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I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands one nation under God and invisible with the religious morale. All right. Thank you very much. I'd like to entertain a motion for number 3A to approve the minutes from February 25th. So move Madam Chair. Second. All right. Let's take a vote. Vote unanimous. All right. vote unanimous. All right. We are going to move on to agenda item number four and that is accommodations and proclamations. We have four A through four F. Can I get a motion? Some of them, Chair. Second. All right. Any discussions? I don't think so. So let's go ahead and vote. Vote unanimous. All right, thank you so much. Supervisor Rear for 4F, when we get to that one, if you could join me down the podium, I'd greatly appreciate it. First up, we have a procurement month, so Shana Terry Terry if you and your team can meet me down by the podium. You wrote pretty deep? Procurement is a strategic process of acquiring goods and services from external services sources and encompassing activities like sourcing, negotiating, and managing contracts ultimately aiming to optimize value and efficiency for an organization. The Office of Procurement Services staff contributes positively to the county's operations by improving for Curement Methods and practices and by exploring new technologies to increase efficiency. The Office of Procurement Services, the Virginia Association of Governmental Procurement, and the National Institute of Governmental Procurement and other professional associations throughout the world engage in special efforts during the month of March to raise awareness of the important role the procurement professionals play in business, industry and government. The Prince William Boyle County supervisors here by proclaims March 2025 as procurement month in Prince William County, Virginia. Do you have any words for us? Thank you Madam Chair, members of the board, our county executive and our Deputy County Executive. I want to thank you all for all of your support of the Office of Perkehramah Services and the great work that we do. From the pin you write with to the trails that you walk on to the public safety facilities, this is the team right here that does it all supporting all of our county agencies. Supporting all of our county agencies and running their operations and providing mission critical services to our community. So we've been celebrating all month long. We started off on March 5th with a virtual vendor workshop to engage our vendors and provide tools and resources on how to do business with the county. We then had a prices right thing celebration to engage our internal county customers, given them procurement knowledge and just having some fun. This week on the 19th we have a lunch and learn. Our P-Card team will be facilitating that, providing information on our P-Card program, and then on the 25th, you can pop in for procurement Q&A. If you have any questions on the procurement process, our team will be happy to answer those questions. But I do want to take a minute. The most important thing that I do today is to acknowledge this team. So I want to acknowledge them by name, and then I'll be out of your way. So we have K. Schluperez, who is our deputy director. We have Candice Dunn, Candice Dunn supports police ADC. We have Trinice Allen, who supports our community services, social services, youth services, and a few other agencies. We have Francine Morris who is here with us to help us with some strategic things in our office. We have Mustafa Arbazade who supports transportation and development services. We have Lyndon Og who supports our park and's operations. We have Andrea Silver who supports Fire and Rescue. We have Mike Clark who runs our Procurement Car Program and we have Marcus Crew who is our Vendor Relations Coordinator. So thank you. Thank you. Applause We do have a few momentos from our celebration that we had some over. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. those associate with this proclamation could come up. All right. Item 4B to proclaim March 2025 is social work appreciation month. In Prince William County our human services case workers have been at the forefront of public efforts to meet the needs of all county residents to maintain families to create more stable home environments for children and to protect older and disabled adults. We are the most diverse county in the Commonwealth and as such our case workers assist diverse populations. They provide supportive interventions to adults and families in various situations, including screening and investigating complaints of adult, abuse and neglect, conducting Medicaid pre-emission screenings, providing foster care services, screening and investigating child protective service complaints, and providing homeless services. The Prince William Board of County Supervisors hereby commands all 137 human services case workers in the child protective services, advocacy prevention protection, homeless and family support services, divisions of Prince William County Department of Social Services. We recognize your contributions to the community and the citizens of Prince William County. And truly thank you for your service. Good afternoon. Shane Terry's a heart, act to follow, I don't know how to chocolate for you. But I do have some words to share. So good afternoon Madam Chair and members of the board, Philistian and told Director of Social Services. Today I have members of my DSS leadership team with me. First I have Holly Handy, who is our deputy, Acting Deputy Director, Lena Purifoy, who is the Assistant Director of the App Posit Division. Jessica McCauley, assistant director of Family Support Services, Van Washington, who is the assistant director of Protective Services, and Tanya Golden, who is the acting assistant director of human homeless services. On behalf of Prince William County DSS and all of the social workers we would like to say thank you for this proclamation and your continued support. This acknowledgement underscores the dedication, compassion and resilience of all social workers who tirelessly advocate for individuals and families in our community. play a vital role in ensuring access to services and acting as change agents. They are committed to helping others while facing challenges and they demonstrate the true spirit of service and advocacy. Prince William County DSS transforms lives through safety support and self- self-sufficiency, and we remain committed to improving lives of others. Again, thank you for your support of our profession and those that we serve. I'm going to go with the white coats. Colorectal cancer is a second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States among men and women combined. Collaractyl cancer is one of the few cancers that can be prevented with timely screening, screening. But one in three eligible Americans have not taken the time to be screened. Principal and County is the home of resilient patients and survivors of colorectal cancer, as well as those who have lost loved ones to this cancer. Colorectal cancer awareness month, which is observed annually in March, aims to raise awareness about colorectal cancer, encourage regular screenings, promote early detection and treatment, and support research and investments in colorectal cancer care. The Prince William County Board of County Supervisors hereby for claims a month of March 2025 is colorectal cancer awareness month, and encourages our community to be aware of colorectal cancer prevention, treatment, and resource options. If you have a few words for us. I do. Thank you. Thank you Madam Chair and the steam members of the board. My name is Don Bern. I am the director of oncology at St. Terranor and Virginia Medical Center and I'm five two, sorry about that. Sorry. I have a few members of my team here with me. I'd like to introduce this is Shelley Burton. She is one of our oncology navigators, Heather Kusow, who's our Vice President of Operations. That's Dr. James Min from UVA. I'm here with me. I'd like to introduce this is Shelley Burton. She is one of our oncology navigators Heather Kusow, who's our vice president of operations. That's Dr. James Min from UVA Health and that's Michelle. Oh gosh Michelle. Eckhart, thank you. Sorry. She's the director of our physician and community relations. We have just a few words to share with you today. Colle rectal cancer awareness month is a time to highlight the importance of prevention, early detection and comprehensive support for patients navigating this diagnosis. Early detection and screening play a crucial role in improving survival rates and preventing life-threatening complications. If your hesitant about screening have an open conversation with your healthcare provider, while there are multiple screening options available, colonoscopy remains a gold standard offering the most thorough and effective method for detecting and preventing colorectal cancer. Exploring all options can help individuals find the best approach for their needs, but remember knowledge starts with asking the right questions. Screening colonoscopies are now standard for all adults at age 45 and higher, regardless of risk factors. If you are age 45 and above, please talk to your health care provider about getting screened for colorectal cancer. Also, those less than age 45, if you have any concerning signs or symptoms or family history, please do not hesitate to talk to your health care provider. Colonoscopies prevent colorectal cancer and save lives. And that's in terror. We are committed to improving health care every day. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair and esteemed members of the board. My name is James Min. I'm a family practice doctor and I'm the lead physician for UVA community health medical group On behalf of UVA health. I want to appreciate this proclamation from the board promoting colon cancer awareness and Also between Santara Health and UVA Health we cover the entire county We're here to support all of our community members being proactive with their health So thank you for the time and thank you for the proclamation. I have two. Let's go check the voter. I Item 4D, Sexual Assault Awareness Month. If those associated with this can come on down. Sexual Assault Awareness Month calls attention to the fact that sexual violence is widespread and it impacts us all. The purpose of sexual assault awareness month is to highlight the importance of working together to address and prevent sexual abuse, assault, and harassment. Together we must strive to build more connected, respectful, and inclusive communities to protect against the risk of sexual violence. The TLRIB, if you've ever seen one of those, was adopted as a symbol of sexual assault awareness and prevention. Prince William County must join what others around the world in committing to prevent sexual abuse assault and harassment. The Prince William Board of County Supervisors hereby proclaims the month of April 2025 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and each day of the year as an opportunity to create change for the future. Would you like to say a few words? Thank you. Thank you to the board. Thank you Madam Chair. We deeply appreciate this. I have worked in sexual assault for over 10 years And I cannot tell you how important it is to get this recognition today. So thank you Currently we get to work at the office of community safety where I get to chair the greater Prince William human trafficking task force It's just a slim slim group today. It's just the two of us, but we are we are good company on our team. We're also joined by the Prince William County Schools, as well as the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI is also part of our team. So one of the people that has been pivotal in our ability to continue with the human trafficking task force is Deepa Patel, who is the owner of Tra Men Hope, and I'd like to give her the chance to speak a few words today. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you all for allowing us to be here. When we think about sexual assault, when we think about the victimization, we need to understand that this is, unfortunately, something that impacts more than half of the percentage of women out there, and one in three males. And so when we understand the impact of this victimization is profound. It has an impact not only on the victim but also families, community members. To really understand this victimization, this is also something that for the most part is targeted by individuals that others may know. And so when we think about really combining a holistic approach, an approach that works for survivors, works for families, I have been so fortunate for over 20 years. I've worked with residents in Prince William County that have been victimized by sexual assault. And when we think about an approach that actually works, it takes many different individuals from different departments, department of social services, the police department, the school system, community service board, private representatives to really understand this victimization. But most importantly, it also takes the court systems to understand, prosecute and navigate these crimes in which some victims can attain justice and some victims require that trauma-informed care to really be able to heal, to be able to move forward. So to honor sexual assault awareness month within a proclamation is pretty big and especially the work that I do providing this for so many years because it acknowledges this is a victimization that does impact, that does need assistance, that needs attention, and needs trauma-informed services. So to collaborate with the representatives, the professionals in Prince William County, by far I will say it's one of the best approaches I've seen when we think about from a system perspective in other counties. So thank you very much for allowing me the opportunity to speak. We're actually going to do youth art month. So unless you want to be a part of it, you're just going to all right, have a seat. All right. Actually now you're right. Let's see sexual assault. Now, youth, earth, month. All right. Just one again. I have, wait, no we were. OK, so women's veteran, yeah, that's going to be after. So if you're here for youth, earth, month, it was going to be tonight, but I guess kiddos didn't want to come out for us. You know, we have one. Okay. Hey, we're going to make this work. Art education develops students create a potential and improves problem solving and critical thinking skills through the many connections made to what students learn to other subjects. The National Art Education Association, in conjunction the Virginia Art Education Association strives to improve the well-being of our communities by promoting the cultural strengths of Prince Wayne County and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Prince Wayne County joins the National Art Association and the Virginia Art Association in supporting our community and intellectual development through artistic endeavors and offering support to our committed teachers. The principal and board of county supervisors hereby proclaims the month of March 2025 as youth art month and encourages everyone to give their full support to our schools arts programs. Do you have a few words? Good afternoon Madam Chair. I'm happy youth art month. I am representing the art teachers of here at Prince William County as well as the Virginia Art Education Association. I was youth art chair for the State of Virginia and won the award of excellence for the State of Virginia and so I'm trying to draw more attention here in Prince William County. My name is Kelly Tuima, Kelly Wassen, I apologize. I am the art teacher at Independence Non-traditional. I truly believe I have the best job in the county. I'm deeply grateful for the chance to work with all of our alternative students, nurturing their creativity and self-expression through the medium of art. Art education is not just a subject, it's a vital component of a well-rounded education that empowers all students to explore their identities and communicate their thoughts. It is with this brief that I wholeheartedly support the celebration of youth art month. This celebration highlights the importance of the arts in our schools and showcases the incredible programs across Prince William County and throughout the state. By prioritizing and supporting art education, we are investing in our students' futures, nurturing their talents and helping them develop essential skills such as critical thinking, collaborations and resilience. Thank you for your commitment to support the arts and for championing our youth as they express themselves through their creativity. Together, let's ensure that every child has the opportunity to experience the joy and the empowerment that art brings. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for your time. I'm like I yelled a slid on over from the other side. Supervisor Weir since this is your would you like to read this? Sure. Once in a while I'll I'll dain't to read. Which one do you want me to read? This one or this one? Okay. Throughout the history of our nation, women have served in and alongside the United States armed forces to defend our freedom and that of our allies. Women have served in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and more recent fights such as Operation Desert Storm, bravely risking their lives to serve our country. Women veterans are the fastest growing segment of the veteran population with many living in Prince William County, including the founder of William Warriors, Shirley Dominic, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting our nation's heroes in the Gainesville District. We recognize the courage, honor, and dignity with which women have served in defense of our nation and our community. The Prince William County Board of Supervisors here hereby recognizes March 16 through March 22 2025 as women's veterans week. Oh, I have to speak in this way. Wow. I cannot believe it's been ten years since we opened the doors of this Supreme Court. I'm extremely honored and humbled by this award. and I'll make something at the end of behalf of our board of directors, our staff, our volunteers, and our partners, community supporters. Thank you, thank you. I've been here to tell you over the last 10 years, the impact has been priceless. Home Warriors and families are taken off riding, fulfilling sand, and just with love, I stay there at the word retreat. On the outbreak, and we have testimony to this, we have lives. Our change, we have now given them hope. We have saved lives, saved marriages, and we'll cause them now not only to have hope for themselves, but hope for the future for their families. So thank you, thank you. And for me personally, I work alongside you as a community. You have made the difference. It is you who on the front line come in, not only financially, but also boots on the ground to help our warriors and their families. I've seen the change that this community have as a result of this retreat. So it's not only changing for the warriors, but it's changing for the community. And so that I am so grateful. Thank you, thank you for being a part of our Warriors and Family and keeping our country safe. Thank you. Thank you, Supervisor Weir. Thank you, Board. I'm Sarah Ford, Executive Director for Willing Warriors. I'm here with Chrissy Fow get to the next meeting. We are going to be able to get to the next meeting. We are going to be able to get to the.m. We want you to come celebrate with us, celebrate what the community has done with us. Thank you for this recognition, for Women's Veterans Week, and thank you for supporting our Warriors and our military members here in Prince William County. Thank you. I have that shot for all of this. I don't have that shot for all of this. I don't have that shot for all of this. I don't have that shot for all of this. I don't have that shot for all of this. I don't have that shot for all of this. I don't have that shot for all of this. 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So I actually have you guys read your Koi statements because we're coming on the consent agenda. So we're on item five consent agenda but before we do. Thank you Madam Chair. Before the board considers and votes on the consent agenda, I need to declare a personal interest in item five H which authorizes an agreement with the schools for county use of school buses. My wife is a school's employee. As a school's employee, my wife and I are members of a group which is affected by this matter. I will be participating in it because I am able to do so fairly objectively and in the public interest. Everything he said. Madam Chair, before the board considers and votes on the consent agenda, I need to declare a personal interest in item five H, which authorizes an agreement with the schools for the county, use of school buses. My wife is a special education instructional aide with the schools. Has the schools employed my wife and I are a member of a group which is affected by this matter. I will be participating in this matter because I am able to do so fairly objectively and in the public interest. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you so much. Before we get to the consent agenda, are there any items that anyone wants to pull off? Madam Chair, five H. Five, five H. Anyone else? All right, so I would like a motion for 5A through 5G and 5I through 5L. So move, manager. Second. All right. Any discussion? All right. Supervisor Franklin. Yeah, just want to, I'm not, I don't see Rick or anybody, but I just want to point out item 5B Just like surprise, I was going to make some comments. I'm not going to oppose it, but I have heard from individuals that are I guess annoyed is the best word In terms of some of the changes that came with the interchange. Obviously, the interchange is important, but particularly the no left turns that were implemented. People have particularly expressed not really concerned, but just a little bit of anoints of having to go up a couple more lights to be able to then come back around, particularly if you're going to the area of discovery and the Thomas barn and two silos and all of that. So just wanna point that out, I'm assuming some of those is in connection with VDOT and I'm assuming there's no way to kind of, at least undo the no left turn portion, but just wanna flag that that's something that I've been hearing from a couple of different people. All right, Mr. Ken Zalas, your night in a black suit. How you doing, ma'am? Members of the Board, Rick Ken Zalas, your Director of Transstation. What we'll take a look at that for you, ma'am. And I mean, we'll get back to your office and let you know we'll find out. Thank you. Supervisor Bailey? Thank you, ma'am Chair. I just like to just acknowledge the providing of the fiber optics at Forest Greens. As you all know, that's a project that we are working on. And it will be an excellent underground opportunity for the facilities. So just appreciate the work that's been done there. But this is an additional additive, if you will, for the project that we're working on and for our screens. Thank you. Supervisor Bowdey. Thank you, Madam Chair. It's very quickly, wanted to sense Rick walked in. Thank him and his staff, the continued work on the Summit School Road Extension and Telegraph Road Winning Project. Anyone who's driving down there has seen the work that's progressing on that project. Moving along, this, the five, see that we're going to be approving today. Still, while within the budget, just adjustments that happen as the project has been progressing on, but again, wanted to highlight from my constituents. You go down there, you drive down Caten Hill, you drive down Telegraph, that project's coming along, looking forward to us cutting the ribbon on that in about a year or so. You're appreciated, thank you so much. All right, I don't have any more comments, let's go ahead and take a vote. Vote unanimous. All right, we are going to five H. Thank you, Madam Chair. While I understand inflation and other issues that could that would impact the terms of this agreement with Prince William County schools, I take issue with a 72% increase in the hourly rate and 66% increase in the mileage charge and I will not be supporting it at that rate without some form of explanation from the school division as to how they arrived that these rather large increases in the contractual prices. All right, serve as a regga. Thank you Madam Chair. I do see Seth in the back. I don't know Seth if you have anything you could add to this since this is a service that has been requested by Parks and Rec. I believe summer programs. Madam Chair, members of the board Seth Henler-Vos, Director of Parks Rec did not negotiate with the schools, they basically give us the rate as what they require for us to utilize their services. And that's what we're bringing to you today for consideration. Madam Chair, if I may. And Seth, there was no explanation. You just received the proposal and it's now in our hands to approve yes. Yes, ma'am. Thank you. Are there any other questions or anything for Seth? Supervisor Bailey. Just to extend the question, you did not receive any explanation, but did you call to ask for additional information? We received information regarding the increases and and Did you call to ask for additional information? We received information regarding the increases and the explanation was basically they're related to escalation but we didn't go into any details beyond that and we did not attempt to negotiate with them. bring forward the rates that they request to you all for consideration. Sir, Viser Gourdy. Thank you, Madam Chair. Are there any alternatives to using the school buses to meet this need? Thank you, supervisor. Gourdy, yes, of course, we can charter private transportation, but that, in Georgia, in Georgia, in Georgia, in Georgia, in Georgia, in Georgia, in Georgia, in Georgia, in Georgia, in Georgia, in Georgia, in Georgia, in Georgia, in Georgia, in Georgia, in Georgia, in Georgia, in Georgia, in Georgia, in Georgia, in Georgia, in Georgia, in Georgia, in Georgia, in Georgia, in Georgia, in Georgia, in but just based on history and knowledge of chartered bus costs, it's very likely to be more expensive than a school bus. But we can confirm that for you if you all would like. All right, Supervisor Bailey. Thank you, Madam Chair. It's just not to prolong the questioning from my perspective, but this is nothing that's abnormal, is it? Or this is something that usually happens? I mean, just a little more in-depth. Thank you. Thank you, Manvice Chair. So every three years we have to renew the agreement. And to be honest, I do not recall whether there was an increase three years ago. But we go through this exercise every three years, either bringing a cost increase, proposal, or a flat rate. So no, it's not unusual for us to renew this agreement with or without rate increases. And I appreciate your answer, because if I may, Madam Chair, I appreciate your answer, because it's something that I do remember like about two to three years ago. So I noticed it didn't come up, but it's not anything unusual. No, ma'am. Okay, thank you, Madam Chair. Supervisor we're in the Devega. Thank you Madam Chair. I'm not willing to support it at this stage but I would like for the Parks Department to go back to the schools and try and negotiate this and at least provide some sense of what the cost of delta would be between using a school division and a contract with a private carrier. So I will be at the appropriate time that I'm chair making a motion to defer. And serve as a regga. Thank you for that supervisor. We are kind of stole my funder. But Seth, do students from the school division also benefit from the summer programs? That's correct. Thank you. And just for the public here in Chambers and for the public watching at home, again, the principal and county school will be charging a county agency, which in this case is Parks and Brex, a rate of $55 per hour and $2.50 per mile for a service that we're requesting that again, we mutually benefit from. And so the issue here is that there has been an increase in the staff report that was presented to us. We don't know why the increase was made. And I understand, you know, things cost a little bit more today than they did three years ago. But be that as it may, I think that the board should be fully informed as to why the increase in some explanation should be given. And some consideration also given by the school division, considering the fact that these programs are here to benefit students during the summer break. Thank you Madam Chair. All right, I would like to get emotional and that way we can have any discussions with the motion. So, Madam Chair. I just want to get a motion. I know you want to defer. Supervisor Bailey, are you moving so that we can move this foot down? I'm moving for approval. Okay. Second. All right. Madam Chair, substitute motion. All right. Here's the floor. Second. All right. The substitute motion is on the floor. second. All right. The substitute motion is on the floor. Is there any discussion about the substitute motion to defer? All right guys. Don't all jump in at once. All right. Here we go. Supervisor Brody. Thank you Madam Chair. So Seth, when the question was asked earlier, how time says have it? This is you said, you know, it needs to worked out by June, so summertime so summertime if we defer now we take it back up on April 1st which is frankly our next full on board meeting do you foresee any challenges with that we can begin negotiating with the school division immediately in terms of when we can get it back on the agenda is going to be Determined through collaboration with the clerk in the county exact in the county attorney and my other question Actually pertains to the actual agreement I know I said in addition to the increase in the hourly rate in the per mile charge a term was added requiring the the department to supply insurance the use of the buses was the school division supply that insurance before can you talk about that a little bit presumably but I don't know the specifics well enough I'm sorry I can find that out for you okay I was pretty comfortable with the increase knowing that you know charging you know the bus use of theation happens, personnel, that kind of stuff. But adding our requiring insurance gives me pause because I don't see any fiscal impact associated with that. So ensuring something that, frankly, wasn't part of the previous agreement, that gives me pause. So I just wanted to say that. Thank you, Madam Chair. Supervisor Weir? Thank you, Madam Chair. to that point I just want to say that. Thank you Madam Chair. Supervisor Weir. Thank you Madam Chair. To that point I would move to amend my motion to defer it to a date certain April 8th. Madam Chair, we could get it on the first correct? I think so. Let me just defer Mr. Shorty because we have an advertised for the first. We're still working on that agenda correct. We we have advertised for the actually no we have not it doesn't go out until Monday. In that case I change it to the first. Well let me say if I can I want to respect what Seth has said it may take some time to go back and forth with the school system. This isn't just a matter of us putting it on the agenda and advertising. I want to give the department some time to work with the school system. Madam Chair, I suspect two weeks is sufficient. All right, let's work free. I don't mind referring it to a date uncertain because I want to give them a little bit of time to have discussions and to come back. Again, we don't know how long this is going to take. I'm assuming because we need to have this in place by June. There is going to come back. Again, we don't know how long this is going to take. I'm assuming because we need to have this in place by June. There is going to be a reasonable sense of urgency. Correct. So if you don't mind, I would like to defer to a date uncertain. Supervisor Vega? Thank you. The issue that we have to a