Coraggio Consulting
Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, Business Meeting, Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Date: Tuesday, September 19, 2023
Place: Board Room, First Floor, Government Center, 1 Harrison Street SE, Leesburg, Virginia
Length: 5h 15m (video)
Official meeting video (county, Granicus): https://loudoun.granicus.com/player/clip/7417
Agenda (Granicus): https://loudoun.granicus.com/AgendaViewer.php?view_id=73&clip_id=7417

Machine transcript (speech-to-text) produced by Coraggio Consulting. Not an official county record. Names and numbers may be misspelled; check the video at the timestamp before quoting.
Speech-to-text: whisper.cpp, model large-v3-turbo. Produced 2026-10-20. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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[00:07:42] Well, good evening, supervisors. Good evening, staff. Good evening, Loudoun. I'd like to call to order the September 19, 2023 Loudoun County Board of Supervisors business meeting.

[00:07:59] This room has a hearing loop. If you need a hearing aid, please switch. If you need hearing assistance, please switch your hearing aid to the telecom mode. If you need a headset, we have those available as well. Please see the clerk to request one. Before I do anything else, I want to say that our Congresswoman and friend, Jennifer Wexton, did announce this past week that she is dealing with a very serious degenerative disease.

[00:08:28] And I know that there are times that political parties and political positions just don't matter. I know that everybody on this board, everybody on this board knows Jennifer. Many of us, Councilman Wexton, many of us have worked with her for many, many years.

[00:08:46] And I know that all of us are sending her family our good wishes, their thoughts, and our prayers for, we know she's facing a tough road, and we want her to know how appreciative we are of her service.

[00:09:02] So with that, Mr. Letourneau. Dear God, as we gather today for our meeting, We thank you for the opportunity to serve our citizens, to be in positions of leadership. We thank you for the blessings that have been bestowed upon us as a county and as a country.

[00:09:24] And we ask you to protect our first responders and those who are out there every day, keeping us safe. Amen. The United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

[00:09:47] Okay there, Jared. All right, Supervisors, without objection, I need to add two closed sessions to tonight's agenda, and we'll probably get to those closed sessions pretty early because we don't have any information items, and so it's very likely that we're going to closed session a little bit earlier just to kind of get at least one or two of them done.

[00:10:09] Closed session item number two will be regarding the actual or probable litigation regarding the application for a toll rate increase on the Dulles Greenway. Closed session number three will be regarding collective bargaining. Are there any other additions or deletions to the agenda?

[00:10:28] I think, Mr. Buckington, you want to make a withdrawal of your nomination. Yes, sir. Yes, please.

[00:10:57] iPads being slow. Are they slow tonight? Sometimes they are.

[00:11:14] Madam Chair, are you taking nominations now? No. No, we're not. We're not. We're not. Nope. OK, we're ready, sir. Madam Chair, I withdraw my nomination of the at-large representative on the Library Board of Trustees made at the September 5th, 2023 business meeting.

[00:11:35] Thank you, sir. And before I read the consent agenda, and without objection, Mr. Sainz and Mr. Letourneau, Mr. No, yeah, Mr. Sainz is not here, so I guess he'll have to do this later. I forgot to make a disclosure on a discussion we had at the public hearing about the Desai residential application.

[00:12:02] And so without objection, I'm going to let them make those right now. And I will say if anyone wants to go back to this item and modify or change your vote on this based on their disclosures, this will be the time to tell me that you want to do that.

[00:12:19] I doubt that that's what anyone wants, but if anyone wants to, this will be the time to tell me. But in the meantime, I will go on, and Mr. Letourne, would you like to do that disclosure? Thank you, Madam Chair. After the Board's approval of the side residential land use case, which, as you may recall, was sort of resolved at the last minute, was not anticipating a vote last Wednesday, I double-checked a list of donations and realized that an interested party, Mr. Desai, did in fact make a contribution to my campaign in excess of $100 back in March.

[00:12:48] I was not aware of that at the time and didn't recall that donation. The county attorney has opined that I do not have a legal conflict of interest, but that I do need to disclose this contribution at this meeting. Such the contribution did not affect my fair and impartial consideration of this desired residential case, especially since I didn't even remember I had the donation land use application.

[00:13:09] However, if the chair mentioned if the board feels this information changes their position, then the application could be reconsidered. And we will do the same thing with Mr. Sains when he arrives, but I'm assuming with no objection, no one has any desire to change a vote.

[00:13:26] So I'm going to go on and read the consent agenda proposed. Consent agenda is as follows. It's a very long one, everyone, so just get ready. Item R1, proclamation recognizing September 17th through the 23rd, 2023, is Constitution Week.

[00:13:44] That is for approval and presentation. Mr. Buffington, you have that, correct? So you're going to be joining me down front. Item number two, proclamation to recognize Hispanic Heritage Month in Loudoun County. That is Ms. Glass, who's going to be joining me down front for that one.

[00:14:00] Item number three, proclamation recognizing September 2023 as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. That is for approval and presentation. Mr. Letourneau is going to be joining me down front for that one. Item number four, proclamation to recognize September 18th through 23rd as Diaper Need Awareness Week.

[00:14:20] That is mine, and so I will have, if he is back, the vice chair join me down front for that. Item one, appointments and confirmations. Item two, administrative items report of September 19th, 2023. Item three, proposed Charles Hamilton Houston signage plan for the historic 1895 courthouse.

[00:14:40] Item 4, proposed traffic calming measures in the Dawson Corner Community. Item 5, location and design endorsement, Croson Lane Widening, Claiborne Parkway to Old Ryan Road. Item 6, location and design endorsement, Westwood Drive from Loudoun County Parkway to Old Ox Road.

[00:14:59] Item 7, board member initiative, enhancing pedestrian safety, unwinding road between Broad Run Drive and Algonquian Parkway. Item 10A, Contract Renewal Architectural Services. Item 10B, Contract Renewal Architectural Services for Building Renovations.

[00:15:18] Item 10C, Contract Renewal Site Civil and Parks Design Services. Number 10D, Contract Renewal Geotechnical Engineering and Soil Science Services. 10E, Contract Renewal Traffic Engineering and Operation Services.

[00:15:35] 10f contract renewal on-call land surveying services 10g contract renewal off the lot new and used vehicles through class 7 item 10h contract renewal police rated administrative sports utility vehicles vans and trucks and motorcycles item 10i approval of the 2023-2024 Certified Developers for the Rental Housing Acquisition and Preservation Loan Program.

[00:16:11] Item 10J, Utilization of Federal and State Forfeiture Funds for the Sheriff's Office. Item 10M, Transfer of Funds for Land Acquisition for North Star, Phase 1, Route 50, Evergreen Mills Road. Is there a motion to approve? I'll make a motion to approve.

[00:16:27] Second. Motion to approve and a second to Mr. Buffington. Is there any discussion on the motion? Ms. Glass. Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to thank DTCI staff for including the Croson Lane Widening Project, another warrant study for a traffic signal at Croson Lane and Old Rhine Road.

[00:16:45] There have been several instances of drivers running the stop sign on the eastbound approach and causing serious accidents. I've been working with VDOT to make the stop sign approach more obvious, but a signal would be much safer. I look forward to the results of this study and hopefully moving toward a signal installation.

[00:17:04] Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you. Ms. Bricksman. Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to thank my colleagues for supporting item number seven, the winding road pedestrian improvements. This has been on my radar for a little while, but the Galley United Methodist Church contacted my office about the inability for parishioners and preschool families to walk their children to the Christian preschool there.

[00:17:31] And we do have one new small housing development nearby there, but we also have a number of apartments and townhomes and virtually no sidewalks aside from a small section from Algonquian Parkway to Lakeside Boulevard, I believe.

[00:17:47] So what we're looking to do here is make sure that there's just safe passage. I mean, Galilee is also known as a neighborhood church. They host several recovery groups, a huge rummage sale, the Christian school. They have festivals, scout troops, and the like.

[00:18:04] There's just no adequate sidewalks around there on the north or the south sides of the road. There's no pedestrian facilities for the bus stop next to the apartments on the eastern side of Winding Road. And there's no crosswalks present along Winding Road. So I really appreciate support with this.

[00:18:22] and I look forward to what staff brings back so that we can work a little bit more on connectivity and safety in this area. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Ms. Bricksman. All right, that is all. All in favor of the consent agenda, please say aye.

[00:18:39] Opposed? That motion will pass, 801. Mr. Sainz, not on the dais. All right, for my chair's comments, it's almost all about NVTA tonight. I have other stuff that happened over the past two weeks, but I really want to have the NVTA discussion. First of all, it is very likely that NVTA will be moving our headquarters location sometime next year, right around the end of March, early April.

[00:19:09] The lease agreement with NVRC is up as of right now. We will be doing a short-term lease for the next six months while a new space gets ready. There has been a new space identified after a whole lot of work.

[00:19:25] I have walked the new space as NVTA chair and saw the location. It is probably only about seven minutes from the old location, and we will likely be signing a lease with them rather soon. All right. The second information is really amazingly good news about NVTA.

[00:19:45] Since House Bill 2313 was passed in 2013, of course, NVTA is a 70-30 split, 70% on regional roads and regional projects and 30% to the jurisdictions.

[00:20:01] Since that was passed, $1 billion has been distributed to member jurisdictions. That's a billion with a B. And I think it's really interesting on what most of this money, Because when the money, the 30% money that comes from NVTA can't be used on anything.

[00:20:17] It doesn't have to be used on road projects. It can't be used on anything. And so before I tell you what Loudon's share was, let me tell you what the breakdown was. Of that money, of that $1 billion, the vast majority of that money was spent on transit.

[00:20:34] It's 36 projects for a total of $354 million was spent on transit. The second was bike and ped with 74 projects and $67 million. So the transit and bike and ped far, far outweighed and outstripped any of the intersections, roadway, transportation, other building roads.

[00:20:58] And so for people that might think that some of these jurisdictional organizations just built roads, that's just literally factually not correct. So much more money has gone on transit and bike pads, and even on transportation technology, which got $14.7 million.

[00:21:16] Now, the really amazing news is of that $1 billion, Loudoun did very, very well. We got $191.2 million. Of course, Fairfax, because of its size, got the most money with $422. But I also want to compare our $191 million with Prince William, because we're like just a teeny bit smaller than Prince William.

[00:21:37] they got $146 million, Arlington got $107 million, City of Alexandria 68, Manassas Park 5.3, Manassas City 19.5, Fairfax City 24 million, and City of Falls Church 9.5. So Loudon, we did very, very well in money coming back to us from NVTA, and most of our money, much of our money that came back to us from NVTA was spent on transit services.

[00:22:11] I think that's really important to say, and great job to the DTCI staff and all the staff who work so closely with NVTA on this amazing effort. Okay, tonight, my voice for a cause is PASTA.

[00:22:28] PASTA stands for Peers and Students Taking Action. Peers and Students Taking Action. The vision and mission of PASTA is to collaborate in chapters to create and implement projects that will help kids in their community.

[00:22:44] It's student-inspired. It's student-led. It's about running a nonprofit and becoming a leader. It's about character, compassion, and learning how to help. And we have some young ladies from PASTA who have joined us here this evening. Will you all please introduce yourselves and tell us what schools you go to and how old you are?

[00:23:04] Good afternoon. Thank you so much for having us. My name is Ava Tariki. I'm a junior at Independence High School. I'm joined by Shravya Etta, who's a senior at Briar Woods High School, and our two other board members, Verunica Muriala and Anika Gupta Kisarwani.

[00:23:20] And what schools do they attend? Annika goes to Independence High School, and Vernika goes to Rockridge High School. Rockridge High School. Very good. What motivated you to start PASTA? That's a great question. So 10 years ago, PASTA was born out of a challenge.

[00:23:36] Our founders looked around and realized that service had become so much about getting volunteer hours before college or boosting resumes or applications. They wondered, how do you inspire real caring in kids? How do you empower a generation to genuinely see and serve others when the world around us really just rewards the hours that we get?

[00:23:56] And that's why PASTA was born, to serve kids in our community and teach our peers the value of their actions, their words, and their compassion. So to attack this challenge head-on, we built out a project-based, passion-driven service model. In this model, students organize themselves into chapters, identify problems facing kids in the community, and then use their passions and talents to help solve these problems.

[00:24:20] This model encourages hyper-awareness to the issues facing yourself and others and promotes creativity to solve problems in new ways. There has never been a rubric or like a step-by-step instruction manual for doing projects because they've all arisen out of the need and creativity of our members.

[00:24:37] And I guess that model has worked because not long after, without any marketing, PASTA has had 70 requests for new chapters across the country. Across the country? Yes, across the country. That's amazing. That's absolutely amazing. How do you let other kids know that you're here?

[00:24:54] What do you do to have them reach out to you? How do they contact you? How do you reach out to them? Yeah, so a lot of the way we contact potential members and new potential members is through word of mouth. People, you know, we have our members, their parents say, hey, this has been so transformative for my child.

[00:25:09] I think your child would benefit from it, too. And Shravya can speak more to that. She's been our lead of new chapter enrollment this year. So regarding both national and, you know, local chapter enrollment in the locality, as Ava mentioned, we always focus on mouth to mouth impact and, you know, letting people know through parents and students who have already been impacted from PASTA on the effect we're making on our community, as well as focusing on our social media channels, whether it be through Instagram or Facebook to reach parents, especially in connecting with our national chapters.

[00:25:45] That is amazing. The one question I don't have on here that I do want to ask you is, what do you need any, what kind of parental assistance are you getting, and how do your parents work with you on this?

[00:26:01] Yes. So as you may know, PASTA is a student-run and student-founded organization. Our entire board of directors is led completely by students who are all high school students. And we do get help from parental support, especially from our middle school chapters and our younger chapters.

[00:26:23] But largely, we are able to cultivate leadership and growth in that aspect by allowing students to take initiative and learn from their mistakes in that way. And we really only look and seek parental guidance as it's needed to help middle school chapters and younger chapters grow into becoming strong high school leaders.

[00:26:43] I have to say I am incredibly, incredibly impressed by you all. What you're doing is needed, to be quite honest, especially, and I know you know that more than anybody else, it was visionary. The fact that it's gone so far so quickly shows how much it was needed.

[00:27:00] um peer-to-peer support is is almost invaluable especially right now so i i really cannot thank you all enough you all are incredibly impressive and i do we all appreciate the work you're doing we don't normally clap in the boardroom but this is the one one of the times through the through the meeting we allow clapping so thank you all wait do you have a specific facebook page you want to give to for people to find you or a website or anything what's that we do we have a website and Instagram and a Facebook.

[00:27:33] We are called We Are Pasta and on all three of these channels. So wearepasta.org. Wearepasta.com. Wearepasta on Facebook. Wearepasta on Instagram. Yes. Thank you very much, Langley. Wearepasta.org. Wearepasta.org. Okay. Thank you very much, Langley. We appreciate you being here with us this evening. Thank you.

[00:27:53] Thank you so much. Thank you. Mr. Hemstreet, do you have any comments tonight? Thank you, Chair Randall. I have four comments for this evening. The first is that Loudoun County has again received the Outstanding Achievement Award in Popular Annual Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association of the U.S. and Canada.

[00:28:13] The award is for the fiscal year 2022 Popular Annual Financial Report. To receive the award, a report must meet high standards of creativity, presentation, understandability, and reader appeal. This is the sixth year in a row that Loudoun has earned the award for the Popular Annual Financial Report.

[00:28:30] Second, I'm pleased to announce that the Howe and Bernie Hanson Regional Park continues to be recognized for its outstanding recreational opportunities. The park received the prestigious Best New Facility Award from the Virginia Recreation and Park Society at the group's recent annual conference. Third, the Loudoun County Continuum of Care is expanding its membership.

[00:28:49] Groups and individuals who help to meet the needs of the homeless and those at risk of being homeless are encouraged to apply. The coalition is made up of public, nonprofit, and faith-based organizations that provide a variety of shelter and support services. Staff support is provided by our Department of Family Services.

[00:29:05] An online membership application form is available at loudon.gov slash COC. And then finally, the Loudoun County Public Library has announced the selection of It Happened on Saturday by local author Sydney Dunlap for the 2023 One Book, One Community Program.

[00:29:21] This timely story revolves around 13-year-old Julia as she navigates the world of dating and its implications for Internet safety. Free copies of the book are available electronically and in paperback. More information, including a list of upcoming one-book, one-community events, can be found at library.loudon.gov.

[00:29:40] Those are my comments for this evening, Chair Randall. Thank you, Mr. Hemstreet. Supervisors, we can do a couple things right now. So we don't have any information items tonight. We do have three closed sessions, and we have four action items with the end nominations.

[00:29:57] We do have two action items that I do not think anyone will be speaking on during the public comment. I don't want to do any action items that people might speak on during public comments. That doesn't seem like something we should do. But we do have item 10K and 10L that I do not believe anyone will be speaking on during the public comments.

[00:30:19] And so those two action items, we could do those right now. I don't believe that they would take very long. Mr. Emstree, is there staff available for those two action items in the room? Yes. There is. Okay. Then let's go on and do that, supervisors.

[00:30:36] Let's go on and do items 10K and the two action items tonight, right now. And if we still have time, we will go to closed session, which we probably will because we can't do resolutions until 530, so we have plenty of time. So would staff please come to the table for the retiree health plan update premium review, which means you get to leave

[00:31:03] a lot earlier tonight. Good evening. Good evening. We're ready when you are. So when we were here last week, we heard some concerns focused on the proposed rate increases for our two retiree populations, our pre-65 retirees and our post-65 retirees. We tried to address some of those questions in our item, and we have more specific data related to the year-over-year

[00:31:39] increases in the item. You'll notice that with the pre-65ers over the past six years, they had on average a 1.1% increase annually, and our post-65ers were about 3.4%. We also added some information on this item about the actual financial impact to our retirees.

[00:31:57] For example, on page 5 of the item, you'll see that our post-65 retirees with over 20 years of service will see a monthly increase ranging from $7.50 to $10.69 per month. And for those retirees who are in the retiree plus one category with 20 or more years of service, they'll see their monthly range increase go from $15 to $21. And these two groups constitute the vast majority of our retirees those with over 20 or 20 plus years of service and i think that these actual that these figures actually provide a little bit more context around what does that 11.1

[00:32:34] percent you know mean to our retirees staff did reach out to vrs about securing some more specific information related to our retirees take home pay but unfortunately vrs was unable to provide that they did however caution us around placing too much emphasis on that retiree income because it's It's influenced by a number of different factors, for instance, how they chose to receive their benefit.

[00:32:57] When you retire, you can receive your benefit in any number of ways. You might want to front-land it or just have more consistent, you know, throughout the year. And additionally, as discussed in our last meeting, obviously we're unaware of what our retirees might have in terms of other streams of income in the household as well as other assets they may have access to.

[00:33:15] We also research with our consultants on any data that might be available out there that would suggest that at some point a retiree's increase might trigger them or cause them to disenroll in coverage, and they were unaware of any studies. They were concerned, though, if there was data out there, it might be more specific to one demographic or one population, so they would caution us, you know, if we did find that information, would it really be applicable to our retiree's population.

