Coraggio Consulting
Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, Business Meeting, Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Date: Tuesday, January 16, 2024
Place: Board Room, First Floor, Government Center, 1 Harrison Street SE, Leesburg, Virginia
Length: 6h 16m (video)
Official meeting video (county, Granicus): https://loudoun.granicus.com/player/clip/7574
Agenda (Granicus): https://loudoun.granicus.com/AgendaViewer.php?view_id=73&clip_id=7574

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 2026-10-19. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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[00:03:53] All right. Yeah, there we go. Well, good evening, supervisors, good evening, staff. Good evening, Loudon. I'd like to call to order the January 16, 2024 Loudon County Board Supervisors Business Meeting. This room has a hearing loop. If you need hearing assistance, please switch your hearing aid to the telecall mode.

[00:04:12] If you need a headset, we have those available as well. Please see the clerk to request one. This evening, Ms. Brixman will be giving us words of inspiration and leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Vice Chair Brixman, please. Thank you, Madam Chair. Yesterday, we celebrated the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King.

[00:04:29] I would like to share a quote that is not usually shared when talking about his legacy. And here it is. Whites, it must be frankly said, are not putting in a mass effort to reeducate themselves out of their racial ignorance. It is an aspect of their sense of superiority that the white people of America believe that they have so little to learn.

[00:04:50] Please join me in the pledge.

[00:05:09] Okay, Supervisors, there's a lot of stuff going on in today's agenda. There's a lot of moving parts, and so if I get something incorrect, I'm going to just apologize right now, but I will try to get it all correct. So in additions and deletions to the agenda, there have been some changes that now will not require a vote on AIDROB or on the PROS board.

[00:05:36] So let me just try to get those straight so that we know when we get to those action items, we don't need votes on Edouard, and we won't need votes on the pros board. On the pros board, I made the nomination earlier for Kelly Foltman to be an at-large person.

[00:05:51] I made that nomination. At this point, there are three at-large positions, and I'm sorry, there are two at-large positions and three people nominated. I called Mr. Kirshner earlier to ask him would he put Ms. Fultman in the Catocton seat, thus allowing both the other at-large people who are nominated to go on and Ms. Fultman to go on as the Catocton district seat pros board member.

[00:06:22] And so by doing that, we do not need a vote on the pros board. Ms. Fultman will be on, as will the other two people who were nominated for the at-large seat. For the AIDROB board, it was incorrectly put in the package that Maureen Carbelk-Robbins was being put on the pros board for the architecture seat.

[00:06:53] She should have been in the package from the beginning for the real estate seat. So she will be moved to the real estate seat because that was the original nomination that was made. Mr. Ben Miller will move to the architecture seat on AIDWAB.

[00:07:12] And then Mr. Crony has, yes. And I would like to withdraw Thyrumul Munu-Kantla. So that then leaves the two pro's board positions to be Maureen Corbelk-Robbins for the real estate seat and Ben Miller for the, not agriculture, but the architect seat.

[00:07:37] And with those two, we also do not need a vote on the pro's board. So those are the additions and the leations which actually change the agenda. Now, if I'm not mistaken, we still do need a vote for the Fiscal Impact Committee, and I believe that is the only nominations that were made which we need a vote for.

[00:08:02] I think we have seven nominations for three positions on Fiscal Impact Committee, so we still will need a vote for that. But those changes changes everything else. So, having said that, I'm now going to read the consent agenda and hope that I get it correct.

[00:08:21] Item R1, proclamation to recognize January 15th through January 20th, 2024. It's Constitutional Officers Week in Loudoun County. It's for approval and presentation. That would be at 530, and all the Constitutional Officers will join us at 530.

[00:08:36] Item 1A, appointments and confirmations. Item 2, the AIR report of January 16, 2024. Item 6, contract award presentation of affordable housing displacement support and homeless prevention and diversion services.

[00:08:53] Item 11A, fiscal impact committee 2023 annual report. Item 11B, FTE authority for the Department of Building and Development. Item 11C, contract renewal and roadway and transportation design services. Item 11C, calendar year 2024, standards and utility allowances for the housing choice voucher program.

[00:09:16] Item 11F, FY 2029 through 2040, capital needs assessment. Item 11G, 2023, Family Services Advisory Board, annual report. 11H, are you showing me something?

[00:09:35] Thank you, Mr. Crony. I think I have that, but thank you. So you're going to be fun to sit next to you for the next year. Item 11G, Family Services Advisory Board Annual Report.

[00:09:52] Item 11H, Mid-Year 2024, Child Protective Services, Family Services, Specialist Budget Allocations. 11I, Second Substantial Amendment to the FY, I'm sorry, to the five-year, 2021 through 2025, Consolidated Plan and the FY 2024 Annual Action Plan.

[00:10:11] 11J, American Rescue Plan, ARPA Tourism Grant Recommendations. 11K, American Rescue Plan, Community Support Services, Nonprofit Grant Recommendations. 11L, American Rescue, ARPA Child Care Fee Reduction, Nonprofit Grant Recommendations.

[00:10:33] 11M, Affirmation of Personal Property Tax Rate for Tax Year 2024, 12A, Transit Advisory board 2023 annual report 12b transit advisory board bylaws amendments request to add local non-profit human services agency representative 12c heritage commission annual and end of term report um item uh eight alleged 2023 through um 0082 evergreen energy center item nine proposed

[00:11:07] traffic calming um measures in the in the bella terra community and broad run and item 10 proposed amendment to the existing Ashbury Residential Permit Parking District in Ashburn. That was a long consent agenda.

[00:11:24] Is there, I will make a motion to approve. Chair Randall. Yes, sir. I'm sorry, Chair Randall. If I understood the dialogue for additions and deletions, item 1C, confirmations for the ADU, Affordable Dueling Unit Advisory Board, and confirmations for the Prose Board would both be added to consent as amended. I'm sorry, that is true.

[00:11:46] Consent as amended, and that amendment would be Ms. Maureen Carbeck-Robbins and Mr. Ben Miller. And for the Prose Board, it would be Ms. Fultman becoming the nominee from the Catoctin District, and the other two remaining there.

[00:12:08] So, motion has been made and seconded. Thank you. All right. Discussion on the motion and the consent agenda motion. First of all, supervisors and Loudon, I will ask you to at least seriously peruse through this package because there are a lot of annual reports in this package from 2023 that are really good to look at and look through.

[00:12:30] It shows how much work our advisory bodies do every day. The Family Services Advisory Report is incredibly interesting and really very important. The TAB advisory report is very important for a lot of reasons. The ARPA, both of the ARPA items are really very important, but I would say especially with the three ARPA items.

[00:12:56] The free reduction and grant recommendation is vital. We have people talking to us often about child care. As we talk about everyone, you know, people should return to the workplace and go back to work and those types of things. What we know is that our society is one big infrastructure, and so when we tell people you've got to go back to work, we also have to remind people that child care changed a lot during COVID, and so the child care that may have been available then may not be available right now, and there are people that left the workplace or cannot return to the workplace because of child care.

[00:13:30] So the fact that we're doing child care fee reduction is really, really important. If you really actually want to start seeing people back in the office, you have to make sure that their children are taken care of, obviously. And just the entire Fiscal Impact Committee annual report, this whole thing is just full of reports that were done from the last year or the last term that I would just encourage everyone to take a moment and read.

[00:13:56] And sometimes when we're doing our nominations, we go through, we nominate people, and then the next meeting we confirm those people. And we forget that these are volunteers who do not have to be doing this at all, who are working very hard, bringing their own expertise, and doing a really, really good job to advise the staff and to advise the board on issues.

[00:14:14] And truthfully, there's so many issues going on. If we didn't have these advisory boards, we'd be underwater because there's things we just don't have sometimes the expertise to do, at least the ones people sent in the dais, but definitely the time to do some time. And so these advisory boards and commissions and committees are just vitally important and really, really appreciated.

[00:14:33] And as we have so many of their annual reports in front of us, I did want to just stop and recognize the hundreds of people who work on those boards and say thank you to all of them. Other discussion on the consent agenda. Mr. Turner. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[00:14:52] I have a question to ask staff, and I'd just be interested. I don't know that I want to pull this off, but it's on item 11M, Affirmation of Personal Property Tax Rates for Tax Year 2024. As I read the item and as I understand it, the entry discussion for the budget for personal property tax on computers is the 2023 rate of $4.15.

[00:15:20] As we know, that has a major impact on the ratio of property tax revenue and total revenue to our budget. We've been trying to keep it below and get back up to 60% for real property tax. There may be pressure to reduce that computer property tax rate from 415 to 410.

[00:15:37] Rather than do that, I would suggest rather than lower that general property tax, which is an enormous incentive to the data center industry, leave it at 415 and reduce the value of used cars, as we've done in the last two years, sufficiently to equalize and make it budget neutral.

[00:16:00] That way we are rewarding taxpayers rather than specifically taxpayers and data centers in one lump sum. I just don't know how we do that and when we do that. So, Mr. Hemstreet, we had this discussion today at Pre-Agenda, and I kind of gave your knowledge that this was coming.

[00:16:21] I don't want to repeat what you said to me and get it incorrect. Can you help with that question? Yes, Chair Randall. So I interpreted the question differently. I think what Supervisor Turner is stating is not to modify the personal property tax rates, but to ask the commissioner if he is willing to provide a ratio on the value of vehicles.

[00:16:49] So that's a little bit of a different question. The commissioner is going to have to answer that question because the code requires him to make a recommendation to the board to modify the value of vehicles to use something other than 100%. And then he has some statutory guidance as to when he can make that recommendation or should make that recommendation.

[00:17:10] If that is the question, then that does not affect the tax rates, which is the central focus of this item. And am I correct with the tax rate right now? Proposed that we're going to start budget discussions with stays the same at 415. So the tax rate, so tax rates, it gets a little confusing.

[00:17:29] Tax rates are done by the, so valuations are done, tax years are calendar years. The budget uses a fiscal year. So what is, so right now the tax rate for fiscal year 24 is $4.15.

[00:17:47] Should the board modify that, then you would have a different, potentially could have a different tax rate for FY25, which starts on July 1st, 24. However, right now, our recommendation is to maintain that tax rate for the calendar year, which crosses two fiscal years, so it gets a little confusing.

[00:18:07] Okay. Thank you, Madam Chair. I just wanted to raise that issue maybe in a future discussion. It's a great question. It's a great question. The other thing I wanted to just mention. Absolutely, Mr. Turner. Your time is up. Oh, thank you. Ms. Glass? Thank you, Madam Chair.

[00:18:23] I just want to quickly thank my colleagues for supporting Belterra traffic calming. This came at the request of the community and warned drivers to slow down in the neighborhood. All right. Mr. Kirshner. Thank you, Madam Chair. I just wanted to piggyback off from what Supervisor Turner had mentioned.

[00:18:41] This is something that I had planned to bring up. I mean, no better timing than the present. I do think that is a great idea, something I was planning on trying to address once we got into the budget session and began to work on that. Obviously, I think what Mr. Hemstreet has explained, it's going to require our Commissioner of Revenue to come forward, and I hope he's listening.

[00:19:01] If not, we'll give him a call to see if that's possible and certainly make that recommendation. I think it's really important for our constituents who have to pay that car tax on a regular basis and have many of them living paycheck to paycheck as opposed to our data centers who are obviously doing very, very well that they should be given relief sooner than perhaps our data center should in this particular just to remain within balance.

[00:19:28] So thank you, Mr. Turner, for bringing that up. I applaud you, and I appreciate it. And when it comes forward, we can call it the Turner-Kirchner plan. I'm afraid you can call it the my plan. It's my chief of staff. Okay, okay, okay. I'm trying to help you out, man.

[00:19:45] Mr. Letourneau? Yeah, I don't know if it's either of those things, because we did discuss this already in the committee last month and had almost a mirror image of the same conversation. So I guess it was two months, November, I guess it was at this point.

[00:20:00] So I think the answer is going to be a little bit dependent on where all the numbers actually come in and what that impact is on the overall revenue picture. Because if the schools come in with a large request and the board continues to want to do what the board wants to do, it's going to be difficult to then cut revenue sources.

[00:20:21] But, Mr. Hemstreet, I do recall you're saying that in order to maintain, I think I asked you this question of finance, in order to maintain the ratio we were trying to achieve, you were not recommending a change to the property tax rate this year, right?

[00:20:38] That's correct. Like, we're not recommending a change to the tax year 24. Tax year 24. That's right. But we are likely to recommend a lowering of that rate for fiscal 25 starting in tax year 25, so the second half of fiscal 25.

[00:20:56] So, from a timing perspective, because this is where that conversation came in, what is the appropriate time for us to begin that discussion? Is it part of the budget? It's part of the budget because you would set the tax rate, so if we were going to change it for the second half of fiscal 25, for tax year 25, you would have that discussion at this time next year.

[00:21:23] Okay, and that's when you think you would recommend a change? To the tax rate. To the tax rate, yeah, okay. But the important question was, we did set a policy, and we are maintaining, we are within that policy with this action. Correct, that's correct.

[00:21:40] Okay. Thank you. Ms. Bricksman. Thank you, Madam Chair. So I would agree. I think that's something that needs to come through finance likely, and we have done it at least twice in the last term where we did an evaluation of 80%, and then I think the next one was like 90% or 95%.

[00:21:59] So we definitely have the capability to do a lower valuation on cars to give some relief to the car tax to our constituents. I just wanted to thank my colleagues for working out the advisory committee appointments so that we didn't have to have too many votes tonight.

[00:22:16] Appreciate that. And I just wanted to give a quick update on the Child Care Fee Reduction Program. Some of my colleagues may recall that this came out of some conversations at NACO and realizing that President Biden did intend for some of our ARPA funds to be used for child care, or allowed them to be used for child care.

[00:22:37] So this fee reduction program we're approving tonight is a million dollars, and it's going to be managed by Northern Virginia Family Services and working with local providers. I did double-check that Northern Virginia Family Services will work with the providers to get the word out to folks who think they maybe can't afford child care to let them know that this could be up to a 50% reduction.

[00:23:04] So, in other words, there may be people not in the market right now because they assume they can't afford child care, so that's going to happen. Additionally, the child care study that we're doing, we did find a contractor for that, and so that is underway.

[00:23:20] And then we have another million dollars that can be used to respond to the study of child care needs in the county. And hopefully that study will come back and we'll be able to do that soonest, because I think they need to be allocated or committed by the end of 24 and spent by the end of 26.

[00:23:39] So, again, I thank my colleagues for supporting that. I'm looking forward to the results. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you. I don't remember saying on the consent agenda the Heritage Commission annual end of year report. I don't remember saying it, but if I did, I'd just say it again just for record. I think that is everything.

[00:23:56] All right, so all in favor of the consent agenda, please say aye. Any opposed? That motion will pass 9-0. We have moved our voice for a cause until next week just because of the weather. But I do have quite a few updates, organizational updates, that's been pretty busy.

[00:24:19] So first I will say that the Council of Governments, COG, had its first meeting, our first organizational meeting. I was really happy that Mr. Crony could join me and the COG Board of Directors. In our first meeting, we elected new officers.

[00:24:34] Charles Allen from the District of Columbia is the new chair. The first vice chair is Rodney Lusk from Fairfax. We had a couple of fairly heavy lifts that we did in COG this past week. First, we got the legislative program.

[00:24:51] The COG legislative program came to us. And I noticed that they have a new section in the legislative program. around homeland security and security, airport security, just security. And then they have a section also that's demanded for a long time, that's Health and Human Resources, Health and Human Services.

[00:25:11] Some time ago, COG voted to have gun violence be denoted as a public health crisis. But neither in the section on security nor the section on health, which is where I think it belongs, that they list gun violence as a public health crisis.

[00:25:29] And by not listing it, they have COG's has no ability to talk about this when they go to Congress to talk about things that are on COG's legislative program, things that are important to COG. So I asked that COG add that and language to mention, and it wasn't that exact language, but language to mention the COG's concern about gun deaths in America, however those gun deaths may occur, was added to the legislative program for COG.

[00:26:01] So I really appreciated that. Then there was a very long discussion on Metro funding, as you can imagine. And I have been for, I don't know, since I've been on COG for eight years now, talking about the importance, in my opinion, of the federal government having a bigger contribution to Metro and having a much larger contribution to a steady source of revenue in Metro for the first time.

[00:26:27] is very clearly stated in the CogLedge Program for a larger source of dedicated revenue to come from the federal government to our metro system and the reasons why that should be were discussed.

[00:26:43] Also discussed was the, Mr. Hemstreet, help me with what it's called. It's the report from the Administrations Committee, so all the, well not all, but quite a few of the county administrators and mayors from COG jurisdictions.

[00:27:00] What's the name of the report, actually? What's the name of the group? So COG has a lot of... Well, that one that you helped with. So it is basically the Chief Administrative Officers Committee. We vetted the numbers that were coming from WMATA with support from the D.C. Chief Financial Officer.

[00:27:19] So our purpose was to vet those numbers and to make recommendations based off of what we saw. So thank you. So those recommendations were presented to COG, and they were accepted. And then lastly, there was a very, very long discussion. I know that all of us, especially Ms. Letourneau, have been involved in discussions already as to how Metro is funded in general and the fact that the three major players, Maryland, D.C., and Virginia, fund Metro differently

[00:27:50] and that Virginia funds Metro just with the counties and cities that are in the Metro Compact and why that's a problem. And so this is not a new discussion, unlike the federal discussion. The discussion of more money coming from Richmond for Metro is not a new discussion.

[00:28:09] And when Mr. Freeman comes to give his ledger state of update, I will ask him the question. He knows it's coming, which is, have any bills dropped yet for Metro? But the consensus in Virginia was that metro, if metro is important, well, if the Commonwealth of Virginia relies on northern Virginia for a significant financial contribution, and if metro is important to northern Virginia's finances, ergo, metro is also important to the entire Commonwealth of Virginia.

[00:28:47] And that the idea that you only fund Metro in the jurisdictions where Metro is located, when the number that we've determined is about $1 billion goes down to Richmond to be used for Virginia because of Metro.

[00:29:06] So the question is, why is there not more money coming out of Richmond for Metro? So those discussions were had in great detail, and for the first time, some again. The other thing I did this past week, or the past two weeks, was we had the first organizational meeting from the MBTA, the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority.

[00:29:31] I was re-elected. I was honored to be re-elected chair of the authority. Mr. David Snyder was elected as vice chair. He is a member from Falls Church. He's vice chair of the authority. And Sheila Olum was elected from the towns.

[00:29:47] I want to just take a moment and note that once again, and I know that this may not be a popular thing to say for Colt, but once again, Loudoun's towns all decline to be on NVTA. Whenever you have a town on NVTA, they almost always get more money coming to them.

[00:30:07] And we have been, during their begging, our towns that qualify to be on NVTA. And for the past three years, Mayor Derek Woods from Dumfries has been on NVTA, and he has bought a lot of money back to Dumfries.

[00:30:24] And this year, it's Sheila Olam, even though our towns are reached out to. So I'm going to encourage our town mayors, who I know are doing a great job, have a hard job. There's a lot to do. It's a far way to travel. I get it. It's a far way to travel. But I'm going to encourage our town mayors.

[00:30:39] The town seat is a one-year seat. So next year, when it comes back up, I'm going to encourage the mayors that can to maybe consider being on NVTA, especially the mayor from Percival, and being active. Supervisors, I'm going to hand you the, and Mr. Rogers and Mr. Tim Street, I'm going to hand you all the annual report from NVTA.

[00:31:06] I think it's really well done, actually. Does I need one more down here? One, two, three, four. No. I think it's really a really very well done report. Instead of kind of having the big book that takes up lots of paper, they did it a little differently. You need a couple more down here? No, I don't.

[00:31:21] There's 34 people down. Oh, you. There you go. They did it a little differently. Let me see that just for a second, Laura. They did it really differently in that they put it in kind of a big pamphlet, and what they did is they put QR codes in there. So if you want to go see all of it, you can go see all of it because there's a QR code in there.

[00:31:37] And so instead of just printing paper, printing paper, they gave the highlights, and then they put QR codes in there. I did want to denote one thing. If you open that all the way up and you look in the right-hand corner on the very, very bottom, you will see the NVTA's local transfer of commitment.

[00:32:00] And this is really important. For the first time, because in NVTA, when we have our public comments like we did last time, a lot of people come in from environmental groups and from bike groups and that kind of stuff to say, don't put so much money in roads because that's induced demand.

[00:32:16] Put money in other types of multimodal transportation. And for the first time, you will see that our transit and bike pads combined have a higher percentage of local distribution money than road projects.

[00:32:33] That's really significant that NVTA is now putting more money in transit, in bike paths, in pedestrian paths, and those types of things for the local distribution than they are putting in roads. NVTA's job is congestion relief relative to cost.

[00:32:50] And congestion relief doesn't necessarily mean put a new road or widen the road or put shoulders on a road. Congestion relief can absolutely and does absolutely mean what are we putting in the Metro's capital funds and how are we doing that? Or should we put more bus lines on and how's that look or that type of thing?

[00:33:07] So we've done a lot of money, a lot of funds this year or this past term into other types of multimodal transportation besides roads. And I think that's really important. And then lastly, I will say MBTA also had a very long discussion on Metro and all of the same things that were said in COG was agreed on in MBTA.

[00:33:29] What the number one thing said in MBTA is do not take any more money out of MBTA to send it through MBTC to give it to Metro. In 2018, when that was done, we said that was going to be good money after bad, and it has turned out to be good money after bad.

[00:33:45] MBTA and every, I don't know, I know very few, I'll say it like that, elected officials in Northern Virginia that are not committed to Metro, and not committed to a dedicated source of revenue to Metro, but we cannot rob Peter to pay Paul, and it really should not come out of MBTA.

[00:34:02] So I know that was long, but a lot of things happened in the past couple of weeks, so that is my organizational update and report, and I appreciate you all listening to me. Mr. Hemstreet, do you have any comments you'd like to make?

[00:34:17] Thank you, Chair Randall. I've got four comments for this evening. The first is, with snow and colder temperatures arriving in Loudoun, our public safety officials would like to remind everyone to stay safe this winter at home and on the road. As you may know, home fires occur more in winter than in any other season.

[00:34:34] You can help put the freeze on winter fires by taking simple precautions. These include keeping anything that can burn at least three feet from a heat source, such as a wood stove or space heater. Also, officials remind drivers to be careful on the roads by reducing your speed and increasing the distance between your vehicle and the one in front of you.

[00:34:53] For more winter safety information, including links to current road conditions, visit loudon.gov slash winter. Second, Loudoun County and the Soil and Water Conservation District are hosting an informational meeting for property owners on how to apply for grants for water quality improvement projects. The meeting, which will feature several subject matter experts, will be held Tuesday, February 6th at 6 p.m. at Rust Library in Leesburg. Details are available at loudon.gov slash waterqualitygrants. Third, the Workforce Resource Center invites job seekers to attend the Loudon Job Fair on Wednesday, January 24th from 12 to 3 p.m. at the Claude Moore Recreation

[00:35:32] Community Center in Sterling. More than 25 local employers with full-time, part-time, and seasonal job openings will be on site. No registration is required to attend. Details are online at loudon.gov slash job fair and then finally the franklin park performing and visual arts center is prevent presenting a weekly music series through february reaching a variety of musical performers the music for dessert series includes live music for both in-person and virtual audiences the schedule includes jazz bluegrass italian classical brazilian guitar and indie jazz fusion

[00:36:07] concerts are held at 7 p.m every wednesday through february 28th 2024 details are online at loudin.gov slash PRCS. Those are my comments this evening's venture. Thank you, Mr. Hemstreet. Appreciate that. Okay, supervisors, we are not at 5 o'clock nor 5.30.

[00:36:24] We have no public speakers at 5 o'clock. We do have a resolution at 5.30, but our constitutional officers have not joined us yet. So what we're going to do, since we can't really do anything until 5.30 anyway, is we're going to take our action items a little earlier and maybe kind of get through things.

[00:36:43] I don't think the ledge item is going to take more than an hour. And we may be able to knock out the ledge item and the vote on FIC before 530. And so, what's wrong? Okay, so then let's do that.

