Operational Efficiency and Effectiveness LONG Overdue

SOURCE: RYAN COOL, PURCELLVILLE TOWN COUNCIL

Operational Audit is long overdue.
Long standing systemic issues that don't happen overnight.

This town's press release takes the soft approach. I will be providing additional information and data for each item that clearly illustrates long standing management inefficiencies that we have been mostly unaware of, until now.

TOWN OF PURCELLVILLE MANAGER TRANSITION CONTINUES PROGRESS WITH ENHANCEMENTS TO OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS
PURCELLVILLE, Va. April 24, 2018 — Purcellville’s new Town Manager, David Mekarski is settling in and getting to know the Town’s staff, citizens, and businesses. As we move forward, theTown of Purcellville would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude for the strong performance and commitment of our Interim Town Manager, John Anzivino, and the guidance he provided during the transition to the Town’s permanent Town Manager. The Town benefited immensely from Mr. Anzivino’s experience and expertise and in the spirit of transparency and open governance, the Town would like to share his observations and recommendations.

Mr. Anzivino acknowledged that he encountered a challenging situation when he arrived. The Town faced significant issues with staffing and crises at every turn. However, through his practical leadership and dedication, we have accomplished much to move our administrative and operational service delivery and customer service to a greater level of efficiency and effectiveness.

The following highlight Town achievements under the leadership of Mr. Anzivino:

• Implemented the Fiscal Year 2019 budget review and adoption process, ensuring a high level of participation with key stakeholders and citizens of our Town while focusing on minimizing fiscal impact our residents and businesses; 
• The appointment of an Interim Town Attorney who provided significant assistance to guide the Council, in its investigative process, leading the Council on clear path to identify truth, administer justice, and work toward the resolution of the administrative instability impacting the organization; 
• Solicited Request for Proposals for the Town’s first Classification/Compensation System review and Personnel Policy overhaul since 2005/2007; 
• Addressed problems stemming from a leaking water tank and an underfunded water tank maintenance project; 
• Pursued a contract to purchase filters at a discounted rate for the wastewater treatment plant, saving the Town thousands of dollars a year from our former procurement process; 
• Worked with Council for the recruitment and evaluation of candidates for a new Town Manager; 
• Expanded, reviewed and adjusted administrative policies leading to improved governance practices including but not limited to greater internet security, a more defined FOIA policy, improved hiring practices, and a better records retention system; 
• Moved forward with the organizational assessment/operational assessment process; 
• Concluded the first phase of an investigation of a range of events that Mr. Anzivino defined as the “Perfect Storm” of local government and taking positive action to begin a return to organizational normalcy and with the selection of our new Town Manager toward a path organizational excellence. 

Mr. Anzivino outlined recommendations for the new Town Manager which will help guide the new administration to work with the Mayor and Council on an organizational assessment and the implementation of measures to strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness to all operations.

The outlined recommendations are:

• Personnel Policy – update the 2005 policy to current federal/state law and best practices 
• Completion of a New Classification and Compensation Study – utilizing outside resources 
• Address the Town’s Outdated Emergency Operations Plan – it is recommended that the Town convene a panel of staff to identify deficiencies and update the plan to include local fire, EMS and County resources 
• Develop a Master Plan for New Water Meter Installation and Rollout 
• Develop a Detailed Technology Plan – outlining the Town’s goals for use of technology, both hardware and software, to ensure that the Town makes the best investments in the future 
• Coordination of Software Purchases with the IT Department 
• Build Department Head Accountability for Budget Management and Personnel – expand the annual evaluation process to ensure department heads are being assessed on specific aspects of personnel and departmental management practices and are measured against those criteria as key factors of their departmental business plan. 
• Development of a Records and Retention Policy and Records Storage/Recovery System 
• Cultivate and Nurture a Staff Culture of Creativity – encourage creativity in addressing and solving problems coupled with recognition for creative solutions. 
• Foster a Culture to Address Issues Proactively – focus efforts on looking to the future to identify and evaluate potential issues rather than a reactive approach. 
• Simplify Meeting Agendas – to streamline and increase efficiency of meetings 
• Development/Update of Internal Administrative Policy Manual – review and update existing manual 
• Development of a Press Release Policy – to define what items and events should be released to ensure that they are timely and noteworthy to capture the press’ undivided attention as oversaturation results in diminished interest. 

Mr. Anzivino charted a path to help make our Town stronger and higher performing and to set the stage for Mr. Mekarski, our new Town Manager. We look forward to working with Mr. Mekarski on the continued implementation of positive change as we strive to continue to provide the citizens of Purcellville the open, transparent, and effective governance they deserve.

The following items are per former Interim Town Manager, John Anzivino.

Item #1 - Lack of Planning for New Water Meter Installation and Roll Out
The Town has embarked on a program of replacing older ‘radio read’ water meters with meters that read continuously allowing staff to monitor customer usage on a continuous basis, providing opportunities to identify leaks and unusual patterns of usage to be addressed prior to the next schedule bill being prepared. Unfortunately, there appears to have been no uniform plan in place concerning where new meters will be installed and what challenges may exist in ensuring they read properly. Consequently, the system has resulted in new and old meters being placed in residences next to one another resulting in inconsistent information being made available to customers when problems occur. In addition, the newly purchased meters, in some cases, have not had strong enough, or clear line of site signal to the software system which logs in the meter reading data, resulting in reading inaccuracies. In addition, only limited planning appears to have been given to integrating the old and the new software systems relative to the meter reading and billing systems.

Item #2 - Building Department Head Accountability for Budget Management and Personnel

Discussions with key staff lead to a sense that some department staff who are in responsible positions do not truly have a sense of accountability for preparation and management of their departmental budgets nor do some understand their primary responsibilities as managers of personnel. This is borne out by some recent budget amendments for major contracts and what seems to be a high rate of turnover for probationary employees.

All department heads need to be evaluated annually as to how they manage their departments, with one possibility being development of an annual ‘business plan’ in concert with their budget submission. Realistic budgets (forecasts and expenditure levels), staff hiring and turnover, suggested and achieved training courses related to employee development, success in meeting goals and related factors need to be included as a business practice, and staff, including department heads, need to be measured against those criteria as key factors of the departments business plan.

Item #3 - Outdated Emergency Operations Plan

During the recent wind event the Town and Town Hall lost power for several days. In accessing the Town’s Emergency Management Plan (EMP) I found it was outdated and dealt with few of chapters of what typically constitutes an EMP. Limited protocols exist in regard how to communicate with citizens, with outside agencies and who takes the lead on what. In addition, we found that Town Hall’s generator, while having the capability to provide a higher level of electricity to the building, only provides enough power for lighting for only a few areas; not the whole building and does not provide enough power to provide heating or cooling to any portion of the building. The recently identified deficiencies leave the Town with a system which is less than optimum for employees who are needed to provide service and citizens who may be in need of service during emergency events.

