[00:00:02]
I WANT TO THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT.I'M VIC CARPENTER, I'M YOUR COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR, AND THOUGH I'D LIKE TO THANK Y'ALL ARE HERE BECAUSE OF ME, I KNOW YOU'RE HERE BECAUSE OF THE COOKIES.
SO I WANT TO GIVE A, A SHOUT OUT TO OUR, OUR CTE PROGRAM AT THE HIGH SCHOOL.
UH, THOSE COOKIES ARE MADE BY OUR STUDENTS.
IF, IF YOU HAVEN'T HAD THE CHANCE TO GET TO KNOW THE PROGRAMS OF OUR CTE, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO SO.
UH, THAT'S JUST ONE OF THE MANY PROGRAMS THAT ARE OFFERED THROUGH THE CTE, BUT THE COOKIES, THEY'RE NICE, THEY'RE REALLY GOOD.
SO PEOPLE LOOK FORWARD TO THE COOKIES COMING HERE.
UH, I WANT TO FIRST OF ALL START BY AGAIN THANKING Y'ALL FOR, FOR TAKING YOUR TIME TO COME OUT TONIGHT.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES GOIN COUNTY GREAT.
I SAY THIS OVER AND OVER, IS LOOKING OUT IN SINGLE A ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE MEANS SOMETHING TO ME.
IT MEANS SOMETHING TO STAFF BECAUSE THE STAFF, YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS, YOU PUT SO MUCH EFFORT INTO IT, AND THEN WHEN YOU LOOK OUT AND YOU DON'T SEE ANYBODY IN A ROOM, IT SENDS A MESSAGE.
SO, SEEING AN INTEREST ENGAGED, AN INTERESTED AND ENGAGED COMMUNITY MEANS A LOT TO US.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE INTEREST YOU HAVE IN MAKING GLAND THE GREAT PLACE THAT IT IS.
I WANNA INTRODUCE, I HAVE, UH, WE HAVE TONIGHT.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, WE HAVE TWO OF OUR SUPERVISORS.
UH, WE HAVE MR. CHARLIE VOS, UH, WHO'S DISTRICT WE'RE IN.
UH, WE HAVE MR. JONATHAN LYLE, UH, FROM DISTRICT FIVE AS WELL.
UH, WE HAVE, UH, I'LL LET OUR SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT INTRODUCE HIS SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS.
UH, WE HAVE, UH, SEVERAL MEMBERS OF OUR PLANNING COMMISSION ARE HERE.
WE'VE GOT SEVERAL OF OUR NEW MEMBERS AS WELL.
UM, I'M STILL LEARNING EVERYBODY'S NAME, SO IF YOU'D STAND UP AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF REAL BRIEFLY, DELEGATE, OH, I'M NOT GONNA FORGET.
DELEGATE
AND DISTRICT THREE, UH, IS, DID, DID HE MAKE IT FROM? OKAY.
AND THEN AGAIN, WE, WE HAVE OUR DELEGATE REPRESENTATIVE WHO LIVES IN, UH, CENTERVILLE DISTRICT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SIR, FOR JOINING US TONIGHT.
WE HAVE OUR SHERIFF, UH, ELECTED FISHER.
WE ALSO HAVE MS. AMANDA ADAMS, OUR CLERK OF COURT, WHO WILL BE ADDRESSING US BRIEFLY TONIGHT AS WELL.
UH, YOU HAVE A NUMBER OF STAFF HERE.
UH, STAFF ARE HERE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS.
IF, IF THEY COME UP, UH, YOU'RE WELCOME TO, UH, TALK TO THEM, GRAB THEM, UH, GO ASIDE.
AND ALSO, I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO JUST, UH, QUICKLY INTRODUCE OUR NEW, UH, UH, NEW COUNTY, UH, DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR, MR. JOSH GILLESPIE, UH, WHO IS ALSO A, A RESIDENT OF GSON COUNTY AND WILL BE STARTING WITH US IN APRIL.
UH, SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND GET INTO THIS.
AND, YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS START THESE THINGS BY SAYING THE SAME THING.
IT'S A GREAT DAY IN GLAND COUNTY, AND IT'S A GREAT DAY, AND IT'S A GREAT TIME TO BE IN GLAND COUNTY, YOU KNOW, AND WE START, AND WE DO THESE EVERY YEAR.
WHY DO WE DO TOWN HALL MEETINGS? BECAUSE WE ARE SUCH A NEAT PLACE.
SO MANY GREAT THINGS ARE HAPPENING THAT WE WANNA SHARE IT WITH EVERYBODY.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY HAS A CHANCE TO SEE, TO KNOW AND UNDERSTAND, TO ASK QUESTIONS, TO MEET YOUR STAFF, TO MEET YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS.
THIS IS THE LAST OF OUR TOWN HALL, OUR DISTRICT FOUR TOWN HALL.
WE STARTED BACK ON MARCH 7TH, UH, DOWN IN DISTRICT FIVE AT DOVER BAPTIST CHURCH AND ENDING UP TONIGHT, UH, WITH FOUR OF 'EM.
UM, AND THE FIRST THING WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT IS THE BUDGET ITSELF.
SO, PRESENTED THE BUDGET TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, UM, SOME WEEKS BACK IN FEBRUARY.
AND I'LL TELL YOU WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO, BUT THE FIRST THING I ALWAYS LIKE TO DO IS I ALWAYS LIKE TO TALK ABOUT OUR DOGS AND OUR CATS AT OUR ANIMAL SHELTER.
SO HERE'S CODA CODA'S, A 3-YEAR-OLD, 60 POUND NEUTERED, LOOKING FOR LOVE, YOU KNOW, FOR ALL THE RIGHT PLACES.
SO ENCOURAGE YOU TO GO, IF YOU'VE GOT ANY HEART, ANY PLACE YOU HEART, YOU'LL SEE A COUPLE MORE DOGS AND CATS DO THIS PRESENTATION, BECAUSE THERE'S SOME, ONE OF THE NEAT THINGS ABOUT UCHIN COUNTY.
SO WE START WITH THE PRESENTATION, AND WE ALWAYS START, I LIKE TO SAY, AND I LIKE TO LOOK BACK, WHERE ARE WE COMING FROM? SO LET'S GO BACK TO 2018, AND YOU GO BACK TO 2018.
UH, THE GENERAL FUND OF GLAND COUNTY WAS ABOUT $50 MILLION.
FAST FORWARD TO TODAY, THE GENERAL FUND IS ABOUT $89 MILLION.
SO THAT'S ABOUT A 60% INCREASE IN ABOUT SEVEN YEARS.
AND YOU'LL SEE AS WE GO THROUGH THIS INCREASE IS BEING DRIVEN BY ONE SIGNIFICANT THING.
OUR SUPPORT FOR INCREASING OUR PUBLIC SAFETY, UH, EFFORT, AND MAKING SURE THAT OUR FIRE AND RESCUE, MAKING SURE THAT OUR SHERIFF'S OFFICE, OUR ANIMAL CONTROL, ARE FULLY FUNDED.
ALSO SUPPORT FOR OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT.
SO THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE HAVE IN THERE.
SORRY, HELPS TO PUSH THE BUTTON, DOESN'T IT? SO, COMING FROM THERE, WHERE ARE WE GOING? WELL, I'M GONNA TELL YOU FIRST A BIT ABOUT THE PROCESS WE GO THROUGH IN BUILDING A BUDGET IN GOOSE LIMB.
THIS IS AN EXAMPLE, LISTENING THE BUDGET'S OUT THERE.
WE, WE GET FEEDBACK FROM OUR CITIZENS.
WE ACTUALLY STARTED BACK IN OCTOBER OF 23 ON THIS BUDGET.
AND I POINT THAT OUT BECAUSE THAT'S IMPORTANT, BECAUSE THE BUDGET THAT WE'RE WRITING WON'T TAKE EFFECT UNTIL JULY OF 24, AND IT'LL RUN UNTIL JUNE OF 25.
SO WE BUILD A BUDGET, WE'RE HAVING TO START ALMOST 18 MONTHS IN ADVANCE AND ANTICIPATE WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN,
[00:05:01]
WHAT'S COMING THROUGH, WHAT KIND OF OF ISSUES WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO DEAL WITH.SO FROM NOVEMBER THROUGH JANUARY, WE MET WITH ALL THE COUNTY DEPARTMENTS, WITH OUR CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS.
WE MET WITH OUR SCHOOLS, WE MET WITH OUR SHERIFF, WE MET WITH OUR PUBLIC SAFETY.
WE HAD WORK SESSIONS WITH SCHOOLS, WITH COUNTY DEPARTMENTS, AGAIN, ON OUR FIVE YEAR CIP WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT IN A LITTLE BIT.
AND AGAIN, WE MET WITH OUR BOARD MEMBERS.
UH, THEY'RE THE ONES THAT YOU ELECT.
THEY'RE THE ONES THAT YOU SEND WITH A MANDATE TO, TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN.
SO WE MAKE SURE WE UNDERSTAND WHAT THEIR PRIORITIES ARE AS WELL.
AND WHAT ARE THOSE PRIORITIES FROM THEM? WELL, THE FIRST THING IS THE BUDGET IS CONSISTENT.
IT'S CONSISTENT WITH A BOARD STRATEGIC PLAN.
IT'S A VERY CONSERVATIVE APPROACH TO REVENUES AND EXPENDITURE GROWTH.
WE, WE, WE DON'T PLAN ON BRINGING IN LOTS OF MONEY, THOUGH.
WE ALWAYS BUDGET AND PLAN FOR THINGS TO BE VERY CONSERVATIVE.
WE SEEK EFFICIENCIES AND COST SAVINGS.
THAT'S SOMETHING WHICH WE LOOK TO DO ALL THE TIME.
AGAIN, THAT'S ONE OF THE DRIVING COMMITMENTS WE HAVE, IS TO INCREASE OUR LEVEL OF SUPPORT FOR OUR PUBLIC SAFETY.
UH, WE ALSO HAVE FINANCIAL POLICIES THAT ARE IN PLACE TO GOVERN EVERYTHING FROM OUR FUND BALANCE, OUR DEBT LEVEL, OUR BALANCED BUDGET.
ALL OF THOSE, UH, OBLIGATIONS ARE MET, UH, BY THESE BUDGET.
WE ALSO LOOK TO MAINTAIN COMPETITIVE COMPENSATION WITH OUR EMPLOYEES.
YOU KNOW, WE COMPETE, WE COMPETE AGAINST HENRICO, WE COMPETE AGAINST CHESTERFIELD, WE COMPETE AGAINST, UH, H OVER LOUISA, ALL THOSE.
AND, AND MOST OF OUR EMPLOYEES DON'T LIVE IN OUR COUNTY.
SO WE'RE COMPETING WITH THEM TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THE BEST EMPLOYEES AND KEEP THE BEST EMPLOYEES.
AND THEN WE LOOK AS WELL AS THE COUNTY GROWS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PUT THE NECESSARY SUPPORT INTO THOSE PARTS OF THE COUNTY THAT NEED TO HAVE EXTRA STAFFING.
AS WE TALK ABOUT GROWTH IN THIS COMMUNITY, PUBLIC SAFETY IS AN EXAMPLE WHERE WE PUT A LOT OF SUPPORT THROUGH THE YEARS, AND YOU'LL SEE.
AND THEN WE MAKE SURE THAT OUR UTILITIES ARE SELF-SUSTAINING.
YOU KNOW, UTILITIES IN THE COUNTY ARE WHAT'S CALLED AN ENTERPRISE FUND.
AND AN ENTERPRISE FUND IS A BUSINESS UNIT OF THE COUNTY.
IT DOESN'T SUPPOSED TO MAKE MONEY, BUT IT CAN'T LOSE MONEY.
IT'S NOT SUBSIDIZED BY THE GENERAL TAXPAYERS.
IT CAN ONLY BE SUBSIDIZED BY THE RATES THAT ARE PAID.
SO WE MAKE SURE THAT OUR UTILITIES ARE SELF SUSTAINING.
SO AGAIN, WE START WITH REVENUE BECAUSE THAT'S HOW WE LOOK AT IT.
WE DON'T START WITH HOW MUCH DO WE WANNA SPEND.
WE START WITH HOW MUCH DO WE HAVE AVAILABLE TO US? SO THE FIRST THING IS, WHAT'S THE REVENUE COMING IN? AND WE LOOK AT ALL THE SOURCES.
NOW, THE BULK OF OUR REVENUE COMES FROM PROPERTY TAXES.
THAT'S HOW WE DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO SELL WIDGETS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO PROPERTY TAXES, LOCAL TAXES, STATE AID, FEDERAL AID, ET CETERA.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT'S ALL TAX.
WE MAY HAVE A DIFFERENT NAME FOR THIS OR THAT, BUT IT'S ALL TAXES.
IT ALL COMES OUT OF YOUR POCKET ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.
AND SO THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO US THAT WE'RE AWARE OF THAT.
SO WE LOOK AND ANTICIPATE AND PLAN AND FORECAST WHAT'S COMING.
AND THEN WHAT DO WE DO? WELL, WE GOTTA ANTICIPATE WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN.
REMEMBER 18 MONTHS, WE'RE LOOKING TO, SO WE GOTTA LOOK WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN WITH INFLATION.
WE'VE ALL HAD TO LIVE WITH THE IMPACT OF INFLATION.
WE'VE GOTTA ANTICIPATE THAT ON US AS WELL.
YOU KNOW, GREAT EXAMPLES I POINT OUT TO WHEN, WHEN WE BUILT THIS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, AND WE STARTED WITH, WITH AN ESTIMATED AMOUNT OF SOME 40 MILLION AND ENDED UP WITH WELL OVER 50 MILLION BECAUSE OF THE GROWTH OF THE COSTS, THE, THE INFLATIONARY COSTS THAT HITS US IN FIRE TRUCKS.
YOU NOW MIGHT PAY $1.4 MILLION FOR A FIRETRUCK.
AMBULANCES ARE GETTING OVER 400,000 ALMOST NOW.
USED TO SPEND A LITTLE OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND FOR AN AMBULANCE.
SO WE'VE GOTTA LOOK AT THE IMPACT OF INFLATION AS WE PLAN THIS RECESSION.
YOU KNOW, FOR YEARS, THEY TELL RECESSION IS COMING, RECESSION IS COMING.
WE HAVE TO PLAN ON WHAT HAPPENS IF A RECESSION HITS.
THOSE OF YOU WHO LIVED HERE FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, YOU REMEMBER 2008 WHEN, WHEN THE HOUSING MARKET COLLAPSED.
WELL, WHEN ALL YOUR REVENUE COMES FROM PROPERTY TAXES AND THE VALUE OF PROPERTY FALLS, 30%, YOU BETTER BE, WE HAD BETTER PLANNED FOR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
SO WE KEEP ALL THAT IN FRONT OF US WHEN WE'RE PLANNING OUR BUDGET REVENUE.
WE ALSO LOOKED AT, FOR EXAMPLE, GROWING COMMUNITY AND AGING POPULATION.
WE'RE NOW ONE OF THE OLDEST COUNTIES IN CENTRAL VIRGINIA.
AVERAGE AGE OF GRUN COUNTY IS OVER 60 YEARS OLD NOW.
SO WE'VE GOTTA ANTICIPATE THAT AND HOW IT'S GONNA IMPACT OUR BUDGET.
SAME THING WITH PUBLIC EDUCATION FUNDING.
BUT, YOU KNOW, HERE'S ONE OF THOSE LITTLE SECRETS.
AND, UH, DEON, I'M, I'M, I'M NOT TRYING, BUT GLAND COUNTY PAYS 80% OF THE COST OF EDUCATION.
OTHER COUNTIES MIGHT PAY 60%, MIGHT PAY 50%.
WE HAVE TO PAY 80% OF THE COST OF EDUCATION FROM RICHMOND.
SO WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE SUPPORTING OUR EDUCATION AT A HIGHER LEVEL THAN ANY OF THE COUNTIES AROUND US DO.
SO WE GOTTA KEEP THAT IN FRONT OF US.
HEALTH INSURANCE, I DON'T NEED TO TELL YOU, IT GOES UP EVERY YEAR.