[00:37:01] Mr. Freeman, I know I wasn't going to call you, but I know it's a little earlier than you expected. But let's go on and do the ledge item right now and maybe get it done with.

[00:37:33] It is. Good evening, Madam Chair, members of the board. Good evening, Mr. Freeman. For the legislative item tonight, we have three sections. The first section is some bills for action by the board for direction. The second section is for bills that have been introduced for the legislative initiatives that were identified in our program that you all adopted a few weeks ago and readopted.

[00:37:59] The last board meeting and section three are some bills with program that has already been provided within the legislative program for support and opposition. There are two bills that I would like to highlight, Madam Chair, if that is OK, that might be of some importance to the board as well as localities around the Commonwealth.

[00:38:24] These two bills were dropped along with over a thousand bills last week by the General Assembly. So apologies, staff is still getting through all of those bills, especially the ones that we think have legs, if you will. And so I would like to highlight HB 710, introduced by Delegate Weber, and SB 549, introduced by Senator Perry on travel expenses, local officials.

[00:38:55] This bill provides that any travel expense of a local official that exceeds $2,500 should be subject to approval and advance vote by the local governing body in an open meeting. And staff is still analyzing these bills, of course.

[00:39:13] Again, they were dropped in the middle of over 1,000 bills last week. But what we have found is that this would limit local authority and flexibility to spend on travel and direction in our alleged program is to oppose. There's a definition within the bills that reads as follows. Local official, as defined in both bills, means a member of a local governing body, the chief administrative officer of a locality, and his deputies and department heads

[00:39:51] of a locality. So that's who this bill would apply to. It would not apply to constitutional officers, and it would not apply to General Assembly members or their offices. Do we have questions? All right. I think we already have instruction on that, because it's already in our program. Want to go on to the next one?

[00:40:17] Yes, ma'am. Thank you. So going back to Section 1, we are recommending that the board support legal notices, locality to advertise on their website. This would allow locality to advertise legal notices on their website instead of or in addition to the newspaper having general circulation in the locality. We believe that this would allow some flexibility and greater control over the timing of preparation and publication of legal notices. And we have Courtney Sittner

[00:40:57] are here to answer any questions on that, but it's a rather simple bill. Yeah. Ms. Sidney, do you want to add anything to that? No? Okay. Does anyone have questions on this bill?

[00:41:13] My only question for staff is, so I know that we, two things. One, we spend money to do it in the paper, and two, it's a different, it becomes a more difficult, I think as a fair statement, timing issue if it has to go to the paper because you have to know where the paper's deadline is.

[00:41:29] So this would take the cost of going into a local paper away, and it takes also the deadline away. I would say this. If this didn't pass, and I hope it does, I do support this completely. My question would be, for the General Assembly, if localities have no other choice but to advertise meetings, and we should absolutely advertise meetings, But if it's not an option to advertise meetings, then does the General Assembly also want to give us money to advertise those meetings?

[00:42:09] Because, I mean, basically you've given us an unfunded mandate. Now, I think we should advertise the meetings, absolutely. But if they're saying that we can't advertise them in other ways, like on our website, then if they're saying we have to do it this particular way that actually cost us money, advertising them is not an option, and it shouldn't be.

[00:42:27] But how we advertise them is an option. So if they're going to require that we advertise them in a way that costs us money, are they willing to give us any of the money? That would be my question for the General Assembly. Anybody else? Thank you. Want to go on?

[00:42:44] Yes. I think you know the answer to that. I think both. So this bill that staff is recommending that we support on the legal notices, so does this have a realistic, I mean, where did this kind of come from?

[00:43:02] I believe just some additional flexibility, but staff could find out what the genesis of the bill was. Okay. I mean, the point that I would make on this is, so we advertise, I believe, in Loud and Times Mirror, right? Which is a weekly newspaper that is not distributed to the entire county.

[00:43:23] Some receive it in their driveway. Many do not. It's, I don't think, free, at least in some circumstances. and I'm not criticizing a lot of times, remember, I'm just saying, like, it's not like it's particularly accessible anyway compared to what our website would be. So I am sensitive to some who would say that this would reduce transparency, but I think that in reality, if we could just consistently rely on the website and say this is the source of information, I don't think we're really losing much. So I agree with you on this and with support. Thank you. Mr. Sainz.

[00:44:01] Thank you, Madam Chair. I was just going to add that this has actually been brought up a few times in the General Assembly, if I recall. And one of the reasons why it was brought up is, as we know, local papers are going by the wayside in a lot of areas. We just happen to be one locality that has two local papers where some don't even have none at all.

[00:44:20] So, yeah, so going to the website, to me, it makes more sense. It's more readily available to the average citizen. Most people have their phones which have internet connection or they can jump on the Wi-Fi wherever in the building that they might be in at that time to get the advertisement.

[00:44:39] So I think that's some of the reason why this came up. That's a great question Mr. Sains just put forward. If a locality doesn't have a local paper, what do they do anyway? Put it on the website? We would have to find that out. I'm sitting there. I will just clarify.

[00:44:59] I think currently we do louder now just to. The standard, it doesn't have to be a local paper, per se, in the way that you think of it. Generally, the standard is a paper of general circulation in your locality.

[00:45:15] So, for example, Washington Post would be available to us if that's what we wanted to do. Some localities, if they maybe got the Richmond Times Dispatch locally, probably could do that. So if you don't have a local per se in what you think of it, there would be another paper that might not originate from your locality, but that is circulated in your locality.

[00:45:37] I think there is a code section that allows for if you have nothing, but I'm not directly familiar with that. Because there's got to be places that have nothing, like whole places that, you know, roll between you. I'm not fully familiar with that because obviously we do have options, but I think there is something in the code for that.

[00:45:53] Okay. All right. Thank you. Mr. Freeman? The next bill deals with vacancies in elected local offices. So this bill would require that a meeting, a public meeting, at least seven days prior to making such an appointment be held to announce the names of all persons being proposed for the interim appointment and make available for inspection each person's resume and any other materials required by the body or board.

[00:46:27] Okay. Any questions on that? Questions on that? All right. Thank you. Is that all you have? That is all, Madam Chair.

[00:46:42] And I will just ask for general questions of Mr. Freeman about anything that's in the LEDGE program or that's not in the LEDGE program, or just questions in general. Mr. Crony. Yeah, I have a question about the data center bills that you're opposing. The legislative program does not...

[00:47:01] You shouldn't say your. Oh, no, in the packet that we're opposing, the legislative program does not include a policy statement on data center zoning or energy use. And my question is, why is Loudoun County opposing HB 337 and HB 338?

[00:47:20] Well, so give me just a second, John. So the alleged program is our program, right? And so anything that we've talked about, so I guess I'm kind of standing in front of John a little bit here because he's not opposing or saying anything.

[00:47:38] So who are you asking that question to? Are you asking what the rationale was for the board to make that decision? Yeah, I can answer that. Okay, because I just don't want to, I want you to think that it's. It's not a policy statement. That's why I'm asking. Yeah, so both of those bills are essentially the would be the Commonwealth of Virginia, the General Assembly mandating how the board should treat the siting of data centers, which is currently local authority.

[00:48:03] And so the question, which is a policy question for the board, which is in our legislative agenda, is that we automatically oppose any bills that are in the General Assembly that usurp or take away from the board's discretion or local authority over your affairs.

[00:48:23] So, in this case, both of those proposed bills would mandate how the board deals with the siting of data centers, as opposed to what you do now, which you have control over that. And so, that's why we would oppose those bills, not because of their content, but because they are taken away from the board's discretion and authority over land use.

[00:48:50] Okay. Okay. Mr. Kirshner. Thank you, Madam Chair. And thank you for putting everything together. I have a question specifically on HB 74. I don't know if we're following it or not. I wanted to bring it to the attention of my fellow board members as well as if we're not, if it's not technically included in our legislative programs, it's Delegate Reed's rural roads bill, which will make some clarification on VDOT money that can or cannot be used for the rural roads.

[00:49:18] Is that something that we're following? And if not, do we need to add it to the legislative program? Because it certainly is very, very important for our rural West. Supervisor Kirshner, that's listed in attachment one under bills that we're tracking currently.

[00:49:35] Staff is currently analyzing any impacts that the bill may have if passed. So we just want to make sure that there won't be any unintended consequences of the bill. I mean, I'm happy to even go to Richmond and weigh in on this at the appropriate time or with the appropriate people as needed.

[00:49:53] I looked at the history. It looks like it's been sent over to transportation. So, you know, as many bills, I hope it doesn't die there. I hope it gets out. But certainly I'm offering my services to do so as needed. Thank you. Thank you. Ms. Bricksman.

[00:50:10] Thank you, Madam Chair. I just wanted to ask a question about House Bill 443, Local Government Standardization of Public Notice Requirements for Certain Meetings and Hearings. It was a little bit confusing, the summary language, but would this basically allow the board to send items now again to our business meetings for action?

[00:50:37] Does that get us out of that quandary? With the change in the time requirements that Courtney worked so hard with the task force to make sure it was in the bill, that is correct. This would allow the board to go back to its original practice of hearing an item at public hearing and then forwarding to a business meeting for action.

[00:50:56] Excellent. Thank you for confirming that. As you know, the questions that's coming, my two questions, have any Metro bills dropped yet? Yes, Madam Chair. HB 1201 was filed by Delegate Ovenshane, and I followed up with it.

[00:51:16] Delegate Ovenshane? Well, Delegate Ovenshane. Oh, okay. new member okay okay yeah i was like why well okay that's okay we're from where uh delegate open chain um and so i followed up with uh mvta and wamata um around lunchtime today to check in on the bills they're still analyzing that bill and so are um our staff members do you know what delegate open chain what area he hails from i would have to i would have to double check okay And do you know what the bills are?

[00:51:52] Are they saying let's give Metro a steady stream of revenue? No. Okay, I think so. I can give you a look. Yes. First of all, where's it from? Because let me answer all my questions. Not Northern Virginia. Okay. You've got that already. Yeah, we are analyzing that particular bill.

[00:52:10] That has to do, I believe, with, that's the one about the cap, right, that says that we can't exceed 3%. So there's a request. Oh, I know what that bill is. 3% cap, but this bill would take out of that labor costs.

[00:52:26] So it would say labor costs still have to fall within the 3% cap, essentially. The state of the larger stuff is it's happening in the budget, both a request to lift the cap and its $65 million additional funding.

[00:52:45] That's Delegate Sickles and Senator Martston. That makes sense. Would that be for metro or for one particular stop? Metro. For metro. Okay, that's good. That's the Virginia share of the deficit, essentially, after it's been whittled down for the first year.

[00:53:04] And that, by code, is a 50-50 match with local government. So that's 65. That helps. Localities would do 65 additional. I got you. I got you. All right. My other bill. No, I got you and thank you. And that would be that certainly starts to get us where we're trying to go. My other question is about, has there been a stadium bill or a coliseum bill, either or, or both dropped yet?

[00:53:31] An arena bill has not dropped. An arena bill at all? Nope. Nothing? No stadium, no coliseum, no arena, no anything? Not yet. If a bill was drafted after the pre-filing deadline, they have until this Friday to file it. If it is filed after this Friday, then they would need unanimous consent from the body to introduce the bill.

[00:53:52] I understand. I understand. OK. All right. You have answered all my questions. I am going to make a motion. I move the board of supervisors to prove staff's recommended positions to support legislation is found in Section one of January 16th, 2024.

[00:54:10] Board supervisors business meeting action item. Motions made and seconded by Vice Chair Bricksman. First of all, John, thank you, 1,000 bills. We only expect you to come and know chapter and verse about 700 of those 1,000 bills, and so that's all we ask of you.

[00:54:29] So I know that this becomes a moment where you don't sleep between now and the General Assembly session is over, so I do appreciate it. I think that we wanted to stay on the track we've been on, which is protecting local government autonomy and authority.

[00:54:46] And I'm so glad that we have organizations like BACO and BML that have joined us in those efforts to protect local authority. I do want to have information, Mr. Kirsten, about the rural roads bill. I think I haven't dove into that one very much, and so let's do that.

[00:55:05] And when we, we will, we, our day at the General Assembly is February 1st, is that right? That's correct. That's the local government day. Mr. Kirshner, clear your schedule. We can go down there with me and we kind of try to divide and conquer and talk about all the bills that are really important on the House side and the Senate side.

[00:55:21] So join me and we can talk about that bill and push it, push it. I think that's it. Thanks very much. Anybody else? All right. All in favor, say aye. Any opposed? That motion will pass. 9-0. Thank you, sir.

[00:55:39] All right, we still have a good little ways to go. And I see that Ms. Keech, I'm sorry, Mr. Keech and Ms. Brown are here. I'm trying to find out what item number that is.

[00:55:58] Five. Are you all ready to go on that one? Oh, did she leave? Let's grab her and get her in here and see if we're ready to go. I'd like to get you all out the room, not because I don't enjoy you just fine, but let's get you out the room.

[00:56:14] I don't want to do number four because we have public speakers on number four, and I never want to do an item before people who want to speak on it get a chance to speak on it. Supervisors, while we are waiting, let me say this as a point of information while we're waiting for Ms. Brown to come back in the room.

[00:56:33] I invited the chair of the Board of Elections to come speak this evening. I invited her through the staff, Mr. Keech and Ms. Brown. Because they're not elected officials, that is how I would always do that. If I need to speak to somebody from the Water Board, I would go through Mr. Hemstreet and ask them to speak to the Water Board staff.

[00:56:55] If I want somebody from the Library Board, I would ask Mr. Hemstreet to speak to the Library Board staff. If they're elected officials, I will go straight to them, but if it's not, then I will ask the staff to do that. They have made the decision, I believe, to, they sent something back that said that they wanted it to come from me directly.

[00:57:13] Well, you know, I'm sorry, I did like I always did. I'm very consistent in these things. I did like I always did for the reason I always do it. So if they'd like me to speak to them directly, I'm happy to do that. I'm trying to be both consistent and respectful.

[00:57:32] And so the response back was interesting. But, yeah, but Ms. Hill from the elections board has come into the room, and we do appreciate that very much, ma'am. All right, so, gosh, if you would like to report, feel free.

[00:57:59] So, first, what I would like to convey to you, that Chair Kalina will not be able to attend the meeting tonight. She's out of town. She wanted me to convey to you to thank you for your support in helping us find a location for early voting and is in favor of the resolution.

[00:58:20] Tonight, I have with me, of course, Ricky Keech, the FBD Director of Elections, Ellen Heald, the Secretary of the Electro Board, and Shelley Oberlander, the Vice Chair of the Electro Board. Welcome, Ms. Oberlander and Ms. Heald. Thank you both for coming this evening. So, I guess just to sum up what we're here for is that the goal of the Electoral Board is for us to offer early voting at all three of our early voting sites and to be the same hours and the same days of operation.

[00:58:51] In the past, we have only opened in western Loudon for two Saturdays prior to the election. A lot of that was dependent on looking at the population of the western part of the county. And as we know from redistricting, Blue Ridge and Catoctin got smushed together, which is an indication that the population out there is not the same as it is.

[00:59:15] It's about 16% of the overall population. Yes. And so, but in looking at the documentation in support of what the Electoral Board wants, the documentation does say look at population for deciding where to put the early voting sites, which is what we originally had done. And there is a section in there that says that we offer equal access. So we want to be able to find a location in Western Loudoun that is suitable for offering early voting and right now we're doing the voting at Carver Center in Percival and we

[00:59:49] just were listening to what our the managers at Carver Center when we asked about expanding the hours they have programs there for senior citizens during the week they serve lunch during the week which is the room we use on Saturdays and so we were just not pushing our way into the site We know that the managers know their building and what they can have the foot traffic.

[01:00:16] And so we did look at a couple of places in the Percival area. But again, staff, myself included, just don't feel that it's conducive to doing early voting weekdays and then having Saturday hours as well.

[01:00:33] a lot of the places in Percival that we looked at offer after school programs which take up their large spaces and to put us into things like the community center Latin Valley Community Center is an old building has been remodeled but it really doesn't have a lot of space and they actually have preschool programs there which is not really something that I feel comfortable mixing little kids and voters uh in the same building um so anyway so basically what we came to the conclusion

[01:01:07] uh with the help of county admin parks and rec um and probably some of you on the board is that we need to find a location that is suitable and in the meantime uh we will work with the carver senior center to offer the same hours for march and june uh that we will at the other two sites which is normally for the March primary, we were anticipating two Saturdays and five days during the week, right before the election. And then the June primary, because we don't have much turnout for a primary, just doing the two Saturdays and then Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. And they have

[01:01:45] agreed that they can accommodate us during those hours. So we believe that we've found a solution to move forward with getting the assistance of county admin and other staff to try to find a location in Western Loudoun that is central to Western Loudoun that can be used for early voting going forward.

[01:02:10] Thank you. I have not ever heard that Catoctin and Blue Bush were squished together. I take umbrage with that. But okay. I was a part of that. Of the squishing, you were a part of the squishing together? Well, I'm in Western Loudoun, so I got squished.

[01:02:28] I want to make sure I pay respect of pronouncing your name. Do you mind pronouncing your last name for me, please, ma'am? O'Ben Lander. O'Burlander. O'Burlander. Thank you. Thank you. Supervisors, questions?

[01:02:43] Can I make a comment? Yes, ma'am. So it's actually concerning to me that Western Loudoun has been disenfranchised and hasn't had equal access to early voting for the past four years. And so it's really important not to just have weekday voting for the primaries, but somewhere we can be for two weeks for the November presidential election.

[01:03:02] I think that's the larger kind of inconvenience in a way, because we would take the space for two weeks. And I was not aware that decisions had been made on locations, because when I've inquired, Harmony Hall was still an option. Loudoun Valley Community Center was still an option. I don't know if Franklin Park had been considered, as well as maybe a larger room at Carver Center.

[01:03:23] So it's someplace we could be for the long haul, including the November election. So our concern as well is providing access to the Western Loudoun voters for weekday voting. So it's equal throughout the county is making sure that we have plenty of room for November.

[01:03:40] And in the resolution, the only solutions were given for March and June. And I think making a change at the November election would not be good timing. I think having it all ready to roll by the June primary, wherever we're going to be, is is is better solution for the voters so there's no confusion out there where that voting is going to occur so um i don't know if any of the other locations are available or a larger room that room it um carver is very very small um and so i'm under the understanding there's a multi-purpose room and there's also an art room and i don't know what pool you all have but if you could give us a place where we could be for the entire year for the early voting for the weekday we we would

[01:04:18] appreciate that i'd like to work because that's the goal is to provide that um early voting the same throughout the county. Thank you. I would take a little umbrage to the word disenfranchised, but I do understand what your issue is, and so thank you. Subvisors, questions, please.

[01:04:35] Mr. Letourneau. Well, so about that, so the resolution covers the presidential primary and the June primary, but what would be the plan for the November election, which I think is the one that would obviously be that much higher turnout.

[01:04:52] So currently the plan is to continue looking in Western Loudoun for a location that has a larger space for us to use that includes Saturday and weekday hours. The Harmony Hall, I think people have reached out within the county government to find out if Harmony Hall, which is on the outskirts of Hamilton, would be willing to entertain us until the new park or the community center in Percival is built

[01:05:25] in three years uh and so we're going to continue to look for space at the community center the space that we were given is the same size as one of the rooms at carver center but in order to do saturday voting we believe we're going to have to move to the gym at the community center if we go that route and that means putting all of our equipment into a cage and rolling it out the front door, down the sidewalk, and into the gym because there's stairs. We're using ballot-on-demand

[01:05:58] printers, which are extremely heavy, and it takes us several hours to set things up. So what we were looking for is a space that could be set up and left intact. At the other two sites, we actually changed the locks on the doors to the rooms where voting takes place so that we're the only ones with access because it's very important to maintain the security of the equipment once we have it set up okay um you did make a comment which i need to say so you said you didn't want

[01:06:33] to mix preschool children with voting but we do do that at dull south for early voting i mean the preschool is right there yes i just want to clarify that there isn't a safety concern with that because i know it wasn't your intention but i'm liable to have somebody hear that and and i wasn't aware of that to be honest oh yeah the the early voting location for dull south is the preschool basically so we segregate it you know we have a kind of a we have a kind of walled off but that is that that's been the practice so just we actually watch the halloween parade

[01:07:07] we watch the halloween parade in october um i know mr torpe is here it sounds like the concern would be that if we so this this is going to be in place for these two and then it may have to change for november but there isn't necessarily an alternative yes sir would be why can't we have a larger room at carver center for june and november okay or can we maybe that's a better way to say it can we have a larger room and also just to point out at carver center i don't know at carver center we're also having to move from sat on saturday and the weekdays apparently

[01:07:42] because we use that large room where they have their cafeteria for the weekday i mean for the saturday voting at carver center and so the um the weekday voting is still going to be right now it's in the little library but you know it is a little less cumbersome because we'll be moving it throughout the building rather than outside but we still have to move rooms at carver center so a location where we didn't have to move rooms at all would be much better but is there a larger room that we could know it's important to me to know going into the june primary that we're at our spot and that we have a location for november i don't want to be in this position in november where we're still looking for a place and the timetable that was given to us by the election

[01:08:20] staff was that we had to get approval from you now for a new location so that we'd be ready for the june primary all right um mr kirschner thank you madam chair and thank you for everyone for coming um so first of all i'm really glad that we have at least i think solved a somewhat of an issue for the first my understanding is the library is going to be available at the carver center for march and june is that right yes sir okay i haven't seen the library yet um how many election booths can we actually have within that because i know they're going to move some tables

[01:08:57] and some other things how many how many election booths can we have within that um i would estimate we could probably fit six to eight booths and two check-ins okay and i will say for a primary um in 2023 the june primary there were a grand total of 114 people that yeah so over over two days so i think for the primary it's probably more than sufficient. I agree with that. I believe for the March primary possibly as well. Yeah and so here and so here but here's my concern when we get to the general election. Obviously I would like as a representative of Western Loudoun to keep the same place as a voting location if possible and I know part of this is part of this resolution is

[01:09:36] go forth and to our staff and find a better location if we can and I know Mr. Storberg can maybe speak to this and he and I had a conversation on the phone earlier but when we get to that November it would seem to me that that early voting may not be sufficient I don't know how long the lines are perhaps that's an analysis that we can do um um and and whether or not that's going to be sufficient or not sufficient but I but I don't I think the biggest thing for me is confusion for the voters and it would seem to me that maybe we could you know pause some programming for a week or two in order to make sure we accommodate what I think is probably one of

[01:10:14] the most important things that we can do as a free society, and that is fair and free elections. And so has there been, I know you may have not got there, but maybe Mr. Torpy can speak to it. Is it possible that we could maybe expand or provide a larger space for the early voting?

[01:10:33] And I'm talking mostly during the week when we get to the presidential, is that something that could possibly be done? Mr. Torpy? So, Chair Randall, if I may respond to that. Absolutely. So what I have directed the staff to do for November, because we have for the March and June primaries, our understanding of the timelines to get space approved is really too tight for us to do that unless we have the space identified today.

[01:11:00] What I've directed the staff to do is we're looking at this as likely a four-year challenge because the board does have in its capital improvement program the construction of the Western Loudon Recreation Center, which once that building is constructed, which will be just on the border of Percival, will be large enough to accommodate early voting for this purpose.

[01:11:24] So what I've directed the staff to do is locate a space that is large enough to accommodate early voting for the next four or five years, however long it takes to construct the Western Loudoun Recreation Center. The challenge with the Carver Center is to provide for early voting for the presidential election.

[01:11:48] We would have to take some fairly critical programs, such as the congregate meal, offline for that period of time in order to devote that space. So what we'd rather do is make a semi-permanent change for four years or so in a space that's large enough to accommodate all of the elections offices' early voting needs as we understand them without taking some of our more critical county programs offline.

[01:12:17] So we've made space to accommodate the two primaries and the direction that I've given to staff and specifically Mrs. McClellan is to identify a space for us that we in time for us to be able to do the general election that can be there for the next four years.