Item #4 - Lack of Coordination in Software Purchases – Lack of a True Technology Plan

Minor software purchases have been carried out by various departments in the past with no consultation with the Town’s IT Director, even though an informal policy requiring review of the purchase prior to purchase was in place. This practice can result in seemingly good and beneficial software packages being purchased, that when needs arise, cannot be integrated (data or process) with one another leading to more work to extract the data needed and leading to inefficiencies.

The Town has invested in technology as would be expected for a community in a county like Loudoun. Unfortunately, in some cases, software investments haven’t always been coordinated with IT. In addition, the Town while having a rudimentary IT plan admits it is not all inclusive and as forward looking as it might like.

Item #5 - Outdated Personnel Policy

The last update to the Town’s personnel policies was completed and published in 2005. The framework is still valid, but much of the language is outdated and changes in law and practice are not reflected at 2018 levels. Quotations are currently being sought for an update.

Item #6 - Outdated Classification and Compensation System

The Town’s classification and compensation system was last updated in the 2005 to 2007 timeframe. Over the ten to twelve year period jobs have been added to and deleted from the Town system and many have had changed duties which materially affect the value of the skills required to do the job. Some jobs have been added to the system without a systematic evaluation of the job and have been placed in pay grades on a ‘best fit’ basis leading to potential inequities when comparing similar types of jobs. In addition, the pay schedule has not been updated and at least twelve employees are placed above the maximum and continue to receive increases even though they would have been ‘topped out’ in most systems. In addition, a competitive analysis of benefits has not been completed and may not reflect shifting trends in employee participation rates and overall allocations. Quotations are currently being sought for an update.

Item #7 - Building a Staff Culture of Creativity - Building a Culture Which Addresses Issues ‘Head On’ in a Proactive, Rather Than Reactive Manner

Creativity in solving problems appears to be a challenge in some areas. In many cases we do not look beyond Purcellville for best practices which often can be ‘stolen’ from other entities and adapted to fit the Town’s needs.

Town staff appear to have good ideas on how to solve problems. In many cases, I have found that they have been hesitant to bring them to the table because in prior years they were not implemented or were not considered when raised. In addition, when needed resources were required to resolve an issue related to a related problem or issue that could be fixed at the same time they were not allowed to fix both issues concurrently. Finally, issues appear to arise that could be dealt with before they become issues if staff had been given the opportunity to look to the future and evaluate how dealing with current issues often impacts the future.

Welcome to Election Season

WoW! You can really tell it is election season. The people I thought were respected in the community have really shown their spots. I have learned they are two-faced and that's not the kind of community I thought I lived in. Many may be found on the lesser Facebook group known as Purcellville Matters unCENSORED.  These same people welcomed me when I arrived many years ago and now, they are some of the nastiest people I know. If only their children could see their behavior.

The post below is from the group’s leader. 

Let me address his points here.  Let me first say that I have not met Chris Thompson.  I don’t work with Chris Thompson and have no idea about his leadership skills nor his integrity.  What this writer is saying is that Thompson’s skills are superior to our current Mayor Fraser’s skills. Honestly, I can only know the skills of our current Mayor which has been thoughtful, methodical and transparent.  Unless you’ve worked with Thompson, how could you possibly know this?

I am so proud of Mayor Fraser for doing something NO ONE has done before, collecting data before making rash decisions.  If the previous mayor had done this we wouldn't be in the financial pickle we are now and wouldn’t have that Town Mahal that keeps us spending money.  So if collecting data is bad before making a financial decision, then I can see why he's on "Team Bob" aka Chris Thompson.

This “writer” states that Mayor Fraser’s leadership skills and his private agenda (hahahahaha) has “cost the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars”.  What the "writer" is really saying is that he and Rob Lohr had a great relationship to get things accomplished for his family business.  Talk about hundreds of thousands of dollars!  Look at what the costs of 21^st Street was for the improvements.  You ask, how is that related to the Chapman development?  Banks want to assure that the area is viable before giving money for the project.  They also want to make sure that things like utilities are available, and that it can be easily marketed to new tenants.  With recently revitalized sidewalks and scapes, this will be more attractive to tenants.  This is not just your money, this money came from a grant from the State for this improvement, so this is everyone’s money!  I wonder if I told someone in Ashburn, “thanks for helping with the Purcellville beautification project”, what their response would be.  No wonder he was outspoken when Rob retired, and I believe he’s still whining about it.  My goodness!  Let the man do what he wants.  Since when can you not change careers?

He also says that Mayor Fraser has a private agenda.  I wonder what that is because his agenda seems to focus on the citizens of this great town and stay involved in the community.  What an upbeat and approachable individual Mayor Fraser is.  You mean like the $300K private agenda of the former mayor, that assured that the funds to his new employer, Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC) would be available to "carry out its mission" for the military bases, upon his retirement as mayor, as Purcellville proudly stood by as the pass-through agent for the funds?  Forgot about that didn't you?   

The “writer” also says that he talks with businesses weekly that steer away from Purcellville.  He says that Purcellville’s reputation has suffered and says it’s a fact but provides no facts to back it up.  If he’s talking about the FAKE media thats swirling, well, that’s how they sell ads and soon enough their laptops will close because this Mayor and Council did nothing to create this fictitious turmoil in town.  What is the “writer” saying, that he didn’t want the procedures to be followed when complaints are brought forward.

What the "writer" wants to create is a message to the people of Purcellville that the sky is falling.  His superhero is Thompson who will guide the town staff to do more special favors for developers and continue to expand the town beyond its borders through annexation.  Annexation is not the answer.  It leads to more road congestion and overcrowding in schools.  Who pays for that?  EVERY TAXPAYER!

The culture the town staff depleted when Rob’s main goal was to breathe over their shoulder in his micromanagement style.  Watching who came to the front door via the cameras and listening to phone conversations and yes auditing email traffic.  That is not what a manager does.  The manager trusts his staff to accomplish the mission of the people.  It’s sad to say, but I think he didn’t trust his staff.  When the staff tell you that they are being watched by Rob, as a citizen you wonder what it must be like for these employees. Chapman you are correct on about the Town Council.  They should have evaluated Rob’s performance in more detail before the employees were overburdened by his management style.  Luckily for Rob, he retired before they had that opportunity.  In this same comment you state that the employees were afraid they may lose their jobs if they came forward about abuses, seems officers came forward, so it can’t be all of staff that was afraid. 

I'm thinking that each of these "likes" to the post from Purcellville Matters unCENSORED may have something to loose if a new mayor is elected.   