date on Stanton is the urgency that we have to have this approved by June because that's when the summer camps begin. And so, giving a day certain, I think, provides more stability in regards to knowing when we can make the decision. And I'm sorry, but I don't think it should be that complicated for this cool division to come back and provide answers to the questions that we've asked or that Seth might ask in addition to what we've asked. So, it your motion with your friendly. I leave it at the 8th. Yeah. Okay. So you would like to defer it to April 8th 2025. I support that friendly amendment because I second his original motion manager. All right. Any other discussion on this point? Jump in supervisor. Oh, sorry, Mr. Sorter. I would be fine with the 8th. I was concerned about the first because we dispatched the first on this point. Jump in supervisor. Oh, sorry, Mr. Schroeder. I would be fine with the eighth. I was concerned about the first because we dispatched the first on Monday. Yes. So with the eighth we'll have at least a week, a week and a half. So this might work. All right. Anyone else going once twice? We are going to take a vote on the deferral. Motion passes 5 to 2. Supervisors angry and Franklin voting nay and supervisor Bailey abstaining. All right. Thank you so very much. So we're deferring it. I guess we can move on because we're certainly not going to improve it today. Thank you very much, everyone. Let's see where we go on to next. Agenda item number six public comment time. I always give this same spiel even though hello to our freak of flyers it's been a while. So what I'm going to do is I'm going to call everyone up in groups of five. When you get up there, say your name and where you generally reside. You don't have to give me your address unless you want me to show up or anyone else on the board to show up for lunch or dinner. First I have Ray and I'm so sorry if I cannot say Ray Kulowski. Dale Brown, Bill Wright, Kathleen Koolick, and Elizabeth Madorama. Okay. Yes, please. That's good. Good afternoon. My name is Ray Kowalski. I'm a member of the Data Center Ordnance Advisory Group representing the Heritage Hunt community. I am speaking for all of the resident and national parks conservation association members of that group. I will address item 11b on your agenda, a presentation by the Office of Executive Management to update you on the county noise ordinance. The current county noise ordinance is fine for log parties and barking dogs, but it is inadequate to deal with the type of continuous noise that data centers characteristically produce. Considerable progress has been made in developing a revised noise ordinance and the executive office is now seeking your additional guidance and direction. Slide 27, which is what you see up there on the board, asks you for questions. Number one, does the board support the proposed rewrite of the noise ordinance to include a change in the noise scale? The resident and NPCA members of the data center ordinance advisory group enthusiastically support this aspect of the proposed rewrite. Number two, does the board support the establishment of the three categories for noise enforcement? That would be impulse noise, intermittent noise, and continuous noise. The resident and NPCA members of the data center ordinance advisory group support the establishment of the three categories as the best and fairest way to address these fundamentally different types of noise. Number three, does the board support the requirement for projects meeting the low frequency noise emission criteria, which are still to be determined, To submit noise testing and noise modeling to ensure compliance with the noise ordinance as a condition to operate in the county. The resident and NPCA members of the data center ordinance advisory group see noise testing and modeling as fundamental to ensuring compliance with the noise ordinance and as minimizing the necessity for police enforcement. We agree that the final noise emission criteria are to be determined and we are confident that the applicable noise emission criteria can be developed to everyone's satisfaction. Finally number four does the board support staff developing a budget for the's consideration of the enforcement and of the continuous noise standards. No ordinance can be effective without enforcement. The resident and NPCA members of the data center ordinance advisory group recommend that the board answer in the affirmative to this and the three pre-saving questions. Thank you, next speaker and fellow Supervisors. My name is Dale Brown. I'm an officer of of the Great Oak H.O.A. and a resident representative of the Data Center Ordnance Advisory Group. I am a US Navy submarine veteran and a retired director of Technology Management for a global financial telecommunications company. I have a BS degree in computer science and 40 plus years of professional IT experience. My submarine experience provided me with an understanding of sound propagation. At retirement, I was responsible for the acquisition of all server, storage, and network equipment, and services deployed in our data centers in the US, Europe, and Asia. We were in 210 countries. All of you know of Great Oaks noise problem. Sadly, it has now been nearly three years since we were forced to start living with this continuous noise from the Amazon data center. With three operational campuses surrounding us today, the county plans for 11 more were the total of 25 data center buildings, as you can see on the slide. During the last three years, I, along with members of my community, have met with Amazon more than 30 times and participated in every DCOAG meeting 40 to date. I've spent countless hours in and with my community while consulting with industry experts, including this morning. Most importantly, I have spent hundreds of hours gathering three years of noise measurements and providing weekly reports with detailed analytical summaries and resident commentary on the effects of this noise. I understand this noise problem well. Great Oak is ground zero for data center noise. The noise measurement information that our community has collected is by far the most robust data set regarding data center noise impacting a residential community that currently exists. In three years of painstaking work, I have not seen anything approaching its breadth, depth, and consistency. This is a noise signature of Tannerway, something I learned in summer-int. The great noise problem is one of low frequency noise, less than 500 hertz. Low frequency noise must be addressed for this noise or an intervention to be a success and set the standard for Prince William County and other communities throughout the US and abroad. I also support the four recommendations to be presented in item 11b. As Ray noted, the proposed noise limits remain TBD and will be established through upcoming DCOAG discussions. This slide represents the last five months of Gradog's measurement data. We started measuring DBC to address low frequency noise. Per the PWC consultant, Mr. David Nelson, humans need a five decibel change to perceive a difference. As you can see, we need to further reduce the ordinance limits to correct the experience in Gradog. We need relief so that we can sleep and better manage our health. One grade O father has had to sit by his seven-year-old bed nightly to convince him that the noise was not from an alien spaceship. I ask you, I ask that you support the recommendations in item 11B and direct the staff to one. Use the grade O data that I've collected along with a multi-day test of levels and resident tolerances both inside and outside our homes. Establish a lower industrial-established lower industrial limits on continuous noise to protect all residents. Direct staff to use the ordinance language for intermittent and impulse noise to mitigate false positives at hospitals and schools. Thank you very much for your time. I it. Next speaker please. My name is Bill Wright. I reside in the Gainesville District. I was appointed to the Data Center Ordnance Advisory Group to succeed Dr. John Liver. As stated by the previous speakers representing the DCOAG, the group has made great progress, but is not yet successfully addressed all the issues necessary. In particular, there has been no resolution of the intractable issue of aggregate noise from multiple cluster data centers approved without consideration of the accumulative effects. Slide 16 of the consultants presentation acknowledges this problem but does not recommend any solution. The map shown here, which is in your board packet, was produced by Dr. Liver in December 2023 and presented in his brief to the DCOAG on June 5, 2024. It illustrates the severity of future noise levels in the Gainesville area when as many as 60 data centers become operational. The Manassas area, which Dale just described surrounding the Great Oak community, is merely the canary in the coal mine. Gainesville is an ex frontier. Dr. Liver advised in his last brief, the noise ordinance must take into account total noise intensity energy levels where health can be affected. Noise modeling and facility noise signatures will be needed for enforcement to separate and identify noise sources. The partnership embodied by the DCOAG has some unfinished business. That includes finalizing permissible noise limits based on testing of resident tolerances. Developing a method to address and enforce aggregate noise violations that may not be attributable to a single operator. A candidate knowledge of what the noise ordinance can do under current constraints, what it cannot do, and what other measures are necessary, such as updates to the zoning ordinance or stronger legislation. There is great risk to both our communities and to the credibility of our government from not solving this problem after all the time and money we have expended. The public expects us to protect them and we cannot disappoint. Thank you. All right, next speaker. I'll just note before I get started, that all these slides are in your board packet or they will be as of 11b when you get there. So thank you very much. Good afternoon, Madam Chair and members of the board. My name is Catherine Kulik. I'm the Vice Chair of the HWA Round Table of Northern Virginia. We have been a member of the DCOAG since its inception and we have also been a part of the experience since there. First, report of noise in May of 2022. We've attended all the meetings that have occurred with AWS and with others. There's a human cost to exposure to low frequency noise. And many of the early reports are, as they are on the screen, reported by the residents, consistent humming with irritating volume, saying, I feel the vibration and noise resonating through the frame of the house. Numerous complaints have impaired sleep and one about pets not eating and their behavior affected. Something was going on last night, a resident wrote early on because it was exceptionally loud in the middle of the night. I woke up and when I went back to bed, I had a hard time going back to sleep. I could hear it, thrumming through the walls of my house. There are intense consequences, particularly for a resident by the name of Gayle Anhalt. She's a resident of 24 years, and she has a severe autoimmune disease, which she had to report to her doctor, who said it was affecting her. And this is according also to thousands literally of reports that can be obtained through the National Institutes of Health Public Library that talk about it. It is a well-established fact that low-frequency noise has a problem with health. And here we are, again, another report when the police were called. They came and said they could hear the very annoying roar and claimed in their own readings that it was from HVAC units. And there were two very concerning reports also recently from residents on the other side of the neighborhood, not next to the AWS Tiana Way facility, who said they were woken up by noise at 3.30 a.m., which continued for several hours, and this resident termed it as ridiculous. This is a terrible situation for the folks that are directly adjacent to this, and this is a particularly heart rendering account to say it's horrible to keep living with noise. No one asked for this, but worst of all, now kids are being affected by it. So I want you to read the slides of this account, but it is terrible for the children in this particular family. Also reports of diesel generators and how horrible it's been in the diesel fumes. Please read the slide about the National Library of Medicine and the effects on low-frequency noise. And I would just like to say that not only has this noise been heard at Greydoke, but now we have reports from three communities in Western Prince William County that have heard this noise from four miles away, four miles from the Gainesville Interchange Project. On December 16th, and it was everything that low frequency noise is meant, the characteristics of low frequency noise. So we would like to encourage you all to please support the effort and the staff's requests. We thank everybody for this effort, and we look forward to hearing from you on item 11b. Thank you. Before we get to you Liz, I want to call up our speakers after you. I have Barbara Brooks. Barbara Brooks and then Rob Petlin. I'm going to go to the next floor. Are we ready? We are ready. Elizabeth Marta- Gainesville District. I'm here to give moral support for this team of people who have worked so hard for so long the data center ordinance advisory group people. They have spent so many hours researching, talking to people, doing studies. Whatever they're asking for, please consider it. I know you have the report from the companies and the consultants, but these people are living this every day. It's different. When these companies come from out of town, out of state, I'm not sure if they really recognize the seriousness of what's going on here. I can tell you it's like living in hell, because every time you drive down the street, same street, a building goes up and a day it seems. It's kind of ridiculous. And some of the reasons they're doing this is for what's shown on this map. I sent this to you a few weeks ago. The red there was essentially where Wellington Glen Data Center rezoning is being requested. And if you start at the top right and go around like a clock as the crow flies. There are 12 schools within three miles of that data center. And the reason I used three miles was because last year, an article in Business Now talked about the compass data centers up in Loudon causing noise to people three miles away. So on the top top right we've got Mullen Elementary, Sinclair Elementary, Union Braxton Middle, Innovation Elementary, Ellis Elementary, Unity Read High School, Governor School, Victory Elementary, Bristol Run Elementary, Piney Branch Elementary, Chris Young Elementary, Gainesville Middle School, Gainesville High School. I want to ask all of you sitting up there on that day-ass, do you want any of your children going to those schools? And that's just when development, you know there are many, many data center buildings there right now. It's a travesty. Again, I've said it a million times here in front of you. It's the biggest preventable environmental travesty in the world. Changes need to be made. I know it's simple to say for me, change the law, change the ordinance, change the statute, do whatever you have to do. Stop approving the data centers. And please, this group here, I equate them to our county-owned J.Lark committee. They've done a great job, and you all should thank them. Thank you. Thank you, next speaker, please. Good afternoon. My concern relates to all of them, but today I'm speaking about the one that I'm familiar with that crosses Lyndon Dell Road. There are two issues. First, I don't know who is responsible for the sidewalks, which are first traversed across the power lines, but they are not taken care of during winter weather events. The children going back and forth to enterprise elementary go out in the street to go to and from school. Mothers with babies and strollers who accompany the younger ones are forced to go out in the street as well, and I saw a senior citizen out there. Imagine, as if happened, as happened before, if two blocks away on Mapledale, a lady walking her dog on the sidewalk can be struck by an automobile. Any person forced to walk on the street, which includes children, moms with babies and strollers and senior citizens? Well, not good. The second issue is trucks, boats, RVs, and other heavy vehicles which park in open spaces like... children, moms with babies and strollers and senior citizens, well not good. The second issue is trucks, boats, RVs, and other heavy vehicles which park in open spaces like power lines. Sometimes temporarily and sometimes permanently using them as their personal driveways. Our street looks like an industrial zone sometimes instead of a residential neighborhood. I have nothing against truckers, two of my neighbors, sorry, two of my nephews are truckers. However, these practices, because it is unsightly, devalue the properties of those who live around there. That's not right. It can also be the precursor to deteriorating communities. No one wants to buy to actually live in a place that looks like this. Rather, they might buy to rent. I have nothing against renters either because I've been there myself. but an owner who may live in Oregon doesn't feel the same sense of community and may not be keeping up with their property in the same way that an occupied owner might do. One time a vote RV were parked there for months on end. And the only reason they got to move is because they were told away so the road could be paved. Someone was once running a dealership there. Our family personally witnessed people hopping in the out of cars. In another instance, someone was involved in some kind of vehicle transaction, transaction in front of the church, which is next to the open space. Also, there needs to be speed bumps between the stop sign in front of the church and the stop sign in front of enterprise. People seem to view this power line as a stretch of highway and the trucks add to the illusion prompting some to speak from the church stop sign if they stop. In one 14 month period, two of our cars parked in front of our house totals. There's a playground also there. Cars have been known to bump up on the curb there. Another thing, some of the truckers run their trucks all night. We can hear them all night. Obviously we need truckers. They provide a valuable service. But what many townships and cities do is provide parking lots on the periphery of communities to keep the noise, pollution, and industrial unsightliness out of residential neighborhoods. There needs to be some regulation of open spaces and plenty of provision for trucks. If there is already, then there needs to be enforcement. Thank you. I left some photos for you could see what I'm talking about. All right, thank you. Thank you, ma'am. All right, next speaker please. I don't have any. My name is Robert Picksley. Can you adjust the mic? I don't know. Is it no? Is that a better? That is a much better. My name is Robert Picksley. I think my signature is a little hard to read. I live in Great Oak. I've been working with Dale taking the measurement readings of the sound day and night for at least a year, I think. It's just There's something you can't get away from. You can't sit outside. We back to woods, or we did. And now, at night, in the winter time, it's just a Costco warehouse of lights. And I'm really concerned when there's going to be 14 data centers within half a mile of our development. 14, that is going to provide a scary amount of noise. And this has been an educational experience for me. When it's bad right now, like if the data centers are running heavy, a train goes by, a plane goes over, you feel it. And it's just not a comfortable feeling. You can't get away from it. You're inside your house with the windows closed and you can still hear it continually. And then it's one of those things where once you hear it, even if it's a little low, you can't not hear it. It's just always there. There's no getting away from it. It's something we need. I'm glad I'm hearing some of the other speakers talk about coming up with some way to handle multiple contributors that are each under a limit, but communitally they're over the limit and how do you address that? I don't know, but putting 14 within a half a mile of residential neighborhood seems excessive and maybe without some forethought that would have been preferable. Just please take that into consideration. Thank you. Thank you so much and thank you to everyone who, sorry, we have remote. Are we ready? Okay, shall we begin? We have one speaker and that is Kyle Hart. Thank you very much, Mr. Hart. You may begin. I good afternoon, everybody. I good afternoon to your Jefferson members of the board. My name is Kyle Hart. I think I know many of you all. Today, I'm representative of both the National Parks Conservation Association and a member of the County Status and Our Board and Advisory Group. Like members of the advisory group that I've spoken before me today, I would be briefly on agenda item 11, Biny, First and foremost, NPCA is a national nonprofit non-partisan organization dedicated protecting and enhancing America's national park. more than ever, it is clear that national parks need an independent voice to advocate for them when others cannot or will not. And BCA is proud to serve as the voice for our national parks. As you are aware, Prince William County has two national park sites within its border and as is national battlefield in Prince William County. Forrest Park combined these sites attract nearly 900,000 visitors in 2024 and contributed $28 million into the local economy. It is no secret that data center development is poised to have an outsized impact on national partners, both in Prince William County, Virginia, and beyond. In PCA and our mission, we seek to ensure that this people development does not have a negative impact on national park sites that are used by the hundreds of thousands of people annually. One of those potential impacts could very well be the heavy industrial noise is related with the atmosphere facilities. As Prince William County seeks to mitigate the negative impacts of the Councilor Development, staff and members of the advisory group have been hard at work developing significant updates to the county's noise ordinance. I want to thank county staff, especially Wade and Melody, who have been diligently working on this effort. NBCA recognizes the complexity of this problem, and as you will see this afternoon by their presentation, much has been accomplished on this front. However, clearly much work still needs to be done. Unfortunately, the county has boxed itself into what will essentially be a no-wind situation. As you are well aware, Madison facilities are now planned around the Natas battlefield on P5, communities, such as the great oak community, find themselves surrounded on three sides and more by operational and future planned data centers. Creating a noise ordinance that allows data centers to continue to operate under a quote, business as usual model, while also protecting parks and communities will be virtually impossible. Thus, Prince William County will find itself at a bit of an impact. Will you, as the board of supervisors, prioritize healthy communities and parks, or will you prioritize corporate profit and interest? We urge you to stay the course, continue down the road of raining in the negative impacts of data centers, till be afraid to push the needle on sound limits and other future regulatory protections against this industry. It is well past time for the data center industry to face some serious scrutiny in the well-being of parking people to take center stage and a priority. Thank you for your time today. I appreciate you considering this a serious effort. Thank you, Mr. Hart. Are there any additional online speakers? There are no more speakers at this time. Thank you for your support, Madam Chair All right thank you so very much thank you everyone who spoke in person or online. We are going to agenda item number seven, the public hearing and before I open it I just want to see if anyone on the board had any questions for um, set hand or boss. Any questions? All right. Seeing none, I'm going to go ahead and open the public hearing for 7a. Do we have any speakers? So we have no speakers, either in person or online, correct? No speakers online? All right, so I'm going to close the public hearing for 7 a. Can I. Man, I'm sure you're going to vote yes. Move for approval. All right. Second. All right. It has been properly moved and seconded in a discussion. All right. Let's go ahead and vote sorry. Vote unanimous. Supervisor Vega absent from vote. All right. We are going on to county executive time. That is agenda item. All right. Mr. shorter. The floor is yours. Thank you very much. Madam Chair, members of the board. Wanted to go over a few things really quickly. As you know, there were no direct issue last week and no directives closed. As I mentioned at our last meeting, wanted to share an update on the real-state assessments. Those assessments were mailed out at the end of the week last week. The assessments are also available on the county's website. And if constituents questions about their assessments they could contact and are welcome to contact the real estate assessments office. As each of you know we are excited to host the first your first finance and budget committee meeting scheduled next week to stay at 2pm in the. in the Pulse Creek Conference Room. Agendas have been posted for that meeting. And then finally, Madam Chair, as you all know, we have been planning for quite some time to host the career expo hosted by our Human Resources office on April 12th. Supervisor Bodie reached out to me a few days ago and asked about an effort around supporting federal workers and providing for resources. And so we're going to include in the we're exploring options to include with the Career Expo and opportunity to provide other resources to federal workers. So we'll provide additional information on that as it becomes available. So thank you for that, Mr. Professor. And with that, Madam Chair, want to welcome and thank Executive Director Clark Mercer, who is the Executive Director of the Metropolitan Washington Cog and managing director Scott Boggs really appreciate them for their willingness to come down and present and I will turn it over to them now. All right. Madam Chair and supervisors, County Executive shorter thank you for happening me me. My name is Clark Mercer. I'm the Executive Director of the Council of Governments, born and raised in Northern Virginia. It's an honor to run the Council of Governments. I'm gonna give you an overview of what the council does. You have a member benefits document being handed out to you, which is a pretty robust list of services that COG provides for the region. So let's jump into it here. This is a great example of what COG does. This is from our meeting last week, and we brought together all of the first responders and agencies that were involved in the response to January's disaster and the Potomac there, line disaster. You see there, 88 different agencies came in person to be represented. 141 responders, individuals from the local state, regional and federal levels. COGS role here is we run the mutual aid agreement for this region. The mutual aid agreement is the governing document that allows your police, your sheriff to respond across jurisdictional borders to an emergency. This has been used for the inauguration of the president, the counting of electoral votes. And on January 6th, a few years ago, when you saw Virginia State troopers responding across the bridge into DC, that was allowed under the mutual aid agreement. So in January, the call went out for a response to the Potomac River. Like I said, 89 different agencies responded and that's run through our mutual aid agreement. Scott Boggs runs our Homeland Security and Public Safety team. He's going to talk a little bit more about that shortly, but I just wanted to highlight that off the bat. So by the numbers, we were founded in 1957 by local governments in the DMV. We have about 125 staff. We represent 24 local governments all of Northern Virginia, the District of Columbia and suburb of Maryland. Our board members, as your chair, Miss Bailey, their counterparts in the counties and cities that you see there. We have executive branch representation, Mayor Bowser serves on the board. We have representation from the General Assembly's in Virginia and Maryland. So in Virginia, delegate Mark Sickle sits on the board, Senator Brian Feldman from Maryland. And the member benefit document that we passed out, like I said, it's at a high level. When you hope that governments are coordinating on any number of topics, that's where COC comes in. Topics that don't obey boundaries on a map. Public safety and homeland security. Clean air and clean water. Items on procurement, you honor procurement earlier, we're going to talk about on the last slide, but when there's an opportunity to purchase goods and services in aggregate as a region and save your taxpayers money, COC has a program that runs that. So you can look through the member benefits document. I'm going to highlight just a few areas here that we work on. Just revenues by source is always a helpful slide to share. We leverage a lot of federal and state dollars. For it, 9% of our budget comes from members dues. It's around $5 million, and with that we are able to leverage over $40 million in federal and state funding. As you probably are familiar with many of the programs that we run require a local match to unlock a good amount of state and local state and federal dollars. Here are your dues for this year, $750,000. It's broken down by general member dues, the waterfront, the environmental fund, public safety fund, and the regional farm fund. That member dues comes from population, it's 87.5 cents per residence, and that population number comes directly from the county and your planning department. Probably our largest department and our kind of bread and butter that folks know is our MPO, Metropolitan Planning Organization, the federal government mandates that if you have over 25,000 residents in a region, you have an MPO. So there are hundreds of MPOs across the country. And the federal government mandates that because they don't want Prince William County to build a road or an infrastructure project that's going to go into Fairfax County, that Fairfax isn't going to pick up and build. So they manage that through the MPO. And Conti Shreekon, my deputy has been running that for quite some time. came from V.Where he ran the Northern Virginia district. In order for a transportation project that has a federal dollar on it, it has to be part of our long-term plan. Almost every transportation project that we deal with has a federal dollar on it somewhere. In addition to the long-term plan, which is housed under the 2050 transportation plan, we run commuter connections. So you see the roads on the signs on the highway. If you want a ride home, a carpool, a vanpool, we have a call center at Cog that facilitates that. We have been working closely with the Office of Management and Budget and the personnel office at the Trump administration as folks get back to the office with more frequency, coordinating those types of plans for federal agencies. Our street safety campaign, 117 residents in this region were killed last year, either walking or riding their bikes by vehicles. We roll out that safety campaign working with Virginia State Police, Maryland State Police, and the partners in the district annually. Technical assistant grants will get to in a moment, Prince William has availed themselves of several and there's a list that I'll show you in just one minute. So the big transportation projects here there's five projects that are over four hundred and twenty million dollars that sit in our long-term plan that are in Prince William. The University Boulevard Extension, Parts 1 and 2, Virginia 123 and the US One Interchange, US One at Farley Boulevard, the widening project and Minivill Road and Prince William Parkway Interchange. Those projects alone are over $420 million sitting in the COG's long term plan. Since 2021, COG has awarded Prince William 13.4 million in technical assistance dollars. So there is a list of all the different projects that have been awarded just in the last couple of years to Prince William. In environmental programs, there's air quality of the year alerts. The last summer, the Canadian wildfires, it's a red air day, it's not safe to go outside. We have someone that takes those measurements, puts out that alert and then then coordinates with your county executive, what does this mean for county staff? What does this mean for after school programming? What should we do? Chesapeake Bay, Potomac, River Restoration. This is one of the coolest programs that we have at COGA Small Team that comes out in test waterways in the region. If you had a stream or a brook that you were curious, if it needed restoration work, we come out, we take measurements, we put a plan together. The one that gets probably the most press is the Anacostia River Project. We've been working at that for 40 years with the District of Columbia and Maryland. A lot of work on water supply and security. So it was this last year. We got the Army Corps of Engineers to start a new program, which you've ever worked with the Army Corps of Engineers. It is difficult for them to start a new program to look at a secondary water source for the Potomac River. Potomac River supplies a lot of water to Prince William County. It is the main water source for many of your neighbors. There is no secondary water source. if something should happen to the Potomac River. So we are looking over the course of the next year to on a roadmap map for what a secondary source might look like for the Potomac River. There's a couple examples of the county receiving awards from COG in the last year. Community planning and services. All right. So I mentioned earlier growth forecasts from 2020 to 2050 and these numbers come from Prince William Planning Department, working with your deputy director and your director. It's anticipated that there will be a 19.8% increase in population. It's just under 100,000 new residents to Prince William County. Those numbers are used by your county staff for any number of departments, most notably the schools as we're looking for growth forecasts. Economic development, this is an area that I am heavily invested in. I've been at COG for two years. 