Several Loudoun County Supervisors made clear during a June 18 Dulles rail work session they don’t want to touch the county’s general fund to pay for the county’s share of Dulles rail, should the project proceed as currently planned.
A countywide commercial and industrial tax also failed to gain strong support among the full board, leaving a specialized tax district drawn up by Supervisor Shawn Williams (R-Broad Run) as the most likely option to fund the bulk of the county’s more than $260 million obligation up front and an estimated $20 to $25 million in annual costs.
Williams’ proposal calls for a special tax district – encompassing between approximately one and two miles – drawn throughout the existing and forthcoming development around the two potential Loudoun County Metro stations, one at Route 606 and the other at Route 772. A key to the proposed district, Williams said, is that it wouldn’t affect existing homes; instead, it would impose a set tax, likely 20 cents, on commercial properties in the area. There’s also the possibility the district could have a higher-taxed inner core, bounded by a 10-cent outer core.
Residential housing assessments around the proposed stations are likely to increase if Metro is built, therefore they’ll be paying for Metro in their property taxes, Williams said. His proposed district, which leaves out residential properties, ensures existing homeowners aren’t hit twice. New development around the Loudoun stations, including apartments or housing, will be aware of the new 20-cent tax when they invest, which is fair because they’ll “benefit the most,” he added.
The Broad Run supervisor’s hope is that he can garner board support for his proposed district, as well a very slight countywide commercial and industrial tax, likely just two or three cents. That tax would be applied to all properties zoned commercial and industrial, excluding those used for housing.
Commercial properties within the special tax district would then see both taxes, that established around Metro and a countywide tax district.
Those two measures, Williams said, would pay for the Metro extension without touching the general fund.
Matt Letourneau (R-Dulles) praised Williams for his effort to ensure that existing homes in the Ashburn area aren’t hit with an additional tax.
Both Letourneau and Williams said the new proposal will also keep businesses in the district competitive with neighboring Fairfax County.
“We will maintain a significant competitive advantage around our stations with this proposal over Fairfax County,” said Letourneau.
Remaining the Dulles rail project’s harshest critic, Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling) said he won’t support Williams’ proposal or any county tax increase.
“I’m against anything that would fund evil … Public transportation imposed upon the people of Sterling and Loudoun County is evil ... ,” said Delgaudio. “Metro is evil. Metro is evil …”
Supervisor Ken Reid (R-Leesburg) also said he won’t support any countywide commercial and industrial tax.
“I don’t support a countywide tax unless there’s roads involved with it,” said Reid, who noted that the Town of Leesburg, in its resolution to endorse rail to Dulles, opposed the commercial and industrial tax in the town.
Williams said he’s still open to a very modest increase in the general tax rate to pay for Metro to balance out the funding between the general fund, a special tax district and a small commercial and industrial tax. A commercial tax could also provide funding for road projects and infrastructure in Loudoun, he added.
“This could be a mechanism where we could get some much needed transportation infrastructure for the county.”
The supervisors made clear that another Dulles rail work session, the ninth, is needed. Despite the July 4 deadline looming, a date for the next meeting wasn’t set.
Currently, Loudoun County remains a funding partner for the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project with Fairfax County, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and the state. If the Loudoun board takes no action by July 4, they’ll be on the hook for 4.8 percent of the approximately $5.5 billion project.
During the Board’s review of Dulles Rail—which was allowed under a 2007 agreement with Fairfax County and the Metro Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) we discovered documentation in the projects required Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) showing that the Silver Line to Routes 606 and 772 in Loudoun will not alleviate traffic congestion on our major commuter roads.
I-66, Rt. 50, the Greenway, and the Dulles Toll Road will all remain at service F (Severely congested, gridlock) with or without Phase II! Unfortunately, only a small percentage of Loudoun Commuters are projected to use the Metro for commuting.
One undeniable fact is that we need Metro in Loudoun, if there is a lack of figuring out how to pay for it, that’s on the poor leadership. They have had ample time to work out the details, now we want our Metro please.
If there is no vote it means we are in, it takes 5 votes to opt out but any less and we are in. Don’t forget someone has to pay for the parking garages of 135 million or another 50%.
I thought they booked all those Metro finance worksessions to…WORK out the FINANCE.
It seems not, at least for some.
Work session showed us all that they don’t have a clue how they’ll pay for this. That alone is reason to extend it. Work the financing out….don’t Opt in until it’s known EXACTLY what we’ll owe, and when it’ll be due, and where we’ll be getting that money from. And drop the talk about the “new” businesses paying for it, while cavalierly dismissing current businesses who don’t buy into it.
And yes….your assault on Higgins was indeed persoanl, and your facts are invented on the fly. Remember, I’m at most of his meetings.
Everyone knows this is a project that is well overdue. It’s time to pay for it, build it and let it help the community for the next few generations. We need Metro
LOL @ ‘good public transportation’. Metro is anything but. Expand the roads and bus service, and you don’t need metro (what with it’s two whopping stops in Ashburn). I moved here thinking Metro would make life better. I commute every day to DC via bus and would love the flexibility Metro would provide. The plan ‘as is’ is a disaster financially and functionally. I get why Ashburn residents want it - it would be convenient for them.
And anyone who thinks traffic will improve is crazy. Ever been to Vienna/Fairfax? No parking after 8:00am and it’s a parking lot getting on to 66 in the evening. And they have much better infrastructure than we do.
Opt Out.
Keep advocating for your cause to kill Metro Loudoun County. We live in a free country.
I am still going with the professional judgment on this. Not cherry picking by political activism. A couple words does not define the entire agreement. I am confident the legal advice being offered our county included a review of the words you highlighted and were considered when the advice was offered.
This is a great opportunity for Loudoun County! It would benefit everyone in the area. I welcome the Metro to Loudoun.