The “writer” won’t comment on this post, but I am sure his trolls will.

The Difference Between Elected Officials and Hired Staff

The community chatter is gainfully engaged with some added finger-pointing at the elected officials over the issues that occurred last year and are still on-going through an independent investigation.

First, let me set everyone straight, the Mayor and Council (all of the them) do not operate the town.  They do not make personnel decisions, with the exception of the Town Manager and the Town Attorney.  Issues that have come to light are the responsibilities of those in leaderships positions in the town which include the Town Manager and the Department Managers.  Many think that the Mayor and Town Council hired the Public Works Director, who was placed in a temporary, interim Town Manager responsibility.  They did not.  They selected him as an interim probably because he manages the largest department in town and has been tasked with the position previously.  The public also thinks the Town Council fired the Police Chief.  They did not.  Hiring and firing of staff is the responsibility of the Town Manager. 

Secondly, it is obvious that the existing town policies have not been adhered to in the past, or there were none.  It is the Town Council's responsibility under the leadership of the Mayor to develop policy.  It is the Town Manager's responsibility to enforce it.  Conducting an operational audit will reveal deficiencies to Council and lead them where policy needs to be developed or improved.  Beyond this level of oversight, the Town Council performs no work for the people of Purcellville.  It is ultimately the responsibility of the hired staff, not the elected officials, to accomplish the goals of the people.  The Town Council is your voice. 

The two town employees, the Town Manager and the Town Attorney will still be managed, as written in the Town's charter, by the Mayor and Town Council.  What I recently discovered when reviewing last year's budget, was that the organization chart had changed to where the Town Attorney was now reporting to the Town Manager, Rob Lohr.  That in itself is not what the Town's charter dictates.

Notice below that the org chart for FY 2016-2017 had Sally Hankins, Town Attorney with a dotted line to the Town Manager, indicating conferring with the Town Manager, and a solid line to the Town Council, indicating reporting to the Town Council. 

Then in FY 2017-2018, the chart magically changed to have Hankins report directly to Lohr.  Before the budget was finalized Lohr retired.

Maybe it was just an oversight, maybe not.  There have been many internal personnel changes the Town Council, the public's representatives, were not made aware of.  These org charts are fun, don't you agree?  If you want to look at more, they can be found on the Town's website under:

      Government>Documents>Finanical Documents>Prior Year Budgets

Or click here to access them. 

When the budget sessions begin, one of the items covered in department's funding is employees, whether they need an additional part-time or full-time employee, whether there will be changes in department mission and have cause for a reduction.  The accountability that the Town Council is tasked with is overseeing that the funds are allocated to perform the mission of the citizens, providing us water and maintaining our assets.  They are the oversight on spending. The key words in all of this is oversight. 

There are so many unanswered questions involving poor decisions by staff.  Why was the Town Hall purchased for an extraordinary amount over assessment? 

Why was the Chairman of the Planning Commission involved in design of the new Town Hall, and was paid by the Town, a direct conflict of interest?

What is Northern Virginia Regional Commission and why was the organization paid $300,000 by Purcellville, in former Mayor, Bob Lazaro last year in service, which he is the Director of the Northern Virginia Regional Commission.   What does Northern Virginia Regional Commission do for Purcellville? 

Why was the traffic study being conducted between Catoctin Meadows and Country Club interrupted by the Fire Department?  If a permit was needed to block the street, then where was the permit when other streets were blocked?  Why didn't staff know about the permit process?

Why was core sampling not performed on the 21st Street Streetscape project in the area where the fuel tanks under the street were surprisingly discovered?  (even though there are historical photographs that reveal it)  Was there a permit from the Fire Department for this?  Why did the Fire Department's concern for the redesign of 21st Street go ignored? 

Why is the Train Station under utilized and not paying for itself?  If you are a non-profit I understand you get the use at a discounted rate.  But if you don't have documentation, as indicated on the reservation application, indicating that you are a non-profit, you don't get it for the reduced rate, I don't care if your book club isn't making money. The answer is no, you pay the full amount. 

Why is the Southern Collector Road under utilized?   Because it's a further distance for some.  Many stop in at businesses on the way home from work.  Or is the real reason to put a school in for the church?  Maybe to ruin Crooked Run Farm?

What is the policy for businesses that store exercise equipment on the side of the building for years?  Is there any civil penalties for that eyesore?

When will Purcellville truly be walkable?  32nd Street anyone?   You take your life in your hands trying to walk in the ditch. And no, traffic is not going 25 mph.

Why was an Assistant Town Manager ever needed?  Just a thought, but maybe the Town Manager was busy micro-managing.  A Town Manager that commands a hefty six-figure salary, plus a monthly stipend,  such that the Town is offering should be able to manage 6-10 people. 

I am sure that you can think of some of your own questions to ask of why things happen or don't happen in town.  It would be good to share with the Town Council as they start to look into an operational audit. 

For more information on the relationship and responsibilities of elected officials and hired staff click here. 

Parks and Recreations Sports Grants

On Tuesday, March 8 the Purcellville Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB) presented to the Town Council recommendations for youth sports grants awards that were budgeted for in fiscal year 2016. In the FY 2016 budget session the Town Council voted to allocate $5200 to the Parks and Recreation budget for sports grants once again to what can be assumed to be non-profit organizations that support the youth of Purcellville.  Those funds were awarded during this Town Council meeting.

HISTORY
The youth sports grants were initiated after resident Bill Druhan (former mayor) read a letter into the record from the head of the Upper Loudoun Youth Football League (ULYFL) at the March 13, 2007 Town Council meeting. “Although the league is in good financial condition, undertaking more importantly operating such a huge project would require more revenue sources. While you undertake your FY 08 budget deliberation the Upper Loudoun Football League requests that you consider making an annual contribution to this worthwhile program.” Since fiscal year 2008 (July 1, 2007 – June 30, 2008) the Town Council has allocated funds to support these youth programs, in addition to many community events held in the town that benefit all of the residents. Nine years of donating funds which are now allocated from the Parks and Recreation Fund, the same fund that the town deposits additional assessments created by the Fireman’s Field Tax District for a project the town could not afford (renovation to Bush Tabernacle).

THE PROCESS
The town announces the grant availability through a press release each year. Once applications are collected by the town, the requests are sent via email to the PRAB for review. PRAB members gather at the receipt of the requests to review the applications for what would be assumed a set criteria and overall guideline established by the board, department, town manager or council for award process. The selected recipients and designated amounts by PRAB are presented at the next Town Council meeting.

