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HOW ARE YOU? OH, I, IT'S GOOD TO SEE EVERYBODY HERE.UM, IT'S 6 0 1 AND, UH, I'VE BEEN TAUGHT START ON TIME.
UH, I DON'T KNOW WHO'S PLAYING TONIGHT IN THE MARCH MADNESS.
BUT EVERYBODY, WE'RE GONNA TRY AND GET YOU OUT ON TIME.
I'M WITH, UH, I'M, I'M ON THE BOARD OF SUPERVISOR FROM DISTRICT FIVE.
HE'S SENIOR, BUT HE SAID I DREW THE SHORT STRAW.
SO I'M GONNA INTRODUCE MANNY ALVAREZ HERE IN A SECOND, BUT I WANNA RECOGNIZE OTHER PEOPLE THAT ARE HERE.
OUR CHAIRMAN, TOM WINFREY, UH, HE WAS GONNA WAVE 'CAUSE HE'S, HE'S THAT KIND OF GUY.
UH, AND, UH, LET'S SEE, OUR OTHER BOARD MEMBERS HERE, I DON'T SEE THEM, SO I WON'T INTRODUCE 'EM.
UM, I WILL INTRODUCE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS.
AND THEN OUR CHAIRMAN IS HERE.
YOU WEREN'T RECOGNIZED AT YOUR OWN, SO THANK YOU, MEREDITH.
SO, UM, WHO ELSE DO WE HAVE HERE? PLANNING COMMISSIONER DWAYNE COSBY FROM DISTRICT FIVE.
IS MR. PAT TUCK HERE YET? HE HAD A CONFLICT.
UH, THE SHERIFFS HERE WE'RE SAFE FIRE CHIEFS HERE.
UH, AND THEN WE HAVE A WHOLE SLEW OF STAFF.
AND I'M GONNA LET MR. ALVAREZ INTRODUCE THOSE FOLKS.
THERE'LL BE TIME FOR QUESTIONS AFTERWARDS, BUT YOU'RE GONNA HEAR ABOUT OUR, OUR BUDGET.
DAVID BROUGHT LOTS OF CARDS, AND HE WILL TELL YOU IT'S THE RECONSIDER SESSION.
I CALL IT THE VETO SESSION, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS GOING ON.
SO, UM, DAVID WOULD BE HAPPY TO INTERACT AND ANSWER QUESTIONS ON THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY QUESTION.
SORRY, I DON'T THINK THE MICROPHONE'S WORKING.
WELL, THAT'S BECAUSE PHONE FOR STREAMING.
MANNY ALVAREZ IS OUR INTERIM COUNTY, UH, ADMINISTRATOR.
HE'S GOING TO TAKE THINGS OVER FROM HERE.
AND, UH, WE APPRECIATE EVERYBODY BEING HERE.
I HOPE I, I THOUGHT I, I THOUGHT I WAS GONNA BE LATE.
I GOT THIRSTY, BUT I THINK I'M GOOD NOW.
LEMME SEE IF I CAN TOUCH THE MICROPHONE.
ARE YOU HEARING OKAY, BACK THERE? MY PHONE IS RINGING, BUT NOT IMPORTANT.
THIS IS MY AS, AS ALL OF YOU KNOW, THIS IS MY SECOND ATTEMPT AT COUNTY ADMINISTRATION.
UH, THE LAST ONE I STARTED IN AUGUST.
I JUST NEEDED TO ROLL, UH, THIS TIME.
UNFORTUNATELY, I STARTED, UH, IN THE MIDDLE OF BUDGET SEASON.
AND SO THE GOAL TODAY IS REALLY TO TELL YOU WHERE WE'RE SPENDING THE MONEY.
SO IF, SO, PAY ATTENTION TO THOSE SLIDES.
IF YOU'RE NOT HAPPY WITH ANY OF IT, I'LL, UH, JUST BE, BE SURE TO TALK TO YOUR SUPERVISOR OR TO ME, UH, AFTER THE MEETING OR ASK QUESTIONS.
WE PLEASE HOLD YOUR QUESTIONS TILL THE END OF THE SCHOOL'S PRESENTATION.
'CAUSE SOMETIMES WE KIND OF LOSE FOCUS AND WE, WE WANT TO HEAR WHAT THEY'RE, WHAT THEY'RE SAYING AS WELL.
SO, UM, I AM NOT GOING TO INTRODUCE ALL, UM, COUNTY STAFF BECAUSE I ALWAYS FORGET SOMEBODY.
SO I'M, I'M GOING TO INTRODUCE A COUPLE THAT ARE PROBABLY GONNA HAVE TO COME UP HERE AND HELP ME.
UH, WE HAVE, UM, CARLA CAVE IN THE BACK AND, UM,
UH, MISS WHIRLEY BACK HERE, UH, SHE IS GOING TO COME UP AND TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THAT'S GOING ON HERE, MOSTLY HERE IN THIS, IN THIS AREA.
AS YOU KNOW, UH, WE'RE, THIS IS ACTUALLY OUR SECOND TOWN HALL MEETING.
OUR, OUR THIRD TOWN HALL MEETING WOULD BE ON MONDAY.
UH, IF YOU'VE MISSED ANYTHING TONIGHT AND YOU WANT TO GO TO ANOTHER ONE, YOU CAN COME TO CENTRAL, UH, TO THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING ON MONDAY AND LISTEN TO THE DISTRICT TWO AND THREE.
THE MATERIAL IS PRETTY MUCH THE SAME, BUT YOU'LL HEAR DIFFERENT QUESTIONS DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU ARE, BECAUSE EVERYBODY HAS DIFFERENT
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NEEDS DEPENDING ON WHERE THEY LIVE IN THE COUNTY.UH, WE DON'T NEED TO SEE THAT.
UH, SO FIRST WE'RE GONNA LOOK BACK A LITTLE BIT OF WHERE, WHERE WE'VE BEEN OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS.
SO YOU SEE THE GROWTH IN OUR BUDGET SINCE 2018, AND THAT'S PRETTY, PRETTY DRAMATIC.
MOST OF THAT GROWTH HAS BEEN IN, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY.
AND, UM, AND THIS, THIS INCLUDES BOTH SCHOOLS AND, UH, COUNTY ADMINISTRATION.
WE HAVE BEEN, UH, VERY CONSERVATIVE IN THE WAY WE APPROACH THE BUDGET.
AND IT'S, IN MANY WAYS, IT'S GROWN BECAUSE OF, AS YOU SEE THE COUNTY GROWING, WE'VE HAD TO GROW IN ORDER TO SUPPORT, UH, CITIZENS.
BUT YOU SEE THE LOT, THE THICK BLUE LINE THERE IS, IS KOSHLAND.
WE HAVE NOT RAISED TAXES AS, I THINK SINCE 2008.
UM, AND THAT'S WHEN THEY, THEY DROPPED TO THE LEVEL THAT THEY'RE IN NOW.
WE'RE STILL NOT PROPOSING ON RAISING TAXES, UH, THIS YEAR.
OBVIOUSLY, OUR ASSESSMENTS HAVE GONE UP PRETTY STEADILY OVER THE YEARS.
SO IT, SO THE IMPACT TO YOU IS, YES, WE'VE RAISED TAXES, UM, BUT WE'VE ALSO SPENT THAT MONEY ON GOOD THINGS FOR THE COUNTY.
UM, SO, SO THIS, UH, THIS IS WHERE WE ARE ON THE BUDGET.
SO, UH, JONATHAN ALREADY INTRODUCED THE BOARD.
UM, THE WAY WE DO THIS PROCESS IS, UH, THE BOARD RECEIVES THE RESULTS OF THE ASSESSMENTS FROM THE ASSESSOR'S OFFICE.
THEY SET THE BUDGET PRIORITIES, GATHER FEEDBACK FROM RESIDENTS, AND THIS IS ONE OF THOSE OPPORTUNITIES.
THEY APPROVE THE TAX RATE, THE AT VALANT TAX RATE, AND ANY, UH, OTHER BUDGET RELATED ITEMS. UH, THE PRIORITIES FOR THE BOARD STAY CONSISTENT WITH A, A BOARD STRATEGIC PLAN.
A AGAIN, I I MENTIONED WE, WE TAKE A CONSERVATIVE APPROACH TO REVENUE PROJECTIONS AND EXPENDITURE GROWTH.
AND I'LL, I'LL SHOW YOU HOW THAT LOOKS A LITTLE LATER.
UM, WE SEEK EFFICIENCIES ALWAYS, UM, AND WE'RE EXPANDING PUBLIC, UH, SERVICE LEVELS.
YOU'LL ALSO SEE THAT IN THE PRESENTATION.
WE ALWAYS TRY TO ACHIEVE AND MEET AND EXCEED ALL OUR FINANCIAL POLICIES.
UM, AND WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION WITH NEIGHBORING UM, JURISDICTIONS.
AN ISSUE FOR US IS WE HAVE RICH HENRICO TO OUR EAST, UH, HENRICO.
CHESTERFIELD ARE THE ONES THAT TYPICALLY TAKE OUR EMPLOYEES.
SO WHILE WE WE'RE ALMOST THE SAME SIZE AS PAAN AND LUISA AND CUMBERLAND, WE LOSE OUR EMPLOYEES, ESPECIALLY DEPUTIES AND FIREFIGHTERS TO HENRICO IN CHESTERFIELD.
UM, SO WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN OUR, OUR PAY.
UM, THE, YOU'LL SEE SOME NUMBERS HERE FOR UTILITIES.
UTILITIES ARE SELF-SUSTAINING.
THEY DO THAT WITH FEES FOR WATER, SEWER AND SO ON IN THE AREAS THAT HAVE THOSE SERVICES.
UM, AGAIN, THE BUDGET PROCESS.
THE PROCESS DOESN'T START NOW.
IT REALLY STARTS AROUND OCTOBER.
WHEN WE START LOOKING AT BUDGETS.
WE'RE STARTING TO SEE, UM, IF WE HAVE ANY SURPLUSES.
AND WE MEET WITH ALL COUNTY DEPARTMENTS, CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS, UH, SCHOOLS.
UH, JUST LAST WEEK WE MET WITH THE SCHOOLS TO GO OVER THE, UH, CAPITAL PROJECTS.
UM, AND THEN WE MEET WITH THE BOARD MEMBERS AND ESTABLISH PRIORITIES.
UH, WE LOOK AT ALL REVENUE SOURCES.
UM, SO WE TRY TO FORECAST REVENUES GOING FORWARD.
UH, GENERAL PROPERTY TAXES, OTHER LOCAL TAXES, STATE AID, FEDERAL AID, UH, CHARGES FOR SERVICES AND FEES AND GRANTS.
WE AS A COUNTY DO NOT RECEIVE A GREAT DEAL OF STATE OR FEDERAL AID.
SOMETIMES WHEN THE STATE DOESN'T PASS A BUDGET, WE CAN SURVIVE WITH WITHOUT THEIR, UH, MONEY FOR A LITTLE WHILE.
OTHER THINGS WE HAVE TO LOOK AT IS THE IMPACT OF INFLATION.
UH, WE ALWAYS HAVE TO BE PREPARED FOR A POTENTIAL RECESSION.
UM, UH, THE COMMUNITY HAS TOLD US OVER TIME THAT THEY WANT US TO MAINTAIN PUBLIC SAFETY.
UH, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PASSES LEGISLATION, AND YOU CAN ASK, UH, DELEGATE, UM, WHERE'S THERE HE IS, OWEN, UH, IF YOU HEAR ANYTHING TODAY
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THAT YOU NEED HIS SUPPORT ON.UH, BUT SOMETIMES IT SURPRISES WITH SOMETHING THAT, UM, THAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH OFTENTIMES IS, YOU KNOW, THEY'LL SAY WE'RE PROVIDING 5% INCREASE FOR TEACHERS, BUT WE ONLY GET 20% OF THAT 5%.
SO THEN WE HAVE TO SCRAMBLE TO MAKE IT WORK WITHIN OUR BUDGET.
WE HAVE A GROWN COMMUNITY AND GROWING AGING POPULATION.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH.
SO THAT DOESN'T IMPACT US IN MANY WAYS, EXCEPT THAT WE DO OBVIOUSLY NEED MORE AMBULANCE SERVICE FOR, UH, FOLKS AS WE GET OLDER.
I'VE NEVER BEEN TO THE HOSPITAL UNTIL I WAS OVER 55.
SO,
UM, THIS YEAR IS DIFFERENT THAN MOST YEARS.
USUALLY WE HAVE A MAJOR INCREASE IN HEALTH INSURANCE COSTS.
OUR EMPLOYEES HAVE BEEN PRETTY HEALTHY, I GUESS.
SO THIS YEAR IT'S FLAT, NO INCREASE IN, UH, INSURANCE COSTS.
AND AS I MENTIONED, WE NEED TO MAINTAIN EMPLOYEE SALARIES AND BENEFITS TO COMPETE WITH OUR NEIGHBORS.
SO THIS IS WHERE OUR MONEY COMES IN.
SO, GENERAL PROPERTY TAXES IS THE BIGGEST, UH, BUCKET.
AND, UH, THIS YEAR IS A 12% INCREASE OVER OVERALL FROM LAST YEAR.
YOU'LL SEE 11% IN ASSESSMENTS, BUT THEY'RE ALSO NEW.
WE HAVE OTHER LOCAL TAXES, UM, AND, AND WE HAVE, UH, FEES AND, UH, FORFEITURES.
UH, SO THERE'S, UH, OTHER, OTHER FUNDING SOURCES.
BUT THE BIGGEST PART IS OUR, UH, GENERAL PROPERTY TAXES.
SO LAST YEAR THE ASSESSED VALUE OF, UH, REAL ESTATE VALUES WAS 8.6%.
SO IT'S ALMOST, ALMOST A MILLION DOLLARS, 11%.
HOW DO WE DO OUR EXPENSES? SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS AND YOU LOOK AT, YOU COMPARE 25, 26, THIS IS WHERE WE TRY TO BE CONSERVATIVE.
WE ESTIMATE EXPENSES WILL BE HIGHER THAN THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
AND THAT HELPS US AT THE END, UH, TO KIND OF STAY WITHIN BUDGET.
UM, THIS IS OUR PROPOSED BUDGET FOR, UH, 26 IS, UH, GENERAL FUND WILL BE 65 MILLION SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS, FOUR AND A HALF MILLION UTILITIES, 26 MILLION.
AGAIN, THAT, THAT ALL COMES FROM FEES, UH, WITHIN THE UTILITY SYSTEM.
SCHOOL FUNDS INCREASED BY 5.2% OVER LAST YEAR.
AND THE CIP, WHICH IS OUR, WHERE WE, UH, PUT ALL OUR CAPITAL MONEY, UH, IS A LITTLE BIT LOWER THAN LAST YEAR.
UH, DUE TO THE THINGS THAT WE STARTED GOING LAST YEAR.
THE, UH, AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT IN A MINUTE.
SO HERE'S HOW THAT BREAKS, BREAKS DOWN.
UH, FIRE AND RESCUE, UM, GETS THE BIGGEST, UH, CHUNK OF THE MONEY THIS YOU'LL SEE IN, IN THE FUTURE.
SLIDE IS FOR THE NEW EQUIPMENT THAT THEY NEED AND THEY NEED TO UPGRADE.
WE HAVE, UH, THE SCHOOLS, UH, FOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT.
A BIG CHUNK OF THAT IS A NEW CHILLER FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL MIDDLE SCHOOL COMPLEX THAT IS NOW 21 YEARS OLD.
AND WE HAVE SOME UPGRADES TO, UH, IT SYSTEMS. SO THAT'S ALSO $1.3 MILLION.
UM, AND A TOTAL UP THIS MORNING.
AND I DON'T REMEMBER HOW IT IS, HOW MUCH IT WAS, BUT, UM, IT'S QUITE A FEW MILLION.
AND THIS IS WHY WE HAVE TO BE CONSERVATIVE BECAUSE WE HAVE TO, UM, PLAN FOR THE FUTURE.