WE STARTED THINKING SEVEN, THEN NINE ENDED UP BEING 11%.
AGAIN, COMPETITIVE SALARIES AND BENEFITS FOR OUR, FOR OUR TEAM.
AND FINALLY, LOCAL MANDATES AND UNFUNDED MANDATES.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WASHINGTON LOVES TO DO, AND SOMETIMES RICHMOND DOES AS WELL.
THEY LIKE TO TELL US A PROGRAM THAT'S A GREAT PROGRAM, GREAT IDEA.
THE FUNDING DOESN'T COME WITH IT.
SO WE HAVE TO FIND THAT FUNDING LOCALLY TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
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THINGS WE KEEP IN FRONT OF US.WE'RE LOOKING AND WE'RE STARTING TO BUILD OUR BUDGET.
OH, HERE'S TANK TANK'S, A HANDSOME LITTLE FELLA.
SO LET'S GO INTO THE REVENUES ITSELF.
IF YOU LOOK THERE AND SEE AT THE BOTTOM, YOU CAN SEE THAT LAST YEAR'S BUDGET WAS 132 MILLION.
THIS YEAR'S BUDGET IS 134 MILLION.
NOW, THAT IS A DECREASE OF OVER 5% FROM LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR.
I WISH I COULD TELL YOU THAT THAT'S BECAUSE WE'RE CUT THE BUDGET 5%.
THE REALITY IS THAT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL I MENTIONED, WE HAD TO FIND $17 MILLION IN ORDER TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
SO LAST YEAR'S BUDGET WAS INFLATED BY THAT.
IT'S NOT IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET.
SO IT'S A DECREASE IN THE TOTAL SPENDING, BUT THE OVERALL BUDGET GOES UP A LITTLE OVER 8%, AS YOU'LL SEE WHEN WE GET INTO IT.
BUT YOU SEE WHERE THE BULK OF OUR REVENUE COMES FROM.
GENERAL PROPERTY TAXES AND THEN OTHER LOCAL TAXES.
SO THAT'S ALMOST 90 MILLION OF 134 MILLION CHARGES FOR SERVICES OR FEES, UH, THINGS LIKE THAT THAT YOU WOULD COLLECT, UH, STATE AID, FEDERAL AID, AND THEN TRANSFERS FROM OUR PRIOR YEAR, UH, FUNDS FOR A TOTAL OF 134,056,574.
NOW, WHERE DOES THAT COME FROM? WELL, YOU RIGHT TAXPAYERS, UH, THE, UH, REAL ESTATE VALUES IN GOIN COUNTY WENT UP, UM, BY 9.9% LAST YEAR.
HOWEVER, THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT THAT IS OVER HALF OF THAT CAME FROM NEW GROWTH.
UH, THAT CAME FROM NEW BUILDINGS BEING BUILT.
THAT CAME FROM NEW HOMES BEING BUILT.
THAT CAME FROM PEOPLE BRINGING CARS INTO THE COUNTY.
UH, SO THE AVERAGE HOME WENT UP ABOUT 4.9% LAST YEAR.
WHERE DOES IT GO? WELL, A BALANCED BUDGET.
AGAIN, YOU'LL SEE THAT OUR BIGGEST SINGLE COMPONENT IS EDUCATION.
43 MILLION OF THAT GOES TO EDUCATION ITSELF.
UH, THAT AFTER THAT PUBLIC SAFETY AT 27 MILLION.
AND THEN I, I NORMALLY PUT THE, UH, JUDICIAL, OUR JUDGES, OUR COURTHOUSE IN WITH PUBLIC SAFETY.
SO WE'RE REALLY SPENDING A MY ON OVER $30 MILLION ON PUBLIC SAFETY IN GOEN COUNTY.
OUR UTILITIES, AGAIN, IT'S A SELF-SUSTAINING PART OF THE COUNTY'S FUND BALANCE.
UH, THEY GENERATE THEIR OWN REVENUE.
SO THEIR $20 MILLION BUDGET DOESN'T COME FROM PROPERTY TAXES.
IT COMES FROM THE FEES THAT ARE GENERATED BY THE PEOPLE WHO USE THE SYSTEM AS WELL.
AND THEN CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS, WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS, BUT YOU NOTICE THAT'S THE BIG DECREASE, 18 MILLION, BECAUSE AGAIN, 17 PLUS WAS THE SCHOOL LAST YEAR.
SO THE OVERALL BUDGET DECREASE IS 5.2%, UH, FROM LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR.
AND THEN WE BREAK IT DOWN A LITTLE MORE.
THE GENERAL FUND, WHEN YOU LOOK AT COUNTY GOVERNMENT, COUNTY OPERATIONS, THE GENERAL FUND IS WHAT YOU ARE NORMALLY GONNA THINK OF AS THE COUNTY.
SO THE GENERAL FUND IS GONNA BE THE SHERIFF.
IT'S GONNA BE FIRE AND RESCUE, IT'S GONNA BE A SOLID WASTE.
CONVENIENCE CENTERS, IT'S GONNA BE, UH, UM, UH, PLANNING AND ZONING.
IT'S GONNA BE BUILDING OFFICIALS.
IT'S GONNA BE THE ANIMAL SHELTER.
IT'S WHAT YOU NORMALLY THINK OF WHEN YOU THINK OF COUNTY GOVERNMENT.
SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS WOULD BE, UM, YOU KNOW, DSS, THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
THERE ARE ENTITIES THAT ARE NOT COUNTY DEPARTMENTS, BUT THEY'RE PART OF THE COUNTY.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE REALLY STATE ENTITIES.
BUT THEY ALSO USE OUR BUILDINGS AND THEY SHOW UP IN OUR BUDGET IN THAT RESPECT.
AGAIN, OUR UTILITIES, OUR SCHOOLS, AND OUR CIP, YOU KNOW, GUCCI COUNTY HAS A 25 YEAR CIP THAT'S CONSTRUCTION AND PROGRESS OR PROCESS.
UM, AND THAT'S PRETTY GOOD BECAUSE WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, WE HAVE TAKEN THE TIME, EFFORT AND MADE A COMMITMENT TO LOOK 25 YEARS INTO THE FUTURE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN AND WHEN IT HAS TO HAPPEN SO WE CAN BE PREPARED AND NOT SHOCKED BY IT.
SO THIS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL THAT WE'RE BUILDING RIGHT NOW, WELL, THAT WAS DETERMINED SOME YEARS AGO THAT WE'RE GONNA NEED AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
IF YOU GO DOWN THIS, YOU CAN SEE WHEN THE NEXT SCHOOL IS ANTICIPATED AND THE NEXT SCHOOL IS ANTICIPATED.
YOU'LL ALSO SEE THE FIRE STATIONS WHEN WE SEE A FIRE STATION COMING.
UH, THE COURTHOUSE THAT WAS APPROVED BY A REFERENDUM ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO, 85% SUPPORTED IT.
THAT WAS PART OF OUR CIP OUR 25 YEAR PLAN.
SO WE HAVE A PLAN THAT GETS US WHERE WE NEED TO GO.
AND THIS YEAR'S COMMITMENT TO IT, UH, FOR THE CIP IS ABOUT SEVEN, ALMOST $8 MILLION, UM, TOWARDS, UH, THE VARIOUS ENTITY THINGS THAT WE'LL TALK ABOUT IN A FEW MINUTES.
NOW, WHO COULD TURN MACY DOWN? LOOK AT MACY.
I SEE THEM KIND OF FORGET TO CLICK ONCE I SEE THEM.
SO OUR 25 YEAR CIP PLAN IS $643 MILLION.
SORRY, MY MOTHER JUST ROLLED OVER WHEN I SAID AIN'T.
AND, AND, AND THAT SHOWS, AND, AND SO THAT'S WHY WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT 25 YEARS IN ADVANCE, BECAUSE IF WE WAKE UP ONE DAY AND HAVE TO SPEND $60 MILLION, WE DIDN'T PLAN ON AND FIGURE OUT, WE'RE REALLY GONNA BE UP THE CREEK.
YOU ALSO SEE FIRE AND RESCUE IS THE NEXT BIG PART.
FIRE STATIONS AREN'T INEXPENSIVE.
NEED YORK TRUCKS, THEY TOLD YOU FIRE TRUCK'S UP TO 1.4 MILLION FOR A SINGLE TRUCK.
[00:15:01]
UH, YOU MULTIPLY THAT.WELL, WE'VE GOT, UH, AT LEAST 20 TRUCKS IN OUR, IN OUR FLEET.
UH, EACH TRUCK GENERALLY GETS ABOUT 20 YEARS OF LIFE.
SO YOU DO THE MATH, THAT'S AT LEAST ONE TRUCK A YEAR WE NEED TO BUY JUST TO MAINTAIN THE FLEET AT CURRENT LEVELS IN GOOD OPERATING CONDITION.
THEN AMBULANCES, WE HAVE ABOUT 10 IN OUR FLEET.
AMBULANCES GO ABOUT FIVE YEARS.
SO THAT'S ABOUT TWO AMBULANCES A YEAR WE SHOULD BE LOOKING TO BUY.
SO THERE'S ONE FIRETRUCK, THERE'S TWO AMBULANCES.
THE SHERIFF'S, SEVEN, EIGHT VEHICLES A YEAR HE NEEDS TO PUT ON THE ROAD.
AND THAT'S JUST TO KEEP US WHERE WE ARE.
SO WE HAVE TO HAVE THIS PLAN, WE HAVE TO HAVE THAT IN FRONT OF US.
NOW, HONING IN THE FIVE YEAR PLAN, THE FIVE YEAR PLAN IS, IS A LITTLE MORE MANAGEABLE.
AND THIS INCLUDES THE REFERENDUM PROJECT.
SO THE COURTHOUSE IS ONE QUARTER OF THAT $28 MILLION.
AND WE'RE GONNA, WE'VE ALREADY STARTED THE PROCESS.
THAT'S GONNA BE ABOUT A FOUR YEAR PROCESS TO DESIGN AND BUILD A COURTHOUSE.
IT'S NOT LIKE BUILDING ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD EVER DO IS BUILDING A COURTHOUSE.
YOU HAVE NUMEROUS JUDGES YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH.
YOU HAVE SHERIFF, YOU HAVE CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS, YOU HAVE STATE LAW, YOU HAVE FEDERAL LAW, YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH INMATES, YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE PUBLIC, YOU HAVE TO HAVE SAFETY.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE SO MANY COMPONENTS TO A COURTHOUSE THAT IT TAKES A WHILE TO BUILD ONE.
BUT THEN AGAIN, THE LAST TIME WE BUILT A COURTHOUSE WAS 200 YEARS AGO,
SO I THINK THAT IT, IT'S WORTH SPENDING FOUR TO FIVE YEARS, UH, TO DO IT RIGHT.
OUR SCHOOLS, AGAIN, UH, $36 MILLION FOR SCHOOLS.
YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THAT SAME BOND REFERENDUM APPROVED A NEW CTE FACILITY.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE ISN'T? CHEAP ROOFS,
VEHICLES, SCHOOL BUS, ALL THAT IS IMPORTANT.
AGAIN, FIRE RESCUE THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, THAT INCLUDES A NEW STATION SEVEN AS WELL AS FIRE TRUCKS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND THEN IT KIND OF GOES DOWN, UH, SMALLER FROM THERE, BUT UP TO A TOTAL ABOUT $104 MILLION, UH, IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
UH, MUCH OF THAT, WHICH IT'S ALREADY BEEN APPROVED BY THE VOTERS.
AND THE REST WILL COME FROM OTHER SOURCES.
AND HERE'S KIND OF SOME OF THE STUFF WE'RE GETTING OUT OF THAT $8 MILLION FOR THIS YEAR.
I PUT THE ASSESSORS PICTOMETRY SOFTWARE.
SOFTWARE ISN'T CHEAP ANYMORE EITHER.
YOU KNOW, YOU USED TO BUY, GO AND BUY A COUPLE OF FLOPPY DISKS.
THAT WAS YOUR SOFTWARE, YOU KNOW, NOW, NOW, GOOD OPERATING SOFTWARE.
THAT'S THAT, THAT GIVES YOU WHAT YOU NEED.
BUT THIS IS THE KIND OF OPPORTUNITY ABILITY THAT'LL LET OUR PUBLIC SAFETY HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF, OF ALL THE BUILDINGS, ALL THE STRUCTURES IN THE COUNTY, AS WELL AS HELP THE ASSESSOR'S OFFICE BETTER UNDERSTAND THAT PUBLIC SAFETY, 3.7 MILLION.
AGAIN, A FIRE ENGINE, AN AMBULANCE EQUIPMENT, UM, UH, SHERIFF'S VEHICLE REPLACEMENTS, UH, EMS PHARMACY.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S A STORY THERE FOR YOU.
UM, FOR YEARS, UH, ALL THE AMBULANCES, THE, UH, DRUGS THAT ARE CARRIED ON, THOSE AMBULANCES HAVE BEEN MANAGED AND PROVIDED TO US BY THE HOSPITALS AROUND.
AND, AND THAT'S A PRETTY UNIQUE SYSTEM.
THE COUNTY DOESN'T GET INVOLVED WITH IT.
UH, WE DON'T HAVE TO MANAGE A DRUG INVENTORY.
UH, IT LOOKS LIKE THAT'S GONNA BE CHANGING.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO START MANAGING OUR OWN INVENTORY OF DRUGS.
SO IF YOU CAN IMAGINE WE'VE GOT FIRE STATIONS, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO DRUGS, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO SECURE STORAGE FOR DRUGS.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO CREATE A MECHANISM FOR MANAGING THOSE DRUGS SO THAT THEY'RE HANDLED SAFELY AND CORRECTLY AND LEGALLY.
SO THAT'S ACTUALLY A SIGNIFICANT EXPENSE THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO INCUR.
AGAIN, FACILITIES TRYING TO PUT MONEY ASIDE FOR NEW COURTHOUSE LIFECYCLE REPAIRS.
LIKE, AGAIN, JUST FIXING EVERYTHING FROM WINDOWS THAT NEED FIXING, UH, UH, DOORS, CARPETING, UM, HVAC SYSTEMS, THINGS THAT GO DOWN.
IF YOU, UH, USE A WESTERN CONVENIENCE CENTER, THAT BACKHOE THERE IS OVER 20 YEARS OLD.
AND, UH, IT'S TIME FOR NEW ONE.
IT, AGAIN, MAKING SURE THAT OUR IT SYSTEMS ARE SECURE AND SAFE.
KMAR WILL BE ABLE TO BETTER TALK ABOUT THAT, BUT ABOUT $8 MILLION OF THIS BUDGET GOES INTO BRICK AND MORTAR, HARD STUFF, VEHICLES, THINGS THAT WE NEED.
SO WHAT DOES THIS BUDGET ACTUALLY DO? WELL, AGAIN, WE MEET EVERY SINGLE FINANCIAL POLICY OF GLAND COUNTY.
WE ARE A STRONG, WELL-MANAGED FINANCIAL ORGANIZATION.
YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD US SAY THAT WE ARE A TRIPLE, TRIPLE, EVERY MAJOR CREDIT RATING AGENCY HAS GIVEN US A TRIPLE A CREDIT RATING.
BUT LEMME TELL YOU WHAT YOU MAY NOT REALIZE.
WE ARE THE SMALLEST COUNTY IN AMERICA TO HAVE A TRIPLE, TRIPLE AND NOT JUST BUY A LITTLE BIT.
THE NEXT BIGGEST COUNTY TO HAVE A TRIPLE, TRIPLE IS ALMOST 10 TIMES OUR SIZE.
AND THEN YOU GET INTO THE COUNTIES WITH THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS AND THE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE.
SO THAT IS SOMETHING TO BE VERY PROUD OF.
AND SO, AGAIN, WE MEET ALL OF OUR FINANCIAL POLICIES.
WE DO INCLUDE A 5% COST OF LIVING, EMPLOY, UH, FOR COUNTY EMPLOYEES.
UH, WE'RE ADDING NEW POSITIONS FOR FIRE AND RESCUE, NEW POSITIONS AS WELL FOR, UM, UH, OUR NINE ONE ONE CALL CENTER.
