Loudoun Now for Nov. 18, 2021

Page 1

n LOUDOUN

Pg. 4 | n LEESBURG

VOL. 6, NO. 52

Pg. 6 | n EDUCATION

Pg. 8 | n OBITUARIES

Pg. 29 | n PUBLIC NOTICES

We've got you covered. In the mail weekly. Online always at LoudounNow.com

County Board Weighs Eminent Domain at Whites Ferry BY RENSS GREENE

Pg. 30

NOVEMBER 18, 2021

Supervisors Eye Tax Hike in Revenue Rebalance BY RENSS GREENE

rgreene@loudounnow.com

The saga that began with the closure of Whites Ferry in December 2020 now appears to be nearing an end—one way or another. County supervisors on Tuesday night heard the results of a study commissioned by Loudoun County and Montgomery County, MD, that looks into the options for getting Whites Ferry back in operation, and for improving the service. And some discussed the possibility of an eminent domain vote—a forced purchase of the land using public funds—to provide the ferry operators with the rights to use the landing on the Virginia side of the river following a prolonged dispute with the property owners. Ferry owner Chuck Kuhn said afterward that “short of imminent domain, I don’t know if the ferry will ever reopen.” “We did not buy the ferry to make money or turn a profit,” Kuhn said. “We’ve actually offered to donate the ferry to Loudon County. We’ve offered to donate the ferry to Montgomery County in an effort to get it open. We just want to see a ferry opening and operating for the community.” The ferry closed late last year after the cable guiding it across the Potomac River snapped. Shortly after that, a Loudoun Circuit Court judge issued a ruling in a decade-long case over the ferry operator’s right to use the Virginia landing at Rockland Farm, ruling in favor of the landown-

rgreene@loudounnow.com

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

JK Moving Services Founder and CEO and Whites Ferry owner Chuck Kuhn speaks to reporters outside a Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday, Nov. 16.

ers and finding the ferry had no legal right to use the property. In January, Kuhn, the founder and CEO of JK Moving Services, bought the ferry, but negotiations over a new agreement to use the Virginia landing stalled by April. April was when Kuhn first said he would seek more help from governments

in Maryland and Virginia—raising a debate around using eminent domain to reopen what has historically been a private business. Supervisor Caleb Kershner (R-Catoctin), whose district includes the Virginia landing, indicated supervisors will be WHITES FERRY continues on page 42

Homeowners could see their taxes go up and data centers could get a tax break next year as Loudoun supervisors wrestle with a tight budget year and concerns about an over-reliance on data center revenues. The board’s finance committee has recommended directing County Administrator Tim Hemstreet to propose a budget based on a real estate tax rate five cents above the equalized tax rate at which the average real estate tax bill is the same dollar amount despite climbing property values. And it also directed him to plan for a five-cent cut in the county’s personal property tax rate, currently $4.20 per $100 of assessed value, in 2023. That would be the first rate change in more than three decades to the tax that affects both residents’ possessions like cars, campers and boats as well as businesses’ assets like the computer equipment inside data centers, the major source of data center revenue. And county budget staff members have warned for years that the county is becoming too reliant on that revenue, which now accounts for roughly a HIGHER TAXES continues on page 42

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