THE WAY WE SPEND OUR MONEY IS WE, ANY, ANY SURPLUSES WE USUALLY PUT TOWARDS, UH, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FUTURE.
UM, SO HERE'S SOME OF THE, THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS.
RECORDING SYSTEM UPGRADES, UM, SCHOOLS, UM, AS I MENTIONED, THE, THE SCHOOL CHILLER, THAT'S 1.7 MILLION.
FIRE AND RESCUE, SOME NEW CARDIAC AND RESPIRATORY EQUIPMENT.
UH, MODULAR RESTROOM AND SHOWER FOR THE TRAINING CENTER.
WE HAVE A, UM, GENERATOR FOR FIRE AND RESCUE ADMINISTRATION, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY.
I WON'T GO THROUGH ALL THE PROJECTS, BUT WE HAVE QUITE A FEW.
AND WE'RE IMPLEMENTING A NEW SYSTEM FOR THE TREASURER AND COMM COMMISSIONER OF REVENUE.
I, I RETIRED IN 2011 FROM ALTRIA AND I, LONG BEFORE I RETIRED FROM ALTRIA.
WE RETIRED THE OLD A S 400 SYSTEMS. THE CURRENT TREASURER SYSTEM IS STILL ON AN I-B-M-A-S
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400 COMPUTER.SO WE'RE FINALLY GETTING THEM OFF OF THAT.
WE ACTUALLY AT, AT ALTRIA, BEFORE I RETIRED, WE WERE ACTUALLY BUYING ALL A S FOUR HUNDREDS FOR PARTS.
SO, AND WE STILL HAVE IT HERE IN THE COUNTY.
SO THE KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN THIS BUDGET IS A 3% COST OF LIVING SALARY FOR EMPLOYEES.
AND YES, WE'RE COMPETING HENRICO, I THINK IT'S OFFERING 6%.
UM, WE JUST CAN'T KEEP UP ALL THE TIME.
WE HAVE 11 NEW FULL-TIME POSITIONS FUNDED FOR PUBLIC SAFETY.
THAT INCLUDES SIX NEW, UH, FIRE UH, FIGHTERS, EMS AND FIVE NEW DEPUTIES.
WE ALSO HAVE A, A COUPLE OF OTHER POSITIONS.
UM, AN ASSISTANT, UH, COUNTY ATTORNEY AND A NEW PERSON FOR, UM, A, A PLAN REVIEWER FOR, UH, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TO REVIEW, UH, PLANS FROM SOME OF THE, UH, COMMERCIAL GROWTH, UH, THAT'S GOING ON IN THE COUNTY.
EDUCATION REMAINS A PRIORITY AND IT'S A 6% INCREASE TO THE SCHOOLS.
UM, AND THERE'S NO INCREASE IN THE REAL ESTATE TAX RATE, TAHOE CREEK TAX RATE OR THE PER PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX RATE.
UM, MARCH 11, WE HAD A, A JOINT SESSION WITH THE SCHOOL BOARD TO KIND OF UNDERSTAND THEIR NEEDS, UM, OR THEIR ADDITIONAL NEEDS.
WE ALREADY HAD SEEN THE PROPOSED BUDGET.
UM, ON MONDAY WE HAD THE TOWN HALL MEETING IN DISTRICT ONE TODAY, YOU'RE HERE FOR DISTRICTS FOUR AND FIVE ON MONDAY, WE HAVE DISTRICTS TWO AND THREE, UM, ON APRIL 1ST.
THAT'S KIND OF THE LAST KEY, UM, MEETING FOR US IS WHERE YOU CAN PROVIDE INPUT IS THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE TAX RATE, THE TO HOOK, UH, CREEK SERVICE DISTRICT, AND THE, UH, 26 BUDGET RELATED ITEM.
SO IT'LL BE BROKEN UP INTO THREE SEPARATE HEARINGS BY LAW.
UM, AND YOU CAN COME AND, AND SPEAK AND PROVIDE YOUR INPUT.
THEN ON APRIL 15TH, WE ADOPT THE BUDGET.
UH, SOME THINGS MIGHT CHANGE BASED ON THE INPUT WE WE RECEIVE ON THE FIRST, BUT, UM, TYPICALLY THERE'S NOT, IS NOT A WHOLE LOT AFTER THAT.
SO NEXT I HAVE SOME COMMUNITY UPDATES.
AND THIS IMPACTS A LOT OF FOLKS IN THIS DISTRICT.
'CAUSE MOST OF THAT IS HAPPENING HERE.
AND I'M GONNA ASK SARAH TO COME UP IN A MINUTE.
BUT WE HAD A, WE HAVE A PROJECT AND, YOU KNOW, THINGS IN GOVERNMENT HAPPENED SLOWLY.
SO THE LAST TIME I WAS INTERIM ADMINISTRATOR, WE KICKED OFF THIS PROJECT TO STUDY A NEW INTERCHANGE OF ROUTE 2 88 RIGHT HERE BY THE NOTCH.
UH, WHICH WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL FOR PEOPLE TO GET OFF THERE AND MAYBE ALLEVIATE SOME OF THE TRAFFIC HERE ON BROAD STREET THAT WE HOPE, UH, WILL BE FINISHED.
UM, THE STUDY WILL BE FINISHED VERY SOON.
IT WAS SUPPOSED TO END LAST YEAR, BUT THINGS HAPPEN.
UH, WE HAVE A DUAL DIAMOND INTERCHANGE.
IN ORDER TO SUPPORT PROJECT ROCKY ON ASHLAND ROAD, THE, UH, DUAL DIAMOND INTERCHANGE, THEY WILL ADD ONE BRIDGE OVER 64 ON, UH, ASHLAND ROAD.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF ANY OF YOU HAVE SEEN THE ONE IN SCIENCE CROSSROADS.
BUT FOR, FOR A LITTLE SHORT PERIOD, YOU'RE ACTUALLY GOING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION.
I STILL HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT HOW IT WORKS IF THEY, IF THEY, IF THERE'S NO POWER AND THE LIGHTS DON'T WORK.
BUT I THINK THEY HAVE BACKUP POWER.
SO, UH, BUT IT WORKS REALLY WELL IN SILENCE.
CROSSROADS, IT KEEPS THE TRAFFIC MOVING VERY WELL.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN BECAUSE OF THAT IS IF YOU'VE DRIVEN UP ASHLAND ROAD, YOU'LL KNOW THAT THERE'S A PARKING, PARKING RIDE LARGEST JUST NORTH OF 64 THAT'S GOING TO MOVE TO THE SOUTH END OF, UH, 64 IN.
UM, ANOTHER THING IN THIS AREA IS HACKETT ROAD.
WHEN YOU, IF YOU GET OFF 64, YOU COME DOWN ASLAND ROAD AND YOU WANT TO GET ON HOCKETT ROAD, YOU HAVE TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN AND THEN TURN LEFT AT SUNSET GRILL.
OUR PLAN, AND IT'S IN THE WORKS OF THE, UH, IS TO CONNECT, UH, ASLAND ROAD ALL THE WAY TO HOCKETT ROAD, BASICALLY BETWEEN SUNSET GRILL AND THE, THE FIELDS BEHIND IT.
UH, WE HAD A MEETING YESTERDAY.
WE'RE TRYING TO GET THIS EXPEDITED 'CAUSE WE THINK IT'LL BE A REALLY GOOD, UM, THING FOR THE AREA.
WE ALSO HAVE OTHER, UH, COUNTYWIDE TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS.
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THE, IF YOU'VE EVER BEEN ON 64 IN THE EVENING HEADING WEST, AND YOU COME TO THE EXIT AT, UM, OILVILLE, THE TRAFFIC BACKS UP OFTENTIMES ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE REST AREA.I MEAN, YEAH, TO THE REST AREA.
AND, UH, IF YOU'RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION, YOU'RE IN THE RIGHT LANE, ALL OF A SUDDEN THE TRAFFIC HAS STOPPED.
SO WE ARE, UH, PROPOSING A ROUNDABOUT AT THAT INTERSECTION BECAUSE THE PROBLEM IS THAT IT BACKS UP, UH, BECAUSE YOU HAVE, PEOPLE HAVE TO MAKE A LEFT TURN.
THERE'S A LOT OF TRAFFIC ON THAT ROAD, SO IT'S VERY DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE TO GET OFF.
SO A ROUNDABOUT I THINK WILL HELP.
AND EVER SINCE WE PUT THE ROUNDABOUT IN, IN THE COURTHOUSE AREA AT 5 22 ON FAIRGROUNDS ROAD, UM, PEOPLE ARE NOT AS SUPPOSED TO IT.
'CAUSE THAT THAT HAS BEEN A HUGE HELP FOR TRAFFIC WISE.
IF YOU GOT STUCK BEHIND A COUPLE OF SCHOOL BUSES AT THE INTERSECTION A FEW YEARS AGO, IT WOULD TAKE HOURS.
A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD CUT ACROSS THROUGH THE FOOD LION PARKING LOT TO, TO GET OUT 'CAUSE IT WAS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE.
AND THE ROUNDABOUT HAS REALLY SMOOTHED THAT OUT.
UM, THERE'S ALSO A PLAN IN PLACE TO EXTEND A FAIRGROUNDS ROAD ALL THE WAY TO ROUTE SIX.
SO INSTEAD OF HAVING TO, THAT'S ANOTHER AREA WHERE YOU HAVE TO MAKE A LEFT AND THEN MAKE A RIGHT ON ROUTE SIX.
THIS WILL PUT YOU RIGHT THROUGH.
AND ANOTHER THING IT'LL DO IS THAT AREA AROUND THAT, INSIDE THAT CIRCLE, UM, THE COUNTY OWNS IT.
AND SO IT'LL ALLOW US TO DO SOME COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN THAT AREA.
WE ALREADY HAVE SOME PLANS, BUT WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT, WHAT WILL BE, UH, THERE DOWN THE ROAD.
ONE THING THAT I WOULD RECOMMEND, WE, WE'VE RECEIVED A LOT OF MONEY OVER THE YEARS.
WE'VE RECEIVED $9.2 MILLION IN ROAD FUNDING.
WE USED TO GET NONE, OR NEARLY NONE.
SO WE HAD, UH, THE FIRST YEAR I WAS ON THE BOARD, THERE'S A BRIDGE THAT GOES DOWN TO ELK ISLAND IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE COUNTY.
THAT BRIDGE WAS WASHED OUT BY A STORM OR BADLY DAMAGED.
IT WAS GONNA COST A HUNDRED AND IT COST 120,000 OR SO TO FIX IT.
AND OUR BUDGET THAT OUR VDOT BUDGET BACK THEN WAS 80,000.
SO WE HAD TO GO, WELL, VDOT WENT SCRAMBLING FOR US, BUT, SO IF YOU BUY GAS, BUY IT IN GLAND, AND WE GET, THERE'S A TAX THAT ON PER GALLON OF GAS AND THAT MONEY STAYS IN GLAND, OR MOST OF IT STAYS IN GLAND UTILITIES PROJECTS.
THIS MIGHT IMPACT SOME OF YOU HERE.
UH, THE FOURTH MAIN IN, IN THIS AREA WAS REPLACED.
UH, IT WAS COMPLETED IN FALL OF 24.
UH, THE HU HILLS WATER AND SEWER PROJECT, THAT'S STILL ONGOING, BUT IT'S, UM, THEY'RE INSTALLING GRINDER PUMPS.
YOU PROBABLY CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT THAT'S FOR
BUT, UM, AND THE PUBLIC'S WE'RE WORKING ON THE PUBLIC UTILITIES MASTER PLAN, UH, THAT THAT'S SOMETHING WE DO EVERY FIVE YEARS AND WE EXPECT TO COMPLETE IT THIS SUMMER.
I MAY ASK, UH, PAUL TO COME UP IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS.
THIS LAST YEAR, YOU, WHILE THE GLAND PEACE WAS NOT MAYBE IN THE NEWS, THERE WAS A, EVERYBODY PROBABLY HEARD ABOUT THE IS ISSUE IN RICHMOND WITH THE RAINWATER GETTING INTO THE PLANT, INTO THE WATER AND SEWER PLANT.
AND A LOT OF THINGS GOT COMBINED THAT SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN.
SO THEY PUT OUT A, UH, AN ALERT.
UH, WE DON'T GET WATER DIRECTLY FROM RICHMOND.
WE GET WATER FROM HENRICO IN THIS AREA.
IT'S VERY UNLIKELY THAT WATER FROM THE CITY EVER MADE IT TO GLAND IN THAT PERIOD OF TIME.
BUT THERE WERE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT OUR WATER.
WHEN RIKO SHUT OFF, UH, THE, THE, OR WARNED THEIR CI CITIZENS ABOUT BOILING WATER, WE PRETTY MUCH HAD TO DO THE SAME THING.
UM, AND THAT TOOK TWO AND A HALF DAYS AFTER, UM, THE CITY CLOSED DOWN THAT HENRICO SAID WE MIGHT BE COMPROMISED.
UM, SO WE DID, DID A LOT OF WORK.
PAUL WAS, UM, PAUL AND, UH, JESSICA WERE KIND OF THE KEY COMMUNICATORS.
WE EMAILED ALL THE HOAS THAT WE HAVE CONTACTS FOR.
WE EMAILED RESTAURANTS AND FOOD SERVICE PROVIDERS BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THEY, THEY COULD BE IMPACTED, UM, VERY WELL.
AND THEN, UM, CLAN, UH, WE PROVIDED MESSAGES THROUGH OUR WEBSITE.
CODE RED, WHO, WHO DOESN'T HAVE CODE RED ON THEIR PHONE? EVERYBODY HAS IT.
UH, YOU PROBABLY BOMBARDED LAST WEEK OR THE WEEK BEFORE WHEN WE DID THE, UH, WHEN TORNADO, UH, DRILL.
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A LOT OF MEDIA INTERVIEWS, BOTTLED WATER DISTRIBUTION.WE DISTRIBUTED OVER 850 CASES OF WATER.
UH, THEN WE TESTED, OBVIOUSLY, AND ONCE WE TURNED THE WATER SERVICE ON, UH, WE HAD TO GET THE PRESSURE BUILT BACK UP.
UH, FIRE HYDRANTS WERE INSPECTED TO MAKE SURE WE HAD SERVICE.
DID I MISS ANYTHING, PAUL? I, I THINK YOU HIT THE HIGHLIGHTS.
SO, UM, I THINK HAVING THIS SLIDE JUST KIND OF TALK ABOUT, I, I KNOW WE'VE HEARD SOME CONCERNS FROM THE COMMUNITY AND SO KIND OF WANTED TO PUT OUT THERE WHAT THE COUNTY HAD DONE AND THE COMMUNICATION EFFORTS THAT WE TRIED TO TAKE AS SOON AS WE HAD ACCURATE INFORMATION THAT WE COULD CONFIRM FROM HENRIK COUNTY.
AND SO, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS WE WOULD SAY IS THE UCHIN COUNTY WEBSITE, GLAND VA US, WILL BE THE SOURCE OF ANY INFORMATION.
WHEN WHEREVER THERE'S SOMETHING INVOLVING HOUCHIN COUNTY THAT SHOULD HAVE INFORMATION, WE WILL BE SHARING INFORMATION, AGAIN THROUGH CODE RED, THROUGH OUR SOCIAL MEDIA, UM, ACCOUNTS AND OTHER AVENUES THAT WE HAVE REACHING OUT AND SHARING IT TO THE PRESS.
BUT EVERYTHING WE'D USUALLY DO, WE POINT BACK TO THE COUNTY WEBSITE, BUT WE WOULD DEFINITELY ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA, SIGN UP FOR CODE RED AND SIGN UP FOR ALERTS THROUGH THE COUNTY'S WEBSITE.
'CAUSE YOU'LL ALSO BE ABLE TO GET ALERTS THROUGH THAT.
AND, UM, WE TRY TO KEEP THE COMMUNITY INFORMED AS BEST AS WE CAN WITH AS ACCURATE INFORMATION AS WE CAN.