AND THEN ADDITIONAL 5% AS WELL FOR PUBLIC SAFETY.
AGAIN, TO KEEP THEM COMPETITIVE, TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE NOT BEING POACHED BY OTHER COMMUNITIES.
[00:20:01]
UH, THREE NEW POSITIONS FOR OUR, UM, NINE ONE ONE CALL CENTER.YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE THE TIP OF THE TIP.
IF YOU PICK UP A PHONE AND YOU CALL, IT DOESN'T MATTER IF WE HAVE 500 AMBULANCES, IF NO ONE ANSWERS THE PHONE IN NINE ONE ONE, THEY'RE NOT GONNA HELP YOU ANY.
SO WE GOTTA MAKE SURE THAT OUR NINE ONE ONE CALL CENTER IS ADEQUATELY STAFFED.
AND THIS WILL GIVE US, FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER ALL OF OUR STATIONS FILLED.
SO WE CAN HAVE PEOPLE THERE WHO WILL ANSWER THAT PHONE WHEN YOU CALL IN.
WE ALSO PUT SOME MONEY IN THERE FOR STUDIES.
WHY DO WE NEED STUDIES? WE'RE A GROWING COUNTY, AND WE NEED TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF GROWTH.
SO WE'RE PUTTING EFFORTS INTO STUDYING AND TRYING TO ANALYZE THE IMPACT OF GROWTH.
AND AGAIN, EVEN, UH, THERE IS NO INCREASE IN THE ACTUAL TAX RATE ITSELF.
AGAIN, LIKE I SAID, WE, I UNDERSTAND PROPERTY VALUES WENT UP 4.9% THIS YEAR, SO IT STILL HAS AN IMPACT ON YOU.
BUT FOR THE 17TH YEAR, THE TAX RATE ITSELF, UH, WAS NOT RAISED.
THE TCSD WASN'T RAISED, OR THE PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX WAS NOT RAISED.
TO KIND OF PUT THAT IN PERSPECTIVE, CHESTERFIELD COUNTY JUST ANNOUNCED THAT THEY'RE CUTTING THEIR PROPERTY TAX BY ONE PENNY TO A HUNDRED PENNIES.
UH, GUCCI COUNTIES IS 53 PENNIES.
SO THEY'RE ALMOST TWICE THE TAX RATE THAT C**N COUNTY HAS, UM, IN CHESTERFIELD COUNTY.
SO WHAT'S THE SCHEDULE THAT WE HAVE FOR THE BUDGET? WELL, WE'RE STARTING TO WRAP UP.
THIS IS OUR LAST TOWN HALL MEETING NEXT WEEK, APRIL 2ND, WE'RE GONNA HAVE THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE BUDGET ENCOURAGE Y'ALL TO COME OUT.
IT'LL BE IN THE, UH, COURTHOUSE IN THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING AT SIX O'CLOCK, AND THEN APRIL 16TH, THE BUDGET WILL COME IN FRONT OF THE BOARD TO BE CONSIDERED.
NOW, ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT A BUDGET SCHEDULE, ANY OF YOU WHO'VE EVER ESPECIALLY WORKED IN A GOVERNMENTAL BUDGET, IS NEVER DONE UNTIL IT'S DONE.
SO THE BUDGET KEEPS EVOLVING AND CHANGING.
AS WE TALK TO BOARD MEMBERS, AS BOARD MEMBERS TALK TO YOU, AS YOU TALK TO US, THINGS COME TO OUR ATTENTION.
SO THE BUDGET ALWAYS GETS TWEAKED.
SO THE BUDGET THAT I STARTED OUT WITH IN FEBRUARY, BY THE TIME WE GET TO APRIL 16TH, IT'LL HAVE TWEAKS AND CHANGES THAT HAVE BEEN DONE TO IT AS THE PROCESS HAS GONE ON.
THERE'S GALA, THERE'S YOUR LITTLE KITTY.
MY DAUGHTER WANTS ME TO GET THREE
AND I'M GONNA KIND OF MOVE ON INTO THE REST OF THE DISCUSSION ON GLAND COUNTY ITSELF AND ALL THE GREAT THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON.
AND I'M GONNA FIRST START BY TALKING ABOUT SOME OF THE, UM, ACTIVITIES GOING ON.
UH, TOMORROW NIGHT, THERE'S A MEETING ON WHAT WE CALL THE SOUTHERN INFRASTRUCTURE STUDY.
SIS YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD IT REFERRED TO AT SOME POINT AS SPEEDA.
UH, WE JUST CHANGED THE NAME BECAUSE NO ONE KNEW WHAT SPEEDA MEANT, BUT SIS IS A BETTER UNDER EXPLANATION OF WHAT IT IS.
BUT IT'S A STUDY THAT'S LOOKING AT A PART OF THE COUNTY, ABOUT 5,000 ACRES, UH, TUCKAHOE CREEK PARKWAY, THE RIVER, UH, THE GOIN COUNTY LINE AND HOCKET ROAD.
LOOKING AT THE IMPACT OF GROWTH ON INFRASTRUCTURE, ON ON THE PRIORITIES, WHAT, WHAT NEEDS TO BE THERE, WHAT ISN'T THERE, WHAT IS THERE SO WE CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT THE GROWTH WILL HAVE ON THAT PART.
SO LOOKING AT ROADWAYS, WATER, SEWER, SCHOOLS, FIRE AND RESCUE, WE'RE ALSO, UM, LOOKING TO SEE IF WE CAN ADD TO IT THINGS LIKE, UM, ELECTRICITY, BROADBAND AS WELL, TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL ASPECTS OF INFRASTRUCTURE ARE ADDRESSED.
SO TOMORROW NIGHT AT HOPE CHURCH, UH, SIX O'CLOCK ENCOURAGE YOU TO BE THERE IF YOU CAN.
NEXT THING, IF YOU LIVE DOWN IN THAT PART.
AND, UH, YOU MIGHT HAVE NOTICED ON PATTERSON AVENUE, THE FORCE MAIN REPLACEMENT PROJECT, IT'S ABOUT 70, 75% COMPLETE.
NOW, UH, AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE PICTURE OVER THERE ON THE LEFT, UM, THESE ARE PRETTY BIG.
THESE PIPES ARE ABOUT FOUR FEET.
SO, UH, NOT MUCH SMALLER THAN I AM.
UH, IT'S GOING THROUGH WICKHAM, GLEN AND RIVER ROAD, THE SPRING.
WE'VE ALREADY STARTED THAT AS WELL.
UM, OUR UTILITY SYSTEM IN SOME CASES ARE 30 YEARS OLD, AND LIKE ANYTHING, THINGS AGE, SO WE'VE HAD TO REPLACE A SIGNIFICANT PART OF THAT FORCE, MAINE.
UH, BUT THAT'S NOT JUST GOIN COUNTY'S FORCE, MAINE HENRICO USES THAT AS WELL.
A BIG PART OF THEIR SYSTEM GOES THROUGH THIS FORCE MAIN ALSO.
SO THIS IS A CRITICAL PART OF INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE ENTIRE GREATER RICHMOND AREA THAT GOES THROUGH GOLAND.
CONNECTED TO THAT, OUR HUNO HILLS WATER AND SEWER PROJECT.
AGAIN, SEVERAL OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS THROUGH THE YEARS, WE'VE TRIED TO BRING IN NEIGHBORHOODS AND HUNO HILLS.
THEY'RE OVER 50% CURRENTLY DONE FOR THE WATERLINE.
AND WE'RE GONNA START WORKING ON THE SEWER LINES IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD AS WELL.
WE HOPE TO BE DONE, MOSTLY DONE BY THE END OF THIS YEAR, UH, IN HUNO HILLS, GOING IN TRANSPORTATION.
IF YOU DRIVE INTO THE COURTHOUSE, THE, UH, FAIRGROUNDS, SANDY HOOK ROAD, THE, UH, TRAFFIC CIRCLE, AND ANYBODY WHO SPENDS ANY AMOUNT OF TIME ON CERTAIN FACEBOOK PAGES AND GOOSE AND NO, THE TRAFFIC CIRCLE IS A BIG TOPIC.
EVERYBODY LOVES THE TRAFFIC CIRCLE.
AND THE THING IS, NOW THAT IT'S UP AND RUNNING, PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO LIKE IT.
YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S BEEN RECEIVED MUCH BETTER AFTER PEOPLE SEE IT AND REALIZE IT.
UM, AND SO IT'S UP AND RUNNING.
THE NEXT PART OF THAT THOUGH IS THE FAIRGROUNDS ROAD EXTENSION.
NOW, YOU MAY REMEMBER WHEN WE FIRST STARTED WITH THAT PROJECT, IT WAS ORIGINALLY GONNA GO ALL THE WAY TO HIGHWAY SIX.
UNFORTUNATELY, INFLATION CAME IN, WE COULDN'T AFFORD ALL OF IT, SO WE HAD TO CUT WHAT WE COULDN'T AFFORD AND JUST BUILD THE ROUNDABOUT.
WELL, NOW WE'VE GOT THE FUNDING SECURED TO CONTINUE AND RUN IT ALL THE WAY TO HIGHWAY SIX.
[00:25:01]
SO ENGINEERING IS UNDERWAY, AND THAT'S WHEN YOU'RE TALKING TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS.YOU WANNA SEE ENGINEERING UNDERWAY BECAUSE THAT MEANS MONEY IS SECURED AND THE MONEY IS THERE.
SO THE ENGINEERING IS UNDERWAY, AND WE HOPE TO HAVE THAT COMPLETED BY FEBRUARY OF 28, WHICH WILL THEN TAKE A LOT OF TRAFFIC THAT IS CURRENTLY GOING TO THAT STOPLIGHT IN THE COURTHOUSE AND RUN IT OVER TO, UH, HIGHWAY SIX, FEBRUARY 28TH.
THAT'S ANOTHER THING TO REMEMBER ABOUT, UH, STATE AND, AND LOCAL ROAD PROJECTS.
THEY TAKE A WHOLE LOT LONGER THAN YOU WISH THEY WOULD.
SO EVERYTHING'S 3, 4, 5 YEARS.
UH, ONCE YOU START, UH, ENGINEERING, RIGHT OF WAY, ACQUISITION, UH, BIDDING IT, THE PROCESS OF BUILDING IT.
SO, UH, THAT'S REALLY ONLY ABOUT A FOUR YEAR PROJECT AT THIS POINT.
SO, SO WE'RE PRETTY PSYCHED ABOUT IT.
COMING ON, COMING IN, OF COURSE, EVERYBODY'S FAVORITE.
ASHLAND ROAD, UH, THE I 64, UH, DIVERGENT DIAMOND, AGAIN, ENGINEERING IS UNDERWAY.
THE MONEY HAS BEEN SECURED FOR THAT.
SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT WE WILL HAVE, AGAIN, THIS WILL BE 2031 BEFORE IT'S COMPLETED.
AND THE MAIN REASON FOR THAT IS BECAUSE YOU'RE DEALING WITH AN INTERSTATE.
YOU'RE BUILDING TWO BRIDGES OVER AN INTERSTATE, AND YOU GOT A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC THAT YOU GOTTA DEAL WITH ON THE ROAD ITSELF.
UM, BUT IT IS CURRENTLY UNDERWAY FOR, UH, THE ENGINEERING PART.
UM, A PART OF THAT, BUT A SEPARATE IS THE, UH, ASHTON ROAD PARK AND RIDE LOT.
UM, THAT'S, UM, UNDERWAY RIGHT NOW.
UH, IT SHOULD BE DONE IN 28 AS WELL.
SO THEY'RE GONNA BE BUILDING A NEW PARK AND RIDE LOT THAT'LL THEN ALLOW THEM TO EXPAND AND GET INTO THE, UH, DDI CONSTRUCTION PROCESS, POCKET ROAD REALIGNMENT, AGAIN, ENGINEERING UNDERWAY.
IF YOU EVER USE HOCKET ROAD, UM, THE, THE CURRENT HOCKET ROAD, UH, WILL TAKE YOU, UH, FROM HIGHWAY SIX, UH, PATTERSON, ALL THE WAY UP TO THE STOPLIGHT WHERE YOU CAN GO INTO THE FOOD LINE.
YOU GOTTA MAKE A HARD RIGHT, AND THEY GOTTA MAKE A HARD LEFT TO GET TO THE INTERSTATE.
WHEN THIS REALIGNMENT IS COMPLETED, A NEW TRAFFIC CIRCLE WILL TAKE HOCK ROAD, BASICALLY, AND STRAIGHT TO, UM, THE CONNECTOR TO THE INTERSTATE.
SO YOU'LL STAY ON THE SAME ROAD.
YOU WON'T HAVE TO DO THAT ZIGZAG IN FRONT OF FOOD LINE OVER TO THE STOPLIGHT, AND THEN UP I I 64.
THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THE STOPLIGHT'S STILL STAYING AT FOOD LION TOO.
SO EVERYONE WHO USES THAT ROAD TO GO TO FOOD LION, THAT'LL STILL REMAIN OPEN AS IT IS.
SO IT GIVES US MORE OPPORTUNITIES, BUT IT'S SAFER.
IT'S SO MUCH SAFER FOR PEOPLE TO, UH, BE ABLE TO GET FROM 64 ALL THE WAY DOWN, UH, THROUGH OCK ROAD.
WE'RE, UH, STARTING TO WORK ON A, UH, UH, 2 88 INTERCHANGE STUDY.
THIS IS SOMETHING MAYBE 20 PLUS YEARS IN THE FUTURE.
BUT AS YOU LOOK AT THE ROAD NETWORKS FROM WIL RIDGE PARKWAY, UM, AND HOW THEY CONNECT TO 2 88, UH, WE'RE DOING A STUDY NOW ABOUT THE, UH, ABOUT THE NEED FOR A FUTURE, UH, INTERCHANGE ON 2 88 IN THAT AREA.
ALSO, UH, WE'RE WORKING TO SECURE THE REST OF THE FUNDING FOR THE OILVILLE ROAD.
IF YOU EVER GET OFF AT, COME AT OILVILLE AND TRAFFIC CAN BACK UP QUITE A WAYS.
SO THIS PROJECT WILL PUT A, PUT A ROUNDABOUT THERE, IT'LL MOVE TRAFFIC MUCH QUICKER OFF THE INTERSTATE.
WE GOT ABOUT HALF THE MONEY WE NEED, SO WE'RE WORKING TO FIND THE REST OF THE MONEY.
AND AGAIN, IF WE CAN FIND THE MONEY THIS YEAR, THEN WE WOULD THINK IT'D BE ABOUT FEBRUARY OF 28, SOMETIME OF THAT YEAR THAT WE WOULD COMPLETE, UH, BUILDING THE OILVILLE ROAD.
NOW, SOMETHING THAT WAS OF GREAT NEWS TO PEOPLE IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE COUNTY, IT'S NOT QUITE AS AS IMPORTANT TO, UH, THIS PART OF THE COUNTY, BUT FOR SOME OF YOU IT STILL IS, AND THAT'S HIGH SPEED INTERNET.
SO FIREFLY IS, UH, THE ENTITY THAT THE COUNTY IS WORKING WITH THROUGH A VARIETY OF PROGRAMS, UM, IN A VARIETY OF PARTNERS.
DOMINION ENERGY, UH, RAPPAHANNOCK ELECTRIC, UM, THOMAS JEFFERSON PLANNING DISTRICT.
SO CURRENTLY, UH, WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW IS, UH, WE, THEY ARE, DOMINION ENERGY HAS GOT MOST OF THE MILEAGE ON THEIR LINES THAT HAS TO BE USED FOR THE, UH, FIREFLY SYSTEM.
SO EVEN THOUGH DOMINION IS NOT PROVIDING THE SERVICE, THEIR LINES ARE BEING USED TO CARRY THE SERVICE.
SO DOMINION HAD TO DO THE MIDDLE MILE CONSTRUCTION, AND THEY'RE ALMOST COMPLETE.
SO BY THE SECOND QUARTER, BY THIS SUMMER OF 24, DOMINION SHOULD BE DONE WITH THE MIDDLE MILE AT THAT POINT, THEN THEY CAN START DOING THE FINAL MILE OF CONNECTING FROM THERE TO PEOPLE'S HOUSES AND PROPERTIES.
