My attempt in this section is going to be to keep up those citizens of Loudoun County, VA, up-to-date with the issues in our expansive and diversive county. My hope is to keep you all informed of what is happening so that, when the time comes, the right action can be made in the ballot box that will go to help us all instead of the few that are being helped now.
School Board Protests in Western Loudoun:
Rallies were held at the
Loudoun County government building protesting the proposed location of 3 additional schools near Purcellville. One has to question why the school board thinks that this location is better than another (turned down in 2007) and why they feel the need to waste our tax paying money on this ill-conceived project. Why would a majority of the Board of Supervisors give the school board $25 million for this project? Where is the checks and balances and the reasoning behind such a proposal that was voted down merely 2 years ago?
Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Increase Taxes for 2009:
As if falling home values was a good excuse to increase our taxes.
The Loudoun County BoS voted to pass a 10 ½ cent per $100 increase on our property taxes for the 2009 fiscal year. Granted, with the rate home values are dropping, this won't cause a great deal of increased taxes upon us, but what happens when our home values rise again? We're not talking chump change on this increase, making it the HIGHEST IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA.What's worse? There was a supervisor (Buckley-D-Sugarland) who wanted it higher! In these times of economic trouble, do we need to pay more taxes, or do we need to save the money we do make? It is not the tax payer's fault that the BoS are poor planners for the future and excel at spending money rather than saving it. They cut library hours, decrease competition amongst our health care industry, and have more than $1.37 billion tied up in a metrorail line to Dulles. Where are the priorities, Buckley and Co.! We need efficiency, not excess taxes.
Mortgage Crisis Causing A Drastic Increase In Squatters:
Squatting. It's illegal. But, what can be done when these individuals are so desperate to keep a roof over their head that they will go to such extraordinary lengths?
My question is, why hasn't our BoS done anything to try and curb this from occuring? Not only does it put a serious risk upon our law enforcers as they attempt to deal with such persons, but it also decreases the value of the surrounding property. What are the banks doing about keeping up these houses even, if the squatters do leave? Loudoun County remains near the top of all Virginia counties in the amount of foreclosures and percentage wise as property values continue to plummet (14.6% over the past year) while taxes continue to increase (tripled over the past 10 years). This is a problem that the BoS has to take charge of, and yet, they are virtually silent on this issue. Why?