UM, AND THROUGHOUT THAT, I THINK EVERY DAY WE PROVIDED A DAILY UPDATE TO EVERYBODY AND IT WENT OUT TO SOCIAL MEDIA, WENT ON THE WEBSITE, AND THEN ALSO WE SENT OUT A CODE RED AGAIN IN, WITH CODE RED.
WE TRY TO TARGET THAT JUST TO THE FOLKS WHO ARE AFFECTED.
SO IN THAT SITUATION, WE HAD, HAD IT ONLY SET UP TO HIT THE FOLKS WHO ARE UTILITY CUSTOMERS, WHICH WE DON'T WANT TO BOMBARDED FOLKS WHEN IT'S NOT NECESSARY TO, BECAUSE THAT'S AN IMPORTANT TOOL, BUT WE DON'T WANT TO WANT TO OVERUSE THAT TOOL.
I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT FIREFLY NEXT.
HOW MANY PEOPLE HERE DON'T HAVE BROADBAND? SO FIREFLY IS GETTING REALLY CLOSE.
BY THE END OF THIS YEAR, WE'LL HAVE MOST, UM, CITIZENS IN THE COUNTY CONNECTED OR WE'LL HAVE IT AVAILABLE.
THEY DON'T, THEY DON'T HAVE TO CONNECT, BUT IT'LL BE AVAILABLE TO THEM.
IF YOU LOOK AT THIS MAP, THE, THE BLUE AREAS ARE ALREADY IN SERVICE.
SOME OF THOSE ARE, UM, CENTRAL VIRGINIA ELECTRIC CO-OP CREATED FIREFLY.
AND THE FIRST THING THEY DID IS CON THEY CONNECTED ALL THEIR CUSTOMERS.
UH, THE BLUE AREAS ON THE, ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE MAP IS THEIR CUSTOMERS.
THERE'S A LITTLE SLIVER OVER HERE ON THE RIGHT, THAT IS HANOCK ELECTRIC.
THEY ALSO DID THEIR CUSTOMERS.
THE REST OF US HAD TO DEAL WITH DOMINION.
BUT DOMINION FINALLY RAN ALL THE, ALL THE DROP LINES, THE MIDDLE, WHAT THEY CALL IT, MIDDLE MILE.
AND THEN FIREFLY IS USING THAT TO CONNECT THE REST OF THE COM.
SO RIGHT NOW, THE, UM, GREEN COLORS ARE UNDER UNDERGOING ENGINEERING AT THE MOMENT.
AND THEN, UM, THE PINK OR WHATEVER THAT COLOR IS, SORRY ABOUT THAT.
THE PINK IS, UM, WHERE THEY'RE DOING FIELD DATA COLLECTION.
AND THIS RIGHT HERE SHOWS, UM, AND THERE ARE A LOT OF THESE IN MY, THE DISTRICT WHERE I LIVE, PEOPLE THAT WERE, UM, WITHIN THE, EITHER THE COMCAST, MOSTLY COMCAST, UH, LINES THAT WERE NOT CONNECTED BECAUSE THEY WERE TOO FAR OFF THE ROAD.
AND SO THIS PROJECT IS GOING TO, UH, CONNECT THOSE FOLKS, UM, WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR.
SO NOW I'LL ASK SARAH, SARAH TO COME UP.
I THINK I CAN COVER THE SLIDES.
THIS, THESE ARE NEW BUSINESSES THAT CAME INTO THE COUNTY SINCE THE LAST, UM, UH, TOWN HALL MEETING.
I AM GOING TO VISIT THEM TOMORROW MORNING.
SO I'M GOING TO GO SEE IF THEY, IF THEY HELP ME.
UM, BANDITS, RICH WINERY, THEY'VE BEEN THERE FOR A WHILE, BUT THEY'RE NOW, THERE USED TO BE A WEDDING VENUE, UH, THAT WAS APPROVED BY THE COUNTY A FEW YEARS AGO.
AND NOW THEY'RE GONNA, THEY'RE ADDING, THEY'VE ADDED A WINERY, UH, DUNKING DONUTS, WHICH MAY BE THE PROBLEM WITH MY HEARTBURN,
UM, AND, UM, THEY'RE, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE SEEN IT YET, RIGHT HERE ON ASHLAND ROAD.
UH, THEY JUST THOUGHT THEY'RE OPENING A COUPLE SATURDAYS
[00:30:01]
AGO.AND THEN YOUTHFUL BEGINNINGS, UM, WHAT YOUTHFUL BEGINNINGS.
IT'S IAN, UH, SERVICES IN THE COURTHOUSE AREA.
IT'S, IT'S, I KEEP THINKING IT'S FOR YOUTH, BUT IT'S TO MAKE US LOOK YOUNGER.
UH, AND THEN, UM, YELLOW CLUB IS A PICKLEBALL, UH, TENNIS FACILITY.
AND, UH, I'M GONNA LET YOU TAKE IT FROM HERE.
FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW ME, I'M SARAH WORLEY, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR HERE AT GLAND COUNTY.
AND, UM, TAKE THAT SO FOLKS AT HOME
UM, SO, UH, GOING BACK TO THAT REVENUE SLIDE THAT MR. ALVAREZ SHOWED A LITTLE BIT EARLIER, UM, A LOT OF OUR TAX REVENUE COMES FROM COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT.
SO COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT HAS A HIGHER ASSESSMENT.
SO THEY PAY HIGHER TAXES BASED REAL ESTATE.
THEY ALSO PAY MACHINERY AND TOOLS AND BUSINESS PERSONAL PROPERTY.
AND WHAT THAT DOES IS IT KEEPS YOU, AS CITIZENS, YOUR TAX RATE LOWER AND MORE STABLE.
SO THE WORK THAT I DO TO RECRUIT NEW BUSINESSES AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE HAPPY AND STAYING IN GLAND COUNTY DOES, UM, AFFECT YOUR TAXES AND, UM, KEEP THEM STABLE.
SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, UH, WE'RE EXCITED TO KINDA INTRODUCE THE ROCKVILLE OPPORTUNITY CORRIDOR.
MOST OF YOU WILL KNOW THIS AS ASHLAND ROAD.
AND, UM, AS YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS HAPPENING ALONG ASHLAND ROAD CORRIDOR.
SO THE COUNTY WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU WERE UP TO DATE ON ALL THE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENTS AND THINGS HAPPENING ALONG THERE.
IF YOU GO TO GLAND VA.US/OC FOR ROCKVILLE OPPORTUNITY CORRIDOR, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO FIND INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROJECTS, THE TIMELINES, THE TRANSPORTATION, THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING, UM, ALONG THERE.
SO GETTING INTO SOME OF THAT, THERE IS, UH, NEW INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS, AXIAL ROCKVILLE 64, LOCATED ON ASHLAND ROAD.
THESE ARE TWO, UM, DISTRIBUTION TYPE INDUSTRIAL TYPE WAREHOUSES.
THEY TOTAL 335,000 SQUARE FEET, AND THEY'RE UNDER CONSTRUCTION NOW.
SO EVERYONE I'M SURE IS FAMILIAR WITH PROJECT ROCKY AT THIS POINT, AT E-COMMERCE, UH, FULFILLMENT CENTER THAT IS UNDER DEVELOPMENT NOW.
UM, YOU WILL SEE LOTS OF ACTIVITY HAPPENING ON THE SITE.
THEY HOPE TO BE OPERATIONAL IN 2026.
AND THEN, UM, NOT TO LEAVE OUT SOME OF OUR SMALLER LOT INDUSTRIAL.
UH, THESE ARE REALLY GEARED TOWARDS OUR, UM, MAYBE LOCAL BUSINESSES THAT ARE WORKING OUT OF THEIR HOUSE NOW.
AND THEY'RE LOOKING TO EXPAND AND THEY NEED SPACE FOR THAT EXPANSION.
UM, AND SO THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES IN OILVILLE FOR THEM.
THERE'S 14 LOTS THAT'S GOING UP AT THE OILVILLE EXIT.
AND THEN ALSO IN MIDPOINT, UM, HG MEATS, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ALL ARE FAMILIAR WITH THIS, BUT THIS WAS A VERY INNOVATIVE, UM, UH, BUSINESS THAT IS, GIVES A NOD AND IS BASED IN GLAND'S AGRICULTURAL HISTORY.
UH, WHAT IT IS, IT IS A MEAT PROCESSING FACILITY OFF OF THE HAYDENVILLE EXIT.
THIS ALLOWS OUR FARMERS TO TAKE THEIR MEATS THERE, HAVE THEM PROCESSED, AND THEY CAN PICK THEM BACK UP AND THEN RESELL THOSE, UH, THE MEAT THAT, THAT HAS BEEN PROCESSED.
UM, IT'S NOT OPEN FOR RETAIL SALES.
UH, SO IT ALLOWS THE FARMERS TO TAKE THAT AND MAKE MONEY OFF OF, UM, THEIR CATTLE.
OH, DID YOU NEED, WANNA ADD SOMETHING? NO, NO.
WELL, I WAS JUST GONNA SAY RIGHT NOW, SOME FARMERS HAVE TO TAKE, HAVE TO DRIVE MANY HOURS TO YEAH.
SO, UH, PREVIOUS TO THEM, UH, WE HAD FARMERS DRIVING TWO TO FOUR HOURS JUST TO GET THEIR, THEIR, UH, COWS PROCESSED.
UH, CAPITAL INVESTMENT OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, UM, HAS BEEN PRETTY STABLE.
YOU'LL NOTICE IN 2021, THERE WAS A HUGE JUMP THAT'S DUE TO, UM, IN, UH, 2020 COVID.
UM, AND THEN THERE WAS A LOT OF PENT UP DEMAND.
SO IN 2021, WE SAW A HUGE JUMP, AND A LOT OF IT HAD TO DO WITH, UM, AVERY POINT, UM, CAME IN WITH SOME OF THEIR BUILDING PERMITS IN 2021, BUT WE KIND OF EVENED OUT AFTER THAT.
WE HOPED TO SEE SOME MORE COMING IN 2025.
UH, THE OTHER, UM, HAT THAT I WEAR IS TOURISM.
AND SO A COUPLE YEARS AGO, THE COUNTY LAUNCHED A TOURISM, UH, WEBSITE AND INITIATIVES.
SO WE HAVE, UH, EXPLORE GLAND.COM.
SO IF YOU GO ON THERE, YOU'LL FIND ACTIVITIES HAPPENING IN AND AROUND THE COUNTY.
THERE'S CALENDARS, UM, THE GLAND GUIDE TO FOOD BEVERAGE AND FUN.
IF YOU SCAN THAT, IT BRINGS UP A WEBSITE AND IT'S GONNA SHOW YOU RESTAURANTS, HISTORICAL ATTRACTIONS, PARKS, UM, ALL SORTS OF FUN THINGS TO DO IN
[00:35:01]
GLAND COUNTY.IN ADDITION, OUR EDA, UM, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR EDA, WE HAVE WHAT WE CALL AS AN OPEN REWARDS PROGRAM.
SO IF YOU START AND BECOME A PART OF THIS PROGRAM, YOU WILL RECEIVE CASH BACK WHEN YOU SHOP AT CERTAIN LOCAL GLAND, UH, BUSINESSES, AND IT'LL GIVE YOU THE CASH BACK TO GO SPEND AT ANOTHER LOCAL G GLAND BUSINESS.
AND THEN LASTLY, UM, IT, IT'S IMPORTANT TO SHOW OUR BUSINESSES APPRECIATION, ESPECIALLY OUR SMALL LOCAL BUSINESSES.
SO THE MONTH OF MAY HAS BEEN DESIGNATED SEVERAL YEARS IN A ROW AS BUSINESS APPRECIATION MONTH, AND WE HAVE SEVERAL ACTIVITIES GOING ON ALONG THAT MONTH TO SHOW APPRECIATION TO OUR BUSINESSES.
AND WITH THAT, I'LL GIVE IT BACK TO MR. ALVARS.
AND WE HAVE A COUPLE MORE THINGS HOPEFULLY TO ANNOUNCE IN THE NEXT, IN THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS, UH, THAT ARE GONNA HELP.
THE MORE WE BUILD THE COMMERCIAL, THE LESS IMPACT ON THE, ON THE, UH, RESIDENTS, UH, REAL ESTATE TAXES.
I THINK RIGHT NOW WE'RE AT 81% RESIDENTIAL AND 19% BUSINESS.
AND OUR GOAL IS TO GET TO SE AT LEAST 70 30, WHICH IS SORT OF WHERE HENRICO IS.
SO, ANOTHER THING THAT, UH, IS COMING UP, UH, THIS IS SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE COMING UP.
SO GLAND DAY IS, UH, COMING UP FRIDAY, MAY 16TH, THEY'RE DOING THEIR CONCERT, UM, IN THE COURTHOUSE AREA.
AND THEN, UH, THE MAY, MAY 17TH IS THE PARADE.
IT'S BECOME BIGGER EVERY YEAR.
AND, UH, IT'S, UM, IT'S REALLY A, REALLY A NICE EVENT FOR THE COMMUNITY.
UM, PARKS AND RECREATION RIGHT NOW.
I DON'T KNOW IF I KNOW THAT AT LEAST ONE OF YOU WAS AT THE, AT THE MEETING, UH, WELL A COUPLE OF YOU AT THE MEETING LAST WEEK OR THE WEEK BEFORE TO TALK ABOUT THE MASTER PLAN FOR PARKS AND RECREATION.
SO, PUBLIC MEETINGS WERE HELD ON MARCH 18TH, JANUARY 22ND.
UH, AND THEY'RE DOING A SURVEY.
YOU MIGHT GET A SURVEY THAT IS TARGETED, UH, TO MAKE IT A VALID, STATISTICALLY VALID SURVEY.
IF YOU DO, PLEASE FILL IT OUT.
UM, AND THEN, UM, WE EXPECT TO COMPLETE IT BY THIS FALL.
AND WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR IS DO WE HAVE THE RIGHT PARK FACILITIES? AND A LOT OF FOLKS ARE HERE, SAY, THERE ARE NO PARKS ON THE EAST END
SO, SO THOSE ARE THE KIND OF THINGS THAT WE'D LIKE TO, LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT.
AND THEN SOME OF THE EVENTS THAT WE'RE, THAT ARE UPCOMING, WE'RE HAVING A, AN EGG EXTREME EVENT FOR, OR AN EGG HUNT.
UH, WE HAVE CONCERTS AT, UH, TUCKER PARK.
ANYBODY NOT BEEN TO TUCKER PARK? ANYBODY BEEN TO TUCKER PARK? YES.
OKAY, SO I, I ASKED THE QUESTION THE OTHER, THE OTHER WAY, AND NOBODY, NOBODY RESPONDS.
SO TUCKER PARK IS A GREAT, GREAT LOCATION.
THERE'S A STATION THAT WAS ACTUALLY DONATED YEARS AGO BY CAPITAL ONE.
AND SO THEY HAVE A BUNCH OF CONCERTS COMING UP.
UH, ON THE 25TH IS THE SLATE RIVER BAND ON MAY 30TH OR 25TH OF APRIL, MAY 30TH, IT'S EXIT 38.
YOU CAN SEE THEM GET A BROCHURE ON YOUR WAY OUT.
ANOTHER THING THAT'S COMING UP IS ON JUNE 7TH, WE'RE DOING OUR ANNUAL, UH, DOCUMENT SHREDDING EVENT.
UH, YOU CAN BRING BOXES OF, UH, PAPER.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO REMOVE PAPER CLIPS AND STAPLES, BUT PLEASE REMOVE ALL PLASTIC OR, UM, UH, BINDERS.
AND YOU CAN BRING, UH, HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE, UM, INCLUDING FLUORESCENT BULBS AND BATTERIES, SOLVENTS, DEGREASERS, THAT KIND OF THING.
THIS IS HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED, UH, PROVIDE FEEDBACK.
UH, THERE'S A SURVEY, UM, I DUNNO WHERE PAUL AND JESSICA WENT.