THE FACTS
This year the town announced the grant availability on January 6. Another announcement was released on January 28, extending the application date until February 1. “The Town of Purcellville is accepting applications from local organizations for the Annual Sports League Funding. Applicant organizations must serve the Town of Purcellville area and have citizens of the Town of Purcellville as players. Priority consideration will be given to sports teams from Purcellville that have an open participation policy where all players are allowed to play regardless of skill level.” At the February 16, 2016 PRAB meeting, members sat in a deafening silence and shuffled through the pages of nine applications without direction or purpose and surely without guidelines. Their review was based on feelings and thoughts and those they knew.  One member stated, “Yea, Anthony is a good friend of mine.”

How is the PRAB validating the information in the applications? The application asked if they were a “charitable organization” which can be confusing, instead of asking if the organization had a 501(c)3 status. The application asked the organization to provide a copy of proof and only two of the organizations did, even though some may still be “not for profit” organizations.  Whose job was it to follow-up with the organization to secure the proof? Were only some organizations required to provide proof? How were they justifying the amount for the award?  How was the PRAB concurring with the grant requested was indeed the amount they needed?  You can listen to the entire PRAB meeting here. There are no written meeting minutes only audio. I guess they don’t plan on including those that are hearing impaired.

Over the last several years the town awarded to repeat applicants and increased award monies to what sounds a lot of the organization would “fold” if not for the funding by the taxpayers of Purcellville.  Are other municipalities giving to these organization, or only Purcellville?  How is it that one letter read into the record in 2007 can generate the over $45,000 in donations to organizations that provide team sports where Purcellville members make up less than half of their organization? But the town cannot provide the citizens the transparency for $5000, they’ve asked for when it comes to the financial dealings in the town?

Although the data presented to council by the PRAB was from data since 2009, these funds still total over $40,000 not including 2008.

THIS YEAR
Number of Applicants – 9
Total Funding Requested - $9,200
Total Number of Participants - 1305
Total Number of Purcellville Participants - 601
Total Funding Recommended to Council - $4,600
Total Funding Approved by Council - $5,200

A motion made by Councilman Patrick McConville pushed the amount recommended by PRAB from $4,600 to $5,200 because he wanted to donate money to Woodgrove High School and Loudoun Valley High School’s upcoming volleyball event.

Councilwoman Lehr even questioned the reasoning behind the award amounts, but still voted for the funding. She also stated that would be one less child on the street if they play sports.  Sports has not prevented the bigger problems with our youth that this community has witnessed in the last few years.

Of course this council decision went viral with the former mayor Bob Lazaro  blasting Mayor Fraser and Councilwoman Jimmerson for their “no” vote.  Saying that they were voting against the children of Purcellville. “Interesting to read about Town politicians talk about their concerns for youth, but when they have a chance to support our kids they vote against their interests.  Several years ago we put small amount ($5) in Town budget to support youth athletic organizations. No doubt of the importance youth sports has in keeping our children out of harms way.  Last night the Council voted 5-2 to support the effort. Thank you Council Members Joan Lehr, Patrick McConville II, Fuller and Nave for supporting this effort. Actions speak louder than words.” 

If was quickly mimicked by want-to-be-on-council-so-our-projects-get-approved Sam Chapman. “Several years back our Council set aside a small amount of money ($4-5K) in the Town budget to support youth athletic organizations. I don't need to elaborate on the importance of youth sports. This is a no brainier, right? Last night I witnessed the Council vote 5-2 to support this effort. Yes, two Council members did not support this action. Today, we should all say thank you to Joan Lehr, Patrick McConville II, McCollum, Fuller and Nave for supporting this effort. Some of the best memories I have link back to Fireman's Field and Haske Field.”

Mayor Fraser stated, “My only comment before move to vote is that I love sports and tonight I will be against this because the process we have in place and to a degree I should have done more vetting when this was brought to us before, but clearly we might be taking taxpayers dollars and providing to private entities, and I am against that. In addition to that less than 50% of the participants are a resident of Purcellville, so as a taxpayer I do not want our money going to subsidize that. I might be a good and valid cause, right, but we need to have a process in place and make sure that the need is there and based on that need we provide taxpayers’ dollars if we all as a council agree on that. So for now, I’m against this.”

Correct me here if I am wrong, are these funds to help the children of Purcellville that cannot afford to play sports or the organizations? This year there was an extension to get more organizations to submit applications. Why is that, when the organization that initially asked for support in 2007, Upper Loudoun Youth Football, received ZERO dollars this year. I don’t know of any of these non-profit organization turn away a child that wants to play but parents can’t afford it. Here are the funds that have been dispursed since 2009. 

RECOMMENDATIONS
I have been involved in baseball for over 12 year years and they have NEVER turned away a participant because they could not afford to play. Maybe the PRAB could do a little work and revise the application to assure that the monies the town is spending does indeed go to children of Purcellville if that IS who they are benefiting. In the future if you want to do something for all the children of Purcellville, make it purposeful, include ALL children, not just those that are in athletics. Include the arts, community service.  Continue to have events that involve ALL children.  A simple proof of a “not for profit” status would be to ask applicants to provide a copy of their IRS 990 form. Not only will this provide the proof that they are indeed a non-profit, but indicate their financial need. Get the applications to the PRAB prior to the meeting so they can review and have a purposeful discussion.

CONCLUSION
Purcellville was small in 2000 and there were no sports awards and there were less children at risk. Why is that? Maybe this issue with the council members that voted for the approval of these grants is that they do not know the purpose of Parks and Recreation. Taken directly from the FY 2015/2016 Budget it is described in the following:

More Annexations: The Next Betrayal

What does annexation mean to you? Does it affect your well-being, your community, your children?

In a letter dated December 29, 1999, Grayson D. Hanes, representing Reed Smith Hazel & Thomas, LLP wrote to the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors to express his concern and displeasure at the Board's attempt to slow down the rate of growth in the Loudoun County.

THE HOUSING BOOM
An extensive pool of building permits for residential units were approved in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Tens of thousands of units were yet to be built. But the negative effects of sudden, rapid growth were already being felt.

Virginia severely restricts legislative initiatives by localities through the "Dillon Rule," so the options for the County to control growth were few. The state does not allow moratoriums of any kind on development. Proffers are strictly voluntary. Property owners can develop their land to its "highest and best use." This gave landowners who wanted to sell the family farm for a subdivision a legal whip over the Board. By the time Jim Burton (former Supervisor for the Mercer District, now the Blue Ridge District), gave his 2003 presentation "A Case Study in Unbridled Growth," 193 lawsuits over land projects had been filed.

