Coraggio Consulting
Prince William Board of County Supervisors Meeting, Tuesday, July 11, 2023

Date: Tuesday, July 11, 2023
Place: Prince William County Board of County Supervisors, Virginia
Length: 6h 1m (video)
Official meeting video (Prince William County, Granicus): https://pwcgov.granicus.com/player/clip/3341
Official Board of County Supervisors page (Prince William County): https://www.pwcva.gov/department/board-county-supervisors

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 2026-11-03. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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[00:00:04] We're going to begin when everybody can take their seat. There's a, yeah, we're just going to, are we ready to go, Ms. Madden? You're welcome to stand in the atrium if you want to wait until the seats free up.

[00:00:30] But we, it's, we don't allow standing in the back. It's a fire marshal code thing. So, okay, good.

[00:00:47] Are we ready, Ms. Madden? Are they ready in the back, I guess, should I say? Are they ready in the back now? Okay. Good afternoon. It's 2 p.m. on Tuesday, July 11th, 2023. Before we have a moment of silence, I just want to mention, if you can keep in your thoughts and prayers in the moment of silence in honor of the memory of Bryant Atkins, who was a PWC Fire and Rescue System Hazardous Material Officer and Coordinator who passed away on July 6th.

[00:01:17] For those who wish, please join me in a moment of silence.

[00:01:27] Thank you. If we could all rise for the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

[00:01:50] Good afternoon. We are now on to item number three, the approval of the minutes. I'll entertain a motion for items 3A through 3C, please.

[00:02:06] So moved, Madam Chair. Second. Motion made by Supervisor Bailey, seconded by Vice Chair Bodie. Is there any discussion? Seeing none, please vote. Vote unanimous.

[00:02:24] Thank you. We are now on to item number four, our consent agenda. The consent agenda item today consists of five items. Are there any items anyone wishes to remove from the consent agenda item because they have specific questions or concerns that they haven't been able to have answered before today?

[00:02:43] Seeing no items being pulled, the chair will entertain a motion to approve agenda items 4A through 4D. So moved, Madam Chair. Second. Motion made by Supervisor Bailey, seconded by Vice Chair Bodie. Is there any discussion? Madam Chair. Supervisor Bodie. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[00:02:59] First, welcome, everyone. We have a great crowd here today, so I wanted to acknowledge that. But for Occoquan District Residence, 4A is the next step in the Summit School Road Extension and Telegraph Road Winding Project. Really appreciate Rick Canizales and his team beginning to move forward, continue to move forward on that.

[00:03:15] If you go down Telegraph Road, from one side you'll see a lot of clearing going on. then we get down close to the Caton Hill, you'll see near the sheets a lot more clearing down over there. That's for this project. So I know I've gotten a lot of questions to my office about that project, and that's what it is. It's really going to be a really good project, especially knowing that the new high school is going in over there. And finally, 4D is for a bookmobile. We've talked a lot about increasing library access. We had a great presentation a number of months ago from our library folks about the need to increase equitable access to reading materials for our seniors for our youth for underserved communities and this goes a long way so appreciate that madam

[00:03:54] chair thank you seeing no further discussion please vote vote unanimous thank you that brings us on to agenda item 4e which is the accommodation for dr george hampton would you like to make someone make some motion so move madam chair second motion made by supervisor bailey seconded by supervisor franklin any discussion seeing none please vote vote unanimous supervisor vega

[00:04:31] abstaining from vote I'm now going to leave the dais with supervisors Bailey and Franklin who are going to read the proclamation and related materials commending the life of Dr. George M. Hampton an outstanding member of the Prince William County community and and those if you

[00:04:47] would like to come up to the anyone who is here for Dr. Hampton good afternoon I just want to

[00:06:57] thank everyone for being here and thank you to the Hampton family and thank you to our local chapter of Mega Sci-Fi Fraternity for turning out and I just want to particularly to the family say thank you for lending Dr. Hampton to our community. So we'll just read a few snippets from the commendation, myself and Supervisor Bailey, and then we will turn it over to Dr. Hampton's son who said he just found out he was speaking but I told him his sister volunteered him a week ago.

[00:07:28] so they'll work that out whereas Mr. Hampton served in various command and staff assignments during more than 20 years of service in the United States Army with service included four years as an assistant professor of military science at Virginia State University and while in this service he was awarded the Legion of Merit the Bronze Star and the Army Commendation Medal during his military service eventually retiring from the Army in 1971 as lieutenant colonel and whereas following retirement, he was a research scientist, project director, and human relations specialist with the

[00:08:04] American Institutes for Research. While there, he directed research and development projects in Asia and Africa that dealt with conflict resolution among Americans and host country nationals and between majority and minority Americans. And whereas from 1967 to 1969, Dr. Hampton was an adjunct professor of psychology at the Far East Division of the University of Maryland. And from 1975 to 1979, he was an adjunct professor of human relations at Pepperdine University. In 1978,

[00:08:40] he established and served as president of G&A Associates. This organization was designed to conduct research and training in human relations to specifically address racism, sexism, and cross-cultural problems in government and civilian industry, and from 1975 until 1982, Dr. Hampton was the political advisor to the Prince William branch of the NAACP. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Prince William County Board of

[00:09:17] County Supervisors hereby commends and affirms and recognizes the great life and legacy and impact of Dr. George M. Hampton as an outstanding member of the Prince William County community. God bless you.

[00:09:45] Thank you very much, and thank all of you. And everyone here today, very grateful, and thank you for today. Thank you for honoring my father. He did a lot of work. We came here for the community, for his country. We moved here in 1969.

[00:10:03] We've just come from Korea, and the Hamptons have been in Prince William County since then. So many people here over the years that we've known. but I, you know, my father always was doing something, and when you're, you have a parent that does so much for everyone, you can begin to resent the pieces that go to other people, but, because there's so much work to do, right, and at a certain point, he would say, well, you're grown, so move on, you know, but there is, I do public service, where I live, I live, I work for the county, King County, where I live in Seattle, Washington, my sister works in the county of

[00:10:42] Fairfax and that serve that that urge that need that we got from my mother and my father goes on and it's just really overwhelming to see the love and support he put out and got back and you know it's that love and commitment and motivation for the community isn't like pie there's plenty for everybody so truly I appreciate you all and the family thanks and we're so grateful for all of you coming down here today and all the things that you've done in remembering him and the naming of

[00:11:17] the school which happened here as well uh just so much and lots of hard work by many folks uh you know I cannot talk about that without mentioning Emmett and Vera Fletcher who have been true drivers as well and I see Ms. Jessie here in front of me um and I I just uh I don't know there's so much to say but thank you so very much and um you know this i guess the final thing i'd say is my dad started serving his country when we didn't have the right to vote you didn't have any place

[00:11:55] that you could be if you weren't working you were vagrant there were no civil rights all those things did not exist then but he still served his country because he believed america was organic and could grow and do better and we've been backsliding recently but we will overcome that and go forward so again thank you so much so very much and uh before we introduce uh mr charles hunter wanted to also um just acknowledge that dr hampton was a longtime member of the neapsco

[00:12:33] community and so uh working closely with uh supervisor angry and so wanted to make sure we recognize uh his community efforts throughout the neapsco district thank you at this time we're going to bring forth the president of Pi Lambda Lambda chapter of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated, Dr. Charles Hunter. Thanks, Supervisor Bailey. As I reflect on the life of Brother George M. Hampton, affectionately called Brother 49, four words and a motto come to my mind.

[00:13:13] Those words are the four cardinal principles of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, manhood, scholarship, perseverance, and uplift. Along with our motto, friendship is essential to the soul. If you reflect on what was written in the commendation that was read today, you will see that he was an outstanding member of the community and supporter of our community in many ways and lived these principles and motto. Manhood. Brother Hampton was a dedicated family man, husband, and father.

[00:13:41] Scholarship. Brother Hampton demonstrated his scholarship by attaining a terminal degree, a doctorate. Not only that, but he continued to support scholarship and education here in the community, and was honored with the naming of a middle school after him. Brother Hampton's support of education was also recognized by the Pi Lambda Lambda chapter of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity by his naming of his foundation, the George M. Hampton Foundation for Scholarship and Community Action.

[00:14:07] And since that foundation has been in existence, we have awarded over $250,000 in scholarships to deserving Prince William County students. The legacy will live on. Perseverance. Brother Hampton determined perseverance in his efforts to establish a Juneteenth celebration here in Prince William County.

[00:14:24] The Prince William County celebration of Juneteenth started in Brother Hampton's backyard and grew each year and later became a chapter-pensured event, which is now held at Merchants Park and has an annual attendance of over 500 Prince William County residents. The legacy will live on.

[00:14:41] Uplift. Brother Hampton provided uplift to the community through his political action and by living his favorite personal quote, we have a duty to serve. And I assure you that the members of Pi Lambda Lambda will ensure that this lives on. Lastly, Brother Hampton lived our motto, friendship is essential to the soul.

[00:14:59] These are not just words, but the essence of the life of Brother Hampton.

[00:16:13] If anybody lost an earring who might be out in the atrium, everyone should check their ears.

[00:18:03] We found a lost earring. Good job.

[00:18:15] Okay, now going to get started on public comment time.

[00:18:57] Today, in-person public comment time, we have 75 people signed up to speak, and we also have people online. The way this works is each speaker will have three minutes to share their views and opinions regarding matters before the board. We ask that all speakers state their name and magisterial district, or generally where they live, at the beginning of their remarks.

[00:19:19] After the first 15 minutes of in-person public comments, we're going to close the in-person public sign-up sheet. I'm going to call people up at five at a time, and you can line up in the back of the room for the microphone in the back. And if you're not in line to speak and not with the news media, you must take a seat because of the fire marshal.

[00:19:40] Or wait out in the atrium until your name is called. Okay, our first five speakers are Alfred Smith, Caroline Chipman, R.B. Hendricks, Margarita Moylan, and Terry Gagnon.

[00:20:00] Alfred Smith, Caroline Chipman, R.B. Hendricks, Margarita Moylan, and Turwin Gagnah. Please proceed. Good afternoon.

[00:20:21] My name is Alfred Smith. I'm with the Gainesville District. Thank you, Bob. And I'd like to preface my remarks with thanking the whole board for the work that they do. I have the utmost respect for you. I want to preface my remarks again specifically to Honorable Lawson.

[00:20:37] I'm going to be standing in opposition to a resolution that she supports. I just want to straight up, say, really respect what you do and trust that you're doing what's right in your heart. So my objective, I'm asking for help from the Board of Prince William County Supervisors to oppose Supervisor Lawson's proposed resolution that refrains from scheduling land use public hearings from November 7, 2023 through December 31, 2023, item 10C on today's agenda.

[00:21:03] So from my perspective as a constituent, the members of this board and county supervisors were elected to address the community's concerns and govern with timely and resolute decisions. The Honorable Lawson's resolution delays.

[00:21:19] The discussion is already active in the community. The resolution, in effect, impacts many people's lives. There should be an up or down vote on all land use cases as they appear before the board. The decision has a profound impact on myself and all other members of our assemblage.

[00:21:37] Waiting on an up or down vote on all land use cases will impact assemblage membership opportunities to participate and, in my case, could prevent... A variety of benefits for both myself and for Prince William County. As a homeowner in Prince William County, I served the service for 21 years, retired, and came here to Prince William County 22 years ago.

[00:21:58] I'm a homeowner. I'm a business owner within Prince William County. I'm expanding our business and taking a second shop, if you will. We've done a lot to increase those opportunities. Again, all the work that this board has done in the past has been, from my perspective, very good and very heartfelt.

[00:22:20] And I respect that you will come to the right conclusion, the right decisions associated with this land use question as well. Again, the constituents that I know, I probably talk to hundreds of them weekly because the business I'm in is Johnny Coffeehouse.

[00:22:36] I do a lot with the arts in Prince William. And so I speak to a number of people. We appreciate that there are many issues that come here to be discussed. I appreciate the turnout here. You do discuss them.

[00:22:52] You do stay attentive. I was here one time until, oh, God, early hours of the morning, and all of you were here engaged in that conversation. So, again, I thank you for that attention to detail. And when it comes time for you guys to decide whether or not you want to support the resolution, I please ask that you ask yourself, are you diminishing the position you're in by not making a decision or by delaying the decision further down the road? Thank you so much. It's really medicine seeing this three minute clock. I appreciate the time that you've given me. And again, please accept my appreciation for what you do. Thank you. And as noted, there is a three minute

[00:23:31] clock. Don't feel like you have to use all the three minutes, but feel free to use all you can. and when three minutes is up, I will ask you to stop. Thank you. Please proceed. Good afternoon. My name is Caroline Chipman, and I live in Ketharpen.

[00:23:49] Can you speak into the microphone more? Maybe you can turn it down. You can actually bend it down towards yourself. Yeah, there you go. Good afternoon. My name is Caroline Chipman, and I live in Ketharpen in the Gainesville District. My purpose today is to urge you, the current Board of Supervisors, to oppose a moratorium on voting on land use issues, including the Prince William Digital Gateway.

[00:24:12] In fact, I urge you to bring the Digital Gateway to a vote as soon as possible. We have been living with the uncertainty of our future for two years now, and I, for one, want it resolved so that we can either look forward to remaining in our current home or go ahead with plans to find somewhere else.

[00:24:30] Not knowing is very stressful. So please, you are the legitimate board and have heard all the discussions. Bring this to a final vote as soon as possible. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Hello. My name is R.V. Jess Hendricks, Gainesville.

[00:24:53] I'm here to oppose the resolution to restrict the land use voting from a certain date to a certain date. I think the Board of Supervisors members was voting into office for a certain length of time, not giving them time out and say, do not vote from this date to that date.

[00:25:19] I know you have a very difficult job, and you'll do the best thing in the interest of Prince William County. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. My name is Margarita Moylan, and I am in complete support, I'm sorry, Gainesville District.

[00:25:41] I am in complete support of the resolution proposed by Supervisor Lawson to prohibit contentious land use votes during the lame duck period, November 7th through December 31st. The current board has lost the confidence and trust of the county residents.

[00:25:58] Land rights are permanent changes, and the non-returning board members, who would have no reason to consider the public input, should not make these crucial land use decisions. A two-month delay is not an unreasonable period of time to wait, especially since the dates fall during the holiday season.

[00:26:21] Remember, you are elected to represent Prince William County residents, and your votes regarding data center development should be in line with the will of those residents. The board members who have voted in favor of the controversial data center projects have themselves been the recipients of donations directly from the landowners who are being paid millions by the data center developers, unions that support data center development, and the data center developers themselves.

[00:26:53] A clear pay-to-play is going on right before our eyes. All of this while ignoring the environmental and historic impact these projects would have. I hope you are all listening to the citizens now. The voters have already sent a clear message.

[00:27:10] If you vote against this resolution, you will be doing so at your own peril. Ann Wheeler's loss should be a lesson to all. Please do not dismiss public sentiment and do your part to restore trust in county leadership.

[00:27:28] This is nothing new. This was a resolution that you all voted anonymously for in 2020. So I think you should consider that when you make your vote today. Before our next speaker, I'm going to call up the next five.

[00:27:44] Scott Chipman, John Bloxton, Mike Grossman, Kristen Stanton, and Tasha King. Please proceed. Well, my name is Terwin Gagne, and I live in Gainesville, Virginia, and I'm here to support Ms. Lawson's resolution to delay some of these votes until we have a more competent board.

[00:28:12] A few months ago, the Virginia Supreme Court said that Ann and her associates have broken Virginia law. They also used $150,000 of our money to protect themselves from this lawsuit.

[00:28:32] In the old days, that would constitute calls for resignation. A couple other notes that I've had is there are islands of disadvantagement throughout Prince William County.

[00:28:48] You can Google this and you'll see that those islands of disadvantagement are on the eastern end of Manassas, Gainesville, Haymarket, down around Alcagon, eastern end of the county. There are various reasons for these islands of disadvantage.

[00:29:06] Part of those are the quality of water and air, health care, things of those natures. It adds up to reduced life expectancy. So by this board's actions of not doing competent, timely water studies, air pollution, which comes with all this 5 to 10, 15 years of construction, that's one of the dirtiest activities humans can do.

[00:29:37] Manufacturing, making concrete buildings is at the top of the list of dirty construction activities. So I would say, in the old days, if you have a board that is non-responsive, has not taken appropriate actions to safeguard the safety and well-being of the public, has been found guilty of breaking law and misappropriating money, they should resign.

[00:30:06] And I'm going to give you a few seconds for those folks that are affected by my speech to lean forward into the microphone and just say, I quit, and walk out the door, and I'll be the first to applaud you.

[00:30:27] Well, that three to four seconds of silence is what us residents of Prince William County have been experiencing for years and months and months and weeks. That's what these elections are about to become. I thank you for your time. Next speaker, please. Hello. Excuse me. Hello. My name is Scott

[00:31:03] Chipman. I live in the Gainesville district. I have two comments I'd like to make. First one, I think the proposed moratorium by Ms. Lawson is a terrible idea. It's clearly political. It should be rejected and firmly rejected.

[00:31:27] The second point, I do support the Digital Gateway Project. It's been under consideration for over two years. I'm asking that this be brought to a final vote as quickly as possible to allow us to get on with our lives.

[00:31:47] Thank you very much for your time. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Yes. Good afternoon. My name is John Bloxton. I've been a resident in Prince William County since May of 1980, lived in Cat Harpen since fall of 1982.

[00:32:08] We have four generations on our farm and love it here. Cat Harpen was always meant to be a farming community, rural and pristine. Gas and grocery at Alvey's store plus the post office was all we really ever wanted. As a landowner, I have the right to have the project decision made by the Board of County Supervisors in a timely manner.

[00:32:30] It has been over two years since Prince William Digital Gateway was initiated. Now is not the time to kick the can down the road, and I'm in full support of the Prince William Digital Gateway. The moratorium is playing politics with people's lives.

[00:32:48] There should be an up or down vote on this land use case. The members of the county supervisors were elected to serve four years, not three and a half. Their vote means the same on one day as the last office day.

[00:33:04] It is not a question of building thousands of homes that will further increase our traffic problems, and it's not a situation where an outside entity is trying to exploit the residents of Pageland. This is an initiative started by us, the people who have lived here for 30, 40, 50 years, to leave this area which has grown up around us tremendously over time. Benefits of job creations, tax revenues, and landowner support will make this an easy win for everyone. In closing, I want to make it clear that my family and friends who are residents along Pageland Lane

[00:33:39] support the proposed data center to the comprehensive plan for Prince William County. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon, Madam Chair and the Board of County supervisors. My name is Mike Grossman and I reside in the Gainesville District. Today, Supervisor Lawson will put forth a resolution asking the board to vote to reframe from scheduling any land use public hearings from November 7th to the end of the year. This period is commonly

[00:34:15] referred to as a lame duck session. Such a resolution, if enacted, would break precedence and would be a significant change in policy for the board and Supervisor Lawson herself. In a recent statement, Supervisor Lawson said, quote, so this is the third time that I've been on the board, and it's been an election year in 2015, 2019, and now in 2023.

[00:34:41] And it is customary for the board to consider refraining from taking certain votes, land use votes in particular, during lame duck session of November and December, close quote. This statement by Supervisor Lawson is disingenuous when you consider her own track record.

[00:34:59] During the 2015 lame duck session, she and the Republican-controlled board did not engage in much refraining. In fact, Supervisor Lawson voted on 11 land-use projects, 8 of which he voted favorably. And in 2019 session, Supervisor Lawson voted favorably on all 10 land-use projects before the board.

[00:35:21] One of the more contentious projects Supervisor Lawson supported during the 2019 session was the rezoning approval of the Gainesville Crossing Data Center project, which incidentally required a special use permit. This project is located right across the road from the Manassas Battlefield National Park headquarters and Conway Robinson State Park.

[00:35:42] One may ask, why did Supervisor Lawson vote on all of these land use projects in 2015 and in 2019 lame duck sessions? Well, the simple answer is because that is exactly what she was elected to do. She wasn't elected for a three-and-a-half-year term.

[00:36:01] She was elected for a four-year term, just like all of you, and she did her job. Now she is asking you, as elected officials, not to do the job you were elected to do, what she was elected to do, all to advance her political career.

[00:36:17] I ask the board not to fall for Supervisors Lawson's political antics and vote no for her resolution. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. My name is Kristen Stanton, and I am a resident of the Gainesville District.

[00:36:37] I am here to request that you vote down Supervisor Lawson's resolution to abstain from scheduling land use hearings for the remainder of the calendar year. You are elected to serve a full four-year term, not a term that is dictated by a peer. You have the opportunity to continue to serve the needs of your constituents instead of serving your political ambitions.

[00:36:57] Supervisor Lawson has a voting record that includes approving lame duck land use votes in past years. Her inconsistency on this speaks volumes. Today, I asked Chair Wheeler and the rest of the board to vote down this moratorium and continue to fight for the well-being of our county.

[00:37:14] It can be your honor to set up your successor for success, to sow the seeds, and allow the next board to reap the successes of your efforts. Because the real winners will be the citizens of Prince William County. Do not allow Supervisor Lawson to silence your voice and to silence your vote.

[00:37:32] Thank you. Thank you. Before the next speaker, I'm going to call up the five after that. The next five after this speaker are Keith Snyder, Lillia Bartruff, Rachel Ellis, Mary Ellen Gadd, G-A-D-D-I-E, and Charlie Seltman.

[00:37:54] Please proceed. Hi, my name is Tayshia King, and my address is on file. Here we are again, speaking to this board to just do what is right. When I first began speaking in front of this board two years ago, I thought that I was speaking to a board that really had the residents' best interest at heart.

[00:38:12] I soon realized that was not the case. As countless people have been in front of you begging, pleading, giving you facts, you may as well just have pulled out a nail file and filed your nails because you are clearly not interested in what residents were saying. You are simply checking a box. I hope you now see that ignoring the ones who are speaking up has consequences.

[00:38:32] The majority have spoken up. Everything that has been said about the data center noise and use of water, Kenny Bodie, is true. The city council in Chandler, Arizona, has implemented such strict ordinances because of their experiences with data center noise and the overuse of water that it is virtually impossible for any more approvals.

[00:38:54] On June 14th, Stephanie from the city of Chandler told me that data centers use too much of their most valuable resource, which is water, and take up too much land for very little revenue. They are looking elsewhere to bring revenue in for Chandler, Arizona. The people of Prince William County have spoken.

[00:39:12] Ann knows this firsthand since she lost her position as chair, all because of her push to vote these land-use projects through, despite what Prince William County residents want. If you don't support this moratorium, your jobs may be next. Remember that all residents of Prince William County are your residents.

[00:39:29] Vote yes to the Land Use Memoratorium and really, what is the rush all about? Thank you. Next speaker, please.

[00:39:46] How are you all doing tonight? My name is Keith Snyder. I'm from Gainesville. Yes, Supervisor Lawson's motion does speak volumes as she has learned that data centers and land use need to be assessed further.

[00:40:04] We, the people of Prince William County, have adopted a carbon footprint commitment for a reason. There's a certain obviousness in wrongdoing and unacceptable Russian activity. We, the people, do not accept the rushed approval of industrial data center warehouses in light of the challenges regarding safeguarding the Occoquan, safeguarding our endangered species, and in light of what we all now understand to be an outright neglect to assess the electrical capacity of northern Virginia along with all of Virginia's electrical grid.

[00:40:43] It is time to adopt a more thorough and a more intelligent assessment process for the planning and development of data centers. Please defer all land use votes and accept the intelligence of the upcoming Board of Supervisors. We the people accept and approve the potential leadership of DeShundra Jefferson as voice of we the people.

[00:41:06] Please take the time to assess the balance of the electrical grid before any further destruction of nature as well as threatening the mental health, welfare, and safety of your constituents. Thank you.

[00:41:22] Next speaker, please. Hi, I'm Leela Bartra from Gainesville District. Good afternoon. I am here to request that you do not support the proposed moratorium on land use cases. A delay in hearing land use cases affects the people involved.

[00:41:41] I live on Pageland Lane. For the last two springs, I have not planted the blueberry bushes that I want, because I don't know if I will live here long enough to ever harvest them. I live in a small house with my husband and our three children, and for two years, we have put off doing any sort of renovation or addition that would make this a better home for my family.

[00:42:05] Every time something breaks or needs to be replaced, we're stuck trying to figure out if we should do a temporary fix or if we need to do the right but expensive fix. We just don't know. For a year and a half now, we've been told that there is a decision coming as soon as possible.

[00:42:23] Applications are in. Everything is moving along. We will get an answer, yes or no. But every few months, the dates get shoved back and the timeline extended. And once more, we're told to hold off on doing anything. Just keep waiting. And now this proposed moratorium. We've put a lot of our dreams and hopes and our family goals on hold, waiting for a decision on this project. Either way, yes or no, we just need an answer so that we can move forward with our lives. So for the sake of all the people

[00:42:59] whose lives are affected every day by land use cases, please continue to hear cases as they come up before you. Because the sooner we know, the sooner I can get back to my plans and maybe plant some blueberry bushes. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Is it possible to use the overhead?

[00:43:28] Chair Wheeler, supervisors and executives shorter. My name is Rachel Ellis and I live in the Gainesville District. I am again here this afternoon asking this board to put a pause on the data center development until the new board takes office in January. I am again asking this board to be transparent and disclose all the locations and number of current data centers that are already approved and being constructed in Prince William County. I am again asking this board to restore trust and listen to the hundreds of voices that have spoken against Potomac Tech Park,

[00:44:04] Prince William Digital Gateway, John Marshall Commons Tech Park, and Devlin Technology Park. These are voices that have expressed concerns about our quality of life, our natural resources, our historical resources, our environment, and our electric grid. These are concerns that impact every district in Prince William County. This Democrat-led board has a history of ignoring public input. These pictures are the monstrosity called Village Place Technology Park in Haymarket. During the vote on this, former Gainesville Supervisor Canlan stated he'd received over 400 emails against this, yet all five Democrats seated here voted for this. Democrat equals data

[00:44:44] Center. How many emails have each of you received to vote yes on the land use moratorium resolution? Are you going to continue to ignore the will of the people you were elected to represent? Or are you going to work towards restoring the trust that this board has shattered with its continued disregard of the residents? We are one Prince William and the supervisors on this board should vote as if this monstrosity was being proposed in your district and against your neighborhood.

[00:45:09] Failure to support this resolution will continue to highlight the industrialization and data center development that this Democrat-led board has brought to Prince William County over the past three years. Democrat equals data centers. Residents across the county will remember this on November 7th when voting in their local supervisor election, and they will remember this when voting in the chair election. Democrats will lose the chair position unless you begin to send the public a very different message, a message that says Democrats do care about county over partisan politics. I'm asking this board to vote yes on the land use moratorium resolution.

[00:45:46] Voting yes may lose you some of your big donations from data center developers, unions, and the landowners who stand to make millions off of these decisions. But voting yes may begin to earn back the trust and the respect of the people who matter the most, the people who vote.

[00:46:03] Chair Wheeler, this is a personal plea to you. You had the benefit of raising your two daughters for over 19 years in a home that was in the rural crescent. The Royal Crescent that was protected by a Board of Supervisors that would not allow a data center to come in and build on the farm that was adjacent to your property.

[00:46:22] Residents want the same thing you had, the ability to raise a family in a home and neighborhood that has protections around it. I am asking the Ann Wheeler that I have known for 20 years, the one who I was proud of when she was elected in 2019, to put aside your ego, put aside the wishes of your wealthy donors, and listen to the residents of this county.

[00:46:42] please vote yes on the land use moratorium resolution. Thank you. Next speaker, please. My name is Charles Seltman. I live on Bonnier Drive in Manassas in the Gainesville District.

[00:47:03] I've lived here for 42 years. I'm here to support the Resolution 10C to prevent the outgoing Prince William County supervisors from making key land use decisions following the election on November 7, 2023. The land use issues should only be scheduled after the new board's term begins on December 31, 2023. Remember, votes count. To paraphrase 1984 by George Orwell,

[00:47:40] Big Brother, we are watching you. You are accountable to the governed, and as public servants, you need to listen to us. Do the right thing. Do not mislead us. Act in the best interest of we the public, not in your own self-interest. Thank you. Thank you. We skipped over Mary Ellen Gaddy. If she's here, you're welcome to get in line. After that, the next five speakers are

[00:48:12] Verndelle Robinson, Jeanne LaCroix, Mary Foster, Roger Yackel, and Bobby Kelly. Please proceed.