SO WE HAVE A SURVEY IN THE BACK, SCAN THE CODE AND GIVE US YOUR, UH, INPUT ON TODAY'S MEETING.
UH, AND THAT THAT'LL HELP US GOING FORWARD.
UM, YOU CAN SUBMIT YOUR INTEREST TO SERVE ON BOARDS AND, UH, BE APPOINTED TO A BOARD BY, TYPICALLY THEY, YOU'RE APPOINTED BY YOUR SUPERVISOR.
UM, YOU CAN, UH, VOLUNTEER TO, UM, HELP DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE OF INTEREST TO YOU.
UH, YOU CAN SERVE NOT NOT-FOR-PROFIT.
I'M ON TWO OF THOSE CURRENTLY, THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND GLAND CARES.
THERE'S ROOM FOR, UM, SERVING IN ANY OF THOSE BOARDS.
SO I DON'T HAVE TO REMIND YOU OF THAT.
UM, AND PARTICIPATE IN COUNTY EVENTS AND
[00:40:01]
YOU GET TO MEET A LITTLE BIT MORE PEOPLE.AND, UH, YOU CAN DONATE YOUR TIME AND EXPERTISE TO, UM, AND FINANCIAL RESOURCES TO SOME OF THE, OF OUR CHARITIES VOTE.
AND IF YOU ARE WILLING TO PUT UP WITH YOU
UM, OTHER THINGS YOU CAN DO IS DOWNLOAD THE, UH, GLAND COUNTY APP.
UM, GO, UH, GO TO GLAND AT A GLANCE ON OUR WEBSITE.
YOU CAN ACTUALLY, UH, DOWNLOAD SOME OF THOSE THINGS TO YOUR OWN CALENDAR AND YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR ALERTS THROUGH OUR COUNTY WEBSITE.
THE SHERIFF ALSO HAS A REALLY GOOD APP, UH, THAT YOU CAN SCAN THIS CODE OR, AND LOOK AT THE, UH, HANDOUT WE HAVE IN THE BACK.
UH, AND IT TELLS YOU, THEY, THEY WARN YOU ABOUT ROAD CLOSURES WHEN THEY REOPEN, UM, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.
WE TALKED ALREADY ABOUT CODE RED.
IT'S REALLY HELPFUL FOR YOU AND FOR US.
'CAUSE WE FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE WHEN WE SEND SOMETHING OUT THAT, UH, SOMEBODY'S GONNA SEE IT.
UH, WE HAVE A PROJECT THAT, UH, WE'RE BUILDING COMPANIES, UH, FIRE STATION EIGHT AND SANDY HOOK.
THIS IS VERY CLOSE TO, UM, TO MY HOUSE.
LAST TIME I HAD THE SLIDE UP, IT DIDN'T SAY POTENTIAL DESIGN, BUT I THINK THE CHIEF SAW THAT I REALLY LIKED IT.
SO HE PUT POTENTIAL, SO IN CASE HE NEEDS TO CHANGE IT
RIGHT NOW THEY'RE USING A, A HOME WE PURCHASED AND THEY HAVE AN AMBULANCE THERE AND THEY'VE MADE A LOT OF CALLS AND PROBABLY SAVED A COUPLE PEOPLE'S LIVES, LIVES IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD.
WE ARE EXPECTING, UH, TO ISSUE THE BIDS, UH, BY THE END OF THE YEAR, BUT FALL, UH, AND I'LL TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT COMPANY SEVEN, WHICH WAS SUPPOSED TO GO HERE ON H ROAD.
THERE WAS SOME OPPOSITION FROM CITIZENS TO THE LOCATION BECAUSE OF SAFETY, SAFETY CONCERNS ABOUT FIRE STATION RIGHT AROUND THE CURVE, NARROW ROAD.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT OTHER POTENTIAL SITES.
UH, IF YOU HAVE ANY INPUT ON THAT, PLEASE LET US KNOW.
WE'RE LOOKING AT OTHER MAYBE BETTER SITES FOR IT.
UM, SO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, UM, AND I MISSED THIS BECAUSE I WASN'T HIRED YET REHIRED YET, BUT THEY ACTUALLY HAD A GRAND OPENING FOR A FIRE CENTER IN THE FIRE TRAINING CENTER, WHICH IS ON MAINTENANCE ROAD, UH, NEAR RIVER ROAD.
AND THEY RECEIVED A GOVERNOR GOVERNOR'S AWARD.
UH, IT'S A BEAU IT IS BEAUTIFUL.
SO IF WE EVER NEEDED TO MOVE THE, THE FIRE TRAINING CENTER, WE COULD TAKE IT WITH US.
UH, BUT THEY ARE, THEY'RE IN THIS PLACE, THEY CAN ACTUALLY SEE LIVE FIRE.
SO YOU CAN TRAIN ALL YOU WANT, BUT UNTIL YOU TRAIN WITH LIVE FIRE, IT, IT'S, IT JUST MAKES IT VERY DIFFERENT.
AND IT USED TO BE WE COULD BURN SOMEPLACE DOWN, BUT WE
BUT WE KNOW, UH, THERE ARE A LOT OF TOXICS IN HOMES NOW.
SO IT'S, UH, IT'S NOT THE BEST THING TO DO.
SO THIS USES, UM, THEATRICAL SMOKE AND GAS FIRE.
UM, OUR ANIMAL SHELTER CONTINUES TO DO GREAT WORK.
UH, THEY HAD, UH, 2300, UH, ALMOST 2,400 CALLS FOR SERVICE LAST YEAR.
THERE WERE 574 ADOPTIONS OVER THE YEAR.
AND THE SAFE RATE IS 96.6%, WHICH IS EXCELLENT.
AND IT'S THE ONLY ANIMALS THAT DON'T LEAVE ALIVE IS BECAUSE THEY'RE VERY SICK OR VERY DANGEROUS.
UH, AND TO TELL YOU HOW WELL THE ADOPTIONS GO.
LAST WEEK I HAD A DIFFERENT DOG ON HERE,
SO, SO WE HAD TO, I HAD TO UPDATE MY SLIDE.
MR. UH, VINCENT VANGA WAS IN THAT SLIDE, BUT, UH, I FORGOT THE NAME OF THE DOG, BUT SHE WAS REAL CUTIE.
I ALMOST ADOPTED HER AT THE SHELTER
UM, SO IT'S DANGEROUS FOR ME TO GO TO THE SHELTER.
AND THEN, UH, AGAIN, MORE ON ENGAGEMENT.
THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETINGS ARE ON THE FIRST TUESDAY OF THE MONTH, AND THE TIMES ARE PUBLICIZED ABOUT SEVEN DAYS IN ADVANCE.
UH, THEY USUALLY, THE AFTERNOON MEETINGS EITHER AT TWO OR THREE O'CLOCK THE EVENING MEETINGS BE, IS EITHER SIX OR SEVEN DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH STUFF WE HAVE ON THE AGENDA.
SO WITH THAT, I AM GOING TO TURN IT OVER
[00:45:01]
MEREDITH, OUR, THE SCHOOL BOARD CHAIRWOMAN.AND SHE'S GOING TO, UH, TAKE YOU THROUGH THE SCHOOL SLIDES.
DO YOU WANNA YEAH, YEAH, I GOTTA PUT THAT ON.
SO DON'T USE YOUR HANDS TOO MUCH
HOLD YOUR QUESTIONS, WRITE THEM DOWN IF YOU NEED TO, AND WE'LL ANSWER THEM AT THE END OF THE MEETING.
I HAVEN'T BEEN ON A WIRELESS MIC IN ABOUT SEVEN YEARS, SO GIMME TIME.
I'M THE CHAIR OF THE GLAND COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD.
KUMAR IS SICK, SO HE'S NOT ABLE TO BE HERE TONIGHT.
UM, AND I'M GONNA BE DOING PART OF THIS PRESENTATION.
MS. ALLEN IS GOING TO BE DOING THE NUMBER PART.
UM, 'CAUSE SHE, SHE'S THE NUMBER PERSON.
I'M, I WOULD ALMOST SAY I'M THE SOCIAL PERSON, BUT NAH, NAH, THOSE OF YOU THAT KNOW ME, UHUH.
UM, BUT, BUT BEFORE I START ON THAT, IT IS NICE TO BE AFTER, UM, MR. ALVAREZ'S PRESENTATION BECAUSE HE MENTIONED SEVERAL THINGS THAT I WANNA REITERATE.
I, I, I, I JUST GOT THAT A FEW MONTHS AGO AND THEY DON'T SEND TOO MANY OF THE, UH, WARNINGS, BUT THEY DO, UM, LET YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.
I LOVE THE UCHIN COUNTY SHERIFF OFFICE APP.
IF, IF YOU WANNA KNOW WHICH WAY NOT TO GO GET THAT APP, OKAY? BECAUSE IF, IF THE ROAD'S CLOSED, THE ROAD'S CLOSED, YOU DON'T WANNA GO THAT WAY.
AND I'M ALSO VERY HAPPY WITH THE FIRE RESCUE PEOPLE.
UM, I, I HAVE NEVER LIKED TRAFFIC CIRCLES.
I GOT USED TO 'EM NOW THAT I LIVE IN GOLAND.
UM, BUT ONE GOOD THING WITH THE FIRE, WITH THE, WITH THE, UM, TRAFFIC CIRCLE IN GOOCHLAND PROPER IS THAT THEY REALIZED AMBULANCES CAN'T GET TO THE SANDY HOOK AREA.
AND THAT, HONESTLY A LIFESAVER.
SO, UM, THAT, THAT WAS A VERY, VERY GOOD THING THAT HAPPENED THERE.
OKAY? UM, I'M GONNA TRY WITHOUT THAT.
AND I HAVE NEVER USED A CLICKER.
KUMAR'S PRESENTATION, SO I GOT IT.
UH, WHAT I FOUND OUT I WAS GONNA BE DOING THIS ABOUT THREE O'CLOCK.
AND HAD A MEETING UNTIL FOUR 30.
GOSHEN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE THIS WONDERFUL ETHIC AND WE HAVE OUR CORE VALUES, AND PART OF THOSE ARE THE ECHOES.
OKAY? OBVIOUSLY YOU CAN READ IT HERE.
EXCELLENCE, CREATIVITY, COURAGE, HONOR AND OPTIMISM.
THESE ARE WHAT WE WANT TO ADHERE TO, OKAY? UH, WHAT ASPIRE TO, RIGHT? UM, WE DO HAVE CORE GOALS.
WE DO WANT TO, WE LOVE OUR STUDENTS.
WE WANT THEM TO BE THE BEST THEY, THEY POSSIBLY CAN.
SO WE WANNA MAXIMIZE EACH ONE OF THEIR, UM, ACADEMIC POTENTIAL.
UM, WE DO THAT USING GOOD TEACHERS, EXCELLENT TEACHERS AND FACILITIES.
THE, THE, UM, RESOURCES FOR INSTRUCTION.
WE WANNA GET THE BEST WE CAN AND WE WANNA IMPROVE THE CLIMATE OF OUR ORGANIZATION.
WE WANT EVERYONE TO BE HAPPY, OKAY? UM, OKAY, SO OUR VISION IS TO INSPIRE THE NEXT GENERATION TO MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT.
WE DON'T WANT THEM TO GRADUATING.
WE WANT THEM TO GET OUT THERE AND DO GOOD, TO DO, DO GREAT STUFF.
TO DO THAT, YOU'VE GOTTA MAXIMIZE THEIR POTENTIAL.
OKAY? UM, OH, I DO LOVE THIS SLIDE BECAUSE I'M A CHEMIST BY TRADE.
OKAY? I, I HAVE WORKED IN MINI LAB, I HAVE WORKED IN ACADEMIC LABS, AND I'M GUESSING THIS MUST BE A BIO LAB BECAUSE IT'S NOT CHEMISTRY.
CHEMISTRY WOULD BE STUFF EVERYWHERE.
ALRIGHT? SO THIS MUST BE A BIO LAB.
UM, THE OTHER PART I DON'T LIKE ABOUT THIS IS THE VIRGINIA TECH UVA GRAD HERE, CLOSER TO HERE.
ALRIGHT, AARON ROLLMAN ENROLLMENT HADN'T, HADN'T GONE UP OR DOWN TOO TERRIBLY MUCH, BUT YOU WILL SEE, OKAY, THIS IS RANDOLPH ELEMENTARY.
[00:50:01]
WHEN I WAS WATCHING THIS ONE.DISTRICT ONE, YOU CAN'T READ THIS SLIDE BOARD.
ELEMENTARY GUC IN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND GOOCHLAND HIGH SCHOOL, UM, THE HIGH SCHOOL, IT'S, THEY'RE, THEY'RE SORT, THE, THE ENROLLMENT'S SORT OF STEADY THE MIDDLE SCHOOL, IT'S GOING UP A LITTLE BIT, BUT THAT'S BECAUSE THE, THE, THE, THE, THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS ARE GROWING.
BUT YOU DO SEE A BIG SPIKE HERE FOR, UM, THIS YEAR AT GLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL THAT COINCIDES WITH THE, I WISH I HAD A POINTER DECREASE HERE.
WHEN WE OPENED THE, THE NEW GROUP GLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, WE TOOK A LOT OF STUDENTS FROM, UM, RANDOLPH AND FROM BIRD.
SO THAT'S WHY THE NUMBERS, THE, THERE'S A BIG SPIKE HERE AND TWO DROPS HERE.
OKAY? SO BASICALLY IT'S STILL SORT OF FLAT, IT IS GOING UP, BUT, UM, IT'S, IT'S NOT GOING UP QUITE AS MUCH AS THAT ONE SPIKE WOULD, WOULD THINK.
HERE'S OUR OVERALL ENROLLMENT.
UM, AND AGAIN, YOU SEE IT'S, SORRY, SORT OF STEADY, UM, SAME NUMBER HERE IN 20 22, 23 AS IN 24, 25.
UM, IT DID GO DOWN A LITTLE BIT HERE.
NOW HERE, IT, IT WENT UP BECAUSE, UM, BIG COHORT.
OKAY? UM, THEY GRADUATED AND THEN THE NEXT ONE CAME.
SO, UM, THEY ARE, IT'S, IT'S SORT OF STEADY, BUT IT IS GOING UP.
OUR SUCCESSES, OKAY? ONE THING IS WE KUCHIN IS A, UM, FIVE APPLE DISTINGUISHED SCHOOLS.
THEY'RE ALL APPLE DISTINGUISHED.
THIS, YES, IT'S AN APPLE THING, BUT IT, IT'S NOT JUST BUYING APPLES, IT'S NOT JUST BUYING THE TECHNOLOGY.
IT'S MAKING 'EM USE THEIR IMAGINATION.
IT'S MAKING AN IMPACT, OKAY? SO IT'S NOT JUST BY THE APPLE.
AND WE'RE GONNA GET YOU, UM, A CERTIFICATION, UM, BASICALLY, OKAY, YOU HAVE 457 APPLE DISTINGUISHED SCHOOLS IN THE US BUT THERE ARE 115,000 K 12 SCHOOLS IN, IN THE US SO IT'S NOT JUST A BUY THE APPLES, GET THE, GET THE, UH, THE DISTINGUISHED NESS.
UM, AND UCHIN IS ONE OF 18 APPLE DISTINGUISHED DISTRICTS.
SO IT'S, IT'S ACTUALLY A PRETTY BIG DEAL.
UCHIN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, UM, NICHE.
NICHE IS ONE OF THOSE ONLINE COMMENT THINGS FROM PARENTS AND, AND STUDENTS.
UM, NICHE HAS UCHIN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AS THE NUMBER 12 IN THE, IN THE STATE.
UM, WE'LL TALK MORE ABOUT THE RANKINGS IN IN A COUPLE OF SLIDES.
UM, GOIN GUIN, UM, HAS THE UNIFIED SPORTS THINGS THAT, THAT'S FOR THE DISADVANTAGED PEOPLE THAT THE, THE, I'M SORRY.