[01:12:36] Thank you. Mr. Sains. Thank you, Madam Chair. Just quickly remind my colleagues that there is a timetable and a time crunch because everything that we do with voting locations, once we approve it, has to go to the Attorney General's office for a review and approval, and that takes time because obviously they're reviewing not just our application but others as well as they receive them.

[01:13:00] So there's always going to be a time crunch. And just for sake of knowing, can you give us the data, the numbers don't lie, if you have it with you, what are the numbers for, say, last year's election or are the presidential elections, I guess, for Western Loud and for early voting, if you have it by any chance compared to each?

[01:13:22] Harper's Center averaged 1,000 each Saturday this year, which was, they had the largest amount on the first Saturday. And then they tied almost for, um, for second, for the third, second Saturday. Did that answer? I mean, I have any, okay, great. And what was the numbers for Eastern Loudoun? It's about almost 5,000 for each Eastern and, um, and Dulles South was about 5,000.

[01:13:48] They were open seven days. Carver was 2011 and it was open two days. And you said it was a thousand? 2011. 2011. Almost a thousand. A thousand. And then Eastern Loudoun had close to 5,000 or so. And they were open seven days. Each of those were open seven days. Yes, sir. Okay. So clearly that shows that, and again, I like to have voting everywhere. Yes, I believe we all agree with that, but the numbers show that the early voting is not there in Western Loudoun County. Well, they only had two days, sir. They didn't have seven.

[01:14:15] Over the years, you know, over the years, the numbers don't lie. Has it gone up since we've added more numbers? We haven't added anything new in Loudoun. It's been two days for four years. Okay. And how has the numbers increased by any chance? Yes, they have. Do you have them? Ricky, go ahead.

[01:14:33] Yeah, Supervisor Saints, I have the actual data here for you. In 2020, which I'm going to give you a caution, 2020 was the strangest election we've ever run. 90,000 people voted early. That's more than the last three years combined.

[01:14:49] So we're still trying to determine how to analyze those numbers properly. But what is interesting, I can tell you, is... And do you have the breakdown for that? Yeah, the Saturdays were about 1,100 each Saturday in Percival on average.

[01:15:06] In 2021, the averages at Percival was about 900. In 2022, the average was about 650. 900 and 650? Yes, and in 2023, the average was about 1,000. And give me the numbers in Eastern Loudoun, please, and Sterling.

[01:15:23] Are we comparing Saturdays only? Yeah, sure. Saturdays only, there were a total of actually about 800, give or take the first Saturday. And about 2,400 second Saturday this year. And that's just Sterling, or are you giving me Sterling? Sterling and South Riding. Okay. Yes. In 2022, it was about 1,100, so about double again.

[01:15:44] And then the second Saturday was about 2,200 versus 700. In 2021, it was about 1,200, 1,300 versus 3,200. All right. Thank you.

[01:16:00] Does that answer your question? Thank you. Mr. Turner. Thank you, Madam Chair. I may be really ignorant on this. This may be a dumb question, but I'm going to ask it anyway. We have kids working out of trailers all over Loudoun County's public schools. Have we considered for this election year, the presidential election year, adding trailers to the Carver Center to accommodate the maximum flow for the post-June elections?

[01:16:26] And how hard would that be and how much would it cost? I mean, I can say right off the bat that one of the issues at Carver already is the parking. So where would we put it? Plus, if I may, Chair Randall. Yes, Mr. Hemstreet. So trailers also become a zoning issue. So if we're going to expand that facility, then we would need to work with the town because that would be considered a permanent addition.

[01:16:49] So if that's direction from the board, we can definitely look at that. However, my recommendation would be for us to continue on the path that we're on because I believe we can find a location that will serve us for the next few years until the Western Loudoun Recreation Center is constructed. Thank you.

[01:17:05] Thank you. Mr. Crony. Thank you, Chair Randall. Have you guys thought about renting property? Like I'm thinking of the skating rink that's in Percival, you know, renting that for? So the sites are provided by the county.

[01:17:21] And so the Board of Elections is responsible for staffing them and for running the election. So, again, the track that we're on is to go ahead and locate a site that's suitable for the next four years, starting with the November presidential election that the board will then approve or adopt by ordinance. And we may end up leasing that. We may end up being able to locate that in space that we have some control over, which would be our preference. But that's the direction that we're headed in. Okay. Thank you. Ms. Bricksman. Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm confident that our staff

[01:17:59] and the registrar's office, they are searching and working on analyzing a place that might be suitable. Mr. Keech, have you ever had a complaint about access to voting at the Carver Center or anyone that has told you that they need additional days or hours? Personally, no. Okay. Do you know if the office has? None of my staff has reported that to me. Okay. Judy may know something I don't.

[01:18:24] Okay. And then Mr. Hemstreet touched on this, but my concern with the Carver Center is that we would have to reduce programming. And this is critical programming for some of our folks out there. And so I understand we've found a little bit more room, but I don't want to just fly off the handle and say, use this room and make it board direction, because staff really needs to analyze that and what programming might be affected by that. I think that something that Supervisor Sains was

[01:19:03] trying to get to was comparing early voting in different parts of the county it is hard to do that because certain parts of the county had weekday voting and then had Saturday voting I would like to see more voting locations overall in the county but I can share some data that will show how accessible Leesburg is for Western Loudoun and Leesburg but not necessarily for other parts of the county and that is the one place that's open for 45 days. So if you look at

[01:19:39] the early voting numbers for September 30th, the leading districts were Leesburg and Catoctin with 699 people voting from Catoctin in those first days of early voting and 768 ballots cast from Leesburg. In comparison, those districts saw more than double the voters and access to early voting than Algonquian, Little River, Broad Run, and only 78 people from Dulles voted during that time period up to September 30th, and only 84 people voted from Sterling. In other words, those folks

[01:20:14] did not feel like Leesburg was accessible for them during the first two and a half weeks of early voting. On October 16th, just before early voting opened in additional sites, Catoctin and Leesburg led again with 2,887 ballots cast and 2,610 ballots cast. Only 667 voters from Dulles made the trip up here to Leesburg to vote. Only 562 made the trek up here to vote from Sterling.

[01:20:43] 1,600 made it from Algonquian District. So I'm encouraged that the electoral board wants to equalize access to voting, and I would like to work on other sites that are open for all 45 days. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Brixman. So let me see if I got this right.

[01:21:03] If I got something wrong, I apologize. Because there was not the ability to have the amount of early voting hours in the West at the Carver Center, early voting hours were decreased in other places to make those times equal. Is that correct? Okay.

[01:21:20] So we have areas where we know there's large populations where people are absolutely voting, and we decrease those hours, early voting hours, because we didn't have a space in western Loudoun County. And instead of making the assumption that by decreasing the hours in eastern Loudoun County, you're disenfranchising all those people, you make the assumption that you disenfranchise people in western Loudoun County.

[01:21:47] You've actually decreased voting hours across the entire county at this point, which disenfranchises everybody. It makes no sense at all to decrease hours in eastern Loudoun County while we're trying to find some place to put it in western Loudoun County.

[01:22:03] I agree we should put more in western Loudoun County. I agree. But to take them out of where we know people are voting early and where the population centers are, that is disenfranchising people. And doing it, I must say, purposely. And the fact that we've had no complaints about the Carver Center voting, but when we took away Sunday voting, we took away so to the polls, there was a lot of complaints about that.

[01:22:30] And no one added that back one time. No one talked to those people who were doing so to the polls. We did not add that back. So if we're talking about disenfranchising people, we disenfranchise everyone who does so to the polls, which are thousands of people usually coming right out to church.

[01:22:47] And we didn't respond to them at all when complaints were made. And I know for a fact complaints were made. And in response to believing that we need more hours in Western Loudoun County, and I agree with that, we take away hours in Eastern Loudoun County.

[01:23:04] That is illogical. That is suppressing the vote. That is disenfranchising people. Late in this cycle, a couple of months ago, I had reason to visit the different locations.

[01:23:22] About a week out, the line in Leesburg was out the door and down the parking lot. People waiting to vote. I went up to Percival on a Saturday. That line didn't exist. The line in the car is in Reverend Clodmore, out the door.

[01:23:39] I want more sites in Western Loudoun County. I want more sites everywhere. I want to, I want a day off of work to vote. I want all that. But it is illogical to say, since we can't have more hours over here, where we have less population, we take away hours over here, where we have more population, and oh, by the way, we've already taken souls to the polls away from you.

[01:24:02] That is disenfranchising people. And I have an issue with it. I'm going to make a motion. I move the board of supervisors to approve the resolution of the board of supervisors of Loudoun County, Virginia request to Loudoun County Electoral Board to authorize weekday in-person early voting satellite voting locations for 2024 elections provided as attachment one to the staff report.

[01:24:29] Thank you, Laura. So this item basically is saying, let's try to find to add more volume and more capacity to Western Loudoun. I got no trouble with that at all. While we are doing this, though, there is absolutely no reason you cannot put those hours back in Eastern Loudoun.

[01:24:47] None. None. And you should. And you should put them back in Eastern Loudoun. 16% of the population lives in Western Loudoun County. We want to make sure those people who are my constituents, Mr. Kirshner's constituents, Mr. Crony's constituents, have the opportunity to have the equal voting hours.

[01:25:09] But we don't take away from one pot because the other pot can't have it. That doesn't make any sense. Madam Chair, may I respond and ask a question as well? Sure. so as far as lines at Carver Center there were lines on both Saturdays out the door and there was also complaints about the crowdedness of the sidewalks and people being able to campaign or not and one of the chiefs was gonna call the police and I'll take that and this is why we should add more we should add more capacity to the West Park a possibility for Western Mildon I don't know we're gonna look and find out but we know what we should add more capacity to the West I agree with that and so it does not mean we take capacity from the

[01:25:48] east because we're going to add capacity to the west. It went from 600 to 300. That does not mean we take capacity from the east because we're going to add capacity to the west. We should add capacity to the west. We should add capacity to the west. That does not mean we take capacity from the east because we're going to add capacity to the west. That is illogical. That is disenfranchisement.

[01:26:09] That is what that is, plain and simple. Plain and simple. Ma'am, I have not asked you another question. I'm sorry. Mr. All right. So let's just clarify. The resolution that we're voting on does, in fact, allow for voting in Eastern Loudoun at Cloudmore and at Dulles South. Right.

[01:26:28] OK, so I'm not sure if we use the little library at Carver Center, if the board resolution that's in front of us authorizes, it says, three voting early voting locations in addition to the satellite office.

[01:26:46] Miss Brown. Yes. Can you repeat that one more time? The the the resolution that is in front of us authorizes Claude Moore Rec Center, Della South Recreation Center and Carver Senior Center as early voting locations.

[01:27:02] Yes, sir. For these two elections, presidential primary and June. Yes, that has to be voted on by the Electoral Board. The hours are up. I was getting the record. Yes. OK, so the board has to authorize that and then the Electoral Board would need to ratify that. Okay. So I will say, this is my time, I will say I am in favor of this resolution. I am in favor of the additional hours in West, but I also am not in favor of reducing hours at Della South or Claude Moore.

[01:27:38] I understand what went on here. I think there was some communication, frustration going on, electoral boards, staff. I've heard both sides of it. I think what matters at this point is that we move forward with a solution. Staff is working on that solution. I hope the electoral board does ratify this so that we do not have uncertainty about the fact that there will be early voting in these two elections.

[01:27:56] And then I agree that we need to move expeditiously to have something in place for November that is consistent and can be clearly communicated for the residents in Western Loudoun. I do think the conversation is a little confusing. We have people questioning the numbers in Western Loudoun and all that stuff. okay a thousand people a day is still pretty significant so if we're in favor of expanding access let's be in favor of expanding access and let's not question that so that's where i am um i think it was unfortunate that there was at one point action taken to pull back the two early voting locations i understand it was part of a larger we'll say strategy or discussion or whatever

[01:28:33] was happening but it did create confusion instantly with some of those other folks so let's at this point move forward let's have these three in place um let's you know supervisor brisbane brings up a legitimate point about the the early early access in leesburg which is not terribly accessible to other places so we have that discussion but let's get this one dealt with and um you know i fought for de la south many years ago to have that as an early voting location i certainly want it to continue thank you mr you look so confused no i'm i'm not confused at all i a lot of other people confused up here um so thank you first of all for all of your work on this i

[01:29:11] know this is a little contentious and we're trying to get it solved and that's really what we do as a board up here but i do know that this is a lot of work and i think i don't think anyone up i think everyone up here would say yes we want to we want equitable voting for different regions of the county to make sure and and i know you're trying to do the best that you can here and i appreciate it i really do um it is it is correct me if i'm wrong but and you don't have to say yes unless Unless I'm wrong, raise your hand and say you're wrong.

[01:29:36] But it sounds to me like, in part, I think the Electoral Board just wanted to make sure we had equal times of voting in the different regions. We've actually got that, even though maybe the library is not ideal, but we've got at least six voting. We have very few voting during the week, and then obviously we're going to use the larger room for the weekend, so we'll be able to accommodate that just like we did the last election.

[01:29:57] So it seems to me that for these next couple of elections, we have a working solution that can actually happen. Maybe not ideal, but working. I think what my concern would be, and I think Mr. Overlander expressed some of this, is just to make sure, and I appreciate what Mr. Hemstreet has to say, that the staff is working on it.

[01:30:14] I personally, I'm just going to put in my two cents here. I think I would personally love to keep it to the Carver if we can accommodate during the week, if it makes sense, if we can get a bigger room and make sure the Electoral Board and the necessities that you guys need are there.

[01:30:29] In other words, it just makes so much, people will be showing up there during the presidential election, will say, well, where do I go to vote? You know, that's just, you know, oh, today's voting day, I got to go vote. I mean, it just happens on a regular basis. And so if we can get through this year, and I don't know if we can or not, because I know we've got a lot of programming there, but if there is a solution to be had there, that would be, as Western London County supervisor, I would love to see that.

[01:30:52] If that is not, and we have to move it, we have to move it. But the sooner we can get that done to get that word out, the better. I think the solution is as good as we can get right now, given the constraints that we have. But I do appreciate you working together to make sure we can have that during the week voting for the people in the West.

[01:31:10] Even though it is fewer in numbers, as my fellow supervisors have pointed out amply several times, it is a large region. And so people have to travel a long ways to get there. And Peirceville is kind of one of those central locations. So I think it's really critical. Thank you. Thank you.

[01:31:25] Ms. Umstead. Thank you, Madam Chair. first thank you all of you for being here and for working so hard on this i appreciate it i plan to support the draft motion i have one question and please don't feel that i'm asking you to answer it tonight but i am concerned that turnout in the sterling district seemed to be lower than in many of the other districts and i wonder if it's because people have a tough time

[01:31:58] in that district getting to Claude Moore Park and then I wonder if there might be a more centrally located facility in the Sterling district that would make it easier for folks who may not have access to a vehicle to get there and vote but I'm not asking for an answer tonight unless you have something off the top of your head I can I can take a shot I can tell you that we have heard a few comments that it is not on a bus route um which i was not aware of however this year um i think sterling was a unique situation in that i believe they're the only ones that had an

[01:32:38] uncontested um house or senate race um you know the western part of the county saw outsized um turnout this year because they had a very hot senate race so that that's one of the things we have to weigh um it might not have been an uncontested but it was it was definitely a less less contested race in Sterling this year. Not one of the hot ones, let's say. So I think that was it. Claude Moore was the only facility of a suitable size where we could basically commandeer a room for two weeks. There are a number of security concerns. The equipment is left set

[01:33:17] up. The ballots are there. So one thing we like about working with Steve and his team is that we can change the locks. We have complete control over the space because it's owned by the county, right that's huge only only judy and i and our staff have access to the site when it's when it's operating um we have county network ability dit installs special ports for us so we'd certainly be amenable to to moving claude more or perhaps putting in a bus route um but we i i have personally heard that comment this year that that the lack of a bus route is an issue okay that that's helpful

[01:33:50] thank you miss glass thank you madam chair and thank you for uh coming out today so can you give be the reason why you um made the change on having less times in the eastern part of allowing well reducing um the days of sold to souls to the polls it's two separate questions and the one for reducing was because for four years it went i thought it was is unfair to western laden and no one seemed bothered that they only got two days of voting and the rest of the county got the the

[01:34:28] full week of the weekdays so um we had requested and requested could you please add weekday voting of the of the staff to uh western loudon and nothing was ever ever ever happened with that so then we suggested please get a new location in western loudon and again nothing happened so we felt like okay then we'll just do equal access to everyone in the county everybody has 45 days to come leesburg and everybody has two saturdays to go to their other early vote site so we just did equal access and made it equal across the county and consistent um as far as those to the polls that was something we never had because of the 45 days it's a long time to work i've worked the 45 days my gosh Judy works incredible hours it's unbelievable on her staff and so when you do

[01:35:06] the Sunday it's continual and we also have you know pros and cons for doing it on a Sunday but we also saw a big drop it was 600 the first year and it went to 300 the second year so can I ask you about interest in my time so how many Sundays did you have during that time that people were able to vote how many Sundays before that it's I think we only have the option of doing one and we did one we did two two different years we had souls to the polls on sunday it went first

[01:35:37] year it was 600 voters second year was 300 so now that we are looking to um improve the western part of land because you said you you felt that it was unfair how about bringing back to the eastern part allowed in those um those locations and times that are we feel that are needed because That is certainly something that would be easy to do, easy to vote on.

[01:36:09] I would like to feel a little more confident about what's going to happen in November and not be making a change in November but making it in June for Western Loudoun. So the sooner we can know that, the easier it is to make that decision. But because we can use the little library, we can offer weekday voting in Western Loudoun, and we can make it the same across the county, which was our goal, to have equal access across the county.

[01:36:30] Is that the answer you're looking for? and I wasn't looking for I just wanted what you I wanted your answer thank you Mr. Sainz thank you Ms. Glass Ms. Sainz thank you Madam Chair and Rick I hate to correct you but the General Assembly seats did have contested races it was my seat that didn't have the contested race in the Sterling District and so that's actually true correct that record but no good point about not having a bus route because I believe you are correct we have to double check that but I believe you are correct it's not a bus route to Claude Moore

[01:37:06] which we should look into having a bus route to Claude Moore I know we have a bus route to the Sterling Community Center which we do have a bigger community room now but that is directly across the hall from the two classrooms for preschool and I don't know if Mr. Tarpey is still in the room or not can speak to if they still do child care at the Sterling Community center so if they that's that might be an option uh possibly and you know to our electoral board members that are here thank you for attending but you know to the question we've talked about

[01:37:41] souls to the polls and the loss of sunday voting will you guys be bringing thinking about are you thinking about bringing that back by any chance bringing back souls with 45 days already of early voting where people can vote in leesburg two saturdays and every day of the week and then we have extended hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays till 7 that's a lot of voting and a lot of work I think and in my opinion if we're gonna I know there's some talking about bills at the at the general assembly there's some bills sounds like you're saying no Miss Hill yes yes I am speaking to the mic would you be in favor of bringing it back absolutely yes okay staff I know you I know

[01:38:20] you mentioned earlier ma'am that you the numbers were going down is that accurate or do you have that data in front of you? I can give you the data. The first year we did early voting on a Sunday, it's an interesting thing. One of the things that we look at is that it doesn't matter how many sites you have, everybody votes in the last two weeks, which is generally why we've zeroed in on two weeks for the satellites. The volume increases dramatically. The first year we offered it was the Sunday between the two last weeks, which was 693 people. The second year we offered a Sunday was the Sunday before the last two weeks which was 387 and we

[01:39:00] did that strategically because when we do it during the last two weeks we have members of our staff that work 21 days straight and that's just a recipe for disaster so it's a it's it's kind of hard to capture that so and in general the turnout the second year was lower than the first year so I think there might be a number of factors in there but but yes raw numbers it was it was a little more than half like you said there's a lot of factors we've added more voting days we moved it from this time to this time voting statistics are really hard it's like to me jello

[01:39:35] to a wall so my suggestion before my time runs is let's look at the the days let's figure a way to bring it back and let's have more options than less options as what you're trying to do earlier when you remove the the voting in eastern louden thank you mr sayings miss brixman thank you madam Chair. I just want to make it clear to Ms. Oberlander that you've asked a couple times if we could do this room or that room or this place or that place. We can't up here on the dais just say that tonight because staff needs to do a lot of analysis and the electoral board needs to have a

[01:40:13] say as to places that they think are secure. We need to see how many programs are going to be displaced and those sorts of things. So I know that staff is looking into it, and I know that Ms. Brown and Mr. Keech are eager to solve the problem. My question to the two electoral board folks that are here today, now that we're going to pass this resolution, there will be more early voting in Western Loudoun. Can you support reversing your decision to just two Saturdays?

[01:40:48] I would feel much more comfortable if I knew we had a spot in November, and we knew what it was going to be, and that we were moving forward. Right, we can't solve November right now. We can solve March and June. Are you comfortable with that? I am willing to let there be a voting during the week.

[01:41:05] Ms. Heald? Yes, I voted against it to begin with. Okay, and it sounds like the chair, in her comments through Ms. Brown, was supportive of the resolution, so hopefully that can happen. I will say that it is shocking to say that, you know, folks in Western Loudoun have been disenfranchised when the first couple weeks of early voting, 699 of them voted versus 78 in Sterling and 84 in Dulles.

[01:41:36] And the same at the end, in the middle of October, when we were about to open those last two weeks, according to Mr. Keech. About one quarter of the number of folks voted in Dulles and Sterling as compared to Leesburg and Catoctin. So saying that they don't have access to the ballot box, I find to be false.

[01:41:57] The data actually shows there's a disparity in access to the ballot box for Dulles, Sterling, and Algonquian broad run to a certain extent. And I know that we're trying to prove the negative here, but I did knock thousands of doors. And folks, before early voting started over at Claude Moore, they said, can I go early vote?

[01:42:17] And I said, of course, you can go to Leesburg. And they said, no, I'm not going to go to Leesburg. it requires a car ride, it requires a good amount of time. So in addition to Claude Moore, I do have issues with Claude Moore that Mr. Keech and I have discussed, the bus route issue and the fact that even if there was a bus route, there is a long walk from Cascades Parkway to get back to, I mean, it's a beautiful center.

[01:42:39] I've been going there since it was open, but it is a long walk. So in addition to Claude Moore, I would like us to start looking at some additional places in the county, if not for the two weeks, also for the full 45 days. And I will support the resolution.

[01:42:55] Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Bricksman. A couple of things. One, what year was the first year? When the first year we tried social to oppose, what year was that? Do we remember? 2021.

[01:43:11] 2021. It was the first Sunday voting we offered. The first Sunday voting. So was that a gubernatorial year? Yes. And then the next year was what? It would have been Congress. So sometimes you have a drop-off or an uptick, just depending on who's on the ballot and what's going on.

[01:43:27] Yes, traditionally speaking, it literally goes president, governor, Congress. So the governor's race is going to have a higher. It just is. That's just how it goes. So the drop-off is very explainable by what the year was and who was on the ballot at that time anyway. So to the polls traditionally has been in a lot of churches, especially African-American churches, we have older people who cannot drive or do not drive after church service.

[01:43:51] They get in the church van, and they go to the polls to vote. That's what Sows to the Polls have been. It's part of our community, and it has been part of our community for years. I do not believe that that was not known when Sows to the Polls was taken away. Who Votes was absolutely known when Sows to the Polls was taken away, and I am offended by that, absolutely offended.

[01:44:11] One thing that surprised me when I got on this board, and Mr. Letourneau made me know it, is that Mr. Letourneau has the longest drive into Leesburg than anybody on our board. The longest drive is not Mr. Kirshner. It's actually Mr. Letourneum. Letourneum is further away from Leesburg than anybody else on this dais.

[01:44:27] And so to say that people in Catoctin can't vote, but people in Dulles can when the voting is in Leesburg, makes no sense. It's further away. And let me say this one more time. Everyone on this dais, everyone in this room wants to see more voting hours in Western Loudoun County.

[01:44:44] Absolutely. Period. Hard stop. We want to see more voting hours. That does not mean you take away the voting hours that are already in eastern Loudoun County. That does not make any sense. You're going to have longer lines. You have people having a harder time to get.

