LoudounNow LOUDOUN COUNTY’S COMMUNITY-OWNED NEWS SOURCE
[ Vol. 2, No. 16 ]
[ loudounnow.com ]
Feb. 23 – Mar. 1, 2017 ]
New life coming to Loudoun’s decadeold town center
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Hemstreet Proposes $2.5B Budget, Lower Tax Bills BY RENSS GREENE County Administrator Tim Hemstreet has given the Board of Supervisors a starting point on budget deliberations that adds 176 full-time equivalent jobs and all but guarantees a cut to the real estate tax rate. The $2.5 billion budget comes after years of tight revenues, and Hemstreet and his staff recommend knocking a penny off the real estate tax rate to $1.135 per $100 of assessed value. In fact, the county has only advertised a rate of $1.14 in public notices, a half-penny below the current rate, meaning the board would have to start that process over and advertise at a higher rate to even match the current tax rate. The proposed $1.135 rate is also a half-penny below the equalized rate, meaning that on average—if supervisors stick to that rate—homeowners can expect tax bill dollar figures to shrink even as their houses have appreciated in value. After Hemstreet’s Feb. 15 budget presentation, County Chairwoman Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) said Loudoun was remarkable in large part because of county government staffers who often work “without ever having their names said, without ever being known.” The county stands to have a lot more of those staff members, as Hemstreet has proposed 176.09 new full-time equivalent positions, a budgeting method to measure the equivalent of a full-time job divided among full- and part-time positions. Many of those positions are needed to fully staff new facilities opening next fiscal year, including 68 FTEs for Parks and Recreation at the Dulles South Multipurpose Centers; 40 FTEs for Fire and Rescue at the Kirkpatrick Farms station; and 35 FTEs at the Brambleton Library. BUDGET >> 10
Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now
A single blue ribbon marks the Lansdowne intersection where 5-month-old Tristan Schulz lost his life almost six months ago. The collection of flowers, cards, and candles has been removed, but supporters want to install a permanent memorial near the site.
Community Seeks Permanent Memorial for Baby Tristan BY DANIELLE NADLER
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any Lansdowne area residents were surprised to discover last week that the community-built memorial for the 5-month-old boy who was hit and killed in the intersection in August had been taken down. The Lansdowne on the Potomac Homeowners Association board voted to remove the memorial—a display of cards, flowers, balloons and a small wooden cross that has been there since Aug. 31. That morning, baby Tristan Schulz was in a stroller being pushed by his mother through the Riverside Parkway and Coton Manor Drive intersection when he was struck and killed. His mother, Mindy Schulz, was hospitalized for several days but survived the incident. In the five months since, people have left gifts at the foot of the Riverside Parkway traffic light. In October, passersby left
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pumpkins. In December, a Christmas tree, dotted with ornaments, appeared. Last week, people left Valentine’s Day cards. “It’s really been an organic thing, driven by the community,” said Candy Baracat-Donovan who drives past the Riverside Parkway-Coton Manor Drive intersection daily from her home in Edwards Landing. She has left cards, flowers, candles and, at Christmas, hung ornaments on the tree. There’s been an outpouring of support for the Schulz family, and the memorial is one way for people to demonstrate that support and remember baby Tristan, Baracat-Donovan said. Three people spoke during the public comment portion of the HOA’s Feb. 13 meeting, each opposed keeping the memorial in place, according to Skip Davis, the community’s general manager. “The board found themselves in a corner. They didn’t want to appear unsympathetic,” but ultimately, board members had to vote to remove it after receiving complaints from a number of people, Davis said.
“It’s not a decision that they wanted to make, I can tell you that,” he said, estimating that Lansdowne residents are evenly split on whether to keep the memorial in place. “It’s not as simple as everyone wanted to make it.” Supporters of the Schulz family had asked for permission from the HOA for a permanent memorial, like a bench or engraved stone, to be installed near the intersection. They said HOA board members initially agreed to the idea. But Davis said last week that three different parties control that sliver of land—Virginia Department of Transportation, the Lansdowne Conservancy, and the Lansdowne on the Potomac HOA. Now, community members are working to get a more permanent memorial in place, through a Virginia Department of Transportation program that authorizes roadside signs remembering loved ones be placed for up to two years.
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MEMORIAL >> 6
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