[00:48:53] Good afternoon. My name is Verndelle Robinson, and I live in the Potomac District. There has been over 800 constituent letters sent into the Board of County Supervisors in support of Jeanne Lawson's lame duck resolution. This is four times the amount of constituents that spoke against the data centers. Yet, in spite of the objections, the data centers were still approved. Clearly, public objections are increasing. Some members of the board suggest that they've worried about other smaller projects being halted in the Potomac District with affordable housing and

[00:49:31] retail shops, but still have not given us those specific projects. One project that I suspect is being included and predominantly referenced is the Potomac Tech Park next to the National Forest. affecting Quantico Base and Forest Park, or possibly the proposal that would affect the subdivisions Ashland, Minnieville Manor, and Mallard Overlook. Either way, the constituency has spoken. We do not want these data centers developments in our district. We do not want, we do want a lame duck board to play, we do not want the lame duck to play political games.

[00:50:09] We want trust and accountability in our elected officials. We would like you to vote in favor of the lame duck resolution so that we are not strapped with these irreversible decisions. Thank you. Next speaker, please.

[00:50:34] Hi, my name is Mary Foster. I live in the Gainesville District. Would you want to live next to this data center?

[00:50:50] We have got to stop this destruction that is ruining our county. I support the lame duck land use resolution proposed by Janine Lawson's. Some reports indicate that this may not pass, but the voters, even as you can see today, support it.

[00:51:09] Many of us want to even extend that no-vote period before November 7th. Overall, in the big picture, we have been coming here for months and months and months, and we need to get back to approving, or you need to get back to approving data centers for the original overlay district.

[00:51:30] There are many numerous indicators that the public does not support the rapid approval and the expansion of data centers running amok in Prince William County. Let's look at some of those indicators. The June primary results were very clear.

[00:51:48] Voters do not want the rapid extension of data center approvals and are fed up with not having our voices heard. Voters have demonstrated that data centers are being ramrodded down our throats, and we do not want it.

[00:52:06] Two supervisors have lost their position because they support data centers. Chair Wheeler's data center takeover scheme resulted in her getting dumped by the voters. Pete Cantlin resigned over data center outcry. Whereas our new supervisor, Bob Wheeler in the Gainesville District, aligns himself with us and is listening to the voters and does not want this rapid expansion.

[00:52:29] Board of Superviders, the board, the voters' eyes are on you, especially Bailey and Bodie, and we are monitoring all your actions. Continuing to support data centers down our throats will result in a grassroots effort to oust you on November 7th.

[00:52:53] We are watching your actions. You have already seen what we the people can do. Do your due diligence and complete the studies that we have been begging for for months. Water studies, noise ordinance, electrical studies, comprehensive financial analysis.

[00:53:11] Make smart decisions about this countywide. Develop a variety of businesses and affordable housing. Don't put all your eggs in one data basket. You were elected to represent us. Please do. You don't want to live there.

[00:53:29] Next speaker, please. Good afternoon. I'm Jeannie LaCroix, and I am in the Woodbridge District. and before I decided to turn politician and run for supervisor for the Woodbridge District, I was a realtor, and one of the things that we all know, it's location, location, location, and I think that the location of those data centers that we've been seeing today shown here are disgusting.

[00:54:00] They're despicable, and I do want to say that I have sympathy for the people that have been on hold for two years as well. And I blame the supervisors for that. The five supervisors that were not listening to the rest of their constituents who were saying, please stop, please slow down.

[00:54:23] Fairfax County said slow down. Everybody was asking them to slow down, to take their time, to do more tests. And they opted not to do that. And so that's why we're here today. It's not because the citizens are outraged.

[00:54:41] it's because these five democrats have not been listening to their constituents and now we're sending a message that's loud and clear that we want you to listen and so if it means stopping the voting until a new board is is placed great i agree with that but at some point you all do need

[00:55:10] to start listening to your constituents next speaker please good afternoon my name is bobby Kelly, and I am also from the Gainesville District. I am here today in support of Supervisor Lawson's resolution to prevent this board, who I might add has at least one lame duck member with more to

[00:55:46] follow, from making land use decisions during a lame duck session. I had a lot of fun looking up lame duck sessions, and in the course of that I found a saying that's attributed to lame duck votes. It's the least I can do. Hmm, apply here? Let's see. Opponents of this resolution have characterized this proposal as hypocritical. It's so very odd given the hypocrisy of the majority members here and those in opposition, landowners who stand to make lots of money and developers who are desperate and dishonest and hide behind NDAs. Here is the hypocrisy.

[00:56:24] I may remind you that in previous discussions from me, I quoted a journalist who offers, what separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. What is gall? Well, one description is brazen boldness. Boy, have we, the community, seen that in the last year and a half. From the majority of the board, and specifically Chair Wheeler, you say that you oppose this lame duck resolution because you want to assure everyone that our board remains committed to governing effectively through your term. Did any of you get the message on June 20th? The community does not believe you are governing effectively or honestly and disagrees

[00:57:04] with their votes. And on your data center takeover, it's so clear. Successive opponents won on strong anti-data center platform, yet you refuse to accept. It's the least I can do. Hypocrisy, gall, defines it. And I wish Supervisor Bailey were here, because there was an issue in the Prince William Times this week. I wrote a letter to the editor, and I wanted to remind her of her hypocrisy. At the last board meeting, Winfrey joyfully praised a developer for having

[00:57:37] a proffer that excluded one data center in her community. She really, really appreciated the applicant's adjustment in support of the community. If I recall correctly, she has sat in that very chair on this dais over the past year and a half when this community showed up in opposition to development and approval of a comprehensive plan amendment paving the way for the largest data center in the complex in the world. She's thrilled to death over one. Imagine how the community here feels with numerous, numerous numbers of data centers being built on Pageland. Hypocrisy,

[00:58:17] gall defines it. Vote yes on this lame duck resolution and just as important, disapprove the Prince William Digital Gateway. It's not ready. For all of you whining that your money may be delayed. It's not ready. It's not baked yet. Otherwise, it will just avoid. Don't get boated. Thank you. Your time is up. Don't get bailied. And don't get wheelered. Thank you.

[00:58:44] Our next five speakers before the next speaker are, you can line up in the back, Maureen Story, Neil Kelly, Irene Maginani Kelly, Mally White, Robert White, and that's it. Thank you. Okay.

[00:59:05] Maureen Story, Neal Kelly, Irene Kelly, Mally White, and Robert White. Hello, I am Roger Yackel from Gainesville. In December 2021, Bill Wright and I gave windshield tours, driving tours, to Supervisors Angry and Boaty.

[00:59:23] In February 2022, I gave a windshield tour to Supervisor Bailey, and I'm sorry that she's not here to hear this. The whole purpose was to share facts and broaden your understanding of the issues about data center development. Do you remember Supervisor Bailey, who again is not here?

[00:59:40] What you said to me on the tour, you share facts. That's what you said to me. That was the case then, and it is still the case. Two things are different now. We residents have learned much more about data centers and their negative impacts on Prince William County in northern Virginia.

[00:59:58] The push for data center development is expanding, and the pressure from developers is growing. Again, Supervisor Bailey, I'm sorry you're not here. Do you remember what you said as we drove into the Village Place townhomes?

[01:00:15] On the left was grassy area and forest. I said, they're going to build data centers there. Supervisor Bailey said, oh no, they wouldn't build data centers there. I said, you voted for them, as others up here have done.

[01:00:31] The field next door has been cleared. Earth has been built up. Data centers are going in. The word that comes to mind is horrible. The other word is responsibility. Do you, all of you, have the responsibility to protect residents, to act in the best interest of residents?

[01:00:56] Bill Wright and I tried to help you as many residents have done. Through our studying, our research, we have provided information to help you make informed decisions and not just blindly follow developers or the misguided leadership of Chair Wheeler.

[01:01:15] You now have a tool to slow this process down and to delay any more approvals. Supervisor Bodie, you told us you wanted to wait for the report from staff to help you make a decision. Let staff do their work, the few who are left.

[01:01:33] Get real answers. Vote for Supervisor Lawson's resolution. Do the right thing for Prince William County residents. And yes, Supervisor Bode, sorry, Bailey, if you were here, I'd say I will gladly drive you to Village Place townhomes to see what they look like now.

[01:01:53] It's much worse seeing them in person versus looking at photographs. And Supervisor Franklin, I have a chair in my car for you, too. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon.

[01:02:10] My name is Dr. Maureen Story. I am from the Gainesville District and am an elected director on the Heritage Hunt Homeowners Association's Board of Directors. Let me be clear. The Heritage Hunt Board of Directors supports Resolution 23.

[01:02:27] This current Board of County Supervisors is already in transition, with Prince William County voters deciding in June that there will be a new chair. And the November election could add other new members to a freshly reconstituted Board of County Supervisors.

[01:02:43] The results of the June primary election spoke volumes on the dissatisfaction amongst voters on critical land use decisions made by the sitting board. Voters will be vigilant in watching your votes leading up to the November election.

[01:03:01] As such, this November, the voters will decide which candidates best represent their interests. Because of this, we respectfully urge this sitting board to refrain from making land use decisions that will affect Heritage Hunt and the entire county, such as the Prince William Digital Gateway.

[01:03:21] Rest assured, Heritage Hunt maintains its opposition to the proposed Prince William Digital Gateway. This is not merely a Gainesville land use project. If approved, the Digital Gateway will be the largest industrial data center complex in the world.

[01:03:37] It will affect residents in every district throughout the county, from Gainesville to Occoquan, Potomac, Woodbridge, Neabsco, Coles, and Brentsville. Residents of Occoquan and Neabsco, please listen.

[01:03:54] This proposed digital gateway in Gainesville will likely foul your drinking water with runoff chemicals. Residents of Woodbridge and Potomac, please listen. This digital gateway in Gainesville will reset the stage for Bi-County Parkway that will transect your neighborhoods, bringing additional air and noise pollution as well as traffic.

[01:04:18] Board of County Supervisors, you know there are many questions about this mega digital gateway that remain unanswered. Heritage Hunt asks you to get those answers from unbiased objective studies before casting your votes.

[01:04:34] In summary, the Heritage Hunt Board of Directors supports Resolution 23 and any other resolution that prohibits this sitting Board of County Supervisors from voting on matters related to the Prince William Digital Gateway until a new Board is seated in January 2024.

[01:04:54] Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon, members of the Board. My name is Neil Kelly, and I am from Gainesville. I am here today in support of the lame duck resolution 10C before you.

[01:05:10] When adopted, this would help restore some of the good governance to our county. According to what I have read, this rule is in effect in our neighboring counties of Fairfax and Stadford County and was previously in effect in our county from 1995 through 2011. Now is the time to restore this practice and show the Prince William County residents that their voices and concerns are heard.

[01:05:30] If you've been paying attention to the growing opposition to the data center takeover of our county, you'll see that time and time again, most of the residents are against the Wheeler Promoted Plan. Back in 2021, the Prince William County Planning Office poll surveyed showed that 71% of the respondents selected preserving rural areas of the county as their top priority in land use.

[01:05:51] Throughout 2022, many citizens gave up their time and talent to make appearances before the board to alert you of issues that could negatively impact our county. Some of these issues are water quality, noise, energy availability, air quality, backup diesel generators, erasing history, and a new name for the bi-county parkway.

[01:06:10] along with financial promises that have been disproven. In December of 2022, a reclused former supervisor was subject to a recall campaign and subsequently resigned. The special election results for the new Gainesville supervisor were an astounding 60% to 39% in favor of the smart developer candidate.

[01:06:30] Now for the primaries. The anti-data center vote Lawson and Jefferson together was a two-to-one majority. The data center supporting people lost. Our residents are sending the message to the board and to the county loud and clear.

[01:06:46] Stop the data center growth and use smart growth within our county. If anybody here doubts that and doesn't believe it, please, again, look at the election results. And to the board members, I say, can you hear us now? Thank you. Next speaker, please.

[01:07:01] Hello, everyone. I'm Irene Kelly. And just want to make a couple of statements to those who want to sell their property. You're about 125 landowners as opposed to the homeowners associations representing thousands of homes.

[01:07:24] And yes, you still have a right to sell your property. Absolutely, I support that. But I have the right, and those thousands of other people have the right to say what's going to be built there to protect us. So with that in mind, I also wanted to speak to the supervisors.

[01:07:43] When you sat up there, you took an oath. And part of that oath, I was researching, what's the oath say? But part of that oath said, you will support the Constitution of Virginia. So then I went on and read a little bit more. And I thought maybe these words might be the words that might guide you today in your vote.

[01:08:04] Because in Article 1, the Bill of Rights, Section 3, government instituted for common benefit, quote, that government is or ought to be instituted for the common benefit, protection and security of the people, nation or community of all of the various modes and forms of government that is best, which is capable of producing, listen to this part, the greatest degree of happiness and safety

[01:08:42] and is most effectually secured against the danger, here's another word, maladministration. Do the right administrating work for your constituents, please.

[01:08:58] we want the same protection as the fairfax and county sorry the same protection as the fairfax and the uh there's another residence and i forget which other county gosh darn it i didn't put in here but those residents received that protection we need the same lame duck protect protection please vote yes for c10 thank you for listening next speaker i'm sorry for those who haven't been here before we don't allow clapping or displays and if i'll just keep on reiterating that thank

[01:09:34] you next speaker please hello i am mallie white my husband and i are living in the gainesville district and i want to thank supervisor weiss for his service to the gainesville district my husband and i have owned two homes in the prince william county for more than 20 years one in heritage hunt and one in pembroke reserves we have been married more than 40 years so half of

[01:10:13] our married life has been so secure and confident in prince william county a county with the triple a rating when we sell bonds let us all you borrowers and me be assured of our future with confidence that the prince william county government will follow standard voting rules so all buyers of our pwc bonds keep trusting in pwc elected people to follow rules so our

[01:10:51] bonds will sell. Then we will pay them as we have agreed. Governance boards succeed by voting and following the timely voting requirements. Bond buyers rely on what has already been decided.

[01:11:18] Our brother, Dr. Hampton, faithfully fulfilled love and commitment. Commendation was made today by us all as referred by Supervisors Bailey and Franklin. Thank you so much.

[01:11:34] Let our board members receive commendation as we follow the rules and you because you follow the rules. Our PWC has earned AAA credit rating because our county has proven itself to be faithful to follow the rule of on-time agreed-upon payments.

[01:12:00] We don't delay on the rule of commitments. We don't want Prince William County's reputation to be downgraded or our integrity of us all following the rules that gave us the respect and our commendation. PwC does not put any moratoriums on payments.

[01:12:21] That would ruin PwC AAA rating. Let not the board default on faithfully following rules to vote. This keeps us a AAA bond seller. Thank you so much. Thank you. Next speaker, please.

[01:12:37] And actually, before the next speaker, I'm going to call up the next five, which are Wendy Ault, John Stirrup, Bill Wright, Sally Peterson, and Jim Bain. Please proceed. Hello.

[01:12:54] My name is Robert White. I'm a little taller than her. I want to thank all the supervisors, myself, for your service. Excuse me. Wait one second. If people could refrain from speaking while someone else is speaking, I would really appreciate that.

[01:13:10] Is there a problem? Okay, great. Please proceed. Thank you. Thank you. Again, my name is Robert White, and I live in the Gainesville District. And as my wife said, we have had property here for over 20 years, but I also have worked here for 36 years in the area.

[01:13:28] And I know many people have been speaking today about the development of the digital gateway and the properties. Working here all these years, I remember what Cat Harpin Road used to look like.

[01:13:44] I used to buy hay there. You don't buy hay there anymore. guess why? Like you said, there's thousands of homes there, development everywhere. It's going to happen again. So the answer to that is what has been proposed by the board and has been talked about and studied for two years now. And the people on Pageland agreed together. They didn't

[01:14:16] groups. They were together, voted to move ahead with this project. To vote for this resolution just tells people on page land that you're not worth a vote but yet those of you that live on the other side on cat harpen you got your vote you got your property you got your development so i ask you the board finish this vote and let's get this done please thank you next speaker please

[01:14:54] our next speaker is wendy alt and then john stirrup bill wright sally peterson jim bain My name is Dr. Wendy Ault, and I'm a resident of the Gainesville District, and I'm here to support Supervisor Lawson's resolution wholeheartedly.

[01:15:10] And with due respect to the people who would choose to delay this vote, lots of things have changed in this county since this project started to be looked at, including the citizens looking at this project much more carefully than I'm sure that they have looked at many land-use projects in the past.

[01:15:29] This is a massive, huge project, the Digital Gateway, and I am clearly opposed to that as well. The open space preservation is a critical issue, critical issue for the area, critical issue for land, water, environment.

[01:15:52] Unfortunately, when we do these kinds of study, when we do these kinds of votes, often those issues are at the bottom of the list. And in fact, they should be at the top of the list. Air, water, environmental open space, places where people can have an opportunity to enjoy natural beauty are becoming more and more and more rare.

[01:16:12] If anybody else other than I as a pediatrician have followed the mental health literature recently, you're going to notice in it a huge dedication of time to open space activities for children and adults for their mental health. Many of the things that are threatening the mental health of our communities are the increasing ensilomment of human beings in front of a screen.

[01:16:36] We need less of it. We need walks in the parks. This park, the National Battlefield Park, which all of you are familiar with, is a treasure to our area. And this particular project, the Digital Gateway, threatens that beautiful 5,000-acre space.

[01:16:53] People go out into nature in order to experience quiet, peace, calm, and that park's open to everybody. So I would tell you that it disproportionately favors people who don't have the opportunity to go out and work in a garden, who don't have the opportunity to go out for a walk on their 200-acre farm.

[01:17:12] They can, everybody, everybody can go to the battlefield. And it won't be the same place if it's surrounded by 28 million square feet of data center development. So this is a clear issue where the siting of this particular industry is inappropriate and very, very unfortunate.

[01:17:31] So anyhow, it's a threat to a priceless resource, a priceless resource in our county, in our community, in our country. And who wants the biggest data center development in the world on the edge of a national park?

[01:17:50] So I strongly support Ms. Lawson's resolution to study this. and the impacts on air and water and everything else. Thank you so much. Next speaker, please. Thank you, Madam Chair, members of the board.

[01:18:11] I'm John Stirrup, Gainesville District. I'm here today to speak in support of Supervisor Lawson's item number 10C. As many of you know, I'm a former member of the Board of Supervisors, and on two occasions, in 2007 and 2011, we had lame duck sessions.

[01:18:33] Unanimously, the board members voted to support a resolution exactly like this, to refrain from considering residential or commercial land use developments during the lame duck session. And that was unanimous by both the Democrats and Republicans on the board at the time.

[01:18:52] I want to tell you, it was good public policy then, and it's good public policy now. I encourage you to support Supervisor Lawson's resolution. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Can I have the overhead, please? Back by popular demand here.

[01:19:20] My name is Bill Wright. I live in Gainesville. I support Supervisor Lawson's resolution to refrain from scheduling lame duck land use public hearings and votes. Why? Because pulling a fast one is standard operating procedure for this board majority. Your hallmarks are secrecy, deceit, and defying the public will.

[01:19:39] Civic vandalism is your crowning achievement. The reputation of Prince William County government hit rock bottom in a June 27th article in the New York Times where your village place technology park atrocity was prominently featured. We are a laughingstock of your revenge zoning and pay-for-play politics.

[01:19:59] Today's proposed resolution is necessitated by the profound mistrust this board majority has engendered. First, because several supervisors obviously require remedial instruction in acknowledging the widespread bipartisan repudiation of your developer-centric focus.

[01:20:16] Second, because the public requires an insurance policy against further anti-democratic impulses of this board. The public will watch this vote with interest. A vote in favor of the resolution will indicate that you might have gotten the message voters have been relentlessly trying to convey to you for almost two years.

[01:20:35] A vote against the resolution confirms that you are slow learners and citizens need to deliver further electoral evidence of our determination to reject your hostile agenda. Some of you may still be clinging to the disproven notion that developer dollars will insulate you from accountability from your bad decisions.

[01:20:54] Instead, you will find that your embrace of these contributions is an albatross that will only provide further evidence of your eagerness to sell out your constituents. Tainted donations are a die pack that will explode on you. It is incredulous that some of you may still believe you will outlast us or the ferocity of our opposition will wane.

[01:21:15] I promise that you have not yet seen the full variety and magnitude of kitchen sinks that we will throw into this effort to keep you from betraying the public. If you don't yet grasp the degree of animosity towards your autocratic methods, then you are clearly in the wrong line of work.

[01:21:33] Try pledging allegiance to your voters instead of your donors. You can wise up quickly and attempt to salvage your reputations, or you can double down and suffer the consequences. You are not fooling anyone. We are not distracted by your diversionary tactics, and we are already anticipating your lame excuses and equivocations.

[01:21:53] We are laser-focused on holding you accountable. Everything was going so well until you came up against actual voters. Isn't that interesting? Next speaker, please. Yes, good afternoon.

[01:22:16] My name is Sally Peterson, and I live in the Gainesville District. I support Supervisor Lawson's resolution for a moratorium on land use decisions between November and January, but I'm speaking today to propose a moratorium on all Board of County Supervisor decisions involving the rezoning of land use, allowing the building of data centers in any area which is not in the original overlay district.

[01:22:51] This issue isn't political. It's about good governance. It's about protecting your constituents. It's about making good land use decisions, no matter what side of the political spectrum you are on. We've been ignored for too long. Anne Wheeler's questionable leadership has reaped the results it deserved, and we will continue to remove politicians who think they can ride rough shot over the will of their constituents. We're looking for good governance, wise decision

[01:23:27] making based on well-researched facts and not on dollar signs. This entire issue has been based on greed from the start and we say enough. Put data centers where they belong and that is nowhere near schools, residential communities, parks or historical sites. Stop allowing the data center developers to take to you. Turn the tables on them. Tell them where they are allowed to build.

[01:24:00] Your political futures rely on your decisions from now on. We're an army now. Ignore us at your peril. Before the next speaker, I'm going to call up the next five. Scott Debler, Thomas Pershing, Tony Gaffray, Michael Cliggett, and John Brower. Please proceed.

[01:24:26] Could we get the overhead, please? Okay, my name is Jim Bain. Like everybody else, I'd say I live in Gainesville, but I'll be more specific. I live in Heritage Hunt. We're the ones that are getting affected tremendously by this effort. One of my major assumptions is that people, all people, governing people in general, will make the best decision that they can, given the information that they have available at that point in time. I make that same assumption

[01:25:00] about this board as I begin. I'd like to take a different look at the problem. Looking at it from the standpoint of it breaks down to two different choices a race to rezone or decision to delay and I want to talk to it from the point of view of the stakeholders that are involved in these two alternative positions. I've probably missed some but these are the major stakeholders that I would like to talk about. The landowners, the unions, the eastern districts of our county, the data center

[01:25:40] businesses themselves, and the PwC Board of Supervisors. They are all pretty much on the Race to rezone side of the equation. On the other side, on decision delay, we've got the targeted PwC districts.

[01:25:56] Gainesville, Heritage Hunt, Devlin, that's us. Then there's Nova Region as a whole. This is more than just those specific districts. There are more people that are going to be impacted by what happens. Then there's knowledge-based governance.

[01:26:13] And I'll talk about that. First, with respect to the landowners. Hey, I get it. If I had my land over there, I would want to... Sir, you need to speak into the microphone. If I had my land over there, I would want to sell it too.

[01:26:30] And I think 99% of the rest of the people in this room would do it too. They understand your position. But any decision that we make goes with an American ethos of you have the right as a property owner to do with it whatever you want to.

[01:26:46] But there's a corollary to that. That corollary is what is the impact on other people when I make a decision that's in my best interest. And that is the reason people oppose your perspective.

[01:27:04] Unions. We hear a lot about unions. We know unions have contributed heavily to this. I have a couple of questions about the unions. How many of these union workers that will be doing the build-out of these facilities live in PWC? How many of them live in other counties?

[01:27:21] Then the next question is, what happens to the money they make when the build-out is complete? Gone. Okay. Eastern Districts of PWC. I get it. There are two. You look at this and you say, you're getting money into the county.

[01:27:39] I understand that perspective. Done deal, guys. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Oh, someone asked what number we were on. That was speaker number 30 out of 95. Please proceed.

[01:27:57] Good afternoon. My name is Scott Dybler. My family and I have lived in the Gainesville District for 23 years. For the record, I am not part of Pageland in any way, shape, or form. I am not going to be part of the Prince William Digital Gateway.

[01:28:13] But I am a resident of Prince William County looking for leadership from this board for where you guys can control homeowners' tax burden. For several months ago, the board took a step in the right direction. You changed the comprehensive plan for the properties making up the Prince William Digital Gateway.

[01:28:31] The members of the board that voted for that taking that step showed leadership by finding a way to further diversify Prince William County tax base. Now it's time to take the next step. approve the Prince William Digital Gateway, not just put a moratorium on doing your job that you were elected to do. All land use cases need a vote, up or down, in a timely manner.

[01:28:54] Please follow Supervisor Lawson's historical example, because she did do a good job leading there, of voting for land use cases during the same time as in previous election years. It's apparent Supervisor Lawson is only supporting this moratorium now because it suits her political ambitions. Again, I want to encourage each of you for voting to block Supervisor Lawson's hypocritical unfair moratorium on land use votes thank you thank you next speaker please good afternoon madam chairman board Prince William County Board of Supervisors my name is

[01:29:31] Tony Giffray I live in Cat Harbin no I don't I don't live there anymore I live in Haymarket now I'm I'm getting old like Joe Biden I forget where I am at so anyway what I'm going to do is I'm going to make a deal with you I'm going to give up two of my minutes and write you an email and I'm taking you that you will read it, okay?

[01:29:53] So I'll save that time. But since 1975, people on Pageland Lane have been, that's almost 50 years, been looking at a bypass. So time is forever. In 1988 or 89, there was an issue on a development at the park called a mall on the Manassas of the Pilot Battlefield, and Frank Wolfe was smart enough to know that I don't want that there, so he got the federal government to buy it.

[01:30:23] So if you want to protect land, that's the best way to do it, is just simply buy it. So this has gone on for a long time now, and I think you owe it to the developer and the landowners to make a decision. And whether or not you do this moratorium or not, I would like to have the decision made before that time comes by this board.

[01:30:43] Thank you very much, Madam Chairman. Thank you very much. Next speaker, please. I'm Thomas Persing. I live in Cat Harp in Virginia. One of the things that I think is pretty obvious here is that controversial issues cast a long shadow.

[01:30:59] From the last time I heard, I think the planning office is dealing with something to the tune of 140 to 160 land use applications, yet so many of us here are talking about just two of them. I don't necessarily think it's such a good idea to put a moratorium in place when there's that much work that needs to be done across the entirety of Prince William County.

[01:31:19] And in terms of controversial issues casting a long shadow, many people are here today to attribute Chair Wheeler's recent loss to the data center issue. I think most people who are elected officials understand that people vote for a great many different reasons.

[01:31:37] There are a couple other supervisors here who didn't succeed in some of their political ambitions not too long ago. And I don't think any of us here were saying that that was strictly because of their opposition to data centers in northern Virginia. Data centers are something that we're all very passionate about, for or against.

[01:31:55] But let's not just become something that skews our judgment or skews our perspective. Regardless of how the board ultimately decides this issue, we're all still going to be here. We're still going to be a community. We need to be able to put this behind us because there are going to be other issues that come up.

[01:32:11] Issues where the lines are drawn a little differently. Issues where we're going to be advocating for the same thing tomorrow, even though we're not advocating for the same thing today. So let's try to not lose sight of that. Thank you, all supervisors, for your service, regardless of how you vote on this issue.

[01:32:27] Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. I'm Michael Cliggett, and I'm from Gainesville. I support supervisors' loss in resolution because what's the rush?

[01:32:47] Is there an immediate need for more data centers? It's because Loudoun County receives $4.20 per $1,000 of assessed value, whereas we in Prince William County have agreed to $1.65 per $1,000 of assessed value. Are the data center developers pushing you to rush your approval?

[01:33:06] The data center Opportunity Zone Overlay District has enough land for data centers to last for decades. What's your rush? Can you promise voters of Prince William County a precise amount of annual net revenue from the data centers? Of course you can't. You've been forecasting millions of dollars of income from the data centers.

[01:33:25] Would you bet your home on those numbers? Of course you wouldn't. Do you have a precise cost for Dominion Power to build out a necessary power grid that will be paid for by voters of Prince William County? Of course you don't. Do you have a precise cost to build the necessary infrastructure and roadways paid for by the voters of Prince William County?

[01:33:47] Of course you don't. According to the EPA, when it rains on these data centers, water runs off the roofs and drives driveways into the streets. The untreated runoff picks up fertilizer, oil, pesticides, dirt, bacteria, and pollutants as it makes its way to the Occoquan watershed.

[01:34:06] Can you promise all the voters of Prince William County the Occoquan will not be damaged or polluted by the data centers? Of course you can't. Can you promise the voters of Prince William County that the data center's computers will be the state of the art for 10 years? How about five years? Of course you can't. Harvard has developed DNA data storage.