[01:45:00] Longer lines in and of itself is voter suppression. That's what voter suppression is, when you have to wait longer to vote. That's the voter suppression. Making it harder to vote, taking away voting options, opportunities, is never the goal. Always the goal is to give more voting opportunities.

[01:45:18] So, yes, let's absolutely find more places in western Loudoun County. I support that 100%. But in doing so, there is no reason at all not to put back souls to the polls. That's one Sunday. And not to put back the voting hours in places in eastern Loudoun County.

[01:45:36] There's just no reason to do it. And to do anything but that is voter suppression, is voter disenfranchisement, and it is done purposefully. So for whoever one of my colleagues said we're on the right track or something like that, no, we're not.

[01:45:52] Oh, it's as good as it gets. No, we now have less voting hours than we did before. We're going the wrong direction. We're going the wrong direction. I made the motion seconded by Supervisor Brixman. All in favor, please say aye. Any opposed?

[01:46:08] That motion will pass 9-0. Thank you. Supervisors, my staff, for the most part, was not here today because I let them be off. And so poor Mr. Rogers is all by himself doing the resolutions, which that's not normally what are you pointing to?

[01:46:29] I don't know what you're pointing to. I know it's up there, but they're still being passed. So before we do the resolution for our amazing constitutional officers, we're real quick going to do the voting on the, I think we just have thick. I think we just have thick. Let's do voting on thick, and then we'll do our resolution.

[01:46:54] By yourself today, flying solo, ma'am.

[01:47:18] We'll give us a sec. We're just going to do this vote real quick. Yes? Yes, ma'am. All right. Hold on. We're all signing. Signing. Thank you, Mr. Rogers, by the way.

[01:47:39] Mr. Matt Rogers. I mean, Mr. Leo Rogers, too, I'm sure. But, you know. I know. I would get on a Zoom call, and there'd be like three Matts or something.

[01:47:56] Matts are a very popular name. I know. I always say my Matts. I would say that. Okay, everyone. We have just one vote today, and that is on FIC. The fiscal impact vote is all we have today, because everything else we took care of earlier already.

[01:48:15] So, okay, so how many people can each person vote on?

[01:48:31] Three? It's three, right? Three for each person. All right. So I never like doing this, because I never know where to start at, because it never feels fair no matter where I start at.

[01:48:49] So it's just, you know, so I'll be kind of random today. And since they're still signing down there, I'll start up here. Ms. Glass, can you give me three, please? Thank you, Madam Chair. Let me make sure I have the right one.

[01:49:06] John Graveen, Paige Bradley, and Matthew Durham. Okay. Mr. Sains, can you give me three, please? All right, we got Matt Durham, Paige Bradley, and we will go with Kirk Myers.

[01:49:30] Okay. Point of order, Madam Chair. Yes, sir. We've got eight slots. Yes, sir. Each voting on three people. I'm completely confused what we're doing here. Because there's only three availabilities open. There's eight slots open. There's three at large, four business development.

[01:49:46] Okay, I'm sorry. Was that right? No. This is for at large. Okay. I'm sorry. If it's just at large. This is for at large. I'm sorry. I thought I said that. I'm sorry. You confused me. I'm sorry. My bad, Mr. Turner, for not saying that.

[01:50:06] Do I need to say mine again? Yes, please. Okay. All right, I got Matt Durham, Paige Bradley, and Kirk Myers. Matt Durham, Paige Bradley, Kirk Myers. Okay, Ms. Umstead.

[01:50:27] Kirk Myers, Ted Lewis, Ronald Hall. Okay, Mr. Kirshner. I'm going to do Ron Hall, Myers, and Walker.

[01:50:59] Hall, Myers, Walker. Okay. Mr. Turner. Thank you, Madam Chair. Matt Durham, Paige Bradley, and Kirk Myers. Okay. Hang on. I need just a second, Madam Chair. I'm sorry, Supervisor Turner, could you name yours again?

[01:51:19] Sure, mine were Matt Durham, Paige Bradley, and Kirk Myers. Okay. Mr. Letourneau. Matt Durham, Kirk Myers, Mark Walker. Okay.

[01:51:34] Ms. Umstadt. I'm sorry, Ms. DiProni. Thanks, Chair Randall. Matt Durham, Paige Bradley, and John Gravine. Okay. Who have I, Miss, are you just like to use anyone?

[01:51:51] Miss Brickson? I think, I think, you didn't go, Mr. Kirshner? You did, Miss Brickson. Yeah, Miss Brickson. Don't, don't, don't, don't help me. Thank you, Madam Chair. Matt Durham, Paige Bradley, and Kirk Myers. All right, and mine will also be Matt Durham, Paige Bradley, Kirk Myers.

[01:52:10] All right, so for the three at large, now, I asked it incorrectly last time, so let me try to be a little more clear. do we have five for anyone so we have who do we have five for your top three are page bradley matthew durham and kirk myers whoa okay all right all right wonderful so okay got those

[01:52:47] and now do we need to do um residential commercial or do we have enough do we have one two three no we don't we don't need to do that residential commercial there's four for those and we have four. So I believe there Ms. Grimmel will have to help me out. I believe there's eight vacancies, so we do need a vote on or no, we have four commercial residents. We do. We have four commercial residents. We don't need that. Environmental and I think we have just Mr.

[01:53:21] No, no. It's, oh, you know what? I thought we were, I thought that's what I think Mr. Lewis was going to go under environmental. We can do that. Yeah, we can do that. Yeah. And then I think that's it then. So does anyone have any objection to making Ted Lewis environmental.

[01:53:44] Okay, can you do that? All right, then if that's the case, I think we're finished. - We're done. - We're finished. - Madam Chair. - Yes, sir. - Just for the record, can we state the names for the residential commercial? - The residential commercial names are Rory Barnett, Michael Preddy, Eric Dykeman, Matt Leslie.

[01:54:11] And then for environmental, it's Ted Lewis. And then for, yeah, and then for at large is Matt Durham, Paige Bradley, and Kurt Myers. Is that correct? Did I get all those right? That's correct, Madam Chair. Wonderful. All right. My next question is, those are the nominations.

[01:54:29] Do they have a meeting? Do we need to suspend the rules and confirm them? Do they have a meeting before our next meeting? I don't believe so. Okay. Because they don't only suspend the rules. If they do, I need to suspend the rules. This is confirmation. Okay. All right. then on that case, Mr. Turner, is your light on for a reason, sir?

[01:54:51] On that case, since it's the FIC Committee, Mr. Turner, would you like to make a motion? Oh, FIC, okay. Okay. Would you like to make a motion? I move the – oh, sorry, my iPad's going crazy here.

[01:55:11] Okay, you want to? I move the Board of Supervisors to affirm the following appointment for Mr. Ted Lewis to the Fiscal Impact Committee as the Environmental Interest Representative with the term expiring December 31, 2027.

[01:55:29] I further move the Board of Supervisors confirm the following appointments to the Fiscal Impact Committee as residential commercial developer representatives with terms expiring December 31st, 2027. Michael Capretti, Roy Barnett, Eric Dickman, and Matt Leslie. I further move the Board of Supervisors confirm the following appointments to the Fiscal Impact committee as at-large representatives with terms expiring December 31st,

[01:56:05] 2027. Matt Durham, Paige Bradley, and Kirk Myers. Good. Sir, a second. Motion to remain. Second by the glass. Cush on the motion. Mr. Turner? I have none.

[01:56:22] Anybody else? I do have one. Yes. Sure. I want to thank all of our nominees, particularly the ones that sought reappointment. Anybody who's been through FIC for the last four years that voluntarily raises their hand to do this again.

[01:56:40] Really deserves some kind of a county medal if we could come up with one, including me. Because it is a very, very, very intense process. Staff is phenomenal. They walk us through some extraordinarily complex stuff. But for everybody who stepped up again, thank you for everybody who's new on the board, fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

[01:57:00] Thank you very much. Thank you. And I was going to say that there are some boards, Facility Standards Manual, FIC, that are really, really, they're just a certain skill set that you have to have. And so for the people who step up to do these, thank you so much. Ms. Burke, you have that skill set, I guess, as well.

[01:57:19] All right. All the people who say aye. Aye. Opposed? That motion will pass 9-0. Would Ms. Bricksman, please join me down front with all the constitutional officers.

[01:57:40] Hello, hello, hello. Hello. Is Mr. Chapman not here? good for him oh yeah no I'm sure it is absolutely you can come on either side hello how are you good to see you again it's like I can see you almost every day now it is a good thing

[01:58:20] well first of all um I'm going to turn just wait just wait just for a second first of all I want to say if I haven't said it to all of you congratulations on your elections although I think I've said to most of you if I haven't congratulations um uh towards two newest constitutional officers a special congratulations um i believe public service is a calling to be quite honest and and quite frankly i think it's for for many of us it's a it's a it's a calling

[01:58:59] from a higher power to be quite honest and it doesn't always feel like that um but i but i really think it is and so it's not easy and you all stepped up you two stepped up in a very very tough time and i appreciate it i really really do look forward to having our quarterly meetings are awfully, awfully fun. And please give my regards to Mr. Chapman as well. All right, let's get, let's read the resolution. And then I'll have you all, I'll hold it. Okay.

[01:59:28] What'd you say? Oh, okay. Whereas Article 7, Section 1 of the Virginia Constitution provides for the direct election of local officials charged with the critically important duties of maintenance of public records, operation of the circuit courts, prosecution of criminals, protections of the public, and the administration and collection of local revenues. And whereas Whereas the Loudoun County Clerk of the Court, Commissioner of the Revenue, Commonwealth Attorney, Sheriff, and Treasurer continue a tradition of local administration of government functions that predates the American Revolution.

[02:00:03] And whereas these constitutional officers, deputies, and employees who serve their offices provide the people of Loudoun with a direct link to their government at the local level, unfiltered by bureaucracy and responsive to citizen needs.

[02:00:19] And whereas the constitutional officers embodies Thomas Jefferson's ideal form of representative democracy, which provides for direct accountability to the people by virtue of the people's rights to vote for their constitutional officers.

[02:00:34] And whereas the constitutional officers in Loudoun County are setting new standards of customer service, innovative service delivery, and responsiveness that fellow constitutional officers and other public servants in Virginia would do well to emulate.

[02:00:51] Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors celebrates the week of January 15th through January 19th to 2024 as designated as Constitutional Officers Week in Loudoun County to coincide with the Commonwealth of Virginia state designation of Constitutional Officers Week in Virginia.

[02:01:12] Congratulations. To one of those rare answers that I read, I do want to say that Loudoun County was, I know we were the only one in Northern Virginia, but we may have been the only one in Virginia that kept all of our constitutional offices open all through COVID.

[02:01:32] All of our windows stayed open and all of the activities stayed open. Any duties that had to be done through COVID actually happened through COVID, which was really hard to do because this was direct public service. especially early on we had no idea what was going on this was something new to all of us we were kind of just figuring it out as we went along and so so much credit to Mr. Hempstreet but so much credit to you all's offices as well for for doing that and for for keeping us chugging along during that very tough time so thank you and I'm going to give this to each one of you so you can take

[02:02:07] an amazing picture you're welcome sir thank you there you go you want to open it and so people you can look at who would like to speak oh wow everybody's talking i just want to uh i'm bob words i'm the commissioner of revenue here i've been uh working in the office of the commissioner of revenue for uh more than 30 years now i know i don't look that old um but it's truly been an honor and a privilege and i want to thank the uh the board for the recognition today thank you i'm bob anderson i want to thank bob words for all his jokes throughout the campaign they've been

[02:02:45] extremely well-received. I was the Commonwealth attorney up until 2003. I served two terms. I'm glad to be back, and I'm looking forward to the next four years. Thanks. Chair Randall, Supervisor Brestman, the rest of the board, thank you for this resolution, as well as to the staff for putting this together. As Chair Randall said, we remained open during COVID, and I'm grateful for this team for doing that. I won't name names, but there were people in other parts that were closed, and they started sending their marriage license applicants to

[02:03:20] Loudoun County. So we actually took on more than our normal volume of marriage license applicants, but we're here to serve. And I appreciate this resolution because of the acknowledgement of our direct accountability to people we do serve. It's an honor to be your clerk of circuit court. I can't believe I'm entering my 25th year as your clerk, but it's an honor and a joy every day to wake up and be able to walk to the courthouse and be your clerk of circuit court.

[02:03:46] And I also appreciate what Chair Randall said with respect to this resolution. It's an acknowledgment of each of us individually, but more importantly, it's an acknowledgment of our deputies who work with us. When you work in a very fast-paced, dynamic county with a growing population and very diverse needs, you have to have a very dynamic and fast-moving team.

[02:04:08] And I am honored to have a valuable team of deputy clerks who make this team effort work for our citizens. In a minute respects, I'm not the boss. I tell my employees, I'm not your boss. I'm the coach. And I've got a great team that I can coach each and every day.

[02:04:24] And it's certainly an honor to coach this team every game day in service to our taxpaying citizens of Loudoun County. So thank you again, board, for this wonderful resolution. Thanks, Chair Randall. I just want to say I'm humbled to finally be recognized after my long and storied career here as treasurer of Loudoun County.

[02:04:50] And I thank the board for its generosity in this great achievement. I made it two weeks. Well, I tell you, I am humbled to be here. And on behalf of Sheriff Mike Chapman, greetings.

[02:05:07] This is kind of unique. Being a former constitutional officer in the same judicial district as Loudoun County, it's a unique time for me to be here as well. So thank you, Chair Randall, and the board for your support and what you do for the men and women in the sheriff's office and also for our commitment to protect the public.

[02:05:23] and we're all together in doing this thank you very much there's one thing that every single elected officer no matter who you are can agree on which is that gary clemens has the best gig

[02:05:39] around because he has an eight-year term all right let's get a picture no we're doing comments

[02:07:58] public comments okay we're going to do public comments right now which we have i think just five people now. I think it's five people. If I call your name, will you please come to the podium closest to you? You have two and a half minutes to speak. When your time is up, if you would relinquish the podium to the next speaker, I would appreciate it. And I'll call your names a little bit in advance so that you know that you're coming up next. The first speaker is William

[02:08:34] Marsh, followed by Patricia Sweeney, followed by Madeline Skinner. Either podium, sir, it's just fine. Good evening, and thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair. Good evening, board members. I serve as vice chair on the Environmental Commission, and I'm here on that behalf. As you consider setting your priorities for the Planning and Zoning Department's work plan, the Environmental Commission would like to share what we have been working on related to the need for additional solar facilities in Loudoun. Although accessory solar is currently allowed for all uses,

[02:09:10] community solar is not, and commercial-scale solar is only allowed in limited zoning areas. The residents and businesses of Loudoun County must do their part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help meet regional and state goals by 2045. So it is important to take advantage of the potential that solar energy generation provides as an accessible, economical way to reduce the use of fossil fuels.

[02:09:33] We cannot fully offset the electric demand generated in Loudoun due to the number of data centers that are located here, but we must take steps to increase our offsets by permitting and encouraging all sectors to participate in sharing the benefits. At the same time, the Commission has been researching and discussing all of the factors that we think must be considered in both policy and regulatory documents so that when solar arrays are permitted, they can do minimum harm to our resources and tourism economy.

[02:10:02] Therefore, on behalf of the Environmental Commission, Chair Bangle and I request that you elevate community solar and commercial-scale solar generation to the top of the Board's work plan for this term. Specifically, we recommend prompt and concurrent amendments to county land use policies and regulations to allow these solar generation types in zoning districts throughout the county, including straightforward performance standards that protect natural resources, heritage resources, and prime agricultural soils.

[02:10:29] Amendments should address the 2019 General Plan, the Zoning Ordinance, and the Facility Standards Manual and other documents as needed. Now, these remarks I've just shared are also in an email that I sent you over the weekend, along with an executive summary to a forthcoming white paper the commission is preparing with the purpose to help the support staff with what the commission collectively agrees on as a critical consideration in the drafting of comprehensive planning and zoning text.

[02:10:55] Thank you all. Thank you. And, Mr. Marsh, I will tell you, we hear nothing but such positive information about the Environmental Commission and the work you all are doing. It is what we hear all the time, And it's, again, a volunteer and a heavy lift, but we really do appreciate what you all are doing.

[02:11:14] Thank you so much. Ms. Sweeney, you will be followed by Madeline Skinner. Good evening, ma'am. Good evening. I'm Patricia Sweeney. I just appreciate everyone who serves on Board of Supervisors. It's a thankless job, and I appreciate all these evenings that you give up.

[02:11:33] I'm here because I oppose spending county tax dollars, spending $100,000 on the sister city program to pay travel expenses for people to come Loudoun County Vineyards. Now, Loudoun County Vineyards, really, vineyards, first of all, they don't produce high-paying jobs for people to be able to afford to live in the county.

[02:12:00] Second of all, vineyards, the land is in farm use, so they make a very low contribution to the county property tax coffers. So I oppose the $100,000 Sister City thing because I just don't think that vineyards is the kind of business that needs to be supported.

[02:12:22] There's a lot better things that could be done. Also, I've got this very embarrassing article from June of this summer where taxpayers paid $60,000 to fly staffers to Ghana for a luxury vacation, and, you know, the taxpayers don't appreciate that either.

[02:12:42] Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Sweeney. Appreciate you coming in. Ms. Skinner followed by Jay Warden, and that would be our last speaker. So, Madeline Skinner, is she on the web? Is she virtual? Yeah.

[02:12:58] Okay, ready when she is. Okay. Good evening, Chair Randall and supervisors. My name is Madeline Skinner. Tonight I speak as a longtime resident of Loudoun County and the Village of Philomont.

[02:13:15] I cannot be able to express my extreme disappointment on how the Philomont Firehouse has been handled. Allowing only fire department personnel to drive a project that will forever impact our village and our residents is a standard. Speakers for the Horseshoe Grounds building, only three were non-fire department speakers out of a dozen.

[02:13:36] Except for some of our highly regarded organizations, such as PEC, BPHA, and STA, as well as your own Heritage Commission, the other dozen speakers were all actual Fulmont residents. And, of course, there were many supporters out in the audience.

[02:13:53] Just to make sure we all understand, seven acres of open space will be forever gone. It will not even all be used for the standard suburban firehouse. land it has been determined that the existing firehouse can be renovated and added onto and meet all the long county fire rescue design manual requirements retrofit to happen last the philomont board of directors have stated that they will not allow the use of their firehouse for firehouse however after the proposed firehouse was built on the horseshoe ground give the firehouse

[02:14:29] to the county to renovate as what how much the cost of this ultimate county renovation of a firehouse should be part of the cost of the proposed new build. Some of you speak of the cost of renovating a firehouse as firehouse, but the tax dollars will ultimately be needed to renovate a firehouse for another use that could be even more costly.

[02:14:52] Right now, this is a lose-lose situation versus a win-win. Keep our firehouse as part of our village and save our own green space as community park and provide a creative and innovative structure for our personnel to operate from. Self-enabling a handful of people who do not care about the impact to our historic village or our residents.

[02:15:11] These are the same people who try to stop our national register application. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Skinner. And Mr. Wirtlein, you are our last speaker. Good evening. Good evening. I represent an unofficial ad hoc group of HOAs north of Leesburg along 15.

[02:15:31] Our issue is trucks over 65 feet transiting Route 15. As most people know, most areas of Route 15, and especially north of Leesburg, trucks over 65 feet are prohibited and transiting along there.

[02:15:50] Why we bring this issue to you tonight is because we've contacted both the state and the county police, our county sheriff's department, and neither have the manpower they had prior to the pandemic to police this. Prior to the pandemic, we had very few trucks going along Route 15 over 65 feet.

[02:16:08] Since then, we have 1,000 trucks a day transiting unlawfully along Route 15. This criminal activity has made the roads more congested, more dangerous, and increased the noise level for the residents along the thoroughfare. If things don't change, more trucks will be encouraged to go along to violate the law in transit.

[02:16:29] And I calculated probably 30% to 40% of the trucks that would benefit by taking this shortcut are using it right now. Most of them are following the law. And it's just not limited to Route 15. It's the bypass and Route 7, which these trucks are using, which is making congestion in those areas too.

[02:16:52] So what can we do about it? I mean, the big thing is we've always been worried about congestion north of Route 15. The high-cost solution is four lanes to Luckett. The low-cost solution is to enforce the law, and there's two ways we can do that. One, we can do it by ticketing, or two, we can just send letters directly to the freight companies.

[02:17:12] The HOAs and I have even been talking about what to do, but we really don't have the enforcement ability to send a letter to FedEx saying, hey, you're sending 100 trucks a day that are over 65 feet on Route 15, and that needs to stop. And we were looking for some help from the Board of Supervisors.

[02:17:28] We realize you guys are busy, but for a lot of people, it's a big issue, and it's an issue that the voters think about. Thank you again for your time, and we realize you're busy. Mr. Rutland, thank you, and I have your phone number. Thank you very much. All right, supervisors, I don't want to take a break yet, and what I'd like to do is go on and do item number four, since we have Devonite Development and Ms. Erickson in the building.

[02:18:03] Devonite Development and Visit Loudon are in the building. And so if they will come to the table, we're going to go in and get this item kind of done, and that gets us pretty close to most of our action items being complete before we take our first break.

[02:18:20] Good evening. Good evening. Madam Chair, Supervisors, tonight we have before you an item requesting funding from the existing RTOT fund balance to support a cultural exchange and business development activities with our Sister City program in Canelonis, Uruguay.

[02:18:43] As you've seen in the item, we have been working with our counterparts since really the creation of the Sister City relationship there, but definitely in the wake of the trip last year to further develop those relationships from both a cultural exchange perspective and to continue the conversations from the business development perspective that were started.

[02:19:04] This program would give us the opportunity to do a really unique and exciting agricultural worker exchange specifically around our wineries, and we're asking for this funding to help us facilitate that process. Ms. Erickson is with me tonight so that we can answer any questions or provide any further context from the item, but we're looking for support so that we can start what will likely be a long process for visas for these agricultural workers.

[02:19:32] Good evening, Ms. Erickson. Good evening. So this is a three-part or three-phase process that we're looking for your support this evening. The first is a harvest-level intern exchange, and that is what my colleague just mentioned.

[02:19:48] So the plan is to bring three to five interns from each of the destinations from Canalona's here to work with our wineries. And in exchange, we will send three to five harvest workers, harvest level interns to learn from their counterparts in Uruguay.

[02:20:05] The second part is a winemaker exchange that is a much shorter duration. The harvest-level interns would be in place in each market for as long as the harvest, so anywhere for four to six weeks. The winemaker exchange really is exactly that.

[02:20:22] It's bringing together three to five winemakers to focus on things like climate change, sustainability. And then the third is really focused on what is really remarkably unique about this opportunity. There are 16 varietals of wine that are shared between Cantellones and Loudoun County, which is remarkable in its own state.

[02:20:45] But the one that we are most excited about is a relatively obscure grape for the U.S. palate called Tanat. In Loudoun County, we grow 75 tons of Tanat, and Tanat happens to be the national grape of Uruguay.

[02:21:04] And so it is something that is just a logical bridge between these two destinations to really take a look at focusing on the entire wine region but really hitting on Tannot. From Visit Loudon's perspective, one of the things that we are most excited about is to use Tannot as a hook.

[02:21:24] So just as Chardonnay helped to define Napa in the 1970s, Malbec helped to define Australia, not can be a differentiating factor for D.C.'s wine country. It is something that we know that people who like big, bold reds will come to to taste and experience. We would look through this funding to put together a comprehensive campaign looking at South American expats that live in the United States in key markets like New Jersey, New York, Miami, to really

[02:22:01] begin to start promoting Loudoun County through translated materials, through itineraries that we will develop that will link not only people's love of wine and tasting to not and experiencing our other wines, but also where to eat to correspond with that bold level of flavor, where to stay in Loudoun County.