85% of the United States sits in what is called an economic development district by the Department of Commerce, our EDD. Most notably, the D.C. region, Los Angeles and the state of Wyoming are not in an economic development district. This region loses out on funding from the federal government due to that lack of a designation, and we are working with a Department of Commerce brief the board last summer and how to unanimous vote to pursue such a designation, which means coming up with what's called a comprehensive economic development strategy or a set. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses, opportunities and threats as a region? For Prince William, you might ask, well, we're doing, well, economically, why would we need to be part of a regional economic development effort? When you apply for EDA funding, Department of Commerce has crunched the numbers. You are three to four times more likely to receive funding from the EDA if you're within an economic development district. The kind of questions they ask and the metrics they look at, you end up scoring a lot better if you sit in a DDD. We do not sell this region as a region. It is a zero-sum game, as you know, for economic development. We've got to attract companies to this region, and once they're attracted, folks can fight amongst themselves in terms of which county or city they may go in. We are decisively behind the curve when we look at our competitors, Raleigh Durham, Atlanta, Houston, Galveston, all have economic development districts. they may go in. We are decisively behind the curve when we look at our competitors, Raleigh Durham, Atlanta, Houston, Galveston, all have economic development districts, all are selling their districts more holistically. Housing, we have a housing team that looks at a wide variety of housing issues. I will be the first to say I'm having grown up in Northern Virginia, not every locality is the same, not every solution is going to work for every locality that said our housing stock is well under what anyone would reasonably have expected in terms of providing the amount of housing that we need in this region with the amount of folks that are living here. And we have a that shortage of affordable housing. I grew up in Alexandria. I will tell you probably half of my graduating class from TC Williams either lives, as they say, down the highway are across the river in areas that are more affordable. So we do a lot of work in this space and I will just go back to that notion that I said what works in Prince William County does not necessarily work in Fairfax, Alexandria Montgomery, the Dixford Drug Columbia. Homelessness, we run the region's point in time count that is mandated by housing and urban development. So every January, and they pick the coldest night of the year because they want to actually get an accurate read on individuals' experience in homelessness with the theory being if you're out in January, you have no other alternative. So we conduct that count working with your staff. We have over 100 locations. The 24 pit count for Prince William was 345 individuals that were homeless that included 91 children under the age of 18 and 16 veterans. And then public health, we maintain a public health committee. We'll re bring your public health directors together every month to discuss any number of issues. Those are a couple of recent awards I will say we had eight jurisdictions come together and submit a fair housing plan to HUD recently that was the first time in 30 years the region came together to submit a plan you were were required to submit one, so rather than pay for all on your dime, coming together with seven other partners, save the county money and the plan was submitted last year. I'm gonna have Scott come up and talk a little bit about public safety in one moment. I'm gonna highlight two things Scott, before you do, one is the mutual aid agreement. Scott has 24 distinct public safety programs that he runs with your police and fire and emergency rescue folks. I talked a little bit about the mutual aid agreement before. What you will hear a little bit about later in the spring is we will be the first region in the country to deploy a real-time crime dashboard. Crime reporting is notoriously late when the FBI verifies that a murder was a murder that probably happened a year ago. So we issue a crime report and to our stakeholders, our members, public officials, that information is already dated. It's hard for you to react to something that's a year old. So working with every chief of police in the 24 jurisdictions, we are tapping into more accurate and timely data that will be displayed on a dashboard. Later the spring we will roll it out. And like I said, that will be a first for the nation to have a region three different states reporting out on this. And that will help you make decisions quicker. your chiefs of police coordinating in more real time and identifying trends as they occur. Now Scott, this is a homecoming for Scott. He retired as a battalion chief for your fire department after working in Prince William fire for 27 years. So happy to have Scott here today. Thank you, Madam Chair, and distinguished members of the board. I appreciate the opportunity to come talk to you about my second career at Cog. I joke that I failed at retirement. But we do support 75 over 75 committees that are focused on the public safety and home and security issues. We mentioned the CAOs here, the home and security executive committee, which is actually an oversight group for the U.S. and grants, so they determine what that grant gets is funding across the entire region. Regional emergency support functions are groups like the fire chiefs, the police chiefs, but we also have a lot of subcommittees, SWAT team, SWAT subcommittees, training subcommittees for firing rescue and communications subcommittees to make sure that we're interoperable in our communications across the region. Regional programmatic working groups, that's something we started after our first scout up there and that was we realized that there were things that were siloed within disciplines. So bringing a diverse group of first responders together that have maybe a little bit of a different take on a specific issue like cybersecurity where we've got police chiefs and fire chiefs sitting at the table talking about how that impacts their operation has become very, very useful to not only identify solutions for the region but identify solutions for local jurisdictions that maybe others are doing and it's working for them. And then the Emergency Preparedness Council, which is a whole community group, so that includes elected officials, the business community, our RSF chairs, and even groups that are, for instance, non-government organizations that support like the Red Cross or parts of that. So it's a very diverse group and it helps us understand how our community is responding to a specific issue or our emergency. We just did an active shooter and getting the business communities take on this versus the military installations take is very different. So it's a very useful group that we've got. As Clark said, we've got 28 public safety programs and projects that are funded either through a grant or through the participation of a local government. So in other words, if you're participating in that, then we, we develop a funding plan and then we divide that cost up between all of the participants in that group. We divide that these training or sorry these programs up under law enforcement fire communications Technology I'm not going to read the rest of it, but the the short story is things like like our policies and procedures our MOUs our mutual aid operations plans, everything comes out of the work of these groups so that we make sure that they apply appropriately, but they're also in date. We talked about the mutual aid operations plan. In our give you an example, we just did an update about three or four years ago with the fire departments. And the first mutualilated operation plan said, well, we'll send as many as two ladder trucks. And the fire chiefs are going to send as many ladder trucks as you need. So we're not going to wait for the emergency to happen. We're going to send it to just the emergency that's happening now. So there's a good example of things that we're doing. Some of our law enforcement programs, so automated fingerprint identification system or AFIS, that's sharing fingerprint information across the entire national capital region. We have three different nodes. One in Northern Virginia, one in the district of Columbia, and one in Maryland. So when someone runs a fingerprint, if they've been arrested in Montgomery County, Maryland, you're going to know about that because that's going to come back as an AFA's hit. Long-enforcement information data exchange or links. So that's where we're connecting or we're uploading all of our records management from long enforcement. So they're sharing information about local arrests, about persons of interest, about vehicles of interest across the entire National Capital Region. And that's actually accessible by officers on the street. The regional automated property identification database, a rapid, that's a, there's a mandate that pawn providers report anything that's brought in that's being pawned. And the intent there is if it's stolen property, it's gonna get flagged. So this is the system, the regional system that actually, we started out as the National Capital Region and it's actually been adopted by the entire state of Maryland. So if something was stolen anywhere in Maryland and it shows up in a pawn shop in Prince William County, it's gonna get flagged and we're gonna know that in officers will react to it. And then our license plate reader program, which right now, what we're working on is because I'm sure everyone's aware there's a proliferation of new license plate reader technologies out on the street today. And that's being that's showing up in almost every jurisdiction. So what we're trying to do is figure out a common platform where hot lists and hits are communicated to the groups that put those in. So if a car is stolen in Prince William County and it gets hit by an LPR, gets a hit in LPR in Montgomery County, then Prince William County would be notified. Hey, we just saw the vehicle that you have reported stolen. Communications, talked about mutual aid. Well, we have a mutual aid radio system. This was actually the police mutual aid radio system was used on January 6th to request support from our federal partners to locals. Instant communications, the RICS system is something that's an internal government only member, basically it's a mass notification system, but it's intended to provide situational awareness across the national capital region for anything that's happening in the public safety realm as well as maybe around the world. For instance, if we were to see a bombing occur on a train station in France, then we would send a note out saying, hey, just so you know, this is actually occurring somewhere else in the world, but it could bring copycats to us, which is one of the reasons that we try to make sure that those are sent out. Our Rail Operations Control Center, which is actually funded by WAMADA and administered by COG, has fire and rescue experts sitting in the Rail Operations Control Center. So if something happens in your citizens are on a metro system and an emergency occurs, they are actually immediately responding to that and communicating with the first responders to make sure they have all of the situational awareness they need to respond. Geospatial data exchange, this is where it is, what it sounds like, we're sharing geospatial data, but it provides situational awareness for things like fire and rescue responses. So there's a layer that you can see the incidents in the units. It's secured and only our fire department executives and others can get to it. But it can show sort of the system demands that are occurring throughout the region if they need to adjust to that. There's also a non-alone address layer that is shared which helps us identify and validate addresses when a caller calls 911 in any of our jurisdictions. They secure the city's program is actually a radiological and nuclear detection program that is fully funded by the federal government but our law enforcement officers and fire and rescue members are carrying detection so that, and I'll give an example on the Horner Road exit from 95. We actually had a hit from an STC where a small seasium fell off of a truck, got buried in the side of the road, and this detection picked it up, and we were able to respond, render it safe, and get it out of the public domain. Obviously it's there for other nefarious reasons, but the point is that it's pretty sensitive. It works We've we executed and we actually put it on high alert anytime. We have significant events that are occurring throughout the region. And then our regional leadership training, which is something that actually we are taking the lead from our CAOs and our public safety executives who have told us we need more training to prepare our staff to become the next generation of leaders. And that's true across all disciplines. As a member of COG, you're public safety and even we've had folks like IT folks attend this. It's a three week course, one week a month for three weeks. And it's intended to provide not only that connection to, or that development of leadership skills, but also a connection across the region and across disciplines about how leadership's not just about the Fire Department or a paramilitary organization. It's about every organization that works in local government and how that can be developed across all disciplines. And then, so the computer-rated dispatch to computer-rated dispatcher CAD to CAD is something that was started in North of Virginia many, many years ago, but has developed and has literally deployed across the entire national capital region. The importance of this is it actually reduces our call processing time. And I was part of initial Projects I'm a little more intimate with this one than I am some of the other ones But it literally reduced some of our call processing time from two to two and a half minutes down to 30 seconds So that means that if we're requesting a Unit from Fairfax instead of having to pick up the phone call. hey, do you have this here? They already know where it's at. They already know it's available, and it actually does an electronic request, and the dispatcher on the other side just says to have to say yes, you can have that resource. So instead of waiting two to two and a half minutes to get that truck out the door, or that patrol officer, well, I'll take that back. This is fire and rescue only right now. But if you get that fire truck out the door. It's only between 15 and 30 seconds. And then obviously we talk about the U.S.E. funding and one of the requirements of the U.S.E. funding is that we fund a fusion center or some type of intelligence operations. We've got three different fusion centers across the region. The one that provides the Northern Virginia is a Northern Virginia Information Sharing Network and our sorry regional intelligence center, they actually identified a threat to Prince William County, immediately notified Prince William County Police Department and they were able to react and thwart that attack before it actually occurred. So I can tell you that information sharing is always a challenge in having these types of local resources that may be funded by our federal agencies are much more powerful because trying to navigate federal intelligence than is not necessarily the easiest for us. So having our local own local resources is extremely important. And I'll turn it back over to Clark. Alright. Alright. Round and third, we're almost there. Three programs that I wanted to highlight, and this one here, you talked about earlier in your meeting, having resources for federal workers. We have a federal workers resource page, so we would definitely pull in if there was a job fair. We have a calendar of all events. So, Youngkin, Governor Morse team has a resource page. Many of the counties have resources pages. We have that all displayed and we have a running list of events that are happening around the region. We also have a set of maps and data I shared a table with you just presenting the facts of the number of federal workers that live in this region. And I will, it is not a surprise to me that there are folks that live in Virginia but work in DC, Maryland but I can tell you I lived in Richmond for 12 years and spoke at the Speaker's Emergency Committee on this topic a few weeks ago and I was surprised that that's a concept that not everyone in Richmond truly appreciates. So there are 320,000 Virginians that work a full-time civilian federal job. Here in Prince William County that number is 29,833. That's 15.8% of the workforce in Prince William County. That's a federal employee. In Maryland it's a little over 300,000 full-time federal employees. It's 15%. I believe it's 15. Let me check that number real quick. 13% of the workforce in Maryland and in the district of Columbia, it's 63,000 residents that work a full-time job for the federal government that's 21.8% of their workforce. It's been interesting. You can go to our page and drill down by Census Track and see the percentage of Census Track is about 4,000 people. The percentage of folks that work a full-time federal job, it is as high as 30 to 40% in parts of Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland. So working with other counterparts, Welding Cooper Center out of UVA, Urban Institute, and some of the firms in the DC area, just modeling out just the numbers of folks that work a full-time job. This is different. You often hear a number, for example, for Virginia, 140,000 federal workers. There's another set of reports that ask a completely different question how many federal jobs are headquartered in the Commonwealth of Virginia, which is a different question than how many federal workers live in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Those numbers oftentimes get misreported. So think of Patent and Trade Office in Alexandria, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond's headquarters in Richmond. Those are federal jobs physically headquartered in Virginia. The page has a Q&A and it's a reminder for folks, you know, you apply for unemployment insurance based on where you work, not based on where you live. So if you moved during the pandemic and you live in the Shenandoah Valley but work for Department of Education, you would file your unemployment in the District of Columbia. So these numbers get really hard to track in terms of the impact of what's happened at the federal level. So this page aggregates all of that. DMV moves is an initiative between COG and WAMADA. We had a joint board meeting last year. It was a... page aggregates all of that. DMV moves is an initiative between COG and WAMATA. We had a joint board meeting last year as the first time our full boards had met. This pulls in all of the transit providers in the region in addition to WAMATA OmniRide, VRE, all of your bus providers in this region, VRE and Mark. We have participation from Governor Youngkins team, Governor Moore, Mayor Bowser, as well as the federal level. And this is doing two things. One, it's looking at Metro and our transit funding and having some honest and transparent conversations about what is the right level of funding to sustain our transit system moving forward so that we can keep a state of good repair that we won't get back to where we were 10 years ago with fires happening on the tracks and and folks not being able to move around this region and then to what kind of efficiencies can we leverage with almost a dozen different bus providers. So for example it takes almost a PhD when you're at the Pentagon and look up and see 10 different bus signs of how to get around this region. How do we compare bus routes to make sure they're the most efficient not only for Metro, but for Omniride, for the connector, for Dash, and then where can they leverage efficiencies? We all buy buses separately. We all have different contracts for folks to come to buses when they break down. We have different storage facilities. We pay a lot for Metro to have folks repair buses, but all 10 of our bus providers in this region have their own contracts for repairing buses. There are a lot of efficiencies we can drive if the providers work together. So one side is funding, and the other side is where we can drive better efficiencies and drive technology to get a better service for the end user. Research and data, next slide. We've got morning news clips that come out every morning around 9 or 10. It's a compilation of news from across the region. You can sign up. We have a number of supervisors in the region that send this out to their list, encourage folks to sign up. We have an economic trends dashboard that tracks unemployment, GDP, housing permits that are pulled, which for us is the best indicator of how much housing is going to be produced, looks at office vacancies. We maintain the drought committee for this region, so we should drought report. Cog is good at issuing a lot of reports. If you go to our site and are interested, you can learn more. And then lastly, I would just mention this. This is probably an area of opportunity for the county. We have a cooperative purchasing program. Scott's team buys a lot of technical homeland security equipment that is really expensive, where there's not subject matter experts on procurement staffs in the region. So we get pretty technical on that side, but we also buy things that every county in City Buyers bottle water, diesel, gas, road salt. We have some members that save more per year in what they pay and do using that program. So that is something we are happy to sit down with your procurement team and to talk about and further explore. Probably went over time, but thank you all for having me. I'm happy to take any questions. All right, thank you so very much for coming out here and meeting was today. The first question is from Supervisor Weir than Supervisor Bailey. If you could go back to that last slide because that's pretty much the one I've got the most interest in. COG staff is working with county public safety leadership to take advantage of contracts related to equipment and gear for first responders, one of my big pet peeves, because do we have the opportunity through COG to do a work around on some of the captive vendors that we have? Motorola, for example, where it's divided up by region and I can't get the same pricing that Fairfax County does, can COG get better price than we're currently getting on let's say 800 megahertz radios. So we actually have a motorola contract that's regional contract up to 40% discount on these is off top of my head so up to 40% discount on most portable radios 25% on most of the new models that are coming out, but we can also negotiate other things like trade-ins to save even more money on top of. Is Prince William currently part of that program? They're eligible to use that contract. That's not the question. Don't have an answer for you. If you could get back to us collectively. Absolutely. Thank you. Supervisor Bailey. Thank you, Madam Chair. I've got three things. One welcome. Mr. Mercer, we appreciate you coming today. Just to explain to us, you know, about the programs and why we have a relationship with COG. I want to thank you all so for last week, and if you can expand on this for me. Thank you for last week and how you honored all of the first responders, you and your team and the board. And for the unfortunate accident we had with the helicopter and the airplane across the river. Everybody number of people that are in the community, the number of people that are in the community, the number of people that are in the community, the number of people that are in the community, the number of people that are in the community, language what we do and the benefit that we provide to our members. Because if you sit on our board you have an idea of what we do and the benefit that we provide but if you're a supervisor who does not sit on one of the cock committees you might not be fully aware. The mutual aid agreement is one of those programs that we run that has a tremendous benefit for the whole region and it's unique because of all the three letter agencies that we work with coming out of DC for that mutual aid. So, at the meeting last week we obviously took more than just a moment, many moments of silence for the victims of that plane crash. But then we also recognized, as calls went out, the immediate response from all the way from City of Baltimore to Harrisonburg, and obviously, including Prince William Public Safety Officers responding. And this was, I mean, we had the folks with the canines that do the therapy for dogs that were there for days on end with the families. We had the reunification center in Montgomery County, the chief medical officer in DC identified more bodies in a short amount of time, some very young victims. We had the dive team from the FBI that was working in choppy waters to get folks all victims out of the water in a timely fashion. But it was one of those examples of counties and cities responding immediately. And the facilitation of that was through many of the tools that Scott described. So we were, it's one of those things, when you have an in-person meeting, you don't know how many people show up these days. So I was always getting nervous when I have our meetings, but we invited, I think, 89 different agencies and 88 showed up in person. Of one of which was Prince William County? Absolutely. Yeah, yeah. So thank you, Scott. It was good to see you last week for extending your service from Prince William County. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. So and so thank you, Scott. It was good to see you last week for extending your service from Prince William County to Cog. I wanted to ask also, and this is I kind of got in trouble with the executive director with this, but we worked it out from Cog. We worked it out. DMV moves. Prince William County is not on that list, but how are we represented in that? Are we represented? Yeah, so Omni-Ride is participating. VRE obviously is a big. A lot of folks take VRE in this region. Obviously through the governor's office in general, assembly representation, Prince William is definitely without doubt part of the conversation. One of the conversations I'll just be open that we're talking about is for the future of Womada, what's appropriate growth of that rail system and what is not. And there is, it is very, very expensive to build new rail line, new extensions. You certainly hear folks talk about let's get Metro down to Potomac Mills as an example. Ten, twenty, thirty billion dollars type of expansion. Those types of projects are being talked about. I will say the general consensus of the D&B moves is all your CAOs, CFOs, all of your business groups, Board of Trade, Greater Washington Partnership, Northern Virginia Chamber, your labor groups, your environmental groups, everybody's at the table. And what I have said is we may not agree on consensus at the end, but I don't want anyone to raise their hand and say they weren't part of the conversation. I think there is, as general a consensus as we've arrived at, that we need to make the most of the existing rail system, make sure that it's safe, make sure that bottlenecks that exist like in Rosalind or very north that we need to make the most of the existing rail system, make sure that it's safe, make sure that bottlenecks that exist like in Rosland or very north, that we can move more folks through the system, and then bus is really the name of the game right now in terms of the number of people taking bus. We are above pre-pandemic ridership levels for bus and we have been for some time. Metro itself has had 45 months of of growth. They recovered more riders last year than any transit system in the country. But the appetite to do large expansions of the rail line, I will just be honest that the group is not there in terms of expansion. There has been some discussion, no consensus on this, I want it, but people have the razor hand and said, hey, there's a lot of folks that live in Charles County and take Metro every day. There's a lot of folks that live in Prince William and take Metro every day. Should they be more involved in funding? That question has been asked. It has not been answered. The premise of having Metro in your community brings economic development, right? That's the whole idea. The state does pay the way that Metro funded is unique. In Maryland, the state pays 100% of the bill out of anapolis, out of their transportation dollars. In Virginia, that bill is split 50-50 between the localities and the state. And so that has come up. No one has said they think that is a great idea for folks that don't have stations in their county to start being a member of pain in. The question has been asked, but Prince William is certainly a part of the discussion. And you've been briefed as a board member for everything that is happening at the MV. Absolutely, thank you, Madam Chair. All right, thank you. You opened up literally. Everyone has a lot of people have jumped into queue. Before we go to Supervisor Gray, because I have been asked this about, why aren't we paying it to Metro? We don't have a station here. And for me, that is the real economic drivers actually having that station. When you go to other jurisdictions and you look at where those stations are located, you see a hub of economic opportunity. We don't have that here. Certainly we do have people who write Metro, they pay into the system when they're paying their fares. But I just had to go into record for that. I do have a couple questions. I'm just curious about federal funding. I believe what was it? 73% of your funding is coming from federal and state. With all on, you know, is some of that funding at risk? That's a great question. So our counterparts throughout the country, and like I said, it's interesting. I've always believed strongly that as a region, we need to coalesce and advocate more strongly in Richmond and inapolis. So I was intrigued when this opening came about other councils of governments. If the local governments aren't as robust as they are in northern Virginia, tend to do more things that you associate with county government. So for example in Texas you have cogs that run meals on wheels, run department of aging. You have some cogs that do procurement and building up schools and governmental buildings. there are. We don't do any of that to be clear, and I'm not suggesting that we do. We have a lot of formula funding that is relatively stable. A lot of our counterparts have discretionary grants that are more at risk, that fund their base staff. So we have a good relationship, great relationship with v.m.d. and the federal transit administration. That's not to say formulas can't be changed and dollars can't be cut. Certainly could happen. But there's a level of stability that we have at COG for the next at least two fiscal years that we feel pretty good about. There's a couple smaller grants. For example, we have an electric vehicle planning grant, which is essentially if we're going to start installing EV stations around the region, how many of them are needed, how do you put them, where do you put them, do you put them in safe places, can they get hacked into or not get hacked into, what would be the plan for this region? And then Prince William, if you wanted to, would then go apply for federal dollars a requirement of that application and be sure how this this fits into an overarching plan. For us that's a relatively small grant. That's a good example of a space where I don't think the current administration is going to award many more grants for EVs. That doesn't affect our base funding. We've done the planning. It'll be there moving forward if folks want to take advantage of it. All right. Thank you, Gordy, Thinbooty. Thank you, Madam Chair. You took a couple of questions out on my list, so it will speed up. This is more for Scott. I'm a Navy reservist, and I support the Navy's emergency preparedness liaison office for the National Capital Region. One of the things that we have noticed in the past couple of years related to national emergencies is the amount of misdiss and malinformation that is being infiltrated within our media that's coming from Russia, China, and other adversaries around the world. As part of the training and the work that we're doing in terms of sharpening the tip of the spiralness, how much time are we spending the effort at ensuring that we have the people in place who have the experience to identify and counter that type of mistis and malinformation so that our community is, that we're ensuring our community is getting the right information and know the right place and and and maintain the trust between the public and the government in the midst of these response. Yeah it's a great question and it's one that our public information officers group takes up on a fairly regular basis and that's the group that really is trying to not only identify misdist and mal information, but also trying to make sure that before the emergency occurs, you're creating that relationship with your community of a trusted source of information. You need to be going to the to the Prince William County's ex, sorry, I keep one to call it Twitter. Facebook, whatever that social, you know, your preferred social media is same thing with law enforcement and law enforcement public information officers are a part of that conversation. So they've got a unique background. Most of the time they're, they're going to be identifying some of those things maybe a little bit quicker. But know that it is on their, it's on their mind. It's been a discussion point for probably the last four years because it has become more and more prolific as we continue to see tumultuous times around around the nation and the world really. Thank you for that person. Supervisor Bodhi. Thank you Madam Vice Chair. It's the worst we're good to see you thank you for coming down. I just had a couple questions you mentioned earlier in your presentation the piece about economic development and how right now our region is not designated in economic development districts. That I, I'll be frank, I wasn't aware of that. It seems kind of interesting to me at being one of the most robust metropolitan regions in the country that were not. So my question is one, what's the time I look like on establishing ourselves as one and two more importantly, how does the Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance fit into that equation? Sure, and for Supervisor Gordial, just add on to that last question real quick. We had the head of the FBI for the DC region present in October, along with Governor Youngkin's Department of Elections, Governor Moore's Department of Elections and the districts to talk about the elections, what was coming up and about disinformation, answer any question that folks had. So, and a big part of that was disinformation from Russian China. So, on the economic development district, the first thing that you have to do as a region is develop a comprehensive economic development strategy. You may have one for Prince William County, a lot of cities and counties have a said document. Then the region decides do they want to formally apply to be an economic development district. And that takes the SEDS plan, takes a year to two, the designation takes about a year. So it's a lengthy process. I'll say that the region is interesting. The Philadelphia region oversees the Mid-Atlantic and when I called and we had this conversation, they know, we've been wondering for 20 or 30 years why the DC region has not applied to be at any EDD. And one, it's the multistate nature of how we do economic development. Victor Hoskins helps run that economic development group. He works with Miss Wynn from the county here, and they meet all five, five or six large economic development directors monthly. So we've briefed all of them, gotten by in to participate in this with their counterpart, Nina Albert, who's the deputy mayor for economic development in the district. And then there's a similar group from the north of the junior group with southern Maryland. And so that is a great and we are pulling that group together. Mid to late April to talk about they're going to have a meeting at COC to talk about what's happening at the federal level, how we're pivoting. We're partnering with the Board of Trade and the Greater Washington Partnership and the Consortium of Colleges to have what's called a Potomac Conference. One was held 30 years ago in this region. We held one last year on public safety. We're holding one economic development, probably in the June timeframe, which will do three things. One, kind of what's the state of play with the federal government workers, just the facts, the population that's affected, federal workers, contractors. Two, what resources are available right now for folks affected from job fairs to mental health or housing, but three, given the skills and resources in this region, we talk a lot and we hear a lot from elected officials about pivoting away and diversifying the economy away from the federal government. If you were going to place a bet or two on this region and that group of economic developers are involved in quantum computing, they're involved in aerospace, what would be the two to for business lines that we need to kind of heavily invest in to continue to diversify. in quantum computing, they're involved in aerospace. What would be the two to four business lines that we need to kind of heavily invest in to continue to diversify away from the federal government? And that will be, that's a part of the said's process is getting folks to offer those kind of ideas. Appreciate that. And you touched on a lot when I was going to go with it. We see now that volatility, or regardless of what you want to call it, out of Washington, affects our economic robustness and our vitality, in a much different way than anywhere else in the country. And to me, to be more resilient, we have to set up mechanisms like that. So I appreciate the fact that that's already being thought about. Going to the transportation and DMV move very quickly, you talked about it and I was at the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance's policy makers breakfast a couple days ago. We talked about all the things going on whether it's DMV moves and Metro and some of the other things going on in the region as it pertains to transportation and transit. Could you talk about some of the daylight between basically currently the existing offerings in the region in terms of buses and Metro because there's a lot of daylight between express buses and some of the hot lane infrastructure we have now and Metro and knowing there's BRT there's a lot of things there that even if Metro seems like a pipe dream to some there's a lot more we could do in that regard. Yeah, I mean Metro provides about 87% of all the bus service in the DMV and so it's getting the other bus providers to the table to talk about coordinating whether it's signage or if I'm using my phone to get on the metro, can I use it to get on OmniRide? It's getting a fair policy for this region that makes sense to the user. We treat kids differently in every jurisdiction, some ride free, some don't. Who's a senior citizen? What rate do they pay for? Our discount program for households that qualify that there's different levels that they qualify for. Our transfer policies are different or they don't necessarily make sense. The metrics that we hold Metro 2 in terms of analyzing their bus service is different than the metrics you hold Omni Ride 2, which is different than what we hold Dash 2. Maybe we should all hold ourselves to a common set of metrics. If we were going to spend an extra dollar on that dice to go towards bus shelters, what would be the rubric or thinking behind that? Are you doing something completely different than what's loud and is doing than what's Alexander is doing? So it's trying to come up with a common road map that we can get buy in for. And I will tell you, you know, Metro has not always been a as great of a partner to the local providers as they could be. I mean, the reason we everyone agrees if you were going to start a transit agency in this region, you wouldn't have OmniRod in 10 different bus operators and Metro. But this was this happened over the course of the last generation or two, one because Metro was more expensive than everyone else was. They had collective bargaining earlier than a lot of your agencies do. Now, cost are not the same, but they're close to being the same across the board. And two, the level of service. Folks thought in Alexander, we can provide a better service to our residents. We know them better than Metro does, so we'll stand up dash. So part of that negotiation or discussion between, let's say, a dash and a Metro is, okay, Metro, if you're going to take on this task, is it going to be responsive to our residents the way that we've been running things? So I hope that kind of helps. I mean, VRE has been using a lot of federal money, a lot of COVID dollars. That's going to run out soon. are going to need a funding fix as well. So this is not just Metro that needs a sustainable path forward. Metro is the only transit system in the country. They said it doesn't have a dedicated revenue stream. IE there's not a tax that Metro collects that pays for it. I don't think this process of DMV Moose is going to result in Metro collecting attacks nor am I suggesting that that's what it result in. But it means means when there's a funding issue for Metro, it has to go hat and hand every year to four different boards and supervisors to get funding. They have to go to the Maryland General Assembly, the Virginia General Assembly, the District of Columbia, and the federal government. And guess what, they're not always on the same sheet of music. And Virginia may attach some conditions to its funding. We'll chip into du X Y and Z if Metro does A, B and C. And guess what? Sometimes that's polar opposite of. and Virginia may attach some conditions to its funding. We'll chip into Duex Y and Z if Metro does A, B and C. And guess what? Sometimes that's polar opposite of the funding that Maryland attaches. And what ends up happening when you have a tax dollar that touches that many different hands and has that many different conditions on it, you can't bond it. Or you can't get favorable rates to bond it. So one of the goals of this is how much money needs to flow to Metro unencumbered so they can bond it on the capital side so they can repair the rails, they can buy new buses and that bond program can be rotational. So they issue a bond, they pay it off, they issue another one and we're not, I'm not back at this diast in 10 years saying Metro has a funding crisis. And the last piece of that, if they get new new monies, there's got to be some sealant or guardrails put in so that cost don't increase on exponential amount each year and they come back to your neighbors in loud in their county or Fairfax and say, well, our cost rose 10% last year. Mr. Shorter's counterparts in loud and in Fairfax can't find a revenue source that grows at that rate. So it's getting Maryland, Virginia, and DC on the same sheet of music. And I was enrichment last time Metro got a big funding plus up. And I will tell you that if you ask the leaders in Maryland and DC and Virginia what was the expectation on the cap in terms of how much Metro could grow from one year to the next? You get a radically different answer from Maryland, D.C. and Virginia. So whatever funding solution we arrive at, we have got to like all get in the same room and swear our note that we understand what assumptions are in that new funding. Or we will be back before this dius, or other diases in a decade, same Metro has a funding crisis that we've got to solve. All right, and I don't know if there's anyone else. Madam Chair, if I could just use my five minutes for one more question. Okay, so your second five minutes, okay? So last question, thank you for that explanation. I know it's a long, complex process. There's a lot of moving pieces, a lot of chefs in the kitchen that don't make it easy. So my last question links my two questions together. The economic development piece and the transportation piece. Based on your view, especially knowing what you're sort of all working on until the economic development district piece and what we're moving in terms of transit and transportation, how do you see those marrying in the long run? Because frankly, as Madam Chair said earlier, you see economic activity happen when there's robust transit and where there's reliable ways to get work forces and people housed to where they need to go to patronize businesses to work in what have you. Do you see those efforts merging or marrying or somehow handshaking in the coming years? Because frankly, to me, it would make sense if they did. Yeah, I mean this is kind of with my coG hat on and also having worked at Dan Richmond for a bunch of years. When you're recruiting a company to come to Northern Virginia they're going to look at the workforce, we've got a great workforce, they're going to look at housing affordability which is we don't score well on and they're going to look at whether or not they're workers, they've concentric circles they will draw out from a micron on HQ2 to try to figure out where folks are going to be coming in from. And if we didn't have epitomic yards and we didn't have a metro station at HQ2, there wouldn't be an HQ2 where it is, right? So transportation is a big piece of the puzzle. We have a great transit system right now. Folks have said is it ready to get all these workers as they come back to work? They've been ready. They've been moving workers for the past five years. We've got terrible traffic. Obviously you all know this on 95. So even if you or so I'm not taking transit, I'm gonna be in my car. That's great. You need a lot of people taking transit to move in your car. So it's a relationship there. I will just remind you that 75% of the incentives that the state provided for Amazon HQ2 were investments in the Commonwealth of Virginia in infrastructure in K through 12, 20 different colleges to produce more STEM degrees in a metro stop in a pedestrian bridge go into Reagan National. About 70, 75% of those incentives were investments that were made that benefit all for genuines. And that last 25% was incentives that go to Amazon after they produced the job and show the tax receipts that they've done so. So I think economic development needs to move much further in. If you're coming to town, we're going to provide incentives for housing. We're going to provide, you know, so folks have a place to live, or can get back and forth to work rather than just bucket some money to a company to attract them to a community. That's just my personal opinion on that. But yes, transportation is something every company looks at when they're looking to come to town. All right, thank you so very much. Thank you again, Mr. Mercer, for coming all the way out here to Prince William County. But we certainly appreciate you. So next we're gonna go on to agenda item number nine and that is County Attorney Time. Madam County Attorney, the floor is yours. Thank you, Madam Chair, members of the board. This afternoon in close session, we will discuss consultation with legal counsel and briefings by staff members regarding legal advice and personnel discussion regarding the following pending internal audit on Medicaid renewal process We're discussion in an open meeting with that first effect the litigating posture bargaining position or negotiating strategy of the public body And this item is appropriate for closed session pursuant to 2.2-3711 a 1 and 8 of the code of Virginia Move for approval manager second. All right, let's take a vote. Vote unanimous. All right, thank you very much. We are moving on to agenda item number 10, the budget work session. Mr. Oh, he stepped away. All right, so then I'm going to call you up, Mr. LeCurk. Good afternoon, Madam Chair and members of the board. My name is Tim LeClaire representing the finance department. Today I'm going to be presenting the fiscal year 2026 through fiscal year 30, 2030. General Revenue Estimate. To begin with, I'd like to first thank the Treasury Management, real estate assessments, and tax administration departments for all the work that they put into this. They really go out of their way this time of year to help make sure that you guys have a sound process. This team is gonna continue to focus and refine their efforts as we complete the revenue estimation process through the upcoming recap and markup sessions as the board works diligently towards setting the tax rates and adopting the fiscal year 2026 budget hopefully April 22nd. The team has successfully forecast general revenues over the years as the county has grown in both size and complexity. The process is data driven as we monitor trends and update projections throughout the year. Fiscal year 25 is currently on pace at 99% accuracy, depending on several factors, of course, including the current situation and any associated economic impact up in DC that's going on right now. We rely on a bunch of internal and external partners. The revenue estimation process draws on them. Guest speakers delve into the economy. Local, regional, and national associations help us to better understand both the commercial and residential real estate markets. The retail environment and provide valuable insights into the auto industry. We hear about inflation, permitting, business and consumer confidence. This year for the first time, interestingly left, we had the data center coalition present as we attempt to dig a little bit deeper into the drivers that helps to better understand the industry's perspective, challenges and opportunities. Two of the key takeaways that we had from this year's process is, as you probably already know, the Prince William County data center community is going to continue to expand. Manufacturers are offering, and consumers are choosing more upscaled vehicles now. These models have a lot more options than them and so they're a lot more expensive. And so we're going to hopefully be able to provide some relief to them this year. But as a team, we're going to endeavor to be as accurate as possible going forward. And hopefully hit the bullseye. But we're going to forecast a little bit conservatively so that you all have flexibility when it comes time to adopt the budget. The next several slides offer some insight into the county's tax base from evaluation perspective. As we do every year, preliminary estimate is developed to support the CXOs proposed budget. Much of the work is completed before, as well as during the property assessment process itself, which typically wraps up for real estate and early to mid-March and for personal property in late March to early April. This first graphic is the preliminary assessed value of all real estate in the county. It's rapidly approaching $120 billion. Residential real estate is still Prince William County's largest asset evaluation and as such represents the largest tax revenue driver. Even though commercial real estate values have been surging over the last few years, it's going to be interesting to see where we end up. I will note that our neighbors to the north and their proposed budget, we were able to clean that their valuation right now for their land book is actually $170 billion. So they are $50 billion ahead of us, but we are rapidly catching up with them. Switching to the overall composition of the land book, if you compare tax year 2024 and tax year 2023, you can see the year over year commercial and industrial sectors increasing by roughly 19% and actually taking a share from the residential which slipped by nearly 5% as a piece of the pie. Again, this is a trend we expect to continue to see as data centers continue to dominate new construction activities. Annarering the focus to the commercial and industrial land book, this slide portrays a breakdown of changes in valuation in parcel count by classification or sector. You can see the dominant growth of the data center and associated property valuations in the technology services and vacant land sectors. Although it's one of the county's smaller commercial sectors, the other category experienced valuation growth as well. This was due primarily to the construction of a wedding event venues, nursing homes, and their Rose Gaming Resort, which a number of folks have been asking about recently. Breaking out the commercial land book individually, again as a pie chart, reveals the dominance and rapid growth of the technology services sector, having increased from just over 29% to nearly 42% year over year. The percentage share of all other sectors has been reduced slightly. Later in the presentation we have a slide displaying the preliminary revenue impact associated with that. Existing commercial property assessments appreciation only from tax year 23 to 24 was 4.7%, which formed the basis or input of the revenue model analysis that produced the preliminary estimated revenue contained in the CXOs proposed budget. Since this presentation was dispatched, the team has continued their work resulting in additional appreciation of commercial properties exceeding 11%. This updated appreciation amount plus growth is expected to generate additional revenue for a recap that we can bring back so that you guys can make some decisions about spending and reserves. The preliminary average existing residential assessed value increased from 531-4 in the current fiscal year to 561-424 for the proposed budget presented in February for fiscal year 2026. Slightly more than a 5.6 percent increase. The real estate team recently completed the January 1 2025 assessment process as the CXO mentioned earlier. And that has resulted in roughly a 7.3% appreciation rather than the 5.6% that we started with. This should result in a fiscal year 2026 average residential assessed value somewhere in the neighborhood of $570,000 for residential properties in Prince William. Appartments, appreciation also increased during this process from 2.2% to roughly 2.7% or possibly a little bit more. And again once the growth is added the team will be able to calculate recap revenues. This is the historical percentage change in residential real estate assessed values. Displayed in the slide has averaged approximately 4% over the last 20 years. That's kind of the base that we start from before we start digging into any of the details. We use this as the median residential appreciation. While the consumer price index overlay for this same period has approximated 2.6%, which is good news for Prince William County homeowners is they've been able to build wealth outpacing inflation over this period of time. Both averages include the Great Recession and the Pandemic. However, the graph displayed only includes the pandemic to be consistent throughout the presentation. Slide 13 displays the historical average residential assessed value on the left access with the corresponding real estate tax rate including on the right access, including levies. The fiscal year 2026 proposed budget revenue estimate was based on a flat tax rate as it was the last tax rate approved by the board. Since fiscal year 2012 is the average residential assess value has increased. The board has taken steps to mitigate residential tax impacts by steadily reducing the real state tax rate, you can kind of see it a little bit on the slide and on the based on the right-hand side. This is the historical history of base real estate tax rate reductions. The team pulled together this slide recently as was requested during the tax rate advertisement discussion that Joel had a week or so back. I should mention that the proposed budget base rate that was utilized to estimate revenues and conjunction with staff's preliminary assessed values was not a board decision and only the board can adopt a tax rate. I mentioned that for the hundreds or so people that are listening because we have had a lot of budget Q&As regarding that. Prince William County continues to have the lowest historical average residential tax bill at $5,569 in this locality comparison, Gleam from published fiscal year 2026, proposed budgets, Fire Levy included for comparability. Prince William County's proposed increase in the average residential real estate tax bill of $298 is also the second lowest among our Nova neighbors that conduct annual assessments. I do need to mention on this slide, there's a key punch error next to Alexandria. There's a little text box and that 7931, as you'll see on the next two slides, is actually the previous year's amount. The amount is actually $8,285 for their residential tax bill. I'll be sending a new slide out to everyone so that you guys will have the updated number. The fiscal year 2026 proposed average residential real estate tax bill for each of our Novod neighbors in comparison with the median household incomes in each locality. Again, the fire levy is included as none of the other localities have chosen to implement a fire levy. Even though Prince William has proposed the lowest average residential real estate tax bill amount in comparison, it has only the second highest median household income. Positioning remains the same as last year, but Prince William County's median increased from 120,398 or 8.8% year over year. While Alexandria's median slipped a bit and Loudens increased only slightly from 167, 531 or 3.9%. In this comparative tax burden slide, the comparison once again is with our NOVA neighbors and is one measure of affordability, the average residential real estate tax bill including the fire levy as a percentage of the median household income. To pick how much of residents median household income goes to pay their taxes. Prince William at 4.25%. Last year was 4.