[01:34:24] In 2025, all of humanity will generate an estimated 33 zettabytes of data. That's 3.3 followed by 22 zeros. All that data can be housed in a DNA storage that can be squeezed into a ping pong ball with room to spare.

[01:34:40] That's just 12 years away. What's your hurry? Next speaker, please.

[01:34:55] Good afternoon, board. I'm John Brower, Haymarket. I don't support resolution 10C. I believe our public servants are there for their entire term, not just a portion of it, until they're officially out of office.

[01:35:15] Things in this county already take too long to get approved. Why set roadblocks up for the people that want to live and invest in Prince William County? And I'd like to address, somebody spoke something earlier about open space, how soothing it is.

[01:35:30] And I agree, nothing like open space. And I've seen the zoning application that has been submitted. There's over 800 acres that are being preserved, far more open space than if we sought to, say, put another heritage hunt in, Del Webb.

[01:35:48] So the open space that we've forever preserved is lots of trails. So anyway, that's my two cents. And please vote no. Thank you. Thank you.

[01:36:04] Our next five speakers are Tim Judd, DeShundra Jefferson, Donna Gallant, Bethany Kelly, and Laura, T-H-A-H-A-R, hard to read, Mahoney.

[01:36:27] Tim Judd, DeShundra Jefferson, Donna Gallant, Bethany Kelly, and Laura Mahoney. Please proceed. All right, thank you so very much. It's been kind of a while since I've been here last. My name is DeShundra Jefferson, and I reside in the Potomac District.

[01:36:46] I am here as a citizen and as a Democratic nominee for the chair of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors. I understand that my fellow Democrats are concerned that the current resolution limits their ability to make routine land use decisions. And given that this is an election year, anything can be made controversial.

[01:37:06] I also understand that each of you, Democrat or Republican, save Chair Wheeler, are elected to serve a particular district. However, the decisions you make also affect those who cannot vote for you. And that is why I'm here today. I respectfully request that the board listen to the voices of those who make clear that they would like to see the board take a different direction.

[01:37:30] I respectfully request that you understand that those who are concerned about their homes and their communities, it's because they are average people. They are worried about their quality of life and the investments they have made in this county. And therefore, I respectfully request that the board hold off on making decisions that concern siting data centers near our homes, schools, or national parks.

[01:37:53] This is a narrower request than what many of you feel is covered by the moratorium. It's also one that will allow for a new board to chart a different direction. Thank you so very much for your time. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon.

[01:38:13] My name is Donna Gallant. I live in the Brentsville District. I did not write a speech. I just sit and I listen. So I listened to what everybody had to say. And there's a couple things I want to focus on. One, there's a lot of focus on this moratorium.

[01:38:30] Everybody's up in arms. Everybody's, ooh. But what we seem to forget, and Supervisor Bailey, you said something in the news, that you have some very important controversial items in your district. You got four months.

[01:38:48] Why is this such an issue from November 7th to December 31st? Why not now? bring them up now. Vote on them now. Why would you want to wait and push them through? Because you don't know what's going to happen in the vote, whether you're going to be sitting there in January or not, given the recent election and the results for chair position. Why don't you want to pull them in now? Show your voters that you're listening to them. Show your voters. Pull them on

[01:39:25] the docket now. Pull them up for vote now. Supervisor Bailey, you sound very concerned. push to have your items voted now? Or are you afraid if you vote for them and disappoint the developers that you won't be sitting there in January? Actions, consequences. So the lame duck ruling as presented, and by the way, your rules have the right to have a lame duck session every year in your rules of operation, if you're not aware of that. So the lame duck resolution, It's not political.

[01:40:02] It's right. Yes. Did Supervisor Lawson vote for things in the lame duck? Yes, she could. There was no rule against it. So let's forget that. I mean, let's not forget that. She did her job in the time when it was allowable.

[01:40:19] What she's proposing now is to stop. There is so much controversy, so much contention with everything going on. Or I'm going to ask one question. Do you have malicious intent to wait until after the election to ram them all through once you're out of office?

[01:40:39] That's the message you are sending to every citizen in this room. The people on Pageland, sure. Bring the digital gateway up for vote. Put it out there and vote on it. Actions, consequences.

[01:40:56] Don't use this lame duck resolution as an excuse for not bringing it up in the next four months. That's called doing your job, and actions, consequences. I'm sorry, sir.

[01:41:14] Maybe you didn't understand. We don't allow clapping or displays here. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon. Bethany Kelly, I'm in the Brentsville District. Land rights are permanent changes that should be subject to public comment, and a board that no longer has any reason to consider public input is probably not the right body to make such critical decisions.

[01:41:37] This was an interesting comment that I read on the Washington Post's most recent article this week. I went on to look at it and discovered very quickly that the person who made it didn't live in Prince William County. There was no surprise there at all, because honestly, any of us who've been living here for the past few years realized that our board completely disregards public input on most decisions that they make.

[01:42:02] Not all board members, but quite a few. You guys have lost your way. You forgot why you were elected. You were elected to represent the best interest of your constituents, not some of the wealthiest companies in the world, no matter how much money they dump into your re-election campaigns.

[01:42:23] And as we've learned these last few months, money can't always buy elections. Supervisor Weir is a great example of money not buying an election. And then DeShundra Jefferson, who just finished speaking. Once again, they were running on a shoestring budget, and yet they won.

[01:42:42] Some of you are sitting here thinking, oh, that's okay, I will be reelected next term, no big deal. Well, I just want to tell you, those of us in the western part of the county have thrown our time and our resources behind candidates who will listen to their constituents, not just in our own districts.

[01:43:02] And those candidates have succeeded. We will continue our fight. This doesn't stop anytime soon. And then those of you who may be hoping to run for higher office than this, you need to beware. Your decisions on this board on land use have garnered both the national and even international attention.

[01:43:22] This could be your downfall. It's not good attention that is coming our way. It is time to stop with these horrible land use decisions. The images and videos coming out of Village Technology Place in Gainesville, if they are not haunting you at night, I don't really know what would. And right now, for the record, Supervisors Bodie, Angry, Franklin, Bailey, and Wheeler, that's your baby. If you don't have a problem destroying communities, especially ones that you don't even represent, over the objection of the constituents and their representatives, you honestly should not take on the role of an

[01:43:59] elected official and a public servant. It is time to just stop. You've done enough destroying this County. There should be no land use decisions during the lame duck session. Thank you. Thank you. After our next speaker, the next five speakers are Vida Carroll, Elizabeth Mortorana, Chris Winters, Abby Winters, and Allie Stoger. Please proceed. My name is Laura Mahoney and I

[01:44:38] reside in the Brentsville District. How many times do thousands of citizens need to voice their disapproval of how the majority of this board is governing, especially decisions that regard corrupt and permanent land use policies and rezoning. Citizens speaking during public comment time, emails sent to board members, letters to the editors, press conferences, peaceful rallies, and the most recent, my favorite, election results. That's right. The majority of Prince William County want this body to govern with transparency, common sense, and respect for the people of Prince William County. As such, we are imploring this board to stop operating under

[01:45:17] the cloak of non-disclosure agreements and immoral decisions made based upon data center campaign donations. And most importantly today, we implore the board to support Supervisor Lawson's resolution to abstain from land use votes during the lame duck session. This board has already led the charge in being the poster child for what to do across the country. Yes, the country. They are all watching. Frederick County, Maryland's government has indicated they are to learn from the mistakes made here in Virginia. And speaking about Virginia, did you see? Amazon

[01:45:53] has been presented a civil charge from the Virginia Department of Environmental Equality for over $10,000 in regards to violation connected to their use of diesel generators. Coincidentally, during the time the violations occurred, Virginia DEQ was considering a carte Blanche allowance for all data center generators to operate. Thankfully, this allowance was not granted. And while it wasn't through this board, it's no wonder that we have a hard time trusting our government officials. So let's set aside what has or hasn't been done in the past and restore integrity to this board. If you haven't voted for a land use case already, the last two months of

[01:46:30] your term isn't going to make or break your legacy. Unless you're looking to reserve your option to shove a permanent controversial and corrupt land use case down the throats of the majority of the citizens of Prince William County because you feel you face no consequences. But again, I remind you people are watching. The whole country, specifically the people that are here speaking and listening right now, are paying close attention to your decision. If you do not vote to support the resolution to abstain from land use cases during the lame duck session, actions may have consequences and the general election is just around the corner.

[01:47:06] People will have to decide whether they prefer Carla Justice over Supervisor Bodie or Janine LaCroix over Supervisor Franklin or Verndelle Robinson over Supervisor Bailey. And I want to point out that there are data centers land use cases planned for districts other than just Coles, Brunsville, and Gainesville.

[01:47:26] Potomac Technology Park near Minnieville Estates and Ashland Community is one example. I urge the board to support Supervisor Lawson's resolution. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Vida Carol Brentsville.

[01:47:43] It's been a minute since I've been down here. The last time I spoke in chambers was December 13th, which is the night of the comp plan vote, and Mr. Candlin had just resigned. And I stood here and I said that just as it had for Mr. Candlin, the land use issue would become the defining issue for each of you sitting up here.

[01:48:01] I said election season was around the corner and county residents were deeply disappointed with the way you had handled industrial growth, the treatment of the rural space, and the disregard for common sense compatible zoning. And I said that if you wouldn't listen to county constituents and chambers, you'd be forced to listen to us in the polling booth. Well, well, well, I was right.

[01:48:19] First, the resounding win by Mr. Weir in February, then the astounding win by Ms. Jefferson just a few weeks ago, putting an abrupt end to Ms. Wheeler's political career in this county. Both of these wins faced massive funding efforts behind the losing candidates.

[01:48:35] This board's pay-to-play style of politics may work in these chambers, but when spending nearly $300,000 on a primary campaign against a rookie still doesn't win Ms. Wheeler an election, it's clear that pay-to-play does not work with voters.

[01:48:53] We've been called misinformed, a small minority, anti-progress NIMBYs, liars, and my favorite, quote, those people. Well, those people vote, and those people campaign, and on election day, those people have friends who text them and say, hey, who should I vote for?

[01:49:11] I want to vote for the person who's against data centers. Mr. Bodie, Ms. Bailey, and Ms. Franklin, you have seen your colleague heavily backed by unions, backed by developers, backed by PACs, backed by the establishment party. You've seen her spend over a quarter of a million dollars in a primary campaign who had no party backing and you saw her lose we all saw ann wheeler lose you cannot hide your own voting records you cannot hide the fact that you've rammed through bad rezoning after bad rezoning just as you can't hide a 75 foot data center wall behind a bush

[01:49:46] you cannot hide your stance on controversial land use cases your vote against this resolution will make your intentions known clearer than ever and citizens certainly will not forget citizens are watching, citizens are paying attention, citizens are following your every vote and every campaign dollar. I've said in these chambers many times over the past two years, and I'm going to say it again, we will vote you out over this. Do better, respect the wishes of citizens across the country, across the county, but I'd like to think the country stands behind me, and pass this resolution.

[01:50:24] Thank you. Next speaker, please. I'd like to use the overhead, please. Keep going. My name is Elizabeth Martirana. I presently live in Gainesville, but have lived in Prince William County

[01:50:57] for 47 years. I think I win the contest on that. I believe that every person is born into this world with a destiny. As we have seen throughout history, there are people of good moral character, fortitude, vision, compassion, selflessness, honesty, and holiness. Many of these people become leaders in our government, our halls of justice, on the battlefield, and our institutions of higher learning in medical clinical settings and in our religious. Woodrow Wilson here, 28th President of the United States, led us into World War I to, quote, make the world safe for democracy,

[01:51:37] unquote. He is memorialized in stone at the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge. Our ally, Winston Churchill, is most famous for leading Britain to victory during World War II and for his inspiring speeches, especially his famous quote, never, never, never give up. He is memorialized in our U.S. Capitol. Dwight D. Eisenhower, our 34th president and five-star general of the Army during World War II, once stated, a people that values its privileges above its principles

[01:52:13] soon loses both. The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial was dedicated on September 17, 2020. Lastly, this young gentleman is again memorializing those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Over 58,000 servicemen and women nobly lost lives during the Vietnam War.

[01:52:37] Supervisor Vega, Supervisor Bailey, Supervisor Bode, Supervisor Lawson, Supervisor Weir, Supervisor Angry. What is your destiny? What will your legacy be?

[01:52:53] How will you be memorialized? You have a choice today. The citizens of Prince William County have spoken loud and clear at the primary election last month. But your voting record indicates this. Do you really want to be memorialized on a data center after destroying our rural crescent, our environment, our way of life, and desecrating the hallowed ground of those who gave their lives during the Civil War?

[01:53:22] If not, stop all rezonings for data centers until the proper studies are done and proper locations are determined. Wait until the new board is elected in November and takes their seats in January. This is what the electorate told you to do on June 20th.

[01:53:38] Thank you. Thank you for your comments. Next speaker, please. Hello. Chris Winters, Gainesville District. Thank you for your service and your time on the board.

[01:53:57] I'll be short and give some time back this afternoon. I strongly oppose Resolution 10C for the same reasons previously mentioned. In particular, I support timely land use decisions for landowners. Please vote no to this resolution, and thank you for your time.

[01:54:15] Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon. My name is Abby Winters, and I also live in the Gainesville District. I'm here to ask you to please vote no on Supervisor Lawson's Resolution 10C. Thank you. Thank you. And before our next speaker, who is Allie Stoger, We have Sharon Harvey, Carol Fox, Robin Stroud, and Dale Brown.

[01:54:40] So I ask you, does this look like, oh, this is Allie Stoger, Gainesville District.

[01:54:58] And I ask you, does this look like a county that needs more data centers approved? That's Prince William County on the left, Loudoun County on the right. All year long, we've been hearing how we need to catch up to Loudoun. We have to keep up with the Joneses, you know, and all that.

[01:55:14] We've done more than that. What we have in zoning is huge. That's what the people of this county don't know yet. Some people believe that the primary election result was simply a case of motivated residents getting the vote out.

[01:55:31] They couldn't be more wrong. What we're seeing is increasing numbers of county residents who are horrified that they were unaware of the magnitude of the data center transformation of this county. The data center industry understands people don't want data centers nearby.

[01:55:51] The tactic was to ram through as many data campuses as possible via a combination of non-disclosure agreements and proposals that came up for approval at breakneck speed while residents were preoccupied with a pandemic.

[01:56:08] Chair Wheeler allowed this to happen, and the citizens have now said no more. Even now, most citizens of Prince William County have no idea what has been zoned in our neighborhoods. It's not simply a data center here or there, but in actuality are multiple clusters of high-rise data center campuses.

[01:56:30] What you saw in the primary was the beginning of community outrage as increasing numbers of people understand the data center transformation of large swaths of Prince William County. Some of you may choose to believe you can keep voting for these projects with impunity because they don't affect constituents in your district.

[01:56:53] Don't bet on it. We are Americans first. We believe in don't tread on me. And few people in Prince William County are so cold-hearted that they want to see citizens in other parts of our county get trampled again and again and again.

[01:57:11] Only 15% of data centers already zoned in Prince William County are built or operational. We have already zoned twice of what Loudoun had operational when they slowed down approvals. Doesn't that scare you? It should.

[01:57:28] Where's our fail-safe position? Once data center developers have approval, there's no turning back. We need to see the impact of building half of what's already been approved before jumping over the cliff and approving even one more data center campus.

[01:57:44] Now is the time. Hit the stop button, protect the citizens of Prince William County, and vote in favor of Supervisor Lawson's proposal. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Hello.

[01:58:04] My name is Sharon Harvey. I live in Coles District. I did not make a prepared speech because I've learned something here today. I was unaware until we were reminded that there were votes by Ms. Lawson for 15 and 19.

[01:58:23] I'm willing to bet money that nobody was betting for data centers to be in there. Because now we are faced with data centers. They didn't even cross our minds then. In 15 and 19, we were looking at houses being built, roads being improved.

[01:58:43] We weren't looking at these mega data centers with thousands of trees cut down, millions of tons of concrete going to come into this county. And I just hope that you vote for Ms. Lawson's resolution or whatever we're calling this moratorium because your staffs have July, August, September, and October to get their stuff together.

[01:59:16] I have attended so many of these meetings where the staff goes, I don't know, we don't know, don't have the answer to that. We've been asking you to do the homework. You have to push your staff to get that homework done for you.

[01:59:34] And that's all I have to say. I've said this so many times before, but, you know, after 52 years, I think I'm entitled to rant. Okay, thank you. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon.

[01:59:55] My name is Carol Fox. I live in the Gainesville District. It's kind of unusual to talk to you in the afternoon. I'm usually here in the evening. As I drove down here tonight in the daylight, I had the opportunity to go past approximately 19 data centers that are currently under construction right now as I go down to 34 to come down here to speak to you.

[02:00:19] And I say, as I see that many already under construction, I know that there are others that have already been approved. There is no reason why there needs to be a rush to approve any other projects between November 7th and January 1st of 2024.

[02:00:38] Therefore, I think it behooves you to wait and see how all of these new data centers that are going to be coming online in the next couple of years are going to affect our electricity here in Prince William County. I think it's going to be very negative. So I implore you to vote for Ms. Lawson's moratorium on voting for land use between the November election and January 1st of next year.

[02:01:06] Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. As the president of an HOA, I'd like to ask for five minutes. I'm sorry, that's only during public hearings. This is public comment time. Please proceed. Good afternoon.

[02:01:35] My name is Dale Brown. I'm president of the Great Oaks Subdivision Homeowners Association. all of you have come to know great oak and our noise problem well sadly it has now been nearly two years since we were forced to start living with this continuous audibly irritating and health impacting noise from the amazon tannerway data center campus as a direct result of our community's diligence amazon has replaced 40 percent of the rooftop exhaust fan since march and we have only seen a very slight noise improvement as you see on the chart the current 55 to 60 decibel noise level remains at a disturbing level outside and intrusive level inside

[02:02:12] all day, all night, every day of the year. I came here a little less than a year ago and asked all of you to come out and visit me. Asked to contact me and come visit. None of you have taken me up on that offer. We have documented and will continue to document numerous health impacts from this noise, which is the result of your actions. This is why Grado continues to be worried about noise. Prince William County and Manassas City have plans for 11 data centers and eight

[02:02:49] dominion substations, all within a half mile of a once quiet community. Three of these are operational. Manassas City Project Gold is being built, and the others are still planned. There are currently more than 150 operational emergency power diesel generators within a half mile of Great Oak, with just three of the 11 data centers completed. Every diesel needs to be run monthly for maintenance. Each of these is at least twice as large as any car on the road. Great Oak residents wholeheartedly support the agenda item 10C, intent to refrain from scheduling land use public hearings. We request that you pass this resolution. I participated in the first Prince William County Data Center Ordinance Advisory Group meeting on 7 July. This was directed by you,

[02:03:27] the Board of County Supervisors, on 28 February 2023. It took 129 days, five months, to set the first introductory meeting and provide a timeline which proposed the possible adoption of recommended policy changes by 5 February 2025. Yes, I said 2025. I understand that required governance takes time, so realistically you need to stop all data center development in the county immediately and not resume until you've done the work necessary to prove any of them. It has nothing to do with the politics of changing a board. You are required to protect the residents of this county, although you have not thus far demonstrated the will to do so when it pertains to this noise. I remain hopeful.

[02:04:07] Be bold, face your mistakes, learn from each of them, then do what is both needed and right for the people of Prince William County. Otherwise, in turn, each of you will learn that elections have consequences. Thank you. Thank you. Our next five speakers are Rosemary Wright, Colleen O'Donnell, R. Reese, Mile Groves, and Maddie Newhouse.

[02:04:26] Good afternoon. I'm Rosemary Brown-Wright, and I live in the Gainesville Magisterial District.

[02:04:43] For two years, we have been telling this board that we, the voters, are unhappy with the way we are being governed in Prince William County. The voters of Prince William County have endorsed a new Democratic nominee to replace Chair Wheeler on this board. The main reason for the change of leadership is because you stopped listening and abiding by the will of the people of Prince William County.

[02:05:04] Development is out of control. Concrete should not be more important than nature in this county. money should not be more important than people in this county. This present board and the county supervisors up for re-election in November should do the right thing and wait until the voters decide on who will govern in the future.

[02:05:24] The right and correct thing to do now is to wait until we have a board in place that will govern this county for the next four years. We all remember Clint Eastwood's movie, Gran Torino. Remember his classic move in that? And this is not a gun, I'm pointing, because that's what he did in the movie.

[02:05:43] If you incumbent Democratic supervisors truly believe that the land use proposals are such a great idea, then I suggest each of you be bold and open, and let your voters truly know what you stand for, and let this issue be a focal point of your campaigns.

[02:06:01] There are many of us listening and watching in right now, And if you vote against this proposal, be assured that there are many of us who will ensure your voters know what you stand for. Supervisor Lawson has requested this board to abstain from scheduling any controversial land-use public hearings until the future leaders of this county are in place.

[02:06:21] For the members of this board that have lost your way by not listening to your constituents, it is time to listen to what the voters want, and the voters want you to wait. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker, I have Colleen O'Donnell, Rhonda Reese, Miles Grove, Maddie Newhouse, Jessica Grove.

[02:06:47] Good afternoon. Can you hear me? Good afternoon. My name is Colleen O'Donnell, Coles District. I am here today to ask that you vote yes to Janine Lawson's resolution on a moratorium on land use issues during this lame duck session. There have been several speakers prior to me saying this request is unprecedented.

[02:07:06] That is not true. Members of this board voted unanimously in favor of a pause in 2020, so I ask, why would you not do the same today? To the gentleman who said Chair Wheeler didn't lose over data centers, you are partially correct in that data centers aren't the only reason.

[02:07:21] She also lost over her authoritarian movement and marginalizing citizens' voices and creating a misinformation campaign to control the narrative and her self-interest. Mrs. Bailey, you said, and I quote, we've done a yeoman's amount of work, and I think we've done that by listening to the community, their needs, and addressing those needs immediately.

[02:07:41] Really, I don't think the folks whose lives were ripped out from under them, when the majority voted unanimously to pave over their homes in favor of the Route 28 expansion, feel the same way. And I doubt the homeowners who bought their homes thought a data center would be built to stone's throw away.

[02:07:57] To Mr. Bodie, you ran on a platform to protect the Royal Crescent, But yet your pivotal vote in favor of the Preserve on Long Branch development, a.k.a. Mid-County Estates, in 2021 sealed the deal for future development, further encroachment of the county's rural land, and infiltration of the waterways.

[02:08:15] I ask that you stand by the platform you ran on and vote yes today. To the board, you have a full house in support of this resolution, and you've received over 800 emails in support of this measure. I ask the board to vote yes to the land use moratorium. Thank you.

[02:08:34] Next speaker, please. Ms. Reese, I believe you're next. Good afternoon, everyone. Rhonda Reese, Gainesville District.

[02:08:50] How many signs, how many results does the board need to know that the voters have spoken? I am for Janine Lawson's moratorium that she has proposed.

[02:09:14] You know, I kept, I'm hearing words such as antics, political antics. Bob Weir's win, DeShundra's win were not political antics, right? They're results. I think that all of you, especially the ones who voted for Village's Place 2966, and now they're trying to do John Marshall Highway, you need to go take a visit personally.

[02:09:47] I bet none of you have gone personally and seen it. I drive by that every day. I drive by that every day. I'm telling you right now, the negative impacts are already being felt. You say you're for supporting families and students and teachers.

[02:10:06] Well, talk to the people at Tyler. The teachers, the staff at Tyler, which is across the street from Villages Place, are not happy. They are not happy. For me, I've been here almost about 27 some odd years to see all this destruction, all this industrialization really has an impact on me and how I feel.

[02:10:34] And when I went out canvassing and talking to voters, many of which moved here because they didn't want, they were fleeing Ashburn and Loudoun County. They didn't want that. And they're dismayed to see that this is happening right now.

[02:10:50] They didn't sign up to live in a county where they're the largest data center complex in the world. They didn't want that. And please, who goes and takes a walk on a trail, these proposed trails that they want to do near the digital gateway? Come on. Come on, honey.

[02:11:06] Let's go take a walk on the trails near the data centers over here by the battlefield. Come on now. Who does that? No one's not going to be doing that. This has real consequences. It affects people deeply.

[02:11:21] and every day even this construction that's going down uh john marshall highway all these slow trucks these boulders that are in the way their hazards it's not if but when there will be an accident there there will be an accident i almost saw one uh this morning uh these big trucks trying to get into the uh road here and the big uh rocks that fall off their trucks so it's impacting us now and you guys need to own up be bold move forward thank you very much correct be bold

[02:11:56] thank you very much next speaker please hi my name is miles and i am 10 i'm here today to ask you not to make any land use decisions during the lame duck session session i have been here speaking to you several times and i wait i've been here several i've been here speaking to you several

[02:12:35] times and you have not listened please wait until we have a board who actually cares about me my family my quality of life the wildlife natural and historic resources thank you next speaker please hi my name is maddie i live in the gainesville district i live in the royal

[02:13:07] crescent my family moved here a year and a half ago and in hopes of living in the country all of that has changed now. Please vote in favor of the resolution to suspend land use votes during the lame duck session. I want a new board who vows to protect me and my five siblings. Thank you.

[02:13:35] Next speaker please. My name is Jessica Grove and I live in the Gainesville District. I want a board to understand that we are here today again to protect our quality of life and the quality of life that we have tried to create for our families. We moved into the Rural Crescent on purpose with the promise that we would have a right to happiness. This board voted unanimously in 2020 on the same resolution, so I would hope that you would choose the same vote today. You were voted in to protect

[02:14:13] the citizens of Prince William County, and you're not supposed to be taking funds from unions or landowners who will profit from these decisions. If you think these votes are so great, you can vote on them sooner, but it would be reprehensible to vote on permanent decisions on your way out the door. The voters have spoken. We do not want data centers near our homes, schools, or historic sites.

[02:14:36] Ms. Wheeler, when you are in favor of giving the board members a 70 percent raise, you used neighboring Fairfax as an example to follow. You can use that same county as an example in this resolution. As Dr. Ault said, we need more space and less screen time for good mental health. I hope you understand how this has affected so many of your constituents, and development has not even really started yet.

[02:14:59] I hope you are losing just as much sleep at night as I am. There's already a resolution in place for the board not to conduct public hearings on residential land use matters and or land use matters of mixed use with a residential component, including special use permits, rezoning, and comprehensive plan amendments during the intervening period between the general election for the board seats and the seating of the new board.

[02:15:23] please vote yes for this resolution and protect our children and families of prince william county thank you very much our next five speakers are elena schlossberg michael owen recorded ricardo

[02:15:35] paine anne johnson and brandon johnson my name is elena schlossberg and i live in the gainesville district and i can i feel like at some point it's like blah blah blah blah blah blah blah so i have

[02:16:13] something for you guys to to watch everybody can take a tour with the community is this on this is Is this on the overhead? No, now you know, Mike.

[02:16:40] People take transmission lines, data centers, concrete buildings.

[02:17:15] I mean, look at this. Become to this. Don't become immune to this impact. There's more transmission lines that way.

[02:17:35] So now we're on Loudoun County Parkway. Oh, massive.

[02:17:53] Digital realty. That's a short one. But you see the new one size. Oh, look, here on the left, more is coming. And this is what doesn't have power yet. This is what's putting the stress on our grid. Here we go.

[02:18:12] Our dear friends, QTS, taking you down Pageland Lane to remind people how beautiful this road is.

[02:18:31] I forgot we drove by the church and the gravesite for Jenny Dean. That is also part of this history. Look how beautiful this is. Just beautiful.

[02:18:51] I want everybody to understand that is the vision that citizens are rejecting for this county. That is what we don't want. And I want to remind everybody here, you have a copy of the resolution submitted by Supervisor Bode that was unanimously supported by this board, February 4, 2020.

[02:19:17] The board shall not conduct public hearings on residential land use matters and or land use matters of mixed use with a residential component, including applications for special permits, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, during the intervening period between the general election for the board seats and the seating of the new board.

[02:19:35] Supervisor Bode, do you remember why you did that? That still stands today. Thank you very much, Ms. Slosberg. I wasn't done yet. I'm sorry. Please support Supervisor Lawson's resolution. Next speaker, please.

[02:19:52] My name is Mike Owen. I wish I had a video of what we would look like when China beats us at the AI battle right now.

[02:20:09] But I'm here to just mention that I feel like it's a painful thing that the candidate for the chair would move to belittle the position of which she is being called. Supervisor Lawson has moved to give up her morals as she moves to leave her voting record behind for her personal political agenda.

[02:20:28] Her becoming a puppet for a few nasty folks from Oak Valley and Heritage Hunt is taking its toll, and their push for an unhealthy agenda is driving problems for our county, our state, and our nation. I am hopeful that those elected to their seats are allowed to do their jobs and let their votes count and that this moratorium be shut down.