[02:22:24] We know that in Uruguay, a large fascination and an affinity for the equestrian culture market. So again, it really allows us to thread an interesting and unique story that I will tell you we've done a little bit of pitching to national and international media, and they are very excited about this, to be able to have two wine regions in separate hemispheres learn from one another. And that is, I think, what we are asking you for this evening, and I'm happy to answer any questions thank you miss Erickson I appreciate that very much

[02:23:01] questions I will go to the mr. Kirshner first I think most of not all but most of the the really active wineries are in your district sir thank you madam chair and thank you for coming and thank you for putting this this item together I'm very excited about a lot of the option opportunities here can you talk to me a little bit about and I'm sure you've done some looking at this but you talked about how Malbach became pretty popular in Australia because of the, that grape. And then I think you talked about Napa as well. Chardonnay. Chardonnay. That's right. So obviously those

[02:23:37] particular grapes put those areas on the map. Do you have any sense, and again, we don't know if that will happen here, but we certainly hope, and we, and you mentioned this, this economic type development ag program that you're, you're recommending here will help to feed a lot of that.

[02:23:56] Do we know what any of those economic numbers for those areas and regions? I'm assuming, obviously, people will come there just for that, that their sales come out of there. But do we have any sense of what that looks like? Because obviously, this is an amount of money that is to be spent.

[02:24:13] And the whole goal is to really secure or to really build our wine region because of how important it is to Western Loudoun. So while I can't speak to those areas, and I would also put the Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley in the same.

[02:24:30] While I can't speak to those regions, what I can tell you is in 2019, when we did an economic impact study of our wineries, I believe the numbers, I don't have them right in front of me, were about 800,000 visitors a year and about 37.5 million in revenue in 2019.

[02:24:48] What year, 2019? And I'll double check and I'll make sure that that number is correct and I'll get that to you. So, again, I think that it is, as we look at the 40th anniversary of D.C.'s wine country, which is the 40th anniversary of the first barrel of Loudoun Vintage from Willowcroft, I think this is a really exciting evolution of helping to ensure that Loudoun County and our wine region and our product stays front and center through a very unique lens.

[02:25:17] Okay. And do we, do we, is the concept that we believe this partnership with Uruguay and their wine growers there will not only promote, I guess, some sort of synergy with them, but is some of the concept to learn from them, but also is it to bring some of their product here?

[02:25:35] Or can you talk a little bit more about that? Sure. So what we know is that there's not a huge penetration of wine from Uruguay in the American market. It's growing in interest and in popularity.

[02:25:53] So when we do the winemaker exchange, there will be a public-facing component where we would have our one winery, Loudoun Winery, and an Uruguayan winery really look to educate the public across both of those products through interactive public-facing events.

[02:26:12] So I think there's a great opportunity to raise both. I'm out of time. Thank you. Mr. Leturneau. So is Canelones expending funding as well? So you're asking us for $100,000 out of our restricted use, but what does it look like on their end? So the goal is we will, and then I'm going to set it, and then I will turn it over to Colleen.

[02:26:32] Our goal is to make sure that this is not a burden on our wineries. This is an idea that we have come forward with to talk about the harvest interns. So we would be looking, part of the funding is that we would, for the interns, cover the cost of expenses. But when they are in market, their room, their housing, room and board, their hosting will all take place by the wineries themselves.

[02:26:55] Just as when they come here, we have to, our wineries will also host those interns through an extensive internship program that they will develop. But in the United States, and I will turn it over to Colleen to finish that statement.

[02:27:11] So the plan is that we are, this is covering the costs primarily for what will be happening on this side of the line. There will be similar costs for what is happening in Canelones. One of the biggest considerations in this budget really is the legalities. There is a much stricter process to bring the harvest interns from Canelones here than it is for us to send harvest interns to Canelones.

[02:27:36] And as Beth said, we didn't want to put that cost on our wineries. But have they agreed already on their end to bear the cost of whatever their side is? So I understand the concept. I like the concept. I get the harvest winemakers.

[02:27:54] I'm having trouble understanding the ROI on the intern piece. So I can answer that a couple of different ways, one of which is it helps from a labor standpoint because you would have extra people in the fields here during harvest. but really it's to learn techniques from one another at the grassroots level so when you're thinking about any type of an internship program um the three interns that have been vetted by loud and wineries association that are going down there what they're looking to bring back are skills and learned experiences that they can share with the other wineries here in loudon

[02:28:30] county so actually quite a few of our um wineries have done internships in different areas there and three from there to here three to five going both ways the first cohort will be three correct um restricted tot um we have a little over three million dollars where has how has that been trending um are we building a surplus of those funds i mean you obviously visit loud and get 75 of them and we kind of peg that to when we get more you get more but what's happening with the non-committed uses of those a supervisor i think what's this competing against basically right we'd

[02:29:07] have to get back to you on that and defer to finance on what other requests there have been to that fund um what we know is the amount give me an idea tonight because i think we're voting tonight um unfortunately i i don't know what other requests may have been made on that fund i do know that the three million dollar balance is um does not include the 10 percent reserved amount so um unfortunately i i don't have that answer as to what else has may have been requested or proposed for that balance.

[02:29:36] Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Turner. Well, thank you, Madam Chair. Well, clearly the question is to do this or to not. Oh, my. He's waited all night for that, I think. Write some time on that.

[02:29:54] So, is the intern program, are we going to exchange interns specifically for generic wine production, or are we exchanging interns specifically around the Tanat grape to learn specific techniques around the Tanat grape from them for us?

[02:30:18] It's a little bit of both. So what we are looking to is Visit Loudon and DED are not creating the curriculum. The Loudon Wineries and Wine Growers Association will be creating the curriculum and what specifically those interns will be doing. so that will be the same in uruguay the winemakers and the wineries will be really taking a look at it um through the application process they've all had to identify where they are in the process what knowledge they already have and what knowledge they want to gain so it's going to be built around that um to not just like any other varietal will come off the vine at a certain

[02:30:54] time um so they will be learning across the entire spectrum thank you mr crony yeah thank Thank you, Chair Randall. So thank you for all this information. It sounds really interesting. I wanted to know if it could be expanded beyond the interns to, like, the ag school, the Fabioli.

[02:31:14] I know he does that, where, you know, more people are learning besides the interns that we pick. So are you asking whether or not the folks at the new ag school use can be a part of this program?

[02:31:30] Yes. We've not discussed that, but what I can tell you is that Doug is a part of this program. okay yeah i'm just thinking to expand the knowledge beyond just this oh absolutely so let me make sure i'm understanding so when the interns from uruguay as an example are here um is there an opportunity for the students in the new ag school to learn from there yes yeah yes ma'am there is to expand it so it has broader reach um and then second i see you have a harvest dinner and i'm wondering if there's any way to work with like the farm bureau to do a farm

[02:32:06] to table where we wouldn't have to expend funds for this where we could be more of a everybody showcase um you know some of their products um and i think we certainly could but one of the things i will also say is it's important to support these businesses so um visit loudon will always try to move forward to pay our producers and i think that that's a really important part of this process. Okay. To help support their businesses. Yeah, I get it. I was just trying. Thank you. Certainly. Ms. Brixman. Thank you, Madam Chair. Well, I'm fully supportive

[02:32:44] of this. It sounds fascinating, and I can't wait to hear the results. I just, I have one question. I have a couple questions, but a harvest intern, I'm not, I'm not, you know, well-versed in the wine industry but what level is a harvest intern like i know we have the wine makers in certain aspect of this program but who are they so we have um the loudon wineries and wineries the lwwa had put out the applications and they have vetted the three interns so the three interns

[02:33:18] are all female they range in age from 24 to 35 okay and you should have in your inbox um a letter from one of those interns. And let me just give you a little bit of background from her. She has a Bachelor of Science in Plant Sciences from Cornell University. What she is looking to gain out of this is she states, I am the next generation of Loudoun. I was born and raised here and I have seen the wine industry bloom, especially over the past 10 years. It's the industry that there is so much to learn and I want to experience at production, harvest, customer connection.

[02:33:56] Being a part of this experience, Loudoun is starting to invest in its future of agritourism, particularly within the wine industry. By having younger folks like me participate in the industry, you are assuring that we are all well-educated and can take over existing vineyards or to continue to create new ones.

[02:34:15] And she is Shelby Haley. She is from Ashburn, and you should have her email or her letter, and she is 24 years old. And she is currently working, actually, at Good Spirit Farm in Round Hill. One of the other interns is at the Wine Reserve at Waterford, and then the third is from Walsh Family Wine.

[02:34:32] Well, thank you. I'm so glad I asked. Thank you for that. I suppose it's not very common to share 16 varietals with another region, so that's exciting. I was wondering if you could share with us the numbers. You probably have this off the top of your head, but what does the wine and tourism industry contribute to Loudoun County's economy?

[02:34:56] So Loudoun's tourism, the visitor economy, generates about $4 billion a year for Loudoun County in terms of visitor spending. Okay. The predominance of that does certainly come from Dulles International Airport. But what I think is really important, while Dulles is an asset for the entire region, what the other part of the region does not have is our robust rural economy.

[02:35:22] So this, again, is part of that. And I love exactly what Ms. Haley said, which is continuing to ensure that this robust economy will continue for future generations. Thank you. So I wanted to make sure we shared that because of the speaker's comments.

[02:35:39] And I'm looking forward to that $4 billion growing because of this program. Thank you. Ms. Burke, did you want to come up and answer one of my colleagues' questions before? And Mr. Kirshner, after I speak, since so much of this is in your district, I'm going to you for a motion. Good evening.

[02:35:57] The restricted TOT fund ended fiscal year 23 with a balance of $3.7 million. We're anticipating that balance to increase over FY24 into 25. There is $100,000 available. And do you have any other requests on it right now?

[02:36:16] No. Okay. All right. That's some Sister City programs. So many of my questions have been answered, especially was LWA involved, and it sounds like they are very involved, and they are very excited about this.

[02:36:35] I would remind my colleagues of one thing, that the Sister City program is not just economic development, although it sounds like this is going to bring a lot of economic development to the county.

[02:36:50] It's also educational and cultural, so it has three parts to it. It's educational, it's cultural, it's economic. And this is heavy on the economics, but it's also heavy on the education and cultural. And sometimes when we think of education, we just think of what happens in the classroom, But this is education that will happen in a vineyard and what will happen about grapes.

[02:37:10] And not everyone walks into the classroom. People learn in different ways and they take that skill set and use it in different ways. And so this actually hits every single one of our sister city goals, economic, cultural, and educational.

[02:37:27] So I do appreciate that. My question is a bit of a twist. Mr. Laterno's question, he asked was, was there, you know, financial skin in the game from Uruguay?

[02:37:43] And the answer was yes, there is, as much as ours, if not more, because they have different rules. My question would be for the elected officials in Uruguay, for our counterparts, for my counterpart, when I traveled there to set up some of the things we're doing today, have we talked to them?

[02:37:58] How do they feel about that? because I will plan very soon in sending him a letter and an invitation to come to Loudoun. But just, I mean, that exchange was also really important, the exchange amongst elected officials. As Mr. Reiser says, sometimes when we're doing that, the interactions amongst elected officials are absolutely key and really important.

[02:38:25] So do we know what the elected officials on that side are? They are very supportive, and they continue to engage their teams to further this. As a matter of fact, we have a call next Monday with the winemakers to, again, in hopes and anticipation that this would be a positive outcome this evening.

[02:38:48] We are kicking it off because our interns, if accepted tonight, have got to start looking to get down because their harvest begins in March or April. Wow. So again, our harvests are completely flipped. So their harvest is in spring, our harvest is in fall.

[02:39:07] So we've continued to move forward. And this is an exact use of what restricted TOT dollars is for. And this is, in less than a year, an outgrowth of the Sister City visit that was made. So thank you all very much.

[02:39:24] Mr. Kirshner, would you like to make a motion, please? I would. Thank you, Madam Chair. I move the Board of Supervisors transfer $100,000 from the restricted transient occupancy tax and estimate and appropriate the funds in the general fund for the Department of Economic Development to support a year-long cultural exchange and business development activities with a delegation from Catalonis, Uruguay, as described in the January 16, 2024 board business meeting action item.

[02:39:51] Potions made and seconded by Ms. Bricksman. Discussion on the motion, Mr. Kirshner. Thank you, Madam Chair. So I've been to Napa, I've been to a number of Sonoma, I've been to a number of our wine regions, and I actually visited Argentina this year on a completely separate trip than the delegation.

[02:40:12] But I will tell you, it is 100% an incredible agricultural country. I'm very excited because they obviously have a tremendous amount of experience growing this particular varietal that we want to see, that actually grows well here, and we want to see it.

[02:40:28] And really one of those hooks, as Ms. Erickson mentioned, and by the way, Beth and Colleen, thank you for coming in and doing this. This is a lot of work to put together. This has not happened by accident. It's a lot of thought that is put into it. And I think really the real reason is multiple fold, but primarily because Western Loudoun is a unique and incredible place that, as you mentioned in some of your comments, we don't have that in some of our other regions.

[02:40:54] I mean, Fairfax didn't really plan for it. And if you if you've walked in Argentina in some of these places or Napa in some of these places, you can envision in large part what you have here in Western Loudoun. And that is not just the beauty, the the incredible experience, but really from a county perspective, the tremendous economic engine that drives that.

[02:41:16] That is, our wineries and now soon in our breweries now coming up behind them. But our wineries are literally, I believe, the foundation or the major driver that gives us the economic incentives and production that we have in Western Loudoun.

[02:41:36] And everything from those who are visiting, those who are staying at our Airbnbs, the money that is spent there, people that come in to the region, and we all know that. And so a small investment by this county, as you're asking, in a well-planned process, I think is critical and important.

[02:41:55] So I hope that my fellow supervisors will support it. I think it's going to be excellent, and I look forward to the results from it. So we shall see. I've had great promises from you, Beth, so I'm going to call you up in a year or so. Thank you, though. I appreciate it. Thank you, Mr. Kersh. I didn't know you were that first in line.

[02:42:11] I am impressed. Not on the dais, just on the dais. Miss Umstead. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Beth and Colleen. This is a very high-end proposal. I wish I could support it, but I cannot. It is far more expensive than I think is needed to achieve a good result for the county. My fear is that the tie-in with our sister city relationship is going to make this look like our initial sister city arrangement failed, and we're having to

[02:42:45] quadruple the spending on this in the hopes that something sticks. Most of what is proposed is something that Visit Loudoun already does every day and does very well. Loudoun residents who might be selected for internships in Uruguay might be able to get superior training through Loudoun's new ag school or by working with our Loudoun wineries or wineries in our country's major growing regions such as California, Washington, and Oregon. I don't believe we should be using tax dollars collected in Loudoun to pay for the training of non-Loudoun residents.

[02:43:25] If our wine industry thinks it would be beneficial to them to have an intern travel to Uruguay to bring back knowledge, sending one rather than several would significantly reduce the proposed budget for this effort and would enable the new ag school to incorporate what is learned into its curriculum if the school thinks it is beneficial. I'm also concerned about the timing of this proposal. It is problematic. We are hearing from Richmond that there may well be legislation

[02:44:01] coming in the General Assembly that could prohibit the use of restricted TOT funds. So it would be, if the board wants to go forward, it would be prudent to wait until after the General Assembly has finalized their legislation and the governor has reviewed it.

[02:44:21] Otherwise, we run the risk of having spent funds on this program and having the program stopped in midstream. I am also concerned that this proposal will be interpreted differently by the public than it is by our economic development folks, and I'm afraid we've been described as tone-deaf in the past.

[02:44:50] I'm afraid with this proposal coming on top of that, we may well be described as aggressively arrogant. Should the General Assembly act to limit our use of restricted TOT funds, it will probably attract statewide TV coverage, which could make it more likely that the county could lose its flexibility to use these funds as desired, and I think it would bring us negative rather than positive publicity.

[02:45:19] But I appreciate all of your work. Ms. Glass. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for this presentation. And I look forward to what, if it passes, hopefully it does pass, and I do support it, what fruition will come from this process that we're doing.

[02:45:43] And I just wanted to also say that this past weekend, I went to the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum Gallery, and they had, it was to speak about a person that had done a lot in their career.

[02:46:03] County. He was a farmer. And so in the audience, there were a whole bunch of farmers there, people from the western part of Loudoun that came to Claude Moore to honor a person that was there. And inside the museum, they have a mural. And so the beginning of the mural, it talks about the, back in the 1700s, how Loudoun was and what they farmed there. And they showed the different things that Loudon had done. And we had beef, sheep, and then another section they had

[02:46:43] the wineries. So that's a big part of Loudon, our wineries. And then there's another section they've had there, and it was blank. And they said it was for what will become in the future generations of our farmers in Loudon, what we will grow. So that's what I'm hoping, that we will continue in Loudoun County to, you know, to have our Western part in whatever they decide

[02:47:19] and what we're going to grow to continue with our economy in agriculture. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Glass. Ms. Bricksman?

[02:47:36] Thank you, Madam Chair. Well, thank you so much for bringing this to us. It's fascinating. It sounds like a really unique opportunity, and please thank our partners in Cannellonis. I will look forward to seeing them, hopefully, when they get here in the fall.

[02:47:55] I'm glad that some of our colleagues are as excited about this as I am because it is a golden opportunity. The synergies between our regions from wineries to the equine industry to the technology industries were evident when we traveled there, And we had so many great conversations, and I'm glad that it's led to this and a potential to boost what already is a great industry in our county.

[02:48:22] We do have $3.2 million in the budget, so I think $100,000 is a modest ask to get this program up and running and going. And these are exactly the partnerships that we were looking for and talking about. These opportunities are fantastic for our wine industry, for the interns, for the winemakers, and I trust Ms. Erickson that you have been in discussions with them.

[02:48:50] And if they weren't interested in this, if they weren't interested in these fantastic opportunities, that you would not have brought the program. I know for a fact that you are well-connected and that you wouldn't bring a program that wouldn't be beneficial to our tourism and winery industry.

[02:49:08] You are excellent at what you do, and I think that anyone should look to emulate this partnership that you've created, and I really look forward to it. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Brixman. The letter you just read from the young lady, where did she live?

[02:49:29] Ashburn. I'm only asking because it was said we should not send non-Lauder residents, and from what I understand, these are Lauder residents, and so I just want to make sure I put that on the record. And did you say their harvest is? Do you have to turn your light on?

[02:49:46] I'm sorry. Let me go back to the first question, the letter you read, the young lady from Ashburn. Ashburn, okay. Yes, ma'am. And so these are Loudoun residents we're talking about, okay, because it was said we shouldn't send non-Loudoun residents, and we're not. When did you say the harvest was? It could start as early as March, and so that's why we're going to find out on Monday, just as our wineries track all of their indicators of when harvest begins.

[02:50:08] That'll be around the time frame. Okay. Let me just tell you some of the things that I know about myself. I know I understand offender populations. I know I'm a very good therapist. I know that I understand how to raise the two sons I raised, right?

[02:50:30] I know I understand what it means to be a child of Christ. There's some things I fully understand. Let me tell you what I know nothing about. I know nothing about growing wine. I know nothing about what I will learn from somebody else or what somebody else will learn. I know nothing about except what you and Buddy and all of you all tell me to do as far as making sure that our county is a very prosperous county in many ways.

[02:50:55] I have no idea how to make a rural area as successful as Loudoun's rural area is. I know nothing about that. Nothing. I say this all the time. I'll say it one more time. The nine of us who sit in this dais are committed, smart people.

[02:51:13] We are not the smartest people in this county by far. by far and certainly not the smartest people on every issue two of the smartest people on this issue are sitting before us right now right now if we knew everything we wouldn't need you but we don't but we don't and so i don't believe western loudon county and in our in our wine industry and our wedding venues and our and our um equestrians i don't believe they came to be what they are because the supervisors knew what they were doing i believe they came to be they are because the supervisors listen to experts who gave us good advice. And that is exactly what I'm going to do

[02:51:53] tonight. Listen to the experts to give me good advice. Thank you. Mr. Kirshner. Thank you, Madam Chair. And once again, thank you. It looks like we have support for this. I just want to say I agree with this. I'm saying the sense that the timing's a little unfortunate because of the bills that are before Richmond right now in terms of restricting some of our spending and stuff. And that's really unfortunate because even though I was public about, you know, some of the travel costs and that sort of thing. It might have done that differently. I will tell you that you don't always throw the baby out with the bathwater. And this is really a baby here. This is an incredible opportunity that the sister city, I believe in the sister city program. I think we, it's very

[02:52:31] important for our economic growth here in the county to, to explore those sister cities in proper way. It's, I see this and really quite frankly, this is exactly what the TOT tax is for. This is exactly what it's for.

[02:52:47] It's for a level of economic investment. And I kind of see it, you know, with the internship and whatnot, it's a lot like a scholarship. I mean, government gives scholarships to kids all the time to go and study certain areas. And this is kind of what we're doing in large part for these individuals to go and study.

[02:53:03] But it's even more than that. It's actually collaborating. It's working together. It's bringing their expertise to Loudoun County to create that hook that will help to really make this even a more flourishing region. And I've always said that, you know, one of the roles that we have, especially in our policy statement, is we're going to have to invest in the West if we're going to be the unique Loudoun County that we have.

[02:53:27] And so this is one of those tips of the iceberg of investing in the West to, again, make our county really unique in all aspects that we have here. And so I appreciate it, and I certainly support it. Okay, a motion was made by Mr. Kirchner, seconded by Supervisor Bricksman, which in and of itself is interesting.

[02:53:48] All the people say aye. Aye. Opposed? Nay. That motion will pass 8-1. Thank you very much. Supervisors, I know we're tired and we need a break and I get that, but I think we only have one more action item and we can do it and let the staff go home and then when we come back from closed session we can do our comments and things like that.

[02:54:11] But I just don't see why we, I mean, you know, we can take a break but let's go ahead and do the, we have two? Do we have two? Oh, maybe I'm wrong. maybe we will we will take a break right now because we have more than one action item and our comments 11e i am wrong i am sorry i am wrong my bad we're going to take a break we're going to go into closed session on our first break it would be closed session item number two um miss brixman for the first time would you please no no we're going to do two writing no because it's not going to take that long two two's not two not won't take too long three's

[02:54:49] going to take a little longer, I think. Ms. Brixman, will you please read us in the closed session, please, ma'am? Yes, I will. Thank you. I move that the Board of Supervisors recess this public meeting and enter into closed session pursuant to Section 2.2-3711A7 to consult with legal counsel and staff or consultants pertaining to actual or probable litigation and Section 2.2-3711A3 of the Code of Virginia to consider acquisition or disposition of parcels of property for public use in the Dulles and Little River election districts.

[02:55:29] I was looking at Mr. Crony because this is the first closed session, but she was just too slow. A discussion on the motion? All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? That motion will pass 9-0. Thank you.

[03:11:37] Please read us back into session.

[03:27:34] Sure, it's on the paper. Sure, you can. 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.

[03:28:04] Motion is made and seconded. Would everyone please affirm? Some stop. Affirm. Really, Mr. Turner.

[03:28:24] Seriously, we're going to wait because he read us in the closed session, and he was here, and we've got to wait. You affirm. I affirm as well. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? That motion will pass 9-2-0.

[03:28:40] Subvisors, do you guys need a break, or are you good to go? Okay, let's do board comments, please. Oh, yeah, and nominations, too. All the board stuff, nominations, comments, remarks from meetings, all that stuff.

[03:28:57] Ms. Umstead, all of it. do board comments and i'm not i'm sorry not nominations board comments and any reporting on any anything you've attended all right um just disclosures on january 4th i met with taylor chess and molly novotny on the cochran mill road rezoning on january 12th i met with

[03:29:29] matt leslie steve defalco and mike linthicum on the property near woodley manor on january 12th I met with Evergreen Energy Center folks, Aaron Swishelm and Chris Meyer.

[03:29:46] And that is all I have other than to thank Tammy Carter and her I Have a Dream committee for putting together another great Martin Luther King March and series of events at the Douglas Community Center.

[03:30:03] Despite the weather and the cold, we had a huge, huge crowd this year. so it was really nice to see thank you um miss glass thank you madam chair on friday january 5th i met with representatives on the phillamont fire station application and the tilt view residential rezoning application on january 8th my staff met with representatives for the cedar terrace and tillis view rezoning applications and on thursday january 11th i met with representatives for the

[03:30:41] It's a new name, Zavo Car Club Application. No comments. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you. Mr. Kirshner. Thank you, Madam Chair. As far as disclosures go, met with Aaron on January 5th, met with Aaron Swishelm from Walsh Kalushi about the Clear Springs development, and today on January 16th, met with the applicant for Evergreen Energy Center.