[00:33:43] And lastly, I just want to reiterate the concern that we brought up last week and what happens when we artificially lower these premiums when you do that medical trend does continue to move forward and so at some point we then have to play catch up both on the county side as well as the retiree side so that can be most certainly challenging fiscally you know in future years and so we're already recommending some reduction of that premium but taking that further can have kind of a long stream negative impact to the county and retirees for that matter that's all I have really on this item. I'll open up for any questions. Yeah, that was, that is some new and

[00:34:22] kind of filling in the information, so I do appreciate that very much. I know that was a really short turnaround for you all to get some of that, so thank you. Do we have any questions on this? No, so I think, I think what you just did was answer all the questions that we, we, we could have, so there is a draft motion on this item. I move that the recommendation of the Finance Operation Economic Development Committee of the Board Supervisors to approve the recommendations in the September 19, 2023 board supervisor's business meeting action item and approve the pro-rata portion of the $2 million fund balance from the self-insurance fund previously approved by the board

[00:34:58] in the amount of $66,234,000 for pre-65 retirees. I'm sorry? What did you say? And, okay, I've lost my place. And $140,662 for post-65 Medicare-eligible retirees for additional contribution from the self-insurance fund for the amount of $176,801 for the post-65, is that right, post-65, that's right, Medicare-eligible retirees and adopt the proposed premiums as outlined attachment 1 to 1

[00:35:38] to the item plan for year 2024, January 1st, 2024, to December 21st, 2024. I further made the recognition of the Finance Operations, Government Operations and Economic Development Committee that the Board of Advisors authorize the purchasing agent and the Department of Human Resources to take the necessary actions to implement their recommended changes and proposed premiums for the retiree health plan.

[00:36:02] Motion was made and seconded. I just want to make sure that pre and post are in the right place. Who want you guys? Yeah, okay, all right, it just took me. Thank you. All right, motion made and seconded.

[00:36:18] Any discussion on the motion? Ms. Bricksman. Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to thank staff for trying to come up with those numbers. I was the one that raised the concerns about what the out-of-pocket impact might be for our retirees and what kind of, you know, dent it might put in their monthly budget.

[00:36:36] I feel a little bit better knowing the actual numbers, and I do appreciate working to bring down the costs to 11% from what it could have been. And, you know, we'll just keep talking to see if we can find any of those numbers in the future.

[00:36:52] I know it's complicated stuff, but I just wanted to express my gratitude for turning that around in a week's time. And I have a little bit more confidence in the vote. Thanks. Wonderful, wonderful. Anybody else? All in favor, please say aye. Opposed?

[00:37:08] That motion will pass. 8-0-1. Mr. Sains being off the board. Thank you very much. We're going to go to the next item. Again, I'm looking at my speakers. I don't see anyone speaking on this item. and this is not something we're going to have a closed session discussion about, so I feel pretty comfortable going to this item right now, which is the Project Labor Agreement pilot item.

[00:37:34] Good evening, Ms. Middleton. How are you doing? I'm well now that I have my cardio in for the day. I'm sorry. I apologize. I'm sorry.

[00:37:51] But you get to go home now. See, that's the other part, yeah. That's funny. All right. We're ready when you are, ma'am. And so this was a finance item that did not come out of finance unanimously, so it's with us.

[00:38:11] You know, I'm going to say I don't need the presentation, but we have people here who are not on finance, and they might want the presentation. Do you guys want the presentation? Does anyone want the presentation? No? No? Okay, I guess we don't need the presentation. I was looking at people who actually weren't in finance asking that question.

[00:38:31] Do you have anything you'd like to add that we don't have here already? No, staff does not have any additions to the item. Okay. All right. I move the recognition of the finance, government, operation, and the Economic Development Committee that the board of supervisors direct staff to proceed with a pilot project labor agreement for the construction of the general government office building, phase one, and the staff be directed to select a road construction project included in the current FY23 FY28 adopted capital improvement program as a second pilot PLA project and returned to the October 10th, 2023

[00:39:07] Finance and Operations Committee meeting for consideration. I further move the staff be directed to ensure that the consultant that is contracted to assist with the development of the county's PLA have demonstrated success with the implementation of PLAs as evidenced by experienced seeking projects seeing projects with PLAs through to their completion.

[00:39:31] Second. Motion's made and seconded by Supervisor Bricksman. I'll hold any discussion until the end because, you know. Discussion on the motion. Mr. Turner. Thank you, Madam Chair. I had a very good discussion with a developer from South Riding the other day for about a half an hour.

[00:39:49] We were on different sides of the issue, obviously, but it was a good discussion. He said one thing specific that stuck with me that he said, and I have a question about it. He said when you bid out a contract, add a provision into the bid, the RFP, that if you only get two of the three requests for proposals to open up, or less than three, that you open up the remaining respondents to non-union.

[00:40:17] But I was under the impression that non-union can always bid on these contracts. Can you explain that or kind of make sense of that for me? So as far as staff is aware, based upon the way the statute is written combined with other laws under the code, we have the ability to require PLAs that can use both union and non-union workforces.

[00:40:38] Again, we still want to make sure that we can get further detail for the board for your information moving forward, but we do believe that it would currently accommodate both union and non-union workforces. Great. Thank you very much. Thank you. Mr. Letourneau.

[00:40:53] Yeah. And just to clarify, I think the gentleman that Mr. Turner spoke with is the lead of the Trade Association for Builders and Contractors. Has staff made any progress in identifying a road project that would be part of this? We know what capital project for building, but not road. We're preparing to come back to the board in October with that.

[00:41:13] Okay. Well, so this is a little hard because we don't know what project that will be. And I'm also I'm not sure that road construction makes a lot of sense for this. As I expressed to the Finance Committee, and it will be no surprise to my colleagues, I just have concerns that we're essentially implementing an experiment at taxpayer expense on what is really an important project, which is our general government building project that could, in fact, be very, very expensive.

[00:41:41] And I do believe the preponderance of evidence points to this type of approach limiting competition and, therefore, driving up costs because some of the major construction firms, including some firms that currently work for Loudoun County and Loudoun County Public Schools, will not bid on this type of contracts, period.

[00:42:01] And so when you reduce competition, you, therefore, raise costs. I know the argument that you don't technically have to have non-union workforce. However, in reality, that doesn't happen because essentially benefits have to be provided by both the union and by the contractor at a different standard when you're doing that, and it's not viable for anybody to do that. And that's why on these projects that have PLAs, it doesn't happen. What I hope we do as staff develops a PLA is at least put in provisions to ensure competition for subcontractors. So for instance, if a general

[00:42:41] contractor is not able to find a sub in a particular specialty that can comply with the PLA that they be allowed to bring on whoever they need to. And that's a very standard provision that's in many PLAs because it is not possible to complete some of these projects in the manner that is suggested. I also will reiterate my request that these projects track where labor is coming from. I believe that this is the best thing we can be doing for the construction industry in maryland and one of the worst we could do for virginia because the vast majority of workforce in virginia is non-union and a lot of these subs including many small businesses that

[00:43:18] the county has made a point of trying to utilize in the past will not be able to bid on these contracts or be part of them and i understand yes there's a desire for change but at least in this transition period we're going to be really hurting our virginia businesses with this so i'd like to be able to continue to track that. And again, I will not be supporting this item. I will in my final few seconds say there are instances where voluntary PLAs have been put in place from contractors, and I fully support that because we have outstanding tradespeople, many of whom are in a union and are the best people for the job. But when the government comes in with this type of stringent requirement, it's generally not good for consumers, for taxpayers.

[00:43:58] Thank you, Mr. Letourneau. So we had a meeting today that I was late for because I was at the Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce where I was really very honored to receive an award. This is a chamber of commerce. And one of the things they talked about is how unions, PLAs, and others closed the wage gap for minorities and women.

[00:44:23] And the numbers that were given were pretty astounding of just how much they do close, if I can find the number right now, just how much they do close that wage gap. Gender and racial disparities in the United States labor market, this is according to the San Francisco Federal Reserve, would add $3 trillion to the U.S. GDP.

[00:44:50] It's hard to say something that's experimental that's been going on for decades and other places. Just because it hasn't happened here doesn't mean it's experimental. I don't know how you make that case at all. I think that this is a pilot program for a reason.

[00:45:06] We will see how this goes and see what happens, and we will be kind of monitoring it all the way through. You know, we can do nothing, and then it never happens, which I think is the goal for some people, but that's not my goal.

[00:45:22] My goal is to actually have a pilot program and see what comes of it. So I am proud to be supporting this motion, and let's get this back to finance in October and see where we're at with it. All right. All in favor, please say aye. Opposed?

[00:45:39] This motion will pass 5-3-1 with Supervisors Saterno, Kirshner, and Buffington opposing the motion. And Supervisor Sainz being off the dais for the motion. Okay, thank you. Supervisors, we're still just really chugging along here with no, I think we're going to go in and do nominations.

[00:46:04] and then we're going to go into closed session because the other two action items I think will be to some degree dependent on what we're doing in closed session or what people have to say to us and we don't want to not hear what people are saying to us.

[00:46:22] So if you have nominations, will you please put your lights on? Mr. Kirshner. Thank you, Madam Chair. I have two nominations. I first would nominate Kate Ginnis-Wyatt to the Catoctin District Representative on the Heritage Commission.

[00:46:39] She is replacing Mary Sheehan, who is stepping down, who did a great job, and Mary highly recommends Kate. And so, obviously, most of us here know Kate very, very well. I would also appoint Scott Hamburg to the Economic Development Authority at large.

[00:46:55] Thank you, Madam Chair. Those are two good ones. Thank you. Those are two good ones. Mr. Turner. Thank you, Madam Chair. I nominate Griffin Cook to the Advisory Commission on Youth to fill the Ashburn District seat. Okay, and Ms. Bricksman. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[00:47:10] I nominate Isabel Guide as the at-large citizen representative on the Environmental Commission. Thank you. Thank you very much. Mr. Rogers, we have about 45, a little less than 45 minutes to close session.

[00:47:26] I think that one could take a little longer. I think we can do two and three. What do you think, sir? Or rather one and two. I'm sorry, one and three. One and three or one and two could be quick. I'm not sure about number three. You think three can be, you think two could be quick?

[00:47:42] I think two could be quick. Oh, Mr. Rogers, you always say this to us. Man, you always lead us down this road. You do. No problem with the end of the meeting. Three won't take very long, actually, I don't believe. So I'll go on and do one and two. I don't think three is going to take very long, but we'll do one and two right now. Just Chair Randall.

[00:47:58] Yes. That's what makes sure. I'm sorry. Yeah. You said 45 minutes. It's actually 15 minutes till the five o'clock session. Well, that's right. It's the five o'clock session. That's right. Yeah, you're right. So let's just do one. I move the Board of Supervisors, recesses, public meeting, entering a closed session pursuant to the section, I'm doing one, 2.2-3711A3 of the Court of Virginia to consider acquisition of a parcel, of a parcel, partials of property in the 2011 Blue Ridge, 2022 Little River Election District.

[00:48:30] Motion made, seconded by Supervisor Buffington. Thank you. All in favor, please say, of discussion. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed, that motion will pass 702. Mr. Kirshner and Mr. Sainz are off the desk.

[01:01:08] Amanda, thank you, ma'am. We are back, and we have a motion coming out of closed session for Mr. Buffington. Mr. Buffington. Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that the Board of Supervisors direct staff to prepare a resolution to initiate condemnation and quick-take proceedings as required pursuant to Virginia Code Section 15.2-1903B, as in boy, For the purpose of approving the proposed public use and acquisition of real property located in the Little River District and necessary for the construction of the Route 50 and Trailhead Drive Roundabout Road project,

[01:01:46] I further move that the Board of Supervisors direct staff to advertise the resolution for the November 15, 2023 public hearing. That motion was made and seconded, and I'm going to table that motion for about two minutes while we actually read out a closed session.

[01:02:02] I was thinking that. Mr. Sains is not here, and I'm just not used to doing that part. So, hold on a second. Actually, Mr. Buckington, do you have the? Yes. Do you have it, the out-of-closed session? Yes. Do you? Okay, okay, man. I don't know where he's at, yeah.

[01:02:20] Okay, go. Would you like to read the out-of-closed session? Madam Chair, I move that the closed session be adjourned, that the Board of Supervisors reconvene its public meeting, that the meetings of the public meeting should reflect that no formal action was taken in the closed session, and further move that the resolution certifying the closed session be adopted and reflected in the minutes of this public meeting. Motion is made, seconded by Ms. Bixman. Discussion on that motion.

[01:02:45] All the people who say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Okay, I need everyone, that motion will pass 801. Mr. Sainz, I'm being here, I need everyone to affirm. Mr. Letourneau? I affirm. Affirm. Affirm. I affirm. Affirm. Affirmed. Affirm. And I affirm as well.

[01:03:00] We're going to untable the motion Mr. Buffington just made. Mr. Buffington, would you like to have a discussion on that motion? I would, Madam Chair. Do you want me to read it again, or are we good on that okay this is for this is to give actually this is to send to public hearing the authority for us or the decision for us to give our staff the authority if needed in the future for condemnation and quick-take proceedings regarding the land that we need to construct the route 50 and trailhead roundabout this is something I've been working on since the beginning of my

[01:03:34] first term I was told by VDOT that this project was shovel ready in 2016 it was probably 2017 I should give them that credit and it is obviously not shovel ready in 2017 because here we are in 2023 and we still have not broken ground on construction so what we're trying to do here is not cause or to prevent any more delays to make sure that we can get the land that we need so far anytime we've done this since i've been on the board in 2016 we have not actually had to condemn anything it's always been able to work it out with the landowners where we come to some sort of deal other than

[01:04:13] condemnation so i don't anticipate that this will actually be needed but we want to take this step to make sure that there's no unnecessary delays in this much needed roundabout project for the Route 50 and Trailhead Drive roundabout. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[01:04:32] Thank you, sir. Anybody else want to discuss the motion? Seeing none, Mr. Beckham, do you have a closing? I do not. All right, all in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? That motion will pass, 8-0-1. Okay, we have eight speakers for our 5 o'clock sign-up time. I'm going to say this, the same thing at 6 o'clock for our 6 o'clock speakers as I will for our 5 o'clock speakers, only because there are a lot of people who are understandably speaking on Dominion and the power lines. So I just want to give a little just kind of just some information. It was the revised 1993 ordinance that made many parcels in

[01:05:07] Loudoun County, which called buy right for office space. That was in 1993, the revised 1993 ordinance. Data centers like didn't exist. We didn't we didn't even have a word for that yet and so when they were put down for office space and I say this because I'm not I'm not like blaming past boards when they have put down for office space no one could have known these were coming and so what by right means is the board can't say can't legally say that that they can't use it for this and I want to say that because sometimes people have been

[01:05:45] calling there and they've been saying are coming to us and they say why did you approve a data

[01:06:10] center there. Well, we didn't approve a data center there. That was done through a zoning ordinance many, many, like literally 30 years ago as a by-right space. So now we're having this discussion about power lines, and we very, very much want you all to speak and hear your discussion on that. But I do not want anyone to think that we can, bless you, that what we can do automatically is say no to the actual data center. And so that's why, I just wanted to say that in advance of starting to call on the speakers. both for this time and for the 6 o'clock time, and I'll say it again at 6 o'clock. And our first speaker tonight, and I'll call you all like three in advance so you know that you're coming.

[01:06:27] Our first speaker is Brian Turner, followed by Andrew Norton, followed by Larry Panser. Good evening, sir. How are you? I'm well. How are you all? I'm well, thank you. Madam Chair, members of the Board of Supervisors, my grandfather was a Virginia Tech Agricultural Extension agent in Lownd County in the 1940s and 1950s when there were only 20,000 residents and 40,000 dairy cows.

[01:06:57] Loudoun County was then known as the dairy capital of the world. To the best of my knowledge, there's only about 15 dairy cows and various remaining farms in Loudoun. There is, however, the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum in Sterling depicting the farming history of Loudoun for over the past 200 years. If you're in a history of farming, it's a terrific place to go.

[01:07:16] But if we keep going the way the county has been going, the now contemporary data center capital of the world may end with 40,000 obsolete and abandoned data centers and a network of unnecessary towers and high voltage power lines proliferating all over Lowne. We could then build a museum for them. My name is Brian Turner. I grew up in Lowne County, attended the Emmerich Elementary and Leesburg Elementary, Simpson Middle School, Lowne County High School, Virginia Tech, and I followed in my father's footsteps as an attorney. Today I represent the Lansdowne Conservancy as their general counsel. The conservancy is comprised of numerous

[01:07:52] residential HOAs, business entities, including a Noble Loudoun Hospital, Lansdowne Resort, and the National Conference Center. Together, all the property owners and members of Lansdowne Conservancy represent over $3.3 billion of assessed value and thousands of registered voters.

[01:08:10] Lansdowne does not oppose data centers properly located and designed, but it does oppose continued piecemeal unplanned development and construction of data centers that has resulted in proposed and radical and poorly planned high-voltage tower lines and power lines on Route 7 and soon-to-be other locations in Lowen County. Supervisor Turner has correctly described the chaotic and turbulent planning environment for data centers and Dominion. Both are seeking and routinely obtaining fast-track treatment. In fact, from our research, what planning does exist is being done primarily by data centers and Dominion without any oversight from the county or

[01:08:46] the state. His proposal calls for fast-track treatment to pause until the planning environment is once again stabilized. We support Supervisor Turner's initiative. The only problem we see with it is that there's a current crisis that needs to be addressed now, not next year.

[01:09:02] We will have more to say about it tonight and the future meetings, and we urge the board to take action to protect our planned communities and keep them free from out-of-sync data centers and 135-foot-plus transmission towers that overtake our landscape. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Turner.

[01:09:18] Andrew Norton, followed by Larry Panser. And then on the phone, we have Foley Alcato. By the way, does anyone have a resolution? Mr. Sains might have it. Okay. Good evening, sir. Good evening, and thank you for the opportunity to speak to you all.

[01:09:34] I live in Lansdowne, and I do not represent any organization at all, just me. And I would like to confine my remarks to the section of Route 7, basically between the eastern edge of an Ovaladen hospital and Goose Creek, which I think is approximately 3.1 miles.

[01:09:53] As near as I can tell, simply speaking to people in Lansdowne, I can find no one who is in favor of these towers and everyone who is opposed to these towers. So I'd like to take that as one data point. And somebody could come to this podium in favor of it, and if they do, they do.

[01:10:12] I don't think there is adequate information at this point in the public, and maybe not before you, in order to make a decision in terms of building the towers on the one hand and burying the lines on the other hand. And I should say I am not opposed to data centers.

[01:10:29] I have data center companies in my retirement plan, and I appreciate the contribution to the local economy that data centers make. And I am sympathetic to their power needs. However, speaking simply as to burying the lines on the Lansdowne segment, I don't think that the information is out there to reach an informed decision.

[01:10:49] As near as I can tell, the cost for the towers has not been put out there for discussion. I believe Dominion has to know it because evidently if they get approvals, they're going to begin construction very soon. And with respect to the cost of burying the lines, I haven't seen anything in the public realm for that.

[01:11:09] And I think that if you have data point A being the cost of the towers and data point B being the cost of burying the lines, that segment, and you subtract A minus B and you figure out what the delta is, and at that point and only at that point can you figure out whether it's going to be too expensive.

[01:11:27] What I suspect strongly is that once everybody knows what that delta is, however many millions of dollars it is, both the public and you as our elected representatives will have a dialogue as to how to meet that delta, because as I say, the public doesn't want this, but on the other hand, there needs to be a win-win solution, and I believe burying the lines is that win-win.

[01:11:50] I think I've got 10 seconds left, and I will, how do they say it, yield the balance of my time to the distinguished speaker number three. Thank you. Thank you. Larry Panzer, followed by Foley Akito, followed by Nana Ositutu. I think that's how you say that. Good evening, sir. Thank you.

[01:12:10] Good evening. My name is Larry Panzer, and I know a few of you. I live near Heimbrook Elementary School and part of Supervisor's Buffington's district that is now Little River District.

[01:12:28] I'm here to tell you how important affordable housing has been to me and my family in the time since I moved to Virginia a little over 50 years ago. I and the rest of my family of five moved from Madison, Wisconsin to Fairfax County to start my job at the Air Force State Services Center in the Pentagon.