AND I WENT TO ONE OF THEIR, UM, COMPETITIONS LAST YEAR AND IT WAS AWESOME.
SCHOOLS CAME IN FROM, FROM ALL OVER.
THEY, THESE KIDS, THEY, THEY GAVE, THEY JUST, THEY PLAYED THEIR HEARTS OUT, OKAY? THEY WERE WONDERFUL.
IT WAS, IT WAS ACTUALLY VERY INSPIRING.
UM, MS. WES DISTINGUISHED BUDGET PRESENTATION OF WHERE SHE DOES HER JOB.
SHE, SHE DOES GREAT AND OKAY, ACCREDITATION.
UM, GLAND IS ONE OF 10 SCHOOL DIVISIONS IN VIRGINIA WITH 100% OF OUR, UM, ACCREDITED FOR MORE THAN 10 CONSECUTIVE YEARS.
THAT'S A BIG DEAL, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU CONSIDER SOME OF THE SCHOOL SCHOOL DISTRICTS AROUND.
OH, AND BY THE WAY, UM, MR. EZ, UM, NEXT TIME AND ON NEXT MONDAY WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT US GETTING, GIVING A 3% RAISE, DON'T MENTION HENRICO
WE'RE TRYING TO KEEP 'EM HERE.
SOL RESULTS, RIGHT? UM, THIS IS, THIS IS WHAT I WAS THINKING WAS COMING RIGHT AFTER THE, THE, UM, THE ACCREDITATION.
UM, OKAY, IN READING IN ENGLISH, WE HAVE AN 82% PASS RATE, WHICH IS A REGIONAL RANK.
THAT'S THE AREA AROUND HERE FIRST.
UM, STATE RANK 14TH OUT OF 131.
83% PASS RATE, UM, WHICH IS SECOND IN THE, IN THE REGION AND
[00:55:01]
EIGHTH IN THE STATE.WHAT ARE WE AIMING FOR? A HUNDRED PERCENT.
OKAY, SO WE GOTTA KEEP WORKING.
YOU CAN'T JUST SLIDE ON NO, 83, THAT'S A B THAT'S GREAT.
ALWAYS GO FOR THE B AS FAR AS VALUE, UM, PER PUPIL RANKING, UH, UH, FUNDING RANKING.
WE'RE 72ND, 72ND FOR BOTH READING ENGLISH AND MATH.
OKAY? SO WE'RE NOT ANYWHERE NEAR AS EXPENSIVE AS SOME OF THE OTHER SCHOOLS WHO MAY BE A LITTLE BIT HIGHER THAN US, BUT, UM, AS FAR AS THE RANK IS CONCERNED, BUT WE ARE KEEP TRYING TO KEEP AIR, UM, UM, COST DOWN.
OKAY? AND OUR ON TIME GRADUATION RATE IS VERY GOOD AT 98%.
OKAY? THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT 2% OF PEOPLE DON'T GRADUATE.
TWO 2% OF THE STUDENTS DON'T GRADUATE.
WHAT IT MEANS IS THAT 2% DON'T GRADUATE WITHIN THE FOUR YEARS.
IT MAY TAKE 'EM FIVE YEARS, IT MAY TAKE 'EM ANOTHER SUMMER, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
I'M GONNA GUESS WITHOUT HAVING A NUMBER.
AND I AM NOW PASSING IT OFF TO OKAY, THE MONEY PERSON
OKAY, THAT'S GONNA SLIDE, SLIDE IT, IT'S GONNA SLIDE DOWN THERE IF YOU DON'T.
THANK YOU MS. MOSES, YOU DO HAVE YOUR, UM, THERE IS THE NEXT ONE.
UH, FOR THOSE OF YOU I DON'T HAVE, UH, THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE MET BEFORE NOW I'M ANGELA ALLEN.
I AM THE REPRESENTATIVE FOR DISTRICT THREE AND PRIOR TO THIS YEAR I WAS THE CHAIR AND THE YEAR BEFORE THAT, THE VICE CHAIR.
AND THIS IS MY FOURTH BUDGET CYCLE, UM, WITH THE SCHOOL BOARD.
SO THAT'S WHY I GOT VOLUNTOLD TO DO THIS PRESENTATION.
KAMAR IS FEELING WELL AGAIN BY MONDAY.
UM, SO LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR HARD EARNED TAX DOLLARS OF WHICH WE ARE ENTRUSTED TO GET VALUE OUT OF FOR THE EDUCATION OF THE COUNTY STUDENTS FOR 2026 THAT BEGINS FOR THE COUNTY ON JULY 1ST, LET'S LOOK AT WHAT WE'RE PLANNING AHEAD.
AND THE SCHOOL DIVISION BREAKS OUR PLANNING PROCESS ALONG OUR STRATEGIC GOALS AND THERE'S FOUR OF THEM.
AND SO I'M GONNA QUICKLY HIT THE HIGHLIGHTS AND THEN TALK ABOUT THE REVENUE RESOURCES THAT WE'RE GONNA ALLOCATE TOWARD EACH OF THOSE GOALS.
GOAL NUMBER ONE, AS IT SHOULD BE, IS TO MAXIMIZE EACH STUDENT'S POTENTIAL IN PREPARATION FOR SUCCESSFUL LIFE.
UM, I APPRECIATE MS. MOSES SAYING, HEY, THIS DOESN'T JUST MEAN WE GET 'EM GRADUATED AND OUT THE DOOR.
THIS MEANS WE NEED THEM TO BE PRODUCTIVE, CONTRIBUTING CITIZENS, WHETHER THAT'S COLLEGE, MILITARY SERVICE, WORKFORCE, TRADE SCHOOL, WHATEVER THAT LOOKS LIKE IS NEXT FOR THEM.
WE NEED TO GIVE THEM A RUNNING HEAD START.
SO THAT'S REALLY THE TOP PRIORITY AND WHERE THE LION'S SHARE OF OUR RESOURCES SHOULD BE ALLOCATED.
I'M NOT GONNA READ ALL OF THESE NUMBERS TO YOU, THE PRESENTATION WILL BE POSTED ONLINE AND I DON'T WANT YOU TO FALL ASLEEP, BUT I DO WANNA HIGHLIGHT A FEW THINGS.
UM, ONE IS, YOU CAN SEE THAT FOR OUR MOST IMPORTANT GOAL, WE'RE SPENDING A TEENY TINY BIT OF MONEY.
$95,000, YOU SAID IT WAS MOST IMPORTANT.
THE COUNTY IS GIVING US A $45.767 MILLION BUDGET TO DO IT, BUT WE ONLY PUT $95,000 TOWARDS OUR MOST IMPORTANT GOAL.
I'M GONNA TELL YOU WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE.
A SHELL GAME WITH THE MONEY, RIGHT STEPHANIE? IT'S A SHELL GAME.
FIRST OF ALL, WHAT I DO WANNA CALL OUT IS THAT THERE ARE CHANGES, REDUCED EXPENSES BASED ON A CA, THAT'S OUR ADVANCED COLLEGE ACADEMY PROGRAM.
SO STUDENTS CAN GET A TWO YEAR ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE FROM REYNOLDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE.
UM, AND GENERAL ASSEMBLY MADE SOME CHANGES TO HOW THAT FUNDING WORKS SO FORTH, SO ON.
SO WE'RE SEEING, UM, AN OFFSET THERE THAT CREATES A LITTLE BIT OF DIFFERENTIATION IN THE OPTICS OF THE NUMBERS.
WE ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT WE HAD TO MAKE CHANGES TO PERSONNEL.
AND SO THERE MAY BE A TREND IN GOVERNMENT TO JUST PILE ON.
THIS BOARD HAS REALLY CHALLENGED OUR SUPERINTENDENT AND OUR ADMINISTRATION TO DO MORE WITH THE SAME.
SO WE NEEDED AN ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT THAT GROWING GLIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
WE SAID WE REALLY DON'T HAVE THE BUDGET TO HIRE YET.
[01:00:01]
FIND A CREATIVE SOLUTION AND A CREATIVE SOLUTION WAS FOUND.AND SO WE MOVED AN INTERNAL PERSON.
UH, ONCE THE BUDGET IS OFFICIALLY ADOPTED INTO THAT ROLE, YOU'RE ALSO SEEING CHANGES.
ESLE, ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE.
WE HAVE HAD AN UPTICK IN THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT HAVE NEEDED THOSE SERVICES.
UM, AND THERE ARE SOQ STANDARDS OF QUALITY MANDATED BY THE STATE FOR BEING ABLE TO SUPPORT, UH, PARTICULAR SERVICES.
AND I'M EXCITED THERE IS DOING IMPORTANT WORK IN THE BACK HALF OF AN INSTRUCTOR TOWARDS EMT, WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT.
CAREER PATH AND SERVICES FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
ALRIGHT, LET'S LOOK AT NUMBER STRATEGIC.
GOAL NUMBER TWO, CREATE AN ENGAGING AND RESPONSIVE EXPERIENCE.
EVERYONE FEELS INFORMED, INCLUDED, VALUED AND EMPOWERED.
SOUNDS REALLY GOOD, DOESN'T IT?
SO THAT'S HOW THAT TRANSLATES FROM A REVENUE POINT OF VIEW.
AND IT IS THE SINGLE LARGEST LINE ITEM IN OUR BUDGET.
'CAUSE IT COMES AT A WHOPPING $995,000 OUT OF YOUR TAX MONEY.
WE'VE, WE'VE GOT A HUGE, WE'RE THE LARGEST, UH, EMPLOYER FOR THE COUNTY, UH, BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS AND SUPPORT SERVICES IT TAKES TO RUN A SCHOOL DIVISION WITH 2,643 STUDENTS.
SO WE WANNA TELL OUR EMPLOYEES, YOU ARE VALUED.
HERE IS A 3% COST OF LIVING RAISE TO RECOGNIZE THAT.
ALSO, I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T ACKNOWLEDGE A YEAR AGO, WE GAVE ALL OF OUR TEACHING STAFF A 5% MARKET ADJUSTMENT CAP TO TRY TO KEEP UP WITH THOSE SURROUNDING LOCALITIES YOU'VE BEEN HEARING SO MUCH ABOUT.
IT IS NOT SUSTAINABLE OR REALISTIC TO DO THAT EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
SO IT'S LIKE THAT WHOLE THING, LIKE ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK, WE'LL BE PLAYING THAT DANCE WITH OUR NEIGHBORS.
BUT IF YOU LIVE IN HENRICO, UM, OR RIGHT THERE AT THE COUNTY LINE AND YOU'RE LIKE, I'M NOT GONNA WORK FOR GULA ANYMORE.
'CAUSE HENRICO IS GIVEN SIX, WE HAVE SMALLER CLASS SIZES, BETTER RESULTS, AND A BETTER CULTURE.
THERE'S THE, THERE'S THE REAL DOLLARS, THE 9 95.
UM, WE ALSO SAVE SOME MONEY RESTRUCTURING POSITIONS, RETIREMENTS, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
UM, SO WE PUT OUR DOLLARS TOWARDS, WE'RE IN THE PEOPLE BUSINESS, SO WE PUT THE MONEY TOWARDS THE PEOPLE.
NUMBER THREE, ENHANCE AND SUPPORT THE INSTRUCTIONAL AND LEARNING NEEDS OF ALL STUDENTS AND STAFF.
LOOK GUYS, I WOULD LOVE TO STAND ON A SOAPBOX AND TELL YOU HOW AMAZING WE ARE TO BE THE NUMBER ONE SCHOOL DIVISION IN THE GREATER RICHMOND AREA.
82% IN READING AND 83% IN MATH.
IT'S JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH BECAUSE THERE'S 18% IN 17% OF KIDS THAT ARE NOT MEETING A PROFICIENT BENCHMARK.
WHAT DO I SAY TO THOSE MOMS AND DADS? SO IN MY MIND, THIS SHOULD PROBABLY COME TO THE FRONT OF THE LIST, BUT WE'LL WORK ON THAT NEXT YEAR.
THESE ARE ALL YOUR SUPPORT SERVICES.
THE REALITY OF WHAT IT TAKES TO RUN A SCHOOL DIVISION AND YOU'RE SEEING EVERYTHING FROM FUEL TO UTILITIES AND FOOD.
IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, IT'S A SMALL CITY, RIGHT? WE'RE BRINGING ALL THESE PEOPLE TOGETHER EVERY DAY.
WE GOTTA KEEP 'EM SAFE AND FED.
SO THAT COMES AT A HEALTHY COST OF 7 46.
REMEMBER WHEN I TALKED ABOUT WE'RE PLAYING A SHELL GAME WITH THE MONEY? NOT REALLY.
THIS ONE IS A LITTLE BIT INFLATED, SO I DON'T WANT YOU TO THINK, WAIT, YOU SAID YOU SPENT 95,000 ON THE MOST IMPORTANT THING AND YOU'RE SPENDING 746,000 ON NUMBER THREE.
THE 270,000 IS REALLY A CARRYOVER FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
SO THIS NUMBER REALLY LOOKS SOMETHING LIKE 400 AND KEEP ME STRAIGHT $86,000.
UM, SO JUST, IT'S ALL ABOUT OPTICS, RIGHT? ONCE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HAVE A VERY LEAN, WELL RUN OPERATION IN OUR SCHOOL DIVISION, ALL RIGHT? NUMBER STRATEGIC ABANDONMENT.
I DON'T BELIEVE IN JUST PILING ON.
WE MUST FIND WAYS TO SAVE MONEY.
AND HERE'S SOME THINGS THAT STAFF DID IN THE PAST YEAR TO SHAVE ABOUT $662,000 OFF THE BUDGET.
IT'S NOT MY MONEY, IT'S YOUR MONEY.
SO THE MORE WE CAN DO TO CONTINUE TO REDUCE COSTS AND GENERATE SAVINGS, THE BETTER AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO SEEK THOSE OPPORTUNITIES.
[01:05:01]
FIRST OF ALL, $45,767,000.I WANNA BEGIN BY THANKING OUR BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, PARTNERS AND OUR COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR.
UM, THE REALITY IS THAT EVERY MANDATE THAT COMES FROM THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN GLAND SCHOOLS IS ONLY FUNDED BY 0.2.
SO GLAND CITIZENS ARE ON THE HOOK FOR 80% OF WHATEVER THE STATE SAYS BECAUSE OF OUR LOCAL COMPOSITE INDEX.
SO THAT MEANS THAT WE NEED OUR COUNTY SUPPORT AND OUR CITIZEN SUPPORT TO MEET US TO BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THOSE MANDATES.
I DON'T HAVE TO SPEAK FOR DELEGATE OWEN.
'CAUSE SOMEBODY SAYS, GO AND DO SUCH.
BY THE WAY, WE'RE NOT GONNA GIVE YOU THE MONEY.
TEACHER RAISES 80% OF ANYTHING THAT IS COMING OUTTA RICHMOND IS PAID FOR BY YOU AND GLAND.
SO I WANNA THANK THEM FOR ALWAYS COLLABORATING WITH US AND HELPING US FIGURE OUT CREATIVE ACCOUNTING SOLUTIONS TO CHALLENGING PROBLEMS. UM, AND WE WORK REALLY HARD TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF YOUR MONEY.
THIS IS, NOW THAT WE'VE LOOKED AT A LOT OF DATA, THIS IS REALLY A GREAT PICTURE BECAUSE IT SHOWS YOU THAT MORE THAN 77% OF THAT MONEY IS FOCUSED ON INSTRUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY TO SUPPORT THE LEARNING AGENDA.
SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT GOING TO A NUMBER OF KIND OF BLOATED OVERHEAD.
AND MORE THAN 84% IS GOING BACK, WHAT DID I SAY? WE'RE IN THE PEOPLE BUSINESS.
SO MORE THAN 84% IS GOING TO DIRECT COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS FOR OUR EMPLOYEES.
HOW DO WE GET ALL OF THIS MONEY? WE'LL BE PASSING A BASKET LATER,
SO CHECKS ARE WELCOME IF YOU NEED OUR VENMO.