[03:31:06] As far as comments are concerned, I just wanted a couple things been going on. Last week I attended the SEC's public hearing where I spoke in opposition with many of my other fellow colleagues here in opposition to the increase in the greenway tolls. And quite frankly, it's absurd that greenway owners keep trying to raise these rates, especially to the amount they just recently have tried.

[03:31:28] But I've been encouraged to see how many people have spoken out at the SEC about this, both at the hearing and elsewhere, and have asked them to deny the rate increase. And I think the other fellow supervisors here, those of us, I think pretty much all of us have constituents who use that greenway. So it's pretty important to the cost of everyday living to our fellow loud folks that live in Loudoun, I guess, our constituents.

[03:31:52] Regarding the PGMI power line project, that's been obviously in the news a lot. It's currently scheduled to run through Western Loudoun under the next era's approved plan. But my office, along with Gary Higgins' office, was recently involved in a January 9th meeting regarding next steps.

[03:32:08] The PGM emphasized that the approved proposal is a preliminary design. They have hired a consultant who will be charged with translating public input and stakeholder input into an updated proposal. So for those of you who have stakes in this or people ask, please have them pay attention when this comes out, because I think it's going to be really important that public input is put into this.

[03:32:35] The new proposal will have to be approved by the Virginia State Corporation Commission, and next year we'll begin to have open house this summer sometime, so we'll let you know as soon as we have that. In terms of town news coming up, the town of Lovettsville has welcomed Mr. Mark Jones as the newest member of the Lovettsville Town Council.

[03:32:51] He will be sworn in by the Honorable Gary Clemens, Clerk of Circuit Court, on January 18th. The town of Perceville also unanimously voted on January 8th to appoint Kevin Wright to fill the town council seat left and vacated by Boo Bennett, who was sworn in by Loudoun County Clerk of Circuit Court Gary Clements.

[03:33:15] Mr. Wright lives with his wife, Trish, and two sons and is retired after 35 years as deputy chief at the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System. Finally, the Franklin Park Art Center in Purseville has a packed schedule of events coming up.

[03:33:31] Coming up this week, they have a concert by Loudon musician Josh Tigges and Last Ham Standing Comedy Improv and a performance by Furnace Mountain Band and the City Stompers. The week after that, they'll have a concert by Katie So Troy, and then they will close out the month with their annual Cabin Fever Film Festival.

[03:33:52] And that's the news from Loudon, Madam Chair. Good talk to Loudon County. i understand um mr sanes sanes thank you madam chair on thursday january 4th my staff met with the applicant for the tillots view application along with their representatives of cooley on friday january 12th my staff met with wals callucci on the evergreen uh energy center application and my staff also took a tour of the Philmont fire station property during last week

[03:34:30] as well I forget the exact date as always I still like to say thank you to those who came out to speak could have been anywhere with us but you chose to be with us speak about issues that are near and dear to your heart so we thank you for your time and speaking your words to us and that is my comments. Thank you.

[03:34:50] Sounds good. Mr. Kirsten, is there a light still on for it? Yes, sir. Thank you. Mr. Crony. Thank you, Chair Randall. On Monday, January 8th, I met with Colleen Gillis and representatives for the Cedar Terrace application.

[03:35:08] On Monday, January 8th, I met with Ron Meyer and representatives for the Belmont Innovation Campus application. On Tuesday, January 9th, I met with Hobie Mitchell and representatives for the Village at Clear Springs application. And today I met with Aaron Swishelm regarding the Evergreen Energy Center application. And I want to thank the applicant and staff for answering my questions on the Evergreen Energy Center. I believe that this type of energy technology is the future.

[03:35:40] And this facility, I believe, is a responsible operator. It's not close to residential or school communities, and it's set back from Evergreen Mills Road, and it is connected to a neighboring substation and adjacent to the county landfill. The applicant is also doing a decommissioning plan and energy, an emergency operation plan that meets or exceeds the guidance provided by the National Fire Protection Association, Standard 855, for the installation of energy

[03:36:14] storage system. So thank you for that information. And I also want to let everybody know my staff did an assessment of the capital needs assessment item that was on the agenda tonight but went on consent. And we have a grand total of about 1,120 acres that are needed to meet the CNA needs for 2040. And this does not include the miles of trails needed in LPAT. So it's clear to me that a land banking policy is needed before the county is built out, and that's something that I'll be bringing up.

[03:36:47] Land banking. Land banking, yes. And I just wanted everybody to know that on Thursday, January 18th, is a meeting, a part in our dust meeting for Route 50 and Trailhead Drive Roundabout. Members of the public are invited to attend and learn about the schedule for the completion of that roundabout.

[03:37:09] There's a lot of traffic in that area of the Little River District and a lot of fatalities, unfortunately. So I encourage the public to come and attend and ask questions. I'll be there a little bit early if anybody wants to speak with me.

[03:37:25] I'm actually meeting with a constituent a little bit early, so I'm happy to talk with you about issues and concerns. but I want everybody to know that that roundabout is one of my priorities along with a roundabout at Braddock Road and Route 15.

[03:37:40] Thank you very much. Thank you very much, ma'am. Mr. Letourneau. Thank you. Disclosures, on January 7th and January 8th, I spoke with Ron Meyer of RMA about LEGIE 2023-0048 Belmont Innovation Campus. On January 8th, I met with Colleen Gillis and Molly Novotny of Cooley, Angela Rastas of Toll Brothers and Susan Bourgeois of Rappaport to discuss Leji 2023 0019 Cedar Terrace at South Bradding.

[03:38:08] Just a couple of updates from various meetings. We had our first Northern Virginia Transportation Commission meeting on the 4th. Clearly the highlight was swearing in Supervisor Brissman as a new commissioner. So we'll miss Supervisor Turner, who was also there to collect his certificate of appreciation, we'll say, for four years of service there, and we had a fairly robust conversation about Metro funding, as we will, I suspect, for the next several months. Speaking of that, I did want to just mention one thing. So there seems to be, in some quarters anyway, this notion that Metro's costs

[03:38:46] are out of control. We keep getting letters to this effect and comments, and I think it kind of ignores the work that's been done by the board and the new management team to really, really drill down and find savings and one of those savings that you may notice is that on the silver line going out to ashburn we are now running six car trains instead of eight car trains there's you know relatively small savings associated with doing that but it's just a little bit of right sizing for the level of service a lot of those trains especially during the middle of the day are not going out full so we're reallocating and we're parking some trains

[03:39:21] when we don't need them you probably saw the ntsb report on the 7k derailments or maybe you didn't But I think that the bottom, the thing to know with that is that the board is moving forward with inspecting and fixing all those cars. There is a legal dispute between Metro and Kawasaki over the costs associated with doing that and whose responsibility they are.

[03:39:43] For those reasons, I can't say anything more other than there's a legal dispute between these two parties and Metro's exploring action on that issue. A couple other things. Briefly, thank you to everybody that did come out to the Greenway public hearing. I was really proud of the board that night. I think every single person who spoke made really good salient comments. One of the members of the public that was there that spoke commented about how impressed he was by the elected officials, which is not something we hear that often. So, you know, I mean, everybody really, that was a good effort. So appreciate all

[03:40:21] the work the county attorney is doing on this, and hopeful that we're going to be able to stem the tide on Greenway toll rate increases. Also, crossing my fingers that so far there's been no legislation filed in the General Assembly, knock on wood, guaranteeing rate of toll rate. You know something I don't? Okay, well, yeah. In the Senate, there's been no legislation filed. Okay, and then And finally, just to Supervisor Tocroni's point, actually, I was going to mention, we had a discussion at Finance last week, specifically on the CNA, and Supervisor Brisbane had brought

[03:40:58] it up, and I think we both had concerns about the fact that we have kind of de-linked geography and population planning with parkland in particular. In the old way of doing this, we had community parks per planning district, and you were supposed to have a certain number.

[03:41:15] Now, the way that we calculate this, it's, you know, any acre in the county counts towards the overall number, and it's not delineated as to where it should go. And so when you look at, you know, where these are distributed, I think there is some issue with serving the population centers there.

[03:41:31] And then I had asked Mr. Hemstreet some specific questions about land banking and whether we needed to be more aggressive in our budget, and Tim has been working on some ideas around that and I think we'll have that further discussion about that but I think what these rising costs are showing us is is the need to be very strategic and how we're approaching that but for me thank you very much mr. Turner thank you madam chair I also went to the I'm marching the Martin Luther King dr. Martin Luther King parade it's always inspiring every year I go to that event every year it's

[03:42:07] terrific and the presentations and the entertainment was just phenomenal I I always love going with that. The chair and I attended a ribbon cutting over at Lansdowne Woods, where I live, this morning. The restaurant is new and just opened up. It's Marie DeFleur, and the owner is Natalie Ramos and her daughter, Tiana.

[03:42:28] Her daughter, Tiana, is a graduate of the Culinary Institute, and they opened the restaurant over there, and they were finalists in the Loudoun Chambers Small Business Service Business of the Year, and I think they may have won. They won. They won.

[03:42:43] So they are the business of the year, small business of the year for the Loudon Chamber. They had great turnout. We had a really, really fun time, and I wish them all the very best, and congratulations. By way of disclosures, I apologize. I have quite a few on Wednesday, January 3rd.

[03:43:00] My staff and I met with Aaron Swisholm from Walsh-Kalushi, David DeMarco from Garove Slade, and Ron Meyer from RMA LLC to discuss the application for Belmont Innovation Campus. On Thursday, January 4th, my staff and I met with Aaron Swisholm and Randy Minshew from Walsh-Kalushi, Hobi Mitchell from Clear Springs Development Group, Andy Grecki from J2 Engineers, and Mike Wilkins from Assemblage to discuss the application for Village of Clear Springs. On Friday, later that day, my staff met with Aaron Swisholm from Walsh-Kalusha to discuss the application for Belmont Innovation Campus. On Friday, January 5th, my staff and I met with Aaron Swisholm from Walsh-Kalusha

[03:43:35] and Ron Meyer from RMA LLC to discuss the application for Belmont Innovation Campus. On Monday, January 8th, My staff and I met with Amanda Williams from Cooley LLP, Ben Rose from Bowman Consulting, Chris Spahr from Pulte Group, as well as Tushar Awar, and David DeMarco from Grove Slade to discuss the application for Tillots View.

[03:43:53] Later that day, my staff met with Renee Frustacci and Brendan Sikor from SiteLink Wireless, Ben Wales from Cooley LLP, and Matt Penning from Milestone Towers to discuss the application for Trailside Monopole. On Tuesday, January 9th, my staff met with Aaron Swisholm from Walsh Kalushi to discuss the application for Beaumont Innovation Campus, and on Thursday, January 11th, my staff and I met with Kim Hart from Good Works, Sasha Brower from Walsh-Kalushi, and Paki Crown from Bowman Consulting to discuss the application for Atlantic Boulevard.

[03:44:22] Thank you. Thank you. Ms. Bricksman. Thank you, Madam Chair. Just to dovetail off what Supervisor Letourneau was saying, we did have a robust conversation about the CNA and finance, and it's true that we share this concern about not necessarily using planning areas or a population to decide where to locate things like rec centers, community centers, teen centers, parkland, but staff assured us that the process is kind of starting

[03:44:57] over again, and part of the reason we need to pass this and get moving is because we've using the same numbers for proffers since 2015 and if we don't get this on the books then we then we can't you know change what we're requesting through proffers so that's that's part of the reason why we went ahead and did that and we'll have a more uh robust discussion about how the cna works hopefully uh soon um on jan by way of disclosures on january 8th i met with the applicant for the the Potomac View sign development plan.

[03:45:31] January 8th, my staff met with the applicant for Cedar Terrace. On January 12th, my staff met with the applicant for Evergreen Energy. Regional updates. I actually, yes, I went to the MVTC meeting. Metro was a big topic.

[03:45:47] We also discussed a feasibility study for electric bus charging stations that could be shared between jurisdictions. So we approved doing this feasibility study so that more long-haul bus routes can be accomplished with electric buses that might need to be charged mid-route.

[03:46:06] So it's a very interesting feasibility study, and I did receive an offline briefing on it last week as well. So it's fascinating. I'm really enjoying MVTC. I had the opportunity to attend the adult drug treatment court graduation last week.

[03:46:22] It was really inspirational, and the judges were very thankful that the county is investing in the drug court program, and it's a good reminder of investing in folks in our community to make sure that they get on the right track so that the folks that graduated were very inspiring, and I encourage my colleagues to go if you ever get the chance.

[03:46:45] I know some of us have attended already. I've also had the opportunity recently to speak with several students, mainly from Dominion High School, who are doing C-SPAN projects through the journalism department there. And it's really been fascinating.

[03:47:01] Our young folks have so many interesting and probing questions about things like data centers and gun violence. And so those are just fascinating. I really enjoy doing those.

[03:47:16] I do a couple of years, but this year it seems like maybe the word's gotten out. Five. My staff's telling me I've done five so far, and I think I have two more requests. But it's just interesting to share, you know, what we've been doing at the board level on some of these topics. The Martin Luther King March was, of course, very inspirational.

[03:47:35] The chair gave a great speech about the history of Douglas High School. If you haven't been over to Douglas High School to see the renovations, please go because it is fascinating. I believe they still are doing tours from time to time. With 2024 only just beginning, we've had already 12 mass shootings in our nation.

[03:47:52] We've lost 1,599 individuals to gun violence. 609 were homicide, murder, or unintended. 990 were suicide. The deaths include 13 children under the age of 11 and 43 teenagers ages 12 to 17.

[03:48:11] Everytown for Gun Safety recently published their gun law rankings, which shows definitively that states that do not have gun sense laws on the books suffer an enormity of gun deaths compared to states that do have gun safety laws on the books.

[03:48:33] Everytown estimates that if every state had stronger gun sense laws, we could save up to 300,000 lives over the next decade. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you. That is an incredible number in just the first couple of weeks of 2024.

[03:48:51] Okay, let's see. My staff met with representatives of Cedar Terrace on 1-9. They met with representatives of Chillick's View on 1-9. My staff met with representatives of Belmont Innovation on the 10th. And with representatives of the Evergreen Energy Center today.

[03:49:09] And I and my staff have talked to Ron Meyer more than once, but my staff met with him on the 4th, so that's that. I do want to echo what everyone else said about two things.

[03:49:28] One, I thought the SEC hearings went really very well. It was a really, really rainy, windy night, and so I think that the number of people who showed up to speak in person was somewhere between 40 and 50, So not as much as we thought, as we hoped, but quite a few people sent letters or contacted the representatives from SCC in other ways.

[03:49:48] And so they did get a pretty robust response. And even for people in person, it was a very nasty night. So even for people in person, it was a decent response. MLK Day is always important, although I think we should always remember that MLK Day is a day.

[03:50:05] The teachings of Dr. King, Reverend Dr. King, are ones that we should take with us year round and not just one sentence that everyone likes to quote because it makes him sound like a friendly uncle, but all of his teachings. And if you really want to know the heart of Dr. King, go pick up a letter from a Birmingham jail and read that.

[03:50:24] It's very, very powerful. Dr. King is somebody I study often, and when you study his life as much as I have, every time I read more about him, I get a new insight. It's very overwhelming sometimes.

[03:50:40] Between last meeting and this meeting, we also had our ceremonial installation. I want to thank all of you for coming. If any of you want the section of your tape, I will be happy to send it to you. I have had so many comments about it. I've had so many comments about those six little boys who were on stage, all dressed in the same shirt, all dressed in, no, the little ones.

[03:51:05] And the number of women who said, I was so worried that baby was going to be dropped. And I said, I think they were all used to carrying each other. I think we're fine. I heard that quite a bit. My sister said, your speech was good, but that Mr. Turner, his was a little better, and I said, get out of my house.

[03:51:32] Get out of my house right now. I thought one of the most important statements of the entire day came from Mr. Turner when he said, do your job, because I think that's a really important statement. And we have we have jobs to do that. Yeah, that was that was. Yeah. He quoted the the the coach from the Patriots, former coach.

[03:51:56] And he said, one thing he always says is do your job. And so I thought that was really very powerful. I also thought that Mr. Koran saying that, you know, that in almost every faith, there was a golden rule. And if we follow that golden rule, no matter what faith you are, you will hear it. And so I also want to say for the gala, Mr. Kirshner danced.

[03:52:16] I have the pictures to prove it. You did just fine. I have the pictures to prove it. You did a great job. And so, yeah, if anyone wants to have their part of the section of the tape, I am happy to send that to you.

[03:52:35] The only last thing I have is yesterday we started the presidential campaign with the caucuses in Iowa. It's going to be a long year, and I think a tough year. One reason the installation was so important is because, with the exception of one person from the school board who couldn't make it because she had a family event, we were all there.

[03:52:54] And as I said at that time, the truth is, we may come at what's best for Loudon in different ways and from different angles, but I don't think anyone up there wants to do anything but what's best for this county. This is going to be a very tough year, and I have a lot of opinions and a lot of thoughts and a lot of fears and a lot of things, but the truth is we are the county board of Loudoun County, and sometimes the best thing you can do is to, as Mr. Letourneau said, do your job where you are, and sometimes to make things better everywhere means making things better

[03:53:31] in your section, and that's all you can do sometime. And so I like to take the spirit that we had last Saturday on, and that doesn't mean that we're going to agree, because we're not going to agree. But I do think that we have something special on this board, and I would very much want to fight for it and like to keep it.

[03:53:54] All right, thank you. And let's go to the number five. Oh, nominations. Let's do nominations real quick. That's a good idea. Thank you, Ms. Brooksman. See, that's helpful. Let's do nominations. Let's just go right down the row.

[03:54:11] If you have nominations, put your light on. Mr. Glass. Oh, your light's not on. Mr. Turner. Thank you, Madam Chair. I nominate Pastor Michelle Thomas to the Heritage Commission to fill the Ashburn District Representative Seat.

[03:54:26] I nominate Griffin Cook to the Advisory Commission on Youth to fill the Ashburn District Representative Seat. Okay. Mr. Crony. Thank you, Madam Chair. I'd like to withdraw Dr. Mike Strickland from the Animal Advisory Board, and I want to nominate James Robert McCartin for the Community Criminal Justice Board for the Little River seat, John Lovegrove for reappointment as an at-large representative on the FSM, and Sri Kenneth

[03:55:01] Yeramissetti for Economic Development Advisory Commission, and Eugene Galland for the Board of Zoning Appeals. Thank you very much. Mr. Letourneau? Yep, I nominate Randy Fileski for reappointment as the Dulles District Representative on the Advisory Commission on Youth, and I nominate Charles Lyles for reappointment as the Dulles District Representative on the Transit Advisory Board. Thank you, bless you. Mr. Sains? Oh, no, no lights on, no lights on, okay. I will nominate

[03:55:36] Jennifer Moore for the at-large seat in the Housing Advisory Board, Don Knudsen for the other at-large seat in the House of Advisory Board, and I have, I'm going to make this nomination, although I may pull it later after I check with Mr. Reiser, because I don't know if we've checked with Mr. Reiser.

[03:55:56] Carmen McGee for the at-large seat in the Economic Development Authority, I'll make that motion, I'll make that nomination, but then I'll check with Mr. Reiser to see if that was the one he was looking for. Madam Chair, I do have a nomination, I'm sorry. Yes, sir. I nominate Angelo Collington as the Sterling District Representative on the Advisory Committee for Youth.

[03:56:14] I nominate Marcia Pletz as the Sterling District Representative on the Commission on Aging. The representative that's currently for Sterling will be, for the Commission on Aging, will be resigning Ms. Deborah Price. Okay. Mr. Kirsten, did you have something that you forgot? Yes, I believe, and I don't have it in front of me, sorry.

[03:56:31] Jill Turgeon, nominate her to the Advisory Committee on Youth. Is she here? Oh. Okay. She's a world traveler, so she's gone a lot.

[03:56:50] all right great great great um then let's go to the to the next item which is the it's not number five actually it's number seven the dpz work plan there is a presentation on this it's seven slides long and i would actually like to see it however you want to do that yeah i like to actually like

[03:57:16] to see it just kind of sets the tone for this this term good evening supervisors i am dan galindo Director of the Department of Planning and Zoning. To my left, I have Assistant Director Jackie Marsh, and available on the WebEx is Assistant Director and Zoning Administrator

[03:57:49] Mark Stoltz. Tonight's presentation is not moving. Tonight's presentation is another quarterly update regarding the DPZ work plan. However, as has been commented on probably pretty extensively over the last half of last year, this is the meeting at which a number of items have been brought forward that were recommended by the Planning Commission or have been mentioned by the board during Zora work sessions or at least one case were just recommended by staff on items related to other topics so I was last in front of you on November 9th slightly late

[03:58:28] usually we become in October but just because of agendas in the time between November 9th and now obviously the zoning ordinance rewrite is complete and the ordinance has been adopted so especially toward the end we had really put the brakes on tackling any other additional new programs and so now we will talk about those that are already on the lists some new ones and to see if the board agrees with our list and our prioritization of those in the packet typically it's tables one two and three but in this item it's two three and four are the excuse me are the tables that show those

[03:59:04] lists and the prioritizations that are proposed by the department in this case we added a table one on page two because it shows the board where the different topics that the planning commission proposed for zoams and cpams were incorporated into the department's work plan so i wanted everyone to be able to track that can you do that again please what you just said i heard from my right what in page two of the item there's a table that shows the planning commission's guidance on additional zoning ordinance amendments and comp plan

[03:59:39] amendments that they proposed and on the right side of that table shows which of the items in this work plan those topics are are contained within so we've captured everything that the commission spoke on in some fashion or another so it's just to try to allow the board to kind of track that starting with the zoning ordinance amendment work plan there is only one that is still ongoing and that's the prime agricultural soil and cluster subdivision uh it is anticipated

[04:00:14] to be in front of the public hearing in march the commission acted on it in december and in the time in between, we are essentially translating the draft that was in front of the commission into the new formatting, new language, and things of that nature for the newly adopted zoning ordinance to make sure the same ideas carry forward. So that will come to you in March, and we're anticipating at the board discretion, of course, that being adopted and falling off of the work plan sometime this spring. The next three are all, that's not entirely true, the next two that would be up would

[04:00:50] be the data centers CPAM and ZOAM combined, and the second will be the Western Loudon Rural Use and Standards CPAM, ZOAM combined, both of which came out heavily of ZOR, although the data centers have also been something we've been talking about for the past couple years since TELUC did a number of meetings on that.

[04:01:11] Assuming the board were to adopt this order of items, we would be, well, for one, we're bringing the data center back, project plan back at your next meeting, February 6th. The previous motion was to bring the project plan back within 60 days of ZOR's adoption, and so that is being met by that date.

[04:01:30] The Western Loudoun project plan would be brought soon thereafter if the board agrees with this list. Item four on this list is essentially, as we've talked about, we know inevitably there will be things that were adopted in the new zoning ordinance that need to be updated, need to be tweaked, something that was mistranslated.

[04:01:49] So the rewrite adjustments is intended to be at least the first, maybe only, we will see, but the first of a ZOAM that would kind of capture those things in an efficient manner. So I put a somewhat arbitrary date, but anything that's found within four months of adoption by April 13th would be included in this ZOAM.