[01:12:56] We couldn't have done it without the opportunity for affordable housing. When I interviewed for my job, I explained that I would need housing that would fit my new salary as a GS-7. My future manager suggested that I contact Fairfax County's affordable housing program.

[01:13:18] They advised me to check out Stonegate Village Apartments in Reston, which is county-owned and subsidized. That worked for me and my family until 1975, when my pay grade and salary were sufficient to buy a townhouse.

[01:13:36] I stayed at the Pentagon until 1983, working my way up to pay grade GS-15. Following that, I joined the MITRE Corporation, and my income and family size increased even more. So in 1984, we bought a home in nearby Franklin Farm.

[01:13:56] In September 2015, when our five children were on their own and our five-bedroom house was way too big for two adults and a Welsh Corgi, my wife and I bought a new home in Loudoun County near Pinebrook Elementary School.

[01:14:13] My point here is that we are now contributing to Loudoun County's tax base and are happy to do so. In large point because you, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, have followed through with policies and funding to assure that new generations would have the opportunity to raise families and to live and prosper in Loudoun County.

[01:14:35] Loudoun County also has a great school system for which we also thank you. Our son and his family live near Little River Elementary School where their two oldest children attend kindergarten and second grade. Mr. Panzer, I really hate to have to stop you, but your time is up.

[01:14:53] I am done. Oh, okay. It's perfect timing. Perfect timing. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Um, um, these people, I believe are, are on, on the line on the, um, teams calls. So who's doing, who's doing teams tonight?

[01:15:10] Andy's on the line. Who is? Andy. Andy, Andy, can you hear me? Yes, loud and clear. Do we have our next three speakers ready to go? We have Foley and Nana. We do not have Michelle. Okay. Can we do, um, uh, Mr. Uh, Foley first and then Nana, please?

[01:15:27] Yes. I'll put Foley through right now. Thank you. Hello. Good day. Good day. Yeah. My name is Chair. I would like to speak about Tehma. I was raised, born and bred in Tehma. The history of Tehma is a city not far from Accra, in Ghana, west Africa.

[01:16:05] And this city was built, really built by the first president, I mean, Kuma. And so many, he built so many things like industrial, like an industrial area, whereby you have most of the, you have the first national factory, and they were the people even who built it.

[01:16:36] Chardam is a vibrant city. Many of our foreigners always come and invests when it comes to business like cocoa and all kind of our resources there.

[01:16:56] And this city is in four districts, divided in four districts, that's north, south, and east, and west. And on top of that, they built so many communities from 1 to 23, 25.

[01:17:17] So the city is growing. Our mayor is trying to get business across the city so they can accommodate the youth who don't have work to do.

[01:17:33] And because of that, we are trying so many ways in those who are here in the diaspora. We always got ourselves together to send some medical items to the hospital, the only hospital, the government hospital that we have there.

[01:17:58] So in terms of peace, it's a very good vantage point for many foreigners who come in and go for a really routine.

[01:18:15] Thank you, sir. Sir, I'm so sorry. Your time is up, and I appreciate your comments. Thank you. Andy, can you put the next caller on, please?

[01:18:37] Yes, Nanau, thank you, too. Am I on? You are on. We're ready when you are. Okay. This is Nanau, thank you, too. And just like the previous speaker, I was going to say much about Tamar, which is a large city in Accra, a very metropolitan with the largest harbor and all that.

[01:19:00] And I know that London County wants to establish a sister city relationship. And my main goal is to call and just give my advice. I've been privy to work growing up in Ghana, where there were some SDH programs within some cities in Ghana and in the United States.

[01:19:26] And it did a lot of benefit to a lot of people that I knew. An example of it was an American self-service, where students were sent over to the United States for one year, and various students were sent from here to Ghana.

[01:19:43] And culturally, educationally, and socially, it did benefit a whole lot of people. So I was just calling to add my words that it's not going to be a relationship that is going to tarnish the image of London County.

[01:19:59] And I'm here to just add my words and also ask the elected officials to approve this relationship to go ahead. And that's all I have to say. Thank you. Thank you very much, sir. I appreciate that.

[01:20:16] Chair Rendo, I actually have Michelle here online. We are ready when Michelle is ready. Thank you. Good evening. This is Michelle Buhendoa. I am from Congo, but I'm a U.S. citizen. I've been in the United States for 20 years.

[01:20:32] I'm calling in support of the bill for Ghana. Africa, not just Ghana, but Africa has a lot to offer to the United States. Today, China and Russia have understood this and having a strong presence in Africa while here in Loudoun County.

[01:20:57] We're fighting this woman who is making an effort to build a bridge with Ghana. We should encourage her to build even more bridges with other countries. But instead, we're staying here fighting her instead of uncovering someone who's bringing something positive.

[01:21:19] As I mentioned the last hearing, today people are learning Chinese and Russian and Africa. Why here in our nation, the Americans, we're fighting every presence that the United States can have in Africa or any difference they can make there?

[01:21:42] Africa is full of minerals. If we can say when it comes to riches, Africa has nothing to envy from the outside. If we're treating it as if it was a dump, let's open our eyes and open our mind and encourage this woman who understands that we can create a relationship with nations.

[01:22:11] And my question to everyone is, why is it a problem just for Ghana? And why is it just the chairwoman, Ms. Wendell, that this is firing against her? People were previous before her.

[01:22:28] It never brings fire. It goes to other continents or other countries. Somebody else does it. It doesn't fire up against them. Please, let's encourage her. Let's give her hands. Chairwoman, we are with you.

[01:22:44] We support you. And I'm asking everyone who's going to vote for this. Thank you. Thank you. In the room we have Mary Ann Muller and April Taylor. Well, actually, I'm sorry, Mary Ann is in the room. Ms. Muller is in the room. Ms. Taylor is not. Good evening.

[01:23:04] Good evening, board members. My name is Mary Ann Muller, and I am a resident of Lansdowne Woods.

[01:23:23] I'm here to discuss Dominion's planned expansion of the high-voltage transmission lines along Route seven, and specifically the effect that it's going to have on my community, Lansdowne Woods of Virginia. Lansdowne Woods is a prestigious active adult community located within the planned community of Lansdowne. Our community is comprised of high-rise and mid-rise residents, and it includes resort-like amenities for sporting and entertainment. It sits on a 46-acre wooded property overlooking the Potomac River and surrounded by the golf course of Lansdowne

[01:24:01] Resort and Spa. It is home to 1,700 residents, many of whom moved here to enjoy Loudoun County while living in a community established with the intent of preserving this county's rapidly disappearing green space. Indeed, the surrounding green space is a key component on which Lansdowne Woods itself was predicated. Because of our proximity to Route 7, ours will be one of the neighborhoods most directly and severely affected by this proposal.

[01:24:38] 400 Lansdowne residents in three high-rise buildings who now look at expansive views of densely wooded green space will instead overlook a procession of immense 135-foot towers and a web of high-voltage transmission lines.

[01:24:55] The footprint of this proposal will destroy the forests and native wildlife, which actually define our community. If built as planned, it will literally transform our neighborhood from a mixed-use zoning into something more akin to industrial. The reputation of our community and our overall property values will certainly be affected. I want to watch my time here.

[01:25:24] Data centers are aware of the vast resources they require, and these are growing. As a result, Because of this, no power company can actually meet these energy requirements.

[01:25:40] And it's unclear why Dominion's proposal is trying to meet advancing 22nd century power demands with anything less than the energy industry's most forward-leaning technologies. I'm sorry, I tried to keep it short.

[01:25:55] No, you did fine. You did well. Thank you very much. No, no, I'm sorry. Thanks. And then, Andy, do we have the last speaker online, Ms. Taylor? I do. I have her here. We're ready when she is. Hello, everyone. April Taylor. I'm a resident here in Loudoun County, and I want to take an opportunity to just really thank Chair Randall and the Board of Supervisors for all the great work you do here in Loudoun.

[01:26:21] I wrote a few words that I want to make sure that I share. Under the leadership of Chair Randall, our county has progressed forward in so many ways. She's instituted so many things that have helped us as members here in Loudoun County from our general planning to our zoning for the last 20 years that we're in neglect.

[01:26:39] She's created other ways for us to have land development and to better our economy. With her leadership, we just have progressed in many, many ways, and I'm honored to do that, and I'm excited. With the Democratic majority on the board, we now have collective bargaining, which is very important for county workers to have a seat at the table, and we all know how important it is to have a seat at the table when negotiating wages, benefits, and working conditions.

[01:27:06] And there's a lot of first times that have come under her leadership. One particular that I'd like to discuss is us having the unmet housing needs and plans here in Loudoun County, which we really need so that those who can live here can live here and it can be affordable, be obtainable to our teachers, a lot of our first responders, and even our college graduates.

[01:27:26] Because everyone wants to live in Loudoun County, and I love living in Loudoun County and under her leadership that it's made it more attainable to others. Another first time also is that we now have an environmental commission working on real goals to make sure we have greenhouse gas emissions reductions, sustainable power for our community, doing things that are leading the nation, and it's happening right here in Loudoun County under her leadership.

[01:27:50] We also have a board that fully understands the importance and excellence of public education in our system of the community. Education is a hot topic, and under her leadership, 84% of Loudoun's children attend public schools, and this board has refused to let them down by continuing to fund the budget over and over again for 96% graduation rate for our students and some of the highest test scores in the nation under her leadership.

[01:28:20] And one of the things that's most important to me as a minority living in Loudoun County is to see that under her leadership, we now have a board that represents all of us, not just a few of us. And we're seeking to do the lead to equity and reconciliation among all things in the state.

[01:28:39] And I'm just honored to be here about it. Is my time up? Your time is up. Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Ms. Taylor. Your time is up. Thank you for everyone who spoke at 5 o'clock. We will have another speaking at 6, and I think we're pretty well filled up for the 6 o'clock speaking time.

[01:28:59] We do have some people at the 6 o'clock speaking time who are asking for an interpreter, and so we would do that as well at the 6 o'clock speaking time. It's about three minutes early, but I don't think it's too early to start the resolutions. And so for the Constitution week, Mr. Buffington is going to have Mr. Sainz's signature, And then he's going to join me down front for Hispanic Heritage Month in Loudoun County.

[01:29:25] Supervisor Glass will join me down front. And for, I'm sorry, yeah, this is out of order. Child Cancer Awareness Month, Ms. LaTurner will join me down front. The proclamation for the Diaper Need Awareness Week, that will be presented on site.

[01:29:47] And so I'll have you all sign it, but we will not present it tonight. I would go on site and present that one. So at this time, Mr. Buffington, would you like to come down front with me, sir?

[01:30:47] All right. We have a proclamation, and I'll get right to it. Whereas the Constitution of the United States of America, the guardian of our civil liberties, embodies the principles of limited government in a republic dedicated to rule by law, And whereas September 17th, 2023 marks the 236th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution of the United States of America by the Constitutional Convention.

[01:31:21] And whereas Public Law 915 was passed on August 2nd, 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to guarantee the issuing of a proclamation each year by the President of the United States of America designated September 17th through 23rd as Constitution Week.

[01:31:39] And, whereas this celebration of the Constitution was begun by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1955 to commemorate the history, importance, and bring attention to how the Constitution still serves today, now therefore be it resolved that the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors does hereby proclaim September 17th to 23rd, 2023, as Constitution Week in Loudoun County and ask our citizens to reaffirm the ideals put in writing by the framers of the Constitution in 1787

[01:32:14] by vigilantly protecting the freedoms guaranteed to us through this guardian of our liberties. So we did this resolution at your request, so we wanted you to be here and see if you have anything to say on that.

[01:32:33] Would you like to make a few comments? We just appreciate so much, Chairman Raymondal, and your help for the last several years getting this word out. Let's hope we could get lots of people to be reading that constitution. Agreed.

[01:32:50] Would you like to say anything? Chair Randall? I would just say that I really enjoyed joining for the reading of the constitution on the courthouse grounds. When was that? No, it was just... Okay, either way, I really enjoyed being...

[01:33:06] It was good. It was fun. Thank you. Thank you.

[01:33:11] Thank you, sir. All right. Would Ms. Glass, would you join me down front for Hispanic Heritage Month? And would everybody for Hispanic Heritage Month, please come down front, please? No. She can. She does a really good job at that. She does. She really does. She can. Yeah. Hello. Good to see you. How are you?

[01:34:25] thank you yeah hi how are you good to see you thanks for coming in this cute baby look at that baby look at those legs look at those legs hello baby hi how old is she really wow miss glass where

[01:34:49] okay okay okay go to him he never makes me cry

[01:35:15] i'm so sorry she's crying for like for life too finish all right there we go we're finished we're good good evening everyone i'm no louder than that i'm pleased to welcome members of the new virginia majority

[01:35:53] to receive this proclamation today. These individuals are prime examples of service, dedication, and commitment to contributing to a better life for all in Loudoun County. La población hispana y latina de Loudoun enriquece profundamente a nuestra comunidad al creer un lugar más vibrante e inclusivo para vivir y trabajar a través de su idioma.

[01:36:25] y gerencia diversa. También estoy orgullosa de que el condado de Loudoun sea el lugar de tantas personas trabajadoras que juegan un papel directo en construir nuestras viviendas locales.

[01:36:47] Pueden leer la proclamación en español en línea en loudoun.gov slash meetings. In my translation, it was Loudoun's Hispanic and Latino population deeply enrich our community by creating a more vibrant and inclusive place to live and work through their language and diverse heritage.

[01:37:11] I'm also proud that Loudoun County is home to so many hardworking people who play a direct role in the buildings of our local neighborhoods. The proclamation can be read in Spanish online at loudoun.gov slash meetings. And here's the proclamation, Madam Chair.

[01:37:27] Whereas Hispanic Heritage Month, also known as Mes de la Gerencia Hispana, was originally observed as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson in 1968, what was later extended to a month-long celebration by President Ronald Reagan in 1988.

[01:37:47] And whereas the month also honors the independence days of several Latin American countries, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua on September 15th, Mexico on September 16th, and Chile on September 18th.

[01:38:07] And whereas this month we celebrate and highlight the diversity of the Hispanic and Latino community with individuals whose heritage are rooted from the Caribbean, Central and South America, Mexico and Spain, while recognizing the different traditions, histories, arts and cultures of each country territory.

[01:38:28] And whereas within Loudoun County, the Hispanic and Latino population has grown from 10,089, 6% in 2000 to currently 59,744 living in Loudoun, constituting 14% of Loudoun's population.

[01:38:45] And whereas Hispanics and Latinos play a vital role in Loudoun County's economy and workforce as teachers, first responders, health workers, scientists, farm workers, construction workers, soldiers, and government officials, including Joseph M. Guzman, who was the first Latino elected official to serve on the Loudoun County School Board as the Sugar Land-run district representative from 2004 to 2011.

[01:39:12] And whereas the New Virginia Majority Loudoun Chapter is an advocacy group committed to a long-term campaign to increase access to affordable housing for all working-class people in Loudoun County, including the Hispanic and Latino immigrant community,

[01:39:28] The organization has successfully led movements to remove legal status requirements for the county's affordable dwelling unit program in order to increase accessibility for all, increase access to rental assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic, establish a half penny equivalent of funding for housing in the county's budget, and stop the sale and redevelopment of the Leesburg Mobile Park that would have displaced nearly 75 working class families.

[01:39:57] And whereas the year's Hispanic Heritage Month celebration will be held on Saturday, September 23rd, 2023, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Sterling Community Center, and will feature several Latino food vendors, children's activities, music, and much more.

[01:40:13] Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors does hereby proclaim September 15, 2023, through October 15, 2023, as Hispanic Heritage Month. Anyone?

[01:40:36] Yes. Buenas tardes a todos. Mi nombre es Simin Castro, leader de la Nueva Mayoría de Virginia. Voy a hacer un pequeño resumen de lo que es nuestra comunidad latina en este país.

[01:40:57] Puedo afirmar, sin duda alguna, que la comunidad hispana representa en este país un valor significativo. Lo podemos ver en varios aspectos de la vida diaria de los Estados Unidos. En las valiosas contribuciones como trabajadores del campo, en la construcción, en la limpieza, como maestros, como ingenieros, Observamos valiosos aportes científicos de hispanos que trabajan en laboratorios de todo el país,

[01:41:30] enfermeras y doctoras que están en primera línea para contrarrestar enfermedades que afectan la salud de los ciudadanos. Podemos ver la participación de muchos hispanos en pantalla de televisión, cine, música y mucho más, que hacen un aporte significativo ocupando puestos en los gobiernos.

[01:41:54] Celebrar el mes de la hispanidad en este país es para recordarnos a cada uno de nosotros lo importante que somos como inmigrantes, que hemos venido a agregar a este país valores a esta nación, Que tenemos una cultura, que tenemos un idioma, nuestra historia, como parte del orgullo de nuestra identidad.

[01:42:21] Recordándonos que somos capaces de lograr tener éxito y participar de forma equitativa en los beneficios que ofrece esta nación. Gracias. Good evening, board members. My name is Irving Castro, a member of the community.

[01:42:49] I can affirm without a doubt that the Hispanic community represents a significant value in this country. We can see it in various aspects of daily life in the United States. In the valuable contributions as field workers, in construction, cleaning, as teachers, as engineers, We observe valuable scientific contributions of Hispanics working in labor across the country, nurses and doctors who are on the front line to counteract diseases that affect the health of citizens.

[01:43:28] We can see the participation of many Hispanics in television, movies, music, and many who make a significant contribution in government positions. Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in this country is to remind each one of us how important we are as immigrants who have come to add value to this nation, that we have a culture, our history, our Spanish language as part of the pride of our identity, reminding us that we are capable of succeeding and participating equally in the benefits that this nation has to offer.

[01:44:03] Thank you. Good afternoon. It's great to be here today celebrating the month of Immigrant patrimony. We are here with the community leaders. We especially thank the supervisor Silvia Glass and all of you for your leadership in the recognition of the month of Immigrant patrimony.

[01:44:31] We are excited to celebrate with you this day. Entendemos que una de nuestras fortalezas es nuestra diversidad, como comunidad inmigrante, impulsamos nuestra economía y trabajamos en cada profesión, incluyendo atención médica, agricultura, servicio público, derecho, educación, ingeniería, construcción, cuidado, manufactura, entre otras. Muchas gracias a todas.

[01:44:57] Good afternoon. It's great to be here today celebrating Immigrant Heritage Month. I am Arlen Cruz, community organizer with the New Virginia Majority. Today we are here with community leaders. We especially thank the supervisor, Sylvia Glass, and all of you for your leadership in recognizing Immigrant Heritage Month.

[01:45:20] We are excited to celebrate together with you. We understand that one of our strengths is our diversity. As an immigrant community, we boost our economy and work in every profession, including health care, agriculture, public service, law, education, engineering, construction, care, manufacturing, among others.

[01:45:42] Thank you all. Professor Glass, no, Mr. Sainz, this right here. Professor Glass, do the people who just speak, are you Ms. Perez?

[01:46:03] So I just want to make sure that you guys, so there are some people who signed up to speak for the public comments. and is that what you're doing right now, making your public comments time? Is that what you're doing right now? No, okay, all right, all right. Then is it one other person who is speaking?

[01:46:20] That's it, that's it, that's it, and then we have people for public comments. Well, before we take a picture, let me say that I concur with everything that was just said. No, you should hold that. That the Hispanic community in Loudoun and, quite frankly, in America is valuable.

[01:46:38] Without you, literally, our economy would collapse. No kidding. Our economy would collapse. And it's interesting because people don't realize when Hispanic Heritage Month is because it's in the middle of the month to the middle of the month. That sometimes people, you know, we don't always realize that this is the month that it is.