IF YOU'RE IN THE COURTHOUSE AREA, PORT 80, OVER 28 MILES OF FIBER IN THE CROSIER AREA, AND OVER 300, ALMOST 380 HOMES THAT ARE BEING SERVED BY IT.
NOW, ONE OF THE BIG THINGS THAT WE TALK ABOUT IN GLIN IS THE IMPORTANCE OF GROWTH AND HOW YOU MANAGE GROWTH AND HOW YOU GROW GRACEFULLY, I BELIEVE IS, UH, A TERM THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE REALLY WANT US TO FOCUS ON.
AND IN ORDER TO GROW GRACEFULLY, WE HAVE TO STILL GROW IN WAYS THAT, THAT SUPPORT AND HELP US.
ONE OF THE MANTRAS, IF YOU WOULD, OF THE COUNTY, WE TALKED ABOUT OUR POLICIES, IS THAT WE WANNA BE 85% RURAL AND 15% COMMERCIAL.
AND THAT 15% COMMERCIAL, WE WANT TO PROVIDE 30% OF OUR REVENUE, BECAUSE OTHERWISE IT'LL GO BACK TO THE HOMEOWNERS AND THE PROPERTY TAXES THAT THEY PAY.
SO, TRYING TO BRING IN THE RIGHT KINDS OF BUSINESSES IS CRITICAL, AND YOU'LL HEAR ABOUT THAT A LOT IN THE NEXT COUPLE YEARS.
SO WE REALLY TRY TO FOCUS ON BRINGING IN GOOD BUSINESS.
[00:30:01]
ALWAYS SAID IS, WE WANT A CHICK-FIL-A DONECHICK-FIL-A, UM, UNFORTUNATELY, UH, THE CRACKER BARREL'S NOT SO EASY.
SO EVERYBODY, THE ONE OF THE CRACKER BARREL, UH, YOU KNOW, NO, NO SIGN OF ONE OF THOSE COMING.
BUT INDUSTRIAL TAP HOUSE JUST OPENED, UM, SEVERAL OTHERS THAT YOU SEE THERE AS WELL, COMING AND MOVING IN.
WHY DOES THIS, WELL, IN THE LAST EIGHT YEARS, OVER $540 MILLION OF INVESTMENT CAPITAL INVESTMENT HAS BEEN MADE IN GOEN COUNTY.
THAT'S NOT HOUSES, THAT'S NOT SUBDIVISIONS, THAT'S CAPITAL INVESTMENT.
THAT'S WHAT ALLOWS US TO KEEP OUR TAXES AT 53 CENTS, UH, WHILE OTHERS ARE 90 AND A HUNDRED.
WE'RE ABLE TO KEEP IT BECAUSE THIS KIND OF DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH, AND WE GOTTA KEEP IT GOING.
IF IT DOESN'T HAPPEN, THEN WE WON'T BE ABLE TO BUY $1.5 MILLION FIRE TRUCKS AND BUILD SCHOOLS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE DO IT RIGHT AND WE DO IT WELL.
BUT THIS IS WHY CAPITAL INVESTMENT IS IMPORTANT.
TELL YOU ANOTHER THING THAT'S IMPORTANT IS THE REALIZATION THAT, THAT THIS IS A NEAT PLACE, YOU KNOW, AND AGAIN, GLAND, IT'S A GREAT PLACE.
AND SO FOCUSING ON OUR TOURISM, SO THE BOARD ADOPTED LAST YEAR, THE STRATEGIC PLAN FOR OUR TOURISM.
AND YOU CAN SEE THE TOURISM WEBSITE IS EXPLORED.
GLAND.COM ENCOURAGE YOU TO GO THERE IF YOU HAVEN'T COMING UP WITH DAY TRIP IDEAS TO GET AWAY TO GLAND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SO MANY NEAT THINGS TO DO HERE.
AND HERE'S THE THING ABOUT TOURISM.
PEOPLE WHO COME TO GLAND TO VISIT US, THEY'RE GONNA PROBABLY GET HUNGRY AND EAT SOMEWHERE.
THEY'RE GONNA NEED GAS IN THEIR CAR, SO THEY'RE GONNA PUT GAS IN THEIR CAR.
YOU KNOW, THEY MIGHT STAY IN, IN A HOTEL OR, OR A AIRBNB OR SOMETHING IF WE HAVE IT.
BUT THEN, YOU KNOW WHAT, THEY GO HOME.
THEY DON'T PUT KIDS IN OUR SCHOOLS, THEY DON'T PUT IMPACT ON OUR, OUR SERVICES.
SO THEY COME, THEY SPEND THEIR MONEY AND THEY LEAVE.
SO WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO ENCOURAGE, BECAUSE WE ARE SPECIAL, WE ARE NEAT, WE ARE UNIQUE.
SO SOME OF THE THINGS YOU CAN SEE THERE FROM DAY TRIPS, A GUYS' DAY OUT, A GIRLS' DAY OUT, A DOG FRIENDLY, DAY OUT, COUPLES, GETAWAYS, UH, WE'VE CREATED, AS NOWADAYS, EVERY PHONE'S GOTTA HAVE AN APP.
SO WE HAVE AN APP FOR THIS, OUR GUIDE TO FOOD BEVERAGE AND FUN ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO THAT BECAUSE ALL OF OUR PARTNERS WITHIN OUR LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY, WE TRY TO PROMOTE THEM.
WE TRY TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO GO THERE AND USE THEM.
ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WE'VE DONE THAT IS OUR, OUR EDA HAS COME UP WITH A SHOP LOCAL PROGRAM WHERE IF YOU HAVE THAT APP AND YOU, AND YOU GO TO ONE OF THE, OUR LOCAL ONLY GOLAND PARTICIPATING ENTITIES, AND YOU SPEND SOME MONEY THERE, ALL YOU DO IS TAKE A PICTURE OF YOUR RECEIPT AND LOAD IT ON THAT APP, AND YOU'LL INSTANTLY GET 5% OF THAT PUT INTO AN ACCOUNT FOR YOU THAT YOU CAN NOW SPEND IN GOIN COUNTY AT BUSINESSES THAT PARTICIPATE.
SO YOUR MONEY COMES BACK AND IT HELPS THEM, IT HELPS OUR SMALL BUSINESSES, OUR MOM AND POPS.
IT HELPS PEOPLE WHO ARE MAKING THIS COUNTY THE SPECIAL PLACE.
SO ENCOURAGE YOU TO LOOK AT THAT AS WELL.
ANOTHER THING WE'RE DOING, IF YOU HAVE A SMALL BUSINESS COMING UP IN MAY, WE, IT'S BUSINESS APPRECIATION MONTH.
UM, WE'RE GONNA HAVE AN EVENT AT KINDER SPIRIT BREWING.
UH, WE'RE ALSO GONNA HAVE AN OPEN HOUSE AT OUR BUSINESS CENTER.
WELL, THE EFFORT AND ATTENTION WE'RE TRYING TO PUT INTO MAKING SMALL BUSINESSES SUCCESSFUL IS WHAT'S GONNA KEEP US FROM BECOMING SHORT PUMP WHEN WE HAVE LOCAL BUSINESSES OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE, WHO CARE ABOUT HERE, WHO MAKE SPECIAL PLACES.
SO WE'RE DOING WHAT WE CAN TO ENCOURAGE THEM, YOU KNOW, WHAT ELSE WE HAVE HERE? SPECIAL THINGS.
YOU KNOW, GLAND DAY IS PUT ON BY THE, UM, GUC DAY FOUNDATION.
THE COUNTY SUPPORTS THEM, BUT THEY'RE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKE US SO GREAT.
MAY 17TH AND 18TH, FRIDAY NIGHT CONCERT, THE FIRST TIME IT'S BEEN TWO DAYS.
SATURDAY, THE PARADE, AND THEN THE EVENT ENCOURAGE YOU TO COME OUT TO THE COURTHOUSE AREA THAT DAY.
IT'S JUST A SPECIAL, SPECIAL DAY.
AND ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT, AGAIN, MAKE US DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
YOU KNOW, I TELL PEOPLE, AND I WAS HERE FOR MY FIR AT THE FALL FESTIVAL THE FIRST TIME, AND I, YOU KNOW, AND, AND I'M LOOKING AROUND AND THEY GOT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE BOBBING FOR APPLES, AND THEY GOT THE PIEING CONTEST OVER HERE, AND THEY GOT THE KIDS RIDING THE PONIES OVER HERE.
AND I'M LIKE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS LIKE A HALLMARK MOVIE.
AND, YOU KNOW, SOMEWHERE, SOME, SOME LADY WHO GRADUATED FROM GOOCHLAND AND WENT TO NEW YORK TO THE BIG CITY FOR A MISERABLE JOB, THEN SHE HAD TO COME HOME TO SAVE THE FAMILY FARM, AND SHE'S GONNA MEET HER FORMER BOYFRIEND OUT THERE THAT DAY.
IT HAPPENS HERE, I TELL YOU, IT DOES PARKS AND REC AGAIN, LEAKS.
UH, WE ADDED LEAKS MILL TO THE VIRGINIA BIRD AND WILDLIFE.
UH, GREEN SPRINGS LOOP BIRDING IS ONE OF THOSE TOURISM THINGS.
PEOPLE WILL DRIVE HUNDREDS OF MILES IF THEY HEAR THERE'S A BIRD THAT THEY HAVEN'T SEEN YET AND HAS SHOWN UP, THEY WILL COME AND SEE THAT.
SO THESE ARE SOME OF THE BIRDS THAT HAVE RECENTLY BEEN SEEN.
WE ALSO HAVE NINE MILES OF NATURAL SURFACE TRAILS AT LEAKS MILL, WHICH IS ONE OF THE BEST MOUNTAIN BIKING FACILITIES IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA.
AGAIN, PEOPLE WILL DRIVE 50 70 MILES TO BIKE ON THESE TRAILS.
WELL, WHEN THEY'RE COMING, YOU KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING, PUTTING GAS IN THE CAR, THEY'RE EATING, THEY'RE GOING TO A BREWERY.
THEY'RE ENJOYING THEIR DAY HERE RESPONSIBLY, BUT THEY'RE ENJOYING THEIR DAY.
AND THESE ARE THE KIND OF THINGS THAT, THAT WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE THAT MAKE THIS SUCH A NEAT PLACE.
OTHER THINGS, WELL, OUR FIREWORKS.
[00:35:01]
YOU KNOW, WE'RE ONE OF THE LAST COUNTIES IN THIS REGION THAT DOES A COMMUNITY-WIDE FIREWORKS FESTIVAL, 4TH OF JULY.OUR PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT PICKLEBALL IS A RAPIDLY GROWING SPORT.
IN FACT, THE TOURNAMENT'S SOLD OUT ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, SO YOU HAVE TO WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR FOR THAT.
OUR FAMILY, OUR NIGHT, OUR NIGHT AT TUCKER CONCERTS, FRIDAY, JULY 26TH, AND MAY 23RD.
AGAIN, UH, LIVE MUSIC, LOCAL MUSIC, LOCAL BANDS, UM, FOOD TRUCKS, UM, YOU KNOW, CRAFT BEVERAGES FROM AROUND HERE.
JUST A NEAT WAY TO SPEND AN EVENING IN ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACES.
IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN DOWN TO TUCKER PARK, SOME OF THE MORE MUNDANE THINGS WE'RE DOING FOR YOU, DOCUMENT SHREDDING JUNE 1ST AT THE, UH, FAIRGROUNDS PROPERTY IN GOOFIN COURTHOUSE.
ALSO HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE.
SO THOSE THINGS YOU WANT TO GET RID OF, BUT YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET RID OF 'EM, AND THEY WON'T LET YOU TAKE IT TO A, A CONVENIENCE CENTER.
UM, YOU KNOW, THESE, UH, GREAT WAY TO GET RID OF STUFF.
SO I'VE BEEN TALKING NOW FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES, KIND OF END UP WITH NOW YOU, I STARTED BY TALKING ABOUT YOU, AND I'M GONNA END BY TALKING ABOUT YOU.
HOW DO YOU GET INVOLVED? HOW DO OUR CITIZENS BECOME? WELL, YOU GIVE US FEEDBACK, YOU TALK TO US, YOU TALK TO YOUR SUPERVISORS, YOU TALK TO YOUR NEIGHBORS, AND YOU LET US KNOW.
UM, LOOK AND SEE IF THERE'S A BORDER COMMISSION YOU WANNA SERVE ON.
VOLUNTEER, VOLUNTEER AT THE, AT THE ANIMAL SHELTER, PARKS AND REC, OR NOT-FOR-PROFIT.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT AMAZING NON-PROFITS IN THIS COUNTY FROM, UM, UM, GUC AND CARES AND GUC AND PET LOVERS AND THE GUC AND DAY FOUNDATION.
UM, COME TO MEETINGS LIKE THIS.
YOU KNOW, WE ARE THE HIGHEST VOTING TURNOUT IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA.
PROBABLY DOESN'T SURPRISE YOU ANY, BUT WE ARE.
AND THAT'S SOME BE PROUD OF PEOPLE.
VOTE AND RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE.
WE NEED PEOPLE TO KEEP GOING BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, EVERY YEAR SOMEONE DECIDES THAT EITHER, YOU KNOW, IT'S TIME FOR THEM TO MOVE ON.
AND SO ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO THAT.
THESE ARE THE CURRENT BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS THAT WE HAVE SOME OPENINGS ON.
OF COURSE, THAT CHANGED AS SOON AS ONE'S FILLED UP, THEN, THEN IT COMES OFF.
BUT RIGHT NOW, THESE ARE EXAMPLES OF SOME OF THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS THAT, UH, RECENTLY WE HAVE HAD SOME, SOME VACANCIES ON.
ALSO, WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU BACK TO THAT PHONE.
UH, THE COUNTY'S MOBILE APP IS IMPORTANT FOR A COUPLE THINGS.
ONE IS THAT YOU CAN SET IT TO GIVE YOU NOTIFICATIONS FOR THINGS YOU WANT TO BE NOTIFIED ABOUT.
AND A LOT OF TIMES THAT'S GONNA BE PLANNING AND ZONING AND LAND USE.
PEOPLE WANNA KNOW WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN.
SO YOU CAN BE NOTIFIED ABOUT THAT.
YOU CAN BE NOTIFIED ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY ACTIVITIES AS WELL.
I'D BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T TELL YOU ABOUT THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
I WOULD HOPE EVERYBODY HAS HIS APP ON YOUR PHONE.
UH, AGAIN, ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF HOW YOU CAN BE AWARE AND HOW YOU CAN BE TUNED INTO WHAT'S HAPPENING IN UCHIN COUNTY.
AND THIS, ONE OF THE MOST BENEFICIAL PARTS OF IT, OF THE SHERIFF'S APP IS ROADS.
IT TELLS YOU WHEN ROADS ARE CLOSED, TELLS YOU WHEN THE ROADS REOPEN.
UH, THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T THINK ABOUT THAT UNTIL YOU HAVE A STORM GO THROUGH.
AND SUDDENLY THE ROADS ARE CLOSED, TREES ARE DOWN.
UM, POWER LINES ARE DOWN ARKING ON A ROAD.
UH, THESE ARE THINGS THAT YOU CAN FIND OUT FROM THE SHERIFF'S APP.
LOG IN, GET THEIRS AND FIND OUT WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THEM.
RIGHT NOW, THE BIG THING IS OUR BURN BAN IS IN EFFECT, IT'S GONNA BE IN EFFECT THROUGH APRIL 30TH.
THAT MEANS YOU CAN'T BURN OUTSIDE BEFORE FOUR O'CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON.
UM, SO, AND RECENTLY WE JUST, UH, HAD A, UH, I THINK IT WAS A, A FIVE STAR OR IT, IT WAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST BURN OF BAND, UH, BURN DAYS YOU COULD HAVE WITH THE HIGH WINDS AND DRY CONDITIONS.
AND THERE WERE FIRES IN LOUISA COUNTY.
THEY'RE, THEY WERE STILL BURNING THIS MORNING, I THINK, FROM THAT.
SO, UH, INFORMATION LIKE THAT IS IMPORTANT.
