LEARN JUST FROM YOUR QUESTION ABOUT PAYING ATTENTION TO THAT.
CAUSE I, WE, WE GET THESE CASES WHERE I WAS LOOKING AT THE LEVEL OF SERVICES OF EXTREME OF INTERSECTIONS, HOW LONG DO WAIT FOR THE LIGHT TO CHANGE AND THAT SORT OF STUFF.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THAT'S, I DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT STANDS FOR FAIRGROUNDS ROAD IN TERMS OF A, OF, WELL IT'S NOW.
WELL, I DID, QUITE FRANKLY, DEPENDING ON, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW TRAVEL IS ACTUALLY BECAUSE OF THE SITUATION WITH YOUR GROUND IS ALSO, IF WE LOOK INTO SORT OF FAIR STUDY, IT HAS ONE OF THE LARGER EXIT RATES IN THE ENTIRE ACCOUNT FROM OIL MILL ALL THE WAY DOWN.
NOW, SOME OF THAT MIGHT CHANGE, BUT THAT'S JUST THE FACT ABOUT IT.
SO I DON'T SEE THAT GETTING BETTER.
THAT'S ONE OF THE MOST TAXES IS THE LARGEST TAX AND ACCOUNTING.
AND THAT IS IF IT'S A FLAT TAX ACROSS ALL INCOMES AND AS YOU POINTED OUT, SO THERE ARE A NUMBER OF COUNTIES THAT ARE ACTUALLY DECREASING THEIR TAX RATE, WHICH HELPS SUPPORT SPECIALLY LOWER INCOME, MEDIUM INCOME FAMILIES, RIGID RESIDENCES AND SO FORTH.
SO HOW, WHAT WAS THE THOUGHT PATTERN GIVEN TOWARDS THAT AND, OR PHASING OUT MY FAVORITE TAX OVER A PERIOD OF SEVERAL YEARS, 18 TO 12 PEOPLE.
YEAH, WE, UH, WE LOOKED AT ALL IN ALL THE TAXES AND THE REVENUES.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GROWN A LOT.
WE'VE REALLY FOCUSED ON PUBLIC SAFETY.
WE WERE STILL NOT WHAT WE NEED TO BE ON PUBLIC SAFETY.
SO WHEN, WHEN WE FIRST STARTED HEARING ABOUT THE ASSESSMENTS EARLY IN THE YEAR, THOUGH, IT'S GOING TO BE A GREAT DEAL.
WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO CUT HERE OR THERE, AND IT TURNS OUT WE WERE NOT ABLE TO FUND EVERYTHING WE WANTED TO FUND TO KIND OF KEEP THINGS RUNNING WELL.
SO, UH, WE, WE DID DECIDE CAR PRICES.
IF PEOPLE HAVE NOT GOTTEN THEIR, THEIR VEHICLE TAX BILLS, YET THEY'RE GOING TO BE SURPRISING.
USE CAR PRICES ARE WAY UP BECAUSE MANUFACTURERS CAN PRODUCE NEW CARS.
SO I GOT AN OFFER LAST FRIDAY FROM MCGEORGE TOYOTA OR MY 2017 TRUCK, 2000 HIGHER THAN WHAT I PAID FOR IT.
UH, SO, UM, BUT OF COURSE, IF I TRADE IT IN IT MORE FOR A NEW ONE, I'LL PROBABLY HAVE
[01:05:01]
TO GO TO THE WAITING ROOM.SO WE NOTE AND WE DECIDED OVER THE YEAR WE'VE HAD, UH, WHEN WE FIRST CAME ON, THE BOARD, HE CALLED ME WAS, WAS DOWN.
OUR TAX RATE SHOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH HIGHER PROBABLY.
AND OVER THE YEARS WE THINK WE DIDN'T, WE DIDN'T RAISE THE TAX RATE WHEN WE NEEDED MORE FUNDING, WE TRY TO LEVEL IT OFF WITH EFFICIENCIES.
SO WE JUST DIDN'T FEEL LIKE THIS YEAR WAS A YEAR TO LOWER THE TAX RATE, UM, TOO MUCH.
UM, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT NEXT YEAR IS GOING TO BRING ON THE REDUCED IT BECAUSE, UM, WE ARE MUCH HIGHER THAN THE REGION.
SO WE THOUGHT REDUCING IT TO THREE LAST, LAST YEAR, THE BOARD REDUCED IT TO 3 95 FROM $4 PER HUNDRED, WE'RE PROPOSING 3 85.