[01:46:55] And so I'm really glad that Ms. Glass always stops to recognize it and make sure people are aware and people know. And I just want to thank all of you for everything you do and for being here with us this evening. Thank you. All right, let's take a picture.

[01:47:12] And you don't cry.

[01:47:59] All right, thank you. Thank you. Bye.

[01:48:16] Would everyone, Miss Latourna, would you please join me down front? And would everyone come down, please, for Child Cancer Awareness Proclamation. Thank you.

[01:48:37] I'm on this side also.

[01:49:04] Jake is way taller than both of you. Way taller than both of you. He is so tall. Where are you going, man? He is so tall. He is. He's like, yeah. Thank you, Chair Randall.

[01:49:20] So this has become an annual activity for us. And it's important that one that we do, both because it gives us time to reflect and it gives us hope. So I will read the Childhood Cancer Awareness Month 2023 resolution.

[01:49:35] Whereas childhood cancer describes more than 12 types and many more subtypes of cancer affecting children, which typically cannot be attributed to environmental or lifestyle factors, And whereas many of these cancers are specific to children, with some affecting only those under five years of age, and there is no early detection model for childhood cancer, with the cancer typically spreading to other areas of the body before it is identified.

[01:50:02] And whereas in the United States, over 17,000 children under the age of 19 are diagnosed with cancer each year, making cancer the leading cause of illness and death for children in the United States, and cases of childhood cancer have been on the rise for the past several decades, eclipsing 17,000 for the first time this year. And whereas there are over 480,000 survivors of childhood cancer in the United States, many of whom suffer from late medical effects from treatment. And whereas local organizations and initiatives, and we have many in Loudoun, but including Ellie's Hats, I Promise 15, Hope Faster, Smashing Walnuts,

[01:50:40] Team Matias, Sarah's Acts of Kindness, Raleigh Foundation Virginia, the Quinn William Gorman Scholarship Fund and more are working to raise awareness of childhood cancer, support patients and their families, and fundraise for research. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors does hereby proclaim September 2023 as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. So I really want to turn it over to those who have joined us tonight to just say a little

[01:51:11] bit about their organizations and what they're doing. Thank you. Hi, I'm Sarah's mom. Sarah had brain cancer, and she passed away Thanksgiving Day of 2018. And in her memory, we run Sarah's Acts of Kindness, and we raise money for pediatric brain cancer research through Children's National.

[01:51:40] Hello, I'm Ellen Miller, my husband, Mark. Our daughter, Gabriella, was 10 years old when she died from brain cancer. Actually, we're coming up on 10 years ago that she passed away. Three months before she died, we started the Smashing Walnuts Foundation. Her tumor was the size of a walnut, So we smashed walnuts, signifying smashing her tumor.

[01:52:03] We started where we funded research, and we've evolved to working with legislation. And we're working currently to pass a 2.0 version of legislation that will fund research for childhood cancer and disease. My son, Gavin Rupp, passed away at the age of 13 10 years ago.

[01:52:28] And in his memory, we have a scholarship fund where we give a scholarship to a Loudoun County high school graduate every year who is aspiring to study some sort of health science that works with childhood cancer. Hi, my name is Emily Belcher. This is my son, Benjamin. This is a photo of my daughter, Caroline. She passed away from brain cancer in April of this year. I am part of Rally Foundation, which funds the best and most promising childhood cancer research that we

[01:53:08] can find anywhere in the country or internationally. So thank you all so much for doing this and being here tonight. My name is Peter Gorman. This is my wife, Nikki. Our son, Quinn Gorman, was diagnosed with cancer at the age of nine and passed away last year at the age of 13. We established a memorial scholarship fund in Quinn's memory last year, which awarded to a high school senior in Loudoun County. And again, it's to keep Quinn's memory alive, just we want to keep all these other

[01:53:41] children's memories alive. Thank you. Thank you all for sharing. I think the thing that always strikes me when we do this every year is so many of you say, like, I'm Sarah's mom. They're so present. Your babies are so present with you still. And I hear that every time you talk about them. You talk about them in the present because they're present and real to you still. That's the first thing. The second thing is how much I've learned really because of you about how lacking

[01:54:19] we have been for childhood cancer versus every other for adult cancers and how little research has been done on this topic versus adult cancers. And then lastly, what is so striking is every one of you are up here because you don't want any other family to deal with this. And so you are sponsoring scholarships for people who are going to study this. You are raising awareness because as much pain as you know you have felt, you don't want any other family or parent to experience that pain.

[01:54:49] So this is such an important and maybe the hardest proclamation we do every year. Mr. Letourneau brings it. I'm so proud to stand with him. But it is just the hardest one we do every year. And it's one that I think all of us will be really happy when we don't do it anymore.

[01:55:04] I'm going to pass these out and we're going to take a picture.

[01:56:55] That proclamation always silences the room. Every year that we do it, we come back from it, and there's just no words, and it silences the room. We are about seven minutes early for the second set of speakers, and so what I'm going to do is this.

[01:57:14] I'm going to call your name, and if they are not here, I will circle back to them until I reach 6 o'clock. And then at 6 o'clock, if I circle back to somebody and they're still not here, then they have missed the opportunity to speak. But I'm just going to go down the list and call names just because I think that with seven minutes to go, we can get started.

[01:57:37] Our first speaker, if they are here, is Laura Reynolds, followed by Brenda Bingston, followed by Zena Hutchinson. Ms. Reynolds, are you here yet? Come on down, please. And then Ms. Bingston, I think it is.

[01:57:54] Bingston, you will be next. Good evening, Ms. Reynolds. Good evening. All right. Good evening, everyone. As mentioned, my name is Laura Reynolds, and I have lived in Loudoun County for nearly two decades. And I have seen so much.

[01:58:10] We have thrived under the leadership of Chairwoman Randall over her two terms here. Even with the many challenges of COVID, we came through it with a robust economy. and job market. And it is a credit to this great group of supervisors. As we approach the end of the board's term, I really did want to take a moment to thank all of you for what you've done for us. As a resident of the Ashburn District, I have to particularly commend the work of my representative, Supervisor Mike Turner. For me, the ultimate test of an elected official is their

[01:58:46] constituent services. And that is a test he has passed with flying colors. Every time I've ever heard from anyone who has spoken with him. It doesn't matter if there's a difference of opinions. He and his staff will listen and help them to the best of their abilities. They also make sure that we are fully informed of everything going on in our community through his Ashburn flyer and communication with HOAs. And I know there are a number of us here tonight because of that.

[01:59:16] Supervisor Turner has not shied away from working with the Republicans on the board when we need something important done, such as with the excellent redistricting map he worked on with Supervisor Turner, and they did continue to listen to our input throughout the process.

[01:59:34] Turner has been willing to spend as much time as necessary to make sure that people fully understand important issues about data centers, power lines, construction. I would run out of my time and everybody else's if I continued on that. He's approached environmental issues in a comprehensive and thoughtful way, and is a responsible steward of our land. I particularly appreciate what he's done when it comes to walkability, bike riding, and access to public transit throughout Loudoun. Far too many elected officials completely ignore these issues because

[02:00:09] the people who do not or cannot rely on cars are often the least able to speak in meetings like this. But I know that Supervisor Turner understands and cares about our concerns. So thank you so much, everyone, for providing this time for me to relay my gratitude to a board that has truly served the needs of our community.

[02:00:30] Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Reynolds. Brenda Brinkston, followed by Zena Hutchison, followed by Julia Jarvis, if you are here, that is. Is she here? Then we will circle back to her at 6 o'clock. Zena Hutchinson, are you here?

[02:00:48] Come on down, and you'll be followed by Julia Jarvis. Good evening. Good evening. happy Hispanic Heritage Month. Those very wonderful congratulations to you all and to the community on that front. Thank you for the opportunity to address you all today to the board and the public. My name is Zaina Hutchison. I have been a resident of Loudoun County for just about 16 years. I have also been active in the community on various issues and in various settings. I have

[02:01:26] two kids in public school. I have a husband. My husband and I are both involved in the health care system in this county. My being here to show support for this board and this process is because I know firsthand what is at stake, but I also know and appreciate the potential, not for the sake of party or politics, but for the sake of this county and its people. I'm not naive to think that the board and or board members, anyone really, is infallible, but what I do know is that this board has accomplished quite a few things that do deserve recognition under impeccable leadership, of course.

[02:02:03] I do want to show appreciation for important proclamations that bring awareness and celebrate members of our community and appreciate them, for the establishment of an environmental commission, for creating a strategic housing plan and a dedicated fund to the housing trust for affordable housing, to my own supervisor, Turner, and his keen interest and furtherance of access and presence of public transportation, and more, of course.

[02:02:35] I'm also so proud that Loudoun has a diverse board that is marching towards a reflective representation of our community and so much more. That doesn't mean that particularly for me on housing, for example, we are done. I encourage you and implore you to continue exploring this issue in particular, but others as well, for affordable housing.

[02:02:57] Importantly, I want all of us sitting here to remember that what this board does is not easy. The backlash on issues that representatives face is uncomfortably too often indistinguishable between personal attacks and disagreements on substance or politics.

[02:03:12] That not only inhibits the board's abilities, but also reflects poorly on the county that we are all advocating for and truly care about. I'm grateful that my own representative, again, Turner, and others very much engaged in the community, whether through physical presence or through his regular newsletters and updates, and putting tremendous value in community feedback.

[02:03:33] Lastly, and as a long-time Loudoun President, but particularly as an immigrant, I caution all of us. I'm sorry. I have to stop you. Your time is up. Thank you so much for the opportunity, and congratulations on a successful day. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. It's 6 o'clock, so I'm going to go back to my first speaker.

[02:03:49] Before I do that, since it is 6 o'clock, I'm going to make the same statement I made before, because I do see we have quite a few speakers who want to speak on Dominion and the power lines, which is fantastic. I welcome those comments. I just want to just give some background on that before and to say that in 1990, the revised 1993 zoning ordinance, when it was written and completed, the word data center literally didn't exist.

[02:04:16] And so there are parcels in the county where a data center can be built, what's called by right, which means it doesn't come to this board for approval. And that's because it was put in the revised 1993 zoning ordinance for office use and office space.

[02:04:34] And data centers, somewhere along the line, someone decided that the data center use was office space use. I'm not bashing the boards in the past because they didn't even know data centers were going to exist. But I do want to say that because there have been some people who, as they talk about the power lines, have asked, Well, why didn't you guys approve the data centers if you knew they were going to need power lines?

[02:05:00] And the fact is, we didn't approve the data centers, nor did the board before us, nor before that, nor before that. These are by right uses in the comp plan. So I just wanted to say that so when people are speaking, that's been said once already. Okay, I'm going to go back to Brenda Bingston, if she is here, because it's 6 o'clock.

[02:05:22] Okay, how about Julia Jarvis, followed by George Bright? And George would be on the WebEx, followed by George Mambingo, also on virtual. So, Ms. Jarvis, are you in the room? Julia Jarvis, going once, going twice.

[02:05:40] Okay, let's go to the virtual. George Bright, followed by George Mambingo, and then you'll be followed by Ashley Roth. Andy? We do not have George Bright, but I have George Mambingo here.

[02:05:55] Do we do or we do not have either George? I have George Mambingo. Okay, we're ready when he is. Yes. Hi. Can you hear me? Yes, we can. Wonderful. So my name is George.

[02:06:13] I'm speaking in support of the Sister City program that we publish with Ghana, honestly. Although I'm not from Ghana, I think it's an awesome opportunity for us to expand and look into Africa and what they have to offer, given that so many of their economies are increasing and rising and so many people are young there, which gives a lot of gravity as far as in the long term what they could bring for Loudoun.

[02:06:48] So with the sister city, I think, you know, the county of Loudoun could benefit greatly from that, especially with Africa potentially being the next major technological hotspot. And given all that we are doing as far as just building and developing, but to have some of that talent and exports and all of the benefits that could come from the sister city, particularly coming from Ghana or any one of those countries there, would be amazing for allowing in our growth and our development.

[02:07:24] So I think it's something that we should definitely consider. I think we should also keep in mind that previous chairs did this at the expense of us from Loudoun County, but not Chair Randall, obviously, because she's the one that made that change.

[02:07:41] And so I think that should also play into consideration as far as why we should look into this and how this is beneficial for us and trips like this in the future, of course, just to get things established. So I would love to hear more from this, and I'd love to see, you know, more support on it, and I'd love to see how, you know, Loudoun County as a whole can grow from this source of things, and I fully support it.

[02:08:12] And I'm, you know, thankful that, you know, Chair Randall didn't use taxpayer dollars, and the fact that the fact that she made that change speaks volumes as far as what she's willing to do for Loudoun County. And, you know, I feel like that should be out there.

[02:08:30] That should be the truth. And that's what people should know. So, again, thank you for your time. And I do appreciate it. Thank you, sir. Thank you very much. Ashley Roth, followed by Sam. I think it's Agemong.

[02:08:48] Yes. Oh, good. Good evening, Ms. Roth. Good evening. At the last Board of Supervisors meeting, I was really disappointed by some of the disrespectful antics, the feigned outrage, and the purposeful misinformation given by some of the speakers and media. I live in the former Blue Ridge District, now the Catoctin District, and while I don't always agree with my supervisors, I have not and will not ever disrespect them in such a manner. We can disagree, voice our disagreement, have civil discourse, and still be respectful of

[02:09:24] one another. With that said, I want to thank you all for your service. I truly believe you only what is best for Loudoun County and the best you have delivered. As some of the other speakers have already said and more to follow, I want to highlight the ways the Board of Supervisors have helped our county over the past four years. As the economy has been on everybody's mind lately, I'd like to address that topic. First, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors has delivered lower tax rate to the Loudoun residents each year over the past four years while fully funding the county's renowned public school system.

[02:10:04] Loudon has the lowest real estate property tax in all of Nova, including Fauquier County, at 0.875%. Our supervisors adopted an 80% valuation on vehicles for personal property tax in response to the increase in value of used cars during the COVID-19 pandemic.

[02:10:25] At 2.5%, Loudon has one of the lowest unemployment rates in Virginia. The Board of Supervisors have made critical land use and zoning decisions that are environmentally responsible, utilize technology, and protect our rural areas while encouraging economic development.

[02:10:45] Loudoun's rural economy is booming out yonder where I live. With its art, culture, music, festivals, and outdoor recreation areas, it's one of the most sought-after tourist locations. We have wine country, horse country, farms, historical towns, mountain vistas, all the things.

[02:11:04] We are truly blessed to live here, and it's because of all of you. So thank you for all you do, and thank you for allowing me to speak tonight. Thank you very much. I appreciate that. Sam Edgemond, followed by Katrina Smith, followed by Ms. Perez.

[02:11:25] Good evening, sir. Thank you, Madam Chair. Good evening, both. Catherine Smith. I come here in support of the Loudoun County-Thema-Sister City relationship. I think it's a very laudable and a bold decision for the board to go on this route. I think this is going to be very beneficial for both Thema and the County of Loudoun. A lot of people have spoken about this. I don't want to take too much of your time. I guess I'm here in support of that

[02:11:59] initiative. Thank you. Thank you, sir. And I'm sorry, it's actually Kaplan Smith. And then we're going to go back to Brenda Bennington to speak. Ms. Smith, good evening. And thank you all for this opportunity. Yes, I am Katie Smith. I'm the Leesburg District Chair of the LCDC. And I want to kind of tack on to what everybody else is saying. And thank you for your efforts in making Loudoun

[02:12:33] County so successful? According to Forbes and U.S. News and World Report, we're the richest county in the nation. We rank in the top 12 for the healthiest, best educated, best housed. We even got an A for nightlife, if you can believe it, from one obscure rating. But Tony's like, yeah, I googled that especially. But what I'm really, now on this little more serious note here, what I'm really most proud of tonight is the unanimous vote at the Joint Board of Supervisors and School

[02:13:10] Board meeting a few days ago to accept the Frederick Douglass High School Alumni Association's recommendation for reparations to the African-American community for the school's property. Well done, you all. These are citizens, as you know, had been long exploited in this county, For example, by continuing segregation for 12 years after the Brown v. Board of Education decision.

[02:13:39] This is not ancient history. It's happened in my lifetime. And before that, in the 1930s, during segregation, in order to provide a school for their children, the African-American community here raised $4,000 to purchase the land that the Douglas Elementary School now sits on.

[02:13:58] But the county never built their school, and I don't know how their children got educated during those years of segregation. The county then bought back, in quotes, the parcel of land for a dollar, essentially took it from them.

[02:14:15] In today's money, it's worth over $5.5 million. The Alumni Association's recommendations that were approved includes $50,000 each year for an annual event commemorating the school's history and their alumni.

[02:14:34] And $1 million to produce a documentary on their story is what I understand. Hardly adds up to the $5.5 million, but what was asked for is worth so much more to this community. and I'm grateful to the Alumni Association for their perseverance and to you for honoring them.

[02:14:56] Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you very much. Brenda Bingston, followed by, I think that is Ms. Perez.

[02:15:12] Good evening. Good evening. Thank you for fitting me in, even though it was a little late. I'm Brenda Bingston, longtime resident, former student, and retired educator. I commend this board for many accomplishments during these past years.

[02:15:28] During the pandemic, you helped our community rise to ensure the safety of Loudoun citizens, continue to conduct county business, and provide access to immunizations. There is pride in our rural economy, tourism, and job growth.

[02:15:47] It's encouraging to see an emphasis on attainable housing for those who work here to serve the public. I personally would have benefited from that during my first year of teaching long ago. I've lived here long enough to see many disparities.

[02:16:03] While we see too many homeless youth now, we had segregated schools when I moved here as a child. I was around when Leesburg's community pool was closed, rather than being a welcoming place for all. In 1968, I attended Broad Run Annex at Douglas High School after Loudoun finally integrated schools.

[02:16:25] We benefited from the beginnings of a growing, vibrant, diverse population. Thanks to this board and the school board for support during the renovation and rededication of Douglas High School as an educational campus, highlighting a rich history.

[02:16:43] Critics will complain about everything dollars, yet we have low unemployment and the lowest tax rate in Northern Virginia. Sure, there's always room for improvement. But I read a recent post that made common good sound like a curse word.

[02:17:02] Isn't that the beauty of a community? Caring for our neighbors? Developing a sense of belonging? Strengthening connections? At a memorial recently, I heard some sage advice. Life's too short to spend energy on being bitter, holding grudges, or gossip.

[02:17:25] Indeed. Thank you. Thank you very much. I'm going to go to our next three speakers, all of them who are going to have an interpreter, and then I'm going to go back to the web for George, for Mr. Bright, for George Bright.

[02:17:43] But we'll first go to the next three speakers, and they are Ishmael Perez, Claudia Cusanda, and Maria Rojas. And I will go to you all first, if you are here, and I'm sure you are. Ms. Perez, you are here. I just saw you. She's down here. Did she leave?

[02:18:12] Buenas noches. Buenas noches. Buenas noches, representantes de la Junta de Supervisores del Condado de London.

[02:18:35] Mi nombre es Claudia Quesada. Vivo en los Lisbeth Apartments. Desde hace 24 años, trabajo en una compañía de limpieza. El grupo de inquilinos de la Nueva Mayoría de Virginia ha tenido una lucha haciendo varios llamados de atención a la Junta, the administration for that this program of assistance to the rent may begin the most soon as possible.

[02:19:04] This program of assistance to the rent may begin at the beginning of this year. Since it's been a long time, there have been a lot of difficulties.

[02:19:20] How much time do we wait for this program to begin and that families don't have to suffer as it's been happening now? Es un avance que ya se esté buscando una organización para que comience a destruir los fondos.