[02:20:51] Members are called to serve for a full four-year term and vote accordingly. I hope that some of my so-called neighbors will not continue to berate and threaten this board from working to make Prince William County better.

[02:21:07] I hope the board will do the right thing and push this moratorium away. Remember that only 4% of voting members showed up for her vote. That's not really making up constituents.

[02:21:25] It's more of a witch hunt. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon. Madam Chair, Board of County Supervisors, County Attorney.

[02:21:43] Good afternoon to you again, Mr. Shorter. My name is Mrs. Johnson, and I am from the Woodbridge District. I'm continuing to speak publicly as a wife, expecting mother in my third trimester. I was thinking about that. You guys have been on this journey with me, which is a good and bad thing.

[02:21:59] Good that you've been on a journey. Bad that it's still my third trimester and nothing's been done, but I'll keep going. an advocate for families whom desire to foster and ultimately adopt the most vulnerable children within Prince William County. Mr. Shorter, as our family first contacted you, that was January 23rd, as it relates to our treatment as foster parents.

[02:22:20] We began to speak to you publicly on March 7th. Yet, you did not speak to our family publicly, let's make that clear, until June 6, 2023. You said if there were concerns in your administration which needed to be addressed, you would take action. Unfortunately, as we expected, you've done nothing.

[02:22:40] I do not have confidence you care about our concerns as foster parents. You have not asked Mr. Elijah Johnson to follow up with our family about strategically omitted documents and the information request. There's a Freedom of Information Act. Unless you have not notified our family, you have not asked Quentin Haynes to begin the investigation.

[02:23:01] You have not called our family and told us why your investigation was not completed by the end of June. We were reasonable. We gave you a little time, and I was hoping that my baby would be here. We gave you time. You did nothing. You have not taken a position about why your staff has referred to me by different names.

[02:23:21] No position at all, which in theory would lead me to assume that you're okay with that. You haven't done anything except to attempt, attempt, I'll be clear with that, attempt to pacify my family. My father always said to me, and he's right there, young lady, get the definition of terms.

[02:23:40] Don't just get to talking. Get the definition of terms. Pacify, to cause someone who is angry or upset to be calm. Calm, pardon me, or quiet. I'm very calm. You actually get a very calm version of me while I'm pregnant.

[02:23:57] A very calm version of me. But one thing I won't do is be quiet. Mr. Shorter, we don't need to be pacified. We don't need that. I'm not angry. We don't need to be pacified. We need you to be a man of your word. A man of your word.

[02:24:13] My husband is a man of his word. My father is a man of his word. We are asking you to be a man of your word. As a public servant, what you said, I read well what you said, Mr. Shorter, and do a thorough investigation with the full facts.

[02:24:29] We will pacify our newborn baby, and I promise you, I am counting the days till this baby gets here. We will pacify our newborn baby. We will not accept your attempt to pacify our family. Thank you.

[02:24:44] Next speaker, please. Good afternoon. My name is Pastor Ricardo Payne of the Potomac District. That was my baby girl. We have seven children, 27 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

[02:25:07] And the same comment that were made then, back in January, we're making now. I do not appreciate, on any level, my daughter being referred to as a guinea pig, period. My last name is Payne. I married all of my children, six of them, the seventh one next month.

[02:25:27] I don't appreciate that. I've asked the board, the council to investigate that. Nothing's been done. I do not appreciate the fact that our grandson was taken from my daughter and her husband without any explanation.

[02:25:43] It was just done arbitrarily. I do not appreciate the fact that we sit, we listen, we listen. Only two members on the council have at least responded to my daughter and said something.

[02:25:59] But, you know, being a Baptist preacher, well, I want to be clear about this. This is not a Nicodemus at Night event. This is in broad daylight. We still haven't done anything. And, yes, my voice is at preaching level now.

[02:26:15] Because something should have been done, could have been done, nothing was done. And yet we sit here every single time and say the same things, say the nice things, and nothing has happened. Yet, regarding the removal of the child, my grandson.

[02:26:35] So I would appreciate either investigating it, it was wrong, it's illegal, it's immoral. Whatever the case may be, something needs to be done. We need to get it done.

[02:26:51] No more lollygagging and jolly popping. No more making us feel good. What has happened still remains wrong. I respect people that stand up and be a man. I respect women that stand up and be women.

[02:27:07] Yes, we're in the United States of America. And yes, we're in a divisive situation all the time in our country. But in the county that I live, for the very people I went and served as the United States Army officer, not to get a straight answer, that is wrong.

[02:27:27] Thank you very much. Our next five speakers, Ricardo Payne was called but didn't come up. Raquetta Payne? Oh, okay, thank you. Then I have somebody else, Brendan Johnson.

[02:27:44] Okay. Raquetta Payne, Robert Pixley, Jennifer Wirth, Nancy Armour, and Chuck Zumbaugh.

[02:28:01] Raquetta Payne, Robert Pixley, Jennifer Wirth, Nancy Armour, Chuck Zumbaugh. If Raquetta Payne isn't here, Robert Pixley may start, please.

[02:28:23] Can I have the overhead?

[02:28:35] My name is Robert Pixley. I live in the Coles District. I'm here to speak on to the resolution for the moratorium on land use decisions. I'm not opposed to data centers, but the implementation has been, to be charitable, flawed.

[02:28:55] As you can see on this map here, I live in the Great Oaks Subdivision. We're going to have 11 data centers within a half a mile, 11. This map is for the residents of Prince William County. This is coming for your neighborhood if this goes through.

[02:29:16] So 11. We have three now with continual 55 to 60 decibel noise 24-7. Add eight more. That's going to be just crazy. There was on both sides of the political aisle in the primary for the chair of this committee clearly said, we need to hold off.

[02:29:38] The data center thing is getting out of control. We need to rethink this. I would hope that we could honor that unified, seemingly rare voice these days that there's a problem here. And we all agree, obviously not everybody, but a good majority said maybe we should find a different course.

[02:29:55] To quote the band Rush, if you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice. Sometimes choosing not to decide is the correct answer in the long term. And I would hope that you would please support Supervisor Lawson's moratorium proposition.

[02:30:10] Thank you. Next speaker, please. Hello. My name is Jennifer Worth. I'm a 20-year resident of Prince William County, and I respectfully thank each of you for your service to this county.

[02:30:30] Your job is not easy, that's for sure. I am asking today that you oppose Supervisor Lawson's resolution to put a moratorium on the land use votes. Twenty years ago, I was in this very building, applying for a special use permit to build my own home.

[02:30:49] I had vision of creating a place in the northern Prince William County to build a home, to raise a family. There were cows across the street. It's changed a lot in that time. And so I just want to say that at that time, I respected the process.

[02:31:09] I went through the hoops. I waited in the line, pregnant, with a toddler, and I respect that process still today. Do not let the voices today disparage or deter you. You do represent all of your constituents, not just the loud ones, the mean ones, those yelling.

[02:31:29] Yes, they're scared. We're all scared of change. But I'm asking you to continue to represent us. We voted for you. You still have a job to do. Please vote no for the resolution to put a memorandum on the land use decisions.

[02:31:46] I believe in you. I believe you have the power to make the decision that is best for all residents, not just the handful of us loud ones. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Could you turn the overhead on for me, please?

[02:32:11] Good afternoon, Chair Wheeler and Supervisors. Thank you for having us here today. My name is Nancy Armour, and I am in the Occoquan District. In 2020, in a unanimous vote, this board passed a general rule that prevents any public hearings on residential and or land use of mixed-use residential components during a lame duck session.

[02:32:34] The board already agreed that you should not continue to hear land use cases during your entire term. It is logical that this same general rule also applies to commercial land use cases as proposed in the resolution today. I'm here today to implore you to vote yes to the resolution that would refrain from hearing commercial land use cases during this lame duck session.

[02:33:01] The primary election held in June shows that the citizens of this county demand a different direction than where the current chair has led us. Both Democrat and Republican voters held Ann Wheeler, chair of supervisors, accountable for her continued lack of respect and disinterest in listening to the majority of the citizens who represent the broader public's best interests.

[02:33:21] The recent county elections, including the supervisor race for Gainesville District, resulted in Democrats voting for Republicans, Republicans voting for Democrats. We even saw a Democrat run on the Republican ticket. This shows that the citizens of the county see the current lack of leadership as nonpartisan.

[02:33:37] The citizens will vote for the person that they best feel represented them. To claim data centers was not a factor in the election proves again that the current chair is completely out of touch with the citizens of this county. For the first time in my life, I'm now actively involved in local politics.

[02:33:53] I've taken action solely because of the ongoing rubber stamp approvals of data centers in Prince William County by the majority of the current supervisors. Most of the people I've met over the last year have also never been involved in local politics until this issue of data center proliferation in our county arose.

[02:34:10] None of you were elected in the November 2019 platform on the platform to eliminate the rural crescent. None of you were elected to make Prince William County home to the largest concentration of data centers in the world. Some of you, such as Chairman or Supervisor Bode, actually ran on the platform to protect the rural crescent.

[02:34:31] and yet your votes continue to violate the trust that we put in you when you were elected. Your actions continue to endanger a beautiful landscape that many count on to remain untouched by corporate backdoor corporate shenanigans. That's my daughter's sentence. She lived and grew up here. Let's not allow another few months of this board to continue to vote based on your own agendas, or should I say Ann Wheeler's agenda, rather than the agenda of the citizens of Prince William County.

[02:34:57] Please vote yes for the resolution today. Thank you. Next speaker, please. My name is Chuck Zumbaugh, Sr., and there are three more Chucky's behind me.

[02:35:17] I'm also a Gainesville resident, and I support Supervisor Lawson's lame duck resolution. In fact, I think it should take effect sooner because too many issues involving the Prince William Digital Gateway have not been fully vetted.

[02:35:37] For instance, developer-provided tax revenue estimate is unsupported and intentionally overstated. Number two, building height math doesn't add up. QTS states building heights will be limited to 43 feet, but claims a need for another 22 feet to accommodate air conditioners.

[02:36:04] That means it's going to be 65 feet. Even a Sherman tank isn't that tall. Number two, delayed critical water study. BOCS delayed critical water study until after rezoning approvals.

[02:36:22] Turning a major watershed into more water-impervious land before we understand potential impact it could have on our drinking water is akin to locking the barn after the horse is stolen.

[02:36:39] Noise. We have learned that data centers do generate a lot of loud, constant air conditioner and generator noise. What efforts have been made to mitigate these effects? The massive amount of paperwork submitted by the developers must have overwhelmed the planning staff.

[02:37:02] These issues should be fully vetted before we approve any more rezoning requests to turn the rural crescent into the Prince William Digital Gateway. Let's take the time to do it right and vote for Super Lawson's resolution. Thank you very much.

[02:37:19] Thank you. Our next five speakers are Mary Loren, Elizabeth Nelson, Edward Raley, Audrey Atkins, and Lindy Atkins. Mary Loren, Elizabeth Nelson, Edward Raley, Audrey Atkins, Lindy Atkins.

[02:37:43] Feel free to start. We're just going to keep on moving on. Hi, I'm Elizabeth Nelson, and I live in the Gainesville District. I am in favor specifically of the Prince William Digital Gateway as the ideal solution to decreasing the tax burden on the everyday resident while consolidating data centers away from schools and neighborhoods.

[02:38:12] as well as opening up the exclusive rural crescent from the protected, gated communities guarded by rich elites, but instead convert that green space into usable trails, parks, wildlife, corridors, and greenways for everyone to enjoy.

[02:38:32] Because I believe this is the smart thing to do for the county and the moral thing to do for its residents, I oppose the politically motivated moratorium and ask that this board, those who have been involved in the research process of this project, each of you, also be the ones to vote on the facts determined by that research.

[02:38:54] We voted for all of you to serve a full four years and expect you, and thank you, for doing just that. Please oppose Supervisor Lawson's resolution. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon. I'm Edward Raley, Gainesville District.

[02:39:13] three things for you. No on 10C. Yes, on the digital gateway, bring it to a vote. And some commendation, some empathy for you. So 10C is just silly. I guess I see maybe everyone at one time or another has supported such a thing. In this particular case, we all know what it's for.

[02:39:30] It's just a political stunt, or it's a great, it's just disenfranchisement, pure and simple, shut down discussion, tiny majority, bam, you got control, you shut everything down, and then someone changes their mind. And you can't because you're not talking anymore, right? So I want you to talk.

[02:39:46] Please do your jobs, what you're elected to do. Two, yeah, please move the digital gateway forward. Make a decision, yay or nay. Finally, some encouragement. For those of you who have worked for that gateway, I've watched over two plus years. You've done a great job. I'm sad about how many attacks you've had and the vitriol and the personal stuff.

[02:40:07] And I'm not political, so it wouldn't bother me normally, but the people who are doing it to you are my neighbors. And so I heard someone say, like, oh, we're going to live in this county forever. We're always just going to be happy when things go forward. You know, we're not. There's some damage. There are consequences, neighbors, who have attacked this board.

[02:40:23] There are consequences. I will never look at you the same way. Maybe there's some reconciliation to be had, but that's really painful to me. So anyway, so I feel this for myself. I can't imagine being the target of this. So I feel for you. Thank you for your great work. I encourage you, please do it.

[02:40:40] Finish the good work you've started. Sorry for the reference. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Hi, my name is Audrey Atkins, and I live in the Gainesville District.

[02:40:56] I am here today in opposition to Supervisor Lawson's resolution. My reason for opposing is that this board of county supervisors was elected to serve a full term, and Supervisor Lawson's proposal would not allow you to serve your constituents for the full term.

[02:41:22] I feel each duly elected supervisor by the voters of Prince William County should be allowed to perform your duties for the full term of your elected office unhindered. And for that reason, I ask you to vote no to Supervisor Lawson's proposal.

[02:41:42] Thank you. Before our next speaker, I want to call up the next five. Paige Snyder, Ali Imam, Chuck Wilson, George Borden, and Patrick Harters. Please proceed. My name is Lindy Atkins. I live in the Gainesville district. That was my wife who just spoke. For the sake of time, I'm just going to say ditto to what she just said. I am opposed to Lawson's proposal, so please vote no. Thank you.

[02:42:16] Thank you. Next speaker is Paige Snyder, then Ali Imam, Chuck Wilson, George Borden, Patrick Harters. Hello, I'm Paige Snyder of Gainesville. I've lived on Pageland Lane for 73 years.

[02:42:34] Most of the farmers on Pageland Lane are generational farmers, some going back to the families of Endem since the 1800s. The residents of Pageland Lane have endured years of rapidly increasing and congested traffic, all while neighboring gated communities remain unaffected and add to the problems on Pageland.

[02:42:55] It's time for a change. We propose closing through traffic on Pageland Lane and redirecting it to the four-lane divide highway in Heritage Hunt. This will give everyone a real-time perspective on how things have changed for us in the last several years.

[02:43:12] In recent years, Pageland has been subjected to increased residential, industrial, and commuter traffic, as well as massive transmission lines. With the enormous growth of Loudoun County and the large development in Heritage Hunt in Oaks Valley, our once peaceful lane has become a thoroughfare for the burdensome traffic we never signed up for.

[02:43:35] What makes matters worse is the approval of the massive data center by Supervisor Lawson in December 2019. This was during, as you all know, during a lame duck session. But I want to point out there were no objections nor concern expressed by the Battlefield Park, Heritage Hunt, Oak Valley, the Civil War Trust, or NPCA. It is important to also point out that the residents of Pageland Lane were not informed of this zoning. The fix was in. Lawson's big-time Republican donor Buchanan was the applicant, and it took less than an hour to approve it. Gainesville Crossing was a

[02:44:12] precedent-setting massive data center project outside the overlay next to the Manassas Battlefield and the rural area where I live.

[02:44:49] We want to emphasize that Pageland Lane is not rural. We have been unfairly burdened by the consequences of irresponsible development and unchecked industrial growth. It's time for Lawson and her allies to understand the decisions they make that impact our lives.

[02:45:07] We cannot allow self-serving political tactics and misinformation to dictate our future. She has failed to create opportunities, meaningful opportunities for Prince William County residents, and has prioritized keeping the western end exclusive and inaccessible to the majority.

[02:45:24] Paige Landlain deserves fairness and respect. It is time for change, and Janine Lawson has proven she is not the leader we need to achieve it. Democrats, don't let MAGA Lawson bully you. Thank you. Your time is up. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Ali Imam, Gainesville District.

[02:45:46] Thank you, respected board members, for your hard work for Prince William County. I agree with exactly what Paige Snyder just said. I also oppose the Agenda Item 10C, where Supervisor Lawson is proposing not to schedule any land use public hearings from November 7th through December 31st, 2023, which is simply unfair for Prince William County.

[02:46:12] And it further evidence that Supervisor Lawson is just a hypocrite. She herself voted for a land use case on December 10th, 2019, during a laying dock session.

[02:46:29] It's clear that she only wants this restriction now because it suits her political ambitions. Please let our elected officials serve a full term. Their vote means the same on day one as it does on the last day in office.

[02:46:46] So please vote no to Agenda Item 10C. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Chuck Wilson, Gainesville District. Supervisor Lawson has introduced a resolution to prohibit any land use applications coming before the county board in November and December of this year.

[02:47:13] Such a resolution would break precedence and would be a significant change in policy for the board. The present board should continue to take votes no matter when it happens during your term. you were elected to serve four years and make county policy not three and a half years your vote means just as much on day one as it does on the last day of your turn i respectfully ask that you oppose the resolution being offered by supervisor lawson thank you thank you next speaker

[02:47:44] please my name is george borden and i live in the gainesville district i moved to my current residence in 1993 when i moved here i realized especially with the proximity of the dullest International Airport, there would certainly be much progress that would certainly change the area. I believe that the time has come for the progress to go forward. I think it will be great

[02:48:20] for Prince William County. I am for the digital gateway, and I ask the board to vote no on Supervisor Lawson's resolution so the board can finish what they have spent so much of their time on. In closing, I've heard the subject of the diesel generators for backup power come up so many times. And my understanding is there's a four-foot diameter natural gas pipeline that goes through the middle of the proposed data center land. And I think if the board has not already

[02:48:59] addressed it, pursuing natural gas as a more environmentally clean fuel for the backup generators should be considered. Thank you. Thank you. Before our next speaker, I want to call the next five to line up. Marilyn Karp, Shen Wilkins, Karen Sheehan, Joel Wilkins, and Mike Malinoski. Please proceed. My name is Patrick Harters in the Gainesville District. Almost 60 years ago, actually on August 28th, we're going to be celebrating a man that stood in front of

[02:49:33] our country, when our country is divided, and gave a unifying message that both Democrats and Republicans claim to be their own. And Martin Luther King said, I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but the content of their character. After this last election, I left here and I read Ann's article or her excerpt, where she claimed it was not the data centers, but it was people getting their seat

[02:50:08] at the table. In other words, it was the color of her skin, and it was not. It was the content of your character that had been on display for the last three and a half years, the way you treated people, your policies and your judgment that was put on judgment on that day, and that is why you lost that election. Tying yourself to Ann Wheeler's continuing efforts to push this data center through is the same thing as Republicans tying themselves to Nixon in the 70s. It's a losing

[02:50:39] issue. This is not a good issue to follow. My warning, my judgment, my admission that I would say to each one of you is we need to move forward. We have something put before us to not make a decision during this lame duck session. We go back to 2019 where the Democrats stood. They had a unified party with Ann at the top, and they were all going to work together to build a greater Prince William County. We now look at what's going to happen. DeShundra, who I supported, she is going to campaign against each of you if you vote for this today, because you will be known

[02:51:18] as data center Democrats. That is what you're going to be campaigning against. On the other side, the Republicans are going to be a unified voice. Janine Lawson at the top is a formidable candidate with the Republicans speaking for the common people, the people that are coming here saying, I don't want my land to be destroyed. I don't want this area to be destroyed. And you hear the people that are speaking, they are the ones that are not financially invested in this.

[02:51:47] And so I ask each of you to pause and take a moment to look at our future together and how we could unify together and how we could make the best decisions for our county. And I ask each of you to vote with Janine Lawson today and vote unanimously to send a message that you have heard the will of the people. Next speaker, please. Marilyn Karp and Monarch Butterfly, Gainesville

[02:52:26] District. We are living in a climate crisis. You read it in story after story in the news, and the head of the United Nations is shouting it from the rooftops. But here we sit in Prince William County, Virginia, arguing about data centers, which by their very nature are a climate crisis.

[02:52:50] And now people like you, Andrea Bailey, like you, Margaret Franklin, like you, Kenny Bodie, and like you, Victor Angry, and of course you, Ann Wheeler, will consider continuing to approve the data centers that will cause the climate crisis here in Prince William County to be even worse.

[02:53:11] This dual problem of the climate crisis that you will cause to happen and the one that nature brings will affect everybody in the county. It would most assuredly affect the most vulnerable people in the county.

[02:53:27] The people who can barely afford to pay their electric bill now, who may not be able to afford air conditioning, and the elderly and the children. We have already seen the climate crisis here in Prince William County with the smoke from the wildfires.

[02:53:45] You keep telling everybody you're going to make $400 million, but that is a total and absolute lie. With no real data to back it up, it's going to take a lot of infrastructure before you could get to the point where the data centers were generating that kind of income.

[02:54:05] The infrastructure you will need to build will come from my taxes and every other citizen who pays taxes in this county. We are out of power for these data centers. If you keep building, people may die because the power will fail, the heat will be unbearable, the air will become unbreathable because the data centers will be running on their diesel generators.

[02:54:34] This is your chance to show the citizens of Prince William County that you, Margaret, Victor, Andrea, and Anne, that you are actually human beings who care about other people. Vote yes on Lawson's resolution.

[02:54:53] So show us that you still have a conscience and a moral compass. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Jen Wilkins, Page Land Lane resident.

[02:55:13] I would like to propose this county reduces some of its elections. Can you pull the microphone down so we can hear you? And I'd like to ask this county to maybe save a little of the electric bill by not making it so cold in this building.

[02:55:31] But, of course, I'm not sitting under big bright lights. Anyway, this, I oppose this further delay again. This is not like some project that just popped up that they're trying to rush through.

[02:55:50] The applicants have been bending over backwards, jumping through hoops for over two years, trying to get this so that somebody could actually see, you know, just presented. Why not?

[02:56:05] What are these people afraid of that they don't want anyone to actually see the plan? I'd like to see the plan. What I've seen of it looks pretty good. Anyway, let me see if I'm not going to put – anyway, Pageland homeowners, we've been on hold.

[02:56:26] We've had our lives in limbo for the last couple of years. We deserve a hearing. The applicants – yeah, I'm with you. I'm sorry. Please don't. I have no problem. Don't engage. Thank you. The Democrat members of this board, though, have been unfairly attacked, accused, slandered, sued, had a lot of stuff thrown at them.

[02:56:53] And at this point, I sure hope that you're not going to reward their bad behavior by letting them win. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please.

[02:57:21] Karen Sheehan, Gainesville District. When I knew I needed to come and speak to this session, I was grappling with what to say. And then I finally came up with it. It is important that elected representatives be accountable, consistent, transparent, and fair in decision making.

[02:57:48] We must call them out when they are not. This requires monitoring the actions and statements of our representatives and ensuring they prioritize the best interests of all the people they seek to serve, not just one group.

[02:58:11] These words encapsulate exactly why this board chamber is full of residents. We have, as of an hour ago, had 904 online emails sent to you.

[02:58:29] When you combine that with the direct outreach, that is well over 1,000. That is more than the Prince William County sent to the General Assembly years ago. The words I just said explain exactly why one of you on this dais knows she won't be here next January.

[02:58:56] These words encapsulate exactly what voters in February and June chose. These words foretell how voters will be choosing their representatives in November.

[02:59:11] these words explain exactly why this land use moratorium resolution is the right thing to do for all the county residents if this resolution is defeated you on this dais have proven that you are supporting only one group by the way i didn't come up with those words

[02:59:38] Those words were written and published in the Prince William Times, the Inside Nova, and more today by Mary Ann Gadban, the instigator of the Digital Gateway and Page Land owner. These words tell you succinctly why you must vote yes for all the people in the county.

[03:00:00] My last word goes to my six-year-old granddaughter, Kaylin Blair Sheehan LaVertiere. I vote for yes. Next speaker, please.

[03:00:16] Actually, before the next speaker comes up, I'm going to read the next five. Will Eller, Teresa Minns, Thomas Archer, Ruthann Pizaretz, and David Seary. Please proceed. Joel Wilkins, I live on Gainesville, or Gainesville District on Pageland Lane.

[03:00:34] Applicants and citizens come before this board. You're the governing body. You decide yay or nay on projects. It's not unreasonable to expect a timely yay or nay on a project. If you don't like the project, vote no. But I don't understand the people who are in favor of this moratorium.

[03:00:54] What's going to happen in January if you guys voted to approve these dastardly projects that they're so afraid of right now? Anyway, it's unfair to delay and delay and delay and hope applicants and citizens just go away.

[03:01:12] You guys are public servants. You work till the end of the year. So work till the end of the year. Address issues that the citizens bring to you. Yay or nay, that's all you got to do. Yes or no. Thank you for your service.

[03:01:29] Thank you. Next speaker, please. Hello, my name is Will Eller from Cat Harpin. Right now, there's numerous localities in the state of Virginia that would love for data centers to come their way, begging for the new development.

[03:01:48] Yet here we are trying to turn down a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for development with significant economic benefits. Studies show there's very few locations left in Prince William County that are suitable for this type of data center development, with no real viable options within the overlay district.

[03:02:05] and that the 2,000-plus acres in the Paysland Lane Corridor could be one of the best ones they've seen in the United States. It's very likely Prince William County will not get another opportunity like this again. Prince William County clearly needs to increase its commercial tax base.

[03:02:22] Prince William County's commercial tax base has gone down to 12% versus Loudon's 40%. Loudon isn't complaining about that $700 million added to their tax base and a 20% lower tax rate than Prince William County. Loudoun and Fairfax are reaping the benefits of data centers.

[03:02:38] Soon also will be Falk here in Stafford. Having the rezoning application come before the board for a vote in the next several months has taken a long time. The applicants have spent a lot of time and money satisfying all the requirements and requests made of them, and the landowners in the Paisland area have been living with not knowing where they will be in the future.

[03:02:59] The applicants and property owners deserve a decision on this rezoning application be made in a timely manner before the end of the year. I'm against Supervisor Lawson's proposed resolution for the board to abstain from scheduling, discussing, or voting on certain land use projects during the lame duck session of this election year.

[03:03:16] It's very obvious to proponents of this rezoning application that this resolution clearly benefits the opposition and certain political goals. Supervisor Lawson has voted in land use cases during the same time in previous election years.

[03:03:33] Land use or any other projects or cases shouldn't become political or be accelerated or delayed for personal gain or narrative. I'm opposed to the fact that a small but very vocal group of activists with the help of several environmental organizations are pushing their fear-mongering and misinformation on the board and other Prince William County residents.

[03:03:54] This group of not-in-my-backyard activists has no business speaking for the majority of the residents in Prince William County. These same activists and the director of the coalition to protect Prince William County have stated how transmission towers have ruined areas and will forever impact the country atmosphere that they claim is there and ruin the pastoral views of the mountains and the green space around it.

[03:04:17] They've also stated how transmission lines damage the ruralness of an area, people's property values, lives, and increases the odds of childhood leukemia by up to 70%. I respectfully ask that you vote down this proposed resolution from Supervisor Lawson and support this rezoning application and bring it to a vote by the board as soon as possible before the November elections.

[03:04:39] Keep every resident in mind, not just the affluent and loud. Stand up for what you have supported and don't be intimidated by today's threats. Thank you. Your time is up. Thank you. Next speaker, please.

[03:04:58] Oops. Three cements, the Potomac District. One thing I'd like to request is that you all do something about Mrs. Johnson's concern about her child, okay?

[03:05:16] I was stolen at two and a half years old, and you never forget that crap. So do something and explain to her why she cannot have her child back, okay? You think I got this away for no reason at all?

[03:05:35] Wrong. Okay, I want to thank the law enforcement and first responders for all that they do. And we've had nothing but betrayal from this board, this Democrat board. They betrayed our Constitution, and they are the enemy of freedom.

[03:05:56] They're nothing but white-collar criminals. And from day one, this Democrat board has disrespected the citizens of Prince William County, Wheeler being their leader. Wheeler, you lost this election.

[03:06:12] You took the opportunity to insult Supervisor Lawson. because of her support for Trump. Let me tell you something. The Republican Party, especially here in Prince William County, is anti-Trump, okay? So get over it. President Trump's voters have been disrespected by the Republican Party. And may I add, okay, you Republicans don't like the truth?