AND OF COURSE, ANIMAL CARE AND PROTECTION.
YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS SPECIAL, WE HAVE A 96% S RATE AT OUR ANIMAL SHELTER.
THAT'S NOT ONE OF THESE FUDGE, YOU KNOW, GOVERNMENT FUDGE NUMBERS, THAT'S REAL NUMBER.
96% OF THE ANIMALS THAT COME IN ARE SAVED.
AND THOSE THAT AREN'T, THEY'RE, THEY'RE SICK, THEY'RE DYING, OR, OR THEY'RE JUST SOMETHING WHERE THEY CANNOT BE ADOPTED.
UM, OVER 600 ADOPTIONS HERE, OVER 2,600 CALLS.
IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN TO THE ANIMAL SHELTER, I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO GO.
ALSO, WHEN YOU PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL THEM, THEY'RE THE ONES THAT RESPOND.
IF YOU GOT, YOU KNOW, DOGS, CATS, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER, THEY DO NOT RESPOND TO BEAR CALLS.
SO
WE'LL DO HORSES, WE'LL DO COWS.
SO AGAIN, CLOSING UP WITH ENGAGEMENT.
UH, THE COUNTY WEBSITE, FACEBOOK, IF YOU'RE NOT ON CODE RED, THAT'S ANOTHER THING.
I WOULD STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO PUT CODE RED ON YOUR PHONE.
IT COULD BE A TORNADO WARNING, IT COULD BE A HURRICANE WARNING, IT COULD BE AN AMBER ALERT, A LOST CHILD, A LOST SENIOR, OR A A, A SILVER ALERT.
THINGS THAT ARE CRITICAL THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN THE WATER MAIN BURST OVER ON THIS AND THE EASTERN SIDE OF THE COUNTY.
UH, WE HAD A HOSPITAL WITHOUT WATER.
WE HAD APARTMENTS WITHOUT WATER.
WE HAD HOMES WITHOUT WATER FOR, FOR A DAY OR TWO DAYS, UH, BEFORE THEY, YOU KNOW, SO WE LET THEM KNOW AND KEPT THEM INFORMED OF THAT BECAUSE THAT'S STUFF THAT IS IMPORTANT TO
[00:40:01]
THEM.AGAIN, THE SHERIFF'S APP, AND YOU CAN ALWAYS CALL AS WELL.
SO WITH THAT, NOW, I, UH, WILL TURN QUESTIONS, BUT FIRST OF ALL, WE RECEIVE SEVERAL QUESTIONS FROM, UH, EMAIL.
WE ALWAYS TRY TO TAKE ONLINE QUESTIONS.
SO I GOT A COUPLE THAT I WILL READ OUT, AND THEN I'LL TURN IT OVER FOR ANY OTHER QUESTIONS BRIEFLY.
KUMAR, UM, TO, UM, GET UP AND GIVE HIS PRESENTATION.
AND, UM, THEN IF THERE ARE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS AFTER THAT, THEN WE CAN TAKE 'EM AS WELL.
UM, SO I'M GONNA READ THESE QUESTIONS, UM, A FEW.
AND THEN, UH, MR. VOS, I THINK COME UP AND SAY A FEW WORDS AS WELL.
SO THE FIRST QUESTION THAT WE GOT WAS, AS A PROPERTY OWNER AND A FREQUENT USER OF ASPEN ROAD, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THE CURRENT YEAR, 2028 START DATE FOR THE DDI CAN BE PUSHED TO AN EARLIER CONSTRUCTION START AND COMPLETION DATE.
AND THE ANSWER TO THAT IS TIMELINE'S GENERALLY LOCKED IN.
HOWEVER, WITH ANY PROJECT, WE'RE GONNA WORK WITH VDOT TO EXPEDITE THE DELIVERY OF THAT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
UM, THIS IS OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IN GOLAND, IS GETTING THAT INTERSECTION BUILT.
SO WE'RE GONNA FOCUS ON TRYING TO GET THAT.
UM, WE TRY TO GIVE DATES THAT ARE REALISTIC AND REASONABLE, NOT PIE IN THE SKY.
SO IF ANYTHING, WE'RE GONNA BE CONSERVATIVE AND, AND SO IF WE CAN PUSH IT UP A FEW MONTHS, WE WILL.
THE NEXT QUESTION WAS, WHAT PLANS ARE THERE FOR A PARK OR GREEN SPACE, UH, IN DISTRICT FOUR? AND YOU KNOW, THE ANSWER FOR THAT RIGHT NOW IS THAT THERE ISN'T A, A PLAN PER SE.
THERE, THERE IS NO PLAN FOR A PARK OR GREEN SPACE.
IS THAT ONE OF THE, UH, FEEDBACK? WE'VE HEARD A LOT.
WE'VE HEARD A LOT ABOUT THAT LATELY.
SO IN CONVERSATIONS WITH THE BOARD THAT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED IS, IS THE NEED FOR US TO START THE PROCESS OF DETERMINING WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN IN DISTRICT FOUR AND DISTRICT FIVE, THE EASTERN PART OF THE COUNTY, BECAUSE THE EASTERN PART OF THE COUNTY DOESN'T HAVE SERVICES.
UM, YOU GOT SOME FIRE STATIONS, THANK GOODNESS, AND, AND QUALITY PEOPLE THERE, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE PARKS.
YOU DON'T HAVE A CONVENIENCE CENTER.
SO, UH, THERE IS NOT A CURRENT PLAN FOR THAT, BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT THAT IS ONE OF THE CONVERSATIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING AND THAT, THAT YOUR THOUGHTS ON THINGS LIKE THAT WOULD BE GOOD.
UM, ANOTHER ONE IS, UM, AND THIS IS, PLEASE EXPLAIN PRECISELY AND IN SIMPLE LANGUAGE HOW THE COST OF THE COUNTY WILL BE MET TO SERVE ADDITIONAL THOUSAND MEN, SEVERAL THOUSAND MEN, WOMEN, CHILDREN, IF ONGOING PROPOSALS ARE APPROVED, UM, IN SPECIFIC AREAS, ADDITIONAL FIRE EQUIPMENT, UM, HIRING POLICE TEACHERS, UM, UH, ET CETERA, ET CETERA.
UM, OF, AND THIS IS FUNDAMENTAL TO WHY A LOT OF Y'ALL ARE HERE.
GROWTH AND HOW IS GROWTH GOING TO, UH, BE MANAGED AND HANDLED AND BE EFFECTIVE? WE JUST SAID THAT, THAT WE WANT TO BE 85, 15.
I'VE ALSO SAID THAT, THAT WE NEED GROWTH, UH, GOOD GROWTH, UH, GROWING GRACEFULLY.
UH, I'LL TELL YOU THIS AND AGAIN, WITHOUT GETTING, UM, BUT WE HAVE, HAVE ADDED SEVERAL THOUSAND HOUSES IN THE LAST NUMBER OF YEARS.
UM, HOUSES DO NOT AUTOMATICALLY TRANSLATE INTO, SAY, SCHOOL.
OUR STUDENT POPULATION IS RELATIVELY FLAT, AS YOU'LL SEE WHEN DR.
UH, SO, SO BUILDING HOUSES DOESN'T AUTOMATICALLY TRANSLATE INTO IMPACTS LIKE THAT.
UH, YOU KNOW, THE AVERAGE HOME IN UCHIN NOW IS GOING FOR CLOSE TO $600,000.
SO THAT'S GONNA LEND ITSELF TO CERTAIN TYPES OF FAMILIES THAT ARE MOVING IN HERE THAT MAY NOT HAVE CHILDREN.
THEY, UH, UH, THEIR CHILDREN MAY HAVE AGED OUT AND MOVED ON WITH THEIR LIVES.
UM, SO AS WE LOOK AT GROWTH, THAT'S ONE OF THE IMPORTANT THINGS TO CONSIDER.
UM, BUT I SHOWED YOU THE CIP PLAN.
WE'VE GOT A 25 YEAR WINDOW OF WHAT'S WE KNOW IS GOING TO HAPPEN THAT WE LOOK AT EVERY YEAR AND UPDATE IT.
SO WE KNOW THAT THESE THINGS ARE HAPPENING.
I TALKED ABOUT TRANSPORTATION AND THE IMPACTS OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO DO THERE.
SO THE ANSWER TO THAT IS THAT WE ARE AWARE OF THE IMPACTS OF GROWTH, AND WE'RE CONSIDERING THAT WE'RE NOT SITTING HERE UNAWARE, UH, AND OBLIVIOUS TO IT.
UH, AS WE'VE ADDED 55 PLUS COMMUNITIES.
UH, THEY DON'T IMPACT SCHOOLS AT ALL PRETTY MUCH, BUT THEY SURE IMPACT EMERGENCY SERVICES, AMBULANCE TRIPS, UH, THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO KEEPING THAT, WE'RE BUILDING NEW FIRE STATION IN GRAY PARK BECAUSE OF, OF THE NEED TO, UH, HANDLE THAT KIND OF GROWTH.
UM, THEN, UH, LAST QUESTION IS BEFORE THE COUNTY ADDS ANY BOOKS TO THE BAN LIST, ARE THEY REVIEWED BY LOCAL COMMITTEE MADE UP OF TEACHERS, PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS ACROSS POLITICAL, RELIGIOUS AND ETHNIC BACKGROUNDS? UH, FOR SOLID RECOMMENDATION, UH, TO BAN OR NOT BAN? UM, THE LIBRARY IN GOLAND IS A REGIONAL LIBRARY.
UH, THE COUNTY APPOINTS TWO BOARD MEMBERS TO SERVE.
AND THE, THAT BOARD MAKES ALL THOSE DECISIONS.
THEY HIRE LIBRARIANS, LIBRARIANS HIRE THEIR STAFF.
SO THE COUNTY DOESN'T BAN BOOKS, THE COUNTY DOESN'T ADD BOOKS.
THE COUNTY HAS NO ROLE TO PLAY IN THAT.
WE JUST DO THE BEST WE CAN TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE PEOPLE ON THAT BOARD THAT REPRESENT THE VALUES OF THIS COUNTY.
AS SHOWN IN OUR SCHOOL BOARD, I'M SORRY, SHOWN IN OUR, OUR BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, UH, BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.
SO THE ANSWER TO THAT IS THE COUNTY'S NOT GONNA BE MANNING IN THE BOOKS, BUT OUR, OUR OUR, UM, MEMBERS ON THE, UH, OUR, OUR OUR, NAH, JUST BLANKED
[00:45:01]
ON THE WORD BOARD MEMBERS.OUR BOARD MEMBERS ON THERE WILL, UM, WE'LL TAKE THAT SERIOUSLY.
SO, UM, MR. VOS, DID YOU WANNA COME UP? AND SO THANK Y'ALL FOR HAVING ME.
UH, BUT THANK MARK FOR THE WORK THAT THE COUNTY STAFF HAS DONE.
I MEAN, THIS IS A LOT OF WORK.
SO I HOPE AS COUNTY, UH, CONSTITUENTS WE'RE ALL APPRECIATIVE.
UM, FIRST AND FOREMOST, WE HAVE A BALANCED BUDGET.
WE HAVE AAA BOND, WE HAVE ACTIVE COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT.
I HOPE EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM IS AS WELL.
UM, THAT SAID, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT IT, LET'S GO TO THE NEXT LEVEL.
WE HAVE ALL OF THESE CAPITAL EXPENDITURE NEEDS AND WE TALK ABOUT THEM.
ONE THING WE CAN NEVER FORGET, 'CAUSE IT GETS CAUGHT INTO THE HUMAN, UH, IT'S CAUGHT INTO OPERATING EXPENSES, IS HUMAN CAPITAL EXPENDITURES.
WE HAVE SERVICES AND NEEDS ACROSS THIS COUNTY THAT WE ALWAYS HAVE TO BE FOCUSED ON.
AND I THINK SOMETIMES WE BURY THEM IN OPERATING EXPENDITURES AND FORGET THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE CREATIVE AND THOUGHTFUL CAN SAVE LIVES JUST AS MUCH AS A SHINY FIRE EXTINGUISHER, JUST AS MUCH AS ALL THESE OTHER THINGS.
SO, MR. CARPENTER WILL TELL YOU, EVERY SINGLE DEPARTMENT HEAD WILL TELL YOU, I SAY, HOW CAN WE GET CREATIVE? I HOPE WE SPEND THE MONEY AS A COUNTY, BUT HOW CAN WE GET CREATIVE WITH THEIR IDEAS? UM, IT'S FUNNY, THIS CAME OUT AS, UH, THE, AS MR. CARPENTER'S REMARKS WERE GOING ON.
I THINK GRACEFUL GROWTH IS TOO SOFT.
UM, I THINK WE NEED TO SAY WE WANT THE BEST GROWTH UNEQUIVOCALLY.
AND THE REASON I SAY THAT IS WHAT HAPPENS 50 FEET ACROSS THE HENRICO GLAND LINE OR ACROSS THE
WE CAN HAVE THE BEST GROWTH AND PROVIDE THE BEST SERVICES AND CONSTANTLY LIVE UP TO A BEST IN CLASS MENTALITY ACROSS OUR COUNTY.
THAT'S SHOWN IN SO MANY OF OUR DIFFERENT, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, SUPERLATIVES.
AND, UH, I, I JUST WANT TO MAKE THAT A FOCUS.
AND THEN FINALLY, I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH.
WE AS A COUNTY DO MORE WITH LESS.
WE PROVIDE LOWER TAX RATES, LESS BURDEN ON OUR CITIZENS AND DO MORE WITH LESS.
AND IN DOING SO, I HOPE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF OUR CITIZENS APPRECIATES EVERY RESOURCE WE HAVE IN THIS COUNTY FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO WORK HARD TO GIVE EVERYTHING POSSIBLE IN THE ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT, UH, AND, YOU KNOW, UH, CONSTRAINTS THAT WE HAVE.
SO I THINK WE AS A COUNTY ARE DOING THAT.
I HOPE WE CAN CONTINUE TO DO THAT AND ALSO GROW ON THAT.
AND, UM, I PROBABLY JUST THREW OUT SOME IDEAS INSTEAD OF SOLUTIONS.
BUT
SO WE'VE GOT TIME FOR A FEW QUESTIONS AND THEN WE'LL TURN IT OUT TO SCHOOLS.
MS. MOORE, I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, INVITE EVERYBODY TO A WORKSHOP THAT WE, UM, IT'S BEEN FIVE YEARS SINCE WE'VE ACTUALLY HAD THIS WORKSHOP, WHICH WAS HELPED OUR CITIZENS UNDERSTAND THE PLANNING AND ZONING PROCESS.
PROVIDED BY DEVELOPERS ON PAGE.
AND TRULY UNDERSTAND WHAT WE CAN DO TOGETHER AND FOR PEOPLE AT HOME.
UM, THERE IS A COMMUNITY WORKSHOP ON APRIL 8TH, UH, THAT, UH, CITIZENS ARE INVITED TO COME TO, UH, THAT IS, UH, PUT ON TO BETTER HELP EXPLAIN HOW THE ZONING AND LAND USE PROCESS WORKS IN GLAND AND ALSO TO HELP PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE ROLE THAT THEY CAN PLAY IN IT.
SO THANK YOU MS. MOORE AND, AND THIS CITIZENS FOR, FOR PUTTING THAT ON.
I'D LIKE CHARLIE, EXPLAIN TO US HOW HE DESCRIBES BEST RELATIVE TO WHAT BEST GROWTH.
HOW, HOW IS THAT DEFINED? AND IF I COULD RESTATE THE QUESTION AGAIN.
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HOW DO WE DEFINE BEST, UH, GROWTH AS BEST COMPARED TO WHAT? YES.THE, YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD WITH THE WORD WHAT COMPS.
WE GO OUT AND WE LOOK FOR THE COMMUNITIES AND WHAT THEY'RE DOING AND WE SAY, THIS IS WHAT SOMEBODY DID WITH THIS BUDGET.
WE HAVE THAT TO EXCEED, WE HAVE THAT TO DO BETTER.
AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, I, NO ONE I HOPE IN THE DEPARTMENTS IN GLAND WILL SAY THAT I DON'T BRING THAT UP ALL THE TIME.