AND IN OCTOBER TO TODAY, WE ACTUALLY CONSIDER, WE ASKED THE SUPERVISORS TO CONSIDER MAYBE COMING DOWN TO, UH, 3 75, UM, THE PEOPLE THAT, UH, KEN'S OH MY GOD.
BUT ANYWAY, UM, HE SAID THAT BACKWARDS, THE BOARD CAME TO HIM AND SAID, CAN YOU LOWER THAN ON THAT? OH YEAH.
UH, SO WE, WE FEEL LIKE THAT IS SUSTAINABLE GOING FORWARD.
UM, SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE, WE'RE GOING, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION.
WELL, THIS WHOLE TAX IS 1.3 MILLION WRITTEN DOWN BUDGET AND REVENUE, AND THAT WOULD BE LIKE TWO PENNIES ON THE REAL ESTATE GUTS.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT IT'S SOMETHING WE REALLY DON'T KNOW.
WE SHOULD LOOK AT IT, BUT IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A TOUGH ONE THIS YEAR TO, I DON'T WANT TO PICK ON ANY, WE'RE TALKING TO THE FIRE FOLKS ABOUT ASSOCIATIONS WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THE WEST CREEK WHEN YOU STAFF THAT IT'S ONE AND A HALF MILLION TO STAFF.
SO WE'RE ON THE BEAT POLL TAX.
IT HAS COME UP AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO DISCUSS IT.
UH, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THIS IS YOU HATE TO HEAR THIS, LIKE, HOW DO WE REPLACE THAT REVENUE GOVERNMENT SHOULD REPLACE THAT REVENUE.
BUT AGAIN, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO WANT A HALF A MILLION.
AND THE FIRE AND RESCUE NEEDS ARE PUBLIC SAFETY.
OUR PRIORITY, OUR BUDGET IS SUPPORTING THAT, BUT I HAD, I HAD THAT.
WE HAD A CANDIDATE DISCUSSION TODAY WITH THE FIRE CHIEF, JUST ABOUT HOW, HOW WE'RE GOING TO PACE OURSELVES SINCE THE GROWTH COMES IN AND HOW ARE WE GOING TO CONTINUE TO MEET THE NEEDS? AND IT'S JUST A PUSH AND PULL.
IT'S LIKE WE'RE HAVING UNHEALTHY DISCUSSIONS AND WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THEM SERVICES AND WE'LL GET A LADDER TRUCK.
WE HAVE SOME OTHER THINGS COMING IN AND THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GOING TO, WE'RE GOING TO START TO HAVE SOME, UH, SOME PHYSICAL NEEDS JUST AS, UH, YOU KNOW, THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS ARE SEVEN YEARS OLD.
SOME OF OUR PRIOR STATIONS ARE AT THAT AGE AS WELL.
SO DID YOU WANT MR. ? YEAH, THIS IS A, UM, A BUSINESS LICENSE TAX AND, UH, THERE WAS A YEAR OR TWO AGO, I GUESS WE, WE DID CUT A BUSINESS LICENSE TAX BASE IT'S SPECIAL, UH, AND RICH THAT TAX KICKS IN FROM $10,000 TO 50,000.
UM, SO THAT EFFECTED YOUR COMPANY VAULT TAX AND LETTING THE LOAD ON SMALL BUSINESSES, JUST TRY AND GAIN NOW TO GET STARTED AND YOU DON'T HANDLE THE TAX.
WE'LL JUST GET QUITE A BIT TO LET THE GET SOME MOMENTUM BEFORE WE DIDN'T ELIMINATE IT.
BUT WE STARTED TO PROGRESS AND KIND OF PULL THE RECORD.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR QUESTIONS FOR SCHOOLS? THEY'RE STILL HERE? NO QUESTION.
UH, COME TO A BOARD MEETINGS, SPEAK AT THE BOARD MEETINGS, COME TO THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS.
I'M ACTUALLY GOING TO READ THE NEXT ONE SO I CAN HEAR WHAT THE NEW LOOK IS UP WITH THE SCHOOL.
UH, I ENCOURAGE YOU ALL TO ATTEND.
IF YOU WANT TO DO SOME MORE ACTIVITIES HERE, YOU CAN CHECK WITH JESSICA IN THE BACK, OUR DIRECTOR
[01:10:01]
OF PARKS AND RECREATION.YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN A BUNCH OF CARDS WHEN YOU COME IN.
I EXPECTED TO SEE A LARGE CROWD HERE, BUT I THINK THERE'S PEOPLE PLAYING BASKETBALL KIDS.
I THINK EVEN THOUGH BILLIONS TRAINING GOING ON IN THE GYM AREAS WAY HOME