[03:06:43] Suck it up, okay? And Wheeler, you have shown disrespect to the citizens, and yet when they go clap or do something, you call them out on it. When you're up there making faces all the time, you're not making faces right now, but normally you do. Now you're making your face. Gee, minis, okay? I just cannot believe the stuff that goes on. I do support what Supervisor Lawson

[03:07:17] is supporting because we've had more people in here explain why they're against data centers. And Bailey, this gentleman, the pastor, Payne, he's in your district.

[03:07:36] Get something done about this foster child. What is going on with this child? It's criminal. You're, I swear, people just make me sick. And Bodie, you are a liar.

[03:07:52] You said you would protect the rural crescent, and you did not. You did not. You gang of five have done everything to go against us. Next speaker, please.

[03:08:12] Good afternoon. Ruthann Pizaritz, Gainesville District. We're looking for leadership here. Can you make sure you put the microphone up so we can hear you? Thank you. Sir, looking for leadership.

[03:08:29] I'm opposed to the intent put forward by Supervisor Lawson. Her asking for this intention is paramount to saying, let's play tug of war, but you need to vote and have no rope.

[03:08:45] Can we put something into perspective here? In the most recent primary, although an abysmal showing by the electorate, Amir's 12%. The Democrats did receive twice as many votes as the Republicans. That means this board continues to support two-thirds of the residents of Prince William County.

[03:09:06] So they are counting on you to continue to vote on their behalf, not the vocal one-third, and to continue to vote during the full four years, not three and a half. In a world where you might hear the yapping of a chihuahua, continue your legacy of being the stalwart St. Bernard's.

[03:09:26] Thank you for your work on behalf of Prince William residents. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon. My name is Tom Archer. I live in the Gainesville District.

[03:09:45] First off, for all of you up there, I'm very sorry for the personal attacks that people are making here that are unfounded on both sides. I happen to think that we should not put a moratorium, so I do disagree with the vote.

[03:10:07] But I think that we need to have more civil dialogue about what's going on. There are really good reasons to vote for the data centers. There are also, if you have reasons to vote against them, those need to be well-founded.

[03:10:26] What I've experienced is just literal bullying on social media when I try to talk about it. When the data center people tried to have meetings, they had to shut those down because they couldn't educate the populace because of threats of violence.

[03:10:44] So I would say list the reasons why we should have the centers and have the vote now. I think a lot of people would listen to you and probably are getting sick and tired of the vitriol. Anyways, thank you all for your work, and I hope you have a good day.

[03:11:03] Thank you. Before our next speaker, I'm going to call up the next five. Steve Lorenz, Ken Nahr, Marianne Gadban, Bruce Ridgeway, and Colin Wirth. Good afternoon. My name is Dave Seri. I've been a resident of Gainesville for 23 years, and I oppose Supervisor Lawson's proposal.

[03:11:22] And I support the Digital Gateway. I think if elections have consequences, the current board has an obligation to move forward with decisions previously made by the County Planning Commission and this board.

[03:11:40] I think the data center is such an important step forward for the county and all its citizens. You know, there's half a million people in the county, not just the people who show up here, and certainly not just the vocal people from, you know, kind of elite community.

[03:12:03] And I think you need to speak for them. They're really counting on this in terms of the tax relief and the revenues that will be provided for schools and first responders. Anyway, I appreciate the work you've done, and I hope you move forward with it.

[03:12:20] Thanks very much. Thank you. Next speaker, please.

[03:12:33] Stephen Lawrence. Gainesville District. I, for one, am going to miss in the future someday Chair Wheeler's chipper and lighthearted procedure that gets carried out throughout these long four, five, six, ten, 18-hour events. I'm impressed you've managed to maintain decorum throughout some of these.

[03:13:06] Anyway, I'm here to rise in very strong opposition to 10C. And I don't know who wrote this, but this word salad is just horrible. If you want to ban something, then ban something. Don't say the board's not allowed to do anything unless it follows Virginia law. And don't put the board subservient to the planning commission. The planning commission is the board's planning

[03:13:41] commission. They're an advisory board. And so I guess I don't really have a whole lot to say other than this is just a silly thing. And so I really vote, I really suggest that both Republicans and Democrats on this board oppose this resolution.

[03:14:03] Sometimes things are just a bad idea. Thanks a lot. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Ken Nahr, Gainesville District. All county elected officials are responsible for conducting countywide business on behalf of their constituents for a specific term.

[03:14:25] To not do so would be irresponsible. This board's tenure and therefore your responsibility to represent your constituents runs through 31 December 2023. The true purpose behind this motion, in my personal opinion, is in fact to disempower you, which would disenfranchise, marginalize, and exclude your constituents from the political process.

[03:14:50] I respectfully request you vote no to this moratorium. These terms are generally not terms associated with good legislation and governance. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon.

[03:15:11] My name is Marianne Gadban. I'm a lifelong resident of Prince William County and a 40-year resident of Pajon Lane. Janine Lawson, your resolution is lame and you're not being honest with the public. Explain to the public how in December 2019, you and the outgoing Republican Party, after losing four seats in that election, voted to approve Gainesville Crossing during the lame duck session before the new Democratic board took office.

[03:15:45] Janine, you just can't handle the truth. Again, you voted to approve the precedent-setting Gainesville Crossing data center during a lame duck session in December 2019. What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

[03:16:04] Gainesville Crossing was a precedent-setting vote. You approved the very first massive 3 million square foot data center next to the Manassas Battlefield on Pageland Lane, outside of the overlay corridor, which you created, next door to Conway Forest outside of Heritage Hunt, and next door to the residents in the former rural Crescent on Pajon Lane.

[03:16:30] Janine, you couldn't have had a bigger smile on your face that night. You were practically giddy over this project. The quotes of the night are this. It's the best location in Prince William County for data centers due to the massive transmission lines.

[03:16:47] And this project would have more mitigation measures to protect the battlefield than any other project in Prince William County. All of your recent protesting over data centers is a ruse. And an attempt to dupe the public and deflect the blame you deserve for creating the unproffered, unprotected, by-right data center overlay quarter in 2016.

[03:17:11] You were the data center darling. You got an award in 2017 from the data center industry. You're a hypocrite and a political chameleon who changes colors when it suits your political agenda. The comp plan change on Pageland Lane was approved in 2022 for a data center corridor at the request of the residents of Pageland Lane.

[03:17:38] Over 400 families requested this change because Pageland Lane is an industrial commuter cut through from 66 to Loudoun County and due to the massive transmission lines. The very same reasons you approved Gainesville Crossing.

[03:17:54] I ask the board to please vote no for Lawson's lame resolution. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon. My name is Bruce Ridgeway at Gainesville District. Like Mary Ann, I am a lifelong resident of this wonderful county.

[03:18:12] I'm not here to talk specifically about dynasitters. No matter what side of the aisle you're on, that information has been regurgitated over and over and over, Whether it's been here or previous boards, social media, it doesn't really matter.

[03:18:29] I'm here to oppose the resolution brought forth by Janine Lawson, which I have voted for when I was in her principal district, to oppose that because she has been the data center award-winning champion up until it's not convenient for her political career, which is now.

[03:18:53] So all I got to say is it's a miracle. She's been healed. Hallelujah. Everybody have a blessed day, no matter what side of the argument you're on. Thank you. Thank you. Before our next speaker, I'm going to call up our last five, Matt Wirth, Tanya James, Bob Harris, Mark Buescher, and Stephen Holland.

[03:19:19] And Colin Wirth is next. Matt Wirth, Tonya James, Tanya James, Bob Harris, Matt Buescher, and Stephen Holland. Hello. My name's Colin Wirth. I have lived in the Gainesville district for 19 years. I'm disappointed by the political tactics put in front of you today by Supervisor Lawson in an attempt to delay the vote even further.

[03:19:42] My family and I have patiently waited two years for a decision to be made on the matter, all while delaying home improvements as well as critical infrastructure on our property for my business to grow and develop. You were all dutifully elected and still represent all of your constituents until the end of your term.

[03:19:58] Your vote means just as much today as it did the first day in office. Please finish the good work and downvote this moratorium. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Hello. Thanks for having us here and being patient, listening to everybody.

[03:20:20] My name's Matt Worth. I live in the Gainesville District. Can you make sure you speak into the mic? Just tip it up a little bit. It's hard to hear you. Sure. Thank you. My name is Matt Worth. I live in the Gainesville District. I'm here to oppose the moratorium. I'm, like many people, I'm really annoyed by, like, political stunts and tactics.

[03:20:41] And this moratorium is nothing more than a political maneuver. Make no mistake, Supervisor Lawson has voted in favor of more data center projects than any other supervisor. Don't be fooled. She is very pro-data center and only opposing the digital gateway as a political maneuver.

[03:20:59] In fact, Ms. Lawson approved the Gainesville Crossing right across from Conway Robinson and the battlefield, which she now uses as talking points against the digital gateway. This moratorium is just another political maneuver.

[03:21:16] The Digital Gateway Project has been studied extensively. Your job as the board is to vote on the manor in a timely manner, not to allow political maneuvers to artificially introduce unnecessary delays. Please reject the moratorium and furthermore bring the project to a vote in a timely manner.

[03:21:36] Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Tanya James at Brentsville District. Good evening, Madam Chair, members of the board and staff. I'm here to oppose this ridiculous resolution.

[03:21:57] You all were elected, duly elected, by the voters in Prince William County to serve a complete four-year term, and that's what you have to do. Supervisor Lawson, I'm really sick of your political theater at this time, and I look forward to retiring you in November.

[03:22:18] it is it is my one and only goal so uh be prepared to go to Tennessee or wherever you need to go but that's where you're going the rest of you uh just do what's right by the voters by the citizens and the residents of Prince William County because that's what they deserve and that's what they need thank you thank you next speaker please well we're almost finished um I've got something written and

[03:22:53] and I want to say it, but Bob Harris, I'm a 45-year resident of the Potomac District. Wow. After listening to 93 people, I'm having a hard time here digesting what's going on. It seems to me that those that are speaking on one side are saying that if this board doesn't vote, that the data centers won't get approved, and if a new board comes in, that the data centers will be denied. What's everyone afraid of? I don't understand. I'm going to make this pretty short

[03:23:28] and sweet. I'm here to support the resolution by Supervisor Lawson. What are people afraid of? Is there some kind of concern that a new board will see this land use issue differently? Or if it's justified, and I'm not on one side or the other, if it's justified, what's the new board going to see that's different from the old board? Regardless of your position on the land use issue, a decision of this significance, which is obviously so controversial, should not be made by a lame duck board. A 60-day delay is reasonable. A major land use decision should be made by the

[03:24:07] board that must live with the decision. Many people have tried to make this a political issue. I don't believe that to be the case, but voting against this resolution gives the appearance that someone has something personal to gain. A two-month delay will not kick the can down the road. It will simply allow for a new board, the membership of which is yet to be seen, to make those final decisions. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon. My name is Mark Busher.

[03:24:42] I'm from the Gainesville District. I live off of Pageland Lane. I took the afternoon off from work just to come down here and say, please vote no for Resolution 10C. Putting aside the whole data center controversy. It actually isn't limited to data centers. As you know, being a supervisor is a tough job. I mean, I just listened to all these people rant and rave. You're remarkable to hold your composure this whole time. I give you credit and I don't want your job. But a major part of your job is deciding land use decisions. That's a huge part. My neighbor Pete Canlan resigned

[03:25:19] because he was told, hey, you can't just abstain from the Pageland Lane stuff. You can't vote on any data center issue anywhere in the county. And he said, well, that interferes with my ability to be a supervisor. And that's why he terminated. Well, this resolution does the same thing.

[03:25:37] It cripples you. It says you're not going to do your job. Are we still going to pay you your normal salary for not doing your job? It seems immoral to me to pass a resolution that says, well, you know, because there's elections, we're not going to do our jobs the way we were hired to.

[03:25:53] That's just wrong. And I understand there's political reasons behind it. So I really hope that you vote against this. I wish you good luck. I hope you continue to do your job, follow the process. I know this rezoning is a long process. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. That will conclude our in-person public comment time. I will turn it over to Vice Chair Bodie for online. Maybe we can find out how many people are online before we start. 23. Okay,

[03:26:22] thank you madam chair miss van uh shall we begin our first speaker is laura harders hey um i am actually pulling in this was such an engaged discussion i thought it would be great to come

[03:26:54] speak uh here but maybe i won't get the chance to uh my name is laura harders and i live in the district i am so encouraged to see so many citizens come out and speak and really to share their opinions on such an important matter. I'm actually pulling into the parking lot right here at the at the McCoward building and it's a very exciting day because I think what's become obvious is the Pageland people showed up. They felt threatened. They have trying to been they've

[03:27:32] been trying to pull on your emotions and it's been a bit manipulative saying you know poor county supervisors and all that you've had to go through. But I want to remind you, it is your duty to protect Prince William County, to serve the community and the residents. And good policy and setting forth this resolution proposed by Janine Lawson is good policy. It's been done before by this board. I think some of you all are afraid to take on controversial land

[03:28:06] use issues before the re-election. But many of us are concerned that you are going to make some decisions that are consequential that you won't care about because it'll be the lame duck session.

[03:28:22] There have been so many regular citizens coming together who are not political, who don't see this as a political issue. They are trying to protect their community. I'm not going to try to pull on your heartstrings. I'm going to ask you to use your minds and reason. Good policy, or you won't have a chance to serve that much longer. It's just common sense. So please use your good sense to vote yes on Jenny Lawson's resolution. You don't need to be putting forth these controversial land use decisions from November 7th until the end of the year. So many citizens have come together,

[03:29:01] Democrats, Republicans, independents to stand up. We're not a small voice. No matter what the patient people have said, it's so funny how the enemy often tries to reverse things and say we are small, we are loud and nasty. No, we're regular people and we have the right to stand up and to ask our supervisors, ask our chair, ask our county to protect what our community loves and what we are. Thank you so much. Please vote yes. Thank you, Mrs. Harders. Next speaker, please.

[03:29:34] Your next speaker is Nils Buell. Greetings, everyone. My name is Nils Buell. I'm a lifelong resident of Cat Harpen. And I would encourage you to vote yes for the resolution. And the reason is we're all aware of the climate crisis. Not to piggyback off of what Marilyn Karp said earlier, but we have the extreme drought in the West and the fires in the North. And then we have the flooding in the northeast and there's even a voluntary water restriction in maryland that's getting a little close to home if uh and i would also point out to a gentleman who said earlier that this has been studied extensively it's not actually been studied extensively but what has

[03:30:13] been determined is there's not enough electricity support what we're talking about building now the fact of the matter is if variances are granted for the data centers to use diesel generators with the already stifling heat that we have in Virginia, the people with compromised immune systems and respiratory problems and children, this is going to be an unbearable place to be when those generators kick on.

[03:30:44] So I'm not going to belabor the point here. I'm just simply going to say I would encourage you to spend the time to do the studies because I've not seen any studies, and if they have been done, they've been withheld. It does need to be transparent.

[03:31:00] It's unconscionable that one would try to push through some of these major land use decisions when there is a lame duck session. We'll wait for the next board. We'll look at it again, and then we can make the decision pro or against.

[03:31:16] But at this point in time, I do think it's prudent to adhere to Supervisor Lawson's resolution. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Buell. Next speaker, please. Your next speaker is Stella Rowland. Hi, my name is Stella Rowland.

[03:31:34] i'm from the gainesville district i want to thank you board for your service thus far i am opposing the moratorium again the board was elected to serve wholeheartedly for four years not three and a half i want to address the previous citizen who showed a cell phone video of video going down loudon county parkway to pageland lane regarding the noise the windows were down and there's no wonder that there was wind noise and road noise in the background i myself am a public safety servant and it's not always easy but the board owes us all all of its constituents a vote regarding projects and applications already on the table change is hard

[03:32:11] but necessary and it is the only the only constant thing is change and that's to move forward i have three children in the prince william county schools and our schools are seriously suffering i can say that as a parent um also as a student when i was in prince william county schools data centers in places where there is room for the land use will provide the tax base needed for our youth schools recreation centers and for our children to move forward in developing the future so please oppose the moratorium and let's vote on projects on the table thank you thank you miss roland next speaker

[03:32:48] please your next speaker is annie ewing hi my name is annie ewing and i'm from gainsville i've continued to follow the social media posts and news articles about the Prince William Digital Gateway. I am for the Digital Gateway, and I am for the democratic process. Recently, I saw a video by a couple of people who constantly post negative and untrue statements about the Gateway. In this video, they are driving down Pageland Lane, talking about the properties on Pageland as if

[03:33:28] they belong to everyone except the actual landowners. Also, I read a comment from somebody saying that the gateway would infringe on the rights of other homeowners. My question to them is, why do you think these landowners have an obligation to retain their farms and properties for the privileged members of gated communities such as Heritage Hunt? The plans on the county's website show that neighboring communities will be protected by 40 acres of forest and that there

[03:34:01] are no schools anywhere nearby. There will be more parks and green space created out of that private land for all to enjoy. NIMBYism is creating economic crises all over the country. I say yes in my backyard, which is far away from the digital gateway, like everybody in Gainesville who does not live on page land. Supervisor Lawson and her cohorts are asking for a vote to stop land use decisions until after January because she is trying to kick the legs out from underdue process

[03:34:39] as well as the Democratic board members. All of the board members are in office for a set term. This is undemocratic. Do not vote for this. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Ewing. Next speaker, please. Your next speaker is Sally Chandler.

[03:35:02] Thank you. My name is Sally Chandler and I live in Gainesville. I'm angry. I have listened to numerous board meetings where Supervisor Lawson has berated and belittled the Democratic board members. She is a shameless grandstander and a petty bureaucrat of the worst kind, always demanding center stage. She is not a leader. She's a media hog using whatever means

[03:35:35] she can to advance herself while beating others down. Let's not forget Lawson lost her bid for Congress because of her MAGA politics, and now she is trying to intimidate the board and remove their power by trying to force them to bow to her will and stop land use decisions until the next

[03:36:06] board convenes in January. This is just plain dirty politics by Lawson, who is a bullying, self-serving autocrat. Lawson's political shenanigans are reinforced and applauded by an elitist group of Western Prince William County residents who are beneath contempt for

[03:36:38] their threats and lies, always ignoring facts when they go against their views. Unfortunately, manipulating others to believe in lies, has become an acceptable practice in our country, and all the disgruntled lunatics and wannabes are jumping on board with both feet. As the nation

[03:37:07] goes, so goes Prince William County. To the Democratic board members, don't allow Lawson's reign of terror to stop you from doing what you know is right for the majority of county residents.

[03:37:26] vote her resolution down and throw it in the garbage heap where it belongs. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Chandler. Next speaker, please. Your next speaker is Marie Palmer.

[03:37:46] Good afternoon, Board of County Supervisors. My name is Marie Palmer. I live in the Occoquan District. I'm asking my supervisor, Kenny Bodie, to support and approve item 10C on today's agenda, resolution number 23. I'm asking the chair and all the supervisors to support this resolution brought forth by Supervisor Lawson. Refraining from scheduling land use public hearings during

[03:38:23] the lame duck session makes sense. Starting November 7th and extending through the end of the year, do not take on contentious land use cases. For those of you who are leaving your position on the board, do not betray the public's trust. Do not try to push through the developer's interest over that of the general public and welfare of the community and the environment.

[03:38:45] The data center issue has taken front stage in the elections, whether you like it or not. Your vote on this item today will reveal much to the voters. Please support resolution number 23. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Palmer. Next speaker, please. Your next speaker is Phyllis Thompson.

[03:39:10] I'm Phyllis Thompson of the Gainesville District. I oppose the resolution to delay the board votes after the November 2023 election for any issue. The board members have a right to continue governing until their term ends. Most of the loud derogatory opposition to Pageland Lane residents, even comments attacking them, are made by people who live in privileged communities.

[03:39:41] The very developments that have negatively impacted the quality of life along Pageland Lane with commuter traffic, speeding cars and trucks, and massive power lines that serve others that just go right across the landscape.

[03:40:02] This area is not rural, and this area has been ruined by others. I ask the board to kindly move ahead to vote on the Prince William Digital Gateway land use issue. Thank you.

[03:40:22] Thank you, Ms. Thompson. Next speaker, please. Your next speaker is Patricia Leon. Ms. Leon, are you there?

[03:40:53] If you're muted, please unmute yourself. Now I'm there, finally. There you go. Thank you. I'm Patricia Leon from Gainesville. And a few days ago, the Prince William Times posted this about the Digital Gateway. Quote, for whose benefit? A very small group of 100 landowners as opposed to 420,000 Prince William residents.

[03:41:17] Who are the losers? Every family in Prince William County who is not on the gravy train of the data center developers.

[03:41:26] End quote. How? How can a project that will not only bring the county huge commercial tax benefits, jobs, reduction in real estate taxes, and improvements in infrastructure, but will also, unheard of for data centers, allocate 800 previously private acres to public parks, reducing the data center's actual footprint to 1,338?

[03:41:58] acres. Just how does this make every family in the county losers? And how is this not a win-win for the county and its 415,000 residents who don't live in Heritage Hunt? I've heard so many lies, accusations, bullying, and just plain nastiness from those who oppose it. Sounds like Donald Trump must be coaching them with Supervisor Lawson's wingman. If not data centers, Pageland Lane will become high-density housing.

[03:42:33] Some say they would prefer housing to data centers. Do they even care about more crowding in our schools, more reliance on residential tax revenue, more congestion on our roads, and more drain on all aspects of our infrastructure?

[03:42:52] And did they really think the senior citizens who own farms on Pageland Lane are going to keep their farms for the visual drive-by benefit of everyone else. Please vote down Lawson's resolution now and in the current term for the best thing that could happen to Prince William County.

[03:43:13] Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Leone. Next speaker, please. Your next speaker is Vanessa Cott. Good afternoon. I'm Vanessa Cott and I live in the Gainesville District. I oppose Supervisor Lawson's moratoria.

[03:43:29] This is nothing more than a political move on her part and I believe that's clear to everyone. This current board has been considering the Prince William Digital Gateway project for years now. You all have participated in countless hours of meetings about the project. You know the facts and merits of the Digital Gateway better than any other group.

[03:43:49] And that is only right, and it is only right that this board has the opportunity to vote on this innovative project that will benefit the residents of every district and will help propel Prince William County into an exciting, stable, and secure future as a global technology leader.

[03:44:06] With that said, I encourage you to say no today to Supervisor Lawson's politically motivated grandstanding, and when the time comes, vote yes for the Prince William Digital Gateway. Thank you for your continued efforts and service to Prince William County. Thank you, Ms. Cott. Next speaker, please.

[03:44:23] Your next speaker is Melanie Williams. Hi, good evening. I want to thank all of you for your service and thank you for your time today.

[03:44:41] Here we go again, Supervisor Lawson doing every single thing that she can to try to stop the PWDG. Prince William Digital Gateway is critical to evolving our county and providing additional funds that are much needed in this county. Did I hear her say that she's proposing a resolution to suspend voting on these and other land development issues because it's customary to do so until the new board takes office?

[03:45:05] As we've already covered, she voted December 10th, 2019, to support data center complex that is currently located adjacent to a National Battlefield Park. Now we're being told it's customary to wait. But what happened in 2019 if that was the custom?

[03:45:23] I believe she specifically mentioned in 2019 in her comment to submit the resolution, but forgot to mention that she actually did vote that year. Let's not forget that she's also supported other data center complexes that are within her overlay, but across the street from schools and literally next door and within a few steps of homes.

[03:45:46] In fact, I believe that somebody showed a photo of one this evening. And why have the HOAs rejected attempts to allow the applicants and supporters of the data centers to show their plans to the residents? Are they afraid that they may actually see the untruths that they're being presented?

[03:46:03] Is it so bad? Let them show the residents that it's so bad or actually allow them to make a decision with all the facts and not just the facade that the HOAs choose to present. I urge you to reject the 10C resolution and continue to stand firm in your pursuit of creating a strong commercial tax base for all the residents of the county and putting data centers where they actually belong, away from schools and away from homes.

[03:46:30] Pageland couldn't be a more obscure and appropriate place to put them. There are very few areas, if any, that have this much unused land and have the full support of every single person that lives here. I also want to mention that Alina Schlossberg's video that she showed earlier of picturesque Cageland Lane, and she also posted on her Facebook, omitted, or maybe failed to capture, the beginning and the end of Cageland showing the traffic backup that occurs because it would have shown an enormous amount of commuter traffic, heavy equipment, and trucks that travel there daily and stretch nearly 50 cars long with every other truck or car being a work vehicle.

[03:47:08] 6 a.m. to 9.30 and 3 o'clock to 7, we cannot travel that road. Further, my family's been in limbo waiting on a vote, as many of the other speakers have mentioned. We've been waiting to do home improvements or trying to decide how much we can spend on the things that have become urgent.

[03:47:25] My family and I just really need closure on this issue. I urge you to vote against her resolution and to move forward on the vote of the Prince William Digital Gateway as soon as possible so that we can have a decision in either direction. Thank you all for all you're doing to make Prince William County a wonderful place to live in Virginia.

[03:47:46] Thank you, Ms. Williams. Next speaker, please. Your next speaker is Hector Ferafino. Hi, good afternoon, Board of Supervisors. My name is Hector Ferafino from Woodbridge, And first of all, I want to say thank you for your time and your hard work.

[03:48:14] I am, again, supervisor Lawson Resolution. As many of the speakers before me says, progress is here. Stop making excuses. I just read in the newspaper Fairfax County just approved zoning of 75 acres of land on data servers again and again.

[03:48:35] And they keep going ahead of the game of us. Let's move forward, and let's pass towards the development, please. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Ferrofino. Next speaker, please. Your next speaker is John Crown. Good afternoon. John Crown, Gainesville District. You should firmly oppose Supervisor Lawson's 10C proposal. Years and years of planning by good people and staff went into these projects. We are ready for a vote now. Extending this is a clear political

[03:49:11] play. The members of the Board of County Supervisors were elected to serve four years, not three and a you've heard this time and time again. This is not a recall of Supervisor Wheeler. She deserves to continue to serve the full four years as you would expect when you, Supervisor Lawson, is voted out in November. For the last two years, all of the concerns of data center development are answered from water usage. There's no issue. Electrical capacity, no issue. Noise issues, no issue. Traffic issues, no issue. View shed, no issue. Watershed, no issue. Is anyone actually

[03:49:47] reading the proposed plan, the truth has come out. But still, there are a lot of misinformed naysayers. For example, one of the prior speakers said Amazon recently had a generator violation that was resolved two months later and was due to the misconfigured software by Caterpillar, not Amazon, and was for a generator test. Please, no more hair on the fire, fake news.

[03:50:10] Here's some truth. Figuring 600 gallons per day per house, removing the 200 homes on leaking septic systems will remove 43.8 million gallons of sewage annually into the groundwater and the watershed. Data centers do not use water. The recent data center proposals are the best planned and well thought out in our nation's history. I beg you just to read the proposals on the county website. It's a good plan. Don't discourage the best revenue generating project in our county's history. Have you heard of Amazon's new headquarters, HQ2, a $5 billion project with

[03:50:48] 50,000 jobs? Amazon set off on a massive bidding war in 2017, and the final choice came down between New York and Alexandria. But New York was also, quote, not known for the stable and business-friendly environment, end quote. Delays and a toxic political environment ultimately did in for New York. When the final decision was made, Amazon said, Virginia is a terrific place to do business. They're willing to partner with companies. They're willing to think long-term, and they're willing to think big picture. That's what really stood out about Virginia. Don't make the same

[03:51:27] mistake for Prince William County that New York made. Supervisor Lawson is killing much-needed revenue to this county. What is she doing? What she is doing is killing well-planned projects, It's years of conscious planning efforts that are already underway.

[03:51:43] Delaying the vote sends a clear message that Prince William County is not welcoming data centers to our county. The board should do the right thing and vote no to Supervisor Lawson's unprecedented election year moratorium and send a message that Prince William County is open for business, not dirty politics.

[03:52:05] Thank you, Mr. Crown. Next speaker, please. Your next speaker is Sandra Faising. Hello. My name is Sandra Faising, and I just wanted to vote yes for Jeannie Larson's proposal. Thank you.

[03:52:34] Thank you, Ms. Faising. Next speaker, please. Your next speaker is Zafir Imam. Hello. My name is Zafir Imam from the Gainesville District. Thank you, respected board members, for your hard work.

[03:53:00] I oppose the agenda item 10C. This resolution proposed by Supervisor Lawson is not a good idea for Prince William County. Please vote no to Tennessee. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Imam. Next speaker, please. Your next speaker is Joseph Nesmith.

[03:53:22] Yes, can you hear me all right? Yes, we can, sir. Please continue. Okay, good. I'm Joseph Nesmith. I live down in Pages Lane. I'm in California for over 35 years.