[02:19:42] Pero ¿cuánto más hay que esperar? Esperamos que las organizaciones que puedan aplicar sean las mismas que conozcan los desafíos de las comunidades más desafoverecidas, Pues tenemos que asegurarnos que las familias con más desventajas no se queden atrás.

[02:20:10] Muchas familias hemos estado con la esperanza y el optimismo de que este programa nos ayude a todos como clase trabajadora. Cuando el programa de inicio podamos estar más tranquilos, porque hasta el momento hemos estado a la defensiva tratando de pagar la renta.

[02:20:27] porque para nosotros tener una vivienda segura es vital para el bienestar de nuestras familias y especialmente de nuestros hijos por lo tanto en nombre de las madres trabajadoras esenciales que no quieren ser desplazadas y despojadas estoy aquí para solicitarles que el programa de asistencia de la renta comienzo lo más pronto posible antes que termine este año gracias gracias and Ms. Quesada-Glacias, are you going to interpret?

[02:21:01] Yes, please. Thank you. Good evening, representatives of the Laudan Board of Supervisors. My name is Claudia Quesada. I have lived at Leesboro Apartments for 24 years, and I work for a cleaning company. The New Virginia Majority Tenant Group has had a campaign calling on the board and the county administration for this rental assistance program to start as soon as possible at the beginning of this year.

[02:21:30] So far this year, there have been many evictions. How much longer must we wait for this program to start and for families to have to suffer eviction like they have been? It is progress that they are already looking for an organization to begin distributing the funds, but how much longer will we have to wait?

[02:21:50] We hope that the organizations that can administer the funds are the same ones that know the challenges of the most disadvantaged communities because we have to ensure that the most disadvantaged families are not left behind. Many families have been hopeful and optimistic that this program will help us as working-class families.

[02:22:11] When the program starts, we can be calmer because until now, we have been on the defensive trying to pay rent. Because for us, having a safe home is vital for the well-being of our families and our children. Therefore, on behalf of the mothers and essential workers who do not want to be displaced or dispossessed, I am here to ask for the rental assistance program to begin as soon as possible before the end of the year.

[02:22:38] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Maria Rojas, and then we are going to go back to George Bright, and then we will go to Roxana Henriquez. I did not speak up, that is Claudia, that was Claudia, that was her.

[02:22:54] Mrs. Proves did not come up. Buenas noches, Mr. Rojas, Sr. Rojas.

[02:23:40] cual, si no pago esa tarifa impuesta, quedo con amenaza de desalojo y también debo decidir si comprar mis medicinas o pagar esta nueva tarifa. Como pueden ver, soy una persona de la tercera edad que vive con sobrecargos de costos.

[02:23:59] Desde hace meses atrás, estamos abogando ante ustedes y el Departamento de Vivienda para que dé inicio lo más pronto posible el programa de asistencia de la renta. Hemos visto que ha sido un proceso largo.

[02:24:16] Agradecemos que ya se están dando los primeros pasos, pero mi preocupación es que el programa es tan amplio para familias que ganan $150 al año como familias que ganan $20,000 al año.

[02:24:32] Pedimos que el programa dé inicio antes del invierno, Ya que se hace difícil para muchos el trabajo de baja considerablemente y que las familias con más barreras y desarrollos no nos quedemos atrás. Gracias.

[02:24:52] Thank you. Gracias. Good evening. I am Maria Rojas, a resident of Lisburg. I rent an apartment at Manor Apartments. Currently, I have to pay $2,100 a month, and now I don't know what to do because they are imposing a fee for an internet service that I don't have and I don't need for $90 a month.

[02:25:16] So if I don't pay this imposed fee, I will be threatened with eviction. Now, I must decide whether to buy my medicine or pay this new fee. As you can see, I am a senior citizen who is housing cost burden. For months now, we have been advocating for you and the housing department to start the rental assistance program as soon as possible.

[02:25:40] We have seen that it has been a long process. We appreciate that the first steps are already being taken, but my concern is that the program is too open for families that earn $140,000 a year as it is for families that earn $20,000 a year.

[02:25:59] We ask that the program start before the winter since it becomes difficult for many to work as many hours during the winter. And we ask that families with more barriers and challenges are not left behind. Thank you. I'm sorry, will you say that last piece again, families with more barriers and?

[02:26:16] And we ask that the program start before winter since it becomes difficult for many to work as many hours in the winter. and we ask that families with more barriers and challenges are not left behind. I understand. Thank you very much. Thank you very much.

[02:26:34] Gracias, señorita Lojas. Roxana, no, I'm sorry, no, no, no, no. George Bright, followed by Roxana Henriquez, followed by Lennon Davis. Just give me one second. We're going to go to the phone. Just give me one second. Andy can go to the phone for Mr. Bright if he's on.

[02:26:54] Okay. Yes, I'm on. Okay, we're ready. Good evening, board. My name is George Bright, and I speak on behalf of the sister-sister relationship between Tamar and Loudoun County. There are several of these sister-sister relationships, and I can attest that it has been beneficial to both regions, in terms of not just exchange programs or education, but most importantly, it opened up tremendously for investment opportunities.

[02:27:26] I look at this and I recently saw that Detroit, Ghana's exported about $300 million in terms of goods to the United States. It shows that just in case a chunk of these come into Loudoun County and Ghana being the source of raw materials, cocoa, chocolate for industries, feed in Loudoun County.

[02:27:49] It will be a great idea. I'm very excited, and the Ghanians, over 300,000 Ghanians in the Washington metro area, are all excited about this city agreement. So I think it's a lot of our idea, and let's keep it going. Thank you.

[02:28:05] Thank you, sir. Good evening. We're ready when you are, and you're going to be followed by Lynn Davis, followed by Abelum Simiglo. Simiglo, good evening. Do you want an interpreter to come up with you?

[02:28:22] is it roxana yes oh hi good evening uh board members of supervisors uh my name is roxana enriquez i'm a leader of the community and the new majority of virginia we are here to thank you for the step that has been taken about uh housing uh we know that we live in a county that many say the riches in the country but even though of that we have problems with the

[02:28:55] distribution of resources especially in also finding options for housing for families of working class of working class we don't want these families to be of essential workers to be homeless we we invite you to work together with us to find solutions in the long term to help these families that have the most barriers on finding help it is important to listen to the communities

[02:29:34] with these barriers to find ways to help them we invite you to work together to finding solutions on housing and just housings for all. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much, Ms. Hillary, because I appreciate it. Lynn Davis, you will be followed by Ablam Simiglow, followed by Woody Turner. Good evening, Ms. Davis. Good evening, supervisors. I am Lynn Davis. I

[02:30:07] currently live in the Algonquian District. Prior to the census of 2020, I lived in the Sterling District. So I've had the benefit of having two amazing supervisors. And I just want to kind of talk about some of the benefits that I've seen as both a Sterling Magisterial District resident and an Algonquian resident without ever having to move. I just get pushed back and forth

[02:30:42] on either side of seven. You know, I was really impressed by this board and how it has specifically with the leadership of Supervisor Briskman and Supervisor Sains really focused on Title I schools in Eastern Loudoun. Supervisor Briskman worked tirelessly with the school board to ensure that there was an elimination of the activity fees for participation in sports. All you've got to do is

[02:31:17] look at any kind of research to show that when you put people into sports, they tend to have better outcomes because they have a commitment to their school. They have a commitment to their community. And if we're going to put it hard for people who just have to make a decision between feeding their family or letting their kids participate in athletics, thank you for taking the high road on that. And it will benefit tremendously many. Briskman also championed

[02:31:56] firearm prohibition in county buildings, and thank you for that as well. Makes you feel a little safer coming to speak before the Board of Supervisors. I really appreciate that Supervisor Sains did the work for Jennings Farms Road because just driving down there prior to getting the trucks off of the side of the road, you took your life into your own hands if you were even trying to pull in or out of the shopping centers so i appreciate that as well um i've got a ton

[02:32:32] more but you all know how great you are thanks thank you thank you very much um abel um simiglow followed by woody turner followed by reverend matthew mr simiglow is on uh on with us virtually this evening abel did not call in today he did not call in okay um then we will go to uh woody Turner, followed by Reverend Matthew, who was also with us virtually. Good evening, Mr. Turner.

[02:33:02] Good evening, Madam Chairman and members of the Board of Supervisors. I've been doing this since 1973. And over that time, my name is Woody Turner. I was preceded by my son. And I've probably been here at least 50 or 60 times to bring certain messages to the board. But here I'm, I'm here tonight to support Supervisor Turner's initiative. And there are two decisions that the board of

[02:33:38] supervisors of your prior credit, your predecessors made that I think are relevant and important to consider when you make the decisions that you're going to be making tonight and in the future. The first was when the question of where to locate a hospital came, and a for-profit company decided that for-profit, they wanted to locate in a place within six miles of Loudoun Hospital.

[02:34:09] And the state health department, they applied and made an application there. They were granted a certificate of need, and our board of supervisors, with the help of a lot of citizens, thought that was not the best thing to happen.

[02:34:25] they wanted to put the next hospital at a location where it was needed, not right next to one that was already there. And so they adopted a comprehensive plan amended, a CPAM, that said when the next hospital comes to Loudoun County, it ought to be on Route 50. And you know what?

[02:34:45] It ended up there. And now we have, because of the courage and the foresightfulness of that Board of Supervisors, we now have a world-class hospital in Lansdowne, and we have a thriving hospital on Route 50 where it needed to be in the first place. But the Board of Supervisors made that happen, not the state of Virginia. The second point or incident that I want to talk to you about, I know at least one of you is familiar with because you helped make it happen, and that

[02:35:18] was when Dominion Power proposed to put a high-voltage utility lines along Route 50 and to serve a new data center that was not at a location where the board or the impacted citizens of South routing thought it ought to be located. Mr. Turner, I'm sorry. Your time is up. Thank you. I'm sorry. Mr. Turner, I did not know. You made my point. You can You can give your comments to the, yeah, yeah.

[02:35:49] I did. And I did not know Brian was your son. Yes. I'm proud of him. That is new information. All right. We will go with Reverend Matthew, who's on the line, and he will be followed by Avram Fector, who's also on the line.

[02:36:09] Reverend is not on the line. Okay. Is Mr. Fector on the line? He is not on the line. He is not on the line either. How about the next person, Abraham Cisse? He is not on the line either.

[02:36:29] Okay, let's go to Andrea Weisskopf, and then followed by Patrick Hammock. Andrea, or Andrea, oh, you're coming, very good.

[02:36:53] Good evening, it's Andrea, Andrea Weisskopf. When asked what I would do if I ever won the lottery, I answer the usual, pay off the mortgage.

[02:37:10] But then I add, I'd make a donation to the Middlesex County Health Department. I started a degree program at Rutgers when my daughter was an infant. For the first three years of her life, I could not afford health insurance for her.

[02:37:26] I relied on the Middlesex County Health Department for shots and well-baby checkups. And so if I ever come into money, I will remember those who helped me care for my daughter. I thought of my experience when I learned that the federal government is no longer providing COVID shots at no cost.

[02:37:48] These days, I don't worry about the cost of a shop. I have good health insurance, but I cannot forget when an unexpected cost of $5 would bring me to tears. Without federal support, the Low Co Health Department must absorb this cost.

[02:38:06] This board enabled the Loudoun County Health Department to test and vaccinate thousands of Loudoun County residents at the height of the COVID crisis. Now that we have mostly emerged from the pandemic, you cannot stop funding the health department.

[02:38:25] I thank you for the funding you have provided for behavioral and mental health departments. Now our health department needs additional funding to support our LGBTQ youth. Now that the governor has stripped the LGBTQ information from the state health department website.

[02:38:44] Our County Health Department needs additional support to partner, to develop partnerships with organizations to support our LGBTQ youth. Please support such initiatives with the same generous funding that you allotted for the Crisis Receiving Center.

[02:39:02] I thank you for the support you have given the Health Department, but you cannot rest. This one-time struggling single mother reminds you that when you support the Loudoun County Health Department, you are supporting community health. Thank you. Black Lives Matter.

[02:39:19] Thank you. Thank you. On the line, we should have Patrick Hammock, followed by Frank Fofi, followed by, well, let's see if those two people are on the line. Those two are not on the line, but I do have Evaristo.

[02:39:39] Let's start, okay. Evarista Kapinga, let's do that then. And you will be followed by Robert Lawry. Yes, thank you for the words. And I want to say hello to everybody.

[02:39:56] And my presence here is motivated by the support for the tale of the city, the tema in Ghana and Laudan Khan.

[02:40:32] I would like, as I've said the last time, this program of T-Star City is very, very helpful for Ghana and also for Laudam Kani. Why? Because Ghana is a presentation of all Africa. And I would like to say about the benefit of this relationship with overseas and Africa.

[02:41:00] It is not just that Africa is to get a lot from Laudan Khan, but the Laudan Khan is also to get a lot from Africa.

[02:41:15] Because Africa is to offer all the cultural exchange, student exchange, business exchange. what means for Laudan Kali community a lot and for all of us.

[02:41:35] I want to really support to the chairman of Laudan Kali, and I'm pleading for her taking the power to be voted again so she can at least not just limit that relationship with Ghana, but to go also to other countries in Africa to improve and to increase that exchange.

[02:42:15] Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Just give me one second. Just give me one second. Yes, Mr. Lowry, you'll be followed by Sylvie Nome, who is on the line, and then Mary Bill Tishabongu, who is in the room.

[02:42:37] Good evening, sir. Good evening. It's a pleasure to be here. I feel privileged to have an opportunity to address the board this evening so that I can express my concerns regarding the proposal of Dominion Electric to construct power lines along Route 7.

[02:42:55] This proposal will directly impact the enjoyment of my home at Lansdowne Woods, a 55-plus community, as well as those of my neighbors. I have carefully reviewed the documents that have been provided to my dominion on its website regarding their proposal.

[02:43:18] I attended a meeting where they went over and offered to answer questions about the proposal on August 25th, 2023, along with hundreds of my neighbors.

[02:43:35] At that forum, I had an opportunity to ask them questions about the proposal, but was unable to get answers to my questions. And in that, the questions that I asked were, was there a report that addressed what alternatives were considered before making this proposal? Was there an environmental impact assessment for the proposal? Was there a report

[02:44:10] that discussed the feasibility of locating the power lines next to Loudoun Hospital? If so, was the location of the hospital considered a routing constraint. That is a term that they used.

[02:44:26] They have a chart that lists routing constraints. Hospitals are not on it. Was there a report that identified the reasons why the two most direct routes between Aspen, which is 0.1, and Golden, which is point two the most direct routes were deemed were not deemed to be sufficient

[02:44:59] and they use the word infeasible and then was the loudon county board of supervisors consultant regarding any zoning concerns i'm asking the board sir i i'm i i really hate to stop you i'm so sorry but your time is up but i think i really would like to see the rest of your comments um if you don't mind could you give the comments yes sir to the to the to the person she has copies for everybody thank you so much thank you so much sir thank you i appreciate it um um

[02:45:37] sylvie sylvie nomini is she on the line yes she is okay we're ready yes i am on the line good evening and i want to thank the board to give me the opportunity to participate in this discussion And I want to chip into the—I'm a resident in Loudoun County, and I have learned about this discussion about the KEMA agreement between Ghana and Loudoun County,

[02:46:14] and I think that it will be a great opportunity for the cultural exchange between KEMA and Loudoun County. And I think that the African community in Loudoun County is very beneficial with the work that the African community does in the county.

[02:46:51] And also, I want to point out the benefit of this agreement and underlying the student exchange program that is on the menu that will be tremendously beneficial to the youth of Loudoun County.

[02:47:04] And I think that by doing so, the children of Loudoun County participating in the student exchange in FEMA will expose them to some kind of resiliency that probably they don't have the opportunity to learn just staying in Loudoun County.

[02:47:37] What I mean is that that exchange will be beneficial to Loudoun County and TEMA. And that's why I really wanted to chip into this discussion to bring my support to that agreement.

[02:47:53] So I thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to participate. Thank you very much. Thank you. I appreciate that. I do not want to mispronounce your last name, so I'm going to spell it. it's t-h i'm sorry t-s-h-i-b-a-n-g-u if you were in the room um meravelle here as your first name you are my next speaker and i'm sorry and then we're going to go back to the webex for reverend matthew and abraham sissé so is this per are you in the room ma'am are they on the phone

[02:48:30] andy no they are not okay is mr is is reverend matthew on the phone andy yes he is can we put him through, please. Thank you so much, and I apologize for being late. I also have some problems, but I'm speaking in support of Tema as a sister city to Loudoun County. As an American,

[02:49:03] and so born initially in Ghana, I would love to see Loudoun County companies go explore opportunities in Tema. A previous lady spoke about the student exchange program, which I think could be beneficial to the youth, but I'm more focused on the business side.

[02:49:23] There are a lot of business opportunities in Ghana, and if you go to almost all the industries that are based in Tema, and I would like to see companies in the neighborhood in which I live explore such business opportunities.

[02:49:39] If I may speak selfishly for a minute, when I go to Ghana, all I see are Chinese companies doing business in Ghana in Tema. It's time I want to see more American companies because if more companies explore these opportunities, it will create more jobs in Loudoun County, and it will come to help all of us who live in Loudoun County.

[02:50:02] So I'm speaking in support of this proposal. I don't think we should throw the baby out with the bathwater no matter what happens. We should look at the positive side of this collaboration and approve it so that the county can benefit and also Ghana and Temer can benefit.

[02:50:20] So I'm speaking once again in support of Temer being assisted to our county. And I'm asking for approval. That's all. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you very much. And on the phone will be Abraham Sese.

[02:50:37] And then this person has declined to offer her last name, but her first name is Iris. But it's Mr. Sese is next. Sese is next. Yes.

[02:50:53] Good evening. Thank you for allowing me. to participate in this i just want to say first and foremost that um i stand with the temla agreement um i have a lot of ghana that i grew up with and continue personally and i have to say a lot of ghanaans are right-minded people and i feel like loudon county has a whole benefit from this entire agreement because ghana has a lot of bright minds to offer resilient people hard-working

[02:51:28] people that can benefit from this agreement just like the previous person said you just see a lot of chinese companies indian companies but i feel like having an american company there will boost the um the boost the support boost the economy boost the things that go on in ghana i feel like this agreement is beneficial and a lot of counties will benefit from it and yeah thank you sir thank you very much I just want to make sure I'm not missing anybody

[02:52:04] because I think I'm good I think the next I'm sorry I'm sorry just give me a second yes the next person is Iris followed by Rihanna Butler these people are both on the line followed by amanda tandy who i believe is in the room andy is anybody online yes i have iris i just

[02:52:35] put her through okay we're ready ma'am iris oh we're ready for you when you are yes ma'am okay i'm ready okay we're ready too okay got it hi um so my name is iris um i am speaking in support the temba agreement um between laudan county um i myself am a first generation american my mother comes from a country in africa and i would say that it's really important it's really

[02:53:13] really important for um the u.s to make sure that they maintain their influence um with other african countries right now it's no you're still on we can hear you oh okay got it sorry it's really important to maintain that we're globally interconnected just as global citizens everything does require the importance of building diplomatic relations and strengthening our global education.

[02:53:46] So I just wanted to say that I am a part of it. Thank you. Thank you very much. Ms. Butler, you will be followed by Amanda Tandy, followed by Ann Butler. We have two Ms. Butler speaking. Is she on the line?

[02:54:03] Yes, I'm on. We're ready for you. Yes, I'm here. Okay, we're ready for you when you are. Good evening, Madam Chair Randall. I am a resident of Lowland County, and I'm also a fifth-grade teacher. And I'm calling in support of a sister city, having a sister city with Ghana, Tema.