WE ARE UNIQUE, BUT THE MOMENT WE SAY WE'RE UNIQUE AND WE'RE GONNA SOLVE ALL OUR PROBLEMS BY OURSELVES, WE'RE MORONS.
WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THE BEST COMPARABLES ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND SAY, THIS IS HOW WE'RE MAKING MORE WITH LESS.
WE'RE DOING THE BEST FOR OUR CONSTITUENTS AND PROVIDING BEST IN CLASS SERVICES AT A SMALLER BUDGET, AT A, YOU KNOW, TIGHTER BUDGET AND EXPECTING THAT OF ALL OUR DEPARTMENT.
SO THAT'S MY GOVERNMENT FOR ONE MORE.
YOU SAID MANY OF THE PEOPLE WHO WORK HERE IN GLAND DO NOT LIVE IN GLAND, MA'AM.
AND THEN YOU SAID THE AVERAGE HOME HERE IS WHAT? 600,000 GET AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
AND I HATE THAT TERM BECAUSE IT'S, SO OBVIOUSLY PEOPLE CAN AFFORD 600,000, BUT WHAT IS GUCH ONE DOING PARTICULARLY IN THE WAY OF ZONING? THAT'S A BIG THING WITH ME.
WE HAVE TO HAVE 10 ACRES OR THREE ACRES OR WHATEVER.
WHAT IS, WHAT WAS THE PHILOSOPHY OF GOIN WITH ZONING SO THAT WE CAN GET HOUSES MORE AFFORDABLE AS A FOREIGN TEACHER AND FOR TEACHER AND FIREMEN, ET CETERA? I MEAN THAT, AND SO THE QUESTION WAS, UM, WITH SO MANY COUNTY EMPLOYEES NOT LIVING IN, IN THE COUNTY, ONE OF THE REASONS BEING WRAPPED 'CAUSE THE HOUSES COST THAT THEY DO, WHAT IS THE COUNTY DOING TO LOOK AT MAKING HOUSING MORE AFFORDABLE IN REFERENCE TO ZONING? IN REFERENCE TO ZONING? UM, AND, AND I THINK THE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S AN ANSWER THAT I, I'LL GIVE YOU AN ANSWER, BUT IT WON'T BE COMPLETE THAT, THAT'S A LONG CONVERSATION TO HAVE RIGHT THERE BECAUSE WE GET INTO THE BASIC UNDERSTANDING REALLY OF WHAT'S IMPORTANT IN GOOSE.
AND RIGHT NOW, ONE OF THE MOST CRITICAL THINGS TO US IS THAT WE REMAIN A COUNTY THAT FEELS DIFFERENT.
THAT'S RURAL, THAT'S AGRICULTURAL IN NATURE.
AND SO THAT LENDS ITSELF TO THE BIGGER TRACKS AND, AND THE WIDE OPEN SPACES WHICH DO NOT LEND THEMSELVES TO DEVELOPMENT.
UH, WHAT, WHAT IS NECESSARY, IF YOU TALK TO BUILDERS, TALK TO REALTORS, TALK TO ECONOMISTS, ONE OF THE MOST CRITICAL COMPONENTS OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS SIZE, SMALLER HOMES ON SMALLER LOTS, DENSITY, UH, AND DENSITY IS A TOPIC THAT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED AN AWFUL LOT, ESPECIALLY IN THIS PART OF THE COUNTY.
AND IT'S A TOPIC THAT WE TALKED TWO YEARS ABOUT AND FINALLY PUT IT ON THE BACK BURNER.
WE'RE GONNA GET IT RESURRECTED AGAIN TO START TALKING MORE.
SO THE, THE LONG ANSWER, AND IT'S NOT A COMPLETE ANSWER, IS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IT.
WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, WE'RE TRYING TO, TO COME UP WITH LIKE, FIRST OF ALL SAID, WHAT ARE THE BEST SOLUTIONS THAT ARE OUT THERE? SHORE PUMP IS NOT S MADE IT CLEAR SHORE PUMP IS NOT THE SOLUTION WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
SO WHAT CAN WE DO? BECAUSE AGAIN, IT WOULD BE NICE TO, TO HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, KNOW IF AS PEOPLE GROW, THEY HAVE KIDS FOR THEIR KIDS TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD TO LIVE AND STAY HERE, GET A JOB HERE, RAISE A FAMILY HERE.
THAT, THAT'S ONE OF THE, THE, UH, GOALS THAT WE'D LIKE TO, TO ACCOMPLISH.
UH, GOLAND IS NOT, AGAIN, WE'RE, WE'RE SECOND FASTEST GROWING.
WE'RE THE OLDEST COUNTY AND WE'RE ONE OF THE, THE MOST AFFLUENT S IN THE COMMONWEALTH VIRGINIA AND THE COUNTRY.
AND SO THAT LENDS ITSELF TO A DICHOTOMY OF YOU TEND TO HAVE, HAVE A COMMUNITY THAT LOOKS LIKE WE DO.
SO IT IT, IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.
AND, AND THAT GETS INTO WHAT THE COMMUNITY ULTIMATELY WANTS.
AND RIGHT NOW IT'S A DISCUSSION THAT'S WELL UNDERWAY AND WE'RE, WE'RE NOT CLOSE TO GETTING IT.
AND SO THAT'LL ALSO BE AROUND FOR QUESTIONS.
MARTY, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU, SIR.
I WANNA START BY INTRODUCING A FEW OF OUR SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS WHO ARE IN ATTENDANCE TONIGHT.
FIRST FROM DISTRICT FOUR, MRS. MICHELLE MAXWELL, OUR SCHOOL BOARD CHAIR, MS. ANGELA ALLEN IS HERE WITH US AND FROM NEIGHBORING DISTRICT FIVE, MRS. ELLEN ROBINSON.
AND I AM NERVOUSLY SCOURING IN THE CROWD TO MAKE SURE I'VE NOT MISSED ANY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS.
SO IF WE HAVE ANY MORE HERE, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND NOW.
OKAY, I GOT A HUNDRED ON THAT.
MY NAME IS MICHAEL KUMAR AND MY PASSION IS
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OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.I'VE DEDICATED THE ENTIRETY OF MY PROFESSIONAL LIFE 27 YEARS TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA.
AND TODAY I'M GONNA TALK TO YOU IN ADVOCACY OF OUR SCHOOLS.
THERE IS A MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY WHO'S WITH US TONIGHT WHO HEARD ME MAKE THIS PRESENTATION WHEN I TALKED TO DISTRICT FIVE.
AND SHE CHALLENGED ME TO INCLUDE, AS PART OF THE PRESENTATION OUR PER PUPIL EXPENDITURE.
I CAME HERE WITH THE FULL INTENTION OF DOING THAT AND I SAW HER UPON ENTERING AND SHE REMINDED ME THAT SHE WANTED ME TO DO THAT.
THE PER PUPIL EXPENDITURE IN THIS CURRENT FISCAL IS $15,714.
THAT IS OUR PER PUPIL INVESTMENT IN STUDENTS THROUGH PUBLIC EDUCATION.
AND IT TAKES INTO ACCOUNT FUNDING FROM ALL OF OUR REVENUE STREAMS, WHICH I'LL TALK ABOUT MORE SPECIFICALLY TONIGHT.
BY SHOW OF HANDS, HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN IN OUR SCHOOLS? OKAY, IN THIS ROOM WITH I WOULD GUESSTIMATE 70, 75 PEOPLE RIGHT NOW, I COUNT IT FOUR HANDS.
I HAVE CHILDREN IN THE SCHOOLS, SO WE'LL MAKE IT AROUND FIVE OR SIX.
FOR THE REST OF YOU, I WANT TO INTRODUCE YOU OR REINTRODUCE YOU TO WHAT WE HAVE GOING ON IN OUR CLASSROOMS. WE OPERATE UNDER THE CORE VALUES OF EXCELLENCE, CREATIVITY, COURAGE, HONOR, AND OPTIMISM.
OUR GOALS ARE TO MAXIMIZE EVERY STUDENT'S ACADEMIC POTENTIAL, TO MAXIMIZE RESOURCES FOR INSTRUCTION, AND TO IMPROVE THE OVERALL CLIMATE OF OUR ORGANIZATION.
I'LL TALK ABOUT EACH OF THOSE THINGS RESPECTIVELY OVER THE TIME I HAVE.
OUR VISION IS TO INSPIRE THE NEXT GENERATION TO MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT.
WE ARE WORKING TO PRODUCE THE KINDS OF NEIGHBORS THAT YOU'D LIKE TO HAVE AND TO MAXIMIZE THE POTENTIAL OF EVERY ONE OF OUR LEARNERS.
AND AS OUR COMPASS, WE ASK HOW ARE THESE DECISIONS MADE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE NEAR 2,600 STUDENTS THAT WE SERVE EVERY SINGLE DAY? SO I WANT TO GIVE YOU A PICTURE OF OUR ENROLLMENT.
AS YOU CAN SEE WITH UH, EXCEPTION OF THE LAST SCHOOL YEAR, WHICH IS A LITTLE BIT OF AN ANOMALY, OUR ENROLLMENT TYPICALLY HOVERS BETWEEN 25 50 AND 2,600 STUDENTS.
WE CURRENTLY ARE SITTING AT 2,572 STUDENTS ACROSS THE SCHOOL DIVISION.
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT HOW OUR SCHOOLS RELATE TO HOUSING MARKETS.
WE HAD A WONDERFUL QUESTION A LITTLE BIT AGO ABOUT AFFORDABILITY OF HOUSING IN THIS COUNTY.
AS SOMEONE WHO PURCHASED THE HOUSE IN THIS COUNTY IN THE LAST EIGHT MONTHS, I CAN TELL YOU THAT THE COST OF HOMES IN THE COUNTY IS COMPARATIVELY EXORBITANT
THE REPUTATION AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAS A DIRECT IMPACT ON HOME VALUES IN OUR COMMUNITY.
NATIONAL STATISTICS SHOW THAT THE AVERAGE DIFFERENCE IN HOME PRICES BETWEEN HIGH PERFORMANCE SCHOOL DIVISIONS LIKE OURS AND LOWER PERFORMANCE SCHOOL DIVISIONS IS ABOUT $205,000 PER HOME.
HOMES IN TOP PERFORMING DISTRICTS LIKE OURS SELL AN AVERAGE OF EIGHT DAYS FASTER AND RECEIVE 26% MORE VIEWS THAN THE AVERAGE HOME LISTENING.
SO IN THAT REGARD, I SUPPOSE I CAN'T COMPLAIN.
THIS IS NOW TALKING ABOUT SCHOOLS IN THE CORRELATION BETWEEN PUBLIC EDUCATIONAL ENTITIES AND OUR LOCAL ECONOMY.
FUNDING PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS A LONG-TERM INVESTMENT STRATEGY, EVEN FOR CITIZENS WITHOUT SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN.
FOR OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF THOSE OF US IN THIS ROOM, QUALITY SCHOOLS TEND TO MAINTAIN STABILITY EVEN IN CHALLENGING ECONOMIC TIMES.
HOMES AND WELL PERFORMING SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE MORE RESILIENT TO MARKET FLUCTUATIONS.
INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC EDUCATION PAVES THE WAY FOR HIGHLY SKILLED AND INNOVATIVE WORKFORCES THAT DRIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
THAT 15% TO GIVE US 30% OF OUR REVENUE, REPUTABLE, REPUTABLE SCHOOLS ATTRACT BUSINESS.
AS I BRAG ON THE SUCCESSES OF GLAND COUNTY'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS, THERE ARE NEARLY 16,000 SCHOOLS, PUBLIC SCHOOLS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, NEARLY 16,005.
APPLE DISTINGUISHED SCHOOLS ARE IN GLAND COUNTY.
[01:00:02]
EVERY SINGLE ONE OF OUR SCHOOLS IS DESIGNATED AN APPLE DISTINGUISHED SCHOOL.AND WE ARE SOON TO BE DESIGNATED AN APPLE DISTINGUISHED SCHOOL DIVISION.
NOW FOR COMPARISON, WHAT IS THAT? I'M GONNA TELL YOU FOR COMPARISON, THEY'RE FEWER THAN 500 SUCH SCHOOLS ACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTRY, FIVE OF THEM RIGHT HERE IN THE BORDERS OF THIS COUNTY.
IT IS A RECOGNITION AND ACCOLADE FOR OUR INTEGRATION OF TECHNOLOGY TO ADVANCED STUDENT LEARNING.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE'RE RECOGNIZED FOR MEANINGFULLY INTEGRATING VIRTUAL REALITY INTO TEACHING AND LEARNING.
THE WAY WE TEACH CHILDREN TODAY IS NOT THE WAY THAT I WAS TAUGHT.
IT'S NOT THE WAY THAT MANY OF YOU IN THIS ROOM WERE TAUGHT.
I'M NOT POSITIONED TO TELL YOU THAT IT'S BETTER, BUT I'M GONNA SHARE SOME RESULTS TONIGHT THAT WILL CLEARLY ILLUSTRATE THAT IT'S HIGHLY EFFECTIVE.
WE'VE BEEN RATED BY NICHE FOR SIX CONSECUTIVE YEARS TO BE THE BEST SCHOOL DIVISION IN THE METRO RICHMOND AREA.
AND THAT IS PUNCHING UP AGAINST SCHOOL DIVISIONS LIKE CHESTERFIELD AND HEROKU THAT HAVE UNLIMITED RESOURCES, WHICH WE'LL TALK ABOUT COMPARATIVELY, WHICH WE'LL TALK ABOUT IN A LITTLE BIT.
WE RATED NUMBER TWO IN THE RICHMOND AREA FOR HAVING THE SECOND BEST TEACHERS.
WE ARE A UNIFIED NATIONAL OR UNIFIED CHAMPION SCHOOL RECOGNIZED FOR OUR EFFORTS WITH THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS FOR SEVERAL YEARS RUNNING.
WE'VE BEEN AWARDED THE DISTINGUISHED BUDGET PRESENTATION AWARD BY THE GOVERNMENT FINANCE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION.
GLIN IS ONE OF 10 SCHOOL DIVISIONS ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA THAT'S MAINTAINED 100% OF ITS SCHOOLS BEING FULLY ACCREDITED FOR OVER A DECADE.
I THINK THAT'S WORTHY OF APPLAUSE FOR CONTEXT.
THERE ARE 132 SCHOOL DIVISIONS ACROSS THIS COMMONWEALTH.
WE'RE ONE OF 10 THAT CAN BOAST OF 100% ACCREDITATION FOR OVER A DECADE, WHICH BRINGS ME BACK TO THE PER PUPIL EXPENDITURE.
YOU CAN'T TEACH WITHOUT OFFERING CONTEXT.
OUR PER PER PUPIL EXPENDITURE OF $15,714 RESTS RIGHT AT ABOUT THE STATE AVERAGE.
IT RESTS RIGHT AT ABOUT THE STATE AVERAGE.
SO FOR ALL OF THE WONDERFUL RESULTS THAT I JUST SHARED WITH YOU, OUR PER PUPIL INVESTMENT RESTS AT RIGHT ABOUT THE STATE AVERAGE.
ANYBODY KNOW HOW THE STATE CALCULATES FUNDING FOR LOCALES AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS? YES, SIR.
AND DO IT BASED ON THE ABILITY FOR THE UH, COMMUNITY TO PAY.
IT'S BASED ON THE ABILITY OF THE COMMUNITY TO PAY, WHICH IS DETERMINED BY A NUMBER WE REFER TO AS A LOCAL COMPOSITE INDEX.
THE LOCAL COMPOSITE INDEX FOR GLAND COUNTY IS 0.8.
ANYBODY CARE TO TAKE A GUESS OF WHAT THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE LOCAL COMPOSITE INDEX IS? POINT EIGHT, MY STAR PUPILS RIGHT OVER HERE.
SO BY THAT DEFINITION, GLAND COUNTY HAS THE HIGHEST PROBABLE AND POSSIBLE MEANS TO FINANCE PUBLIC EDUCATION, THE $15,714 REST AT THE STATE AVERAGE FOR BETTER COMPARABILITY.