% so we've gone down slightly is more affordable than all but Loudon County at 3.65%. Last year Loudon County was 3.8%. Let's see Fairfax was 5.82% Arlington was 6.41% and Alexandria was 6.95%. Taking a step back to the FY 2025 adopted budgets, as that's the last in-depth analysis of tangible personal property tax that we have completed and expanding on the surrounding locality comparison, real estate and personal property, including business tangible property tax. If you focus on the green bars, it's interesting to see that Prince William County's $841 up from $709 last year of personal property tax revenue per capita is second only to Loudon County, even though Loudon County's kind of dwarfs hours. In comparison to Fairfax County, we are quite a bit higher and we're much higher than Alexandria and Arlington. I expect this is going to grow as time goes on. This is a drilling down and pulling Loudon County out in Prince William County out since we have most of the data center growth in our two localities. So Prince William's tangibles approaching parity with the vehicle personal property tax that we have in the county. Well, if you, you can tell Loudoun's business tangible dwarfs their vehicle revenues per capita and it's nearly as much as Prince William County's revenue per capita from real estate taxes. It'll be interesting to view this graphic relationship over the next three to five and possibly ten years. We've been told that we are catching up rapidly and I expect to see this in three to five years look very similar. This is a slide that we present every single year. It's regarding tax exemption and relief. The real estate team maps it by zip code and indicates how widespread the programs are throughout the county. The major programs are for disabled veterans as well as elderly and disabled residents. Some of the smaller programs include surviving spouses, land use, religious, charitable rehab, and solar. The county's proximity to military bases as well as its large agricultural base or some of the driving factors. This in combination with the previous slide always talks about texture leaf and how quickly it is growing. I believe growth in last year's presentation was 89%. And so it has slowed slightly down to only 83%. But as part of the real estate report each year we produce this Let's see It currently totals more than 50 million dollars annually or roughly a nickel on the real estate rate And if you if you actually add in because I was I was looking at the The real estate assessments that went out and aggregate and if you look at those which include churches and charities on the assessment notice It's actually 5.78 pennies on the tax rate, on the real estate tax rate, at 92 cents. The fastest growing category is tax relief for disabled veterans averaging slightly less than $7,400 annually per veteran for real estate and vehicles combined in Taxier 2024. Moving on to fiscal year 2026 proposed general revenue estimates. As we move into the revenue estimation portion of the presentation, I find myself reflecting on the diversification principle within the principles of sound financial management. We're in the board, mandates maintaining a diversified and stable revenue system to shelter the county from fluctuations in any one revenue source or another due to evolving economic conditions. And we may have evolving economic conditions in DC here over the next 12, 18, 24 months. This board did take action in fiscal year 22 to diversify our major valuation-based revenue sources, adding additional transaction-based revenue sources, namely the Meals and cigarette taxes, which have similar drivers to the county's B poll. And I will note that B poll remained very stable and does typically during periods of economic uncertainty. The most recent, the great recession resulted in pretty large real estate tax rate increases throughout the county in order to keep revenues at a certain level to support the county. BPOL just chugged right through it. And we saw, in fact, people increased during the pandemic. And so, and we've seen sales tax increases dramatic through the pandemic as well. So, I can only wonder what's going to happen as everyone transitions back to work. Will that sales tax go the other direction? The VF-Y's 26 proposed general revenue sources expressed as a percentage of the total 1.74 billion budget. The total represents an increase of roughly 144 million or 9% over the fiscal year 25 adopted budget and 131 million or an 8% increase over the fiscal year 25 Q2 revised revenue estimate that recently hit your your email boxes. The real estate revenue slices decreased roughly 1.6% while personal property tax including on business tangible has increased by 2.7% since the FY 24 budget was adopted. And I expect it's going to continue in that direction. This slide provides a nice tabular view of the FY 26 proposed general revenue details Prince William County's largest revenue sources in order of magnitude are real estate personal property which includes business tangible and Vehicles sales tax food and beverage or meals and business licenses. I Would suggest that vehicles and and tend business tangible are probably gonna switch maybe as soon as next year depending on Board action and assessed values. It also shows the split between the schools and the county. Data centers are expected to remain the single largest source of revenue growth within Prince William County. Computer equipment and peripherals is expected to be the fastest growing revenue source in the future, although the data center industry is not very transparent making forecasting extremely difficult, which is one of the reasons the board created and funded the data center revenue stabilization fund. Growth in data center fixtures, which you'll see on a couple coming up in a couple slides, is interesting because it is actually flattened out and between 23 and 24 it has back on the couple coming up in a couple slides is interesting because it is actually flattened out and between 23 and 24 it has backpedaled slightly. Not unlike our neighbors to the north when they had a little crisis on their computer equipment estimate of 50 to 80 million dollars. So hopefully we can avoid all of that for you guys. Data centers as estimated in the fiscal year 26 proposed budget represent 96% or more of commercial equipment, computer equipment and peripherals within the county and are presently taxed at the rate of $3.70. Each additional nickel on the tax rate would yield approximately 1.95 million of additional tax revenue. I should mention that computer equipment and peripherals, the 4% that is not data center related. The big chunk at the top of it of other is actually many businesses that we consider data center adjacent. So they are leasing companies, at least computer equipment and peripherals, some in data centers, some not in data centers. There are other things that I believe are data center related, but we don't have confirmation on it yet. There are also big internet providers such as Comcast and Verizon, those types of things that are there. There are also big box stores and car dealerships. They're all represented in the large chunk, the 257, all other average where the average tax bills like $16,919. That's all the large businesses that are not data center. We also have separated out 1188 small businesses with an average tax bill of $305. We're considering small computer equipment and peripherals bill between $100 and $1000. That includes things like veterinary services, use car dealers, smaller use car dealers. SNAC and non-alcoholic beverage bars, HVAC services, pharmacies, physicians, lawyers, dentists, then there is the micro business which we defined as a computer equipment and peripherals bill under $100 annually. Many of the businesses in this category are retailers. They are wireless providers that do cell phones and connections, clothing retailers, cabinet manufacturers, travel agencies, tax prep services, tire merchants, bakeries, and residential remodellers. Now, if you look far enough through all of the detailed data, you'll find that a number of these end up in several categories. Like if you are a retailer, but you are associated with a national franchise, you typically have requirements from them to have certain levels of computer equipment and peripherals. And oftentimes they get reported from headquarters and they pay on that. And so the very similar businesses throughout, but that's a good makeup. I should also mention supermarkets, sporting goods chains, other franchise retailers, new car dealers, specialized dentistry. Those are all within that 257 category of the largest non-data center, computer equipment and peripheral taxpayers. I know that that was a question. So we looked at 9,143 total accounts in this particular area in the analysis. 3,860 of those had zero tax liability. So pay no computer equipment and peripheral tax whatsoever. see. You probably, all of you, I'm sure I know this by now, but due to a previous budget code of Virginia amendment, the vehicle personal property tax rate can now be set below the rate for general class of tangible personal property. every nickel and vehicle is actually worth roughly 3.29 million. So if you try to compare, you can take a look at two of those and we can offer, we can actually offer charts that give you a line by line and happy to send those out so you can help decide on what tax rates to select. I should mention though that as we, as this was decoupled I think was the buzz word that was being used vehicles from the general classification there are unintended consequences that come from anything. The team has been digging through that to try and determine just what those might be. And the biggest thing we have landed on is trailers. As many kinds of trailers as there are cars and trucks at this point in time. And some of them are able to be, have lower tax rates, for instance, horse trailers, recreational type trailers, RVs, those types of things, all can have a lower tax rate and you all have chosen over time to have like 0.40s and a 1 as the tax rate, so essentially no tax bill whatsoever for any of those folks. But there are certain trailers, things like people take stuff to the landfill, go to Home Depot, you go to Lowe's, you buy a trailer, that is not a separate category of trailer. And so, and that goes all the way up from personal all the way up through businesses. Businesses own a lot of those trailers to include and own some of the larger ones. There is no separate category that the General Assembly has provided to help lower that tax rate. And so as vehicles come down and if computer equipment and peripherals go up, the general classification goes up, and thus trailers will go up. Now, people will realize tax savings on their vehicles by the rate coming down, but they will pay more on the trailer side, those that have trailers. And so, that's just a little bit of research. We're not done yet. We've been, we've reached out to a number of the Commissioner of Revenue Offices to try and find out how they do things. But that's kind of where we are preliminarily now. And I know the CXO and the CFO are traveling around to sit down with each one of you and explain it a little more in depth. So, this is the first look at data center tax revenues for tax year 2024 or fiscal year 2025, the current year that we're in. This bottom line will change. That's why it's flagged with the red star. And what it indicates is a 68% Euro-Year Revenue Growth, primarily in commercial and computer equipment and peripherals, I guess I put in just the abbreviation. Computer equipment and peripherals and real estate. This is, I was mentioning before where you can see furniture and fixtures actually reduced slightly. Now this could be from a number of different factors because we haven't dug down through it and analyzed it completely yet but we will by the end of June because we intend to publish our annual data center report earlier this year and try and get it on schedule every June to be able to publish this. Now, my guess is that the mix of data centers is what caused this. Because if you have more turnkey data centers, which it appears Prince William is prone to, then you do powered shells, fixtures in a turnkey data center are part of the real-state valuation. Whereas in a powered shell they become tangible personal property. And right here all you're seeing is the tangible personal property piece of furniture and fixtures. We have gone in 2012, we had nine buildings. In 2023, we had 48 buildings. This may seem strange, but we start by dealing deeply into the real estate and then we get tangible property returns and All we care about really is the revenue and then starting to dig down into the revenues, board of equalization meetings, all of that stuff occurs. And the last thing that we do is count the buildings. And so I know it seems a little bit strange, you would think we would just know exactly how many buildings there were in as a current year. But we haven't even gotten to that point yet. That's the last thing that we do. There are still a few things outstanding that the team is working on. Although some have been completed since the slide deck was dispatched. These are some of the proposed revenue new estimate updates for recap and the trends that we're looking at. What's not listed here on this slide is any additional revenue estimate scenarios that we're going to have to run as we get the new drivers all worked through and get them incorporated into the model and try to come up with recap revenues. I incorporated this slide this year because these are two large revenue sources that the county has and it's and they're really some of the best information other than looking at unemployment data and that type of thing. This gives us real-time, almost real-time revenue indications that we can then use to look at the economy and try and determine what's happening in their economy. Sales tax has a two-month lag. It's collected by the state and dispersed us, and we get reports, but it's a two month lag. Meals tax is a one month lag. So whatever meals tax is collected from residents and non-residents, because 25% to 30% of it is non-resident, we get by the filing by the 20th of the following month. So I would expect if there is any issue happening driven by all the stuff that's going on in DC, we're going to see it in these two revenue sources first. I should mention December 2024 was historically the single largest sales tax revenue amount in the county's history. history, $9.8 million was received by the county in February for December. December 2023 was $9.7 million, so that was the second highest. Current averages, sales tax, $8.5 million a month, food and beverage, $3.8 million per month. This is the rest of the budget calendar. We're obviously at the revenue estimate work session. We've got the April 1 session coming up and then budget recap on the eighth, mark up on the 15th and hopefully adoption on the 22nd. That's all I had for you. Can I answer any questions or can we take down any questions and provide you any additional research? Thank you so much. I really appreciate the presentation. Y'all jump in. Come on. I've never seen everyone so shy. No questions, comments? All right. Supervisor Vice Chair Bailey? Wow, I'm the first one. Okay. I just need clarification on a couple of things. Please. Yes, ma'am'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.143 total accounts, 3,860 paid had no computer equipment whatsoever. Hard to believe, but yeah. Yeah, it is. Now, some of them had computers that they reported. It was a 10-year-old computer. It was worth 80 bucks. There's no tax bill. But yeah, it's a big population. So of the hundred and $123.85 million of revenue that was generated, That was 86 businesses or 86 accounts that generated that revenue. Their average tax bill was $1.44 million. Wow. Very small piece. Can you repeat those numbers? Certainly so 96% of computer equipment and peripheral is considered data center revenue 123.85 million dollars of revenue was generated by 86 businesses or 86 account that's all generated That that was a total the data center Center overall 123.5 out of what 128 roughly you said you said as a hundred and 23 28 5 million you let me go What's the total that's coming out of so we can do our percentage? So after this, I want to let you ask, because you're on C-Rivizer Bay this time. Did you want to do it? I just said to clarify. So computer equipment and peripherals was $123.9 million in the current fiscal year. It's actually your 2024. Okay, Bob, it's my turn. Okay, thank you, Madam Chair. Can I ask my next, I give me a half a minute. You're the new Bob. Okay, okay, just clarity on one other thing. Yes, ma'am. 2023, and I just, I didn't hear it so 2023 it was 48 I don't know what you said that's why I'm trying to get it and then you said nine for twenty four another you can come back to me if you need to look at it. I'm not sure where that number comes from. That's why I'm trying to. Okay, I'll ask you something. It was 48 something? Yes, something. That's what you're trying to find out. That's what I'm trying to find out. I'll take note. It's if I can find out. It was a big disparage, but I can get it later. Thank you, man. I mean, we had $66.4 million of computer equipment and peripheral in, as of Tax Year 2023, which was fiscal year 24. And it increased to 123.9 million in total. All right, that's it. We don't have, I don't see any other quick way, supervisor, angry. Anywhere. I'm sorry, my, I wanna be a supervisor, angry as question. Were you in the queue? No, you just stopped. Okay, so supervisor angry. And not a question, just a comment, because the trailer situation that you just talked about, that you decoupling, I just want to bring to this force attention those who run on it back when we try to put a tax on boats and that didn't go so well. So I imagine that many of these trailers that we're talking about are going to be these boaters trailers. So I feel we should do some research before we go down that road. That didn't turn out so well for us. I just want to bring it to this boy attention about the votes and the vote trailers. And we are doing research. We're happy to provide, as we learn more about it, to all board members, exactly what's going on. I mean, just to give you a feel, there are 22,056 trailer accounts in the personal property that come from DMV. The total tax revenue is 1.26 million. And so if they inherited the $4.15, if the board were to choose to go to that rate on that stand that you will, that's about another $134, $134,000 in tax revenue. So we've got truck trailers. The average bill is a little over $1,000. We've got things that are just called trailers, which are typically your landfill type trailers. The average bill is $18.12. So that would be like 20 bucks, that it would ding them. There's special equipment that's mostly like frozen food, trailers and things of that nature. The average bill there is $1,015. And so that would go up about 30 bucks. Other trailers, 79.56 is the average. And you'll cost of that for tax purposes. In total, the 22,000 in total, the average tax bill is $57.25. And so 12% on top of that is what they would be looking at at the 415 rate. All right, I'm sorry for clarity. Supervisor, were you in queue? Yes? Okay, go on. I want to make sure I understand the CMP tech so FY 25 Yeah FY 25 the collection estimated is 123.85 million dollars of CMP techs from the data centers correct That's 123 9 there What is the totality of the CNP tax data centers included, inclusive? Another 4.81 million. What was that? Another 4.81 million. 4.81 million. So you'd be looking at, are you going to make me do a addition?, two, three, point nine, plus four point eight, one equals one, 28, 71. Sound right? Sounds right. So globally, one, 28, point seven, one, four point eight, one divided by one, 28. So, total C&P tax derived from all other industries is 3.7% 4% roughly. I'm going to bring that up later. Although I will say that the top three or four accounts, as I mentioned in other non-data center, are data center adjacent. They are huge businesses. I understood. One of their tax bills is almost $2 million. So of the small businesses we're talking $2.8 million roughly give or take? Yes. Which would be even, you know, okay. Nine hundred, you're talking. All of them, all of the four million dollars, it's roughly $910 is the average bill. If that helps. For everybody else. For everybody else. Okay. Second question. On slide 27. You've got the approximate value of each nickel on the C&P tax rate as of FY 26 is 1.95 million. That's the advertised. Well that's the XO's presentation. If you go to what we're, does that raise it to 2.1 million? Give or take? 12, my math is right. It's gonna be 12% higher. Okay. That's all I have, Madam Chair. Civilized according. Thank you, Madam Chair. Going back to the trailers. I have a trailer and what is the depreciation? Is there a specific depreciation schedule or how do you evaluate? It's purchase price minus depreciation and depreciation. I want to say the depreciation is 15% the first year 35% or 25% than 35%. You get to zero pretty fast. I will say I will say a lot of people when they go to DMV tell them They paid a hundred bucks for the trailer and so that comes to us We don't have the manpower to dig into that but yeah And I should mention the the CFO whisper to. So several of these business truck trailers, the larger ones, we believe we have a solution in the tax code to resolve any increased rate on those. What we don't have and we haven't found yet is any way to keep the tax rate at 370 for the run of the mill trailers where you go to the landfill and that kind of thing. Yeah, just your carry on trailers and things like that. Exactly. Okay. Yeah, and I mean, the value most of those are, you know, I saw one advertised today, 1,000 bucks and you talk about getting down, it gets down pretty quick. And it's been my experience. And if you have your wife buy it and registered at DMV and your cars are in your name, it shows up on a separate account from DMV as separate bill. And when it gets down below the $5 mark where you would get a $5 tax bill, we no longer send you a bill. Yeah. If it's on your account with all your other vehicles, you still get bill for it. All right, Trace, I'm changing them into your name. So, you offered to, you know, as kind of looking at on this, for specific slide, looking at some, you know, giving us some options as it relates to comparisons, we pull one down and increase the other. Yeah, I think that would be incredibly helpful just to help us see what you're seeing and that we're all on the same page as terms of what that would look like as we increase C&P and then, know and how we can pull that the vehicle personal property tax down. So I think they're being credibly helpful. So if the C&P rate went to four dollars, the difference in taxes roughly 11.7 million. And if vehicles went to $3.53 from 370, the delta is 11.17 million. What was the number again on the rate? 353. 353. 353. 353. 353. 353. Which would be 17 cent reduction. Okay. So just to give you a ballpark. Okay. All right. Thank you very much. Great presentation. Thank you. You're welcome. All right. I don't know why you supervisor. We are still on the queue. Anything else? Are you disheve been cleared? He's good. All right. All right. Well, thank you so very much for your time. This is a very informative presentation. Mr. Schorner, I want to turn back to you for agency time. Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Let's see here. We're 11 a. So we'll hear from the planning team starting with Director Washington on resolution 11 a, initiating asking the board's consideration to initiate a comprehensive zoning ordinance update. Good afternoon Madam Chair, members of the board, Tanya Washington, Plany Director. We are here today to request the Board's initiation of the comprehensive zoning ordinance update. The staff presentation will be led by Tony Austin. He is our assistant Plenty Director for the Long Rage Plenty Division, which will lead this effort. Thank you, Director Washington. Good evening, Madam Chair, and it's the members of the board, Tony Austin, Planning Department. We are excited to be here today to request the initiation for the Comprehensive Zoning Ordnance Update. That's data we are here to request an amendment to the entirety of the chapter 32 of the Coda ordinances for the zoning section. According to the 2040 comprehensive plan, Prince William is a diverse and thriving community that strives to be equitable, sustainable as well as vibrant place which offers access to a variety of employment, housing and mobility opportunities while respecting our culture and environmental resources as well as promoting the quality of life values that establish a unique sense of place. What we're seeking to do with this update is to bring it into alignment with the plan. Seeking completion of multiple initiated zoning tech amendments. Support for policy moves, which include the expansion of housing options, green zoning, environmental zoning, primarily with reference to the sustainability master plan, and more options for mixed use. We're seeking innovation and best practices in zoning, such as form base and performance-based zoning, as well as new and modified land-use categories. We're seeking to modernize and make more efficient our zoning ordinance with adjustments and clarifications, addressing changes in state law, and issues with implementation. Other counter priorities include economic development, as well as other priorities within the strategic plan and the comprehensive plan. leadingading us up to this moment, the planning office has conducted 22 state holders, scope and meetings between October 2024 and February 2025 to attain additional ideas on what to include in zoning ordinance. We've met with internal and external state holders who interact frequently with the zoning ordinance for internal stakeholders that includes you all the board of county supervisors, the planning commission, county agencies, development services with respect to the zoning administration and land development divisions, transportation, public works, fire and rescue, fire marshal, planning office, current planning division. externally we're looking at CDC, the DORAC, as well as some other agencies. BODY Community Engagement. Marshall Planning Office Current Planning Division. Externally, we're looking at CDC, the DORAC, as well as some other agencies. Broad-accompanied engagement is a vital and critical part of this process, and will occur as part of a formal project launch, and throughout the update, and we will be promoting this on the PWC work site. Through these scope and meetings, we've gotten a lot of comments, but we were able to kind of stack them into thematics and so some of the things that came up were definitions there was a lot of gray area gray definitions. So we're seeking to provide clarity for those existing definitions adding new definitions as land use changes will obviously will need to update with appropriate definitions for those types of uses as well as a need for new definitions. We want to examine all overlay districts within the zoning ordinance for potential modification as needed or possible elimination. Address and conflicting criteria between the overlay districts as well as the underlying zoning districts. For playing districts,'re looking to conduct comprehensive review of plain districts, modernize the development standards within them as well as updating and expanding housing types in those districts as well. Another thing that popped up was regarding buffers and setbacks. We're seeking to evaluate and consider changes to the current buffer and setback standards for different development types, as well as updating those standards to support the 2040 comprehensive plan. We want to address prescriptive uses in the current ordinance and update those to reflect and accommodate newer uses that come up with as time goes on. We're seeking to add flexibility for existing and future uses that may emerge over time. Consider performance-based zoning and performance standards where appropriate. Consider form-based zoning concepts where appropriate. And modernize standards to further accommodate temporary activities and events. Other efforts that may affect the Zonal Ordnance are board directives related to specific components of the Zonal Ord addressed through separate efforts such as data center opportunity overlay district and the arts and ag returns and overlay district. These efforts and the zone ordinance update will be coordinated to incorporate in results of those initiatives. We did draft a preliminary timeline for the zoning ordinance. This is not a today, tomorrow, next week. Initiative, most zoning ordinance updates, most comprehensive zoning ordinance updates, take about two years or more. So we're looking at a minimum of two years. And that timeline will be subject to further refinement after the project launch, bringing the consultant on board and getting them online. So we're looking at the scope development, which takes place with the stakeholder scoping meetings and the initiation from this board. The project launch for consultant onboarding, the launch of community engagement, the assessment of current code and best practices research, to the tech's development, drafting the updated ordinance, and bringing it before this board for hearings and board action. So as of right now, we're looking at at least taking us to summer of 2027 or fall of 2027. And obviously again, we're here to request the initiation of this comprehensive update to the zone ordinance. I do want to say before we get to that part that there are a series of text and members that have been directed by this board. We have evaluated and reviewed them internally within the planning department to see which ones we can still keep separate and get them through quicker without having to wait that two year timeline for the zone ordinance. So again, we're here to request an initiation to the comprehensive, have requests to initiate the update to the comprehensive zoning ordinance. Thank you. Thank you so much. And you've done well for your first time front of your trial by fire. So I just want to go to the other parallel efforts affecting zoning ordinance line because that's where most of my questions are. I see that board directors relate to specific components of zoning ordinance being addressed to separate efforts. One of them is the data center opportunity zone overlay district. How are we looking at data centers outside of the overlay? Because that's a we have stuff that's being built outside of the overlay and I know we have other applications so I'm just wondering what is the house that being handled. In terms of looking at updating the development standards. Yes. Well so there as you know there are other efforts that touch on data centers there is the board directive that we received from you chair Jeffer Sim last year to do the boundary studies. So we're looking at that piece which affects the overlay district. There's also the effort that's going on with the data center advisory group and consultants working with them that is looking at the current development standards. So those efforts are still going on as parallel efforts in the anticipate changes coming to the zoning ordinance that may come out of those efforts. In terms of other standards, other guidance in the zoning ordinance that isn't going to be addressed, that if there's anything left that isn't going to be addressed to those other efforts, there will be a part of this project. And I guess I want to get on to the GC OAG because I'm a little confused about their role because I know that they had sighting. That was a part of their purview, but it's been taking away. So if I can get some more clarity, because I know we have some more members here today, I get some more clarity what's going on because we've talked to a number of stakeholders and I would feel more comfortable if they were part of this discussion. So the planning office received a directive last year to look at the boundaries of the data center overlaid the strike to identify if any changes I need to be made to bring those to the board. So that was the charge that was given to the planning office. The first step that we were then subsequently asked to work on was to look at the nine sites that were identified in the earlier Santa C report for possible removal. We came back to the board last fall to present those and asked should we concur with the recommendations to remove those nine sites from an overlay district and request a direction from the board on should we move forward with the zoning map amendment to remove those sites. We are going to be coming back in May for that initiation. And then we also asked should we continue to move forward on the larger boundary study that that directive asked the planning office to work on. So we still intend to do that larger boundary study once we get these only methamidimate for those nine sites completed. And as a part of that, we will certainly work with the advisory group on that effort. Today we'll definitely have a role. Because that's one I just want to pull back a minute because I'm the one who gave the directive on the boundary study. I didn't mention DCOAG at all. That was not a part of it. So I still am not clear why they were pulled from sighting. If you can help me understand that piece. Well, I think it would, the direction that was given to the planning office was to do the boundary study. There was, the directive does not speak to the advisory group, so I can't say, I can't answer a question as to why they were pulled from it because that wasn't a conversation that we were involved in. We just got the directive to do the boundary study. I'm going to come back to this because I'm just, I feel like we're missing something or maybe Mr. Heav, you can come up and address this in the time that I have left. Sure, Madam Chair, members of the board, Wade Hugh, Deputy County Executive for Mobility Economic Growth and Resoliency. So from the siding, yes, siding was initially part of the DCOAG effort. At the time that we got the directive to look at the overlay district, initially the STAN Tech report that Tanya just mentioned, the second phase of that was also looking at the boundaries as a whole. Since that was all going to be funneled through planning, we left that task with planning. And so what the DCO AG has been focused on, we focus on, or all the standards within the zoning ward, and setbacks, buffers, landscaping. Now, what I had agreed to with the DCOAG is to say, if they do want involvement, when we hire a consultant to come in to do the quote, citing, if you will, for data centers, then we'll bring the DCOAG and have an initial meeting, one one with the consultant to express what they see as their concerns. Consultant would start work. Maybe when we get to a 25, 30% completion phase, allow the DCOAG to come back in, but the actual management of the project would be with planning. I understand, I know I have some other people who are having questions because for me, this is not what I'm expecting. I mean we have had other stakeholders have been put. I'm just confused still as to why we don't have DCOAG, but I'm going to go to Supervisor Weir. Thank you Madam Chair. I'm going to pick up right where you left off because I thought this board was pretty clear and it's well that citing was to be part of the DCOA AG purview. And I