[02:54:26] And we already have sister cities in other continents. To include another continent, Tema will help increase the Lowland County presence, which in turn increases revenue.

[02:54:44] Ghana has benefits of import-exports, for example, to increase businesses. This partnership is a positive partnership for Loudoun County. Loudoun is diverse, and this relationship will continue the diversity in the county, in the community, and it will spill into the school system where we promote inclusivity.

[02:55:08] Thank you for allowing me the time to speak. Thank you. Thank you very much. Amanda Tandy, if you were in the room. I don't think I saw Ms. Tandy in the room. I don't think I did. Okay. Ann Butler would be on the phone.

[02:55:23] And then Kathleen Hughes, who I did see in the room. Is Ms. Butler on the phone? There we go. Hello, ma'am. Hi, I am here. Hello, Chairman Randall. It's a pleasure for me to speak this afternoon, or to speak.

[02:55:39] I am in support, and I'm calling because I'm in support of the Sister City's affiliation with TEMA. And I think this is wonderful because I believe for the county, and let me just tell you who I am.

[02:55:57] I am a broker, and Renina Butler is my daughter-in-law who I sold. She has a house in Potomac Falls that I sold to them in 1994. So they were there before a lot of the developments started and evolved.

[02:56:14] And we've seen the change, most particularly with your leadership, Madam Chair, and we're proud of that. And we're proud of the voices you're using, not the ideas that you're bringing to the county where I believe you can see the advancement for people, particularly the children.

[02:56:38] then I'm very proud of a grandson whom you've taken to your arms as an Eagle Scout, one of the very few black Eagle Scouts, and he made a different influence. And the hug that he got at his graduation from Mrs. Britsman, that is his supervisor.

[02:57:00] So I'm saying all that to say that an affiliate with Ghana, with TEMA, would be affiliated with one of the most technologically advanced countries in Africa. They're rich in minerals, gold, magnesium.

[02:57:19] They're the second gold producer in Africa. Not only that, they're a stable country. They have low crime. TEMA has low crime. They're English-speaking, and they have an educated workforce. I think an affiliation with this county, I believe, would change the culture image in both places.

[02:57:42] I have a lot of clients who are expatriates, and I think they'd be surprised when they would see some of these changes, most particularly in Loudoun County. I think everybody said most of what I would say, so I'll say this.

[02:57:58] In support of Kamala Randall, I don't mean that you are this, but Carla Harris, who is, as fortunate as me, counts the most powerful questions. Ma'am, I know you want to compare me to Kamala Harris, and that would be fine with me, but your time's up. You've got to speak faster if you're going to compare me to Kamala Harris in the future, because I would love to hear that, but your time is up, ma'am.

[02:58:22] I'm sorry. So thank you for calling in, though. I appreciate it. You can send those comments in if you feel, though. Kathleen Hughes, followed by Billy Apiakusi, and followed by somebody else online, and we will spell his name when we get there.

[02:58:44] Good evening. How are you? Good to see you. Madam Chair and members of the board, good evening. I'm Kathleen Hughes, a resident of Lansdowne Woods in the Ashburn District. I attended both the online presentation and the public meeting at Belmont Middle School in August where Dominion Energy offered its case for choosing the Aspen to Golden Route for its new giant transmission towers along our section of Route 7.

[02:59:12] So I've heard their many reasons and seen their virtual photographs of what Dominion thinks these giant 135-foot aluminum transmission towers with their masses of electrical wires will look like and what this will all cost the taxpayers.

[02:59:28] I'm not convinced. I urge the board to consider another alternative to above-ground transportation poles to serve the ever-growing electrical needs of a multitudes of data centers, which are already invading our environment, using massive amounts of electricity and water.

[02:59:46] In the process of exploring an acceptable route, when you examine the facts, I feel Dominion may really have abandoned both other routes and burying the wires, mostly because of cost. So the only solution I see to protecting our environment and serving the growing number of data centers is to bury the wires.

[03:00:08] We, the residents, don't really need such massive amounts of electricity, but it seems the rest of the world does need it for their Internet business. So Dominion should bury the wires for us and charge the data centers for the difference between the above ground poles we don't want, and bury the wires, which in the long run are the future of electrical transmission.

[03:00:35] I urge the board to help us preserve this section of eastern Loudoun from the ugliness and the intrusion of the Aspen to Golden Route. Bury the wires, charge the data centers, and let's save Loudoun County. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much, Ms. Hughes.

[03:00:53] Billy Apiakuzi, and then the last person is Kwazi Kowachinuka. I think that's how I say it. Good evening, sir. Good evening, supervisors.

[03:01:11] I'm very privileged to be here to be speaking with you this evening. My name is Billy Apiakuzi, a resident of Ashburn for the past 30 years. I'm originally from Ghana, so when I heard about this sister city agreement, I was enthused about it.

[03:01:32] And I am not going to talk about the benefits because most of the people that support it have already spoken immensely about the benefits that could accrue from this agreement for both Loudoun County and Ghana.

[03:01:50] Tema is a poor city in Ghana, Accra, and Tema is in Ghana, and Ghana is in West Africa. A lot of people might not know where Ghana is. So I'm going to talk about, I'm going to urge the supervisors in considering whether to move forward with this sister city agreement.

[03:02:15] you should please consider the historical relationship between African Americans and the state of Virginia, and particularly the county of Loudoun. We have this opportunity.

[03:02:33] Probably we have this historic city agreement with other continents. I don't believe you have one in Africa. So this is a very good opportunity for the county to make a very, I would say, and impact that in future, we are not going to be judged on the wrong side of history.

[03:02:56] So I will urge you that in considering whether to move forward or not, you should please look back and see what kind of relationship that this county and the state has had with Africa.

[03:03:15] And then maybe you reflect on it and considering the fact that you don't have a sister city anywhere in black Africa, Maybe, God willing, this program will go forward. Thank you.

[03:03:31] Thank you. Thank you very much, sir. Kwazi Puachik Nuwaka, and he is on the phone. And then Emanuel Darko, and then we will go to our waiting list.

[03:03:49] And the first person on our waiting list is Faithland Ferguson. Thank you. Thank you. Madam Chair and all the members of the board, Kwesi Kwachi Miyako is my name, and I thank you for making an effort to pronounce it.

[03:04:11] I speak to you this evening to echo my comments about the relationship that has been brought forth between Northern County and Tema, Ghana. Let us please look at this as marriage that has been arranged, the beauty of it, and the benefits if we are able to make things work, which I know will definitely work because of the goodwill and the many opportunities that are coming our way.

[03:04:47] So as you vote on this letter, I will plead that you look favorably towards the future by bringing the two entities together for the mutual benefits that await all of us.

[03:05:04] Thank you for making time to listen to me, and I hope the decision is going to bring joy to all of us. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Okay. Emmanuel Dorco is in the room, I do believe. Thank you.

[03:05:28] Good evening, sir. Good evening. My name is Imanu Daokunanachaflat. I'm a pastor, and I first want to thank you all. I do read about stuff concerning the board. I never showed up here.

[03:05:45] This is my first time, and I just want to say thank you to you all for the service you provide for Loudoun in particular. I've been in Leesburg for the past 22 years, And I want to stand here and say something in support of the Loudon and Temer Initiative.

[03:06:05] I believe that you have heard so much about it, so I don't have to bore you with anything. I am in support of whatever has been said by all others online. But I want to tell something. When I came here to the United States and I had my children, who are almost out of the house now, all of them, I took all of them to Ghana in 2013.

[03:06:29] and something happened and then my son told me something he's they were trying to communicate with their friends here on an ipad and so when i buy the internet for them we call it data two minutes is done then they shout that can we then i buy another one so when we came back i decided to ask them what they want to do and then my son told me that he wants to build a fiber optic something for Ghana,

[03:07:05] where the people of Ghana can enjoy Internet the way we do here. And so as we consider this exchange program and others, I want Loudoun to be looking into ICT2 because it will be a huge game-breaker for both Loudoun and Ghana.

[03:07:28] Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Okay, Supervisors, we are going to, those are all of the speakers who are on the on the list we have plenty of times i think we may be able to get through just about uh close to the whole waiting list or we're going to try to get through the whole waiting list um so um our first person is faith ferguson um and i think she is on the phone and she will be followed by in the room mary badger and in the room donna machina Is Ms. Ferguson on the line?

[03:08:04] Yes, I am. Okay, we're ready when you are, ma'am. Good evening to everyone, and I do appreciate the opportunity to speak on the sister program with Ford Temu. I have reviewed the details of this program.

[03:08:21] I've watched the interview that you conducted in Ghana with them there and saw the wealth of knowledge and information that I learned. I've been in Loudoun County for the past 24 years. I'm not Ghanaian, but I know a huge amount of Ghanians that I've come across while I lived here.

[03:08:45] There is so much that Ghana has to offer, likewise, to Loudoun County to benefit and do some exchange of resources, technology, education. And I believe that today, looking at all the other sister cities that you do where the U. S. participates in, this is a great opportunity for Loudoun Conte, the first group, to take on an African nation and decide to share what they have in regards to what the other have to offer.

[03:09:19] The community is pretty huge here. You have students, you have educators, you have nurses, you have government workers. There is so much that we have to offer. And therefore, I believe if we continue to encourage the community and encourage Loudoun County to participate in such an activity, and that will encourage the younger generation of Ghanians that I see living in Virginia and Loudoun County to support and be more exposed to opportunities and have such a diversity that will help the county grow,

[03:09:58] knowing that there is so much, as I said, in Africa to offer. Ghana has a high exchange of oil. They also do cocoa. There's so much things that we can benefit from. So I am in agreement with the program, and I would encourage the county to stand firm on this, And when they do vote, consider that you are bringing in something that is important that is going to support the growth and the benefits of resources for all.

[03:10:27] And that's my contribution to this decision that's been taken. Thank you. Thank you very much, ma'am. In the room we have, or at least it says we have in the room, Mary Badger. Are you here, ma'am? Wonderful. You will be followed by Donna Machina. Good evening, ma'am.

[03:10:44] Good evening. Thank you. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. As a representative of Regency at Belmont, a 55 and over community that would be impacted by the proximity of Dominion's transmission lines, I'm here to say that we object to the further marring of the Loudoun County landscape.

[03:11:04] As can be attested by the large turnouts at the public hearings held by Dominion Energy, residents want more responsible and thoughtful implementation to minimize the impact on the community. Some of the exhibits presented by Dominion Energy did not accurately show the full impact of these transmission lines. When you protect the vistas, you protect the quality of life for the residents. It is said if you build it, they will come. Do we really want to encourage the blight of more data centers in Loudoun County, should data centers not bear some of

[03:11:44] the cost to bury these lines as part of the cost of doing business, please insist that the transmission lines along Route 7 be buried before we create neighborhoods that no one wants to live in. Thank you.

[03:11:59] Thank you. Ma'am, it says that you, the Board of Regency at Belmont Community, do you just live there or are you speaking on their behalf? I'm a resident, but I'm speaking on their behalf. You were authorized to speak on their behalf. Yes. Thank you very much.

[03:12:14] I appreciate that. Thank you. Donna Machina, followed by Molly Peacock. Good evening, ma'am. Hello. I'm a resident who moved here from Fairfax County to a retirement community in Lansdowne. What drew me to move further out were the trips I used to take to visit friends who already lived here.

[03:12:34] I see the hills, green all around, the sunsets, the natural beauty. My body would relax. Since moving here, I'm seeing more development, swatches of trees being wiped out, and more data centers, eliminating the natural beauty. Now there's a possibility of power lines detracting from the natural environment, our living space, and affecting our property values.

[03:12:54] I'm not against growth, but I feel there should be careful planning, and the top priority should be on how the people who live here will be affected. Data centers do need the power, but there should be a compromise. The data centers can get their power, but via buried power lines in agreeing to absorb some of the costs.

[03:13:12] Growth is necessary, but I'd ask that it happen in a way that doesn't destroy what brought a number of us here to begin with. I'm sorry. Thank you. And our next speaker will be Molly Peacock, followed by Lynn Wright.

[03:13:30] Good evening, Ms. Peacock. Good evening, Madam Chair, members of the board. My name is Molly Peacock. Thank you for letting me share concerns on behalf of Lansdowne on the Potomac HOA located here in Loudoun County.

[03:13:46] I serve as general counsel for LOTP, who asked me to be here and speak on a certain topic about which you've heard, which has caused serious concern for the LOTP Board of Directors and for many LOTP residents.

[03:14:06] As many of you know very well, LOTP is a planned community, an HOA, which comprises 2,155 homes and is located off of Riverside Parkway near Route 7. LOTP is part of a larger planned community, the Lansdowne Conservancy.

[03:14:24] On many points, LOTP and the Conservancy are aligned. LOTP is also aligned with Lansdowne Woods, Lansdowne Village Green, and other communities, both within and outside of the boundaries of Lansdowne. Today, we come to express support for the premise that unintended negative consequences of the fast-track commercial incentive program need to be addressed and resolved by this body.

[03:14:52] We agree that the fast-track program was created and intended to operate in a stable planning community, planning environment. The observations and research that Lansdowne constituents have made and done in recent months indicates that the explosion of energy-demanding data centers in certain portions of Loudoun has resulted in a development environment that is unstable.

[03:15:19] In addition, the priorities of data centers conflict with the priorities and quality of living of thousands of Loudoun citizens who've been here many years. An example of such conflict is the Dominion Towers we have heard about this evening. We're not here to oppose data centers specifically.

[03:15:38] Rather, we believe it is of the utmost importance to enable right-sized, non-chaotic development in Loudoun, have a reasonable chance to understand the effects of the proposed plan by Dominion on the environment, and have a reasonable chance to review the feasibility of alternative methods.

[03:15:56] Comparing the cost of rushing to install these towers versus the cost of installing them too quickly will be obvious. I think, to many. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. And I think by way of full disclosure, I should say that I live in Lansdowne on the Potomac. So I just, since we decided to put that out there. Lynn Wright, followed by Thomas Givans, followed by Suzanne Satterfeld. Good evening, ma'am.

[03:16:31] Good evening. My name is Lynn Wright. On June 20th, I spoke to the board about a man walking across my property and then down the middle of Gleadsville Road. He told my neighbor who picked him up that he was leaving the psychiatric rehabilitation facility next door to my property because he didn't like the treatment program. Someone else who was in this room on June 20th felt compelled to make sure that Newport Health Care, also known as Newport Institute, was aware of me expressing

[03:17:06] my concern about a mental health patient seemingly in crisis, wandering around our neighborhood barefoot in the rain. Although I never named the facility the patient claimed to be from while speaking with you, I received a cease and desist letter from Newport's attorneys two weeks later. This frivolous attempt at intimidation was met with a response from my attorney disproving Newport's attorney's charges. They decided not to pursue it further.

[03:17:34] Fast forward to August 31st. Two of my neighbors called me to report a young woman running across my property and driveway, obviously coming from one of the three houses on Newport's property. With a staff member in pursuit on foot across my property, and another in a van, which straddled my driveway, blocking entrance or exit, one pursuer talked the young woman into returning to the Newport campus. The pursuer in the van accidentally backed into my neighbor's gutter across Glidesville, blocking traffic in one lane for 15 minutes until other Newport employees could push it out of the gutter and then returning to Newport's property. Let me know if you'd like to

[03:18:12] see the photos or videos taken of this incident. Once more, the Sheriff's Department had to be called. That Loudoun County Planning and Zoning Department actually gave Newport these two, now two, zoning permits to allow this commercial clinic to operate in a residential area is wrong.

[03:18:31] That they allow Newport to call these houses separate group homes is laughable. Do you know of any group houses that charge $2,000 a day. And Newport has just applied for a permit for the third house, so that can start accepting patients. Would any of you want this to happen in your neighborhood?

[03:18:49] Why are you letting it happen in mine? All the zoning permits for this facility need to be rescinded. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, ma'am. Oh, excuse me. Tom Javons, followed by Suzanne Sutterfeld, followed by Juan Pablo Segura.

[03:19:10] Good evening, sir. Thank you. Thank you, Chair Randall and the rest of the board for allowing us a little time here. The point of my comments are just that I understand you can't really shut down the power lines, but you can certainly slow them down enough so everybody can be sure that every point is vetted very clearly.

[03:19:36] Let me give you three examples. During the building of Route 7 Belmont Ridge Interchange, Dominion and VDAT forced Lansdowne property owners to spend tens of thousands of dollars to negotiate an easement agreement, which in effect allowed Dominion and easement limiting it to install a small overhead one circuit 34.5 kilovolt line along Lansdowne Conservancy jurisdiction.

[03:20:07] As I recall, the Landstown Conservancy Board chose an easement agreement in lieu of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to enforce its legitimate covenant which prohibits above-ground utilities. The board felt the choice was more prudent than David spending property owner money to take on Goliath.

[03:20:26] After forcing the property owners to spend these tens of thousands of dollars, Dominion now simply plans to disregard the agreement, condemn the property, install circuits and poles in violation of the agreement. I would urge that this agreement be fully vetted and possibly considered by an appropriate court prior to the Board of Supervisors allowing Dominion to move forward.

[03:20:51] Point two, Loudoun County has certain scenic easements and a SWMP agreement with the Conservancy or entities within the community. Again, I urge all such agreements be fully vetted prior to allowing Dominion to move forward.

[03:21:07] As powerful as it is, Dominion cannot condemn municipal property. Point three, in its haste, Dominion has not even provided actual location drawing. I believe the area being discussed does not have enough space to accommodate an easement the size required for 500 kilovolt line without coming personally close to businesses and homes.

[03:21:30] I urge Loudoun County to demand the exact location of the proposed easements for consideration before it allows Dominion to move forward. Thank you for your time. Thank you, sir. I'm Suzanne Satterfield, followed by Juan Pablo Segura, followed by Jim Bingle.

[03:21:48] Good evening, Mel. Good evening. I'm sorry, it's Suzanne Satterfield. I apologize. Yes, it is. Thank you. Prince William County, Fairfax County, Alexandria, Arlington, and their county chairs and county supervisors have not traveled internationally at taxpayer expenses since 2018.

[03:22:08] So what are you guys going to study when you want to see what they have been doing on their trips. And again, you have a reasonable supervisor here, Ms. Umstead, whose proposal didn't need hours of research. Her proposal is plain and simple, stating that using taxpayers' money to fund the board members to travel overseas for the purpose of promoting economic, cultural, and student exchanges should be done judiciously, as it does not have a proven return on investment.

[03:22:38] Your own supervisor is telling you this. Included in her proposal is the guidance on guests joining the trip, use of tax dollars, the approval of such travel, restrictions, expenditures, and accounting of costs. Many people and businesses have been up in arms over the plastic bag tax that costs five cents per bag. The reusable bags and paper bags have been proven to be taxing on the environment. Mrs. Umstead had proved that as well. Two days after the tax was implemented, Phyllis Randall took to Twitter and claimed it's a totally voluntary half penny tax. She went on to say the revenue raised will go to Loudoun's behavior, mental health, and foster care programs

[03:23:17] and environmental cleanup. She has nothing to back that up, that money is not allowed, that that money is allowed to go to behavior, mental health, or foster care programs. She has a habit of saying things that sound good but aren't factual. It is mentioned in the Virginia Code, which can be found on the Board of Supervisors website. In addition, when a FOIA request was submitted in July asking for a breakdown of the revenue for the appropriation for each category as outlined in the ordinance, the FOIA came back stating the appropriation of this revenue is one lump sum amount into the fund to be used for allowable purposes of code. No expenditures and none of the revenue had

[03:23:54] been appropriated in this first year. Cars that are newer, more fuel efficient and safer should not be taxed at a higher rate than older cars. In fact, no residential vehicle should be subject to property tax. Many of you ran on preserving Loudon and not to overdevelop it.