UM, THEY SHOULD TEACH THIS IN LIKE MIDDLE SCHOOL.
PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW WHERE THE MONEY COMES FROM TO PAY FOR YOUR EDUCATION.
'CAUSE IT'S REALLY FASCINATING AND IT'S VERY COMPLEX.
I'M GONNA GIVE YOU THE QUICK VERSION.
A BIG PART OF IT IS BASED ON HOW MANY STUDENTS AVERAGE DAILY MEMBERSHIP, HOW MANY STUDENTS WE TELL THE STATE THAT WE HAVE AT THE END OF THE YEAR.
AND THEN IT'S, UH, FUNDING IS ALLOCATED BASED ON THAT SALES TAX.
UM, WE ARE, WE'RE VERY SHOCKING.
YOU KNOW, MAYBE WE'RE EXPECTED TO GET IN SOME $4 MILLION IN TAXES.
WE WILL SAY THAT WE'RE GONNA GET IN ABOUT 97.5% OF THAT 'CAUSE OF SPENDING DROPS.
WE WON'T GET AS MUCH REVENUE AS WE FORECAST IT.
AND THEN WE'LL HAVE A SHORTFALL, UM, OTHER STATE AID.
AND THEN I ANTICIPATE IN THE Q AND A SECTION, THERE MAY BE, WHAT ABOUT THE FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION?
I WANT EVERYONE TO DO THIS WITH ME.
THE SCHOOL DIVISION IS NOT GONNA COLLAPSE BECAUSE OF THE FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION BEING SHIFTED AROUND.
WE CAN TALK ABOUT THE SPECIFICS OF THAT, BUT THERE'S PLENTY OF RESOURCES AND THAT MONEY IS GONNA COME FROM OTHER PLACES.
SO THIS JUST GIVES YOU A QUICK OVERVIEW.
BUT AGAIN, I THINK, UH, THE BACK OF THE ENVELOPE MATH IS ABOUT 81% IS DIRECTLY OUTTA GLAND'S BUDGET.
AH, DID I GET MY MATH RIGHT? WELL SEE.
YOU GOTTA COUNT SOME OF THAT DIFFERENT ANYHOW.
WANNA THANK THE SUPERVISORS AGAIN, AS MANNY SAID, WE MET ON MARCH 11TH TO REVISIT SOME OF OUR UNFUNDED PRIORITIES.
AND THE COUNTY HAS GENEROUSLY OFFERED TO MEET, TO CLOSE SOME OF THAT GAP, AN ADDITIONAL $300,000, WHICH WE NOW, AS A BOARD WILL NEED TO MEET AGAIN AND DECIDE, OKAY, THAT'S HOW MUCH WE GOT.
WHAT SPECIFICALLY WHAT ARE WE GONNA USE IT FOR TO MAKE THE BIGGEST IMPACT ON STUDENT OUTCOMES? AND THAT IS NOT ME.
AND WE WILL HAND IT BACK TO MR. ALVAREZ.
UM, WE'VE HEARD TALK ABOUT DESIRING A 70 30 SPLIT BETWEEN COMMERCIAL AND AND RESIDENTIAL.
AND WE HEARD SOME HINT ABOUT MAYBE SOME ANNOUNCEMENTS ON THE COMMERCIAL SIDE, BUT DOES THE COUNTY HAVE A VIEW TOWARD CLOSING THE GAP THAT EXISTS NOW AND WHAT MIGHT THAT TIMELINE LOOK LIKE? I, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE A TIMELINE.
[01:10:01]
UH, BUT WE ARE VERY ACTIVE.WE HAVE, UH, SARAH AND SHE'S GOT AN ASSISTANT AND WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY GOING AFTER, UH, BUSINESSES AND WE'VE BEEN VERY OPEN TO BUSINESSES IN THE RIGHT PLACE.
UM, AND SO AS FAR AS I KNOW, WE HAVEN'T TURNED DOWN ANYTHING YET BUSINESS WISE.
THERE MIGHT, THERE MIGHT BE SOME THAT, UH, WE DON'T WANT.
BUT, UM, THEY, THEY COME AND THEY APPLY.
THEY DON'T ALWAYS APPLY FOR THE RIGHT LOCATION.
AND SO WE USUALLY TRY TO MOVE THEM, UH, YOU KNOW, TO THE RIGHT PLACE.
BUT YEAH, WE WE'RE SHOOTING FOR THAT GOAL.
I THINK WE HAVE MADE SOME STRIDES AND THEN WE KINDA REVERT IT A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE MOVED TO GLAND RECENTLY.
SO THAT ALWAYS CHANGES OUR NUMBERS.
BUT WE ARE OPEN FOR BUSINESS AND UH, SARAH'S PROOF OF THAT.
THERE ARE TWO THINGS THAT I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE MENTIONED THAT ARE, I THINK VERY, UH, STRONG IN GLAND AND THEY ARE NOT AVAILABLE IN THE SO-CALLED BETTER PRIVATE SCHOOLS.
ONE IS THE CTE PROGRAM, WHICH IS
LADIES PROBABLY NEED TO TALK TO THAT.
THE OTHER IS
BUT, SO IT WASN'T MY PRESENTATION, BUT YES.
UM, SO THANK YOU FOR MENTIONING THOSE.
AND THIS IS WHERE I CAN GIVE ANOTHER PLUG FOR OUR SUPERVISORS 'CAUSE THEY ARE 110% ON BOARD WITH CONTINUING TO INVEST IN AND SUPPORT OUR CTE PROGRAM.
GLAND COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS ONE OF ONLY A HANDFUL IN THE ENTIRE STATE THAT OFFERS THE FULL COMPLIMENT OF 18 DIFFERENT SPECIALTIES OF CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS. AND WE'RE SO PROUD OF THAT.
NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE THE OFFERING OF PROGRAMS, BUT WE HAVE IN-DEPTH EXCELLENT PROGRAMS. AND OUR STUDENTS ARE LITERALLY HAVE JOB OFFERS $80,000 AS A WELDER BEFORE THEY EVEN GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL.
AND THERE'S MANY EXAMPLES LIKE THAT IN ADDITION TO THE WELDING, THE HEAVY EQUIPMENT OPERATORS, THE EMT AND SO FORTH, SO ON.
WE ALSO HAVE THE MARINE CORPS J-R-O-T-C PROGRAM, WHICH HONESTLY IT'S SO HUMBLING TO SEE THESE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN WANT TO TAKE THAT AS A STEP.
AND WE HAVE NOW HAD FOUR STUDENTS EARN THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIPS, UM, FULL RIDES FOR FOUR YEARS OF UNIVERSITY, INCLUDING THEIR EXPENSES AND A COMMISSIONING IN THIS BRANCH OF SERVICE OF THEIR CHOICE.
SO I JUST WANNA GIVE ALL OF THE CREDIT TO OUR AMAZING TEACHERS, UM, FOR THE GREAT WORK THAT THEY DO FOR THOSE PROGRAMS AND FOR THAT MAN RIGHT THERE, MR. BRUCE WATSON, WHO LEADS OUR CTEA PROGRAM.
AND SPEAKING OF CTE, I'D LIKE TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT ALSO FOR MR. LUMPKINS WHO WAS ON THE SCHOOL BOARD BACK THEN.
AND WHEN I RAN FOR OFFICE, ONE OF THE THINGS EVERYBODY WAS ASKING FOR, BRING BACK CTE, BRING BACK CT AND THE SCHOOL BOARD WORKED ON IT, UM, GOT IT GOING AND IT'S BEEN BEEN A GREAT PROGRAM.
UH, MR. WATSON'S BEEN TERRIFIC AND, UM, AND I KNOW A WHAT, OH YEAH, BY THE WAY, SPEAKING OF THAT, THE COOKIES IN THE BACK WERE ALL MADE BY THE CULINARY SCHOOL.
AND I KNOW YOU CAME TO OUR LAFAYETTE EVENT IN NOVEMBER AND ALL THE FOOD THERE WAS MADE BY THE CULINARY SCHOOL AND IT WAS AMAZING.
UM, AND, AND OF COURSE I HAVE, UH, MR. LYLE IN THE BACK SUPERVISOR WHO'S PUSHING FOR ONE MORE PROGRAM FOR CDE AT THE EIGHTH GRADE LEVEL.
HE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE AG INCLUDED.
UM, SO ANYWAY, UH, THE SCHOOLS ARE GREAT.
I WAS, WHEN I WAS ON THE BOARD MY FIRST COUPLE OF YEARS, I WAS MORE PROUD OF THE WORK THE SCHOOLS DID THAN, YOU KNOW, OURS TOOK A LITTLE LONGER TO ACCOMPLISH, BUT, UH, BUT THEY WERE DOING A GREAT JOB FROM THE START, UM, ABOUT THE WATER CRISIS.
I KNOW THAT WAS TOTALLY UNPRECEDENTED AND I THINK GLAND DID THE BEST JOB IT COULD 'CAUSE I THINK THERE WAS A LOT OF CONFLICTING INFORMATION FLOATING ABOUT GOING FORWARD.
DOES THE COUNTY HAVE ANY PLANS TO COLLABORATE WITH OTHER COUNTIES LIKE HENRICO AND HANOVER WHO ARE ALSO AFFECTED TO BASICALLY KEEP AN EYE ON RICHMOND WHERE WE GET OUR WATER AND MAKE SURE THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN? WELL, THE BEST THING WOULD BE TO CUT OFF FROM RICHMOND.
UH, THEY ACTUALLY HAVE TALKED ABOUT MAYBE BUYING THE RICHMOND WATER OPERATION.
[01:15:01]
RICHMOND HAS BEEN UNDER EPA RULE FOR YEARS BECAUSE THEY, ONCE IN A WHILE WHEN IT RAINS, EVEN WHEN THEY'RE ON FLOOD, THEY RELEASE SEWAGE INTO THE RIVER.SO DON'T EAT ANY FISH SOUTH OF RICHMOND ON THE RIVER.
AND I THINK WE'VE MADE SOME CHANGES TO OUR APPROACH TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CONNECT WITH FOLKS EARLY AND OFTEN, UH, AS SOON AS WE FIND OUT.
WE, WE DIDN'T FIND OUT UNTIL AFTER HENRICO HAD A PRESS CONFERENCE, BUT WHAT I, WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT IS, YOU KNOW, ALL THE, ALL THE DYSFUNCTION, IF YOU WILL IN RICHMOND.
AND APPARENTLY THEY WEREN'T INFORMING THE OTHER PEOPLE WHO WERE GETTING WATER FROM THERE.
AND I THINK, UM, HENRICO HAVE SEEMED TO EXPRESS SOME INTEREST IN KEEPING A CLOSER EYE ON RICHMOND MAN.
REMEMBER HENRICO JUST OPENED UP COBB CREEK, THE RESERVOIR WE HAVE UP THERE, AND THE ONLY CONNECTION TO OUR SYSTEM AND OUR SYSTEM'S CONNECTED HENRICO.
SO THE EAST END OF HENRICO CONNECTS THE CITY OF RICHMOND STILL.
SO BY HAVING COBB CREEK, THEY'RE LOOKING AT CUTTING THAT CONNECTION OFF AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
SO THAT, THAT SHOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
I DON'T WANNA SEE ANY MORE POOR JOHNS AT THE CAPITOL.
WHAT WE HAD, WE HAD ZERO WATER DOWN THERE.
AND SO THERE'S ALSO PEOPLE PUT FORWARD BILLS AT THAT MOMENT TO REQUIRE CITY OF RICHMOND EITHER TO ALLOW HIM RIGHT.
CODE DUBAI OR ALLOW HIM RIGHT TO RUN THEIR WATER SYSTEM.
SO THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS IN THE WORKS.
AND IF YOU, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW, IF ANYBODY HERE KNOWS, BUT OUR SEWER FROM HERE GOES ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE CITY.
SO WE PAY THEM BACK
I BLEW UP IN ON RIVER ROAD SOMEWHERE.
WELL, A NUMBER OF US ATTENDED THE, UH, INFORMATIONAL MEETING LAST MONDAY ABOUT THE MELROSE ENERGY CENTER.
UM, IT, IT'S APPARENT THAT, I DIDN'T WANNA SAY THE NAME EARLIER, BUT
THEY'VE BEEN A MUCH SMALLER AND THEY DON'T REALLY HAVE PROBABILISTIC RISK ASSESSMENTS FOR IT.
CAN YOU TELL HOW CITIZENS CAN GET INVOLVED IN, UH, AND NOTICED STATUS WHERE IT IS RIGHT NOW AND MORE THAN NOW?
AND IT HASN'T OFFICIALLY IT BEEN KICKED OFF.
THEY HAD A COMMUNITY MEETING, KIND OF A ROGUE COMMUNITY MEETING.
THEY DIDN'T INCLUDE THE COUNTY.
YEAH, SO MELROSE IS A, A STORAGE FACILITY.
SHE DIDN'T ASK FOR THIS ONE, BY THE WAY,
JUST TO CLARIFY, DID NOT RECRUIT THIS BUSINESS.
UM, THEY CAME TO TO GLAND, BUT WE ARE WORKING WITH THEM.
UM, SO BATTERY STORAGE BASICALLY IS, THEY, THEY, THEY BUY ELECTRICITY OFF THE GRID AT LOW RATES.
THEY STORE IT AND THEY SELL IT BACK TO THE GRID AT HIGHER RATES.
THAT'S HOW THEY MAKE THEIR MONEY.
UM, THEY'RE, THEY NEED TO BE LOCATED ON A TRANSMISSION LINE, WHICH IS WHY THEY CHOSE THE LOCATION THAT THEY CHOSE.
WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING WITH THEM TO SEE IF ANOTHER LOCATION COULD BE BETTER SUITED FOR THEM.
UM, THEY HAVE NOT FILED THEIR APPLICATION YET.
THEY ARE STILL TALKING WITH STAFF.
THEY'RE PUSHING TO FILE THEIR APPLICATION.
WHEN THEY DO, THERE WILL BE A COMMUNITY MEETING TO BE HELD BY THEM.
THEY WILL GO BEFORE THE PLANNING COMMISSION HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING THERE, THEY'LL GO TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING THERE.
SO YOU HAVE THREE OPPORTUNITIES, OFFICIAL OPPORTUNITIES TO COME AND PROVIDE YOUR FEEDBACK ON THIS APPLICATION.
AND WE, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF FEEDBACK ALREADY, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE,
I CAN BUILD WEBPAGE MAYBE ONCE IT, THEY APPLY, WE COULD HAVE A A PAGE ON OUR, ON OUR WEBSITE TO TELL PEOPLE WHERE IT IS AND PROVIDE FEEDBACK AND SO ON.
AND I'M GETTING NUTS FROM THE BACK.
UM, IF I'M NOT HERE ANYMORE, THEN YOU JUST REMIND THEM.
SO GOING BACK TO HIS COMMENT ABOUT THE 70 30, IF YOU'VE NOTICED ON THE EAST SIDE OF OUR COUNTY, MASSIVE DEVELOPERS ARE MOVING IN TO TRY AND KILL OFF THE RURAL AREA IN UCH BY PUTTING IN RP VS.
SO THAT'S JUST GOING TO KEEP INCREASING
[01:20:01]
THE DISTANCE BETWEEN YOUR NOW 80 20 AND SEVEN 30 TO LIKE 90 SOMETHING.COULD WE PLEASE, UH, ADDRESS THE YEAH, WELL, AMOUNT OF PEOPLE COMING IN.
YEAH, WE, WE CAN, WE CAN ADDRESS IT.
WE DO ZONING AND WE, WE HAVE SOME OF OUR ZONING FOLKS HERE, BUT THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH YOU CAN DO.
UH, AND SO THERE ARE, WE, ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE PUBLIC.
THEY'RE, RIGHT NOW, MOST OF THEM ARE GOING IN AREAS WHERE WE CAN ACCEPT GROWTH.