[04:02:13] We've been keeping a running list of anything that we run across, anything that's within by April would be what we would bring forward to you to get the board's agreement on, including in a ZOM, to do fixes. And now this is just fixes. This is not disagreement between a potential applicant or a member of the community who disagrees with what was in the ordinance. These would purely be things that we saw where a term was changed in nine places and we missed it in the 10th, things of that nature, purely simple things that we need to address for the consistency of the ordinance. If we need to do more, we will do more. So when I come back to

[04:02:49] you in April, will be about the time that we can update you on where we stand with that. And if we foresee the need for more of these or not, we can have that conversation at that time. Item five, the floodplain overlay district is something that has been not included in the table, but listed in at least the past two previous items. The Department of Building and Development did a third party review of the county's floodplain program. Some of that information was presented to the board last year. And we know that we need to make some updates to the zoning in order to incorporate a number of the things that were recommended in that review. So I've only recently started

[04:03:28] talking with Director Smith's team over there to see what they're proposing and how we best incorporate those things. So more than likely, we will be bringing more details back either at the next work plan update or in the same time frame as just an item in front of you, depending on how those conversations go but that's something that we will be starting soon but i did not i did not want to put a completion date or an estimated completion date on there at this time just because i don't quite know enough details just yet and then last but certainly not least is the source water protection zoam that came out of a bmi from a number of years ago at this point and as noted

[04:04:05] in the item while it's a very important topic i think the other three new ones numbers three through five are are perhaps more important to the needs of the county at this time that number six in particular because it's talking about providing substantial setbacks and buffers from waterways will affect the number of properties and potentially significantly and what their development rights are so we definitely want to make sure we put the time into that project whenever we decide to tackle it for community planning initiatives we break them into two

[04:04:44] categories of non-historic and historic. Non-historic tend to be our CPAMs and historic more of the kinds of things you'd expect the Heritage Commission and HDRC potentially to work on. So in our non-historic groupings right now, the St. Louis Village plan is still ongoing. The task force has met for the last time until we meet with them again after the board ultimately adopts a document. So they've recommended some information that has been compiled into the draft plan that has been sent out for review we are anticipating that review ending within the next i think we sent it out two weeks ago so probably about two to three weeks uh the review will be complete

[04:05:23] we'll make any final revisions based on that review and referral process and then start with the public hearing at the planning commission so we're still hopeful that we can complete that project by the spring maybe early summer of this this year we also been working on the purchase development rights program that was most recently at the finance committee we have some items related to that in the in the budget discussion for the board coming up in the future and so at this time i think our our preferred path is just to tackle that then unless the board would like to have a

[04:05:58] separate conversation about it so those are the two that are ongoing everything below is new three and four same ideas it'd be the planning policy side of the zoning regulations what i just told you about number five is essentially i'm calling it the five-year review cpam because that's kind of the impetus as you all know the state code requires a review of the conference plan within every five years now arguably every cpam we do qualifies it's not that we have to do this in a particular fashion but we as a staff have noticed a number of things come up repeatedly through applications that you see and so we are proposing that for this review we try to contain the topics

[04:06:38] within it to those items that are relatively straightforward that, in the case of the suburban compact neighborhood criteria, excuse me, have already gone through TLUC, and the board has endorsed what TLUC's recommendation was at that time. We just have not had a project manager available to do the whole process to bring it back forward as its own item. So I think that one can be incorporated here. We need to make some updates related to the Unmet Housing Needs Strategic Plan.

[04:07:04] We want to look at revisiting the definition and description of infill throughout the document, repurposing buildings, something I know, Chair Randall, we talked about with Zohar. I think this is where we'd first start tackling that topic and looking a bit deeper into what the county wants to do in those situations.

[04:07:23] Also, just some general improvements to text uniformity that we've been observing as we've worked with the document over the last five years. There may be a couple of other housekeeping things that we'll bring to you in the project plan, But this is a quick summary of the kinds of topics that we would like to include in this portion of the five-year review.

[04:07:41] Now, I've been talking with Mr. Kroboth and Mr. Hemstreet about, as I've mentioned in previous items, I think the board has discussed the potential, at least, for starting a rolling process of looking at the document chunk by chunk over a period to where you ensure everything gets touched over some defined period of time.

[04:08:00] So we've started talking about that, and I'm hopeful that when we come back in the spring to you with the work plan update, We'll have a proposal that we can give to you that would be essentially for after this CPAM number five here would be complete, we would roll into the next thing. It would be the next item to get added to the work plan at that time.

[04:08:16] The Luckett small area plan is currently within the work plan, and it's always been proposed to start after St. Louis' village plan is complete. However, in working on St. Louis and starting to think more about what we would do in Luckett's, we as a staff have been considering what it would take to essentially kind of put its own project together, something that would focus just on accomplishing plans for the rural historic villages.

[04:08:48] And what we as a staff always keep coming back to is that there's guidance in the plan that essentially recommends going and looking at our existing villages that are listed, looking at other crossroads communities, and determining what is a village, what is a crossroads, Are these distinctions still valid?

[04:09:05] As best I can tell, the villages that we have in the plan have not been really touched or updated in at least 40 years. They're boundaries, whether they exist as a village or not. There's really never been an opportunity to go back and look to see if what was a village 40 years ago is still a village, and again, in this case, whether it would be worthy of doing a small area of village plan at that point.

[04:09:26] So I quoted the action within the item, But we would be looking at all of the 12 villages listed in the plan as well. What's listed in that action are other communities that are not listed as villages within the general plan.

[04:09:42] So this is an item that could be incorporated into the five-year C plan. However, I think we could potentially accomplish it quicker because it ultimately will be coming forward with a recommendation of some criteria that would establish what is a village and then showing you our evaluation of which communities fall into that category.

[04:10:02] That will allow us to determine what the full list of communities that would need these small area plans would be. And that way we would know what the overall project would entail. Are we talking six village plans? Are we talking 12? So that's the thing for number six.

[04:10:19] And that's purely from a recommendation of staff to include that for now. And it's a first step towards doing more of the village plans that the general plan calls for. And as I mentioned, Luckett, even though it's listed as seven depending on timing, as soon as the St. Louis plan is getting close to adoption, we would bring the project plan to the board so that it's ready to kick off as the St. Louis village plan is complete.

[04:10:42] One area that we've identified as a way to help speed up these projects is that if you recall when we first approved the St. Louis project plan, I think it took us two, maybe three months for the board to appoint all the members to the task force. So we're hopeful that by bringing that information to you earlier, you will be able to identify the members of the task force you would like for Luckett's moving forward.

[04:11:04] And therefore, you can essentially create that task force roughly simultaneously with adopting the St. Louis Village Plan. So by creating some of that overlap, we have staff and that task force ready and keyed up to move forward whenever we start Luckett's. Eight and nine, eight has a different title.

[04:11:21] I've updated the title. But eight and nine were previously in the work plan as well. Number eight, because we incorporated accessory solar facilities and utility-scale solar facilities in the zoning ward and tree ripe, the commission had identified that community scale was something we needed to do additional work on.

[04:11:40] And this is a reminder, community scale is the idea of, you know, five adjoining neighbors in the rural policy area, essentially all kind of sharing some solar arrays to pull power off of them, but not solely restricted to your site, nor being so large that it really feeds in as a power plant of sorts.

[04:11:58] So something in between. So I've slotted in as eight here. Again, another important topic, but having potentially six of these initiatives active at any one time is already stretching my staff very thin, especially with a lot of things kicking off and tracking roughly simultaneously for a lot of these.

[04:12:20] So that is why a couple of these don't have an estimated time of completion or project manager that would be associated yet just because it's a lot of work to do as you fully understand. Number nine, again, the source water CPAM protection conference plan amendment goes along with the zoning amendment I mentioned earlier.

[04:12:37] And lastly, for our historic table, the Preservation Equity Initiative Phase 1 is largely an update to the 2004 African American Resources Architectural Survey. So we have been working on that for quite a while.

[04:12:56] We have a draft in hand, and we've been going back and forth to finalize that draft. So I'm hopeful that that will be done January, February at the latest. And the outcomes of that document and the work going into it are going to be leading what we end up proposing to the board for Phase 2.

[04:13:14] So more will be coming on that. Item 2 is the National Historic Landmark designation for the old courthouse. As I've mentioned previously, the Landmarks Committee under the National Park Service did not meet for quite a while.

[04:13:29] They met in December, but they had such a backlog that our application just didn't get on the agenda for that meeting. So our understanding is that at their next meeting in May, our item will be part of that agenda, and so we won't hear their recommendation at that time. Number four, courthouse grounds we've talked about in the past.

[04:13:47] It's something else we've kind of set aside. And actually, at the board's recommendation, we are actually talking with DTCI. We have a meeting set within a week, maybe two weeks at the most, to discuss whether they're better off to lead that project with our assistance instead of vice versa, and to see if we can speed things along that way.

[04:14:08] So that is something that we are pursuing right now as well. And then last, but certainly not least, as I mentioned in the item, the Harris Preservation Plan, it needs to be updated, and it essentially needs a wholesale update. The document has not been updated since 2009, so there are a number of issues within it.

[04:14:29] Quite simply, it still refers to the revised general plan instead of the new plan. But also, as Heidi has frequently noted to me, we've done a lot of work in the past 15-ish years, and a lot of it's based on that plan. So there are recommendations in there that we've accomplished that have been overcome by events, things of that nature.

[04:14:46] So going through and looking at all of the guidance within that plan to update it based on what we've done, to update it based on new things that have come up in the time since, to ensure that the types of examples and photos and things that we're using are still relevant, that they are resonating with the people that will be using this document, and also to just add updates of maps and links to things that we've created online.

[04:15:13] and as you can see just a number of different things and so to me that's a very large project and based on the other things that we've proposed as higher priorities right now while it ultimately once it gets kicked off will be number one in this list and one of the top ones for the entire department I can't recommend to you that we start that at this time just because of the other items we have that said especially on this item if the board were to want to rearrange it in these priorities, move this one up, for example, we would definitely need to talk about what else would come off the list that staff is proposing to start in the near future. So, thank

[04:15:53] you, Chair. I'm happy. I think what I just heard you say is supervisors for the next four years, let's not give the staff anything else to do in this environment because they are plenty overwhelmed already. Can we do this within a motion, supervisors? No, Madam Chair. No, we cannot. Okay, you have enough chairs. Okay, all right. You have enough questions? I got too many questions. Okay, that's why I ask.

[04:16:13] So I will go to you first, Mr. Kirshner. Thank you, Madam Chair. I know I've got three minutes, so I've got kind of two big categories. I want to first address the villages. You've added the rural historic village classification, which I appreciate. I think it's good. The ones you listed, obviously, were not within the general plan, and I understand why you're doing that.

[04:16:32] When you came to us with this plan last time, I asked, hey, can you come back and make some recommendations for the ones that are within the general plan, Philemon, Taylorsville, Waterford, et cetera, as to how we're going to fit them on this work plan or how we're going to address them? I didn't really hear any of that tonight. I was hoping, and I can offer a motion to add them to them, and I know we've kind of singled out Luckett's and we've singled out St. Louis separately, and I get that, but I'd really like to see them at least some outreach to those villages be put on this plan at some point.

[04:17:03] So if you have a recommendation, that's number one, and I've only got two minutes left. Number two, so if you could address that in a minute. The second one is the Western Loudoun Rural Uses. So I'm struggling with this a little bit because I went back and I was looking at general plan and we really didn't do much in the general plan with a lot of the role uses.

[04:17:25] Can you tell me where we received or where we got the list? I think it's on table 1.2, Western Lawn, limited breweries, limited distilleries. Where that list came from in terms of doing the planning commission?

[04:17:43] Is that the guidance by the planning commission? And is that consistent with the general plan? So for the villages, the idea behind the classifications is that it would look at the existing villages to determine if they're still villages and if they essentially warrant a small area plan.

[04:17:59] So that would include outreach? Yes. Okay. It would at least include some initial outreach to let everybody know what we're doing with that process. Okay. Can we add those villages within there? Because I think we only listed some of them next time. Or do you need an amendment to do that? No, what's listed there, it's just a quote from the general plan of communities that aren't in that list.

[04:18:19] So it's apparent that we'll look at the 12 that are in the general plan individually listed to determine if they're still a village or not. Okay. Well, I mean, we know they're villages, but go ahead. So looking at that, ultimately, it'll put a list in front of the board of what falls into which category and for the board to then sign off on, yes, you should do smaller your plans for all of the items in that list, or half the items in that list, and we can have that conversation when we come.

[04:18:42] And I think that's important in terms of the outreach to the village because my staff was talking to Madeline Skinner today and saying, do all these villages even want it? I mean, I think there are some things that are probably appropriate for every village, but I think that's why that outreach is important. So, anyway, go ahead. Thank you. And then for the second question, in Table 1, what's listed there, I believe.

[04:19:04] Western Limited Brewery, Limited Distillery. So, what's listed in Table 1 on the left side is verbatim the Planning Commission's guidance. In the description I have for it under item three under the ZOAM work plan, I also included use restrictions in the Mountainside Overlay District because that was another recommendation of the Compaling Commission.

[04:19:21] Rural signage because the board made a motion during one of the ZOAM work sessions to look at particular types of signage in the context of this future effort. And then the definition of a farm is something that has come up repeatedly during the zoning ordinance rewrite. So if we're going to tackle it, it would be tackled as part of this project.

[04:19:38] I guess in my only real I'm out of time only real question is when you come back next time are these really consistent with the general plan the zoem of this because we as I understand Mr. Kirshen you are out of time thank you Mr. Letourneau thank you so I think it's well known that my feeling on when we should do the PDR zoem is the fifth of never but I'm a little confused on the timing so you said you're going to wait basically until the board takes action in the budget before initiating work on the on the ZOAM? So we have we have most of the documents that

[04:20:17] would be necessary to implement that program drafted. And Mr. Hemstreet, feel free to overrule me here. But I think from our most recent conversations, I have items, positions being proposed that are related to PR, some absolutely related to that project solely, and some that are kind of related that will come before the board. You have positions in your department?

[04:20:40] No, in the forthcoming budget proposal. Right, you mean like staff positions in the department. So because of that, having the PDR discussion as an item for the board to take action on whether you want to include it in the budget and authorize this to keep moving forward or not would just be one of the things that you look at.

[04:20:57] So it's not just, so do we need funding put aside in the budget, in the operating budget to fund PDRs, and then separately you also need staff to be able to process and implement? Yes. Both of those things. Yes, because if you don't have funding for the program, you won't be purchasing any rights.

[04:21:14] Right, so effectively, the decision is shaping up on this to be in the budget. Yes. So if I want to fight this, I should do it in the budget and not waste everybody's time with the amendment tonight. Okay, separately, CTP, Comprehensive Transportation Plan.

[04:21:30] So I know that we talked about, and I agree with, and I was one of the proponents of doing pieces of the comprehensive plan, but I'm curious, I had asked ETCI staff this, I think the other night, what we're thinking on the comprehensive transportation plan, because I think that that got really short shrift in the 2019 comprehensive plan because we had to do everything together. And I had a previous experience, I don't know, around about 2013, 2014, when we spent a lot of time on the comprehensive transportation plan, and I felt like we really dove into it. And I'm kind of eager to replicate that. Is that on the horizon

[04:22:07] from your standpoint? So one of the things that was not in the table, but I have listed in the write-up is looking at the consistency of proper expectations for affordable housing units between the general plan and CTP so that's something that you see in essentially every residential application in front of you that we need to close that gap I know that the DTCI has a list of other relatively simple amendments that they they have cataloged as well I didn't incorporate them here because this is DPZ not DTCI but we're happy to work simultaneously with them to update that document as part of this five-year review for those simple things for your larger look I I can't speak to when they proposed to do that exactly

[04:22:46] it's not something that we've talked about it's not something you're you have to run herd on basically it's though no we'd be involved but no we it doesn't have to be as part of one of our project specifically to Turner thank you madam chair well PDR program is kind of my baby but it's got no business being in front of data center standards and Western loud and rural uses I don't think, or the five-year review of the CPAM.

[04:23:16] Yeah, we can wait until he comes up to the budget and handle it that way, but I just can give direction tonight to say, let's move that down in priority, especially knowing not only do we have to budget, but we have to put people on staff, which leaves me, that would be just my recommendation.

[04:23:32] I'd support a motion to that effect. We've got eight empty FTE slots in DPZ right now, correct? Yes. How do we fill those slots? What is a pie in the sky, you've got unlimited resources, you're the living god. How do you fix eight empty slots in DPC?

[04:23:50] Is it more money? Is it more money specifically for those slots, even though that throws them out of whack with everybody else on the county staff? But, I mean, when I was in the Air Force, they paid doctors and lawyers extra money so they didn't lose them from the Air Force. So you make a separate exception. How do we get those slots filled?

[04:24:07] Because we cannot afford what's going on in this county right now, having eight empty slots in DPZ. So if you recall, we were down to four when I came to you in November. Sadly, it's gone up. But part of the reason it's gone up were employees that, one, left because they essentially took a job closer to home.

[04:24:23] Home circumstances changed, and they basically gave up money so that they could have a shorter commute. Two, found that the roles they were in just weren't the kind of task they really wanted to do, so they moved on to other positions that allowed them to focus on that.

[04:24:41] That said, some of it is related to salary, I believe, especially with our zoning inspectors. That's something I've started working with HR on, is looking at that division to ensure that they are fairly classified in comparison to our comparable jurisdictions, because I'm not convinced they are, but they may be. But that's something that comes up, I think, most frequently in that division. And the others, there's just always a bit of churn. I think what we've gone through with the rewrite in the past couple years is that we had a lot of people getting stretched to do other tasks that were outside of what they're

[04:25:15] normally asked to do we also I think all know that the development industry while they are very happy to have a new ordinance and some certainty and things of that nature the strain that that put on us meeting deadlines and us doing certain things related to our legislative process was just something that was always strained and so I think having both these positions filled and potentially some of those that we're bringing forward in our budget proposal should help that because I think that we need to separate the rest of my question go ahead keep going I was just gonna say I think we need to separate to some degree our project management from the staff

[04:25:52] they're also doing referrals and things related to legislative process for the board when we get the data center standards and locations I propose to have that discussed at the TLUC level where we can create multiple work sessions before it comes back to the board that's just a suggestion we can talk about it later i have to say dan you know oftentimes supervisors ask those types of questions and and we get answers like whatever the board wants to do and you gave a really helpful answer just then and so that was that was that was excellent and very helpful thank you thank you yeah thank you chair randall so i do want to echo what supervisor letourneau said i do

[04:26:30] feel like the county-wide transportation plan got kind of short-changed during the 2019 comp plan review so I would agree that that should be folded into the five-year review especially with Gloucester with with that discussion with Belmont Innovation that you know do we need that road so I can name probably two roads in my district that I question so I think it is important to kind of fold it in And a question I had for you regarding the Western Loudoun rural uses and standards.

[04:27:01] Do we have to start from scratch? Because I know there was a lot of input from different stakeholders in the ZOR. And I'm wondering if that process could kind of be started not from scratch, but down the road we could build on it, you know, build on what we have.

[04:27:17] So I definitely don't think it needs to be started from scratch, as Ms. Walsh-Copeland and others have mentioned to the board. I do think that there's a lot of valuable input that came to that process that we can use. Okay. That said, I do think we need to make sure that we at least take an opportunity to do broad outreach up front to see anyone that wasn't paying attention to the rewrite or to the 2019 plans because we weren't touching Western Loudoun has an opportunity to think about it and let the board know what their feelings are about their business or about the different issues that we're potentially talking about here.

[04:27:50] Because I think it's fair to say some of them may not have been as engaged as they could have been because of that. Maybe a broader outreach, especially to the business community. Yes. I think the rural economic businesses, I think. And lastly, I noticed that you had a shooting range outdoor in this staff report.

[04:28:09] I just want to, given that you are short-staffed, making sure that you know that that should probably be at the very bottom of the list. REDC and Visit Loudon do not support establishing shooting range outdoor as a special exception use in the Air 1 and Air 2 zoning districts and with limited staff resources.

[04:28:29] I just think we could focus on other CPAMs and ZOAMs for sure. So I just wanted to let you know that I think that one in particular could be put at the bottom. Thanks. Thank you. Ms. Brixman. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[04:28:46] Has anything slipped on the timeline? I feel like everything is kind of the same as it was last time we talked. except that the ZOA is gone. Is that correct? I think everything is pretty consistent. The preservation equity initiative has slipped a little bit just because we've been going back and forth about drafts. We're hoping to be done by now. And it looks like I finally kind of got what you were saying about the planning commission guidance. So the planning commission thinks that data center environmental and sustainability policies or standards should be number one.

[04:29:14] And we have that as number two and number three, depending on the table. I guess I'm questioning, why is it number three on one table and number two on another table?

[04:29:33] So just because each, the tables are not mirrored themselves. So with the community planning initiatives, the PDR being something we're already actively working on, anything that we're actively working on, I keep at the top of the list. I don't put it below something that we have not started yet.

[04:29:50] Okay, hence the dotted lines. Yes. I got it. Okay. And then we allocated $90,000 for a consultant to start the CPAM for the data centers. Have they been hired and engaged?

[04:30:07] So we have them locked up. However, when we bring the project plan to you on the 6th, I anticipate that we'll need to do some amendments to the scope that we had previously talked about with them in the fall. But as soon as we have the boards buy in on what to cover and include in that project on February 6th, we will go back to them quickly and make those changes.

[04:30:28] Got it. And can you, so the five-year CPAM is basically the general plan. In this case, yes. It's chunking out the general plan. Yes, because that's the document that we primarily want. Okay, I was a little bit confused, but now I understand.

[04:30:44] And then what is the Preservation Equity Initiative? I don't remember. So initially, I think as a fund balance item, the board appropriated $150,000 to a proposal that was brought forward by the Black History Committee of the Thomas Balch Library.

[04:31:03] What it started evolving into was, one, the update to that architectural survey I mentioned, but the expectation is that using that survey, they'll identify particular buildings, particular communities that need additional work done so that the top priorities of that first document will guide potentially is what what they focus on in phase two okay do you know if the daily cabin in sterling is going to be included in those buildings i do not but i can look into it okay that'd be great also i think since we can't really do anything with the pdrs until the budget it we may have a motion just to to put pdrs lower on the list so then we can work

[04:31:43] on other stuff until the budget comes so thank you so supervisors i really wasn't i was joking but not really. You know, part of what's going on, and to Mr. Turner's question and Mr. Glendale's answer, is us. We cannot just, it's the same staff that does all this, and we can't just keep piling on and piling on.

[04:32:02] It's important for your district and for you, but it's a whole county, and so that's on us. So let's just be aware of that. To Mr. Crony's question, I don't, for the rules, one of the things I heard as the rule, as rule out and came in here and was very supportive of our zoning ordinance rewrite, in fact, at one point they were the only ones in the room.

[04:32:30] What they also said over and over again is that they feel put off a lot. They feel like that they're the last ones to get attention a lot. And, you know, this is good because it has the data center and the rural zones running together and finishing at about the same time winter of next year.

[04:32:50] And that's good because if the rural zone was going to be pushed off, I would have pushed back on that because I do believe that it is time to, you know, we told the West we would address this when we got, you know, this term.

[04:33:06] and we should do that with expediency. To her question also, we did get a lot done. There's a lot we didn't. It feels like we heard a lot from maybe one group and not the others, but I also don't believe that we have to start from scratch.

[04:33:22] We have so much information already. We may have to reach out kind of more aggressively to another group of people, but what we have already can certainly be used. And I also believe that we have an example of how to do it, and we got that example to some degree during the zoning ordinance rewrite process.

[04:33:40] To the CPAMs, and you guys talked about doing it chunk by chunk by chunk. I understand what you're saying, and I think that that makes sense, and that's how we should keep reviewing this document. Having said that, I don't want us to get to a point where 20 years from now we haven't done a whole review of the general plan, which is what happened last time.

[04:33:59] When you look back, you know, we did CPAMs, but CPAMs can be in a silo, And so, you know, you do a CPAM for that, and you're not looking at the whole plan. And I believe, you know, it wasn't that nothing was done. CPAMs were done, but the county as a whole had not been looked at in a long time.

[04:34:18] And so I guess this is just a bit of a cautionary note, not to get caught up in just doing the CPAMs in a silo and not at some point stop and go, how is this integrated into the full general plan? Because otherwise we'll be back where we were in 2019. Now, thankfully, we won't have what felt like two weeks to do the whole thing because that legislation has changed at the General Assembly.

[04:34:42] But overall, I think it's okay to do that for one or two looks, but after that, it should be a full look at the entire document. That's just my thoughts. Okay, Mr. Turner, would you like to make the motion in the packet and then you have another motion as well?