THE COST TO EDUCATION
By this time Loudoun County had been absorbing an annual general population growth rate of 8-9% for a decade, and a student population rate of 10-12%. This is FIVE TIMES the sustainable rate. A dozen schools were in the planning or building stage. Another 32 were being built or were newly constructed. Classes were overflowing, teachers were being hired as rapidly as possible. Neighborhood boundary lines were being shifted around to accommodate the burgeoning student influx. Students were changing schools almost as quickly as they were changing grades! In just three years (2000-2003) the annual debt payment went from $35.2M to $84.3M. Taxes and debt were skyrocketing. Developers had the upper hand and they were wielding it. Since his first presentation, Burton has updated the information in the presentation twice, in 2009 and again in 2011. Very little has changed.

Recently Loudoun Now published an article about the cost of Kindergarten in Loudoun. The article details the costs absorbed by parents in Loudoun County ranging from $10,000 to $25,000 to have their children attend a full-day kindergarten. But but the County keeps allowing the growth without the foresight of providing full day kindergarten.

Here is the Loudoun County Public Schools Capital Improvement Plan for 2017-2022 - 138 pages of school enrollment statistics and improvements and new construction. This is just a sampling of what is to be expected in the coming years.

Despite the fact that Loudoun County is one of the richest counties in this country, it is one of only three school divisions in Virginia that does not offer all-day kindergarten to everyone. Loudoun Now's recent article, The Business of Kingergarten: Loudoun't $20 million-a-year industry, is an insightful read on just this subject,

KEEPING IT RURAL
As the new century advanced, talk of "smart growth" increased. The Board of Supervisors with some dissenters had expressed a consistent idea of keeping the western part of the county in more rural land use. In 2006 the Right Growth Policy Institute (RGPI) launched an assault on Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC), conservation easements, and the "rich, elite Hunt Country" horse farm owners. The argument pitted the so-called privileged few with their "land-use taxes" which significantly lowered their tax rates against the beleaguered suburbanites in the eastern part of the county. The RGPI argued that this tax benefit to the rich was so great it put burdens on the middle class homeowners in the east. The reason, they were saying, was that we needed MORE TAXES FROM THE OPEN SPACE CROWD BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T PAYING THEIR FAIR SHARE AND THAT WAS WHY THE TAXES WERE GOING UP ON THE BELEAGUERED HOMEOWNERS IN THE EAST. They attacked Kaine for not approving higher taxes on the rich and for encouraging land conservation because roads had to be built, and the rich people were keeping the necessary funds out of the government’s hands, and they needed to open up much more land for more houses, so that there were more taxes for more roads. It was a rehash of Hane's argument in an ad they ran in the Leesburg Today, July 28, 2006. Blame the rich with their incredibly low land-use taxes and all that open space. In other words, stop restricting growth,

Even Purcellville's Special Assistant to the Town Manager, Marty Kloeden, wrote a Letter to the Editor in the October 19, 2006 Washington Post, exclaiming his dissatisfaction with the growth and RGPI. Mr. Kloeden continues to write grants for the town. Some of these ads appeared in the Leesburg Today June 23, 2006, September 22, 2006, September 29, 2006 and October 13,2006. in addition to All Loudoun Fall 2006 and the Middleburg Eccentric October 26, 2006 and November 22, 2006 issues.

It is appealing to say you are trying to "spread the burden around" and that an increased tax base keeps taxes lower for everyone, which is what the Town of Purcellville keeps repeating. But here's the truth. Open space never cost the taxpayer a dime. It does not need roads, services, and above all, schools. Despite the lowered rate for land use taxes, horse and other livestock farmers, fruit and vegetable farmers all pay MORE in taxes than they demand in serves, whereas homeowners never pay sufficient taxes to cover expensive the costs of the services they demand. The greatest demands come from families. Children are expensive, and schools are a massive drain on the County budget.

When you turn a farm into a subdivision you can easily increase the need for services astronomically. It isn't only schools, its police, fire and rescue, roads, all of which require millions of dollars to build. The new firehouse in Purcellville cost the taxpayer $9M.

ADVANTAGES OF BEING A DEVELOPER
And this is where proffers, known formerly as impact fees are supposed to relieve the taxpayer and the county from the debt they incur when services needs have to be met. Loudoun County has gone to great lengths to attract the tech industry, the medical industry and the tourist industry. In the process it has been criminally irresponsible by not demanding adequate proffers from developers. When the former Purcellville Town Council passed the by-right ordinance for developers John Chapman and Mark Nelis' downtown Vineyard Square project, in the very last days of Bob Lazaro's role as mayor, it took away the developers' obligation to pay impact fees for their project, and the taxpayer paid for those improvement - the redesign of 21st Street, No one bothered to ask the taxpayers of they wanted to help finance Chapman's business venture, but that's what occurred.

Beyond negating proffers from this proposed development, the Purcellville Town Council creates an additional bonus for Chapman - a Tourism Zone for the project specific properties. Another way of deferring tax obligations from developers and passing along to the citizens.

UNDERSTANDING ZONING & ANNEXING
The land outside the town is zoned A-3. The town would have to annex the property before the County could do anything other than the A-3 zoning. The County shows no interest in coming to Purcellville. The A-3 zoning is, in fact, a very effective constraint upon land uses. A-3 zoning would not put a significant burden on the taxpayer. Page 108 of the County's Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance states this regarding A-3 zoning, "This district is established to provide for the continued practice of agriculture, farm operations, agriculturally related and home based businesses, low density residential developments, preferably in a hamlet subdivision pattern, and other uses in a predominantly rural environment. The district also permits direct marketing of farm products and services."

A second argument, that the town will have more control over land in the town is equally false. A small increase in the town's tax base is all it can hope to get by a simple annexation. Site plans for developing properties are submitted months, usually years, before they are ever approved. Purcellville knows exactly what the developer's expectations are long before the property is annexed, and the developers know exactly what ordinances for open space, landscaping and buffering the town demands. Only BEFORE an annexation does the town have any real control over changes in the site plan, including an outright denial of the plan. THE ANNEXATION PROCESS IS THE POINT AT WHICH THE TOWN ACCEPTS THE DESIGN, CHARACTER AND PURPOSE OF THE PLAN, AND ONCE IT IS ANNEXED THE TOWN HAS ALMOST NO CONTROL OVER THE DESIGN. ANY ATTEMPT BY THE TOWN TO MAKE CHANGES AT THAT POINT WILL BE MET BY A LAWSUIT WHICH THE DEVELOPER WILL WIN. Only by making a Boundary Line Adjustment can the town incorporate additional land into the town without the obligation of increasing the density on that land. But it wouldn't be smart, because the landowner could make demands on the town that it might feel pressured to fulfill.

The annexation of the Mayfair (formerly Autumn Hill) development will cause a flurry of annexation requests. The green buffer north of town was a perfect divide between town and open space areas but now the forested area will come down. The inadequate impact fees will cost residents more in taxes and the County more in debt.