know they've been asking for it and I know they've been asking for it over and over again. They've been following the direction of the board and they haven't been getting any help. And the reason that sighting has to be part of the DCO AG is because you can't not have sighting as part of the conversation about noise because unlike loud and which, which puts all of its data centers largely in a confined industrial area, not next to residential, we don't do that. We've got great oak now, where lessons are to be learned from sighting. And we're going to have a similar circumstance. I would argue at Village Place, which will have significantly more square footage around village place than even grade oak does and the potential for even greater noise volumes and vibrations. So, I mean, this board has been pretty clear over the last eight months, I believe. Repeatedly saying that DCOAG was supposed to incorporate sighting into the study. At least that's my recollection. I believe it's also the chairs. So to the chairs question, it doesn't seem like it's been answered, I guess it's somewhat irrelevant at this point in time because we're at the noise ordinance, but I would have thought that I would have been incorporated in a noise ordinance, but you know, I guess it's too late. If I may share. So again, in terms of the larger boundary study, other than looking at the nine sites that were identified in the Santa Tech report, we have not actually, we have not launched that boundary study yet, and as part of that, and in discussions with executive management, we absolutely intend to include the advisory group as a part of that effort. So that work is still still going to be coming up. Madam Chair, from my... I mean, I've still got another... I've got time left. I'm quite frankly very disappointed. Yours was not the first directive to look at the boundaries. That dates back to the previous boards. We're still sitting here years later virtually at ground zero.. I'm gonna jump off to boundary and that's, because I've got another question that I wanna address. If you go to the slide on the stakeholders, and now I somehow manage to lose it. That one. For my one eight, this is the problem that I constantly have with stakeholder meetings when you develop the scoping for things like the zoning ordinance, comp plan, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Commercial Development Committee, DORAC, NVBA and NAOP have shared membership. Some of these guys get three or four bites at the Apple. And then frequently go down to Richmond and testify against bills that help us. So I'd like a little more for lack of a better term diversity in who's giving guidance so that we don't have the same people saying the same thing and four different venues When generally speaking the members of the CDC the members of Dorect the members of NVBIA and the men members of NAOP Have the most a game to write by writing the zoning ordinance to accommodate their needs rather than the needs of the county And I'll leave it at that madam chair All right recording. And I'll just jump off on that if you take a look at that list of external participants there's no one from Western Prince William County civilian groups. Now granted we don't have a local Peltar midco in Western Prince William so out but I would be looking at how do we further engage Western Prince William, particularly in areas where we have significant development coming to identify and bring them along. And let the community have part of that conversation. On the, let's see, from that slide, going one, two, three, numbers are helpful, guys, on the slides, for future reference. Thank you. Flexibility and future uses. You talk up, there's some terminology here that I'm not familiar with and I'm not sure many in our community are familiar with these terms. So I think it would be a little helpful to identify or at least define them. When we talk about performance zoning and performance standards, a form-based zoning, can you speak to that in your mind what it is that you're seeking to accomplish here? Thank you, Supervisor Gordy. And we're gonna break up your two questions. So to get to your first question and also related to the question about the stakeholders that we talked to as part of this scoping phase. So this scoping phase was intended to talk to a variety of internal external stakeholders who interact with the zoning ordinance on a regular basis. But that was a starting point to just help to generate some additional ideas of what we should consider including in the scope of work. But as you can see in the timeline, after we get the BORS initiation, it is very much, and it's included in the SAF report, as part of the project scope of work, we intend to do public engagement throughout this project. We intend to go to the broader community in County to get their ideas, not just about what should be in the zoning ordinance, because it's very technical, but really to use this as an opportunity for education, for a community about what zoning is and why it's important and why it should get involved in this project. We have already had initial conversations with the Office of Community Engagement, of communications and community engagement. Around this, we were just talking about this just a few days ago. And as part of the larger project, we do plan on bringing consultant assistance on board. Thank you again for approving our on call consulting contracts. And I've already asked the staff is because we're now wrapping up the scope of works for the task orders so that we can get them on board. We're going to be doing two tasks. One is related to the technical work of actually working on the updates. The other task is going to be related to community engagement because we now have community engagement consultants who focus on that. And because we do want to use this as an opportunity to bring the community into this project. So we very much will do intend to reach out to a wider range of residents. We do wanna look at how we can bring residents across the county into this project. And so, you know, once we get to that stage and as we're starting to think about how to do that, we will certainly like to get some guidance and some ideas, you know, from the supervisors, about particular ways that we can do that. Yeah. And just, and again, I make the point that, you know, and I think Eastern Prince William, Mid-Party County has a great assets in Locke-Pelton, Midco. And I'll admit the fact that we do not have a similar type of organization, and I'm actually trying to raise something up like that to try to help bring community, have the community develop a standard within itself to act to serve as a tool to help guide and advise on future development in our area. And so not putting all that burden on you. And I've been emailing a few folks over the last few days, particularly as we talk more about what's happening in Ben Hill. But I'm hopeful that at some point that this will materialize As we go forward, but go into the second question related to the defining the terms Right there So I'm gonna see from a planning perspective if that helps I guess that does because I'm a planner. But there is a large conversation when it comes to certain things that are happening in the industry and one of them is the type of zoning. So when we talk about traditional zoning, which is kind of just leaving it to the zone of ordinance and the community gets built off the way it does, versus what's known as form-based zoning. So form-based zoning kind of takes into account the geography or the topography. It's basically creating like a more walkable area that you're more intentional with how you want certain areas to be developed based off of the zoning versus just having a zoning ordinance that only speaks to districts and for many uses. And the performance zoning and performance standards? It's a similar concept of really kind of building in more standards related to sort of the outcomes of the development rather than just, you know, again, the way the zoning ordinance is set up now is is uses its zones Obviously there are standards included, but it's thinking more sort of the outcomes and kind of what guidance can be put in place so that you can Kind of better support the types of development that the ordinance is calling for you Yeah, I could just add a some clarity to it. So the traditional zoning is based, you have a use and you have different categories of uses in each zone. And then there's development standards for that use. In performance zoning, it doesn't matter what the use is. It matters what the impacts are. Is it noise, is it pollution, is it, you know, what are the externalities of that use, regardless of what the use is? So instead of trying to define all the possible uses that there could be out there and get them in the right categories, which is problematic, since, you know, technology changes and things change. And so, you know, we used to have ice delivery service at one point in time. We don't have that need anymore. But our sending warden, it's, you know, is updated with all new uses that come out and with e-commerce and other things that happen in the way we do business and the commerce that if we instead of trying to put them into use box, we put them in a performance box of what their negative externalities are, their pollution, their noise and those sorts of things. And that's what a performance zoning does and it really works well in industrial zoning districts. Form-based code is what the design of the building is, what's the relation to the street, and don't care what that much about the uses, and that's great in a mixed-use environment where you don't really care what the mucis mix in there, but we care about the form and the pedestrian environment, and so we wanna control those through stricter development standards and less use control standards. And this is also, I know we talked about community engagement, we'll have two task orders. I know that since Director Washington has been here that that's been something she's been really harping on. I believe as a county that you guys have been pretty consistent with that as well. That is something that we're also very passionate about from a staff level, from leadership under director Washington all the way down through the rest of the staff. Me being here a little under three months, I'm seeing things with fresh eyes. So a lot of things I do think of, I think, of make from a citizen perspective. If I see acronym, what does that mean? Spell it out. There's a lot of initiatives that we have. We call it planaries. We just are talking in our jargon. And sometimes it does go over the heads of the average person. But that's something even explaining it from just what is performance-based zoning and what is form-based zoning, euclidean zoning. That is something that we're expecting consultant consultant from a community engagement and education and those standpoint also to be able to inform the citizens so they feel like they're walking away with more than just part of the zoning ordinance meeting. I feel like I walked away with understanding zoning, understanding planning and development. They should be able to walk away with at least some level of planar in their vocabulary as well. All right, we're going to go to Supervisor Bodhi, Thin Bailey. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for the presentation. Appreciate the conversation so far. To go back a little bit to something, alluding to something that Chair Jefferson asked about, and I think you may have talked about a little bit, but can you talk about where the data server impacts DPA 23.0019 fits into this and the timeline on that VISA V, the greater comprehensive zoning text update? So as we noted earlier, the other related directives are specifically related to the data centers those are continuing on a separate track so we will not if as changes to the zoning ordinance comes out of that work we're not going to hold on it sort of sit on it and wait until we get through this whole project to bring those forward. So we anticipate that effort along with, this was the arts and agricultural tourism related directive, which is going to be looked at through an effort that the Department of Economic Development and Tourism is going to be leading. Those will still be proceeding on timelines that may get to the board sooner. So I can't, I don't, I can give you a specific date right now, since I just don't have that information just right off hand. But we do anticipate that those will still continue to move on separate tracks and, you know, make it to the board sooner. I appreciate that. And that's the clarity that I want to make sure people knew that we're not going to wait. We're not going to, we're not waiting till 2027 to adopt that part of it. Because I know there's a lot of constituents that want action and what reform sooner. You know, one of the last subjects we saw that the contract we're going to DCSM and zoning consultants part is going to set to begin July 1 with a PC hearing maybe in 2025 at least the noise piece. So just knowing that that part is coming sooner. My second question goes in a much different direction. Now knowing that the timeline on the greater comprehensive zoning text update is gonna come 2027, what are knowing that we adopted the comp plan in late 2022? What are we gonna be doing to with applicants knowing that some of the zoning districts, especially the planned ones that were mentioned before, don't really jive in terms of densities and some of the things that we know that the comp plan calls for in terms of design standards, sort of that flow of performance basisbased instead of just the usage-based, how we wouldn't work with applicants in that interim over the next two years knowing that the comp-plan calls for one thing, but basically our zoning text speaks to a much more archaic type of planning. So, we've already been dealing with that situation the last couple of years since the Comprehensive plan was last updated and some of it is addressed through waiver requests that the county staff evaluate and ultimately go to the board. In other instances, if there is sort of more flexibility in terms of what could be included, for example, in a proper. if there is some flexibility in terms of design, things of that nature, you know, we try to work with the applicants to get them more in the direction of what the company is to plan it's calling for. Thank you. Last thing I'll just say is, and I appreciate that because again, going back to what was said earlier, there's a lot in the comp plan in all of our districts, a call for more walkable, tight knit dense communities that have a much more live workplace experience that's a lot different than what we saw in the current zoning text and frankly the previous comp plan. So I'm glad that you were thinking about jiving those things or because I've heard from applicants that wanna do a lot more creative things that right now it's unwieldy because again some of the zoning discrepan the ones that we had added to the comp plan that I have adoption don't jive as well so we want to make sure that we're not that that interim period of between 2022 and frankly 2027 we're not losing out on some of the better more creative ways in which to create more more vibrant communities thank you thank you thank you so much you, ma'am, Chair. Okay, I like the word that you this will get us out of the archaic age. Am I saying that properly? Because I don't know the legal ease of planning, but this will get us out of that archaic process and help us to execute the vision for 2040. Am I off on that? Yes, ma'am. Okay. So when you say archaic, it's something that I haven't said it, but I completely understand where that's coming from. Throughout the themes, a lot of them, from different groups, they have the same exact concerns from the zoning ordinance perspective. And from a plan, professional planners the take is if you have this many issues with one particular thing that's something wrong with the ordinance so whether it's the entire ordinance or just a certain piece of it whether it's setbacks or permitted uses if everybody has or running into the same wall then then that means, which is what we're hopefully, which is what we're doing. Trying to make sure that you try to do that. So that is the RKs and from, that you're speaking of. And that's no head against the previous boards or anything. Yes, sir. It's just the next steps that we're moving to it. Because it took us like two years to do, I didn't 200, not 200. two years to do the comprehensive plan or get the process. Please. Just wanted to add again, you 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200, 200 that are in the zoning ordinance. Now, they were put there for a reason. There were conditions that they were intended to speak to or to try to regulate. But as you all know over time, with land use things change, there are new uses that come to Ford that may not have been known about at all or anticipated previously. There are impacts to existing uses that become more obvious that need to be addressed. So there isn't really a point where the zoning ordinance is sort of fixed in stone. It really is something that does need to be looked at on a periodic basis. Sometimes you look at specific sections, then need to be addressed, sometimes you do need to do these more comprehensive updates. But particularly when there is a comprehensive plan update, especially a substantial one, then that really is an opportunity to then look at the zoning ordinance, the design construction standards manual, and other areas that the county uses as implementation tools to see how can we get all of those things in alignment and so and just quickly the compatibility of what mr. McGatigan was saying technologically of how that aligns so that we can Make sure that aligns with the comprehensive plan correct So the other thing that I wanted to just ask is, there will be an opportunity for the DCAG to have an integral part in this, because that was the reason why we wanted them to come together. Won't there be another opportunity? Or in the future, many opportunities? Yes, yes. OK, OK. Thank you, Madam Chair. Mr. Fraser, we're at the Supervisor Franklin. Madam Chair, if I can. I just want to make sure that we have clarity. First, um, I did send a memo out to the board. I believe it was March 12th laying out. I think planning did a phenomenal job laying out all of the directives that have been issued, timelines, work plans, et cetera. So I want to make sure that board members understand that you have that in your inbox. As relates to the direction I think I'm hearing from multiple board members, or related to citing, I want to make sure that there's clarity. The planning office is what they are describing is hiring a third party consultant and having that consultant engage and make sure they get feedback. Am I hearing something different? Because ultimately we would need to be in a position to get guidance from the board and I don't know Michelle if you want to jump in on this. Madam Chair, members of the board, I just want to clarify and. The DCOAG is an advisory group created by staff to work with staff and make recommendations to staff. And then staff brings the recommendations to the board. If it's a body created by the board to make recommendations to the board, it's a public body and has to comply with FOIA, which means you have to give public notice, three or more cannot talk about it at any one time. You have to take minutes, et cetera. So I just want to clarify, and I don't want any expectation out there, that the board, if the board wants to go there and create a body, make appointments, and then that body makes recommendations to the board, then that's something different than the DCO AG. And the more the board starts getting involved in dictating and saying what needs to be done or not done with a staff body or a committee that staff has created and works with staff, the more it could blur the lines between what staff has done or whether it's a public body which must comply with FOIA? Now we're at the stage in the process as Director Washington mentioned where we have not hired officially hired a consultant and said we still need to go through that process. And so I just want to make sure that we are clear in terms of expectations. As it currently stands, we plan to engage through the RFP process, the third party consultant, have that consultant do the work, and in the process of doing that work, engage our advisory group to make sure that they have an opportunity to provide input. Is that the expectation moving forward so that we are clear as we go forward with this consultant? I actually am going to hold off on that because I know Supervisor Vega has a set of comment. So our question, so I will hold off on that until she makes the comment. Let me hold on it. We have we are in Franklin. How do are in Franklin. Franklin, I'll go to supervisor Franklin. We don't yield, okay. All right, supervisor Vega. Wow, I feel so special. Thank you everyone. And thank you, and thank you, Michelle, Michelle for that. I do have an appetite then to formalize this group and make it a meaningful group that can actually make recommendations to this board. And I would entertain that conversation with my colleagues. I mean, this is a board that loves all types of commissions, right? We have a human rights commission, a sustainability commission that advises the board. This is an important issue that we're tackling here in this county that is not going to go anywhere. And as much as I would like to say that we have relief solutions viable ones? We really don't and we're still trying to figure it out. So... tackling here in this county that is not going to go anywhere. And as much as I would like to say that we have relief or solutions, viable ones, we really don't. And we're still trying to figure it out. So why not put together a group of people that are having to deal with these impacts on a daily basis so that we can get a real feel for what's happening with members of our community and we can get some guidance from folks like that. So Madam Chair, yes, I do support that. And I think the county attorney for bringing that to our attention. And I sense a directive. Mr. Schurt, would that need to be a directive? It would start out as a directive then we would come back with a recommendation on how we would establish the scope of the body and the timeline for establishing it. I don't know Michelle if you wanted to add. Yes, Madam Chair, members of the board. And the members of this, if the board, any board committee or commission that the board creates that makes recommendations and advises the board, those members need to then understand that three or more cannot discuss the business of that body unless it- Two, no board, three or more. Three or more cannot discuss that public business of that body unless it is at a meeting that is open to the public that has been noticed, pursuant to FOIA, minutes taken, it will require a staff liaison to work with it so it would require additional staff resources, et cetera. And as Mr. Shorter pointed out, you know, what is the purpose of this body, bylaws, et cetera? So just creating another body versus what's already in place that is working with staff, many of the other committees that are groups that work with staff. So it could be a directive where staff could look into and make some recommendations on what it would entail. All right. All right. Thank you for that. I want to go to supervise a weird and frankly and then Bailey if you have something jump in the queue. Thank you, Madam Chair. Let's wrap this up a little, though. Understanding what the county attorney's position is and I agree and I think everybody in here agrees how the DCL AG was created. The problem that we have is members of the DCL AG both professional members and private members, community groups, whatever have complained to individual board members about things that they found lacking in the process. And this board's will, and I believe, direction, to incorporate them, to incorporate citing, for example, into the conversation, not so that they could report the citing issues back to us, but to discuss it amongst themselves and give advice to the planning officer, to whomever else, DCOAG was going to render their advice to. But it seems that the will to have that incorporated into the discussion has been ignored. At least that's the sense that I'm getting from more than one member of the DCOAG for what it's worth. So I would just suggest that I'm all for keeping DCOAG in its current format and in its current role, but I think we need to be clear on what they're advising you on. And I think citing needs to be part of that conversation and should have been in incorporating and developing the noise ordinance because sighting is endemic to the noise ordinance in order for it to be effective. I'll leave it if I can. So the buzzer. As a sure. Thank you very much for that. And as it currently stands with the planning office hiring a third party consultant, having that consultant have a very clear scope about the work that they are doing, and then having that consultant engage the advisory group, I believe we are already in a position to do exactly what you've said without the need to create a public by a new public. I'm actually on board with you on that. I'm just saying that to this point, even though it was the will of this body, citing has not been as instructed, taken up by the DCOA Geno. I've got several members here. If they want to correct me if I'm wrong, I would love to hear it, but that's the impression that I've got. But, well, I've got two minutes and two and a half minutes And I take care of the other quick thing. Well, I thought quickly with respect to the ordinance rewrite, one of the things that I'm going to expect, quite frankly, I'm going to demand that we see revolves around the language of the comp plan and the zoning ordinance. The comp plan in the zoning ordinance, terminology, definitions, et cetera, do not match and haven't for quite some time. Zoning has two or three different types of definitions. DCSM has similar but different definitions, and the comp plan has one set of definitions plus the transect definitions none of which comport with each other or at least not fully comport with each other so I'd like to see some standardization and linking up of the definitions both in the zoning ordinance while cleaning them up in the zone of growing with itself so they're same, same thing with the DCSM, but then having either identical or similar terminology so that you can match them up across the two documents because that's what we don't have right now. And that's an even bigger disconnect than, or a more impactful disconnect than the arts and overlay, not having a zoning chapter. Because that just impacts so many other things. So in terms of what my expectation to see in the end product or during construction of the zoning text and the new zoning ordinance is making all those terminologies and all of those definitions comport. And I'll leave it at that matter, Chair. Thank you, Supervisor Franklin. Yeah, consistency is definitely important. I think that's part of kind of the purpose here. I do support kind of initiating this, particularly as we talk about the discussion on waivers, you know, as developers walk through the room, start asking for all these waivers, and you want to make sure you're not giving the industry all these things, but you realize, well, they're operating under two different standards as well, which is why we have to go through this process. So just wanna thank the Planning Director and your staff for kind of working on this to kind of clean it up, and just kind of to the last point that was made, the consistency, I think is the most important part of this and making sure that applicants when they walk in the room, they are very clear on which standards they are to go by. So thank you for that. And civil rights are barely. Thank you, ma'am chair. I agree with the last, well my two colleagues, consistency is very important. I think this is what it brings. I'm glad to see that this is coming forward. Finally, I've been looking forward because it does help us to execute the vision for a growing county in compatibility with the Comprehensive Plan. And then the other thing I am in support of the advisory group, and I know it shouldn't be any consternation or anything to engage them and get their input more. I don't think it was intentional at all, but I think it's just a matter of where we are in this transformation. And so I'm sure that those in the audience, we apologize, we're gonna include you more because it's important because that's why we wanted you. And I think that the consulting group should be very much aware of that, but I also think that we need to move forward. We have a growing, transforming, wanting county and we can't stop and go, stop and go. I'm not in support of that because then the service level to all citizens are limited. As it relates to housing, as it relates to economic growth, it's stopped. And so we have to have a bigger picture of where we're going as it relates to the comprehensive plan. So I just wanted to say that. And I do want to come out of the dark ages with this. I really do because I know there are elements to this that we are currently not using. And the more we talk about it and the more we stop, the more we're not using it. And so I applaud you for taking the hit right now. I think you got your notes about what to do with the advisory group because they are integral. They're the voices. But please bring us out of their dark ages. As that is it, you have survived. We just need page numbers. And we still have. And we still have technically. Yeah. Let's say if I could just move to initiate the zoning tax amendment, comprehensive zoning ordinance update. Second. All right, discussion. Well, I guess there is one. So I'm so sorry. I just want to check it out with something. We do not have, oh yeah we do have, okay so let's take a vote. We're voting now. So we are voting on 11A to initiate the Zoni Text Amendment comprehensive Zoni ordinance update. We've had a lot of discussion of people who have thought we've moved on. So the anonymous. All right. Now we can move on. Madam Chair, I just want to make sure that there's clarity because I don't want to come back to a future meeting and not have met expectations. So I have here the two directives that have been referenced. One directive related to the starting of the working group, the initiation of the working group issued in January of 2023. And then the other directive related to the boundaries issued May 14th of 2024. I want to make sure that we are clear in terms of how the board wants us to move forward. Is there an interest in a directive related to creating a public body or is the board sufficiently satisfied with the direction that we are on in terms of hiring a third party consultant and having that consultant engage DCOAG. I want you to do you or did you want to do a directive on creating a public body supervisor Vega or we have Madam Chair if I am interested I will let the board know in accordance with the way that we have agreed in regards to directives we're not doing them on the fly from the days. That means she wants to think about a supervisor Franklin, are you still in queue? Or because I thought you were, I wasn't sure if you were clear or you had something else you want to say. No, clear. Okay. I think for now we will continue with what we have been doing because I also think, you know, when I respect what supervisor Vega said, some time we think about and have discussions about issuing another directive. So, anything else? All right, you can bring up the next. that need some time to think about and have discussions about issuing another directive. So anything else? All right, you can bring up the next. All right, Madam Chair, thank you very much. And thank you to the planning office for the presentation, calling now Deputy CXO Wave Hugh for item 11B, related to the noise ordinance. Good afternoon