[03:24:11] Yeah, the Board of Supervisors had allowed excess data centers and housing, taking away the beauty that's seen throughout the county. Dominion Energy should not take it further away with multiple 135-foot poles down seven. Going underground is the only option to do so. Thank you.

[03:24:27] Thank you, ma'am. I'm sorry. I'm just sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I know who's next, but yes. Juan Pablo Segura, followed by Jim Bingo, followed by Deborah DeGado.

[03:24:44] Good evening, sir. Good evening. Close call, getting off the wait list, so I'm glad to be speaking here with you all today. My name is Juan Pablo Segura, and I'm running for the Virginia State Senate here in Loudoun County. From day one on my campaign, my commitment to Virginia has always been that we can be successful together.

[03:25:06] It is my belief that success comes from a new generation of public leaders that can innovate, focus on real problems, like burying those power lines on Route 7, very important, and come up with new solutions that can unite citizens like reducing our cost of living. To be direct, the cost of living is too darn high in Virginia.

[03:25:27] It's a Jimmy McMillan quote right there from New York. With no end in sight, here in Lowndon County, we pay the second highest property taxes in the state at a net rate. We suffer from exorbitant tools to get to and from work, and homeowners are competing with private equity and data centers to afford a home.

[03:25:47] With the focus on easing the pain of rising interest rates, inflation, and irresponsible policies, I'm proud to announce a new program that has generated an incredible amount of support from both state leaders and local candidates. Along with six other candidates running for delegate and board of supervisors positions, including Mr. Caleb Kirshner, we're announcing a commitment to commuters.

[03:26:10] If elected, if I'm elected, Caleb's already been elected, we will prioritize creating a new toll relief program that would refund 50% of toll costs if you're a commuter and if you commute more than 30 trips a month on a Northern Virginia toll road, equivalent to about 15 days of commuting.

[03:26:30] This kind of program has already been successfully implemented in Florida with an incredible amount of positive feedback, and we hope to give all commuters the same benefits and opportunities. I've already fought for and received a commitment at the state level from the Speaker of the House and the Senate Majority Leaders in Richmond to do a feasibility study on a toll relief program.

[03:26:56] Any cost of such a program would be paid out of a future surplus and not increased taxes or fees. To remind folks, last year we had a $5.1 billion, with a B, tax surplus enrichment. Creating success requires the right kind of leaders with a vision for making your life better.

[03:27:16] And so I encourage everyone to join this commitment to commuters. Thank you, Mr. Segura. Thank you. Thank you so much. Your time is up, sir. Our next speaker will be Jim Bingle. Thank you. Good evening, Ms. Bingle. And I think we can get one in. I think we can get one more in after you.

[03:27:32] Deborah DeGado will be our last speaker. Good evening. So glad I signed up for the wait list. Chair Randall, Supervisor Turner and board members, on behalf of the Piedmont Environmental Council, I'm speaking on the BMI that Supervisor Turner has put forward. We urge you all to support it.

[03:27:48] There are two important quotes from your trusted staff advisors that we'd like to echo in our remarks this evening. In a recent news article from Summertime, our recently retired Deputy County Administrator Charles Yudd, was quoted as saying he thinks Loudoun's next big planning challenge won't be land use, as it has been for the last three decades, but infrastructure, especially energy infrastructure. We couldn't agree more. And the other quote is Buddy Reiser's comment when speaking of data centers. He said, the thing that people forget, referring to data centers, is that power

[03:28:24] is their currency. That's what they sell. He's also right on the mark. But what is clear is that if power is the currency of data centers, there's been a long-term run on the bank. And now that Loudoun is the unrivaled data center capital of the world, we know that each data center, based on the number and capacity of their servers, will have a need for a substation, potentially more transmission lines and line enhancements will follow.

[03:28:52] And even worse, today, without enough power in Virginia or accessible to Loudoun to meet the data center demand, we're learning that with the clearly unpopular proposed Route 7 transmission line and others that are already in the planning process, those won't be enough either.

[03:29:11] We know that additional transmission lines are being proposed to connect Loudoun to dirty power plants in West Virginia and Ohio, the opposite of what Virginia has planned for the Clean Economy Act. We need better coordinated, advanced energy infrastructure planning in Loudoun between the board, our utility providers, the data center industry, and our community to get going in the right direction.

[03:29:37] Supervisor Turner's initiative is a good start, as well as Supervisor Briskman's recent motions for the draft zoning ordinance rewrite. We'd also encourage the board to avoid contributing to the existing energy problem by approving data center plans when energy is not available and plan proactively for the future.

[03:29:56] Thanks for your consideration. Thank you. Thank you. And then our last speaker that would take us to our time will be, I'm sorry, who did I actually say already? Deborah DeGaldo. Are you here, Deborah? Oh, on the web.

[03:30:11] Yes, ma'am. Good evening, Madam Chair. My name is Deborah Delgado. I would like to compliment the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors for the excellent care and thought they have put into the walking trail. I am a senior living in a newer development, and I use the trails at least five times a week to exercise.

[03:30:37] I'd like to thank the board for continuing to speak to the developers to have trails so that people can use them like me. I see joggers, walkers, families using them all the time. I especially enjoy looking at the trees and plants and flowers that are in the berms on the trails.

[03:30:55] I ask that you continue to make Loudoun a beautiful and connected place to live. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you very much. And that takes us exactly to 90 minutes. And so that is all the speakers for this evening. Supervisors, I think we can probably, I don't want to, I'd like us to get a couple more things done before we leave this day.

[03:31:15] Yes, I think we probably can. I know you guys need a break, but most of you have gotten up since we've been sitting here and taking breaks anyway, so we're going to keep going. Yeah, we are. It's fine. Let's keep going. So I think we can do the next action item, which is number eight.

[03:31:33] Was that the action number eight? I don't know. I have so many papers going on up here I can't find myself. Yes, okay, I'm sorry. Here we go. It's number eight. Yes, it's the Fast Track Initiative from Supervisor Turner.

[03:31:51] action item number eight. So usually on a board, a BMI, I don't, no one comes to the table because it's a BMI. And I usually ask the supervisor before he, if a motion is in order, if a motion is in order before the motion is made, if they'd like to take maybe two minutes to have a discussion, they can do that and then go to a motion as quickly if a motion is in order. And I think

[03:32:26] at this moment the motion a motion is in order so mr. Turner that he made madam chair I'll go straight to motion I'm sorry I put my short glasses on I move that the Board of Supervisors direct County staff upon passage of a new zoning ordinance at the completion of the zoning ordinance rewrite process to discontinue authorizing fast-track consideration for any development applications for which the use is not consistent with the applicable policies of the 2019 general plan applications having started the fast track process prior to the approval of the new zoning ordinance may complete their application using the fast track process

[03:33:04] that's that's in the motion i will second that motion discussion on the motion mr turner thank you madam chair briefly and then i'll probably finish my comments during my board comments period 18 months ago ashburn district had no data centers and no overhead transmission lines as of today as i sit here we have uh four and possibly five data centers in ashburn district four that are under development right now or soon will be and a fifth that's possible um and then

[03:33:42] wait for yesterday at 2 p.m i was notified by a planning commissioner that in fact there is a six data center going in my district or that they're considering putting into my district We had no transmission lines. There will now very likely end up being two transmission lines right down the spine of Ashburn District.

[03:34:01] Two will go up Belmont Ridge Road. One will continue along Route 7. We don't have a lot of tools in our toolbox, and 18 months ago or a year ago when we had the TLAC discussions, I mentioned that we are finding ourselves between two behemoths, the data center industry who are responding to market demand.

[03:34:22] This is not a personal thing. There's no good or bad sides in here. They are responding to market demand in a rational business fashion, and they are doing what they need to do for their sector. Dominion is required by law to provide power to its customers, and they are responding to that mandate.

[03:34:39] I told my contacts at Dominion and Data Center a year ago I'm really worried about Loudoun County being the little guy squashed in the middle. To go from no data centers to potentially six data centers in my district, two of which right now are right in the middle of residential neighborhoods, and two more, which could be in the middle of residential neighborhoods, is staggering growth, and it requires us as the board to stand up and start to do something about this.

[03:35:07] We don't have a lot of tools in our toolbox. This is one of them. It doesn't make sense to fast-track a business application that does not comport with the 2019 general plan and give it priority over all other surrounding applications, normal applications.

[03:35:25] And so that's the motivation behind this. It doesn't kill applications. It simply slows down the process to give the board time to figure out if there's any options that we can exercise. It simply says we're not going to give priority to applications that don't align with the comprehensive plan.

[03:35:42] I acknowledge we largely brought this on ourself by going 20 years without updating the plan. We've now had four years where the plan doesn't match the zoning ordinance. Be that as it may, this is an attempt to use one of the few tools we have to slow the process down. And I believe Supervisor LeTurneau has a friendly to offer, which I'm going to probably accept.

[03:36:01] Okay. Before I go to the friendly, well, let's go to the friendly. Thank you, Madam Chair. My friendly amendment would be that this item be sent to the finance committee for discussion as outlined by Supervisor Turner and also a review of the county fast-track program for economic development.

[03:36:24] And my preference would be the November finance committee meeting. And I'll accept that, but I'm sure. Okay, so now the motion is for this to go to finance. Correct. Okay, that's fine. Ms. Brixman? May I speak? Oh, I'm sorry. My bad. That's okay.

[03:36:39] So it's friendly, so you're just stealing your time. Yes. Yeah, okay. I made this because I completely understand where Supervisor Turner is coming from, and I think the discussion about how we utilize FastTrack and the issues he's raised about data centers in particular, but just generally speaking, consistency with the comp plan are very legitimate.

[03:37:02] I think, you know, I was part of the group that put the FastTrack program into place in around 2012, And I think it's by and large been successful, but it's been a while since we've taken a look at it. And to be honest with you, I'm not sure it's as effective as we want it to be.

[03:37:19] And I'm not sure it's as effective for the type of development that we want it to be effective for as we originally intended. So I think it would be prudent for the board to take a look at the program, to understand how it works, to understand what does fast track actually mean, how fast is fast track these days and you know whether there's other issues with the land development program as well as what the guidelines are for acceptance into fast track um i i do you know this applies this potential motion applies to more than just data centers and so i do want to make sure that we are

[03:37:55] being careful with how we proceed because we do have potentially big projects that sometimes may not always comport with the comprehensive plan or what we imagined and we're having this kind of discussion on the issue of modifiability around this general concern and our zoning ordinance but it applies as well I do want to make sure we're not shutting the door to something that we haven't necessarily thought of in the future by doing something so I just think we could use a little bit more discussion about this a review of the program itself there may be other ways that we wish to modify it to address some of the issues that have come up and I think we can do that and

[03:38:33] still be consistent with the timeline that Supervisor Turner has outlined here, which is he wishes to have this kind of wrapped up around the time that the new zoning ordinance is taking place. I think we can kind of do the work in finance and come in roughly in that time frame. So that's the reason for my friendly, and I appreciate his acceptance. Thank you. Ms. Bricksman.

[03:38:53] Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate the friendly. When I was reading the item, I had all kinds of questions in my mind about the repercussions of doing something like this and you know really wanted to get some feedback from buddy riser on it because his department manages the program um it was my understanding that we were already not fast tracking a number of of of applications like this so anyway i i would i am absolutely with you uh mr turner supervisor turner like i i really think that it's not an industry that we necessarily need to accelerate anymore, but there's a

[03:39:32] definitely a number of industries that could be impacted by this. So I'm really happy to see it going to finance and very happy to support. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you. Oh, I'm sorry, Madam Chair. Can I? Oh, yeah, I'm sorry. I just wanted to ask if I may, our county attorney, a quick question. Yes. Are we going to have to, does this have to go to public hearing? You know, I'm just worried about the timing. Is this something that can come right out of finance and then we can vote on it at our first December meeting?

[03:40:00] Yes, no public hearing would be required. Okay, because I'm just a little worried about the timing. I wish we could go to October, but I understand that we want a little fuller staff analysis before, so that's why we're going to November. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you. Ms. Glass?

[03:40:17] Thank you, Madam Chair. So when this goes to finance, could we have a list provided on what types of businesses or site plans that has gone through the Fast Track program? Who are you asking that to?

[03:40:33] To whom are you asking that question? I guess it's to finance. Yes. Yes, or to Tim. Yes. Okay, thank you. Mr. Hemstreet. Mr. Kirshner. Thank you, and I appreciate the friendly. I wasn't going to support the motion as in his form, because I just felt like I needed more fleshing out.

[03:40:53] So thank you, Supervisor Turner, for accepting the friendly. I look forward to the discussion. One quick question. I am assuming that because that Buddy Reiser and other staff members will be there during that discussion to ask a lot of questions about how the current FastTrack program works. I think it would be helpful to kind of review that as a whole.

[03:41:11] Is that something that we can, okay, I'm seeing a shake of the head yes by our finance chair. I look forward to that discussion. I'm glad we're having this discussion, and I would like to know some of what the projects are that we're specifically speaking to and whether it would really make any, I guess my only concern ultimately when we get there is the six projects that Supervisor Turner talks about.

[03:41:33] Does it really make any sort of difference in how those projects end up, and does it make sense to ultimately slow those down? If it does, then, you know, maybe this is something we do and make sure they fit the 2019 general plan as is proposed in the motion, but I look forward to the discussion. Thank you. Thank you.

[03:41:49] I think I'm going to just take this time to reiterate something I've said before, but one, I have a habit of repeating myself, so I am told, and two, I think this bears repeating. I believe that most Loudoun County residents and certainly most supervisors have really a lot of gratitude toward the data center industry overall.

[03:42:16] We are aware of the need. We are aware of what it's done for the tax revenue. And certainly, and most importantly for me, we are aware of the community involvement and the community input. Some years ago, maybe 18 months or two years ago even, We were not having these discussions about data centers on the main corridors and in neighborhoods.

[03:42:43] When I went and spoke to the data center coalition, I'm not sure when that was some, I guess, I don't know, I guess somewhere in the middle of COVID. And they asked me, like, what would I have an issue with? I said, data centers in neighborhoods and data centers on main corridors that would require power lines on main corridors.

[03:43:03] I was all but assured that wouldn't happen. And now here we are. And so I don't want anyone, especially anyone in the data center community, to get the idea that, and I'm not speaking for the board, I'm speaking for myself right now, that I am in any way having any issues with data centers when they are built or when they are placed in the right locations.

[03:43:27] But I do not believe that neighborhoods is the right location. I do not believe a 100-foot setback from somebody's house is something that I would want. I do not believe on our main corridors, like Route 7, is the right place for them. And what has happened, I believe, is we've run out of space in what we would consider the appropriate locations.

[03:43:49] And so just to clear it up, because maybe I haven't been as clear as I should, and if I haven't, I apologize. I don't have any issues with data centers, and I am very appreciative of the data center community, and I know that's a strange word because that's not really a thing, but the data center industry may be the better way of saying it.

[03:44:08] It is where they are located and what is starting to happen that I feel like I need to protect against. And so I just thought I need to put that on the record because I do know that there has been some confusion in some people who have thought that maybe I've, quote, turned against the industry, unquote.

[03:44:27] I certainly have not. I just feel like I need to protect our residents. in some ways. Thank you. Mr. Turner, would you like a closing? Yes, very briefly. Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to point out that in the item that, as I wrote it, in the race to meet a deadline, I inadvertently mentioned a specific data center company by name. That was inappropriate, and I apologize to them. I've talked to the North American Executive Vice President and apologized and sent them a letter apologizing. That's not fair to put a single customer under the spotlight like that, and essentially to be perceived or easily perceived in a pejorative or critical way.

[03:45:04] And that was not my intent. So tomorrow, I've submitted an amended, a revised item 8, just for the record. I will submit that to county staff, and it will go in the record tomorrow. The original one will still be available by FOIA if anybody wants it, but the revised item will be what's recorded in the minutes for tomorrow.

[03:45:22] And again, I apologize to that company. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you. All right. Motion was made. I second the motion on favor, and this is going to the Finance Committee in November. You did send it to November, right? On 50, say aye. Aye. Any opposed?

[03:45:38] That motion will pass 9-0. All right, we have a next BMI, and Ms. Umstead, Supervisor Umstead, if you look at your phone, I sent you a text this morning at 850 asking were you available to talk. I did not hear back from you at all from the morning.

[03:45:55] I sent you that text, Ms. Umstead, because after reading your motion, I do not think this motion is in conflict with Mr. Sains' motion from last week. And what I was going to ask you is if you wanted to talk to Mr. Hemstreet or Mr. Rogers to ask their opinion, because my opinion is that this motion sends the staff down a different path than Mr. Sains' motion sent them down.

[03:46:24] thus I ruled this motion in conflict but I didn't want to do that without giving you a chance to have a discussion with our county administrator and the county attorney but you did not answer my text at all and so we did not have that conversation. So before you make a motion or before you speak on the item, I wish we didn't do this on the dais but would you like to ask the county administrator and county attorney if they don't mind their opinion so I just know where we're going from here.

[03:46:54] Thank you, Madam Chair, but this does not send staff down a different path. The ruling of the chair is that I believe the motion is in conflict, thus I'm asking you would you like to ask Mr. Hemstreet and Mr. Rogers, which is why I sent you the text today so you weren't doing this right now, but that is my ruling, and so if you'd like to have a different opinion i am more than open to that at this time madam chair i do disagree

[03:47:30] with your ruling of course i understand because this does not direct staff to go down any path it doesn't direct staff to do any research ma'am ms umstat i understand you disagree with my ruling i do i understand that would you like to ask mr hemstreet and mr rogers any question i do not need to ask them any questions. Okay, well then that's, then that, if that is the case, then I would say that there needs to be a reconsideration of Mr. Sainz's motion from last week, because I do believe it goes down a different path. So a reconsideration of Mr. Sainz's motion can be made, and then this

[03:48:08] motion can be made. I, I don't need help right now. So is there anyone who is on the prevailing side of the motion like to make a reconsideration? Madam Chair, and maybe the parliamentarian, if I made a motion to reconsider Supervisor Sainz, it would, what is the ruling on who needs to second that? Anybody can second a reconsideration motion. Okay. Even the maker of the, even somebody who wasn't on the prevailing side of the motion can second a reconsideration motion. Okay. Well, I would, I would move at this time a motion to reconsider Supervisor Sainz's motion, and I

[03:48:46] assume that requires a vote. Is that correct? Yeah, it requires a vote, yes. Second. Okay, so a reconsideration has been made, and the second it has been made is the discussion on the reconsideration motion mr mr kirschner yes so i i kind of agree with the supervisor homestead and um there was really no discussion i do feel like this is its own standalone motion i would be willing to request their friendly in the motion reconsider that rather than voting or discussing this particular motion that supervisor homestead has put forward to take the concepts that she has put in there and ask staff to consider those concepts and whether they would

[03:49:22] make sense to staff. I don't that that would be ultimately what I feel needs to be done at this point. But that's part of my reason for requesting that this motion to be reconsidered because I think there are a lot of very good. There's a lot of thought process that's been put into this by Supervisor Umstead in terms of what our travel policy is. I was a co-sponsor on this particular BMI, and I would appreciate if this board would go ahead and bring forward the motion to reconsider, make a request that a friendly be put on, that the topics in this particular motion

[03:50:02] be considered as part of staff's analysis. So you're making a friendly to your own motion. No, I will once we vote on this. I'm just letting, I'm signaling to everybody what my intent would be to request a friendly of Supervisor Saints. So if the reconsideration passes, you want to create you want to request a friendly of what Mr. Sains did last time that is correct and as part of staffs okay no no no I got you it makes sense yeah thank you so that when you're you know what I'm going to do after this vote on if it passes I actually don't think I understand how that works

[03:50:39] because it would still be okay no I do understand what you're saying I understand what you're saying all right I got you Mr. Letourneau yeah let me try this would staff consider the topics that are covered and Supervisor Umstead's proposed policy as part of their research in the course of the BMI from Mr. Sains anyway? Mr. Hemstreet? Generally speaking, yes, although the motion from Mr. Sains was primarily focused on research of other jurisdictional, what other jurisdictions had

[03:51:19] in their policies, but certainly having direction from the board to specifically include Supervisor Mr. Umstead's proposed policy would be helpful in terms of direction. I see. Okay, anybody else?