For those who chant grow or die, the flip side is grow AND die. Slowly the quality of life declines and one day you wake up to schools that cheat on grades, classrooms that are overflowing, empty parking lots. canopy trees gone and little spindles in their place. Noise, air and light pollution, empty storefronts, crowded roadways, and rude neighbors all make you wonder where the town you fell in love with went.

Preserving America's Outdoor Heritage

by Congressman Bob Goodlatte, Virginia

For many families in the Sixth Congressional District, sitting down at the dinner table is welcome ground for an old tale of a past hunting or fishing trip. Whether it’s a love of the sport, or simply spending time in the great outdoors, hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting are traditions shared by the young and old. Ensuring that these activities are available to share with future generations is an important part of our heritage as Americans.

The Sportsmen's Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act, or SHARE Act, is a package of bills that revises several existing programs to expand access to hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting. The SHARE Act, which passed the House of Representatives with my support, also helps eliminate some of the federal red tape standing in the way of outdoor sporting activities.

The federal government currently owns 640 million acres of land, or roughly 30 percent of the United States. In Virginia, the federal government owns 2.5 million acres of land, including vast areas in the Sixth District. Oftentimes, federal agencies block access to hunting, fishing, or recreational shooting on these lands. One critical aspect of the SHARE Act is that it will require federal agencies, like the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, to open certain public lands for recreational sports. These are your American taxpayer funded lands – why shouldn’t you have access to them?

Our Second Amendment rights are safeguarded by the United States Constitution. This is a fundamental individual right that neither Congress nor the Administration may infringe upon. The SHARE Act includes a provision protecting law-abiding citizens’ right to carry a firearm on Army Corps of Engineer lands, like campgrounds. Read more about the SHARE Act in my weekly column.

Each year, $2.5 billion is spent in Virginia alone on fishing and hunting. Opening additional lands to these activities will only help to boost the economic benefits for our communities. I understand the importance of future generations of Virginians having access to the great outdoors, without roadblocks put in front of them by the federal government. Hunting, fishing, and recreation opportunities should be increased, not reduced, and the SHARE Act goes a long way toward strengthening the outdoor heritage shared by millions of Americans.

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Think of the land that Purcellville owns. More could be done with the over 1200 acres of land at the Purcellville watershed. It is a shame that the taxpayers do not have access to this land, yet the taxpayers have the burden.  Email the town council with your concerns.

For those on Facebook, follow Friends of the Purcellville Watershed

PARKS & RECREATION - Sports Grants $45K Giveway and Fireman's Field Treasure

SPORTS GRANTS
Municipalities provide a blend of passive and active recreation through their parks and recreation staff oversight and committee guidance. Purcellville is no different. Purcellville parks are managed by a combination of staff and contractors and input prior to Town Council decision go through a vetting process through the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB).

In November, Eamon Coy, the Chairman of the Purcellville PRAB appeared before the town during the November 10, 2015 and again at the December 8, 2015 Town Council meeting to discuss respectively sports grants and Fireman's Field. 

The sports grants program was initiated in the FY 2007-2008 budget (see page 17) under the direction of former Mayor Bob Lazaro. Each year $5,000 was divided among the sports organizations applying for the grant. For 9 years the town taxpayers have donated approximately $5000 each year to youth recreation. Since the initiation of this grant program taxpayers have given away $45,000.

Mr. Coy expressed his concern over council's decision not to follow the PRABs recommendation on the sports application grantees and amounts, after what he stated that the PRAB "spends an awful lot of time discussing." Volunteers spend endless hours discussing community initiatives and time should not be a concern. The council puts in long hours on half thought out recommendations and incomplete information in their agenda package, so Mr. Coy is not the only one affected by time.

Here is a run down of what the Purcellville taxpayers gave away in the past three years to nonprofit organizations in the form of sports grants: 

Town Council March 11, 2014 - total donation according to these calculations below should be $5,202, but the council voted on $5,502. Actual budget for 2014 reflects $5,202. 

1) Western Loudoun Volleyball Club - $867 (Purcellville)
2) Western Loudoun Rugby/Rugby Virginia- $ 867 (Bluemont)
3) Loudoun Youth Soccer Assoc. - $ 867 (Leesburg)
4) Old Dominion Football Club - $ 867 (South Riding organization/Purcellville team)
5) Greater Loudoun Babe Ruth - $867 (Purcellville)
6) Upper Loudoun Youth Football - $867 (Waterford)

Town Council March 12, 2013 - total donation $5,050
1) FC Sports Inc. - $700
2) Western Loudoun Girls Softball - $1,350
3) Western Loudoun Volleyball Club - $900
4) Old Dominion Football Club $700
5) Loudoun Soccer $1,400

Town Council February 12, 2012 - total donation $5,000
1) Loudoun Youth Wrestling Club - $825 (Fairfax)
2) NOVA Athletic Club - $825 (Ashburn)
3) Upper Loudoun Youth Football League - $825 (Purcellville)
4) Western Loudoun Youth Lacrosse - $825 (Purcellville)
5) Old Dominion Football Club - $825 (South Riding)
6) LYSA TOPSoccer - $875 (Leesburg) (note: this link is currently broken) 


My goodness, we live in the wealthiest county in the nation and parents cannot afford to help raise funds for these sports? I think the community has become lazy.  If these are nonprofits the town needs to requests a copy of the organizations financial statements that reflects the inability to operate without these much needed funds. 

If 20 sports organizations applied for the grant, how would that money be divided? The majority of these organizations do not play in Purcellville. What happened to fund-raising by parents, has that become a thing of the past and replaced with the purchase of a cell phone for their kid? 

To address Mr. Coy's concern regarding the council overturning the PRAB decision on these grants, it is not any different than the overturning by council of the Board of Architectural Review's decision on Vineyard Square. The Town Council overturned many hours of citizen input along with the educated decision by the Board of Architectural Review for the Vineyard Square project, which forever changes the landscape of historic 21st Street. Where was the defense from Mr. Coy to the "historic assets are part of the fabric of any community" comment made in regards to historic downtown?

FIREMAN'S FIELD
While the town is giving away Parks and Recs sports grants, the taxpayers are burdened with a tax district to pay for another pet project from the former mayor, sort of a "forget-me-not" gift.  A park is a benefit for the citizens - it doesn't benefit the entire taxpayer base if there are only age limited activities on a routine basis. So I don't play baseball, nor do I skate, what other things can I do on a routine basis? Is that a cricket I hear? 

There is loss of potential revenue given away at the Bush Tabernacle. Contractor, Philip Message earns from skating, parties and events held at the facility. According to Message birthday parties alone can bring in over $42,000 if there were just 5 guests at each of the 500 parties. Could this revenue pay down the debt of the purchase, improvements and ongoing upkeep of the facilities? I think with a little creativity it could. 