LET ME SHARE WITH YOU HOW WE RATE AMONG OTHER LOCALES WITH A 0.8 LOCAL COMPOSITE INDEX FOR PER PUPIL EXPENDITURE.
SO YOU TAKE OUR PER PUPIL EXPENDITURE AND YOU LINE IT UP WITH OTHER PLACES WITH OUR SAME LOCAL COMPOSITE INDEX.
AND WE'RE AT THE BOTTOM FOR OUR INVESTMENT PER PUPIL ACROSS THIS COUNTY.
AND YET IT'S BEEN SAID TONIGHT THAT WE DO WELL WITH WHAT WE HAVE.
AND I'M GONNA ILLUSTRATE TO YOU HOW THAT'S TRUE.
BUT I'M ALSO GONNA TALK TO YOU ABOUT SOME CHALLENGES THAT ARE NOT ONLY NEW TO GLIN BUT NEW TO THE FIELD.
THE PINK LINE THAT YOU SEE ON THE TABLE BEHIND ME REPRESENTS THE NATIONAL AVERAGE FOR STUDENT GROWTH.
ANDS THE BAR GRAPHS REPRESENT OUR STUDENTS' ACTUAL GROWTH OR THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS WHO MET THEIR ACTUAL GROWTH THE PAST ACADEMIC YEAR.
AS YOU CAN SEE, WE ARE ABOVE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE IN EVERY SINGLE GRADE LEVEL.
THAT'S THE STORY IN LITERACY READING IN NUMERACY AND MATHEMATICS EVERY SINGLE GRADE LEVEL WITH THE EXCEPTION OF SIXTH GRADE.
AND WHEN I STAND HERE NEXT YEAR, I WILL SAY EVERY SINGLE GRADE
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LEVEL, INCLUDING SIXTH GRADE OUTPACES, MANY SIGNIFICANTLY OUTPACE NATIONAL AVERAGES FOR STUDENT GROWTH.GRADES TWO THROUGH 11, OUR GRADUATION RATES ARE OUT OF THIS WORLD.
I STAND HERE TONIGHT TO BOAST THAT FOR THE LAST SEVEN YEARS RUNNING, WE'VE HAD GRADUATION RATES THAT HAVE BEEN AT LEAST 95% FOR SIX OF THOSE SEVEN YEARS.
THE GRADUATION RATE HAS BEEN AT LEAST 97% AND PEAKED AT 98% IN 2020 THE YEAR THE PANDEMIC.
AND I WANT TO JUST SAY THAT BOASTING A 97% GRADUATION RATE DOES NOT INDICATE THAT WE HAVE A 3% DROPOUT RATE.
THESE NUMBERS ARE BASED ON STUDENTS WHO COME AND GRADUATE WITH THEIR COHORT ON TIME OVER FOUR YEARS.
SOME STUDENTS TAKE A LITTLE LONGER, SOME EARN AN ALTERNATE CREDENTIAL.
I'D BE WILLING TO WAGE TONIGHT THAT WE'RE CLOSER TO 100% OF OUR KIDS LEAVING US WITH SOME TYPE OF A CREDENTIAL, EVEN IF IT'S A EQUIVALENCY CREDENTIAL.
SO WHY IS THIS MAN STANDING UP TALKING ABOUT ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT WE DO IN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS RULES? BECAUSE WE HAVE NEEDS, NEEDS THAT I'M GONNA IDENTIFY TONIGHT, NEEDS THAT DEAL MOST BASICALLY IN TEACHER COMPENSATION.
THE CHART THAT'S BEHIND ME THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT SHOWS THAT IN THE YEAR 2017, WE RANK THIRD OF SEVEN SCHOOL DIVISIONS IN OUR GEOGRAPHIC REGION IN TEACHER COMPENSATION.
ONE WAY TO MAKE ALL OF THIS MAKE SENSE.
IF YOU SEE GREEN, THAT'S GOOD.
IF YOU SEE YELLOW, EH, THAT'S AVERAGE THAT IF YOU SEE RED, THAT'S NOT GREAT.
THERE'S A LOT MORE RED THAN THERE IS GREEN AND YELLOW COMBINED.
AND THIS TELLS A STORY OF LOSING GROUND IN TEACHER COMPENSATION.
OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST SEVEN YEARS, TEACHERS AT STAGE ZERO, FIVE YEARS, 10 YEARS AND 15 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, WE WERE ABOVE THE REGIONAL MEAN.
SEVEN YEARS AGO, TEACHERS IN THAT SAME BAND.
NOW STEP ZERO, WE'RE AT THE AVERAGE.
AND FRANKLY, WE HAVE TO BE, IF WE WISH TO RECRUIT PEOPLE, WE CAN'T TELL PEOPLE WHO ARE FRESH OUT OF THE BUBBLE WRAP, EXCITED TO TEACH WITH $25,000 IN STUDENT LOANS.
COME ON OVER HERE AND JOIN US.
WE'LL TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOU AND DEVELOP YOU, BUT WE'LL PAY YOU $5,000 LESS THAN THEY WILL IN HENRICO.
AND HERE'S A BONUS, YOU CAN'T AFFORD A HOUSE HERE.
ONCE WE GET YOU REALLY GOOD AT YOUR CRAFT FIVE YEARS, THEN YOU CAN FLY RIGHT OUTTA HERE AND GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.
OUR TEACHER RESIGNATIONS MIDYEAR, ARE UP 120%.
THAT NUMBER COINCIDES WITH MY ARRIVAL.
I JOKINGLY SAY THAT I WISH THAT IT WAS BECAUSE I CAN CHANGE ME.
I CAN FIX ME TO MAKE ME MORE PALATABLE FOR PEOPLE.
THIS IS THE TREND IN PUBLIC EDUCATION.
AND JUST A MOMENT AGO BEFORE I CAME UP ON THIS STAGE TO MAKE THIS PRESENTATION, DR.
GEIER, OUR ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT FOR INSTRUCTION, SENT ME THIS TEXT MESSAGE AND I WILL NOT READ THE STAFF PERSON'S NAME, BUT STAFF PERSON INTERVIEWED IN HENRICO.
AND ALL INDICATORS ARE, SHE WILL BE OFFERED A POSITION.
SHE PROBABLY HAS THE MOST INSTRUCTIONAL CHOPS OF ANYONE AT THAT SCHOOL.
AND I GET THE SENSE SHE'D REALLY PREFER TO STAY.
SHE'S THE ABSOLUTE POSTER CHILD FOR WHY WE NEED TO ADJUST SALARIES IN THIS COUNTY.
THAT CAME TO ME AS I WAS SEATED RIGHT THERE PROMPTING TO COME ON THIS STAGE AND TALK ABOUT A 100% OR 120% INCREASE IN MID-YEAR DEPARTURES.
AND THEY'RE NOT ALL LEAVING US TO GO TO OTHER SCHOOL DIVISIONS.
SOME HAVE LEFT TO GO TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR WHERE THEY'VE REALIZED 25, $30,000 IN ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION.
AND I'M NOT SUGGESTING THAT WE CAN BEAT THAT.
AND I UNDERSTAND THAT OTHERS HAVE LEFT TO TAKE ADVANCEMENT OPPORTUNITIES THAT DON'T EXIST IN OUR SCHOOL DIVISION.
THEY WERE TEACHERS WHO'D GOTTEN THEIR CREDENTIALS TO BE ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL.
WE DON'T HAVE THOSE POSITIONS.
THEY UNDERSTANDABLY GO TO WHERE THOSE POSITIONS ARE.
BUT THERE HAVE BEEN OTHERS WHO'VE LEFT US OR INDICATE THAT THEY'RE GONNA LEAVE US TO TEACH FOR NEIGHBORING SCHOOL DIVISIONS NOT LONG AGO.
[01:10:02]
THE THINGS ON YOUR LEFT SIDE OF THE SCALE WOULD OUTWEIGH THE THINGS ON YOUR RIGHT SIDE OF THE SCALE.ACTUALLY, IT'S MY LEFT AND RIGHT, YOU GET MY POINT.
IT'S HARD WHEN YOU'RE FACING SOMEONE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON BEHIND YOU.
SO LEMME PAINT A PICTURE FOR YOU.
WE USED TO BE ABLE TO SELL CLASS SIZE.
OUR CLASS SIZES ARE 16 TO 18 PUPILS.
THEY MIGHT BE 20 TO 24 IN HENRICO, 24 TO 26 IN RICHMOND, BUT IN GLAND 1816 TO 18, ALSO WE'RE GONNA GIVE YOU TEACHER AUTONOMY.
WE'RE NOT GONNA GET IN YOUR KITCHEN.
WE'RE GONNA TRUST YOU TO DO THE JOB THAT YOU'VE BEEN TRAINED TO DO.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE SUPPORTIVE LEADERSHIP AT THE SCHOOL AND DIVISION LEVEL AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE FAR LESS BUREAUCRACY THAN YOU MIGHT EXPERIENCE IN A LARGER SCHOOL DIVISION.
AND DURING THAT TIME, THESE WERE MAJOR SELLING POINTS.
AND PEOPLE WOULD COME TO US EVEN THOUGH THEY LIVED ELSEWHERE, LIKE 52% OF OUR WORKFORCE LIVES OUTSIDE OF THIS COUNTY.
BUT MORE INCREASINGLY AS THEY LEAVE US AND WE CONDUCT DEX EXIT SURVEYS, THEY TELL US THE COMMUTE, THE SALARY, OUR INSTRUCTIONAL CALENDAR, WHICH WE'VE WORKED REALLY, REALLY HARD TO ALIGN TO THE REST OF THE REGION.
INFLATION OVER WHICH WE HAVE NO CONTROL, BUT WE ARE NOT EXEMPT.
THE CHALLENGES THAT THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR POSED A BIT AGO ABOUT INFLATION PERTAIN TO THE SCHOOLS AS WELL.
HOUSING FOR OUR EMPLOYEES, HIRING INCENTIVES AND PRIVATE SECTOR PAY.
SO WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO DO TO KEEP PEOPLE? SCHOOL BOARD BUDGET INCLUDES A 5% COST OF LIVING INCREASE FOR ALL EMPLOYEES ACROSS THE BOARD, WHICH I'M PROUD OF, WHICH I'M GRATEFUL THAT THE COUNTY HAS FUNDED THIS TIME.
LAST WEEK HENRICO ANNOUNCED THAT THEY WERE DOING A 4.8% PAY INCREASE FOR EMPLOYEES ACROSS THE BOARD.
WE'RE 0.2% BETTER THAN HENRICO.
IF THIS MAINTAINS FOR SOME YEARS, WE MIGHT START TO CHIP AWAY AT THAT DEFICIT.
BUT THEN I KEPT READING AND IT'S A 4.8% ACROSS THE BOARD WITH AN ADDITIONAL 2.4% FOR THEIR TEACHERS.
SO THEIR TEACHERS WILL RECEIVE A 7.4% PAY INCREASE.
I TAUGHT ENGLISH, I DO NOT PROFESS TO BE A MATHEMATICIAN, BUT THIS MUCH I KNOW 7.4% OF A NUMBER THAT'S ALREADY HIGHER ONLY INCREASES THE DISTANCE BETWEEN OUR NUMBER, WHICH IS LOWER COMPOUND AT 5%.
I WANT TO TALK THROUGH OUR SUMMARY OF BUDGETARY NEEDS.
THIS BUDGET INCLUDES A TOTAL INVESTMENT OF $2.3 MILLION AND IS A 5.7% INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR'S BUDGETED TOTAL INVESTMENTS.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE THINKING, WE'VE MADE A RECORD INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC EDUCATION, GLAND COUNTY HAS PUT MORE INTO PUBLIC EDUCATION THAN IT EVER HAS AT ANY POINT IN TIME IN HISTORY.
THAT IS TRUE AND IT SHOULD BE EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO BOAST OUR CHEST AND SAY THAT BECAUSE THINGS CHANGE AND IT'S MORE COSTLY TO COMPENSATE TEACHERS.
THE COST OF A SCHOOL BUS IS NOT $1 MILLION LIKE A OR $400,000 LIKE AN AMBULANCE.
THIS BUDGET INCLUDED IN THE OPERATION PORTION OF THE BUDGET.
PURCHASING TWO SCHOOL BUSES, WE COULD USE SIX, BUT WE BUDGETED FOR TWO.
WE'RE GONNA PROBABLY ACTUALLY PURCHASED ONE BECAUSE WE HAD PROJECTED HEALTH INSURANCE INCREASE FOR OUR EMPLOYEES TO COME IN AT 9%.
AND WE WERE GONNA ABSORB IT TO KEEP FROM PASSING THOSE COSTS ONTO 'EM ON TOP OF INCREMENTAL PAY INCREASES THAT MIGHT NOT EQUATE TO THAT TOTAL.
AND THEY ACTUALLY CAME IN AT 11%.
SO WE'VE BEEN LEFT TO SCRAMBLE ON HOW WE CAN ACCOUNT FOR THE ADDITIONAL TWO PERCENTAGE POINTS IN HEALTH INSURANCE, INCREASE TOTAL VALUE OF THAT $120,000 TOTAL VALUE OF A BUS, $136,000.
AGAIN, I'M NO MATHEMATICIAN, BUT I KNOW HOW TO MAKE TOUGH CHOICES TO DO RIGHT BY OUR PEOPLE EVEN IF IT'S PAINFUL ON THE OTHER SIDE.
AND WE ARE GOOD STEWARDS OF PUBLIC DOLLARS.
77% OF OUR OPERATING COSTS GO DIRECTLY TO INSTRUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY TO SUPPORT THE OUTCOMES THAT I JUST LAID OUT FOR YOU.
7% ADMINISTRATION AND HEALTH, 7% TRANSPORTATION, 9% OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE, AND ABOUT 7% TECHNOLOGY.
[01:15:03]
OUR SALARY AND BENEFITS ALONE ACCOUNT FOR 83% OF OUR OVERALL BUDGET, ABOUT 4% FOR PURCHASE SERVICES, 5% FOR MISCELLANEOUS CHARGES, ABOUT 8% FOR SUPPLIES AND TEXTBOOKS.THIS YEAR WE'RE GONNA BE UNDER A STATE MANDATE CALLED THE VIRGINIA LITERACY ACT.
AND I'M NOT GONNA SAY THAT THE MANDATE IN ITS SPIRIT IS BAD.
I THINK IT'S GONNA ACTUALLY OVER TIME BE VERY, VERY GOOD FOR ADVANCE IN LITERACY, NOT ONLY IN GOLAND BUT ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH.
BUT WHEN THEY CALCULATE OUR LOCAL COMPOSITE INDEX TO BE A 0.8 AND WE LOOK AT WHAT THAT MEANS FOR US, IT'S PALTRY COMPARED TO WHAT HENRICO GETS.
JUST A LITTLE BIT THAT WAY FOR BETTER COMPARISON.
RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT THE UM, VIRGINIA READINESS AND, AND THE TUTORING INITIATIVES THAT WERE BIG THIS YEAR AND THEY TALKED ABOUT $460 MILLION BEING INVESTED IN PUBLIC EDUCATION ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA.
OUR CUT OF THAT 400 PLUS MILLION DOLLARS IN GOLAND WAS 236,000 WHOPPING DOLLARS BY COMPARISON, HENRICO GOT $17 MILLION OF THOSE SAME PROCEEDS.
HENRICO NOT TO COMPARE US TO THEM IN TERMS OF PRACTICE, AND THAT'S NOT THE POINT OF WHAT I'M GONNA SAY HERE IMPOSED A MEALS TAX TO BENEFIT THEIR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
I'M AN OFFICIAL GOOSE LENDER NOW.
I'VE BEEN HERE EIGHT MONTHS,
WE G***H LENDERS WILL GO TO SHORT PUMP AND EAT MEALS AT THEIR RESTAURANTS BY WHICH THEY CHARGE A MEALS TAX THAT ADVANCES THEM TO BE ABLE TO PAY THEIR TEACHERS AT A HIGHER CLIP THAN WE CAN PAY OURS.
FOLKS, THIS IS A VERY REAL DILEMMA.
AND I'M NOT SUGGESTING THAT WE BE NUMBER ONE IN THE REGION.