UM, IT'S, IT MAY NOT BE WHERE WE WANNA SEE IT, BUT THOSE ARE AREAS THAT ARE DEDICATED FOR GROWTH.
IF THEY COME TO OTHER AREAS, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STOP THEM OR AT LEAST REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF HOMES THEY WANT TO PUT IN.
BUT ONE PROBLEM, AND I, YOU KNOW, WE HAD WORKED ON A SMALL AREA PLAN FOR THE COURTHOUSE AREA AND FOR THIS AREA, FOR THE EAST END FOR CENTERVILLE.
AND, UH, THAT PLAN THAT WAS NOT APPROVED, IT'S KIND OF PUT ON HOLD WITHOUT A PLAN.
YOU WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO STOP ANYBODY FROM COMING.
UH, AND I'M A BELIEVER IN PROPERTY RIGHTS.
IF I OWN A HUNDRED ACRES AND I WANNA SELL IT, UH, TO A DEVELOPER AND MAKE THE MOST I CAN FROM IT, OF COURSE I'M GONNA DO THAT.
I THINK, I THINK MOST OF US WOULD.
SO OUR, UH, PLANNERS AND THE BOARD HAS TO KINDA SAY, UH, WHAT SHOULD GO AND SHOULD NOT GO, BUT WE CAN'T STOP THEM FROM APPLYING.
AND SOMETIMES I HAD, LAST WEEKEND I HEARD FROM MR. LYLE, BUT AN APPLICATION THAT WAS, THEY HAD JUST APPLIED ON FRIDAY, BUT YOU HAVE ACCESS, YOU CAN ACTUALLY LOOK ON THE WEB ON OUR WEBSITE, THERE'S A THING CALLED ENTER GOV.
YOU CAN GO IN THERE AND SEE THE LATEST, LATEST APPLICATION.
UH, THERE ARE A LOT OF FOLKS IN THIS, UH, END OF THE COUNTY.
I FORGOT WHAT THE NAME OF THE GROUP IS.
UM, I, I DON'T REMEMBER EXACTLY THE THE NAME, BUT, BUT THEY'RE CONSTANTLY LOOKING AND THEY'RE TRYING TO PROVIDE GOOD FEEDBACK SO THAT THE DEVELOPMENTS BECOME BETTER.
AND THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF DEVELOPMENTS THAT STARTED OUT OUTTA CONTROL THAT WERE BROUGHT BACK BECAUSE YOUR, BECAUSE OF YOUR FEEDBACK.
HOW CAN WE GET A PLAN APPROVED SO THAT WE STICK TO THE PLAN THAT THE, I GUESS A ROUGH PLAN OR WHATEVER IT IS THAT LIMITED THE NUMBER OF HOUSES TO WHAT, THREE ACRES OR SOMETHING? WELL, IT SEEMS LIKE ALL OF THESE DEVELOPERS WANT TO DO REAL HIGH DENSITY.
YEAH, WELL THIS AREA HAS WATER AND SEWER.
SO THIS IS THE AREA WHERE YOU CAN PUT HIGH DENSITY DEVELOPMENT, UH, THE WESTERN PART OF THE COUNTY.
AND WE, WE ARE HAVING SOME MEETINGS ABOUT THAT REQUIRE, UH, A BIGGER SIZE LOT BECAUSE YOU, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A SEPTIC AND A AND A WELL OUT HERE, THAT'S NOT THE CASE.
SO THE LIMITATIONS ARE THE ROADS, UH, THE, THE, I MEAN, DENSITY OBVIOUSLY CREATES ISSUES ON ROADS.
UM, AND WE DON'T OWN OUR ROADS, SO WE HAVE TO DEPEND ON, ON VDOT.
AND THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH WE CAN GET A DEVELOPER TO DO ON THE ROADS.
UM, SO IT'S A, IT'S A WORK IN PROGRESS AND IT, EVERY APPLICATION COMES IN, I GUARANTEE YOU, EVERY APPLICATION GETS STUDIED AND THE BOARD HAS TO LOOK AT IT.
THEY VISIT THE LOCATION AND THEY UM, THEY DO THEIR BEST TO KIND OF SHAPE IT TO SOMETHING THAT'S ACCEPTABLE.
IT, IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS ON THE BOARD AND THE TAHOE CREEK NORTH, WHICH IS OFF OF MANIC, WELL NORTH IS OFF, UH, ROCKVILLE AND SOUTH IS OFF MANNEQUIN ROAD.
WHEN THAT CAME IN, ORIGINALLY THEY, THEY WERE ASKING FOR A LOT OF HOMES.
THEY WERE CUT DOWN TO 49 ON EACH SIDE AND COTTON LAND.
THEN THEY FOLLOWED YEAH, THE PLAN.
YEAH, THE, IT, IT FIT THE MODEL.
BUT ANYWAY, BUT THE, UM, ONE OF THE CITIZENS LIVING IN TAHOE CREEK NORTH, UH, WHERE EVERYBODY IN THE AREA WAS SUPPOSED TO, TAHOE CREEK NORTH IS NOW OPPOSED TO HIGHFIELD, WHICH IS NORTH THERE.
SO ONCE YOU GET IN, YOU DON'T WANT ANYBODY ELSE, BUT THAT'S JUST PART OF THE PART OF REALITY.
FOLLOW THE DEVELOPMENT THAT'S GOING ON IN THIS PART OF THE COUNTY.
WHAT'S THE UPDATE ON, UH, FIRE RESCUE STATION SET? WHAT'S THE TIMELINE? SO THEY, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT? IT'S FIRE.
FIRE STATION SEVEN WAS SUPPOSED TO ALREADY BE KIND OF ON THEIR WAY AND IT WAS DELAYED.
UH, WE, UM, ARE NOW LOOKING FOR ANOTHER LOCATION.
UH, CHIEF, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT WE MIGHT BE LOOKING AT? WE HAVE ONE LOCATION THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, WHICH IS THE OLD HCA FACILITY, UH, IN THE, IN WEST CREEK.
[01:25:01]
IT'S A LOT OF MONEY.SO WE'RE LOOKING TO SEE, BECAUSE ONCE WE BUY IT, THEN WE HAVE TO ADD BASE AND CONVERT IT TO A FIRE STATION.
BUT IT, IT'S A VERY POSITIVE, UH, LOCATION.
IT, THE FIRE CHIEF USUALLY WANTS TO BE ABLE TO COVER ON BOTH SIDES OF THE FIRE STATION, BUT THE EAST SIDE OF THAT LOCATION IS HENRICO.
UM, BUT IT'S, BUT IT GIVES US GREAT ACCESS TO 2 88 NORTH AND SOUTH AND TO GO WEST, UH, ON TAHOE CREEK PARKWAY.
AND FIRST COMMENT IS WE ABSOLUTELY DO NEED FIRE STATION SEVEN TO BE BUILT.
IT'S NEEDED FOR THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT THAT'S OCCURRING HERE IN THE EAST END OF THE COUNTY.
UH, HAVING SAID THAT, MR. ALVAREZ IS RIGHT, UH, WE, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO COVER BOTH THE BROAD STREET AND THE PATTERSON CORRIDORS WHERE FIRE STATION SEVEN, UH, OVER TO THE NORTH OF INTERSTATE 64.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THE PROJECT ROCKY DEVELOPMENT AS WELL AS THE ROCKVILLE OPPORTUNITY CORRIDOR THAT HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED WITH OTHER PROJECTS.
AND THEN WE HAVE, UH, OVER TO THE SOUTH, WE HAVE THE SOUTHEASTERN INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, STUDY THAT HAS JUST BEEN RELEASED, UH, PRETTY MUCH IS WHERE WEST CREEK IS.
AND ALL OF THAT IS JUSTIFICATION FOR FIRE STATION SEVEN AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN, EVEN BEFORE THE SOUTHEASTERN, UH, STUDY WAS GIVEN THE NAME, THAT WAS THE JUSTIFICATION FOR FIRE STATION SEVEN BECAUSE WE KNEW 25 YEARS AGO THAT THAT WOULD PROBABLY, UH, DEVELOP.
UH, SO WE ABSOLUTELY DO NEED THAT.
UM, WE THINK THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, HAVING IT SOMEWHERE AROUND THE TUCK CREEK PARKWAY AREA COULD, UH, BENEFIT BOTH SIDES OF THE COUNTY FOR THE ECONOMIC, UH, GROWTH.
UH, COMPANY THREE IN CENTERVILLE COMPANY, ONE IN MANNEQUIN CAN ONLY HANDLE WITH SO MANY CALLS AT ONE TIME.
AND THAT'S THEIR CHALLENGE NOW, IS THAT, UH, ONE OR THE OTHER, OR BOTH ARE TIED UP ON A CALL AND A THIRD CALL COMES IN AND THEN WE PULL DOWN CROZIER.
AND THEN IF THAT CALL GOES, UH, THEN YOU HAVE THE COURTHOUSE.
UH, AN EXAMPLE, MR. ALVAREZ, UH, A FEW, UH, A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, CHIEF WATKINS, WE HAD LIKE SIX, UH, ON, I THINK IT WAS A MONDAY MORNING OR IT WAS A WEEKDAY MORNING WITHIN A TWO HOUR TIMEFRAME.
WE HAD THREE CALLS POP AND THIS END OF THE COUNTY THAT, UM, BASICALLY, UH, YOU KNOW, USED ALL THE RESOURCES WE HAD ON DUTY.
SO UNITS WERE SHIFTING FROM THE, UH, FROM THE WEST TO THE EAST.
AND THAT SANDY HOOK FIRE STATION EIGHT, UH, HAS REALLY BEEN A GREAT RESOURCE BECAUSE, UH, THEY ACTUALLY WERE, UH, THE LAST UNIT, COMPANY ONE, COMPANY TWO, COMPANY THREE, AND COMPANY FIVE WERE ALREADY ON AMBULANCE CALLS IN THE EAST END OF THE COUNTY.
AND SO, UH, YOU KNOW, WE, OUR STAFFING MODEL IS WE'RE A FIRE AND RESCUE.
SO WE NOT ONLY WORRY ABOUT THE AMBULANCE CALL, BUT WE WORRY ABOUT WHAT IF A FIRE CALL COMES IN NEXT, WHICH ARE USUALLY MORE LABOR INTENSIVE IN SOME CASES.
SO, UH, WE DO NEED THE FIRE STATION.
WE ARE LOOKING AT, UM, PROPERTY ALONG THE TUCKER CREEK PARKWAY AREA.
THERE IS, UH, SOME OTHER DEVELOPMENT THAT SARAH HAS, UH, BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN ATTRACTING AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS, BUT, UH, WE CERTAINLY, UH, KNOW THAT THAT COULD HAVE AN IMPACT ON, YOU KNOW, AIR SERVICES AND WE'RE ANXIOUS TO LEARN, YOU KNOW, MORE ABOUT THAT.
UM, BUT I THINK YOU MENTIONED, UH, I DON'T WANNA LET THE CAT OUT THE BAG.
YOU DID SAY THE HCA PROPERTY, RIGHT? SOMETHING WE LOOK, I'LL PROBABLY, SO WE'RE LOOKING AT WHETHER WE COULD PURCHASE THAT.
UH, BUT, UH, IT'S GONNA TAKE MORE MONEY THAN WE HAVE.
I LITTLE BIT THAT YOU WANT TO COME UP.
COMPENSATION EIGHT OUT FIRE STATION EIGHT WAS PULLED FORWARD.
IN ORDER TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE IN THE SHORTER TERM.
AND SO IT'S NOT SIMPLY A, RATHER THAN SIT AROUND, NOT SIT AROUND, BUT RATHER THAN HAVE A DELAY IN OUR, UH, EFFECTIVENESS AS THE ORGANIZATION, WE'VE MADE THAT CONSCIOUS EFFORT, UH, TO, UH, MOVE THAT PROCESS FORWARD SO WE CAN GET THINGS GOING SOONER THAN LATER.
SO YES, WE DO WANT TO FIND THE RIGHT LOCATION FOR STATION SEVEN, BUT IT WAS, UH, AS THAT WAS HITTING SNAGS, IT MADE MORE SENSE TO GET STARTED WITH A PROJECT THAT IS SEEING BENEFITS ALREADY.
WE HAVE, WE, WE DIDN'T WASTE TIME.
WE MOVED THAT PROJECT RIGHT TO SANDY HOOK SO THAT WE COULD HAVE MORE RESOURCES ON DUTY COUNTYWIDE, WHICH, AND IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MY LIVING LESS THAN A MILE FROM IT.
TODD, CAN I ASK QUESTION? YEP.
UM, GOING ON WHAT BEN WAS TOUCHING BASED ON A FEW MINUTES AGO, I MEAN, YOU'RE THE EXPERT.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON PUTTING OUT A STORAGE CONTAINER SIZE BATTERY WHEN IT CATCHES ON FIRE? WELL, I'M IN THE HOT SEAT, RIGHT? THAT'S THE ANSWER.
UH, WE, UH, WE ONLY KNOW WHAT WE KNOW.
UH, WHAT WE KNOW AND WHAT WE'VE BEEN TOLD IS THE DEVELOPER, YOU KNOW, WANTS TO GET THE APPLICATION APPROVED, BUT PROBABLY NOT
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BUILD IT UNTIL WE WERE TOLD FIVE OR SIX YEARS OUT.UH, WE HAVE SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERNS.
I'LL ALWAYS GIVE YOU AN HONEST ANSWER.
WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY HAVE SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERNS WITH THE PROJECT.
UH, WE BELIEVE THAT, UH, POSSIBLY THERE IS A BETTER LOCATION FOR IT.
THIS IS NOT THE RIGHT LOCATION.
THERE'S A ROAD ISSUE THERE AND THERE IS NO WATER THERE.
AND BATTERY EN ENERGY, UH, STORAGE SYSTEMS, UH, WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THOSE, UM, THERE ARE MANY TESLAS MAGNIFIED AND THEY CAN BURN FROM, UH, FOR, FOR ANYWHERE FROM HOURS TO DAYS TO WEEKS.
AND SO, UH, THIS IS, UH, SOMETHING, UH, RELATIVELY NEW TO THE FIRE SERVICE, UH, ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
WE CAN CERTAINLY, UH, FIND INFORMATION OUT CALIFORNIA, DIFFERENT PLACES THAT HAVE IT.
AND IF PAS ADDRESSED IT, THE VIRGINIA FIRE CHIEFS ASSOCIATION HAS A POSITION ON IT.
AND SO THERE'S MORE TO BE LEARNED AND THERE'S MORE TO BE KNOWN.
BUT, UH, WE HAVE CERTAINLY, UH, PUT OUR CONCERNS IN WRITING, UH, AND WE HAVE SUBMITTED THOSE TO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND WE'RE JUST, UH, WE'RE LEARNING AND, AND TRYING TO UNDERSTAND.
BUT, UH, IT SEEMS LIKE THEY WOULD BE A BETTER LOCATION FOR IT THAT COULD ADDRESS SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT, UH, HAVE ALREADY BEEN BROUGHT UP HERE TONIGHT.
I HOPE THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION.
YES, CHARLIE, I JUST SAID THAT, UH, WHAT CHIEF SAID, 'CAUSE IT IS TRUE, LOCATION IS THE KEY, BUT THESE ARE ALL, THESE TECHNOLOGIES FEED OFF ONE ANOTHER.
SO IN MANY INSTANCES WE SEE SITUATIONS WHERE, OH, WE WANT A DATA CENTER.
WELL, IF WE DON'T CONSIDER AHEAD OF TIME THE POSSIBLE ELECTRICITY IMPACTS OF SUCH A MASSIVE OPPORTUNITY, THEN WE ARE NOT FORWARD LOOKING ENOUGH.
AND WE WILL ABSOLUTELY MISS OUT ON AMAZING OPPORTUNITIES THAT EVERYONE SEEMS TO CLAIM WE'RE ABOUT TO GETTING THAT TAX REVENUE UP AND A COMMERCIAL REVENUE UP IN ORDER TO KEEP THE TAX RATES DOWN FOR THE RESIDENTIAL.