[03:53:41] I'm eight, two years old. And you can see how that affects me as I think of time. I don't have the luxury of waiting forever for something to be done.

[03:53:57] It seems to me that everything has been discussed, and thoughtful decisions should be able to be made from that, and one that benefits the county and provides revenue for other projects within the county as well.

[03:54:12] So I strongly oppose the 10C resolution, and I'm a solid supporter of the digital gateway. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Neesmith. Before we continue, Ms. Van, how many folks, more folks do we have online to speak? We have seven more speakers. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Your next speaker is Mike Ketchmerick. Mike Ketchmerick, Heritage Hunt, Gainesville. On June 27th, I gave you an

[03:54:47] analysis of the primary results and what the voters shouted. I asked you, are you listening? I still do not know what is your response. Supervisor Lawson believes she has heard something and is proposing a resolution. It would prevent the Democratic majority today from doing what she and the Republican-led board did in 2019, rammed through a data center approval during the land lean-duck period. This approval was Gainesville Crossing, University in 29. It was the first data center approved outside the overlay area and set up the model for those to ask for special

[03:55:23] consideration to sell their land to make millions of dollars. This is the origin of all the problems we have today with land use management. Instead, I want you to halt any decision on data center approvals, rezoning, and permitting, and any expansion of the overlay area until January when a new board is seated, not just during the lame ducks period, but starting today. The loss in motion is only designed to score political points that cannot be taken seriously. After looking at this data center issue for almost two years, I've discovered many problems with Prince William

[03:55:57] county government operations. It did not start with this board, but goes back many years to the Corey Stewart and Lawson boards. The main problem is that all the data center projects are protected by non-disclosure agreements. This means that basic information, such as how many data centers have been approved by the county but have not yet started construction, is not available. We do not know the total square footage of these projects, thus have no way of doing revenue projections.

[03:56:27] I put in a FOIA to these questions and got back. No document exists. The economic development people have this information, but they cannot share it with the public. And maybe other Prince William offices like tax assessment and revenue. How can following this practice ever lead to good governmental decisions? The county needs to end or at least narrow these NDAs so they can share vital information with the voters. Building dimensions can be observed. It should not be protected by an NDA. The county needs to clean up this mess, but someone who has been on the board

[03:57:04] for almost 10 years and has done nothing to correct this problem is not the right person to be chair. We need new eyes and perspectives to take on this task of cleaning up the mess. From the county's own data, I received two documents 18 months apart. Prince William County has had a 43% increase in operational data center square footage and a 50% increase when new construction is considered during the last 18 months. At least one million square feet of operational data centers today were not even listed in the category under construction 18 months ago. This is a major problem and needs to be corrected before going forward with any new

[03:57:41] approval. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Kaczmarek. Next speaker, please. Your next speaker is Dan Hutchinson. Hello? Yes, sir. We can hear you. My name is Dan Hutchinson. I appear with my wife, that's Beth Hutchinson, and we urge the board to please vote no to Supervisor Lawson's moratorium resolution. Data centers have been approved previously by both Republicans and

[03:58:19] Democrats. There's been a two-year process so far. The digital gateway has been rezoned already. The board of elections are elected every year to serve the full term of four years, not three and a half. I look up and down and Supervisor Lawson voted yes for the Gainesville Crossing Data Center and the Lane Duck Resolution in 2019. And I especially like what the last

[03:58:53] speaker in person said, that they're abstaining from doing your job is immoral and in that sense. I thank you for your time. Please vote no for this morning. Thank you, Mr. Hutchinson. Next speaker, please. Your next speaker is Thomas Ackerley. Mr. Ackerley, if you're trying to

[03:59:31] speak, we cannot hear you. Yes, I'm sorry. Terribly sorry. This is Tom Ackerley. I live in the Gainesville district on Pageland Lane. The Pageland community is one of the few remaining areas that has not been developed in the county. The reason for that is not because our politicians did anything to protect us, but because we as a community fought battle after battle. So it has changed. Previous board members, previous boards of supervisors over the years approved huge heritage hunt development right next to us, as well as other large residential subdivisions.

[04:00:04] And most recently, the Gainesville Crossing Data Center Complex was approved by Janine Lawson during a lame duck session. This complex is right on our doorstep. Travel past it every day. And let's not forget the high voltage transmission lines through our properties.

[04:00:22] We have heavily used high speed commuter and truck traffic on our little two lane road. Several years ago, through truck traffic was prohibited on page and lane. However, it's rarely enforced and illegal truck traffic travels to Loudoun County daily.

[04:00:38] The way people drive up and down the road now, I will not be surprised when there's a traffic fatality. Many of the landowners have lived on page and lane for generations, but farming is lightly practiced and mostly as a hobby now.

[04:00:53] We're just asking to change the land to better use and to benefit the county. It's our turn now to make the best of a bad and rapidly deteriorating situation. Our Democratic board members have done a lot of good changes for our county.

[04:01:09] please don't be hindered in your actions during the remainder of this term by a political trick please vote against lawson's resolution thank you and good evening thank you mr ackerley next speaker please your next speaker is john hersick hi john harris at gainesville district first i want to thank you all for taking the time to hear from me i am opposed the moratorium proposed by supervisor lawson the prince william digital gateway deserves to be voted on when it is

[04:01:45] eventually makes its way through the planning office please vote no for the resolute thank you thank you mr harasek next speaker please your next speaker is heather davidson hi i'm heather davidson from the gamesville district i'm here to say that i oppose the supervisor lawson's moratorium um all the sorry all the unused cases and process need to remain in process without any further delay i do have full confidence in the current board um to make the right

[04:02:25] decisions for prince william county uh for their full elected term thank you thank you miss davidson by my count miss fan i think she was the last one is that right uh no sir there are two more two more okay got it next speaker please uh your next speaker is ken bloxton hi there ken bloxton gainesville district resident of prince william county for 38 years the insults i'm hearing today from the anti-data center people are gross.

[04:02:53] And I'm sorry that you as the supervisors have to listen to it. First, we don't need more studies. This is already the most studied land use case in Prince William County history, and it looks really good. Second, the data center buildings that are being proposed are the most green tech, water recycling, environmentally friendly data centers ever, anywhere.

[04:03:18] And third, to all the people that enjoy looking at the farms along Pageland Lane, I don't see any of you out there in the heat, repairing fences, digging ditches or cleaning barns. Now, let me change gears and talk about the benefits to Prince William County.

[04:03:36] This is a $25 billion with a B dollar infrastructure investment in Prince William County from big tech companies. They're going to bring countless number of high paying jobs while at the same time not adding to the housing problem or further clogging our roads or burdening county schools and services, the tax revenues from this data center deal are actually going to help solve these problems and improve the quality of life across all

[04:04:13] districts. So nine months ago, when the board passed the comprehensive plan amendment, it was the right thing to do. And it's still the right thing to do now. So I very much oppose janine lawson's resolution to have our elected officials avoid doing their job because she lost i urge the board to bring this to vote immediately and approve this data center zoning deal immediately thank you thank you mr bloxton next speaker please your next speaker is kelly lagos

[04:04:51] good afternoon my name is kelly lagos and i'm from the gainesville district i'm speaking today is strongly opposed supervisor lawson's resolution 10c our board is elected to a full four-year term the residents affected by the land use quotes and questions deserve timely decisions by the board that has reviewed the case and relevant studies for over two years now it is time for our county to move forward again thank you for your time and please vote no on resolution 10c thank you miss lagos i believe that one was the last one right miss van yes sir thank you for

[04:05:28] everyone who spoke thank you miss van for your help and back to you madam chair thank you so much vice chair bode appreciate that thank you miss van as always um uh that's always grateful that someone else is doing that so um that brings us on we're done with number five that brings us on to item number six a public hearing to amend the county code by adopting amendments to the collective bargaining ordinance um mr shorter would you like to say a few words before we open the public hearing oh wait before sorry before we before we open the public hearing um uh we are

[04:06:04] going to cancel the presentation by transportation um given the length of of uh but but it's already been dispatched to all the offices and if they anyone has any questions or want someone to come in and talk to them personally feel free to do that uh mr hugh is wade hugh is here um rick will be willing to do that. But just given the time constraints and the fact that there were 85 slides, I think we're going to skip over that for today.

[04:06:36] If anybody's waiting around for the transportation presentation, I just don't want you to wait anymore. Just so you know, we're going to cancel that. Okay. Mr. Shorter. Sure. And just want to thank Rick and the transportation team. We appreciate your work very much and look forward to board members your questions, if you have any from the slides. Madam Chair, board, just want to remind you, certainly we have had the opportunity over the last few weeks and months to, I think, meet with each of you to talk a bit about the amendments that are coming before you.

[04:07:14] Consistent with your direction in March, the county staff, and I just want to just acknowledge all the work that's been done by our county attorney and her office and staff to get us to this point. That said, back in November of 2022, when the board approved the CBO, the board gave guidance that it would like to see us bring forward some additional amendments and have conversations and outreach to the Labor Coalition, to the community, and to staff. We have used the

[04:07:52] last few months to do that. In February of this year, we had a facilitated conversation using federal mediation and conciliation services in D.C. to facilitate a conversation between our county staff and our labor coalition leaders. That conversation led us to a series of amendments that we put forward back in March of this year, both to the board and to our Labor Coalition leaders, and we have had an open door to discuss those since March when that memo came out.

[04:08:31] And we are now, based on the directive from Supervisor Bodie, at the point where we are prepared to now bring those amendments forward to you. So, again, I just want to acknowledge the staff, the HR staff, and the county attorney's office and staff for all the work that's been done to bring us to this point.

[04:08:53] We are certainly available for any questions that you may have. And we'll invite Megan Kelly, who has been just phenomenal in her support of this effort, to answer any questions if I cannot. Thank you.

[04:09:09] Thank you. Supervisor Brody, do you have a question or something? I do, Madam Chair. Thank you for that. I have a few questions. I hope this is the right time to do it before the public hearing. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Shorter, for your work on this.

[04:09:24] Thank you, Ms. Kelly Oswald. Appreciate the briefing that you gave to our offices ahead of this. I did have a few questions, though. Just sort of looking back, you know, my directive was a 90-day timeline. I know these things take a little while.

[04:09:39] We had holidays in between. But could you dig into why there was such a big delay between the original 90-day and my directive? versus now we're at 230 or so days? Sure. So first I would say the 90-day, the initial 90-day timeline came before I joined you as a county executive.

[04:09:59] And so we wanted to be very thoughtful and deliberate and inclusive in that conversation. So the facilitated discussion that happened between our staff and the Labor Coalition brought forward some what I think are credible opportunities.

[04:10:18] And so we used the time to better understand what the Labor Coalition's points were and wanted to make sure that we brought that in the form of amendments that were consistent with what came out in that facilitated conversation.

[04:10:35] so all the items that we discussed in that conversation came forward to you and to the labor coalition we also wanted to make sure that before we dispatched those amendments that we had an opportunity to meet with each of you and that took some time as well and so I hope that answers the question in terms of 90 days it did not meet the the 90-day timeline but we all thought it best that, you know, we do this and we do it right so that we don't have to come back again a third time to amend the CBO.

[04:11:11] Sure. And so my second question goes to what you sort of mentioned at the end, Mr. Shorter, which is you took the time ahead of dispatch to just talk to us as board members about the kind of changes that we're going to be putting into play. Did you get an opportunity to get some of those changes specifically out to our labor partners ahead of time so there could be dialogue about it?

[04:11:31] Sure. So in March, we sent a memo to the board. We sent the same memo, the exact same memo, to the Labor Coalition. And I will say that I personally invited dialogue between that point and now.

[04:11:51] The actual amendments to the CBO that were dispatched two weeks ago were fully in line with the memo that came out, Meaning that the items that we talked about in that memo were the exact items that we addressed by way of amendments in the CBO.

[04:12:10] And so they received the same information that you all received as a board. I just heard some concerns from folks about specific language and things that they had hoped would have gotten into these that they didn't get to see ahead of time.

[04:12:25] So I wanted to make sure that we were on the same page about that. And to go into the actual amendments themselves, working conditions. I know there's been a lot of talk over the last year and a half about working conditions in the CBO amendments.

[04:12:43] And I know there's been back and forth about what is able to be in there. I know we've added some things that are permissible now that weren't before. So I don't know if this is a question for you, Mr. Shorter, or you, Ms. Kelly. What has been added in terms of working conditions versus the prior version of the document?

[04:12:59] Good afternoon, members of the board. Mr. Chair. My name is Megan Kelly with the County Attorney's Office. Specifically with regards to work conditions that changed, there are two rather significant changes. The first is that in the original current collective bargaining ordinances, it prohibits all policies, procedures, standards of conduct, anything of that nature is prohibited from bargaining.

[04:13:34] So any kind of policy that the county puts forth on any work condition about anything was prohibited. We amended that so that only those policies and procedures and standards of conduct that apply to actual prohibited subjects are prohibited areas of negotiations. So that significantly broadens the ability of the unions to negotiate policies, procedures, and standards of conducts that don't apply to prohibited subjects. The second and equally significant change is that we are changing work schedules from being a prohibited subject

[04:14:11] of negotiation to what's called a permissive subject of negotiation. So the unions are free and welcome to bring whatever provisions or proposals that they would like to bring to the table for a full discussion. Of course, the county does retain the discretion to decline to negotiate certain provisions which of course is important for for example with regards to the police or the fire chief who's been here for a couple of months he needs to be able to make whatever determinations he thinks are appropriate but again rather than just we we're not going to negotiate anything about work schedules at all that is now a permissible subject of negotiation so

[04:14:49] we believe with those two significant changes a great deal more related to work conditions is now on the table. Sure I appreciate that but to add to a little bit more of a follow-up question to that the first point you mentioned which is adding the language which shall include the right to establish maintain modify late works work rules policies procedures standards of conduct which any of the below renumerated rights could you expand a little bit on what other things that includes now that wasn't included before. So it's easier for me to explain what it

[04:15:24] what is no long what is still prohibited and it's difficult for me to explain what is now open because I think that there are a lot of provisions and policies and procedures that could be brought to the table that perhaps we haven't considered before so it's difficult for me to outline exactly what those things may be but to the extent that the policies specifically again apply to the prohibited subjects, those still remain to be prohibited subjects of negotiation and bargaining.

[04:15:56] So for example, I'm just trying to think, there's a whole myriad of policies that we have both at the county level and the department level that have to do with items that we perhaps didn't even know about however many years ago that aren't included in the prohibited subjects. There are also probably a lot of policies and standards of conduct that we just haven't conceived of because from the management side, we maybe haven't considered how important they are.

[04:16:25] Whereas now the unions can bring it from the employee standpoint, something that they believe is important and is not restricted. I'm sorry, I can't think of anything offhand right now, but I do believe and in fact our experiences have shown thus far that we've seen things that would not have been negotiable assuming if the board is unable or unwilling to pass the amendments, things that would not be negotiable that are now. And we can't speak specifically about provisions, but I can say that to you. Sure. So at least to be clear there, without going into specifics, there are some provisions being talked about right now that in the absence of us adopting these changes today, the door will be shut.

[04:17:03] Absolutely. I appreciate that clarity. My last question for now, I'll give everyone else an opportunity to go around a little bit is um the some people are calling them provisional other folks are calling them part-time non-benefit employees i know there's been a lot of discussion about that i know that uh part of my sort of directives that i gave last year included us to review our personnel policies to at least open the door for us to include more of those folks to be at the bargaining table i know that the county second i've had conversations about sort of reclassifications um could we talk about that a little bit because i i feel like there's some folks that are looking at these

[04:17:41] changes now not seeing any change that really uh delve into those folks and are concerned that they won't be able to be part of the bargaining table in the in the future and mr shorter maybe you can address that better than megan sure i'll uh i'll say uh first we took uh we took that directive very seriously uh we have decided as an organization and this has also been communicated with the with the labor coalition leaders that we are essentially eliminating the term provisional from our employee classification.

[04:18:13] We are going through the process now of taking each employee personnel file by personnel file to determine what is most appropriate. But the term provisional will no longer exist as part of our lexicon, if you will, and how we describe employees.

[04:18:33] I'll also say in terms of the previous discussion, we believe our employees to be very creative, And we will always invite employees ideas about ways that they could do business, government business better. And so what this provision does is essentially allows our employees to come with the best ideas possible, even if those ideas aren't necessarily something that we envision right now.

[04:18:59] And whether it's uniform, equipment, schedules, the way that we typically design work. And so this provision opens the door for that kind of creativity where we may have closed the door to it in the previous version of the CBO.

[04:19:17] Thank you for that. Like I said, I'll hold up on the rest of my questions for now. Supervisor Bailey. Thank you, Madam Chair. And to the county attorney, I mean, the county attorney and county exec, and to Megan, thank you so much for bringing us to the door with this. And I appreciate, and I may be talking a little dated too, a term of what the county executive said about provisional because that is a dated term and and that shows progress in itself with this process and so just for point of clarity um there will be

[04:19:51] as we go forward an opportunity for open discussion once it's established if there is an open there will be an open door for discussion if there are any concerns as it relates to the cbo am i stating that right in terms of if the unions have a question or if the staff has a question.

[04:20:12] That's what I'm asking. Mr. Shorter, would you like to answer that? Sure. So I'll answer it two ways. One, what the CBO allows now, and not just the amendments, but the CBO that this board approved in November of 2022, is a negotiation.

[04:20:34] So we are in the midst of that right now with police and with fire and rescue. And so, yes, in that regard, there will always be an open door. We are also establishing a labor management partnership committee.

[04:20:51] That is to say those issues that are not necessarily traditionally bargainable or that won't come up as part of negotiation, There will be a forum for those things to be discussed between management and labor.

[04:21:07] If in the future there are some questions about the actual collective bargaining ordinance, that will be something that the board will have to direct staff to amend in the same way that we have over the last few months.

[04:21:23] And the door, yes, will always be open for that. I will say that the work that we've done over the last few months with you, the board, with our employees, and with the labor coalition, my hope is that we won't be back to the table to amend the CBO anytime soon.

[04:21:46] I believe this is a very strong ordinance and consistent with what we have heard from you and what we have heard from our staff, and certainly those from HR and from our legal team who have been giving advice and having discussions with labor about this.

[04:22:06] And if I may please, who will be a part of that LRA committee? So I sent a memo to the board maybe a month ago outlining the negotiating team, That is the employees, staff who are leading negotiations on behalf of representing the county in terms of contract negotiations.

[04:22:31] The LRA is a separate third-party entity that will essentially play a role in what we have elections and other administrative matters as it relates to labor. and so it is a kind of a separate if you will separate organization uh the employees we i'm happy to name them maybe megan if you want to sort of name the employees who are participating in the with with the count on the county team so yes certainly so it's myself um eric peltel who is our outside counsel um and we have romana briggs who is also outside counsel stacy walker who is

[04:23:11] from human resources and Michael Lorena who's also from my office as well we are the core team and then on the police side we have Kevin Hugart and Kim Missouri who are both assistant chiefs majors if you will and on the fire side we have um uh Kurt Heinrichs who's assistant chief thank you and uh Eric McCoy who is a division chief yes and from my office uh deputy CXO Quentin Haynes is sort of making sure that information around decision-making gets to meet and back to the negotiating team as smoothly as possible.

[04:23:50] Okay. Thank you very much. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you. Seeing no further questions at this time, we can move on to the public hearing for Agenda Item 6A. We currently have nine people signed up to speak on 6A. I'm going to call them five and then four at a time.

[04:24:06] We do not currently have anyone online for 6A, So it looks like it will all be in person. The first five speakers are Thomas Pershing, Pamela Forche, Robin Stroud, Patient Summers, and Felicia Patrice.

[04:24:27] Yes, I know. Yes, Patrice, I know your name. I am so sorry. And Felicia Partow. I am so sorry. Good evening. I'm Thomas Pershing from the Gainesville District again.

[04:24:43] To be very brief, when I was opening up the attachment for the agenda for today, I was quite surprised at the over 1,000 pages that were waiting for me. And when going through it, I came across the collective bargaining material and took the time to read through it. Bullet 5 and 6, I believe, related to saying that the unions couldn't be held accountable or could only be held accountable for willful matters.

[04:25:07] And I was a little bit concerned about that because I thought of, you know, what about neglect? And is that something where it's within the board's intention of creating unions and collective bargaining, but having them be ineffective and then not be held accountable for being ineffective?

[04:25:24] And ultimately, I don't have the answer for that. That's for all of you to think about and consider if it hasn't already been considered. And then the other one that I had a concern with, I believe it was number five or number six, The last one stated that attorney's fees wouldn't be reimbursed for those who brought a claim that was found in their favor.

[04:25:44] And just from a fundamental perspective, I don't think that justice should be just for the rich or those who can afford expensive attorneys. And frequently when people feel like they've been wrong and they're getting an initial consultation, the attorney may say that their case is pretty good, but it's going to cost you a couple hundred thousand dollars.

[04:26:00] Do you have that available? And for many people, the answer to that is no. When attorney's fees can be reimbursed, then attorneys can be more willing to move forward and represent people who are not as affluent. And I also thought that that was a bit of a concern and would appreciate the board's consideration of that and how you choose to proceed.

[04:26:18] And that's all I had. Thank you. Thank you very much. Next speaker, please. It's not me. Good evening, Madam Chair, Board of Supervisors, County Executive Shorter.

[04:26:35] It's good to see everybody again. My name's Robin Stroud. I've been a Prince William County non-benefited, part-time provisional employee since 2017. I'm also an SEIU 512 organizing committee member. My family and I live in Coles District. We've lived there since 1995. We have children and grandchildren who've gone through Prince William County schools. Our eldest is a battalion chief and fire marshal for the City of Fairfax. Last November 22nd, we were excited about the passing of a collective bargaining

[04:27:12] ordinance because we knew it was the beginning of a process to truly make changes that we need in the workplace. We left this room that day with an outline of next steps, a commitment to a 90-day review process, assurance that we would be included in the process, and that the changes requested by the board would be addressed fairly by the staff. The proposed amendments do not correct the serious shortcomings in the current CBO, or fully respond to the Board of Supervisors' directives from November. Overall, even if these amendments are adopted, this CBO will be the worst ordinance in

[04:27:48] Northern Virginia, and Prince William County employees will have significantly less collective bargaining rights than if they work for our closest neighbors in Fairfax and Loudoun counties. There are still opportunities for changes and amendments to make this ordinance better. we will not give up and we won't let you give up as outlined in the letter we shared with you over the weekend the most critical changes must be addressed in the near future if we're to make collective bargaining in the county truly meaningful we have to have the right to bargain over pay benefits but we also need the real ability to bargain over working conditions if we can't talk about working conditions we're going to be back in front of you

[04:28:28] asking for you to solve these issues, health, safety, staff issues, and others we will be bringing to the board because the current ordinance doesn't allow it. The ordinance must include bargaining rights for all full-time and part-time employees regardless of benefit status. Over 500 of us remain excluded. That was to have been taken care of during the 90-day review.

[04:28:53] And again, by July 1st, Human Resources was supposed to have looked at, completed, reclassifying us either into part-time benefited or seasonal. It just continues to go on. We remain excluded, although we show up for work 365 days a year as scheduled.

[04:29:14] Black and brown people make up the majority of the part-timers in the county. It means people of color will be denied access to a union. Lastly, unfair labor practices need to include clear standards and accountability so all our rights as workers and union members are protected.

[04:29:30] I join my co-workers and ask you to delay the vote on the proposed CBO amendments and insist county staff follow your directives and work with us for the benefit of residents and employees. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Hello, staff.

[04:29:51] My name is Patrice Summers, and I'm in the Potomac District, and also a county employee and a member of the SEIU Virginia 512 Organizing Committee. While we thank you for the ordinance, the amendment still falls short of what is needed for a meaningful collective bargaining.

[04:30:10] It is the weakest ordinance in Northern Virginia. We know that this is a process. Please keep the opportunity open to address the deficiencies. Currently, there are three asks. One, there is no real ability to bargain over working conditions.

[04:30:28] Two, those part-time non-benefited employees are still in limbo and not knowing whether or not they are inclusive or included. The weak enforcement mechanism for the ordinance.

[04:30:44] This is a process we know, and we are not giving up, and we know that there is still more work to be done and should be done. Thank you for your time and your commitment to all of you, including the CXO and all of the HR folks.

[04:31:06] Thank you for your time and commitment to the Prince William County government and its residents. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good evening. My name is Felicia Partlow, and I'm from the Woodbridge District.

[04:31:23] We, Prince William County, employees are still fully committed to building our union and pushing for improvements that will make collective bargaining truly meaningful. We were given a 90-day review process, but so far it's been 231 days. While some changes have been made to the ordinance, the amendments still fall short in what is needed to bring meaningful collective bargaining to General County and provisional part-time benefited employees.

[04:31:50] There is still no real ability to bargain over working conditions, nor has the inclusion of the permanent part-time employees been clearly stated. We ask that you keep the opportunity open to discuss these shortfalls. Thank you for your time and your service to your residents.

[04:32:07] Thank you. And before our next speaker, I'm just going to call up the last four who are written down. Dori Berner, James Bruning, Heidi Meisner, and Skye McCollum. Hi, my name is Pamela Forche.

[04:32:26] I've been a Prince William County resident since 1993, so 30 years. I currently am a fitness instructor and have been for quite a few years and a personal trainer. here in this county. I'm also a master gardener and in charge of collecting food from the Dale City Farmers Market, where we just last week collected over 8,000 pounds of food. I am also a, I worked with the Dale City Frogs swim team, which was, has the greatest number of minorities in Prince William County for swim teams specifically. I took a leadership role and

[04:33:05] help build a community there so why do i tell you all that because i care about this county and i want you to know that um the prince william county parks and rec uh and tourism i don't feel that they they have shown that they don't care about their all of their employees in the same way prior to november 22 of last year so less than a year ago we were called provisional employees Provisional, as the dictionary describes it, is an adjective.

[04:33:38] It means provided for a temporary need, subject to change or nullification. And that's exactly how they treated us. So prior to then, when we would talk to the, they took away our right to use the gym. And that sounds like a privilege.

[04:33:54] But when you're a fitness instructor, it's not a privilege. It's a health issue. You need to be strong and fit and ready and inspired for your classes, and when we would try to talk to the management, they would shut us down in a big way.

[04:34:12] They said it was a benefit and that we didn't deserve any benefits and were not interested in listening to anything we had to say. So thus the union came in, and we are where we are today because the Prince William County Parks and Recs did not listen to us.

[04:34:33] And we need to have a strong collective bargaining ordinance so that we are protected. Otherwise, every time there's a problem, we're going to have to run back to you, like children, saying, Mom and Dad, please help us.

[04:34:50] And it shouldn't be that way. The people in both the Department of Parks and Recs as well as our board should be caring about its residents and employees the way I care about the people of this county as well. So it's in everybody's best interest if we have a strong CBO. So thank you for listening. Have a good day. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Hi, I'm Dori Berner, Gainesville

[04:35:26] District, and kind of tired of talking about data. Everyone here knows how I feel. I think we should not be breaking our democratic process by making proposals that, but I'm here about collective bargaining because a lot of my friends are teachers, and my best friend across the street as a teacher. And I think that you need to pass this. It needs to be strengthened. And we need to raise teachers' salaries. You know, most school teachers full-time make $52,000 a year. If they

[04:36:02] have their master's degree, they make a little bit more. But that's not like a livable wage. I mean, you can't afford to buy a house in Prince William County on a teacher's salary. Strengthen their position, allow them the resources to improve their quality of work in their workplace, and as a result, at home. Thanks very much. Thank you very much. Next speaker, please. Good evening. My

[04:36:37] name is Heidi Meinzer, and I'm from Alexandria, Virginia. I am here, and I serve as legal counsel for the Prince William County Police Association and on the changes there are some incremental changes with the scope of bargaining. Unfortunately it is still leaving us with the most narrow scope of bargaining of the localities that have passed collective bargaining ordinances and we look forward to continued discussion. We hope the door is open. We hope that this doesn't just shut the and we continue to review this also on one of the provisions with the attorney's fees

[04:37:16] there was actually in my mind a step backwards making this now one-sided we are also still awaiting a labor relations administrator and we look forward to that process going forward we do hope that there is a good labor management partnership and that we continue to discuss these issues. We have raised issues over the last two years, and very many of those issues haven't found their way into the ordinance, and we hope that someday they will. So we understand and hope

[04:37:52] that these amendments pass, but we hope that the door is open for further communication and further revisions in the future. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Hello, my name is Skye McCollum, and I'm a law clerk for SEIU and a proud Virginia resident. I'm here today to ask you to delay the vote on the proposed CBO amendments because they do not actually respect workers, address their legitimate concerns, or provide them with long overdue holistic collective bargaining rights.