Madam Chair, members of the board, Wade Hugh, Deputy County Executive. Very pleased today to be able to provide you an update on the status of our draft noise ordinance where we're at in the process. What I'd like to do is go through a couple of introductory slides with you. Then I'll pause, I'll introduce our noise consultants who are with us today. They'll carry you through the remainder of the presentation when we get to the end, I'll come back up and we just like to ask for some direction and guidance going forward. So this is just kind of an update on where we are at presently. So in terms of agenda, we'll talk about the work that the noise consultants did in terms of looking at peer-reviewed communities. We not only looked in Virginia, United States. We've looked over in Europe as well. They'll touch on that. Then we'll talk about in terms of our ideas for the ordinance. The ordinance is 30 years old. I'll talk about that in just a bit. But some redrafting of the ordinance, adding some definitions. We'll get into a lot of measurements. We have some slides. it, octave bands, I have a great slide and further in the presentation that will really explain what all that means. We'll talk about some recommendations. And like I said, at the end, the hope is we get guidance from the board on how you'd like us to proceed. So the noise ordinance is roughly 30 plus years old. It has served us well for those 30 years. Largely used by the police department enforcing parties, loud noise in residential areas, barking dogs, oftentimes will be shopping centers that may have special events to go on too long and are too noisy. So, served us very well, it's based on an a-weighted scale, which has been tradition and the kind of the norm, if you will, in Northern Virginia, so not out of the norm, but the A-weighting does not do a good job picking up low frequency noise. And why that's important is now with a lot of data center development, the noise is that we're picking up now or a low frequency. And so why is that? Well, it's because of their cooling systems. And there's different types of cooling systems. We didn't focus so much on the types of the cooling systems as we did the noise that it generates. And they're 24-7 because they're constantly needing to cool. So what I've got here, this is just one example of an error-cooled system and how they would function and why they create the noise that they create. So an error-cooled system traditionally would be pulling the air in through the sides of the building, through very large fans, through louvers. So as that air passes through the louvers, passes through the fans, there's opportunity for a vibration. There's noise of the air movement itself. If you think of your ceiling fan at home, if you turn the fan on high, you'll hear those fan blades cutting through the air, same concept here. Then you have the noise of the motor itself that's driving the fans. So the pull through the air, same concept here. Then you have the noise of the motor itself that's driving the fans. So the pull in the air into the building, they pull the air across the server decks, the cool things down, and then they exhaust a hot air through the top of the building. The example picture you see here, not in Prince William, but as a great example, what the building would look like. And so the cylinders shapes on the top of the building looks like 55 gallon drums. Those are the exhaust fans. But they're much larger than a 55 gallon drum. If we are standing on the roof there, they'd be taller than we are and it probably take five or six of us to be able to reach and stretch around. So it kind of shows you the circumference of the structures. As an example in grade oak, the Tannerway data center next to the gradeogue development, there's 440 of these rooftop fans. You can just imagine as they're exhausting and again, the air movement, the fans, the vibration, the noise. So when we've talked a little bit already about the DCOAG, so in 2023, staff formed the data center ordinance advisory group. It's comprised of citizens, one member of the National Parks Conservation Association. They have been advising us, working closely with us, working with our two consultants, because we have the noise that we're going to talk about today. But we also have mostly architects on board that's working on updates to the zoning ordinance and design construction standards manual. We brought on two noise consultants. And the we did this is twofold. One, we don't have the in-house acoustics experts. So a lot of stuff we deal with with construction with zoning, we have professional engineers, we have architects, we have geotech engineers, etc. So when we're having conversations with consultants we can have a good back and forth dialogue because we have somebody that understands the concepts being discussed. Here we don't. So that was one reason. The second reason is that we also wanted the consultants to be able to kind of converse themselves. You know, challenge ideas, challenge thoughts and processes to make sure we really get a good product. I am so pleased that where we're at today, I think we've formed a great team working together very well, working together with the DCOAG. I think you'll be pleased with what we're about to show you here. So I'm going to pause now, introduce the consultants and then I'm going to hand the microphone over to them to carry you through the rest of the presentation. So to start with, we have JMT. So I have Jen Sennelli Miller with JMT and Ed Davidson. And with Nelsonoustics, we have David Nelson with us today. So we're going to do a little bit of tag teaming. As Jen comes up to the microphone, we do have some packets handouts for you. One, some of the research material that J.M.T. has pulled together. Also, the DCOAG had pulled together their thoughts, their comments that they provided the staff. so you can kind of see all the information that we've gleaned through to get to this point. So we're getting ready to pass them out now. So with that, Jen. Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for having us here. It's my pleasure to be here on behalf of JMT, working for Prince William County, Board of County Supervisors. It's been an honor working with Wade Hugh and the DCOAG. So much respect for the citizens as someone who volunteers in her community. I know the time and dedication and passion it takes to do those types of things. So just a quick background on what we did as far as research, we conducted research on peer communities and as Wade pointed out, was across the country, but it was also internationally, so that we had ways to compare what was happening and kind of develop those best practices. So I took a look at your or noise ordinance as Wade pointed out. It is over 30 years old so it's not serving the county appropriately. The State of Virginia Dillon rule is unique. Obviously you all know that. It makes a little more challenging when the county needs to make decisions and determinations for updates to their ordinances. Did a lot of exploration online of updated communities. Also court case reviews. so one of the triggers I believe was the Virginia Beach Tanner versus Virginia Beach. Ruling kind of through planning a little curveball in the planning world, we were used to that standard of reasonable individual, that changed. And then obviously, warrant and there were three court cases filed by the citizens for Falkier County. A couple of those, I think, are in the works to be resolved ultimately with the new, I think, board. And then, Williston, North Dakota was kind of an outlier. Alice Power came in kind of a data center situation where there was that constant hum happening. Citizens were upset. They tried to wrap the building with noise canceling curtains, which did not work. The court case is now moving forward. I concluded it because, potentially, it become a national precedent setting case. So it's one to keep an eye on as you're moving through this. I looked at EPA federal noise standards, and then also, again, like the international communities, they've actually moved the data centers into a public utility position. So it makes it very different and unique than for the US. So, oh, that went back. So some of the peer review communities, so Chandler, Arizona, I had the pleasure of speaking with their planning director. They had kind of the most stringent response to the data centers. They're telling data centers that they have to maintain the existing ambient levels and then they also are coming in with strong zoning requirements. But the data centers are required to do continuous monitoring, which means that if they are found in noncompliance, they are to go out and conduct measurements and become into compliance or they will face fees, fines and then. But what was different about Chandler, they actually worked with the data centers to make sure that they were in compliance. So putting up sound walls, doing what they needed to do. Collier County, Florida was interesting that this is kind of where we have a recommendation for you ought to consider. They divided their noise ordinance into multiple sections. They also use appropriate enforcement responses. So my example is animal control response to a barking dog. You don't just have a police officer who probably has a lot more higher responses to take care of. But they also updated their zoning code and combined the noise and zoning ordinances. Fairfax County. Noise ordinance applicability tables. It's like three or four pages, but it makes it really simple for them. When I spoke with somebody at Fairfax County, they said that all I have to do is point to the document and say, if you're doing this type of construction, here's where your decibel levels need to be. If you're in noncompliance, we will come out and issue a fee. They developed a Department of Code Compliance. So now you have public work staff that are able to respond to things like construction. They also have an exception list for emergencies so responding vehicles, fire trucks, ambulances, and the alarms associated with those. Falkier County, they developed a comprehensive data center policy, which is included in your packet. They have addressed citing of incoming data centers, making sure they weren't around or close to existing neighborhoods. And they also consider the infrastructure. So they're putting them closer to transmission lines so that there's not a need for the additional access to the utilities that are necessary. So, you have an access. They conduct a study over two years. They measure maximum sound levels from the source and they reduce their maximum sound levels for industrial districts by quite a bit. But for the residential areas, it was reduced just straight across the board by five decibels for both day and night. They also removed curbsmacial and industrial cooling equipment from the exemptions. So that's now pushing those into the noncompliance territory. For King George County, their noise ordinance update was completed in 2023. They clarified the continuous versus impulse noise. They also added DBC as a form of measurement for their violations. Loudoun County, they actually are phasing in their updates. They got through phase one when I spoke with someone last week, and they are starting on phase two. The really nice thing about the phases, they told me was that they were able to kind of go through phase one and then determine whether that worked for them and what they needed to change going forward. So that was very helpful for them. For the town of Oranton, they required Amazon to reduce their active band levels to reduce the lower frequency sound, which David's gonna speak to about a minute. They added a request to conduct a sound test a month after the facility came online. And the town is currently updating their zoning ordinance, going through a whole public engagement session for their zoning ordinance update. To note on the town of Ornston, they have encountered measurement issues. So having the right meters, having the staff trained to go out and read the meters, they are having to bring in consultants every time they have a violation. And they're saying that that's become very cost prohibitive. So the proposed administrative updates, we added the state and federal citations to the initial paragraph. We added definitions that align with the recommended updates. We provide clarification for the measurements that are to be taken. And then the biggest changes to divide the noise ordinance to reflect the different types of noise in the county. So excessive sound in residential areas. So that would include your normal residential noises, loud parties, barking dogs, those kind of things. And then the industrial construction and commercial noise, which takes it to a done their level and introduces the additional measurements. So I'm gonna introduce David Nelson from Nelson Accuses. Oh, thank you. Good afternoon, Madam Chair, members of the board. I apologize in advance, I'm gonna read my notes because I have a bad habit of rambling. I'm not afraid of eye contact but we'll try to spare you all. My role in this project is to provide technical input. I have 40 years of experience in acoustics and 30 of that is a acoustical consultant and trying to help people make sense out of all this technical gobblingook is what I do every day. And so I hope that by the end of this presentation you'll have a better understanding of what we're trying to get our hands around and why and how. So these are the elements that I want you to consider about sound. One of the most important things and most challenging aspect of noise control engineering is that there are people at the other end. If we were designing a bridge to hold a below-comotive, there's like one answer. But when we're talking about how sound affects the community, there are many answers. Because people are individuals and there's variation in how they respond. So the acoustics part is the physics and the mathematics of sound. That's pretty deterministic. It's, you can find it in textbooks. It's all very straightforward. The second has to do with hearing. There's a variety of, there's a range of hearing sensitivities across the population. And that's, despite it there being some variation there, it's pretty well understood. It's called audiology. You go get a hearing test, you find out how sensitive you are. The most complex element of it is what I call the listening part. The experience of listening encompasses several processes by which the brain sorts out sounds from the background besides whether to focus attention on them. Then determines what useful information that they might carry. Once brought to our attention, the pleasantness and or appropriateness of a sound influence our individual reactions. Also, sound, one of the ways we use sound is that it tells a story, it communicates. And so, each individual interprets the sound, the story that the sound tells based on their personal history and experience. And for this reason, there are a wide range of reactions to the same sound from two people or more standing right next to each other. That's perfectly normal. Okay? So a greater number of potentially and more pronounced negative reactions do occur as a trend when there are higher sound levels. If there are larger and more sudden level changes over time, and or that that sound might have unpleasant characteristics. Okay, so the current Prince William County noise ordinance, as Mr. Hugh pointed out, is written in terms of a weighted sound level. This is by far the most common descriptor of environmental noise, where it came from was decades of research on compatible levels of transportation noise in communities. One of the nice things about roadway noise is it pretty much all sounds the same, it's just how much is there. So a weighted sound level is a very convenient way to make measurements and it's a great proxy for the amount of sound from roadway noise or aircraft noise or a railroad noise. And so it gets used that way, but the problem is when you introduce a different kind of a noise source which isn't like railway noise or roadway noise, you've suddenly lost all the implicit assumptions that go with it. So it's not comprehensive in and of itself when it's used on sound sources that are not transportation noise. And that's a consideration that we're confronting right now. So the draft ordinance before you includes revisions to specifically address impulsive noise, intermittent or fluctuating noise, and continuous? And in order to deal with those, we've added some more concise measurement types. We've added DBC to DBA. There comes our alphabet soup, but I'll explain all that. And we're asking for the octave band sound levels. And I'll explain why we're doing that. OK. So here's a little diagram. You can see the piano keyboard. Most people are familiar generally with how that works. Yeah, one of the chief drawbacks of the a-weighted measurement system is that it's progressively more and more deaf towards the low frequencies. That's one of the things that makes it a convenient measurement. It's immune to wind noise and things of that nature. But the problem is it's blind or deaf if you will to low frequency noise. The C-weighted filtering, which is also present on many sound level meters, or virtually all sound level meters, is almost transparent all the way across. And what we find is that the combination of these two, the C-weighted in particular, includes the low frequency noise, which starts at about the tones of my voice. Male voice, about 125 Hertz, and it goes down from there. The a-weighted scale is very weak in that area. It misses a lot of information. The c-weighted scale, as I said, is more transparent, but both of them are totals. They're just totals. If I told you that weighed has 73 cents in change in his pocket and asked you how many nickels he has, you can't tell me. It's just a total. What if it matters? How many nickels he has? Well, this is what happens in acoustics because it matters what frequency the sound is at. How much sound energy is at different frequencies because our hearing has different sensitivity at different frequencies. So for that reason we introduce what are called octave band sound levels. We slice the piano keyboard up into, essentially, into octaves and the meter totals up the energy in each one of those ranges. And that allows us to evaluate the data in terms of the sensitivity of the human ear, which is reasonably consistent across one of those octaves. And modern day sound level meters can make all these measurements simultaneously. So here's some of the draft sound levels, sorry, that we've been talking about. The proposed sound levels in the draft ordinance are intended to establish a sound environment that promotes compatible use. This is a magic phrase, compatible use, between residential, commercial, and industrial activities. This slide shows proposed maximum permissible levels for impulsive sound. Up in the top there, that would be this segment right here. Okay, these are expressed in both A and C weighted levels and they're more stringent at night to address the potential for waking people up. These levels represent the highest one second average reading. So the meter is kind of averaging every second. This is the highest reading during the measurement period. And it would cover sudden transient sounds, as you might hear around a construction site or something of that nature. Or barking dog, they're not necessarily the target of this ordinance, but that kind of a sound. Secondly, it also shows the proposed levels for what we're calling intermittent sound or time varying sound. Also, once again, expressed in A and C weighted levels and more stringent at night time and also more stringent in residential environments and becoming less restrictive as we go towards industrial uses. And keep in mind, these are inbound to those uses. I was trying to help a community once that decided that they were willing to accept 70 DBA outbound from industrial interresidential community. And that was not the correct application. So this is all inbound to those uses and just for reference this This little combo right here 52 DBA during the day of 47 DBA at night that corresponds to a commonly cited traffic noise level It's a day night weighted level and it represents compatible sound for transportation noise sources in an urban area. So if we were just talking about traffic noise in your most urban areas, 52 DBA and 47 DBA would be appropriate, would be considered fully compatible in those communities. It would be marginally compatible in a suburban community, which represents a large portion of the county as well. All right, so this is where it gets interesting because the continuous noise, what we're dealing with here, this slide shows a proposed octave band sound pressure limits for daytime and nighttime, the two rows. And these are the sound pressure levels which we're recommending as limits for each of the corresponding octave bands. These are median levels. Remember high school statistics or or college statistics, the median is the middle value. Not necessarily the average, it's the middle value. Half the time it's more, half the time it's less. May seem a little perplexing at first, but what that zooms in on is any continuous noise source gets a strong reading in the median value. And so one thing it does effectively, it ignores transient sounds. If the dog starts barking, he doesn't bark more than half the time because he has to breathe and it's ignored. And so it's a convenient way to zero in on the continuous noise. And it also tends to limit the effect of other local micro-weather conditions. You'd be surprised how much just the swirling atmosphere can affect the measurements that you make over a short period of time. Taken together, these three proposed, sorry, taken together, these proposed continuous noise limits are more stringent than the intermittent noise limits on the previous slide and not just because there's more frequency detail. A noise spectrum exactly corresponding to these levels would be 48 DBA during the day instead of 52 and 43 DBA at night instead of 47 and just because of the practicalities of how noise control engineering gets done it's almost impossible to exactly match that spectrum. So they'll be meeting the criterion in a couple of bands and and less in other bands. The net result is that it'll probably be 45 DBA during the day and 40 at night for continuous noise. And so that's about a 15-DB reduction from what the current ordinance requires. So on this slide, we're looking at some active band criteria that are around. They're not actually that common. And I should have mentioned that the shape of that curve, the shape of these numbers has to do with the fact that we're less sensitive at low frequencies, so there can be more sound for the same amount of impact. But less sound, less and less sound, as we go to higher frequency, because we're more and more sensitive So, let me go ahead. So in the octave band criteria, the two left hand columns are day and night proposed limits, these are the limits that warranton is using and these are some octave band limits from the state of Oregon, which I'm also familiar with. And you can see that they're in the generally in the same ballpark, but the ones that we're proposing are somewhat more stringent. Slide 16 shows the Achilles heel of the system that we're proposing. This is an ordinance that says, thou shalt make this much sound. And it's conceptually easy to apply that to a particular noise maker. If I want the projector to make X amount of noise, then I can dictate that. The problem that we're having is that there's one projector today, there'll be another one tomorrow, there'll be another one after that, and how we're going to deal with that situation. So one aspect that the ordinance can only reform but not control is long-term planning. And in noise control engineering we have to think about these things and so it's something that the county is going to have to consider. While the proposed ordinance seeks to limit the overall sound level and or changes from the pre-existing background, if there are multiple project phases, each building comes online or there is a campus with several different data centers, the sound levels have a tendency to ratchet up over time. We might have data center number one with the Mitz 40 decibels, 48 decibels in a 40 dB environment, the new totals 43. If we then say, okay, the new ambience 43, data center 2 comes in and it can be 43 also, which makes 46. And so the level ratchets up over time. If that happens really slowly, it might not be that horrible. But if it happens rapidly, we'll get a reaction. Okay, so if the project prevailing sound levels are resampled after each project completion, the sound levels could increase indefinitely. To avoid this, a comprehensive noise control plan for a campus or for a project is needed. With our priori noise budgets assigned to each segment of the project, the reason you have to do this is without doing it, later arrivals on the scene may find that all the earlier projects already emit all the permissible sound and the later arrivals are suddenly saddled with extreme noise control requirements that were not applied to the earlier phases of the project. So this type of planning is not only in the interest of the county, it's in the interest of the people who are developing campuses and it's in the interest of the individual applicants because it's like if your teenage brother gets to the pizza 30 minutes before you do, you're out of luck. So this has to be controlled, okay? That kind of forethought has to be applied for it to be really successful and practical in the long run. And that's more than this ordinance can actually accomplish because it reaches into the planning phase. So here's some, oh, well, I didn't show you all those, but you got the picture as they kind of, There's a runaway situation potentially happening. So my normal job as an acoustical consultant is to walk up to a facility, figure out what's happening with the noise and figure out in preparation for what to do about it. So this slide is my incorrigible habit of doing this. It does not, what you see on this slide, these are just my attempts to understand the greater context of what's happening, the things that I'm reporting in this slide of no bearing on the ordinance or its interpretation. They do however highlight challenges for enforcement, and some aspects that are affecting community reaction. So, during my visit on January the 30th, we were over in the Great Oaks neighborhood, and it was interesting because it was a strong mixture of traffic noise and data center noise. It was difficult to pick them out. Our measurements are most reliable when one is clearly dominant. And this can vary from day to day, from time to time, during and the day. So this is based on a snapshot. The crazy thing was the farther we got from the data center, the more obvious it was. Not necessarily louder, but the more obvious it was. And the explanation that I was coming up with was it probably has to do with the fact that roof parapets are making acoustic shadow from the equipment. So it really makes a difference where you measure. The closest location may not be the most relevant one. Okay? That can happen. I did observe some low frequency tones. Those are associated with mechanical equipment. And they were strong enough to be audible indoors. Yeah. So that was my observations of great oaks on that day, that morning. I didn't include a mention of Wellington Glen. We'll see some data from there later. This is literally across the street from Iron Mountain. It was almost all traffic noise with one exception, which we'll discuss when we get there. Horn Baker location, there was a lot of traffic noise. The day I was there, other days that Wade has been there. It's been much more pronounced data center noise. We had to keep pausing the measurement because the aircraft were flying over. These are practical considerations for enforcement. So the people wielding the sound level meters need the kind of training that we're gonna talk about here in a while so they can do this effectively. There was a high frequency tone that was noticeable on the ground and I was imagining that maybe it's somewhat blocked because of the angle of the louvers because to my understanding we haven't had complaints from the apartment dwellers literally what 200 feet across and so how could that happen? It goes back to people right there are There are reasons that people do what they do. We also made some measurements near Cloud HQ across the highway from it or across the road and it was very difficult to pick out. Had a heck of a time. And so there was a lot of traffic and some aircraft operations at Minasses. So here's what my spreadsheets look like and these columns that were called LEQ columns in a weighted and c weighted flavors those are the inter- compared to the intermittent noise standard 52 and 47 DBA and 65 and 60 DBC day and night. These are daytime measurements in areas that are not affected by data center noise at this time. Anything that's highlighted in red, sorry, anything that's highlighted in red is a non-compliant situation. The sound levels are above the recommended limits. So one of the instructions that I received was avoid false positives. We don't want everyday life to be out of compliance. Because that would short circuit everything we're trying to do. So what we see here, we do here see some red and one of the things that happened was there was a bus, parked nearby during this measurement. There were mowers cutting the grass at the park in this measurement and these two measurements were affected by a significant amount of traffic noise and that's traffic noise a big factor in different parts of the county because you have big roads and that's something that has to be considered in enforcement. What's not apparent on this slide is it could have been two or three different slides but you see our day criterion down here the a waited and c waited criteria and then the octubane criteria. If I crank those down 5 dB and let Excel do all its conditional formatting half of those residential neighborhoods are out of compliance Okay, and all of the schools are out of compliance and all the parks are out of compliance So this criterion is riding just a few dB above kind of everyday life If you want to think of it that way. So on the one hand, it would be nice to go lower. We get more satisfaction from neighbors, but if we do that, we run into practical considerations of false positives. The same thing at night. This is some data from nighttime in unaffected areas and basically especially in the summertime you get a lot of crickets in this band here and this was a windy day, windy night with wind in the trees. So when an officer goes out to answer a complaint those things have to be kind of in that person's mind to avoid assigning a false positive to a location. So during the day, by contrast, when we went to the data centers, we have a lot of pink on the scoreboard here. As I mentioned before, Wellington Glen is almost all traffic noise. And just to look at the numbers, it's not obvious. But the recordings, the meter that we have makes recordings. So we have audio recordings. If you have to play them in court, you can tell. Am I listening to cars going back and forth? Or am I listening to the constant noise of the data center? Let's see, a tenor whey and a horn baker., Wade has actually trained himself with my help to do these measurements. And so he's out here making these measurements and making notes on what he hears during this measurement of Tanner way, the note indicates that the data center was primary and same thing for Horn Baker, is, and it's consistently out of compliance here. And I keep saying out of compliance because I don't recommend you just go out there and make one 10 minute reading and start proceedings. I think there needs to be, in many, in perhaps most cases, there needs to be a repeated look at it before we determine that there's actually a violation. Okay, because these