AND SO IT IS IT, THESE PROJECTS CAN'T BE LOOKED AT JUST IN A SILO.
THEY REALLY DO NEED TO BE LOOKED AT HOLISTICALLY.
UM, IF WE CAN FIND THE RIGHT LOCATIONS, IF WE CAN HAVE THE PARTNERS WHO ARE MUCH MORE FORTHCOMING THAN, YOU KNOW, CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS SEEM TO BE AT THIS POINT, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, ALL THESE TECHNOLOGIES FEED OFF ONE ANOTHER RATHER THAN JUST BEING ISOLATED.
AND I THINK ONE OF THE BIGGEST BENEFITS TO OUR COMMERCIAL REVENUE BASE IN THE LONG TERM IS, IS ANALYZING THAT AND SEEING THAT IT AS A WHOLE.
UM, SO I MORE MUCH WANNA LEARN ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THIS PROJECT LIKE THIS, BUT IT'S CERTAINLY DOES, UM, PLAY INTO DATA CENTERS AND OTHER HEAVY USE, UM, THAT FRANKLY, IN MANY PLACES AN OUTDATED GRID JUST CAN'T FEED APPROPRIATELY.
SO, UM, IT IS, IT IS OUR JOB AS THE BOARD, UH, STAFF TO LOOK AT THESE THINGS, UH, HOPEFULLY WELL IN ADVANCE, UH, SO THAT WE CAN BE PREPARED.
GREAT POINT YOU THAT, THAT'S KINDA WHAT I WAS TALKING EARLIER.
WE, WE, IN SOME CASES WE DON'T GO OUT FOR THESE BUSINESSES, BUT WE LOOK AT 'EM ALL BECAUSE WE DO WANT GET TO THAT 70 30 OR EVEN EVEN BETTER NOW, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T WANT, WE DON'T WANNA BECOME AN INDUSTRIAL COUNTY, BUT, BUT IT DOES HELP US, UH, TO LOWER, UH, IF WE ARE EVER GONNA LOWER THE TAX RATE WE NEED, UH, OR TO MAINTAIN IT WHERE IT IS WE NEED TO BRING BUSINESSES IN FIVE MINUTES OF BEING TOLD.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? WHAT'S THE STATUS OF THE COUNTY MANAGER SEARCH? UH, SO WE'VE RECEIVED A LOT OF RESUMES.
UH, THERE'S SOME REALLY GOOD CANDIDATES IN THE, IN THE GROUP.
UM, AND WE ARE HAVING, UH, AT OUR MEETING ON THE FIRST, WE'RE HAVING A, A CLOSED SESSION.
THE BOARD WILL GET TOGETHER AND DECIDE ON WHEN, UH, THEY'RE GOING TO START THE INTERVIEW PROCESS.
SO YOU HAVE A QUESTION? YES, SIR.
THE TIMELINE FOR THE TEMPORARY IMPROVEMENTS AT THE I 64 DIVERGENT DIAMOND HALL.
UM, SARAH, CAN YOU COME UP AGAIN? HAVE I INTRODUCED YOU TO MISS SARAH WORLEY?
UM, IT, THEY ARE, UH, SO VDOT RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THAT THEY ARE DOING A DESIGN BUILD.
SO IT DID SHAVE SOME TIME OFF THE ESTIMATED TIMEFRAME.
WE WERE LOOKING AT 20 30, 20 31 BEFORE IT WAS COMPLETED.
THEY'VE RECENTLY DECIDED THAT THEY'RE GONNA GO WITH A DESIGN BUILD CONCEPT, WHICH ALLOWS ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS TO PARTNER TOGETHER TO COME UP WITH A, UH, FINANCIALLY AND TIME, UM, IT TIMELY
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SOLUTION TO THE DESIGN BUILD PROCESS.AND SO THEY'RE HOPING TO HAVE IT BUILT AND DONE BY 2029.
I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO GO TO THAT GLAND VA.US/OC.
THEY HAVE UPDATED TIMEFRAMES ON THERE, AND THAT IS WHERE YOU'RE GONNA FIND ALL OF THE MOST CURRENT INFORMATION ABOUT ALL OF THE IMPROVEMENTS HAPPENING ALONG THE ASHLAND ROAD CORRIDOR.
SO HIS QUESTION WAS ABOUT THE TEMPORARY, TEMPORARY TEMPORARY TEMPORARY TEMPORARY WILL BE DONE, UM, IN THE NEXT THREE MONTHS.
SO YOU WILL SEE A TEMPORARY LIGHT GOING UP AT THE EASTBOUND, UM, SIDE OF THE INTERCHANGE, AND YOU WILL SEE AN ADDITIONAL, UH, WESTBOUND, UH, UH, LANE BEING ADDED TO THE INTERCHANGE TO GO WESTBOUND ON 64.
SO THAT'S HAPPENING ALMOST IMMEDIATELY.
AND THAT INFORMATION IS ALSO ON THE, ON THE WEBSITE.
NOW I'M GONNA GIVE YOU A BREAK TONIGHT ON THE
YOU HAVE A QUESTION? OH, SURE.
SO I HAVE A BIT OF EXPERIENCE WITH COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND, UM, YOU'RE HIRED
I, AND I'VE READ THROUGH YOUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2035 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
AND I, I THINK WHAT PEOPLE NEED TO REALLY APPRECIATE IS THAT THE MODEL CHANGED DURING THE PANDEMIC FOR COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT.
SO, AND WE HAVE A REALLY GOOD EXAMPLE IN
SO CAPITAL ONE'S GONE TO A HYBRID WORK MODEL, RIGHT? THREE DAYS IN THE OFFICE, TWO DAYS OUT.
SO WHAT DO YOU DO WITH ALL THAT EXTRA OFFICE SPACE? YOU SHUTTER IT AND CAPITAL ONE NATIONALLY, SHUTTERING OFFICE SPACE AND BANK RANGES, RIGHT? THEY'RE CLOSING THEM DOWN.
I DON'T THINK WE WANT TO FIND OURSELVES IN THAT SITUATION.
SO IT REALLY PUTS A BURDEN ON YOU TO FIND ALTERNATIVE TYPES OF COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT, WHICH REALLY AREN'T THERE BEFORE IT WAS CLASS A, B, AND C OFFICE SPACE.
SO I, I THINK AT SOME POINT THE CONVERSATION NEEDS TO BE HAD.
'CAUSE UCHIN COUNTY IS AN AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY.
WHAT REALLY DO WE WANT THE COUNTY TO LOOK LIKE IN 2035? BECAUSE THE MODELS CAN SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGE NOW.
AND WE'VE BEEN LUCKY 'CAUSE CAPITAL ONE HAS NOT CUT HERE, BUT OF COURSE THE EMPLOYEES WEREN'T COMING, BUT ONCE THEY BUILD IT, THE TAXES GO WITH IT.
SO, SO THEY, THEY ONCE, ONCE IT'S THERE AND IT'S VALUED, UH, THEY WOULD HAVE TO WORK HARD TO CONVINCE US THAT IT'S NO LONGER WORTH WHAT IT WAS WORTH.
SO THERE'S ALWAYS A VALUE TO THE CONSTRUCTION AND THE DEVELOPMENT.
IF, IF, UM, PROJECT ROCKY WERE TO HAPPEN AND THEY DECIDE NOT TO, NOT TO STICK AROUND THAT BUILDING WILL STILL BE WORTH HALF A BILLION DOLLARS OR CLOSE TO.
SO, SO THOSE ARE THE KIND OF THINGS THAT, UH, SO IT'S, IT'S, I'M, I'M SURE WE DON'T WANT TO SEE A VACANT BUILDING FALLING APART, BUT, UM, THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT, UH, AND WE'RE NOT HAVING A LOT OF THAT COMING.
IT'S, IT'S MOSTLY RIGHT NOW, THE ONES THAT ARE COMING OTHER THAN DISTRIBUTION, WE HAVE SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE CAN'T TALK ABOUT THAT IS REALLY POSITIVE.
THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD, I THINK EVERYBODY'S GONNA PLEASE BE PLEASED WITH.
ON THIS TOPIC, ARE THERE ANY NIBBLES ON THE FEDERAL RESERVE PROPERTY?
UM, YEAH, THE, THE OFFICE MARKET IS TOUGH, VERY, VERY TOUGH.
AND, UM, TO YOUR POINT, WE, WE ARE TRYING TO DIVERSIFY.
SO WE'RE NOT SO HEAVILY DEPENDENT ON PEOPLE LIKE CAPITAL ONE.
UM, AND WE ALSO, WE HAVE A, WHAT WE CALL THE BENCH, UH, BUSINESS RETENTION AND EXPANSION PROGRAM.
SO WE'RE GOING OUT, WE'RE MEETING WITH BUSINESSES ALL THE TIME TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING, UM, OF WHAT THEY MIGHT NEED.
SO WE'RE MEETING WITH CAPITAL ONE.
SO IF, IF THERE WAS TO EVER BE AN OPPORTUNITY WHERE, YOU KNOW, THAT THEY WOULD BE LOOKING TO CLOSE SOME OF THEIR CAMPUSES, WE WOULD KNOW ABOUT IT AND TRY TO GET AHEAD OF THAT.
OTHER QUESTIONS? IS MY TIME UP? OH, YES SIR.
I SHOULD HAVE ASKED SARAH SOMETHING.
WHAT IS THE COUNTY'S VIEW OF DATA CENTER? IF IT CAME UP JUST A MINUTE AGO AND YEAH, I DON'T THINK, UH, YOU'RE AWARE.
SO I, I HAVEN'T REALLY HAD THE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE BOARD, UH, SINCE I STARTED.
SO HENRICO, UH, ANNOUNCED 6% PAY INCREASE.
IT WAS GONNA COST THEM, UM, ONE POINT, NO, A HUNDRED, A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS.
THEY INCREASED THE TAXES ON DATA CENTERS FROM 40 CENTS TO $2 AND 60 CENTS AND MORE THAN PAID
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FOR THE, FOR THE COST OF THE PAY RAISES FOR ALL EMPLOYEES.SO IT'S, IT'S A GREAT, UM, AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, IT'S A GOOD THING.
THEY DO NOT ADD TRAFFIC TO THE ROADS IN MANY WAYS.
UH, THEY DON'T CREATE A LOT OF JOBS, NOT A LOT OF JOBS THERE.
THEY USE A WHOLE LOT OF POWER AND, AND OF COURSE THEY'RE GONNA PAY FOR IT, BUT THAT'S ONE OF THE CONSTRAINTS THAT WE HAVE.
AND THEN IF IT'S IN TUCKAHOE CREEK SERVICE DISTRICT, IT'S GONNA USE QUITE A BIT OF WATER, WHICH WOULD HELP US POTENTIALLY RETIRE.
THERE'S BONDS ARE LOT QUICKER.
UH, SO THERE'S A LOT I LIKE ABOUT THEM.
I'M RETURNED MR. SLOAN BE ABLE TO EXPAND ON THAT NAUM AS HE HAS WITH ME.
UNFORTUNATELY THAT IT DIDN'T STICK
SO I, I LIKED THEM IN CONCEPT, BUT THE DEVIL'S ALWAYS IN THE DETAILS.
SO IF, IF WE HAD SOMEBODY WHO WAS ABLE TO COME IN, WE HAD THE WATER AND WE HAD THE POWER, AND, UH, IT WAS NOT GOING TO NEGATIVE, BUT IMPACT, OF COURSE, I'M VERY PROTECTIVE OF FARMLAND.
I DON'T LIKE TO SEE FARMLAND TAKEN AWAY, BUT I, I LIKE THE CONCEPT PROPERLY.
AND TO MR. VOTER'S POINT, YOU KNOW, WE, THAT'S WHAT WE NEED, SOME OF THESE OTHER TECHNOLOGIES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN HANDLE A DATA CENTER.
UM, JUST TO ADD TO WHAT YOU'RE ALL SAYING, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE COMPLAINT, THE CITIZEN CONCERNS THAT I SEE IS WHEN THERE ARE TOO MANY THEM.
SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD, I, I DON'T, I DON'T THINK WE WOULD OVER FLOOD GATES AND HARRIS COUNTY DOTTED WITH, UH, DATA CENTERS, BUT I THINK WE SHOULD LOOK LONG AND HARD AT AT LEAST ONE BECAUSE OF THE BENEFITS OF IT AND THE, THE FACT, AND I THINK JUST TO, YOU MENTIONED LOCATION, I THINK WE'D HAVE TO MAKE SURE IT'S IN THE RIGHT LOCATION AND SO FORTH.
BUT, YOU KNOW, I WOULD LIKE, I THINK IT'S WORTHY OF US LOOKING INTO IT AND, AND EXAMINING THE BENEFITS AND TAKING A LOOK AT, UH, THE, ANY NEGATIVE IMPACT IT MAY HAVE.
AND CERTAINLY CITIZEN INPUT IS VERY IMPORTANT.
BUT WHAT I'M SEEING IS THAT JUST COMING IN LOTS AND LOTS OF THEM, LIKE IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA.
AND I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY THE PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED UP THERE, BUT I THINK, UM, WE COULD PROBABLY HAVE AN APPETITE FOR AT LEAST ONE THAT'S NOT YOU.
IF, IF I HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN A SOLAR COLLECTION FACILITY, BATTERY STORE, THOUSANDS OF ACRES, I'M GOING WITH THE DATA CENTER.
MR. ALVAREZ, I JUST WANNA RECOGNIZE THAT ELLEN ROBINSON FOR THE SCHOOL BOARD DISTRICT FIVE IS HERE.
SHE, UH, HAS JOINED US AND, AND, UH, I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT THE JOB SHE DOES.
WE HAVE, UH, $7 CHEESEBURGERS AT SUNSET GRILL THE THIRD MONDAY OF EVERY MONTH.
AND SHE KEEPS ME STRAIGHT AS TO WHAT THE SCHOOLS NEED.
SO
WE DO AS DISTRICT FIVE SCHOOL BOARD, WE WELCOME YOU ALL.
I'M SORRY I COULD NOT BE HERE EARLIER, BUT IF YOU EVER HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'M ON SPEED DIAL OR EMAIL PLEASE, PLEASE REACH OUT AND THEN I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER.
SO LEMME TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK MR. ALMARAZ PUBLICLY.
UH, NOT ONLY HAS HE PREPARED HIMSELF FOR THIS WITH A VERY SHORT NOTICE, AND I THINK HE'S GIVEN A VERY GOOD, UH, PRESENTATION, BUT, UH, COMING IN AS THE INTERIM COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR HAS GIVEN US THE OPPORTUNITY TO DELIBERATELY TRY TO GET IT RIGHT THIS TIME.
ON, ON ON OUR COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR.
THAT'S A VERY, VERY IMPORTANT POSITION FOR THIS COUNTY.
THE STAFF THAT HELP PREPARE ALL THE DATA AND SO FORTH.
UM, WE DO WANT TO BE TRANSPARENT.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM Y'ALL AND WE WANT TO WANT YOU TO BE INFORMED.
I, I WANT TO THANK, UH, SANDY WARWICK BECAUSE LAST YEAR I WAS HEADING THE VIRGINIA TWO 50 COMMISSION TO CELEBRATE THE 250TH ANNIVERSARY, K KLIN TWO 50 COMMISSION
UH, AND, UH, SHE'S KIND OF TAKEN IT OVER.
SO SHE IS THE INTERIM CHAIR TO DO YOUR WORK
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SO HE CAN COME BACK.SHE IS, SHE CLAIMS INTERIM, BUT I THINK I'M GONNA MOVE TO FLORIDA AS SOON AS THIS IS OVER.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? MICHELLE? ANGELA, MEREDITH? NO, WE HAVE THE COOKIES IN THE LOBBY.
UH, THEY'RE COOKIES BACK HERE AND COOKIES IN THE LOBBY.
THEY'RE DELICIOUS MADE BY THE STUDENTS OF THE, IN THE CULINARY SCHOOL.