Mr. Coy stated, "They’re important, there are multiple public and private, cultural, athletic, community events, Fireman’s Field and Bush Tabernacle are obviously part of this community." What about 21st Street? What about Nichols Hardware, that has been operating their business on 21st street for over 100 years? What do you know about the town's listing on the National Register?  If it is Park and Recs job to protect these assets of the community, where was defense for 21st Street? The "passion" is one-sided. You can't pick and choose what part of historic preservation you like. 

Mr. Coy's assessment of how Fireman's Field is connected to the Boy Scouts Eagle Projects and these scouts come to PRAB with their project ideas should not be a reason to keep Fireman's Field. I looked for guidelines for what the criteria is for "an acceptable project," but I haven't come up with anything. Why is service limited to scouts? What about other organizations giving back? Have any of them approached Parks and Recreation for donations of benches, etc?  I am finding more and more that Purcellville is full of ideas, but no guidelines. 

According to the survey Mr. Coy was referring to in his address to the council, keeping Fireman's Field is a treasure and that 88% of the citizens are happy with the improvements that the town made to the facility. What he really meant was that 88% of the 400 citizens responding to the survey were happy with the improvements to the park. There are over 8,000 citizens in Purcellville, so I don't take the survey statistics as an accurate measure of facility use, nor the satisfaction with the improvements. 

The fact is that the public has no idea how much Fireman's Field cost the taxpayers other than the original price tag of $1.7 million. How much were the renovations, add to that the $60K ticket booth and additional funds for the equipment shed. If you want to get an accurate measurement of this treasure, survey those AT Fireman's Field during events. Find out how many people using the facility are those from Purcellville and outside of town. Maybe ask the question on the next survey, how many people have been inside Bush Tabernacle? How many have attended a game at Fireman's Field? Or how about this, what year did you move to Purcellville? You can't say you like the improvements to something if you don't know what they were like before the improvements were made. Purcellville has had a turnover in residences in the last 6 - 8 years.

Because I don't believe in criticizing without a solution - Parks and Recs Suggestions:

1. Maybe Parks and Recreation could educate themselves on the amount of acreage each park has an its purpose. Fireman's Field is 12.6 acres. 
2. Maybe the could find better way to track revenue from the leaking faucet known as the Train Station. There are groups meeting in there that are NOT nonprofits, but paying like they are. Their nonprofit certificates are not on file. Get a better system.
3. Visit Loudoun receives funding from the citizens of Purcellville to promote the town, and this includes all of the amenities. The gem of the Train Station is not mentioned as a meeting facility. Get familiar with their promotion plan for Purcellville, if they have one or stop giving away the tax dollars to them for advertising nothing. 
4. Challenge other committees, commissions and boards to present their monthly report to council and citizens. 

For more information regarding the purchase of Fireman's Field reference this article in The Blue Ridge Leader and Loudoun Today. 

I thought I would share the adopted budget figures by fiscal year. Fiscal years are from July 1 through the following June 30. For example FY 2005 is July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2005. The adopted budget history of Parks and Recs budget is as follows:

Just a footnote to this table. Because some data was in different accounting areas of the budget it wasn't always easy to find historical information. Some data was originally in Administration then moved to Parks and Recreation Fund.

SIDE NOTE: I must give Mr. Coy kudos because he and the former Chairman of the Planning Commission have been the only Chairmen that have given their "report" to council as their committee appears on the agenda. Where are the other committee chairs send the council liaison to do their work. A responsibility of the chairman is to represent the committee, commission or board. Your personal input should be reserved for citizens comments and not the reporting period on the agenda.

It seems to me that the town once again, or should I say, as always has bitten off more than they can chew. The town council is heading into their budget session this month. I would suggest you email the Town Council to express your kudos, concerns and ideas for keeping taxes down, cuts or changes. Let's rethink Parks and Recreation. 

Lack of Public Respect Continues in Purcellville

There are many facets to a Town's operational dynamics that are created to diversify the workload and create citizen involvement. Committees, Commissions and Boards gather information, make recommendations, and report back to the Town Council for final decision. As a citizen, being involved in the lowest level of government should be an easy process. The current council also has stated they agree. The current council also has stated they believe that there needs to be a high level of respect towards each other and the public, after all the public does pay their stipend they receive each month. The same goes for the Committees, Commissions and Boards that are appointed by the Council. I cannot stress enough the need for respect for differences of opinion and simple common courtesy. It goes without saying that the Rules of Decorum (Public Meeting Conduct, rev. March 10. 2015) that was adopted by the Council also applies to the other selected officials and staff of the town.

At the recent Planning Commission, Commission Chairman, Gil Paist relied on bantering to communicate with town resident Kelli Grim after she gave public comments to the Commission regarding the need for more communication between the Town Council and Planning Commission with "the people" of Purcellville. Ms. Grim wanted to assure that sweeping zoning changes, like those made in 2008 have proper input from the residents [people].

Grim stating, “an overwhelming response regarding a developer who felt that exceptions for the square feet of restaurants should just be eliminated altogether and you all agreed to do that.” Paist interrupted stating, “okay, you time is up, actually you’re out of time. I have a question for you. When you talk about "the people", who do you define as "the people."” Ms. Grim's requested clarification for when she used that statement and Mr. Paist stated it was in the very beginning, “sometimes you give meanings out there and I have no idea exactly what you mean.” I need to stop here for a second and interject the fact that if the Town's Planning Commissioner does not know who the people of Purcellville are, maybe he should find a less critical position to serve. Let me give you some direction Mr. Paist, look at the top of the Town's organization chart, who's at the top? Consider this an open book test.

"Myself and the residents that…are the people served by all of the Committees, Commissions and Boards,” stated Ms. Grim. Chairman Paist continued to badger Ms. Grim even though her time had expired on Public Comment in what I believe was an attempt to belittle a citizen and show superiority. He continued to question Ms. Grim as though she were on trial, “so the people to you are just the residents. What do you do with the businesses that are in town, or the people that work in town, or students that are in town. Don’t they also have a say in town?”

Ms. Grim began to respond that "they are the primary as defined by looking at the town roll.... you even argued in the paper that residents are supposed to speak first." Ms. Grim continued to define "the people" as those that bring in the majority of the tax revenue. As she continued to respond to the Commissioner's questions, Paist interrupted her once again and said, “I didn't ask for another thing, just for a definition of that one thing. Thank you for your opinion, I just wanted a definition of "the people". Does this conversation remind you of a public media frenzy of a certain political leader wanting the to know what the definition of IS is?