[04:35:01] And I'm calling on you as Chair of TLUC. on page 12 of 12 on the item I move that the Board of Supervisors approve the current list of projects with tables 2 3 & 4 and respective project prioritizations on the Department of Planning and Zoning work plan as identified in the January 16th 2024 Board of Supervisors business meeting action item motion is made and seconded by Supervisor to crony discussion on the motion mr. Turner thank you madam chair mr. Hemstreet and I were just talking briefly I had thought about this the PDR program as a standalone is a different

[04:35:40] animal than what it could be after the data center use and locations discussion it could be a very good tool depending on how those discussions go it may not be so if we can look at it in this position as basically contingent on how the discussions go in those subsequent prioritized items it may become a tool it may not become a tool it sounds like we've done a fair amount of work on it So let's just leave that in stasis until we get into those other discussions and see if that might not have some application on down the line.

[04:36:13] I don't have any other discussions, Madam Chair, other than my orange motion here that I have. Okay, we'll get to that in just a second. Anybody else? Mr. Sains. Thank you, Madam Chair. Well, I would like to make it friendly. We'll try to make it as a friendly and see where it goes.

[04:36:30] about a motion that we move item number two on table three community planning initiatives work plan purchase of development rights program from spring of 2024 or number two on the list down to underneath the source water protection CPAM and move up the data center standards and work locations CPAM that's currently number three on the list give me a I went to the item instead of the

[04:37:06] presentation what number are you at six page six six of the present at the presentation moving number two purchase of development rights program down to underneath source water protection see Pam and moving what's currently number three data center standards and location see Pam up a spot to number two mr.

[04:37:34] Turner you made that motion I won't accept that as a friendly that basically kills the PDR program and I just finished saying it could become valuable depending on how the data center discussions go. So no is the answer. That's fine. Thank you. Mr. Kirshner.

[04:37:50] Thank you, Madam Chair. Offers are friendly unless we don't need it as a friendly. I'm coming back to my point on the villages. Can staff just list all the villages that are in the general plan in the item? Or do I need to put that on as a friendly? You don't need to put that in the friendly. Because it's not listed. I just want to make sure they're listed.

[04:38:06] Does anyone have an objection to staff listing the villages? You're fine. Okay, thank you. Sure. mr letourneau all right let me try more of this so mr turner's position is that the data the pdr should be moved to after data center standards and locations which is currently slated for spring of 2025 i don't believe that timeline spring of 2025 is going to move up as a result of taking pdr out i think it still is what it is and you can correct me but what if if those two were to work together

[04:38:42] which isn't necessarily my position but it might be his what would be a logical place to put pdrs if the board wanted to wait until after that from a timing standpoint if the board's intention is to essentially put it on hold um it could be as simple as just me putting an asterisk in there next to number two with a note that says the board wants us to wait until a future date certain or after the data center is approved to to revisit this issue it doesn't necessarily have to move down on the list if we're just not touching it well let me do this then at least i'll try a friendly amendment to simply strike spring of 2024 as the estimated completion day in this title

[04:39:19] because it's not going to be completed in spring of 2024 i'm inclined to agree but i like staff's answer put an asterisk by it and explain the asterisk makes it contingent on other discussions it so it takes it out of the queue it sets it to the side depend on whether or not we pick it up again it sets it to the side yeah i don't want to do that okay well i mean i'm okay i'm okay with the friendly. If the friendlies just take off spring of 2024, I'm okay with that. Yeah, I think that would be the friendly because data center locations of Sanders is spring of 2025, so it doesn't make any sense to leave it in here saying that. So, I think effectively it does that.

[04:40:00] So then, well, you guys just said the same thing, basically. I mean, really, you almost did. To put an asterisk by it and to take the date off, it's really, you're saying basically the same thing. I don't know that I agree with it, but I didn't make the motion, but you're saying the same thing. You're basically saying have no date there. Yeah. So, you're saying the same thing. So, yeah, if that's a friendly that Mr. Turner, you want to accept, and Ms.

[04:40:25] Mr. Croning, did you second this? Who seconded this? Yes, you did. You were the second to the motion. I don't either. I don't either. Yeah, but she did not, she's not accepting the friendly. All right, so I'll make a motion. How about you, I'm going to make the motion first. Yeah, I'll make a motion to remove the date listed for the Purchase of Development rights program. Second. Okay, motion's made and seconded to remove the date for the purpose of development rights program, so now we're on that motion. We'll go back to the first motion and

[04:41:01] second, but is there anything else that needs to be said about that motion? So I think the point is, I don't know that there's consensus about whether we should do this or not up here, but I'm putting that issue aside for a minute. It is obvious it's not going to be completed in spring of 2024 because we have budgetary issues we have to deal with, and I believe we could end up making a decision about this in the budget.

[04:41:23] We won't even have the budget implemented until July. And then second, I think Supervisor Turner discussed how this could potentially work with the data center standards and location CPAM, which irrespective will not be done until spring of 2025. So either way, this date that's in here is not an accurate date and we should at least remove it.

[04:41:42] - Madam Chair, can I respond? I think I may have a comment. - Well, we're in a motion. - Well, I want to modify the motion to the motion. - You want to make it? - Why don't you just make a TBD? That's the same thing as the -- that's all the same thing. If you take the date off there, it's confusing what it means in the chart. Yeah, that's fine. TBD just puts it down in TBD.

[04:41:59] If we want to pick it up to fold it in the data center discussion, we pick it up. So do you want to make that as a friendly to that, which was made by Matt and seconded by Jules? Yes, sure. That's fine. That's the same thing as that was the one. Yeah, I accept that friendly. But that's fine. That's so...

[04:42:15] So we're getting rid of that. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa. So the motion that was made by Mr. Letourneau and seconded by Ms. Bricksman, now has a friendly on it to make it TBD. But that doesn't mean there's not still a motion on the table, and now that motion is with the friendly to make it TBD.

[04:42:32] So we're still going to finish discussion, the motion, because it's still on the table, friendly or not. So now I will go to Mr. Crony to discuss them. Were you finished, Mr. Turner? No. Mr. Crony. So, Dan, is the PDR program pretty much complete? I mean, what stage are we at with that?

[04:42:49] so there are drafts of the necessary documents to implement a purchase of a much right program focused on residential units the data center discussion is is completely different from how it's been drafted thus far so if the board wants to pursue that that will take some additional work to build out the program that would address that in some fashion well i remember when we first talked about the pdr program because it's been on hold for a while i think it was first talked about in 2020, and here we are in 2024. So it's been on hold for quite a while, but I think the

[04:43:22] idea was that it would include both Western and Eastern Loudoun for a potential PDR. So it wasn't just a Western Loudoun project, it was for both. You think that it would have to have different language to include data centers as the PDR? Yes, because right now the scoring system that's set up is oriented towards the number of units that would be purchased as part of a transaction, for example.

[04:43:49] And that's going to be, it's going to need to be different from how the data centers will be looked at, because you're not talking about units, you're talking about the square footage or FAR, or I'm not sure what yet. So it would have to have some additional language added to the documents we have. Well, I think it makes sense to at least complete what we've been working on for almost four years, since 2020, and then look at funding sources. I know So Supervisor Christian and I have talked about potential funding sources, creative funding sources.

[04:44:18] So I would like to keep it on the same schedule, at least get it done and get it where we could actually implement potentially with a creative funding source. So I don't support delaying it.

[04:44:34] I think TBD leaves it where it could be delayed for another four years. Mr. Kirshner. Thank you, Madam Chair. Obviously, one of the very important things about the PDR program is because of our policy goals of preserving the West. And it's just one of the many tools that we've been waiting four years for a long time, since the last board started and we were talking about it, to add to that.

[04:44:59] This is an attempt to deep sixes because as Mr. Letourneau just said a few minutes ago, it's not going to make any difference in the completion date of the data center standards location. And now this is an attempt to literally put a TBD, which puts it at the bottom of the list. And there is no reason whatsoever that we can't complete what's already in process and then pick back up and maybe add to the PDR program as a part of the discussion of the data center.

[04:45:25] There's no reason we can't do that. This is literally a wah-ha moment of those who want to vote against this because they just want to kill a program that's incredibly important to this county. And so the vote cast on that will be that. That's exactly what it's going to be, voting to push back a PR program which will make no difference in the progress of any of these others.

[04:45:48] That's exactly what this vote is about ready to happen. And first of all, I will associate myself with Mr. Kirshner and Mr. Coney's comments, and I will make a correction, actually. this was discussed during the 2016 board is when this first came up this has been being discussed for the past eight years and it always gets pushed back for some reason so now this is a new reason we're gonna if we're gonna always find the reason to push it back we're gonna find the reason to push it back it's just that simple and truthfully what was actually said with due respect to my colleague because he would he would never have this anyway he would just deep six this period and he's been consistent about saying he doesn't want this purity in no way anyway.

[04:46:27] He hasn't been inconsistent about that, but what we're doing right now is just, that's what we're saying. We don't want this ever, and I never want to hear anyone who votes for this again talking about the tools we have to help Western Idaho County, because this is one of the tools in the box. If this is not a tool in the box, then what is?

[04:46:45] And so, maybe it'll be used, maybe it won't be used, but I don't want to hear you all talk about it anymore if you're about to put it on TBD, because TBD means to be determined is not is never and so we're now into the i it may not be the ninth year but maybe the eighth year i think i brought this up first in 2007 16 or 17 when this first came up and now here we are it's 2023 people i would prefer truthfully i prefer people just say mr eternal said i never want this and take it out completely than to play this particular game we're about to play right here

[04:47:21] so back to the maker of the motion well first of all i think it's very interesting because the chair just announced that community scale solar and source water protection will never happen because those are TBD and apparently TBD means never but I don't think that's really the intent of the board it means we don't know when we're going to get to those things this yes it's true I don't support this program I believe the budget will be the time to have that discussion but let's listen to what Mr. Galindo said at the beginning of the discussion which is they cannot implement

[04:47:56] PDRs without more staff and without a specific budgetary allocation, neither of which we have done, neither of which we will have done or have in place by spring of 2024. That's a fact. It is literally impossible for us to have this done, use the word completion, in spring of 2024, as staff just told us. So trust me, I will attempt to kill this program when it's the right time to kill the program when we actually know what it's going to cost. But right now, all I'm trying to do is be honest in this chart because it's not going to be completed in spring of 2024 and we can walk

[04:48:36] around and we can pretend that to be the case but that's not the case it is what it is in the item so let's quit pretending tbd means we can bring it back at any time if majority of the board wants to do it and you know when you want to do it now the reason why supervisor turner is linking this with data centers is because we've looked at the housing discussion upwards and backwards and the reality is there's really not any market for that and so it may make more sense because what is what are we trying to prevent in terms of development at this point it's not necessarily housing is it it's it's data centers so that's that's why adding that piece of it I think in his mind

[04:49:14] makes more sense as opposed to housing we have millions and millions square footage of housing approved all over around our metro stations in the comp plan available in various parts of the county we just can't get anybody to build it so i think we have to be honest about what this program is and actually could accomplish the value of giving more density for housing in eastern loudon that already exists is not going to prevent any development in western loudon it arguably could in the in in the data center space and so that's why i think that's why he made that comment so anyway we should just be transparent about what we're actually doing that's all point of order

[04:49:53] madam chair uh point of order point of order okay mr crony did not approve the friendly which means i think the friendly dies for lack of a second which brings this is this was a she yeah no i know that that that that would be a point of order you're right however the friendly did die and so a motion was made we've been discussing the motion the motion made by mr letourner second by mr my miss frixman we've been on discussion of the motion yeah yeah and then we and then we Yeah, exactly.

[04:50:21] So now it's the same motion made by Ms. Letourneau, seconded by Supervisor Brixman, with your friendly on the motion because Ms. Letourneau and Mr. Brixman accepted your friendly. So that's what we're voting on now. Okay?

[04:50:36] Ms. Letourneau, Ms. Brixman, you're friendly. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Opposed? Nay. So that will pass. I think that was a 6-3 with Supervisor Kirshner. What are you? Okay, that was a 6-3.

[04:50:52] with Supervisor Kirshner, Tocroni, and Randall voting against it. All right, now I have a look at my place. We're back to the original motion, which was made.

[04:51:09] I don't remember who spoke on the original motion now, like who spoke on it first, because you're not going to speak again. I think the original motion was made by Mr. Letourneau, seconded by Mr. Tocroni, which is why she was able to deep stick to the first friendly amendment.

[04:51:26] And I'm pretty sure we had, you did the, I know it, I'm pretty, I know, I know, but I'm pretty sure we've actually, everyone discussed the, that's a second motion, everyone discussed the first motion, because we went back to Mr. Turner.

[04:51:44] So, we're going to now vote on the base motion. I get a closing, don't I? You do get a closing. Thank you, Madam Chair. The closing is very brief, but I will say this, to be very, very clear where this sits in my mind on table two, as of three months ago, when we first found out there was a Western power line being considered, data center placement and performance standards, as my judgment, is at the very, very top of the list, times 10.

[04:52:14] Everything else takes a backseat to data center performance standards and location from now on, in my judgment. So I appreciate this discussion, but I have no doubt in my mind we have got to solve the data center issue right now. That's my closing.

[04:52:30] Thank you. Thank you. All right. All the people who say aye. Aye. Opposed? That motion will pass unanimously. Okay. There's also a motion that, to be fair to him, Mr. Turner has been trying to make for about three months now on this day.

[04:52:51] It actually doesn't really impact because staff knows this is coming and it's going to be going to TLUC. So I'm going to let Mr. Turner go on and make this motion. Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that the Board of Supervisors direct staff to prepare an information item identifying the zoning districts in which a short-term rental commercial whole house use requires a minor special exception and to present such item to the Transportation and Land Use Committee for discussion and potential recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.

[04:53:15] Second. Motion's made and seconded by Supervisor. I think I heard, I think I might have heard Ms. Glass. Did you say second? I think I heard Ms. Glass first. Mr. Turner. Thank you. Very briefly, this was a discussion the gentleman was at the table who'd gone through the whole minor special exception process, paid money, was very nice about it, but he said, I really don't think this was necessary.

[04:53:34] You might want to look at this. I said from the desk, I'd be happy to look at it. And TELUC, all this does is start that discussion at TELUC. The reason it came up tonight is we don't know what the result of that discussion is going to be. It might end up being a minor ZOAM, and that could get rolled into the table.

[04:53:52] I can't remember which one it is, but the fixed number one as a very minor change to the existing zoning ordinance rewrite. That would be where you would place it. It may not even be a ZOAM, but all this does is tee up the discussion at TELUC, as we mentioned from the desk that night. Yep, I remember that.

[04:54:08] All right. Anybody else? Very good. Oh, I'm sorry, I missed. I didn't miss you. I'm sorry. Yes, Ms. Brixman. Thank you. I'm reluctant to support this because I think we were really, really deliberate when we did the STRs ordinance.

[04:54:25] I also think this came up when we discussed the STRs ordinance. And I think having to do an application to run a business is not a big ask. I guess I think it'll pass, but I would request that T-Luck Chair engage Visit Loudon when these discussions happen, because they have a lot of data on this stuff.

[04:54:53] And I think that she also was very deliberate and thoughtful about when the STR's ordinance came through and what she thought would be the best thing to do. Thank you. You okay with that idea? Okay, wonderful. All in favor say aye. Opposed.

[04:55:09] That motion will pass 9-0. All right, we have one more item, and it is the Board of Equalization, which is number 11E.

[04:55:31] Everybody see that? Number 11E? Yes? Okay, I think there's already a motion on the dais on this that Ms. Brickspoon is going to make.

[04:55:52] Megan, do you have anything you want to say before a motion is made? Only that Kevin Keister, the chair of the Board of Equalization, is on WebEx. Okay, wonderful. Thank you, Kevin, for being on. Ms. Ketcher, thank you for being on. Yes, ma'am. Ms. Bricksman, would you like to make a motion? Yes, thank you, Madam Chair.

[04:56:10] I move the Board of Supervisors adopt the Board of Equalizations bylaws without the proposed revisions to Article III, Membership, Section A1A, and retain the Board's template language for bylaws. And I further move that the Board of Supervisors accept the Board of Equalizations annual report.

[04:56:30] I will second that. Discussion on the motion, Ms. Bricksman. thank you madam chair um so this this and i'm not sure the board of equalization even realized that we had done so much work on the bylaws templates when we had the ad hoc committee on committees boards and commissions we very intentionally and thoughtfully made this part of the template bylaws that folks in the county could not serve on any more than two boards commissions and committees. This was an effort to make sure that we have a diversity of voices in the county

[04:57:08] advising the Board of Supervisors. And so that is why I voted no on this when it came through Finance Committee, which effectively forced a vote at the full board. So I hope that my colleagues recall why we did that in the bylaws and can support this motion. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[04:57:26] Thank you, Mr. Letourneau. Thank you. Yeah, so this came through finance, and the motion that was just made was not the one that finance approved, but it was only a two-to-one vote since we were missing a few folks.

[04:57:42] The reasoning, and just to share the full discussion, was that the Board of Equalization is not an advisory commission to the Board of Supervisors. It's a separate entity, sort of quasi-judicial, and that their work occurs only in a very limited period of time.

[04:58:04] It's not a monthly or every other month type of commitment the way that other boards are. And actually, they've seen fewer and fewer meetings every year to the point where they only meet a handful of times during August. So we discussed, they asked us not to include this provision in their bylaws, which I was fine with.

[04:58:25] We also discussed as an alternative, essentially making it one additional instead of just only one other. The reason why this is not going to be nearly the heated discussion the last item was, because I do think that all the other boards and commissions that are advisory commissions have this rule on them.

[04:58:48] And so almost by definition, if you're going to serve in one of those, then you're limited. And so there's only so many things that a board of equalization member could be on anyway because of the rule that exists on all the other boards and commissions as part of the bylaws. So I don't think it really matters that much whether this is in there or not.

[04:59:05] But my inclination was just to show some deference to them and their very unique situation and not try to sort of claim authority over the board of equalization because we don't have it. and I never really want to create that impression. So that's why I would stick with the original Finance Committee recommendation, and I won't support the motion tonight.

[04:59:25] However, I'm not particularly worked up over the issue. Thank you, sir. Ms. Umstead. Thank you, Madam Chair. I would echo a lot of what Supervisor Letourneau said. I will oppose Supervisor Riskman's motion tonight for those reasons.

[04:59:47] The Board of Equalization has almost a judicial function and is not in any way an advisory committee to this board. And so I almost think it sits in a world by itself.

[05:00:05] And I think if their members feel that they have the ability to serve the county on another commission, they should be allowed to do that. So I will regretfully oppose my colleague's motion.

[05:00:22] I'm going to support this motion for a couple of reasons. I do think that there should be continuity amongst the boards, and I understand the difference of the board of equalization. But I'm also going to say something like, and I've said this many times, we will be talking about one person serving now on three, because they can do two, serving now on three commissions, committees, or boards.

[05:00:44] I'm working really hard to try to get differing voices, opinions, ideas, diversity on our boards, commissions, and committees. I really do, no kidding, appreciate everybody who serves. But we get to a place sometimes where you see the same 10 to 20 names all the time.

[05:01:00] And when you bring new people, it's almost like, well, who is that? Because we're not used to seeing them or know who they are. I think serving on two very important commissions or committees, whether it be the Heritage Committee in Equalization or CSB in Equalization or Planning Commissioner in Equalization, I think that it's okay to give other people opportunities to serve.

[05:01:25] And truthfully, just tonight, you know, there was kind of a lot of, like, horse trading to get some of those votes in. But if we see more and more, we're starting to have our nominations are starting to have votes on them because so many people want to serve. And so to put the same people on everything, it just seems to be so repetitive.

[05:01:44] And so I do appreciate everyone who serves. And gosh knows that the Board of Equalization has a very interesting function. But, you know, I said this a couple of months back about somebody who I'm very, very, very fond of. When we were appointing her yet again, I thought, gosh, can we just try to be a little more diverse with some of these and mix this up a little bit and get new names in here?

[05:02:06] I remember when I first brought the name Bernard Mustafa to be on the Economic Development Authority, I got some fairly significant pushback, and people were like, we don't know who he is. He later on became chair of that and did an absolutely excellent job.

[05:02:22] So it's okay for us to take chances on different people. So I think to be consistent and to be able to offer other people more opportunities, I am going to support this motion. Ms. Vickman, would you like to close? Thank you. The only other thing I didn't mention in my opening was that my other fear with allowing this on this particular board is that other boards will come to us and say, well, we're special, too.

[05:02:46] Can't we have our members serve on more than two? And then we're back at where we were, you know, at the beginning of the last term where we were struggling to get more diversity and more voices, younger voices, and give other folks some opportunities. So I appreciate the chair's comments and appreciate my colleagues' support.

[05:03:03] Thank you, Madam Chair. All right. Motion was made by Supervisor Brixman. I second the motion. I'm afraid to say aye. Aye. Opposed? Nay. Okay. I think that was 5-4 if I heard. If you were opposed, please raise your hand. One, two, three.

[05:03:18] So it's 6-3, actually, with Supervisors Kirshner, Umstead, and Letourneau voting against the motion. Madam Chair, point of order, then, with that motion failing, I believe the board now would need a motion or to give direction to the Board of Equalization to submit different bylaws, or with the passage of that.

[05:03:37] Wasn't that part of, I thought that was part of the, I thought you had additional, oh, it's on here, but you didn't say it. Right. Okay, would you like to do that second part, Ms. Brixman? Mr. Hemstreet? Maybe Tim's going to tell us we don't need to. Mr. Hemstreet? Yeah, so the way the motion, so the board is the one that sets the bylaws for the committee.

[05:03:58] Okay. So the Board of Equalization passed bylaws and then recommended them to the board. The motion that Vice Chair Brissman read amends the draft bylaws or proposed bylaws that were sent to the board by the Board of Equalization and says that the language in, I don't have the motion in front, but the language in that section will read in section, Article 3, Membership, Section A1, A. 1. A, will read as the board template language for the bylaws.

[05:04:31] So the bylaws that the board just approved have been adopted back, so it just reverts back. Okay, wonderful. So advisors, we have two long closed sessions. Let's take a break before we do that because I think we're going to be in the closed session for a minute.

[05:04:47] And so let's take about a 10-minute break before we read into closed session because we'll be there for a while, I do believe. Thank you.

[05:19:23] Oh, there you go. Thank you. My girl, Jenny. All right. Ms. Bricksman, can you read us in the two closed sessions, which I think are number one and number three? Yes. I move that the Board of Supervisors recess this public meeting to enter into a closed session pursuant to Sections 2.2, 3711, A8, and A29 of the Code of Virginia to consult with legal counsel pertaining to the negotiation of a collective bargaining agreement where public funds are being expended and where negotiations in open session would adversely affect the bargaining position of the county.

[05:20:00] And I further move that the Board of Supervisors recess this public meeting to enter into a closed session pursuant to Section 2.2-3711A8 of the Code of Virginia to consult with legal counsel regarding legal advice pertaining to a proposed agreement and 2.2-3711A7 to consult with legal counsel about actual litigation in the Leesburg Election District.

[05:20:25] Motion is made and seconded. Discussion on the motion? Seeing none, all in favor please say aye. Any opposed? The motion will pass 9-0. We are in closed session.

[06:14:50] All right, we are back, and Ms. Brixman is going to read us out of closed session, please. Thank you, Madam Chair. 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.

[06:15:15] Motion is made and seconded by Supervisor Glass. Discussion on the motion. would everybody please affirm affirm affirm affirm affirm affirm affirm affirm affirm and i affirm as well on favor please say aye any opposed that motion will pass unanimously there is a motion on the dais from the leedsburg district madam chair um i move that the county administrator place on the board of supervisors february 6 2024 business meeting agenda a proposed Resolution approving the Voluntary Settlement Agreement with the Town of Leesburg regarding

[06:15:55] the annexation of Compass Creek. Second. Motion made and seconded by Mr. Kirshner. Discussion on the motion? No discussion. I'm able to say aye. Any opposed? That motion Did you say something, Ms. Glass?

[06:16:14] Did you say you're opposed? Okay. That motion will pass 9-0 and with that we are adjourned.

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