[03:51:38] All right, so the motion was made by Supervisor Kirshner for the reconsideration motion. Would you like to close, Mr. Kirshner? No. Okay, the motion to reconsider is made by Mr. Kirshner, seconded by Ms. Umstead. All in favor of the motion to reconsider, signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed?

[03:51:56] Abstentions? All right, the motion to reconsider will fail 2 to 7 with Ms. Umstad and Mr. Kirshner voting for the reconsideration. Thank you. All right, we probably need to go to a break.

[03:52:16] And we probably need to go to a break before we go to closed sessions because I think people probably need a break before we go to closed sessions. What we could do is take a break, come back and do board comments and then go to closed sessions. How does that sound? That's the only thing left, is that correct? uh besides closed sessions yes yes let's take a break and come back and do board comments

[03:52:33] all right we will oh i need somebody else to read this actually let's quickly do

[04:05:46] board comments then we'll go into closed session so i'll start down on the far side mr letourneau go the far side um better than the dark side i guess all right on september 6th my staff met with representatives of Royal Central Plaza to discuss Special Exception 2017-0018.

[04:06:13] On September 8th, I met with Van Meter to discuss Desai Residential Leggy 2023-0032. On September 12th, my staff spoke with Sasha Brewer of Walsh-Kalusha to discuss Defender West, Leggy 2023-0037. And on September 18th, my staff met with representatives of Defender West, Leggy 2023-0037.

[04:06:35] Those meetings subsequent to our public hearing anyway, the one that yesterday was about trying to address the issues that we raised at the hearing last week in terms of the second exit. I think we've made progress on that, so stay tuned when that application comes back. I'll give just a very brief Metro update.

[04:06:54] No, Metro is not getting rid of its lines, the color symbols on lines, as was erroneously reported by a fine member of our press corps at one point leading up to last week's Metro board meeting we are looking at wayfinding in general there are some issues for folks that are colorblind with our current system that you know there are places where there's only a stripe so we're looking at potentially adding some words to go with it like rd for red or something like that and then we're also looking at wayfinding more generally we have some really great people that

[04:07:30] have come and joined metro from other agencies around the world around the country anyway that are working on this um and so those those will be good and then also we're making progress on automatic train operations ato um that is uh we've kind of changed the schedule a little bit to work with the safety commission and make sure everybody's comfortable so we're phasing in first with um automatic door opening and then going to full ato um but that is now proceeding on a on a good path

[04:08:00] And then, obviously, still the macro financial discussion, there's going to be some updated information coming at the September 28th Metro Board meeting about strategies for Metro to address its fiscal cliff and updated sort of facts and figures for where we stand.

[04:08:21] That is all I have for comments. Are you going in line, in order? Well, that's not fun. Okay, for that reason, Caleb, you're next. Mr. Kirsten, you're next. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[04:08:37] I'm going to be faster than even Supervisal Letourneau. For disclosures, on September 6th, I met with Mike Romeo with Wash Colucci about the Dogwood Farm application. And in terms of news from Catoctin, I don't have a lot tonight. There's plenty to say, but we were all so busy with the zoning ordinance rewrite that.

[04:08:54] But I did want to let everybody know that on September 22nd and 23rd, which is this coming weekend, We have in Lovettsville, Oktoberfest, and it will begin in two days, 20 hours, 52 minutes, and 34 seconds as of now. It's also so much fun. It's a great deal of fun.

[04:09:11] I'm one of the sponsors this year. Come out, have a great time. I'm going to be there at least part of both days and just visiting with the folks who are coming. A lot of great sponsors, a lot of good food, fun, and some good beer as well.

[04:09:27] And a wiener dog race. Will you come and get in? I am coming to the wiener dog. Really? I am coming. I think actually I might be helping with that. So if you come out, I will. I am. I am doing that. Thank you. Mr. Rogers, many of us have been talking to a lot of different people in the industry because of the zoning ordinance rewrite.

[04:09:48] Do those have to be disclosed? Because that's not the application in front of us. It's just the zoning ordinance rewrite. Those do not. Okay. There's no requirement to disclose it. Okay. Thank you. Ms. Umstead. Thank you, Madam Chair. I have two disclosures. One, a meeting on September 6th on the Dogwood Farm Station with Mike Romeo, Blake Smith, Ben Tissue, John Callow, Tim Bates,

[04:10:17] and Andrew Busick. I had a meeting with representatives of SEIU last week to go over some of the concerns they have as they move towards being in a position to collectively bargain. Patricia Nelson led that group. On board comment, I am not surprised that tonight my motion was turned down to put in place stricter guidelines on overseas travel.

[04:10:57] I expected that might happen. The problem is this keeps this issue and the unflattering image that we have gained as a county and a board through this issue, it keeps it going. It keeps it going potentially now for months. Certainly it keeps it going into November. If we had taken a position to regulate ourselves tonight in a very reasonable way and demonstrated fiscal frugality

[04:11:36] and responsibility. I don't think we would now be looking at the potential that Richmond will do it for us starting in January. There is already written legislation to limit Loudoun's ability, potentially other counties in the state's ability to use certain kinds of funds for travel, including potentially the transient occupancy tax and the restricted transient occupancy tax.

[04:12:10] Given that both our Republican and Democratic state Senate candidates in this area have indicated an interest in regulating this county's overseas travel expenditures, I expect that there would be bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate for reigning in Loudoun, whether they reign in the rest of the state is to be seen.

[04:12:42] We, years ago, had the General Assembly, when Mark Herring was a state senator, rein in Loudon on how it handled contributions from developers and how it voted on development applications. That was targeted towards Loudon. I don't know whether this will be as well.

[04:13:04] But now we face a continuation of what we have seen over the last several months. I was out in the Seattle area, hiking in August, and there on the local news station was our board and interviews of board members on travel. We were being ridiculed on Spanish-speaking television in this country. This story is all over the country, almost every state,

[04:13:41] certainly every state where WJLA and ABC have affiliates, it is out there. This just continues it. It continues bad press. It continues the image that we as a board will not regulate ourselves.

[04:13:58] And I feel it is very unfortunate that my motion was held to be out of order tonight. If we had voted it through tonight, I think our press going forward would have been much more positive, and our reputation as a county and a board would have been much more positive.

[04:14:21] Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Umstead. Ms. Glass. Thank you, Madam Chair. I have one disclosure. On Monday, September 11th, I met with representatives to discuss the Dogwood Farm rezoning application.

[04:14:43] That's all. That's all. that's it thank you um mr buffington thank you madam chair no required disclosures no comments miss uh bricksman thank you madam chair by way of disclosures um my staff met with mike romeo um for dogwood farm station on september 11th and i had a call with mike romeo on september 14th regarding dogwood farm station um i want to make some comments about um the

[04:15:21] recent release of a um internal report that was forced by our ag um miaras recently um and you know the headlines have been about the fact that the report said the schools should have started their title nine investigations earlier however if you look a little bit deeper you can uncover and get some corrections to some fake news and faux outrage and contributions to us being in

[04:15:58] national media for things that absolutely are not true. For example, in that report it says that the student who was accused of assaulting the other student was not transgender and did not wear a skirt. It also reveals that the SRO officers on the case took three hours to find the assailant inside the school. It also shows that the sheriff's department didn't charge the assailant until after the victim's dad blew up a school board meeting because suddenly they decided either

[04:16:34] they believe the victim or they suddenly found enough evidence to charge the guy. So while I'm disappointed about what Miari's did to get this internal report out that our colleagues thought was protected information under attorney-client privilege. I do encourage folks to read it and get the real facts about what happened in Loudoun County. And this situation led to, on Joint School Board, to us reviewing the MOU with LCPS and LCSO, and we did make some

[04:17:12] changes to that MOU that I'm very proud of. And speaking of the Joint School Board, last night was the best meeting ever. We accomplished a lot of things that we've been working on for quite some time. For example, the pickleball court projects that we are relining the tennis courts to have each school have four pickleball courts during regular maintenance is going to be ongoing. And Dominion High School is next. And after Dominion High School gets done, we will have 20 pickleball courts that can be used by the public. It's very exciting, and they'll be under lights sooner or

[04:17:52] later. We also received an update on crosswalk concerns, and now working with LCPS, our staff is creating a process similar to the traffic calming process whereby community members and or HOAs can request crosswalks where they have concerns about kids going to school. I'm psyched about this because two crosswalks at Horizon Elementary, two proposed crosswalks at Horizon elementary school rate number one as one of the most critical, and this is Broadmoor Drive and Potomac View Road, which my constituents have been worried about for a really long time.

[04:18:23] We also discussed athletic fees, which someone mentioned tonight have been completely reduced, but the schools are also assessing their ability and possibility of reducing other fees that create disparities for our students in the schools, including marching band, dance, theater fees, and those sorts of things, so I'm really excited to get updates on that as they move forward.

[04:18:49] Lastly, and one of our speakers mentioned this tonight, the Douglas High School Commemorative Committee, the subcommittee on the forced sale of the Douglas School property, did come back with recommendations last night that I think are really exciting and really will be a model for the nation, and I want to thank Chair Randall for adding that to the segregated schools initiative, And I'm so happy that this came back first because I know Chair Randall has been really worried about it for some time.

[04:19:19] But we pulled together a committee from the community in a truly ground up approach to reconciliation and healing in our county. And this subcommittee has come up with recommendations, even though the land was $5.5 million in value now, probably would sell for much more.

[04:19:37] The recommendations for an annual commemoration and a documentary I find are going to be amazing. And I'm just so proud of the work that was done, and I hope that we can approve that when it comes to our board. Lastly, on gun violence, so far this year we've had 504 mass shootings.

[04:19:56] There have been 31,059 total gun deaths, 13,767 were homicide, 17,292 were suicide. The deaths included 220 children. No, no, no, no, no, your time's up. 1,043 teens. Mr. Turner. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[04:20:14] I tried at my last meeting and at the subsequent, I think it was a work session to read my last disclosures, which was voluminous and for various reasons couldn't do it. So I checked with the county attorney's office.

[04:20:30] I have submitted my last disclosures into the minutes and they're available for anyone who would like to see them. So they are a matter of record. By way of new disclosures, on Tuesday, September 12th, my staff and I met with Aaron Swisholm and Matt Leslie from Walsh Kalushi, Jason Alagna from IMEG, Polkett Parikh from Grove Slade, Robert Sandler, and Charles Hathaway from BMC Properties, as well as Jim Perry and Nick Flanagan from Elm Street Development to discuss the application for Lansdowne Boulevard rezoning.

[04:20:59] On Friday, September 15th, my staff met with Colin Gillis from Cooley LLP to discuss the application for North Star Square. Later that day, I met with Jeff Tench from Vantage Data Center to discuss the by-right application for Vantage III. I'd like to point out to everyone that yesterday was the Air Force birthday.

[04:21:17] The U.S. Air Force created in 1947 under the National Defense Act, which created the Department of Defense, a little piece of Air Force strategic lore. When the Air Force was created, the Army viewed it as an extension like artillery where it just supported ground forces.

[04:21:34] And it took a few months before the Air Force finally said, no, we have the ability to project combat power throughout the entire combat region and theater. And therefore, centralized control and decentralized execution became the mission of the U.S. Air Force.

[04:21:49] It was a big breakthrough in strategic air power. And I will now finish my comments with a rendition of the. No, you will not. No, you will not. You will not. You will not. I will call that out of order. Thank you, Madam Chair. You will not be doing that.

[04:22:07] No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Mr. Sainz. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[04:22:23] After board approval of the Desai residential land use case last Wednesday, I checked my list of donors and realized that Mr. Desai made a $200 contribution back in March of 2023 to my campaign. The county attorney opinion that I do not have a legal conflict of interest and that I need to disclose the contribution at this meeting.

[04:22:41] Such contribution does not affect my fair and impartial consideration of the Desai residential land use application. Also like to announce this Saturday, September 23rd, at the Sterling Community Center, we're having a Latino heritage celebration in Sterling.

[04:22:57] The festivities will start at 12 o'clock p.m. and end at 5 o'clock p.m. So again, Saturday, September 23rd, come out to Sterling Community Center to celebrate Latino Heritage Month. And I have another disclosure. Met with the Dakota partners on September 15th to discuss the possible housing here in Loudoun County in the Sterling District.

[04:23:22] And met with Allied Cooley yesterday to Allied Energy Data Center to talk about their pending application coming in front of us in October. And I would also like to thank, as always, those who came out to speak during our public comment time.

[04:23:43] Appreciate you taking the time to come and speak with us. You could have been anywhere, but you chose to be with us. We really appreciate that. Now, I will speak on the comments that were just shared by Supervisor Umstead. I'll just simply say this, that if you truly wanted to recommend some changes to our travel policy when i brought my motion last week you could have made some friendly amendments amendments to that motion to add in your your your your items which i thought you were going to do but you did not i think tonight all you did was grandstand and you knew what you were

[04:24:20] doing um the travel that we took followed the current policy that we have in place that county staff follows when they make travel reservations for any county staff and or ourselves in our office because as you know we do not make the travel ourselves but the county staff does so again they follow the current travel policies that we have in place and i think the motion that we passed last week is fine is giving staff direction to go out and seek best practices around the region and around the country look at all the localities in the region around the country look

[04:24:55] at the government and look at the state government. And by the way, the General Assembly doesn't even have policies like we have. I'll give you an example. There is an article that was well documented that states that sitting delegates and senators who were getting ready to vote on the item flew private jet by a person proposing a law to the General Assembly members and put them up hotel. So what policies are they going to dictate to us when they don't even have their own policies?

[04:25:35] So again, I say, you're grandstanding. You know what you're doing. The WGLA here in Washington, D.C. is owned by Sinclair, which people know, if you do the research, has a slight leaning towards a certain school of thought, and they're promoting an agenda. Anybody else has not even, nobody else has even picked up this story, except for one other station. But one station, WGLA, decides to do this story all summer long. But again, you decide to grandstand instead of adding amendments

[04:26:14] like normally is done when we have similar motions, you decide to do your grandstanding today and then make threats. And I don't take out of the lead the threats. So that'll be all for today. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Sains. My only disclosure, if I've talked to Michael Capretti a few times actually on the Arcola School application that will be coming to our next um public hearing um you know i don't think you have to change things just for the point of

[04:26:54] changing i think if something works you keep it if something doesn't work you change it this board's and every board um our practice have been if we want to look at a policy that we want to change or we want to adjust or we want to just know we ask the staff to go out and take a look at it and come back with recommendations that's our norm that's our policy there's never been a time when one person writes up the policy, brings it to us, and says vote on this. The norm is the staff who have no skin in this game at all go out and look and see what to do and bring back

[04:27:30] recommendations, and we've always trusted them to do that. So if there is a reason to change that policy, I would, but there is no reason to change that policy, and that's what was passed last week. So when the staff comes back with their item and recommendations, we may make changes. In fact, we may make a lot of changes to the travel policy. We don't know yet because we don't know what they're going to bring back. But to go outside of our norm to do something completely different is not, it doesn't make any logical sense to me. I would never try

[04:28:07] to do something to a colleague without talking to them first, which is why I tried to talk to you today, Ms. Umstead, send you a text, and I did not get a response. So you refuse to talk to me. You refuse to talk to the county attorney. You refuse to talk to the county administrator. And then you say what's going to happen in the media. Well, listen, you could be right. That may happen. What may happen in the media may happen in the media. It doesn't make though what we're doing different. What we're doing is how things are done on any board and

[04:28:43] and in this way. So we, we have, we on a, on a, on a, on a eight to one vote, an eight to one vote passed Mr. Sainz's emotion, eight to one. Now my mother used to have a saying and it took me a long time to understand what she said. She used to say 10,000 soldiers marching in line and my son's the only one in step. It took me a while to understand what that meant. You got an eight to one vote.

[04:29:18] You got the county administrator. You got the county attorney. You got everybody else saying this is the way it should be done. And you're saying it should be done differently because we're going to get media scrutiny. I am absolutely open. If when the staff comes back, if they say this needs to be changed, this needs to be changed, this needs to be changed, I am open to it.

[04:29:42] I want to look at it. I want to talk about it. I want to have public meetings, public discussions. I want to do that. And if I am blessed enough to be on this board next term, I want to have those conversations. Absolutely. And Buddy Reiser never asked me again to go on another Sister City trip.

[04:30:01] I'll be okay with that. I will no kidding be okay with that. But it doesn't come from one supervisor. It comes from the study that the staff does and brings back to us. And then the changes that need to be made after a deep study from them is what's made. I said this last week, sometimes people want the answer and sometimes people want the issue. I actually want to get to the answer if there's an answer that we need to change. And I believe the staff coming back will get us to the answer.

[04:30:40] I can also tell you that Fairfax County, whether they did travel or not, they don't have to do travel because they have they have offices in their sister cities that cost a whole lot more than travel policy to the sister city a whole lot more so maybe that's something we want to look at maybe that might be a good idea I'm willing to look at whatever staff brings us back and make changes if they need to be made but that happens in a way that has always happened and I look forward to what the staff brings back to us and I look forward to those open communications and

[04:31:18] I will also say I think that there is just some respect that I will always give you, Ms. Umstead, whether you return it to me or not. I will always call you first. I will always reach out to you first. I will never try to bring anything to the board to make you look any kind of way. You are my colleague, and you will get that respect from me. If you never give it to me again, you will get it from me.

[04:31:40] Thank you. All right, Mr. Sands, please read us in the closed session. Yes. We'll read into two closed sessions here. Closed session one, I move that the Board of Supervisors recess this public meeting and enter into closed session pursuant to section 2.2-3711A7 of the Code of Virginia to consult with legal counsel on actual or probable litigation regarding the application for a toll rate increase on the Dulles Greenway.

[04:32:06] Closed session number two, I move that the Board of Supervisors recess this public meeting and enter into closed session pursuant to section 2. 2-3711A8 and 829 of the Code of Virginia to consult with legal counsel pertaining to the negotiation of a collective bargaining agreement where public funds are being expanded and where negotiations in open session would adversely affect the bargaining position of the county.

[04:32:29] Motion made and seconded. Discussion on the motion. Seeing none, all in favor please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? That motion will pass 9-2-0.

[04:57:31] All right, we are back.

[05:14:08] Mr. Sains, would you please move this out of closed session? I move that the closed session be adjourned, that the Board of Supervisors reconvene its public meeting, that the minutes of the public meeting should reflect that no formal action was taken in the closed session, and further move that the resolution certifying the closed session be adopted and reflected in the minutes of this public meeting.

[05:14:24] Motion is made and seconded by Supervisor Brixman. Discussion on that motion? Seeing none, all are in favor to say aye. Any opposed? Would you please affirm, Mr. Letourneau? Affirm. And I affirm as well.

[05:14:41] All right, we have a motion. Move the board of supervisors authorized in the county attorney to file a notice of participation with the State Corporation Commission in the 2023 green rate toll rate case. Motion is made and seconded by Supervisor Letourneau.

[05:15:00] Discussion on the motion? I do not have any. Anybody else? Discussion on the motion? Great. Seeing none, all in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? That motion will pass 9-0 and I do believe we are finished for the night. We are adjourned.

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