Mr. Paist did ask her more than just that one question, it was the answers he did not choose to hear for the reason he abruptly cut her response. He wanted an opportunity once again to use his gavel as he did earlier in the meeting, he said declaring, "And I did that just because I wanted to." The fact is that when the Woodgrove location was on the agenda, never did the County, School Board, nor Town asked the students where they wanted their school. Do you remember that Mr. Paist? Do you think the 5 to 17 year olds are engaged in Town business? Do you think the businesses are engaged in Town business? How many business owners attend Planning Commission or Economic Development meeting which both have a direct relationship on their business?

Mr. Paist could use communication training because according to the Public Meeting Conduct, item 3, Interruption of speakers, name calling or boisterous remarks. Under the General Process section of the Conduct rules, "The public body is empowered to cause the removal of any and all persons violating the provisions of its rules and include a procedure for implementing said removal of said individual(s).The presiding officer shall preserve order and decorum at Council meeting." So who calls out Mr. Paist? No one. This type of behavior continues to go on not only in the Planning Commission meetings, but the Town Council meetings. In fact those on staff, Committees Commissions and Boards fail to remember that "the people" are the ones that pay their wages.

Media Connection and Your Safety

Where would you look if you were a potential newcomer to Purcellville and was interested in learning about the safety of the community? Or better yet, do you how safe your town is  ......anyone? Well, the logical first place would be the website. So I headed over to the Town's website.

To save you the trouble of searching yourself, you will navigate to the left-hand side of the page to the Government tab. From the drop down menu you will select Department and then Police. Scroll to the bottom right-hand side of the page. You will notice the Police Incident Reports. Or, handier, you can click on these embedded links to direct access.

Until today, the Police Incident Reports were directed away from the Town's website to a local media outlet. What this did was give this newspaper an increase in the number of hits and gave a false report on their readership. How did this relationship between the Town and a newspaper come about? Again the Town has found a way to single out a business to promote, and let a newspaper report what taxpayers don't have unbiased access to. Can you trust this newspaper? Can you trust the Town?

Would you like to see the Police Incident Report delivered in an Alert to your email or phone using this system? What about locating this information in a different location on the website?

Please make your concerns known by emailing the Town's elected officials at:

Mayor Kwasi Fraser

Council Members
  Karen Jimmerson
  Joan Lehr
  Patrick McConville
  Doug McCullom
  John Nave
  Ben Packard

Welcome to the New Purcellville Town Council

The Players
Tuesday, July 22 was the first meeting of the newly elected Town Council and Mayor. Although the agenda does not reflect the length of the meeting, many issues were brought to light through discussions of the public and Council. A motion was made to hold vacant position interviews in open session for Town's Planning Commission and Board of Architectural Review selection, but was voted down. After interviews were complete the Council selected the two representatives for the Planning Commission and a representative for the Board of Architectural Review. I do find it rather strange that the Town Council would select an applicant for Planning Commissioner that that could not garner enough votes to put him in as Mayor as representative of the people of Purcellville. The voters did not want Keith Melton as Mayor, why would they want him deciding zoning issues and the design of the town?

No matter what the people want, the Council votes their own way. Councilman Ben Packard believes that selecting Keith Melton to serve on the Planning Commission, who will help decide zoning issues, is best to represent the people. What part of "didn't you hear the people" do you not understand? He believes that some magic formula of 15% of 50% of the population, blah, blah, blah. Take a look at this. Who's in charge?

EXACTLY!

Show Me the Money
Closed meetings and spending seem to be that largest issues that face Purcellville. Their spending is not always transparent. Can this following statement be true?
"A government is transparent when the great majority of the information that it holds about its activities, policies, etc., is available to the public. Therefore, transparency is the result of information being available."

The answer is yes. Taxpayers should not burden staff for information that should be readily available. The town staff and Council will have to agree that documents they have are created or available electronically. Got a contract, put it up on the web and all documents relating to how that contract came to be in a timeline, including payments, adjustments, schedules etc. A very simple task that anyone with basic computer knowledge should be able to accomplish. Without this information the public does not have valuable information on how their taxes are spent. 

With input he received while campaigning, Mayor Kwasi Fraser brought to Council Tuesday night, the idea of placing the town's financials in public sight so that the residents can see where the money is going. He was the only one that voted for this transparency. Council cited that there needs to be a justification for the $4900. (Don't get me started.)  There are so many projects and financial actions the town takes that have no justification. The people of Purcellville are exhausted over the spending by the former administration and it's still trickling down. My challenge to the Council is to fairly represent your constituents by finding a way to show where the money is going. Otherwise, the Purcellville Mafia might still exist.

I had been posting snapshots of what the town spends on attorney's fees on the Purcellville Matters Facebook page, even though the town has a highly qualified attorney on staff. I have received numerous comments on the over $450,000 spent from July 2013 to May 2014, which is not quite the entire fiscal year. I will post the June 2014 check information on Facebook soon. Although these fees could be ongoing lawsuits, the public could have some basic information regarding a legal action such as land acquisition, personal lawsuit, discrimination, etc? Maybe the Town Attorney, Sally Hankins can help us better understand. 

We all know how expensive the Town Hall project was. But did you know that the waterproofing company that was hired for the Town Hall renovation (over $100,000) is the same company that is performing the current construction at Fireman's Field for the utility/storage building? Yes, Hammerhead Construction performed the waterproofing on the town hall which if you noticed, still has moisture in the basement. And don't forget the ever so famous ticket booth at the Fireman's Field.

The point I am trying to make, that unless you dig for this information, you won't find the details, the waste that your government is performing.

When a Notice of Award goes out the public, do you see it? Could it go out as all of the other Press Release go out? The answer is yes. Do you see anything wrong with this? Look closely. What's missing?

There is no amount. Is this transparency? But in the Town Council Worksession Minutes from May 28, 2013 indicates that Phase A amount is $66,000 for a ticket booth, right. It was rushed through so that the town could make a good impression for the Babe Ruth event last year. Heaven forbid we use the "old school" method of a table and chair to collect fees. My question is, why aren't the leagues that use this field pitching in? Does the town sell tickets at this booth or do the leagues? Why do you have to search for information in multiple locations?

Then in the January 28, 2014 Town Council Worksession is was voted to spend another $321,200 with Hammerhead Construction to build the sports equipment storage building. The only one that voted down to amend the budget to add this expense with Dr. Wiley. Now you know.

So going forward, what is it that you want and need from your elected officials? Are you happy with the Fireman's Field tax district? Do you want to the town to continue with closed meetings for your representation? Are you going to let the town bully you into paying for what they can't afford? is $320,000 a good price for a storage building?

Below are your elected representatives contact information. Do yourself a favor, contact them and tell them what YOU want of the town.

Mayor Kwasi Fraser

Council Members
Karen Jimmerson
Joan Lehr
Patrick McConville
Doug McCullom
John Nave
Ben Packard

Government's view on the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves. tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it. - Ronald Reagan