[04:38:31] As a law student in Virginia who is passionate about workers' rights, I was excited when Virginia lifted the ban on collective bargaining from municipal workers. I thought municipal workers, especially in a progressive county like Prince William, would finally be able to sit down at the bargaining table with their employers as equals and be given the respect they deserve through collective bargaining. Unfortunately, these proposed amendments still fail to do so, especially as compared to the much more comprehensive collective bargaining ordinances passed in neighboring counties. In Loudoun and Fairfax, like under the NLRA, employees' working conditions are a mandatory subject of bargaining. Prince William's collective bargaining ordinance,

[04:39:08] on the other hand, still explicitly prohibits bargaining over essential working conditions such as workplace health and safety rules. Can anyone explain to me why county employees shouldn't have a say in their own workplace safety? And why can't the county attorney's office name a single working condition that is now a mandatory bargaining subject with these amendments?

[04:39:29] Further, your ordinance continues to fail to offer reassurances to a huge contingent of county employees. The hundreds of non-benefit employees who are predominantly black and brown workers who are performing the essential services that make this county run. Under the proposed amendments, these workers still will not be represented at the bargaining table and will continue to be denied respect, wages, and protections at work.

[04:39:51] Lastly, the proposed amendments still fail to offer sufficient enforcement mechanisms to protect the rights the ordinance claims to grant to county employees. The collective bargaining ordinance needs to be amended to implement real consequences to hold county management accountable for unfair labor practices, or else the ordinance is just nice words on paper.

[04:40:11] Over the last 231 days, instead of strengthening your collective bargaining ordinance through consulting workers, the labor coalition, or even your neighbors with much better collective bargaining ordinances in Fairfax and Loudoun, Prince William has chosen to make no substantial positive changes to the CBO, opting instead to neglect workers' rights, and for what reason?

[04:40:32] Luckily, you still have a chance to make this right and leave a legacy that shows you support workers' rights. Do not pass these paltry amendments today and instead commit to passing amendments that actually protect workers, create safer jobs in your county, and keep Prince William competitive with neighbors in Loudoun and Fairfax. Thank you. So we do have two more speakers signed up, Chris Brown and Teresa Menz, and I will also call James Bruning if you are here. Is Chris Brown

[04:41:04] here? He signed up just recently, I thought. Okay, Ms. Menz. Teresa Menz, Potomac District. There's a lot I don't understand about the collective bargaining, but I hope you heard these people that got up here to speak. Everything they said made sense to me. So please listen to these people. Thank you.

[04:41:31] Thank you. So at this time, I will call Chris Brown again and James Bruning. If there's anyone else who is not signed up to speak, but who wishes to speak on this public hearing item, please approach the microphone in the back and just please let us know your name and generally where you live. Yes, my name is Jared Gay. I live in Marshall, but I am a teacher for Prince William County schools. So I'll make this quick. I just want to adjust this real quick. I just want to make a couple of remarks related to some of the things that I've heard from the speakers that

[04:42:11] have come up and some of the folks that I've spoken with prior to the meeting about the ordinance and the specific amendments that are being considered. As a Prince William County teacher and a PWEA member and board member, I think I understand exactly what it feels like to have an ordinance drafted, an amendment drafted, that are essentially trying to limit the scope or declining to broaden the scope to affect actual change in the workplace when you have

[04:42:45] employees who are begging for it. The idea that under one of the amendments being proposed that an employee that is seeking unfair labor practice redress against the union could potentially have their money recouped to them by the union, but that that same policy is not being enacted for the county, which my understanding is that it was at one point. So my question is, how can that be looked at as anything other than an attempt to try to whittle away at the

[04:43:21] bargaining power of county employees? Additionally, any time that you have employees, especially those who are passionate enough to come to a Board of County Supervisors meeting and speak to you directly. And they're all saying the same things. When you even have somebody who I would imagine politically probably is not aligned with at least a lot of my personal views as a union person, but is still, and I want to thank you, still comfortable coming up and saying that everything that these employees are asking for makes sense. Maybe it should be heated. That type of unity

[04:43:59] amongst such disparate political positions is rare. And the fact that it's being expressed now for the purpose of strengthening the position of the people who are performing the services that are necessary to make sure that this county functions as it's supposed to, that's something that should not be allowed to just pass by without taking note of it.

[04:44:23] I hope that you will do what SEIU is asking, delay this vote and give it more time to make sure that the amendments that you're passing are actually going to achieve what ostensibly you would want to achieve with this, which is having a collective bargaining ordinance that both sides feel comfortable with. I don't think it's a good idea to head into the bargaining table with one side having pleaded repeatedly for actual substantial bargaining power and to start those negotiations with one side feeling like they've essentially got both hands tied behind

[04:45:01] their back. Please do what's right. Democrats, please do what you said you would do. Thank you. Thank you. Is there anyone else who wishes to speak? Please approach the microphone. This will officially close the public hearing on item 6A. I will entertain a motion for item 6A. So move, Madam Chair.

[04:45:30] Second. Motion made by Supervisor Bailey, seconded by Supervisor Franklin. Discussion. Supervisor Bode. Thank you, Madam Chair. Before I go into my discussion too much, I wanted to ask a question to staff.

[04:45:49] I wasn't completely done, but I'll just ask just one question. There's a lot of concern right now over especially the non-benefited part-time folks and the folks that were historically termed provisional. Do we have a timeline on when those folks will be completely reclassified and if there are issues and concerns of those folks then being classified in a way that they're not included in bargaining, is there a process or a way to redress that?

[04:46:19] Sure. Thank you for the question, Supervisor. Let me, I guess I'll answer it in two ways. One, we're happy to keep the board updated. As I said in my previous comments, this is an employee-by-employee review that our HR team is doing. I'll also say that this has very little relevance to the actual amendments to the CBO.

[04:46:43] The number of employees that are being represented by individual bargaining units does not pertain to the actual amendments happening as part of the CBO.

[04:46:54] So, while I understand very much the need for us to be clear with the board and with our staff when we make the decision, and certainly as we are reviewing their individual personnel files, the decision before the board today, in terms of the actual amendments to the CBO, the term provisional and the class of employees is not dealt with in these amendments.

[04:47:24] So I guess what I'll say to that is that, one, I appreciate that. Two, it's just, unfortunately, we're in a situation where a lot of folks really don't know whether or not they're going to be able to be part of the bargaining process once there's an election of a bargaining unit to represent them.

[04:47:40] And that's the folks at SCIU that have been speaking here today. Why I'm also frustrated about this, and I'm not going to place blame on any side or the other, is that the review period and the whole dialogue I was hoping to have between the organization and labor was to make sure we didn't get to a point where we got here today and there were still folks that had, again, very credible reasons to be concerned and have remaining questions.

[04:48:07] The fact that there's still sort of a large question mark over what exactly means when we say working conditions. And I get Megan's point. There's a lot of broad scope here, and like you said, it's a creative we have creative employees still when we're passing this forward we have people who are actually bargaining right now and they don't know what working conditions they can and can't talk about until they start asking questions to me doesn't foster a lot of uh of trust that this is going to be a process that everyone can agree with by the end of the day so i just wanted to leave that with you all um i also want to say that those organizations and those folks that spoke

[04:48:43] today. I see you. It's clear that we still have some more work to do. And as was said by some of my colleagues, that door needs to stay open. I don't want that to be a question. I want that be a statement. The door needs to stay open. We still need to work on this CBO in the future.

[04:48:59] I'll be supporting the amendments right now. However, I request that we continue to have that dialogue and that we continue to work with our labor partners and have them have direct input into the language that's being proposed because we could have easily, in my opinion, fixed some of these issues before we got to today.

[04:49:18] Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Shorter. Supervisor Bailey. Thank you, Madam Chair. And it was me, Supervisor, that said leaving the door open. It was me. And I said that because I wanted it to permeate with our staff and to collaborate, have a collaborative arm with our executive staff, and I think that was well appreciated and accepted as well.

[04:49:46] And I want to say to those of you who spoke earlier, and particularly to my friend from the Potomac District that says, hear the citizens, we hear the citizens, we hear what you're saying to us, we really do.

[04:50:03] I think that we have done an adequate job in moving forward in crafting and framing the CBO. We are Prince William, and it's not going to look exactly like Fairfax County. It's not going to look exactly like Loudoun County.

[04:50:20] It's going to look exactly like Prince William County. And in doing so, I think the opportunity to collaborate even more with staff, particularly executive staff, our human resources department, there is an opportunity for it to be a win-win as we build trust within each other and not use the words that say, you know, we're not listening or not use the words to say that we don't hear you because we do.

[04:50:46] I think this is a collaborative effort, and I say that from a standpoint, of working with unions and with staff in the past. The whole process has changed over the years, but there is a great opportunity for us to move forward and craft the CBO So it serves the county staff in a higher level.

[04:51:06] And so I will be supporting this because I don't want us to take a lot more time in deferring it so we have nothing. I think we've taken a lot of time to work through it. I do think there's opportunity for us to change some pieces inside of it and to have more deeper discussions.

[04:51:25] But I think I don't want to go backwards. I want to craft a win-win by building trust from the board to the executive staff and the staff in general. So I will be supporting. Supervisor Franklin. Sure, thank you.

[04:51:41] So I've been thinking about this a lot. I've been thinking about, you know, what I was going to say with regards to this or whether to say anything. But when I look back, and I was thinking about this a couple of weeks ago, probably right after the election, the primaries, primaries and i was thinking what what has this board actually done over the past few years and the answer is i think we've done a lot we've done a lot obviously as it relates to land use as you know we've heard throughout the day we've done a lot on other issues and we still have some things to do including i know i'm looking forward to working on some housing things

[04:52:19] um we've done a lot um and quite frankly before um a few years ago i i could not have imagined this county having anything related to a collective bargaining ordinance um you know we've come a long way i think in this county on a lot of different issues um and i think that where we are today is a pivotal moment. Is the ordinance perfect? No, it's not. Do I think that we

[04:52:52] operated with the best intentions? I think we did. Is there room for continued discussions? Absolutely. But I think that this board has really worked to the best of our ability to get us to a place of even discussing collective bargaining. Forget the ordinance for two seconds, even discussing collective bargaining in this county. Part of the challenge has been, I think, the way the law was crafted from the General Assembly. I think part of what we have to do moving forward

[04:53:30] is ask our General Assembly for more clarity on a lot of different provisions that give us a little bit more clarity in terms of how do we draft some of these ordinances. Because of Of course, all of our authority comes from the General Assembly. But the fact that we're here today talking about collective bargaining is, I think, a huge step forward.

[04:53:51] It is not a discussion that would have happened, I'll just say, five years ago. So I would ask that we continue to have partners throughout county government, throughout the labor movement, to not only talk about collective bargaining, there are other issues I think that are important to our unions and our labor movement.

[04:54:11] We need to have those discussions, but all compromise has to start somewhere, and the true definition of a compromise is where everyone walks away not getting everything. You know, I was thinking about some of the other things where some of the other issues that we've worked on where we've had to finagle and compromise and figure things out, and in none of those situations has anyone ever walked away with everything.

[04:54:39] It's a tough job what we do, but the fact that we're here in this moment in Prince William County, Fairfax has been far along on some issues a long time, and quite frankly, so has Loudon. The fact that Prince William County is here right now, I think quite frankly, it's something to be celebrated.

[04:54:58] We've got a lot of work to do. We have a lot of trust building, I think, within our relationships with county government and with our labor movement. But let's start right now. Let's start here, and let's continue to move that discussion forward.

[04:55:15] Supervisor Angry. Thank you, Madam Chair. I knew that was going to happen. You know, when we started this thing, I said the key word for me was unintended consequences. And so I was the wild card out that didn't understand unions, and I will thank you, Megan.

[04:55:32] I will thank you, Chris. I will thank you, David Broder. I will thank you, Patrice, for educating me on the union process or what collective bargaining truly means. I've got to say, I've heard, you know, been working with many folks on this subject.

[04:55:47] And, you know, so here we sit today with a potential ordinance. I'm still understanding the rest of all the details of this. But I will say this. I remember the 90 days. Okay, so I'm just going to say I remember the 90 days. And the 90 days was a real issue. So we didn't meet that.

[04:56:04] Okay, so that kind of put a little contention to all of this. But we're here now, and we're going to get something across the finish line, which allows the opportunity to have the door open to do more and do better with it. So I'd rather, personally, me, be here with this going forward to do better than to put something in place that we don't fully understand, because I don't understand it all, but I know where we are today, and we're in a better place, to your point, Supervisor Franklin, than we were yesterday.

[04:56:34] So I think this is a grand step in the right direction. It does have work. I'm still hearing more comments about more issues. I do know as a once non-benefited part-time employee, I used to work at Chen Center as a fitness instructor as well. Remember those days?

[04:56:50] I know that's a real issue, but we've got to figure that out. So we're working on figuring that out, these groups, what that looks like, who's part-time, and all that details. And then hopefully that can be the next phase that we put to tie this thing together. And I don't know where it goes from there, But I do know that's a very big emphasis and a point that we've got to stay focused with.

[04:57:09] So to your point, Supervisor Bode, yeah, leaving this door open for improvements is critical. So that wouldn't be a – well, I know – well, only because he mentioned it and then you said you bothered that. But the point there is that we have to ensure that we do that. So, you know, I like where we are today, and I want to see this continue on to be something that everybody can appreciate.

[04:57:30] So thank you. Thank you. Supervisor Vega. Thank you, Madam Chair. First off, I want to thank Michelle and her staff for the remarkable job that they've been doing since this topic was pretty much thrown on your laps.

[04:57:46] I know that it's been very frustrating. It hasn't been easy. And just based on the interactions that we've had, I know that there has been a tremendous amount of resources put into this one topic, which adds to the already overwhelming load of work that you all already have. With that being said, I cannot think of a more frustrating process since being on this board and I will let you all know why.

[04:58:08] We were told that this ordinance was going to be ours, the board's, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I recall the several conversations that I've had with staff members bringing certain changes to this ordinance before even talking to members of the board.

[04:58:24] Michelle, if I'm not mistaken, I think I was the first supervisor that we had the meeting with when I was told that there were already different proposals being made or there were already certain requests on the table. That right there tells you that this process has not been transparent, in my opinion, with members of this governing body.

[04:58:42] And I'm sitting here listening to some of the comments that have been made, and people are upset because a lot of the asks that have been made of my Democratic colleagues have not been fulfilled. And I will say this on the record, that in part, it is due because of the legal advice that we've been given.

[04:58:59] And I want to thank my colleagues for heeding the advice that our attorney's office has been given us, because in essence, you are looking out for the real employer here, which is the taxpayer. And I am left wondering, what are the taxpayers of Prince William County getting out of this collective bargaining ordinance?

[04:59:14] What are they getting? Somebody mentioned it during their public comment not too long ago. So I will say that philosophically, I'm fine with the first couple of changes, major changes, I will say. But here is where it gets tricky. The changes 3, 5, and 6 are exactly why I oppose this Pandora's box to begin with.

[04:59:33] By changes 5 and 6, we see that the unions, to no one's surprise, don't want to be held accountable except for willful failures to represent employees. Meanwhile, in change three, we have to reconfirm that the taxpayers of Prince William County are the ones held responsible for any random employee, agent, or contractor's actions associated with the county.

[04:59:57] And this, folks, is why I oppose this to begin with. Because although our county executive believes that this is going to be an agreement that's going to last for a long time, you're already hearing it from the union reps. They're not happy. So what does that mean? That these changes to these amendments are going to keep coming.

[05:00:13] That a staff is going to continue to spend their time trying to meet to the agreement or find that common, agreeable ground. And guess what? It's never going to happen. It is going to be happening over and over again. And what will the end result be? That it is absolutely going to impact quality and productivity of government services.

[05:00:34] Because we've seen it in our neighboring jurisdictions. It's going to happen. And when we first started to talk about collective bargaining, I quoted FDR. Why did I quote him? Because he was spot on when it came to taxpayer-funded unions. And I will quote him again. All government employees should realize that the process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into the public service.

[05:00:58] He then pointed out the obvious, that the employer in this instance is the taxpayers, the taxpayers of Prince William County. So, like FDR, I don't believe in this concept to begin with, and there's nothing you can do to fix a broken concept. So for those reasons, it should come to no surprise that I will not be supporting this.

[05:01:19] Supervisor Weir. Thank you, Madam Chair. It's going to come as no surprise that I'm not going to support it either, but to sort of add on to Supervisor Vega's concerns, I've got a couple of other ones.

[05:01:34] I do have a concern with Sections 1 and 2 coming from the corporate world. And, you know, it seems to me that all that's been done with Section 212, the board's rights, is the rearranging of the deck chairs, and staff can't explain to me what those changes mean or give me an example.

[05:01:55] That doesn't really sit well with me. Above and beyond that, one of the employees made a very good point. Sections 5 and 6, I've got a real issue with. Who inserted the word willfully and at whose test?

[05:02:13] Because the only people that that's protecting are the unions. not protecting the employees, not protecting us. The insertion of that one word essentially allows the union to avoid all responsibility for their actions. It wasn't willful. It was incompetent, but it wasn't willful. I don't know. I can't support this for a variety of reasons, but one, two, five, and six really bother me. Supervisor Bode, your second turn.

[05:02:49] Sure. Thank you, Madam Chair. A lot has been said on folks' concerns one way or another, why they may be supporting, why they won't, but I have a much more optimistic view of this. I know that there are employees and union organizations right now who are very skeptical how this is going to move forward, and I hear you. At the same time, as Supervisor Franklin said, I think that there is an opportunity here for us to work through this and get to where most folks

[05:03:21] think we need to be. I know that like with any new establishment of anything that has people working together, there's going to be growing pains. There's going to be working through it. To me, that first contract is part of that learning process. So I would also ask in addition to the last request I made that once we get those first contracts in place, we have a review. We look at that from the organization side, see how that process went. What were the employees happy with what they believe still needs work from the organization side what went smoothly what still

[05:04:00] needs some time to iron out with with our partners in labor um i don't think this is the end of this journey i think we're still well in the middle here it's not the beginning either um and you can better believe that as long as i sit here on this day as i will continue to support our employees and i'll continue to support us strengthening this indoor ordinance thank you madam chair thank you supervisor buddy seeing no further yeah i don't know what's wrong with my screen but can i speak because yeah you do speaking if we can get that worked out because we're going to need this as time goes on um supervisor lawson thank you i just want to say um that i appreciate megan

[05:04:38] and eric's support on all the work that you continue to do and i'm sure it's not going to end after today matter of fact it's going to become probably more and whoever else on the team that has been recognized thank you and Ms. Roble of course and I know she's been instrumental in it as well and Mr. Shorter and your team I support the employees I absolutely do I also support support Mr. Shorter's ability to operate this county day-to-day the operations of it is no easy

[05:05:11] task and so the collective bargaining has always been dead on arrival for me it it just simply as supervisor Vega laid out does not make sense for public sector collective bargaining so no surprise I'm not going to support this but I do want to thank everybody for participating in the process to the employees that you know don't like the way I vote on collective bargaining my door is always open to you my door is always open to you Patrice knows that she's been out to my office

[05:05:43] um i'll do what i can but um at the end of the day we hire mr shorter to run this county and you know it's a big organization there's always room for improvement but i think handing the keys over to unions is just the wrong idea to run county services and with that i'm sure i'll vote in the minority today um i'll just add in that i obviously am going to support this um i've support a collective bargaining for our public safety as well as our other sector employees

[05:06:22] since the beginning. I know that there are things that may not be perfect about today but I do believe that it's progress not perfection and we are moving in the right direction and that is always what we need to do. We have to be in the right direction. So with that Ms. Madden we can vote. Voting button. You're a no. Okay get you fixed. Motion passes five to three. Supervisors

[05:07:01] Lawson Vega, and we're voting nay. Can we see about getting her screen fixed is coming? Okay. Thank you very much. So that concludes our public hearing with the passage of the amendments on 6A. That moves us on to county executive time.

[05:07:18] Mr. Shorter, is there anything you have for us? Madam Chair, I know it's been said already. I just want to acknowledge the team. That is to say I want to make sure that I appreciate the county attorney, her leadership. I want to also just express appreciation to the board for your leadership back in November and certainly over the last few months.

[05:07:42] Please keep the quorum in the boardroom if we can't do that, please. Do we need assistance here? Are we doing okay? Sir, please. Thank you. I'm sorry, Mr. Shorter. No problem. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[05:07:58] I just, again, want to make sure that we, as Supervisor Franklin stated, just acknowledge the moment that we are in. That is to say we have started already the process of collective bargaining formally.

[05:08:13] So there are contract negotiations happening certainly as we speak, so with police and with fire and rescue. This is certainly a milestone for our county. I expressed it a few minutes ago to all of our employees, certainly those that are now represented by elected bargaining units, that we are looking forward to a continued, robust partnership.

[05:08:41] It is certainly not an easy task. I do believe what has happened over the last few months, six months ago, we were not sitting down at the table with our bargaining, with any labor. And now, today, there's an open-door policy.

[05:09:00] There is a continued conversation that's happening. And I look forward to that partnership, and I appreciate the board again for your leadership in making this possible. Thank you, team. Thank you, again, county attorney. Thank you, Deputy CXO Haynes, and I look forward to continuing the work.

[05:09:20] Thank you, Mr. Shorter. We're now on to item number eight, county attorney time. Ms. Robo, the floor is yours. Thank you, Madam Chair, members of the board. We have one item for discussion in closed session. It will be consultation with legal counsel and briefing by staff members regarding specific legal matters requiring the provision of legal advice by such counsel pertaining to legal advice regarding land use law.

[05:09:42] Where such consultation, discussion, or briefing in an open meeting would adversely affect the bargaining position, negotiating strategy, or litigating posture of the public body. This item is appropriate for closed session pursuant to 2.2-3711-888 of the Code of Virginia.

[05:09:58] So moved, Madam Chair. Second. Motion made by Supervisor Angry, seconded by Supervisor Bailey. Any discussion? Seeing none, please vote. Vote unanimous.

[05:10:18] That brings us on to item number nine, agency time. We have talked about that while we're not doing that tonight. If anybody needs to speak to transportation, you can gladly call them or set up a time to have them come in. I'm going to start by moving on to Supervisor's time, 10, and take a motion for 10A and 10B.

[05:10:36] So move, Madam Chair. Can I get a second? Second. oh wait no i am so sorry i'm so sorry sorry um uh i'm gonna move to 10a can i get a motion in 10a so moved second motion made by supervisor bailey seconded by supervisor bode please vote well any discussion please vote that moves us on to 10 unanimous uh 10b supervisor bode yeah thank you madam chair the reason why we took uh 10b out is because in consultation with mr jeter he actually wanted to be appointed to the Chesapeake

[05:11:16] Bay Preservation Area Advisory Review Board and not the Wetlands Board. So if I could make a motion to waive the rules of procedure to do my notice of intent to appoint and appoint him instead of the Wetlands Board, I would appreciate it. Thank you. We do.

[05:11:36] Okay. I'd like, okay, so that moves us on to 10C. I'd like to do that during your supervisor's time as we go around since it's separate to you, but today we're going to go around the dais and provide updates um we'll do supervisor's resolution during her portion of the round robin but it shouldn't affect any of your time if you have five minutes before that we won't um and with that we're going to start to my right and go to supervisor vega i mean sorry supervisor well i'm

[05:12:05] doing it again supervisor franklin i've forgotten her name again okay i'm really i really apologize

[05:12:38] um sure before we go around the horn sure if you want if everybody's okay with waving the rules and you have his that was my understanding yeah yeah is it you can incorporate it yeah right so okay so there was a motion on the floor right yep yeah no we didn't and we're seconded and so it's on it's still on the floor so my motion was to waive the rules of procedure to instead appoint martin jeter to the chesapeake bay okay

[05:13:13] okay discussion seeing none please vote thank you supervisor lawson supervisor bailey yes ma'am thank you okay vote sorry about that thank you okay we're going to

[05:13:49] start to my right with supervisor franklin okay um on july 8th i met with the woodbridge pickleball players at Veterans Park. Talked about some additional capacity for our pickleball players here in Woodbridge. I thought I was being slick by wearing jeans and so that they wouldn't have to ask me to play, but some of them did try to get me out there. So I'm going to go back and play a couple of games with them. And then on July 9th, I attended the Youth Behavioral Health Assembly at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Triangle, sponsored by Voice and its partners, addressing the issues of youth mental health issues,

[05:14:25] including opioid addiction in the many ways that we can and have addressed some of those challenges, both here in Prince William County as well as across the state. Upcoming events, I'll be hosting a community meeting for residents of the Acclaim at Belmont Bay on July 13th at 1 p.m., and then another at the Belmont Bay Nursing Home on Monday, July 17th at 2 p.m.

[05:14:51] And then we just previously had our dumpster day, and we collected 2.71 tons of debris and litter removed from our community from our dumpster day on May 13th. The next dumpster day will be in September. And since we did not go over the transportation presentation, I do just want to highlight a few transportation projects that we do have going on in the Woodbridge District.

[05:15:14] We have the North Woodbridge pedestrian bridge in which we submitted a funding application for for the feds. We've got some funding and still waiting for completed funding there. Some applications under review. The Colchester Road sidewalk from Featherstone to Randall Drive, that's under review.

[05:15:32] And then we've been getting a lot of calls from residents who want better pedestrian access, particularly on Featherstone crossing over the way into the shopping center. The Route 1 corridor transportation improvement projects, we've got 1688 bus shelters coming, including at PRTC stops, as well as additional lighting and trash cans up and down the Route 1 corridor.

[05:15:56] Also, the Blue Pool sidewalk in the River Oaks community, that's been requested that we're working on. The Marumsco pedestrian street lighting, that's a project that we have coming that's funded out of my office. And then some active projects, including the Marina Way extension, the Neabsco Mills commuter garage, And then we're widening Neabsco Mills Lane.

[05:16:17] And then, of course, we have the I-95 Express Lane from Opitz Boulevard crossing into off the ramp there. And so those are just a few projects that we have going on in the Woodbridge District. So a lot going on. All of this helps with the revitalization efforts. And so if you have any questions, please reach out to my office, and we will send this out over our newsletter as well as post to our website.

[05:16:40] So thank you. Thank you. Supervisor Vega. Thank you, Madam Chair. On June 28th, we had our meeting with the Sudley Road business and property owners about the crime, drug, and homeless issues going on around the Sudley and Balls Ford Road corridor. I want to go ahead and thank the chief of police, Peter Newsham, along with Elijah.

[05:16:58] I know that several other, Courtney Tierney was in attendance of that meeting, along with our new, can't remember his name right now. Wesley Dawson. Right. He was in attendance, and I just want to thank all of you for showing up and hearing the concerns that these business owners have in regards to the crimes that are occurring in that area.

[05:17:24] I know that it's frustrating and that we couldn't provide concrete answers, but I do understand that we're coming together as a community to try to do the best that we can with the current situation in front of us and that our police department is working around the clock to reassure folks that they are paying attention to the situation.

[05:17:42] Also, I want to give a special shout-out to Chief Newsham. I did send some additional concerns to him after that meeting that folks brought to my attention about a homeless encampment behind Heritage Crossings that's believed to be driving a lot of the issues that were discussed at this meeting. And I am happy to report that the police is being proactive and actually being hands-on with this situation and that we hope that things improve.

[05:18:05] Also, just want to make a mention, I've received a lot of personal calls from a lot of my friends and colleagues, whether it be the Sheriff's Department or Police Department, about the recent events that have unfolded coming out of the Marine that was murdered and the outcome of that case.

[05:18:21] It was a tragic result, but I just want to thank our Police Department for the heck of a job that you all do. I know that we're asking for you all to work overtime with limited resources, and I want you all to know that I will always have your back and will always defend against any allegations that imply contrary to what this force in this county does.

[05:18:40] And with that, Madam Chair, that's all I have. Thank you. Supervisor Angry. Thank you, Madam Chair. It's been a long time since we've been here. The last thing I recall was Michelle Casciotto's farewell celebration we had, and then I went on vacation, so I was out from there.

[05:18:56] I would like to talk about the 4th of July, And we must do something about illegal fireworks. And I'm not going to give a directive because you've got enough of those. But I do want to make mention because I told a constituent who emails me every year on the 5th of July.

[05:19:15] He's a PTSD survivor who really has issues on the evening of the 4th. And I'm sure he's not the only one. Well, you know, I mean, the reality is, you know, I think that's the big date because then it gets into a lot of the illegal fireworks stuff that we're hearing.

[05:19:33] So I just want to have a discussion. It's not a directive, but I'll have a discussion about just some of the things that we can do with illegal fireworks and what is the ordinance and what's the shutoff time that you're not supposed to be doing this anymore, and I know that's not going to stop anybody. But at some point, I think we need to put an emphasis on this.