WHAT I AM SUGGESTING IS THAT WE BE AT THE REGIONAL MEAN 'CAUSE WE'RE ALL COMPETING FOR THE SCARCE RESOURCES.
UNDERGRADUATE TEACHER PREP PROGRAMS ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH HAVE ALL TIME LOW ENROLLMENT.
PEOPLE ARE NOT WAKING UP IN THE MORNING SAYING, I WANT TO GO TEACH PUBLIC SCHOOL.
SO NOW WE'RE HAVING TO HIRE PEOPLE WHO ARE ALTERNATIVELY LICENSED AND THEY NEED MORE COACHING AND DEVELOPMENT SO THEY CAN PRACTICE AND BE PROFICIENT AT THEIR CRAFT.
IF WE DON'T GET ON BOARD WITH BETTER COMPENSATING OUR STAFF OVER TIME AND IT WON'T BE LONG, THERE'S GONNA BE AN EROSION OF THAT TALENT.
AND FRANKLY, I DO NOT WANT A SINGLE ACCOLADE THAT I POINTED OUT TONIGHT TO DECLINE ON MY WATCH.
AND I DON'T THINK OUR SCHOOL BOARD DOES, AND I DON'T THINK OUR SUPERVISORS DO.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION QUESTIONS.
UM, DOES THE 5% PAY RAISE INCLUDE ANYTHING THAT'S INCLUDED IN THE STATE BUDGET? YEAH, THE, THE, THE STATE RIGHT NOW HAS A BUDGET THAT IS PROJECTED TO ACCOMMODATE A 3% PAY INCREASE FOR SOQ FUNDED POSITIONS.
AND I COULD GIVE A LECTURE THAT LAST ALL NIGHT ON WHAT CONSTITUTES AN SO Q FUNDED POSITION.
I'LL JUST GIVE YOU THE READER'S DIGEST VERSION.
AN SO Q FUNDED POSITION IS WHAT THE STATE DEEMS TO BE A MINIMAL POSITION FOR THE OPERATION OF SCHOOLS.
IF WE LET GO OF EVERYBODY TOMORROW EXCEPT SOQ FUNDED POSITIONS, WE MIGHT HAVE ENOUGH STAFF TO OPERATE TWO SCHOOLS AND THAT WOULD BE PUSHING IT.
SO THE 3% MONEY THAT WE WOULD GET FROM THE STATE BASED ON OUR LCI WOULD GO ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY TO PROMOTE A 3% PAY INCREASE FOR THOSE SOQ FUNDED POSITIONS.
AND THEN THE REST WOULD COME FROM, THE REST WOULD COME FROM OUR, OUR PROPOSED 5% TO MAKE EVERYBODY WHOLE.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION TRACKS WITHIN THE COUNTY ALTERNATIVE IN TERMS OF, I I USED TO BE AN EMPLOYEE OF CONNECTIONS EDUCATION THAT YOU MAY OR MAY NOT BE FAMILIAR WITH, WHICH IS, UH, AN INDEPENDENT COMPANY WITH CONTRACTS TO VARIOUS SCHOOL BOARD.
WELL, UH, WE'VE HAD TO RELY ON SOME ALTERNATIVE EDUCATIONAL SERVICES TO FILL IN FOR TEACHING SPOTS THAT WE'VE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET PEOPLE FOR.
UH, WE HAD A, WE HAD A SPANISH TEACHER AT THE HIGH SCHOOL AND THIS IMPACTS ME AS A FATHER AND A SUPERINTENDENT WHO RESIGNED HIS POSITION TO
[01:20:01]
TAKE A POSITION AT A PRIVATE SCHOOL TEACHING SPANISH SOMETHING THAT FIVE YEARS AGO WOULD'VE, WOULD'VE BEEN UNHEARD OF.BUT A VERY REALITY, VERY MUCH REALITY TODAY.
AND WE'VE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND A SKILLED SPANISH TEACHER AT THIS POINT IN THE YEAR.
SAME IS TRUE FOR FRENCH AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL.
SO WE'RE OFFERING INSTRUCTION THROUGH PROXIMITY LEARNING.
THOSE KIDS GO INTO A CLASSROOM, THEY SIT IN FRONT OF A MONITOR AND THEY DO THEIR ABSOLUTE BEST TO LEARN TO SPEAK A WORLD LANGUAGE FROM SOMEONE SOMEWHERE ELSE IN THE COUNTRY.
I WOULD CONSTITUTE THAT AS ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION.
I WOULD CONSTITUTE THAT AS CREATIVITY IN SOLVING A DILEMMA.
MAY NOT BE EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE ASKING ME, BUT WE ARE DABBLING TO LIMP ALONG AND PROVIDE OUR KIDS THE BEST SERVICES THAT WE CAN.
IS THERE ANY GRANTS OR ANYTHING THAT WE CAN GET AS FAR AS TO SUPPLEMENT FOR TEACHERS? I'M, AS FAR AS THE, UM, THERE LIKE THEIR HOUSING YES, SIR.
THERE ARE, THERE ARE NUMEROUS FEDERAL GRANTS AND WHEN THE FEDERAL GRANTS HAVE DURABILITY, WHICH MEANS THAT WE CAN SUSTAIN THEM OVER TIME WITHOUT THEM AT SOME POINT TURNING INTO A BURDEN ON OUR OPERATIONAL BUDGET, WE DO CONSIDER ALL OF THOSE AVENUES.
THE CHALLENGE WITH GRANT FUNDS IS THAT IT'S, IT'S FISCALLY IRRESPONSIBLE TO USE FUNDS THAT YOU RECEIVE FROM A GRANT TO PROVIDE INCENTIVES, EMPLOYMENT INCENTIVES, OR EMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION.
BECAUSE WHEN THOSE GRANT FUNDS DRY UP, WHICH THEY INEVITABLY DO, THEN WE'RE IN A POSITION TO HAVE TO GO TO THE COUNTY AND ASK THAT THE COUNTY FLOATS US THE CASH TO SUPPLEMENT OR SUPPLANT IN THIS CASE, THOSE GRANT FUNDS.
WELL, WE USE PROFFERS RIGHT NOW AS FAR AS TO SUPPLEMENT SOME THINGS LIKE FOR INFRASTRUCTURE AND THINGS LIKE THAT FOR DEVELOPERS.
WHY CAN'T THE SUPERVISORS GET WITH THE SCHOOL, THE SCHOOL PEOPLE AND MAKE THAT A, PROBABLY TIE THAT IN SOME WAY WHERE OUR TEACHERS ARE, ARE TAKEN CARE OF BECAUSE THEY'RE SUCH AN INTRICATE PART OF THOSE DEVELOPERS.
BECAUSE THOSE DEVELOPERS AREN'T GONNA GET THEIR MONEY ON THEIR BIG MONEY ON THESE DEVELOPMENTS UNLESS YOU HAVE A GOOD SCHOOL SYSTEM.
SO WHY DON'T THE DEVELOPERS PONY UP A LITTLE BIT AND THE SUPERVISORS WORK OUT SOMETHING WITH THEM AND MAKE IT HAPPEN BECAUSE THEY, LIKE I SAID, THEY'RE IMPACTED, THE DEVELOPERS ARE IMPACTED BY THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.
WELL, THEY NEED TO HELP US AND WE NEED, THEY NEED TO HELP THESE TEACHERS SO EITHER SUBSIDIZE THEIR HOUSING FORM, HAVE THE DEVELOPER SUBSIDIZE THE HOUSING FORM OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
OR USE THEM AS A PROPER TO SUBSIDIZE THEIR, THEIR INCOME.
I'M WEARING A LAPEL MIC THAT PROJECTS ME TO PEOPLE WHO ARE WATCHING THIS.
AND I WAS GIVEN AN ASSIGNMENT TO REPEAT THE QUESTION AND UNTIL NOW I HAVEN'T DONE THAT.
SO I'M GONNA CLOSE BY DOING WHAT I WAS ASKED TO DO.
THE QUESTION IS, I UNDERSTAND IT IS AS, UM, THESE DEVELOPERS ARE PETITIONING TO BUILD HOMES IN OUR COUNTY, WHY CAN'T PART OF THAT NEGOTIATION BE THAT, UM, SOME OF THAT, A PORTION OF THAT COMES TO THE SCHOOL OR THAT A PORTION OF THOSE PROJECTS OR PROPERTIES BE AT LEAST AFFORDABLE SO THAT OUR EMPLOYEES, NOT JUST OURS, BUT FIRE AND RESCUE AND UH, SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES CAN ACTUALLY AFFORD TO LIVE IN THOSE PLACES? I THINK THAT'S A WONDERFUL QUESTION.
UM, I THINK IT'S THE RIGHT QUESTION ASKED IN THIS MOMENT OF THE WRONG PERSON,
YOU TALKED ABOUT GOOD, THE COMPOSITE WAS 8.8 OR HOW DO YOU DERIVE AT WHAT YOUR COMPOSITE WILL BE? REAL PROPERTY VALUE.
THAT'S NO, IT, IT'S, IT'S IT'S REAL PROPERTY VALUE AND THE ESTIMATED, THE STATE ESTIMATED VALUES BY FORMULA OF WHAT ACREAGE BASICALLY DRIVES IT.
PEOPLE WHO OWN 30, 40, 50 ACRES, THAT THERE'S INTENSE VALUE OR IMMENSE VALUE IN THOSE PROPERTIES.
YEAH, I THOUGHT IT WAS BASED ON THAT, BUT I WASN'T SURE.
SIR, BE A CLERK'S OPPORTUNITY ABOUT THE PROPERTIES AND FIRST OF ALL, BUILDERS DO PAY PROFFERS TO THE COUNTY.
UM, AND, AND PROFFERS ARE REEVALUATED EVERY SEVERAL YEARS FROM THE PROCESS NOW REEVALUATED THE PROFFERS.
UM, THOSE HAVE TO GO TOWARDS CERTAIN MANDATED EXPENSES, WHICH ARE ESSENTIALLY BRICK AND MORTAR.
WE CAN'T USE PROFFER MONEY TO PAY SALARIES.
WE CAN'T USE PROFFER MONEY TO PAY ELECTRIC BILLS.
WE HAVE TO PUT IT INTO, SO, UH, PROFFERS COME INTO THE COUNTY AND THEY'RE DIVIDED INTO THREE AREAS.
UH, EASTERN CENTRAL AND WESTERN DIVIDED INTO SCHOOLS, UH, FIRE RESCUE, UM, IN, IN CATEGORIES SUCH AS THAT THE COUNTY IN WORKING WITH A DEVELOPER CANNOT REQUIRE THAT THEY DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
[01:25:01]
THAT'S, THAT'S NOT LEGAL.NOW A DEVELOPER CAN OFFER TO, TO GIVE ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT THEY ARE REQUIRED TO DO, BUT WE CANNOT, AS AN ENTITY REQUIRE A DEVELOPER TO DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
SO UNFORTUNATELY, UH, ALL WE DO IS EVERY COUPLE YEARS WE, WE REEVALUATE THE COST, THE IMPACT ON, UH, ROADS, THE IMPACT ON SCHOOLS, AND THE IMPACT ON PUBLIC SAFETY.
AND WHEN A HOME IS SOLD, THAT MONEY IS PUT INTO AN ACCOUNT AND THEN WE USE IT.
THAT'S SOME OF THE MONEY THAT WE'RE USING THAT NOW FOR SOME OF THE TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS.
WE USE SOME OF THAT MONEY FOR THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, BUT UM, AGAIN, WE'RE NOT ABLE TO REQUIRE A DEVELOPER TO CONTRIBUTE MONEY.
AND I'LL BE AROUND TO ANSWER QUESTIONS, BUT TURN IT OVER TO OUR CLERK.
I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU ALL A FEW UPDATES ON WHAT WE'RE DOING AT THE COURTHOUSE.
I'M NOT GONNA TAKE LONG 'CAUSE THEN EVERYBODY WANTS TO GO HOME.
WHERE ARE WE AT? I'M LET THEM GET TO MY SLIDE FIRST.
SO THE FIRST THING THAT, UM, WE HAVE IS I HAVE PURCHASED A OVERSIZED PLAT SCANNER.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY HAS BEEN INTO THE RECORD ROOM LATELY.
UM, AND IF YOU WANTED TO COME GET A COPY OF YOUR PLAT, YOU WOULD HAVE TO TAKE LITTLE PIECES OF YOUR PLAT AND PUT IT TOGETHER AND MAKE IT INTO ONE BIG PIECE.
WELL NOW WE HAVE AN OVERSIZED PLAT SCANNER SO YOU CAN GET THE ACTUAL FULL SIZE PIECE OF PAPER OF YOUR ACTUAL PLA.
UM, THIS ALSO ALLOWS US TO, NOW IF YOU ARE, IF YOU'RE DOING A VACATE OF A, OF YOUR LAND OR WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING, UM, YOU ONLY HAVE TO ACTUALLY GET TWO COPIES OF YOUR ACTUAL PLAT NOW INSTEAD OF HAVING THREE COPIES, UM, WHEN YOU TAKE IT TO THE COUNTY.
SO THIS IS GONNA SAVE EVERYBODY A FEW HUNDRED DOLLARS.
UM, SO WE DON'T NEED THAT ACT EXTRA THIRD COPY.
ALSO, WE'RE GOING TO START DOING, UM, ONLINE CONCEALED HANDGUN PERMIT APPLICATIONS IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.
SO THIS WOULD ALLOW FOR ANYBODY WHO'S NOT ABLE TO COME INTO THE OFFICE TO ACTUALLY BRING IN THEIR CONCEALED HANDGUN PERMIT APPLICATIONS, UM, OR MAIL THEM IN.
YOU'LL ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO DO THEM ONLINE.
UM, WE'RE WE'RE STILL WORKING OUT A FEW TWEAKS RIGHT NOW, SO JUST GIVE US A FEW MONTHS AND THEN WE'LL GO AHEAD AND, AND LET EVERYBODY KNOW WHEN THAT IS AVAILABLE.
AND ALSO, I'M GOING TO BE DOING AN ESTATE PLANNING SEMINAR AT THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING ON APRIL 28TH, 26TH, APRIL 26TH AT THREE O'CLOCK.
AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE ANYBODY WHO HAS ANY QUESTIONS OR UM, WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ESTATE PLANNING TO PLEASE COME TO THIS.
UM, THIS WOULD BE FOR ANYBODY ESTATE PLANNING.
I KNOW IT'S, IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT'S FUN OR ANYBODY WANTS TO THINK ABOUT, BUT IT IS DEFINITELY, IT NEEDS TO BE DONE.
AND THIS WOULD BE FOR YOURSELVES, FOR YOUR PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS, CHILDREN, ANYBODY.
IT'S, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE AS A COUNTY WE NEED TO FOCUS ON.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME? YES, SIR.
UM, I'M SEEING A LOT OF THINGS ON TV ABOUT, UH, PROPERTIES BEING BASICALLY STOLEN BECAUSE, UH, SOMEBODY GOES IN, CROOK, GOES IN AND CHANGES THE RECORDS.
HAVE YOU RUN INTO ANY PROBLEMS WITH THAT? UH, IT'S ABOUT, THIS IS A QUESTION ABOUT PROPERTY FRAUD.
UM, THERE HAS BEEN A SPIKE HERE IN GLAND, UNFORTUNATELY.
UM, THE COUNTY AND I ARE WORKING ON SOMETHING NOW.
UM, ONCE WE HAVE SOMETHING IN PLACE, THEN WE WILL DEFINITELY LET YOU KNOW WHAT THERE IS OUT THERE THAT WE ARE WORKING ON.
BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR PROPERTY, OUR RECORDS ARE AVAILABLE, UM, FOR YOU TO COME IN AND CHECK YOUR RECORDS AT ANY TIME.
SO YOU CAN COME IN AND LOOK AT ANY TIME YOU WANT.
ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY, I'M GONNA TURN IT BACK OVER TO
[01:30:01]
MR. CARPENTER.WELL THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT.
UH, STAFF WILL STILL BE AROUND TO ANSWER QUESTIONS.
AGAIN, YOU MAY MAKE DEON COUNTY WHO WE'RE AND WHAT WE'RE, THIS IS A PLACE BEST.
SO THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT TONIGHT.