Prince William Times 04/21/2022

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BOYS LACROSSE ROUNDUP: Battlefield, Brentsville, Hylton looking strong. SPORTS, Pages 12-14

April 21, 2022 | Vol. 21, No. 16 | www.princewilliamtimes.com | $1.00 Covering Prince William County and surrounding communities, including Gainesville, Haymarket, Dumfries, Occoquan, Quantico and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.

Community energy plan tops to-do list for new sustainability chief

Commercial buildings, transportation are key to cutting countyโ€™s emissions, she says By Cher Muzyk

Times Staff Writer

Giulia Manno, Prince William countyโ€™s first environmental and energy sustainability officer, has been on the job for less than a month but is already working on the countyโ€™s โ€œCommunity Energy Master Planโ€

-- a roadmap to achieving the countyโ€™s sustainability goals. In November 2020, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors passed a resolution laying out the countyโ€™s goals for addressing climate change, which include reducing greenhouse gas emissions

By Kipp Hanley

Contributing Writer

14-year-old injured in shooting near carnival By Jill Palermo

Prince William County police are still searching for a suspect in a shooting outside a fundraising carnival near Gar-Field High School over the weekend that left a 14-yearold Woodbridge girl injured. The victim has not been identified because of her age but is expected to recover from her injuries, according to police.

Giulia Manno

Plan includes first-ever meals tax, higher tax bills

PHOTO BY JOHN CALHOUN

Times Staff Writer

See CHIEF, page 4

County board sticks with proposed budget

The Woodbridge Kiwanis Clubโ€™s annual spring break carnival โ€“ the first since 2019 due to the pandemic โ€“ was interrupted by a shooting Friday, April 15, that injured a 14-yearold Woodbridge girl.

Police still trying to identify a suspect

and ensuring the county governmentโ€™s operations achieve 100% renewable energy by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050. Manno said the goals are โ€œaggressive but not uncommon.โ€

The shooting took place amid an argument between two groups and happened at about 9:20 p.m. on Friday, April 15, just outside Gar-Field High Schoolโ€™s driverโ€™s ed parking lot, where the Woodbridge Kiwanis Club was holding its annual spring break carnival โ€“ its first since 2019 due to the pandemic. The teen victim was flown to an area hospital where her injuries were determined to be non-life-threatening, according to 1st Sgt. Jonathan Perok, a Prince William County Police Department spokesman.

See SHOOTING, page 8

American Idolโ€™s Mike Parker visits schools in hometown Warrenton, page 9

Prince William County supervisors appear ready to give their final approval on April 26 to a $1.48 billion county budget that reduces the real estate tax rate by about 8 cents while adding a first-ever 4% meals tax. During an April 19 โ€œmarkup sessionโ€ on the proposed budget for fiscal year 2023, which begins July 1, the county board voted 5-3 in a straw poll to make no changes to acting County Executive Elijah Johnsonโ€™s revised budget, which he first presented to the board April 12. The budget is based on a proposed real estate tax rate of $1.03 per $100 of assessed value. Due

to a 12% rise in property values, however, homeowners will still see an average annual tax bill increase of about $172. Thatโ€™s based on an average annual real estate tax bill of $4,389. The current real estate tax rate is $1.115 per $100 in assessed value.

Proposed cuts rejected

All three of the boardโ€™s Republican supervisors โ€“ Peter Candland (Gainesville), Jeanine Lawson (Brentsville) and Yesli Vega (Coles) โ€“ voted against the proposed budget and offered areas to cut. Early in the meeting, Vega made a pitch to cut the real estate tax rate to 96 cents, stating the county would still spend about $45 million more in fiscal year 2023 than in the current year under the lower rate. See BUDGET, page 2

Supervisors reject public defendersโ€™ pleas for more funding, page 3 Help needed: Annual MS Walk is Saturday, April 23 in Manassas. Page 11

88 DULLES, VA

Itโ€™s all about people . . . and always will be. www.vnb.com


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