[05:19:50] It's really kind of becoming a norm, and we do this every year. So I just want to once again bring that to our attention, hope we can look into that. Okay. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Supervisor Angry. Supervisor Weir. Thank you, Madam Chair. Two things.

[05:20:05] One, I'll give my notice to reappoint Dr. Erica Laus to the Human Rights Commission. I believe the clerk has all the appropriate documentation. And then secondly, I'd like to reschedule the transportation presentation because I have a lot of problems with it.

[05:20:23] Got concerns on several issues, projects that we're spending millions on, seemingly with with a focus on increasing throughput and not necessarily on traffic safety or the impact on businesses. And I'll give you a real quick example. The much-ballyhooed Balls Ford interchange.

[05:20:46] We stopped the congestion at Balls Ford and 234. All he did was move it to Sudley Road. At the same time, because of the design, we've now got accidents occurring at a very high rate along Wellington and Balls Ford. We've got no left turns, which are negatively impacting multiple businesses and trucking establishments. We've cut off a 7-Eleven. I think we need to go back and look at the design on this because it needs a lot of work. A slide mysteriously appeared late last night that addresses some of those issues, but I think it's well worth discussing

[05:21:23] publicly. And in looking at some of the diagrams, and this board gets blamed for the direction of the traffic. I've got similar issues with the Clover Hill and Dumfries interchanges as well as a portion of the old bridge road project so i'd really like for that transportation presentation to be rescheduled at some point in the near future thank you supervisor lawson madame chair do you want me to do you want the other supervisors to give their supervisor and then come back why don't you do your regular supervisor's time and and then they can do their regular and then okay um i'll

[05:22:01] wait to do mine but then we'll go on okay that sounds fine um so first of all i'd like to give my notice of intent to appoint Wade Hugh and Tom Smith to the Innovation Owners Association Board of Directors. Although I already think Tom is on, but maybe he's not, because no, he's not. Okay, Wade's giving me the, okay. Without objection, I would wish to offer a directive to transfer budget and appropriate funds from the Brentsville District Department of Park Rec and Tourism Proffers to expand the existing field at Noakesville Park. Everybody okay with that?

[05:22:39] One other thing, without objection, I'd wish to offer the same thing, transfer budget and appropriate $100,000 from the Brentsville Proffers to address the additional needs at the Rollinsford Park. We've worked, of course, with Seth Handler Voss on these. And then as long as we're talking about parks, I got more bragging to do about those Brentsville kids of Did you all know that the Brentsville Baseball League's Babe Ruth team, the 13- to 15-year-old boys, won the District 8 championship and have made it to the state tournament in Williamsburg?

[05:23:16] The team is coached by Jeremy Jenkins. Of course, he would be the grandson of the late Supervisor John Jenkins. Brentsville Baseball League has been a longstanding Brentsville district organization and are enjoyed by many people in the district since 1971.

[05:23:33] we can't wait to hear how the boys and one girl excuse me do this weekend so go Brentsville and let me tell you grandma Jenkins is raising money for the team so and I she caught me on the phone last night and I committed some money and then one last directive if I could and I'm guessing that my colleagues are going to probably agree with me on this Mr. Shorter I have noticed throughout the county but of course this directive is mainly it'd be county-wide but i've noticed in

[05:24:06] particular brentsville district in the commercial landscaping centers well in the in the commercial centers the landscaping strips that they proffer to upkeep and sometimes these land use cases include i believe maybe some proffers of vdot right-of-way landscaping strips and i don't know if VDOT is always responsible or who's responsible but I have noticed weeds and just litter and things on commercial sites and I don't know what authority if any that we have but I'm guessing

[05:24:44] that if they're proffered landscaping strips we can probably send out property code enforcement or a proper administrator to look into what our authority is. I'm seeing like just unkept landscaping.

[05:25:03] We'll certainly work with your office to make sure that we have specific locations, but we'll work with Public Works. As you know, there was some additional funding placed in the FY24 budget to assist in this regard, But we'll work with you to make sure that we have a sense of specific locations.

[05:25:23] Are you all seeing that in some of your commercial centers? Yeah, so it's countywide? And it's medians and it's weeds and the growth around the concrete stuff. I've fixed some of the places, Mr. Shorter, but I haven't fixed them all. So you all agree?

[05:25:42] If we can find out more about who's supposed to maintain some of the medians and some of the curbing is what I would say. Some of them might be property managers. i don't know but some of them are supposed to be kept up by hoas some of them are hoas yeah some of them are hoas so yes right i've been okay and then madam chair uh one last uh bragging right and actually supervisor we're um this business owner is a constituent of yours although she's her business is in the brentsville district miss corliss udima is a woman that has successfully wears many hats in our community. She's an entrepreneur, philanthropist, author, and

[05:26:19] motivational speaker. She's the founder and president CEO of a staffing firm called Contact Solutions. Corliss has been recognized at the state, local, and national level for her outstanding success as a small business leader, earning numerous awards to include recognition at Virginia Small Business Person of the Year and third runner-up in the National Small Business Person of the year additionally Washington Business Journal recognized 50 local businesses for their philanthropic award and contract solutions was the only Prince William County company that was named

[05:26:55] and I have a lot more information about Miss Corliss she does so much work for our veterans she she does a lot of work to feed the homeless she's somebody who is just very committed to our community and and thankfully she's recognized and economic development's very familiar with her but i just wanted to take this moment to brag on her as well that's all i have thank you two things um did you have a dollar amount attached to your first proffer directive you didn't mention it if you did with regards to the first park uh i don't believe we do okay can we i mean without

[05:27:34] objection i'd offer uh do we need i guess my question is do you need to attach a number to Seth knows how much it is, and I don't want to say because my memory might be flawed. Just as long as we have a number somewhere where we can record it, right? No worries. And then could you, since it's your time, I'm going to go back, and can you just do your 10C thing, resolution?

[05:27:58] Why don't we just do that since we're going around and it's your time? Thank you. Okay, so obviously everybody knows that two weeks ago today I introduced the resolution to refrain from certain land use votes during what's known as the lame duck session.

[05:28:14] And lame duck obviously means post-election until the new board is seated in January of 2024. Contrary to my critics, I actually have a record of supporting this policy. When I was first elected in 2015, I was actually elected in December of 2014, so I finished the one year of the remaining term of my predecessor.

[05:28:40] in 2015 this board was up for election I actually did not have a challenger for my seat so I think it's fair to say when I introduced the resolution in October of 2015 that the board then would refrain from any controversial land use votes it certainly wasn't political I didn't even have a challenger and in 2019 I objected and somebody did point out that I had voted on a series of

[05:29:14] approvals and denials of different cases well in October of 2015 under the leadership of then Corey Stewart I my motion failed and so of course if this board votes down my resolution guarantee it i'll still participate but the whole point of this resolution today is that we don't take up these controversial land use votes while any number of us could be lame ducks i might be a lame duck i don't know yet what the will of the people will be on november 7th i think it's good

[05:29:50] policy fairfax county does it every four years stafford county has it written into their board rules procedure. In 2019, again, my sentiment for this policy failed. This is obviously a democratic process up here in the majority rules. And in 2019, when I suggested that we not take up land use votes that were contentious, I was again outvoted. And of course, I participated in those

[05:30:23] land use cases, I'm also on record of objecting to four of my Republican colleagues that advanced something against my wishes, Supervisor Principe and Supervisor Canlan. So this certainly isn't quote political in nature because it breaks party lines and so much so that I want to point out and people have done a great job of pointing out that in February of 2020, my colleague, Supervisor

[05:30:55] Bodie, recommended that we add to our board rules, and I actually made copies for everybody, but I think you already have one, that the board during this known as lame duck session, refrained from taking votes on residential land use matters or with a residential component. And it was unanimously approved by all eight of us. Actually, it was Supervisor Canlon, not Supervisor Weir. But if Supervisor Bode's suggestion of this rule was good for all eight of us in February of 2020,

[05:31:31] I would say the same should apply today. What's different? So if your party chair, Supervisor Bode, thought that this resolution today was ridiculous, I don't know why she would say that because eight of us thought it was a good idea back in february of 2020 so what's the difference other than the fact that i'm the one and it's customary to introduce this lame duck resolution months before november and i thought for timing sake i would introduce it

[05:32:05] in june vote on it in july to give the planning department and applicants time to get their applications in, have this board hear them. Nobody's suggesting that cases can't be heard. We just can't hear them after the election. So that's why I introduced this resolution. I have a record of promoting this and supporting this policy. It's not for political gaming. It's not for political expediency. It's simply a record of what I believe is good governance for the board

[05:32:40] of County Supervisors, so much so that if you look at the history of the board, many, many, many years, that's exactly what this board did. It wasn't until 2015 and 2019 that the board didn't practice it. So more often than not, every four years, the Board of County Supervisors refrains from certain land use votes. This is what my resolution states. And again, I want to reiterate if cases are ready to be heard by November 7th or November 6th bring them to us

[05:33:18] we'll hear those cases but post November 7th I don't think that we should I think we should wait and let the new board who nobody knows right now is going to be sitting up here should take up these cases and with that I move my resolution forward motion made by Supervisor Lawson second Seconded by Supervisor Weir. Any discussion? We're now in discussion.

[05:33:47] Supervisor Weir. Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm going to take a bit of a different approach on this. It's simply a matter of good public policy, and that's why other jurisdictions do it and why this jurisdiction has done it in the past.

[05:34:04] And fortunately, this year, as with so many other topics, this issue has been hijacked. It's been hijacked by a particular land use application. Let me be clear. This is not a vote on the digital gateway.

[05:34:24] It's not a vote on any application. It's simply on what's going to occur between the election and the end of December. Are there a number of controversial land use applications out there?

[05:34:39] Yes. Are there some that are ready to come back to this board, Cline, Devlin, or that could come back easily before November? Absolutely. There are quite a few of them. Let me be very, very clear about those who are pushing the digital gateway one way or or the other and those who are suggesting that it needs to be brought forward immediately.

[05:35:04] Here's the problem. It ain't ready. It's not ready today. It's not going to be ready at the end of July. Staff just gave an extension to the National Park until the end of August for comments. I've got comments coming in. There will likely be a fourth round of comments. This thing's not coming before the Planning Commission or the Board until well into next year. So if your only reason for voting against this moratorium is the digital gateway uh you can take that off your list of reasons not to support it the timeline for that particular application the steps that are required

[05:35:42] the weeks for public hearing notices the time between the planning commission public hearing and any board vote simply won't allow it at this point in time it's just not i mean if it were physically if it were physically possible for it to be heard within that period of time i'd tell you but you know i've looked at the calendar between that and the holidays there's no chance so if that's your only objections to it i would suggest that that's not a valid objection at this point in time simply a matter of good public policy to pass this thank you any other

[05:36:17] discussion seeing none please vote motion fails three to five supervisors wheeler angry bailey Bodie and Franklin voting nay. Supervisors Lawson, Vega and Weir voting yes. Sorry, Chair Wheeler, not Supervisor Wheeler.

[05:36:46] Great. Thank you. Moving on to Supervisor Bodie. I'm sorry, Vice Chair Bodie. Thank you, Madam Chair. To switch gears massively away from that, I wanted to first thank my colleagues for their rolling with me on my audible in terms of where we wanted to put Martin Jeter. Apologize to staff that there was a miscommunication there that led to that appointment.

[05:37:06] But I appreciate my colleagues supporting me on that, and I know that Mr. Jeter will be a great addition to that review board, and he already is. He's had a lot of dialogue with Clay and some other folks and county staff, so that's rolling along. On the 4th of July, I, of course, attended the Dale City Independence Day Parade.

[05:37:25] Always a great time. It's always at least 90 degrees, if not more, every single time. It's always baking out there. And from where I started marching, I think we started marching at around 11 o'clock. You know, some people were done marching by the time we start. So it was a long day, but I'm always really grateful to take part in our Independence Day celebrations.

[05:37:46] This past week, I had the opportunity to attend the ribbon cutting with the Chamber of Commerce for the boot barn. So if you know where Shopper's Best is over on the parkway next to Hobby Lobby and the GameStop and the Taco Bell over there, There's now a boot barn, so always happy to support new businesses coming to the district, especially ones that have unique offerings and specialty apparel.

[05:38:10] It's a great addition to the unique shopping destination that is the Potomac Mills area in my district. Also was able to attend a wonderful youth behavioral health assembly a few days ago. I appreciate the bipartisan universal support that we have for really tackling youth behavioral health issues in our community.

[05:38:31] um as was said by several speakers from all different walks of life and different faith denominations um behavioral health in general especially with youth is something that we've been woefully far behind on for decades um we as a board we as a community have taken bold steps to address that between the co-responding unit the crc that my colleagues who are as bailey is championed and a whole host of other issues but we have a lot farther to go uh to properly tackle that um looking ahead a little bit we have on august 10th the uh community safety town hall that my office putting on alongside quite a few folks as i mentioned last time we also be having

[05:39:11] schools in on the conversation looking forward to that and finally um wanted to give major kudos to superpowers bailey and franklin for honoring mr george hampton he was a legend in our community um as you saw with how many people were here earlier when we start our meeting it seems like a long time ago now, several hours ago, but he has touched lives throughout our community and well beyond. He's been a mentor to me all the way up until his passing. I talked to him a couple weeks before I had heard that he had passed, and he will be felt for generations to come in this county.

[05:39:47] I'm thankful to have had some time with him before the end, and I'm thankful that we continue to have ways, like my colleague said today, to honor his memory, and I'll continue to find ways to live up to the example that he gave. Thank you so much, Madam Chair, for the time. Thank you, Vice Chair Bodie.

[05:40:03] Supervisor Bailey. Thank you, Madam Chair. On June 28th, I had the pleasure of participating in a wonderful train ride. I hadn't had a train ride in I don't know when. In Spotsylvania, they had a VRE open house, and it was a great time, and it talked about the connections between Spotsy and Prince William County and the projects that we're working on on the board of the BRE. On the 29th, I want to thanks to Voice, who conducted an adult mental health first aid training for youth. It was extraordinary, and it was just the partnership between Voice and

[05:40:42] the operations and progressing the CRC. I also want to thank OmniRide and keep Prince William beautiful adopt a shelter ribbon cutting that took place in Dumfries, Virginia. Dumfries is just doing wonderful things. On July 1st, I had the pleasure of attending the PLA commencement service with the Roslyn and Jimmy Carter Conflict Resolution School, and it was one of a great program with GMU that I would invite all of my colleagues to participate in

[05:41:17] as we go forth. On the 4th of July, it was a big day. We had the pleasure of riding in the parade at Four Seasons. They always do a great job at Four Seasons going through the community just to celebrate Independence Day and then participating in the Dell City Parade. And then later that evening, I was invited to attend the Marine Corps Base 4th of July ceremonies and fireworks with Colonel Michael Brooks. It was a great, great time. And on July the 7th, it was a pleasure to

[05:41:51] participate with Dumfries again for the Fox 5 Zip Trip event. And Mayor Wood and his council, they did an amazing job in pulling the community together with a lot of vendors in the community as they serve the Dumfries Township. It was excellent. It was on Fox 5. Thank you for Fox 5 for highlighting our community.

[05:42:14] On July 9th, I want to thank Reverend Dr. Alfred Jones Jr. at the Mount Zion Baptist Church in Triangle for hosting the Voice Rally this year for the summer. And that was focused on youth behavioral health. And thank you also to our governor, Governor Glenn Youngkin, for coming to the neighborhood and talking about how important behavioral health is.

[05:42:38] We had 765 attendees there. Thank you to the county exec and to my colleagues for attending. It was beautiful. July 10th, I want to say congratulations yesterday to the volunteer fireman's class of 2023.

[05:42:56] That was exceptional as well for the wonderful six brave and focused leaders in our community that's graduated to serve us. We say salute and thank you so much for saying yes to the responsibility of protecting the community.

[05:43:11] Upcoming events on July 13th, I look forward to sitting on a panel with Delegate Michelle Maldonado and Reverend Dr. Keith Savage as we talk about affordable housing. And it will be an affordable housing summit in the auditorium at the Filazo building.

[05:43:29] So we look forward to that and talking about how we can provide housing here for people who want to live in Prince William County. On July 14th and 15th, I will be attending the COG Leadership Retreat in Cambridge, Maryland. And then lastly, I'd like to offer my intent to reappoint Carolyn Vine-Sapplett to the Board of Equalization, and I will be sending her resume to you, Ms. Madden, this evening.

[05:43:55] And then lastly, with the time that I have left, I want to say on behalf of the vote that we just took for scheduling the land use projects, One of my focuses is to make sure that I'm serving the Potomac District at a higher level.

[05:44:14] When I first got in the seat, I didn't have a lot of projects in the Potomac District to focus on, and now I do. And I've been very strategic and focused on having town halls and community town halls and discussions about those projects.

[05:44:31] And for those Potomac citizens that haven't had an opportunity, we will be having a community town hall. But projects like the Potomac Shores Town Center, the Ashland Square Project, these are projects that's in tow already.

[05:44:47] The completion of the Barracks Commons on 234, the Triangle Affordable Housing Project, and the VRE Project that's happening at Potomac Shores. We've got a lot going on in Potomac District, and please, for the citizens, look forward to the community town hall that we're going to have coming up in future months in August.

[05:45:12] We're going to have one in August. So I just wanted to say that it's very important for the projects that ensued already, for going already, that we keep them moving. And so I thank the staff for all the work that you're doing from a planning perspective to make sure that the Potomac District is a part of this project and growth going forward.

[05:45:33] Thank you. Thank you, Supervisor Bailey. I'll keep it brief. On Wednesday, June 28th, my office attended the Muslim Association of Virginia's Eid Alahar prayers at the Fitzner Stadium in the back, and that was the first time we've done that. And I heard, so I want to thank the county staff for making that happen.

[05:45:51] It was sort of on short notice, and I hear it went really well, and it really was able to accommodate much better before their expansion. So I think everybody was really happy with that. So my office had attended that. My staff also attended on June 29th the Bus Shelter Beautification Ribbon Cutting Ceremony down in the town of Dumfries.

[05:46:10] They were there representing our office. And also finally this past Sunday I attended the Voice Assembly regarding youth behavioral health. And one of the things I thought was interesting that I learned was when they say behavioral health, they mean mental health as well as substance use disorders.

[05:46:27] So behavioral health kind of covers both of those. And I just thought that was good from a, as we talk about this more going forward, it was just an interesting nomenclature that they pointed out. So I just thought I'd share that with everybody. I do have two directives with my calendar out of the way.

[05:46:42] I want to issue a directive without objection regarding the Board of Zoning Appeals legal funding, the BZA legal funding issue. As previously discussed, the Board of Zoning Appeals would like legal counsel, and this would involve hiring an outside firm for $18,000. And for transparency's sake, we're doing this as a directive.

[05:47:01] The directive would be specifically for staff to contract and allocate $18,000 for legal services. County staff would then work with the BZA, the Board of Zoning Appeals, to establish a formal set of procedures to follow when requesting legal services without objection.

[05:47:16] Anybody object to that? I know we've all talked about it in the past. It's a thing out there. Okay. The second thing, and I apologize, I sort of caught off guard. You know, I want to issue a separated, actually I want to waive the rules of procedure to amend the calendar without objection.

[05:47:36] You know, we had a work session scheduled for July 18th, which is next Tuesday, but I'd like to cancel it for two reasons. One, the Virginia DEQ has indicated they won't participate in the session. And two, the specific issue in the directive that I tracked back called for the work session to be about the diesel generators, And that proposed variance is no longer applicable because DEQ pulled it back.

[05:48:07] So none of it makes sense on having it anymore. So without objection, I would like to offer a resolution to waive the rules of procedure and cancel next week's. It was only a work session. There was no evening session next week.

[05:48:29] I'm going to ignore that. So I, but we do, I will actually make that motion if I can get a second. I'll second it, Madam Chair. Seconded by Supervisor Vega. Any further discussion? Seeing none, please vote.

[05:48:45] No evening. No. Madam Chair. Vote unanimous. Okay, so that's, so we'll amend our calendar for next week. But we do have a meeting on the 25th. Supervisor Vega. Sorry, can you repeat your directive? Which one?

[05:49:01] The $18,000 BZA? The directive would specifically for staff to contract and allocate $18,000 for legal services. County staff will then work with the Board of Zoning Appeals to establish a formal set of procedures to follow on requesting legal services. I do briefly recall that we had discussed that and that the initial advice was to provide training for them.

[05:49:24] If I'm not mistaken, I don't know if the county who could answer that, the county executive, if there are any concerns. Training for the BZA versus legal services. Can anyone come to the podium and maybe address that? Sure, it's a simple one. One, as has been stated at a board meeting, county attorney cannot represent BZA.

[05:49:49] The county attorney's office can provide training. So they're often, not often, but in some occasions, There are instances where the BZA doesn't feel capable of dealing with some of the sort of advice and in cases where an applicant has legal counsel themselves.

[05:50:11] So we want to make sure that we provide that training for the BZA. Separate and apart, they are also looking for more formal legal advice and counsel, And that we are providing a budget of $18,000, a budget by way of directive that we will not exceed or advise them not to exceed for the year.

[05:50:34] And I assume this is a one-time thing? Well, this is a one-time thing, but if we go beyond this one time, we will come back to the board for authorization. I may suggest that we do this as part of the budget development process so that we are clear.

[05:50:54] And if the Board is interested in making this a longer-term engagement, we will be able to do that. Otherwise, this is for one year and one time. Okay. Okay. Well, that will conclude Supervisor's time.

[05:51:11] I don't have any notice that I'm, I had, well, no, it wasn't. I thought I had two directives, but one was a resolution. We had to vote on it. So I had one directive and one resolution.

[05:51:29] Oh, we did. Yeah, we did. We all had, yes. But we do still have closed session. I know it's 8 o'clock, but we still have closed session. Yes, I know. I noticed you packed up. We do have to go in the back and have a closed session. I'm sorry. Can I just, I got to ask one question on that. And this is to the county attorney.

[05:51:45] How far would $18,000 get us, you know, in the sense of that? Two days. Right. So is the money going to, you know, the BZA and the legal services? Are you holding it to spend it in some, in other words, $18,000 doesn't sound like enough for any of this.

[05:52:07] And is that really something? Madam Chair, members of the board, I will, by analogy, the BOE had some issues where they needed some assistance. And years ago, the board gave them money in their budget for some training.

[05:52:24] And the board asked about this. Mr. Shorter provided a response to the board that discussed this is why the BZA is asking for assistance. and they were asking for $18,000 for legal assistance. County staff, in addition to our office that can provide training, the zoning administrator has in the past worked with the state to provide.

[05:52:49] There is state training because the BZAs are Commonwealth-wide. If the board is going to move forward with providing money for legal services, I believe there will be an RFP that will be put out for it. Is that correct? And so then they will decide which legal counsel to go with.

[05:53:09] And if they utilize that legal counsel early on and spend it within one month, then they've spent it within one month. So that's why I think that's why the county executive was with regards to a specific amount and one time only.

[05:53:27] It depends upon what their need is, whether the need can be accomplished with training first and then legal counsel or legal counsel. Madam Chair, before we abandon the subject, I want to give everybody a little bit of background on this.

[05:53:42] Also, Supervisor Lawson has a question. Yeah. Sorry, I actually. Well, I didn't. Thank you, Madam Chair. She hit the button, and so her name is here. Yeah. For my 1-8th, I would like to use money to train the BZA before we go on an endeavor of legal counsel because I think the county attorney and the county executive laid out why training, I think, would be the best first step.

[05:54:12] So are you objecting to my, because we've talked about this, are you objecting to my directive? Because they've researched it, they really feel they need legal counsel. I know we've talked about this before, and now we're switching gears. I'm sorry, I misunderstood. I thought you kind of switched gears and were willing to go for possibility of training, too.

[05:54:30] What is it, $18,000? That's in addition to the $18,000. i know that they specifically keep asking the county attorney's office for like legal yeah and they don't they want legal advice and this is the way to get some legal advice well but they may not need legal advice if they get the training first um and i don't think the bza members should feel like they need to know the zoning ordinances like our zoning administrator but i i think maybe some training could fix this and then and then of course if there's always an avenue to appeal to

[05:55:07] the court so i know that staff has worked on this can someone in staff talk to me about how we got here with the 18 000 and whether you think that's important because if it is we i will support that we'll have david mcadigan uh director of planning acting director of planning to speak to uh i'll also remind the board that we did send a memo outlining sort of the specifics of the scope But, Dave.

[05:55:32] Thank you, Mr. Shorter, Madam Chair, members of the board. My name is David McGettig, and I'm the Acting Planning Director in the Planning Office. We, well, there are two things I want to mention. One, there was a recent change in state law that actually allowed BCAs, the board, to fund legal counsel for the BCAs that sort of prompted this request.

[05:55:54] But the BCA is, really would like to have that. They estimated the number of hours they would think they need for counsel and how much they thought it was going to be.

[05:56:10] They thought 18,000 would be plenty for their needs, for how often they have, based on how often they have cases. And so they are doing that, and it's not necessarily going to be able to be substituted with training in the BZA's mind.

[05:56:29] We have a long conversation with the BZA chair about this. So that's what I can provide. Thank you, Mr. McGeddingham. Supervisor Weir, do you have other questions? And then if there's objection, we can vote on it. Supervisor Weir. Just to forestall any objection, I hope.

[05:56:46] Just a couple of things to note on this. Yes, there was a change in statute. Staging the statute actually mandates consideration of funding because there was no mandate for that consideration previously, and it came about because of our BZA, because they've been screaming for funding for years.

[05:57:05] And it's not a bad idea. Yes, they should know the ordinances as well as the zoning administrator, because that's what they're being asked to interpret. Will training cure all of that? No.

[05:57:22] But the bottom line is, in many instances, the BZA ends up in an adversarial position to the county attorney's office. That's why they need legal counsel. or they're in an adversarial position with somebody with legal counsel that our legal counsel can't supply them with legal support.

[05:57:42] So this is critical to ensure that they come forward with the proper decision, at least the proper decision from a legal standpoint, and will go a long way towards keeping us out of court. Am I overstepping my bounds, Ms. Roble?

[05:57:58] Potentially keep us out of court? Supervisor Vega, then Supervisor Lawson. Thank you, Madam Chair. Chris, I believe that the memo that was sent out was more for informational purposes rather than a recommendation?

[05:58:15] Correct. Okay. Just wanted to be clear on that. I'm still left, though, with the idea that there still may be a gap. I'm not sure if maybe we can do both. I do think that the training is valuable and that they could use the professional legal assistance. So I'm not sure, Madam Chair, if...

[05:58:33] I guess the question would be, does training, does that add an additional cost? The training would be done in-house, no? The training would be done in-house. This is exactly what we are envisioning. So we are envisioning training first. With the appropriate solicitation, there would also be legal counsel in the case where legal counsel is needed.

[05:58:57] If, for example, there are scenario-based conversations that our county attorney can have to make sure that the BZA is prepared to do its job, I think all of that was within scope. When it comes to specific legal advice, I think what we have heard from the county attorney on multiple occasions is that they cannot provide that advice.

[05:59:23] And so we want to make sure that the BZA has the ability, when needed, on the occasion it's needed, to be able to reach out to a legal counsel. Thank you. Supervisor Lawson. Thank you. Mr. Weir, I appreciate your expectation of the BZA, but I don't think it's realistic.

[05:59:44] No, I don't either. Okay, good. Because, I mean, they're really citizen appointees, and I think we pay them maybe $50 to sit up here and hear a day's worth of cases. And for $50, I wouldn't expect that. They know as much as Lisa Fink Butler.

[06:00:02] So if we're going to give them the funding for legal advice, I think we need to add a zero to the $18,000 because, I mean, we all know, come on, attorneys, especially attorneys when it comes to land use. Well, they've asked for $18,000.

[06:00:17] My directive is for $18,000. If it doesn't work out for them, we can always change it. I'm just saying this is. But you're okay with the directive? Like we don't have to vote on the directive? Yes. Okay. Okay, then without a. It's been more money. No, I don't know. It's been more money. So without objection, my directive stands, and with that, we will recess for closed session.

[06:00:39] Thank you. Are we back on, Ms. Madden? Okay, we are back from closed session. If I could get a motion to certify. So move, Madam Chair.

[06:00:55] Second. Motion made by Supervisor Bailey, seconded by Vice Chair Bodie. Any discussion? Seeing none, please vote. Vote unanimous. And we have nothing to report out from closed session, so I'll entertain a motion for adjournment on item 12.

[06:01:14] Second. Motion made by Supervisor Bailey, seconded by Vice Chair Bodie. Any discussion? Seeing none, please vote. Vote unanimous. We are adjourned. We will see you on the 25th.

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