We have needed this for a really long time. Its time we put good public transportation in Loudoun County. We are sick of excuses from the politicians and opt outers. We want the Metro and we want it now.
Satchmo, here is the original Funding Agreement. Go to 2.3.B on page 7 under “Funding Partner Responsibilities”
http://www.mwaa.com/file/dtfundingagreement.pdf
Clearly, it demonstrates that Loudoun must opt-in.
If the County’s attorney is saying the opposite, then he is wrong. It is plain.
Satchmo, please read page 2 of the agreement on the link I sent and tell me what you think.
It looks obvious to me. The two snippets I typed clearly show that a decision must be made to opt-in. “whether” and “if” and “elect” all demonstrate that a choice must be made.
Jack Roberts is an experienced lawyer and has a vast amount of experience reading these types of agreements. I’ll take that over the opinion of an advocate who is trying to kill Metro. I am certain, Roberts has read the agreements and clauses you point to.
BPM, nothing personal about observing Higgins absences. I imagine he has legitimate reasons for missed so many meetings. Seems a little disingenuous to say Higgins is always at meetings and then get upset if someone calls the facts to the discussion.
Roberts tends to twist in the wind. I wouldn’t put alot of stock in anything he says, since he tends to side with being inoffensive to the powersa that grant his job….and he wants to retire. Sorry, but that is a legacy Roberts built for himself.
Personal attacks on Higgins….mostly because you are all out of factual points on the actual discussion. Try to be adults and take the high road. Discuss the lack of funding, the inability of MWAA to conform to any degree of accountability, and then the Independent results coming with bad news for MWAA….again.
Higgins is at all of the venues that I am, and then some. He’s representing his district just fine.
“Loudoun County, I think Jack Roberts the county attorney is certainly a more credible source than you.”
If that is the advice Jack Roberts is giving, he should be fired.
Read the link to the actual agreement I posted. It is clear and obvious that Loudoun has to make a vote in or out. There is no default if there is no vote.
Loudoun needs this Metro people. Our roads are too clogged, our population is exploding and we have the chance now to fix that for future generations and to make Loudoun’s air a little cleaner.
Yes to Metro
Vote yes to Metro, this area needs it bad. We can use all the help we can get fighting the traffic in this area
Satchmo, thanks for confirming what some of us have known for years—he was always a no-show when we mistakenly put him on the school board. Years later, enough new people moved in to finally (3rd try I think?) put him on the BOS. Re-election looks to be impossible now that Osama’s dead (the only person I’m sure he could beat.
I just did a quick google search on “higgins absent loudoun” and got five clean pages of hits referencing Higgins being absent. He might have a legitimate reason to be missing meetings, I really don’t know. And they do have day jobs. But it does seem to be true Higgins misses a lot of meeting and it is not something made up.
Maybe Higgins has been spending all his spare time meeting outside of the boardroom with Reid and Clark on how to kill Metro. Seems that has been quit the project.
MWAA wants Loudoun’s money. Desperately….because there is not any remaining source to apply to their horrific mismanagement.
Loudoun County would be remiss if they just hand over that funding without checks and balances with MWAA. Since MWAA has answered to no one to this date…this should be a much welcomed addition to any negotiator from Loudoun.
“At this stage in the game, we should be calling upon our leaders to lead. With two weeks until the vote, those Supervisors are being completely unrealistic”
Here we agree. They should KNOW how they will pay for it months ago, but as late as last night, they were still grappling with the reality of a .43 ADDITION to real property in that district….and asking for additional time to try to manipulate it .....again.
None of the pro-rail floks on the board were mildly interested in negotiations with MWAA. They just want to pay the asking amount of the shakedown.
I take an extreme exception to the inference that Higgins isn’t at meetings. You see…I am at those meetings, and he is always present with me.
NUMEROUS work sessions, among other county outreaches in far flung towns inside the County.
Your information is either knowingly false, or intentionallly false.
This is a good idea. just like the rt 28 tax district helped pay for the interchanges on 28, this could help pay for the metro. Williams leads again, first on the Skins and now with the metro…not sure about this Board yet, but I like what I see from a few of them…
I can only speak for Catoctin district, but it doesn’t seem that we elected a leader. Mr. Higgins, when he bothers to show up for a meeting, spends most of his time asking what the topic is…
At this stage in the game, we should be calling upon our leaders to lead. With two weeks until the vote, those Supervisors are being completely unrealistic. Its time to vote FOR Metro.
Loudoun County, I think Jack Roberts the county attorney is certainly a more credible source than you. He reads the agree totally different from your layman’s look at it. Stomping your feet about it and wishing it different will not change reality.
I am sure it is hard to fathom how this strategic move by CHR has actually strengthened the inevitable arrival of Metro in Loudoun. They won’t get the requested extension, they won’t get a vote to opt out (in effect opting us in) and we won’t have any meaningful finance work done before the Metro is reality. Nice! How anyone can call that leadership I have no idea. It’s nothing but pouting.
“If the Loudoun board takes no action by July 4, they’ll be on the hook for 4.8 percent of the approximately $5.5 billion project.”
Please see page 2 of the agreement at:
http://www.mwaa.com/file/Memorandum_of_Agreement_Regarding_Phase_2_of_the_Metrorail_Project.pdf
If contains statements such as:
Whereas…Loudoun shall notify MWAA whether each respective county will proceed….
...if Fairfax and Loudoun elect to participate…
etc.
So, Loudoun has to take a vote to Opt-in. There is no default opt-in.
“If the Loudoun board takes no action by July 4, they’ll be on the hook for 4.8 percent of the approximately $5.5 billion project.”
Not true. They have to opt-in or opt-out, although the agreement doesn’t say what would happen if they don’t vote at all.
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