measurements are not easy to make and the lower we go with the sound levels, the harder it is to make a reliable measurement. The more training is needed to make a reliable measurement. So it's a some practical considerations there. So that's the daytime data centers. Here's the nighttime data centers. If you have good glasses, you can see the dates here. Oh, right. January 30th was the day that I was out there. These classes are probably not a not fully accurate column because Wellington Glen, all of Wellington Glen was traffic noise except for this right here. See these 70s in the 31 and a half Hertz band? When we showed up, there were emergency vehicles on the site. And I don't know whether it was an emergency condition, but there was a low frequency tone in there that was probably rattling windows. And that would be trapped if that was a continuous, a consistent pattern, that would be trapped here. And that would be non-compliant in that single octave all by itself. And that's enough to ring the bell. The fact that all the rest of this is traffic noise is secondary, at least from where we measured. If you measured other places in the community, might be a different story, might be less traffic noise. Let's see, we talked about Wellington Glen, we talked about Tanner Way, I didn't talk about Tanner Way. So Tanner Way shows a lot of red here, especially the day I was out there. Most of this data comes from January the 30th. There was a mixture of traffic noise and data center noise. And I had to do some fancy mathematics in the background to try to guess how much of it was data center noise and my preliminary analysis indicates that the data center is out of compliance, at least in some of those active bands and all those places. Let's see, Hornbaker, once again, that location's very noisy, it's out of compliance, so pretty much every time we go there. So in summary, one of the things I want you to consider is that we all individually experience the world differently and that probably goes double for reactions to unwanted sound. The proposed levels in the ordinance are anchored in the accumulated wisdom of 70 years of engineering literature regarding compatible use. One of the things that people in my industry always be mone is that that 70 years of stuff doesn't show up in community ordinances very much. But if you all take these recommendations, you will be taking the best advantage of that information. So these levels that are recommended update the existing noise ordinance to bring it into harmony with these historical guidelines. We've augmented all that with detailed analysis that better captures the bulk of people's and noise reactions. And as I mentioned before, the overall goal is to promote a compatible sound environment so that residential, commercial, and industrial uses can continue to develop together. The proposed levels are more restrictive for continuous noise sources and at night. And they're about as low as I think it's safe to go without and still avoid a significant number of the false positives. From an enforcement standpoint, the ordinance works the best when an officer can go in the field and identify a single prominent noise source as plainly audible against the background. The presence of competing nearby noise sources or a high background level, Prince's traffic, complicate the assessment and will require some combination of longer-term monitoring and professional assistance. The proposed levels would address the expectations of a broad majority of the population, county wide. However, they cannot and will not eliminate all complaints. In order they fully address the reactions of the most sensitive individuals. If we tried to set levels that would address the most sensitive individuals, then the burden would be applied county wide. And we would have very low sound levels and lots of false positives. So my recommendation professionally in those situations is to handle them in a case-by-case basis. Let's see, the proposed levels also do not fully address the concerns of those who have been previously overexposed to incompatible noise levels. One of the things I tell all my clients is don't hit them hard and then think you're going to introduce noise control after the fact because they're much more sensitive after they've been exposed to it. They can pick that sound out from almost anything else and it tells the story of what they went through. And so you really, if you're making a data center or any industrial facility, you need to think about that to stay ahead of the game. But once that occurs, people are much more sensitive and more noise control is applied, is required to achieve a particular level of acceptance. And once again, those levels if applied, countywide would result in significant false positives. So I'm aware that the proposed levels are not as low as some residents we're hoping for. I'm aware that the proposed levels are lower than some of the data centers we're hoping for, especially those that have already constructed their facilities and are now dealing with a change. Furthermore, I'm aware that some businesses will now have to consider noise emission for the first time. Nevertheless, it's my professional opinion that the proposed levels are close to the best possible result, balancing the request for enforceable sound levels on the one hand that provide significant relief with a minimum of false positives. And I would like to say that I agree with some of the other comments that the county is in kind of an unenviable situation of being in a position to set some leadership for other communities going the same path considering the same issues. And so thanks for your attention to this important matter and to my remarks. Jen is up next. Thank you. So, Jaylark did their report out, which we were really kind of glad to see, because it's very supportive of some of the information that we're providing as well. And so, one, some of the recommendations for land use regulations were to classify data centers as an industrial use. Revisers earning maps to prevent the by right data centers were next to residential. So I want to be very clear about that. Like the next to residential is where everyone, not just Prince William County is finding that to be a challenge. Ensure minimum requirements for data center developments, but the setbacks, the building heights, the things that we're talked about in the presentation prior to this one, as they up optimal locations for data center development, which is a way from residential and close to transmissions, require pre-development sound modeling and revised ordinance to better prevent and address noise conflicts. Some of these items are going to be, well most of these items are going to be passed on to mostly architects. We have Matt with them and discussed these things with them as well. So additional land use updates initiate changes to the zoning ordinances to address the incoming data centers and other industrial uses for best practices. Review locations of zones currently allowing Dennis Ernest by right and reassess the overlay district. So while you consider the proximity to existing and repose residential areas, parks, historical landmarks, while doing the sighting for these data centers, consider data center applications within the context of current and planned development. So that's key. It's not just what's there now, it's what you all have approved or could potentially be there going forward Ensure incoming industrial development includes necessary setbacks building heights and access to the infrastructure Require pre-development sound modeling to better prevent and address noise conflicts So the enforcement updates For the excessive sound and residential areas. We were told that Prince William County Police Department wanted to continue to address those. We do have a recommendation later on that says maybe legislatively that you would consider changing that and allowing kind of a different type of response, kind of like Fairfax County setup as far as the code enforcement. But the police, the Prince William County Police Department will continue to address and work with the County Attorney's Office to move this forward as necessary. The Industrial Construction and Commercial Noise, that's look, we're proposing it to be a joint effort with the police department and the public works department. They, the county would like to propose purchasing 10 new level one noise meters at 50,000 each. Staff training with the use of the meters, $2,000. This came specifically from the DCOAG, the records noise technical assistance center. They actually offer an online certification program. Per registration is $1120. When I was talking to the representative from Warren's head about this, she was very excited because now she doesn't have to hire somebody at $6,000 a turn. She can get her own staff trained. Third party noise consultant is estimated at $3,000 plus or minus per violation. And then that was for the reviewing of the meters and the information that was collected while they were doing the measurements. And then a cost to obtain an ambient noise rating for a residential community by a consultant would be about 30,000. And then time to respond to these noise violations needs to be considered by the board as far as addressing existing data centers. So these are the things that we're going to require additional processes whether it be legislatively or something that the board would consider changing on their own. So update the zoning ordinance which obviously is already underway, develop potential impact checklists for incoming data centers and industrial complexes and add a noise emission model. Consider reassessing the data center. Overlay District changed zoning and building codes to require updated design practices for data center industrial use. Some of the communities that I looked at had a same look and feel requirement for any kind of industrial use that was coming in to a community where there was maybe potential for the data center to look out of place. So that was the consideration. Also require monitoring and enforce sound pressure levels at the monitor locations, including use of perimeter monitoring. So again, they may need legal review or legislative updates. I'm going to hand it to you. Thank you, Jen. One quick point of clarification. So currently we enforce the noise ordinance. It's through the criminal code. And so the police department worked with commonwealth attorney, not the county attorney. So just want to make that clarification. So now we're at the end part. And I know there'll probably be questions and so forth. But this is what we're really looking for, for board direction and guidance. So one would be, as we talked, we'd basically rewrite the ordinance. Get 30 years old, we need to rewrite it, reorganize it, add some additional definitions, restructure it. So we have the nuisance residential and then the industrial construction noise. So one would be does the board want to go that direction to as restructure it so we have the nuisance residential and then the industrial construction noise. So one would be does the board want to go that direction. Two, as Mr. Nelson had discussed, you know breaking out the sound into three different areas where we're talking impulse noise which is construction largely intermittent and continuous. So that would be the second question. Third we talked a lot about what we need to do for future projects coming in. And right now some of this will take legislative authority. You know through a rezoning application or special use, certainly an applicant can voluntarily say, I'll go ahead and do some ambient noise testing before my project starts. And I'll even do modeling. They can certainly do that. But for projects that are already up up and running we don't have authority today to require Somebody to submit testing or modeling We just they could be great practice of folks know when they come in especially to building a campus And they're gonna have four or five buildings It just makes sense to do the modeling up front to know when you open day one Are you gonna be compliant? So the question for the board is yes? If you like to go down that path We certainly would work with our legislative team to have something for you for the next legislative section session to give us that access. And then fourth, again, if we're going to change the ordinance re-write it, we're going to go to the different octave scales, DBCs that was talked about, then I would look for guidance from the board to work with the county I'm going to a budget proposal. And I know in some discussions before, does it make sense to have the consultant there? So every time there's a complaint, we bring a consultant out to the field to actually do the testing. They're the experts. We have to go to court. There are going to be the witness there explaining how and they got to those measurements. Does it make sense to do the consultant or just hire somebody and staff? Because as you saw it, three to five thousand dollars a pop violation that doesn't take long before you could hire your own acoustics engineer. I think at least initially the thought would be, let's get our feet wet and learn from that experience first using a consultant. But anyhow, that's the end of the formal presentation and look forward to questions and guidance. All right. Thank you so very much. And thank you for the experts for coming out here today and presenting. I have a few questions and I know that waiting for other people to jump in because I do want everyone to bring back up the questions so people can. For me, on page on site six, Collier County in Florida divided noise ordinances into multiple sections. On page nine it's so that we are looking at something similar. I just want to know, are we going to be doing something closer to Collier County? Because having the three band, having a tenuous intermentant impulse is great. But are we going to further divide it? I don't know. So let me, okay, let me re-friend that. So the devoid it, yeah. So in Collier County, the divided noise ordinance into multiple sections. Are we modeling ours after that? Or what does it do we think it can look like? So they have multiple sections. It falls actually under environment for their zoning ordinance, not under noise or zoning. It was very vastly different. The division that I came up with actually came from one of the areas here in Virginia, I believe. I was trying to to keep things within the state of Virginia so that you all were not doing something so far out of the realm of what is happening. Or what we're allowed to do as a Dylan Rolls-Straight. Yeah, it's construction noise. You're saying what's that? That was intermittent. I believe construction was a continuous or intermittent. I would expect that construction noise would be a mixture of intermittent sound and with impulsive sound also. So it could be both. Okay. And slide 17. You were mentioning something about indoors taking noise indoors. Did you take any sound measurements indoors like in the Grado community? No, man. Believe it or not, we in the noise control engineering community are allergic to indoor noise measurements for the simple reason that every spot in the room has a different number and every room in the house has a different number and every house on the street has a different number. So because it's much easier for us to evaluate sound level outdoors. However, we do have, there are some generic expectations of how the sound isolation of a typical home, and I did seduce some mathematics related to that. And the recommended levels do produce an environment that should be compatible with sleep, for instance, and compatible with sound levels inside a home that could easily be masked by air conditioning. One of the things that won't do is if you wake up, it may still be audible. If you get awakened for any reason, and you hear the sound, and you remember the sound, and then there's that whole experience that goes with it. And do you plan to take it because you were doing it in the winter? Are you going to be coming back? Are you going to be doing additional sound testing throughout the year? I'm not contracted to do any additional sound testing. I think it will probably be weighed with help from Officer Castillo, right? Madam Chair, I think at this point in terms of the ordinance, the measurements we've taken will probably take some additional measurements just to be clear in a couple areas. If the board's direction to move forward with what we're proposing, we'll hit some school sites, some hospital sites, maybe a couple different locations, construction to make sure that we're picking up whether doing blasting or ho-ramming work because again, we understand you know know even housing construction has to continue so we don't want to set those impulse levels to where we're violating the folks trying to construct homes so we'll do some more testing but we don't feel like we need to do additional testing all through the summer to hone in on where we're at with data center noise and some of the other these others. And then one other question is the Grado community I mean I mean, honestly, that's the reason why we're here today. That has been an ongoing problem. Were you able to use any of their data? Has that helped inform this study? The data that they've acquired is a weighted and c weighted sound levels, which lack the specificity of the octave bands. So as I mentioned before, you could tell whether there was likely to be an octave band violation if the overall sound level was above 43 DBA at night, for instance, then you would know that at least one of those octave bands had to be out, but which octave bands were out and by how much is not available from that data? That's so quickly, because I only have a little bit of time. I just want to say, if you bring back the last line, I'm fine with what's moving forward, but I just, with the understanding that there's still some refinement to do on the noise levels. And we've got to find a way to make sure that, yes to all, but we've got to continue working with the communities that are most impacted to make sure that this is an acceptable noise level for them to continue to live their lives. So with that, I have supervisor Bodie up next. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for the presentation and all the work that's been done. And wait, thank you for meeting with my my office I know you've been making the rounds. A couple of questions. What was the thought process behind lumping construction in with commercial and industrial noise knowing that construction is pretty different than an established commercial or industrial structure that's operating in perpetuity. Can you talk about that a little bit? So in terms of the sections, again, what we wanted to do in the ordinances, divide out, I'll call it the nuisance noise. So when we talk about the excessive residential, that's the party in the loud music, the barking dogs really have a separate section. And then the rest would be the industrial, the construction noises you just stated. But what I would envision is under construction, it would kind of have its own section and be specific. So we wouldn't be kind of folding them into that continuous noise as was stated. It would be more impulse and intermittent. I appreciate that because that was what I wanted to get at because ultimately it is different. We know that things that happen on the constructions are very different than the established commercial building or established industrial building. So I appreciate that. When you were all testing, where you're taking into consideration topography, other sort of environmental considerations as well. Because we know that in different areas, topography may make a difference as well in terms of how sound carries. You may be that in some cases registering great oak there was a I think you could call it an acoustical shadow because the directly next to the building they had the parapets but then the sound carried over the parapet farther out did natural barriers and natural topography play a role in your testing as well well it plays a role in how the sound rules around the neighborhood and we did make several different measurements at different spots in the neighborhood. So the topography of those areas was included implicitly in the measurements. The sound levels that are required are not, do not, address that directly, it's the result that you get. So yeah. And the topography contributes to the results. Right. And if I could just add to that. So what we did do to, maybe this is where your point's going is we did have David and JMP collaborate with Mosley. That's working on the zoning and DCSM. So they could understand as we're developing setbacks and berms and great elevations they need to understand how all that factors in so maybe in certain areas with grading you would say well in this case you need a 400 foot setback but in another case you only made me 200 because of how sound travels. That's exactly I appreciate that because that's exactly where I was getting to, because if obviously photography, you can't change that with how you're measuring, but from a reform standards, and looking at performance standards, and citing and grading, and so the other things that we work through on different cases, we know that we can address that, and that should be frankly part of the conversations around these projects, which gets me to something that I think was mentioned when we talked about the cumulative sound and how each individual building, once you're built out, has a commutative effect. I think you mentioned it was called a Comprehensive Noise Plan for the entire campus or the project. What does that look like? And how can we build centers around that? Well, the first element in that is to require each project applicant to model their noise emission. So there would be a model that's created. And that's what what JNT is recommending and I concur is that each player would have to model their noise emission and the model that determines the sound pressure level in the community would take into account topography and other indistence and other other issues. But as far as the comprehensive noise plan goes, is that basically you would mathematically build out the entire project. And then somehow you have to come through and start budgeting and say, well, everybody needs to give up 2DB because we're 2DB over at this location right here. And, and there's some, some give and take that happens in the background that we do as consultants all the time, just even within the components of a large installation. But yeah, that's kind of how it works. As you start, you build it out mathematically, see where you going to get, and then you have to start budgeting. And so the result would be that if I'm trying to sell parcel seven or ground lease parcel seven for a data center, I already know that the total, it's called sound power level, that can come out of parcel seven is X. So when the data center community comes and they want to look at that, they know how much sound power they're going to put out of their data center comfortably and they may decide I like that, I don't like that, it's too much work. We can do it, then they can make a decision because it's been modeled in advance. That's what that looks like. Out of times I'll come back for the rest of my later. Thank you Madam Chair. Sorry I talked to you out. All right no worries. And wait, quickly, Boatey, are you a yes on those or no? Or do we need a simple yes or no? Or do you need to come back later for five? All right, supervisor Bailey. Thank you Madam Chair. So first of all, I'm just really thank you for the report, Wade and for your group. Thank you and welcome. I'm glad that we're getting this detailed information because we should have had this back in 2008 when we first started with data centers. So we're at a point now where we can move forward. And I'm really glad that the DCOJ had input on this because that was something that the community was asking in the past first term about this. And so I think we're at a point now just to see the earlier presentation with the ordinance, refinement of the ordinances on the zone ordinance. And this, we're right there at a position where we can have more refined decisions as to whether we go forth with this industry and where. And that's real important. On page 18, you had on there, and let me be selfish for a minute, if you would indulge me. You had on there Montclair, which is my district, subdivision, and Montclair Library. And so I'm really glad that you had them included. And that shows a lot of what do you call it false positives? Yes, that me, huh? False positives? Not in the Montclair Measurements, ma'am. Okay, not there. Yes. I'm making sure that I'm reading them. So why did you stop just in that part and then go all the way towards 95 and do the study that over that way. Well, I guess I'll answer that question because that was with the testing that we did. So one, we've done a lot of testing in and around where the data centers are and you saw that with the Tannerway and the Wellington Glen and Horn Baker. We just wanted to get some sites, just general sites through the county so we could get a sense of what kind of, what's your ambient noise? So we wanted to hit some over in the Montclair area, we hit some out in Noxville to get a rural rural area, just to get some general ambient noise around the county. So that's the reason it was more sporadic and where we picked those measurements. Okay, okay. We'd like to see that more. And then on page 26, let me just go there. I don't want to, because I've got to, I want to make sure that I'm addressing everything there. Hold on. 26. Yes. Again, updating the zoning ordinance we're there. And one of the things that we talked about, and wait if you can just flesh this out, terms of legislation, modifying citation and fees and high penalties that was another thing that the community asked as well. Can you kind of flesh that out for us and what that looks like real quick? We have I mean because currently right now we enforce again through the criminal code and it's a class two misdemeanor for the offenses. So there's different options that we could work with County Attorney's Office whether some supervisors have said maybe we need to move to the criminal and I'm sorry to the civil. Because at that point we could take the police out and we could actually maybe have public works inspectors go out and do it. But there's advantages and disadvantages to both. And so if we came back with a recommendation, we would give you more detail on what those advantages and disadvantages are. One, if you went civil, the penalties are much lower. There is a caveat in there about industrial that there's an exemption in the code if the noise is coming from an industrial site. So I definitely want to flush that out before I got specific on that at all. But that's where we would need to work a little more on the details to see. And if you wanted legislative changes, well, if you wanted to change what those fines are in terms of class one and class two, that would take legislative change. Okay, let's go in the next cycle. So, Madam Chair, just to respond to you, I am definitely in support of us going forward with this. I think it's absolutely necessary and will help us to address some of the concerns that the community has. All right, thank you so very much. Supervisor Gourdy is next. Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to kind of continue a little bit on the question that Supervisor Boate but very specifically, we, you know, is in trying to mitigate as much as we can with industrial zoning, we have, you know, we create these buffers. Well, buffers are trees. To what extent do trees stop noise? Leafy trees, which are coming around here, stop noise very poorly, especially when the leaves fall off, then they're transparent. Even when the leaves are on, they're pretty close to transparent. A thick buffer of pine trees actually absorbs some sound because of the mat of pine needles that forms on the ground. It makes a nice sound absorbing pillow, but you need several tens, maybe a hundred or two hundred feet of it to really make a big dent. What actually happens with that, it's a psychological thing. If you can't see the plant, often seems less loud to some some people I could tell you stories about that but I won't waste your time No, no, and there are greatly a lot of processes that shouldn't add up that way Yeah, and so you can't rely on trees Well, thank you for that and that's been one of my concerns all along is tree buffers are meant to shield the view not necessarily the sound and so you know as we we continue having to deal with many of these cases I think we just need to have an understanding that tree buffers don't stop noise so to the level that people may think that they do. One of the issues and one of the issues that I have brought up in terms of noise and clearly we've been dealing with this because of the dump trucks. It's the use of Jake Breaks within our communities and our residential where they're using the engine brakes to slow down the dump trucks. And speaking, in speaking with Wade yesterday, and this is one of the things I would like for us to consider, is the potential prohibition of use of Jake Breaks at certain times of the day, but kind of same thing with our industrial and construction. Because I know, in one neighborhood, particularly in the Supervisor Wears district, they have dump trucks going at 3, 2, 3, 4 o'clock in the morning and using their Jake brakes and that is very loud. And people are not able to sleep because of that. And even in Noakesville where we got a 37 out there, it is interrupted routinely by engine breaks being utilized through the hauling of with dump trucks running through our community. So that is one area. Madam Chair, just two more things. One, thank you to the Data Center group for everything you've been doing. This really initiated because I tried to solve this on the planning commission on the data center case to have them comply with the noise ordinance even without their, you know, to no longer exempt their HVAC system. We said, well, that's not really enforceable. So how do we get to this? And that was in July of 2022 when we started this. So I am ecstatic that we're here and I appreciate all the hard work that's going into this over the in that time to help us try to find a way forward because this is trying to unravel this not has not been easy and so for the slide 27, the four questions, I do support them with including a specific breakout for construction development and then ensuring that we're establishing those, the A, the C and the octabands as part of the criteria in there. So with that, I'll turn it back over to you, Madam Chair. Thank you. All right, quickly because we are coming up to seven o'clock and we're gonna have to do a public hearing. I just want to let everyone know that I'm making a couple of changes to the agenda based on time. We are going to go into the public hearing next, then we're gonna do closed session, then we'll do public comic time and then supervisors time. With that supervisor we're... Thank you and I'm going to switch up a little bit because I actually want your professional opinion based on what supervisor Gordy just said about trees. In your professional opinion does planting a 20 foot wide buffer of 12 foot conifers next to a 90 foot tall data center with the equipment on the roof do anything for sound attenuation. That's there. Thank you. That was a no correct. That was a no. Um, a little more down in the weeds. There's nothing restricting us to octane band. We can actually We're even further down into hurts ranges if we needed to identify a particular source by tracking a particular hurts coming from a particular equipment and doing and vectoring it that way. Yes You could you could write the ordinance in one third octave bands. I'm saying from an enforcement standpoint, we could break a data to Hertz and... In theory, but it just becomes much more complex. What you're talking about identifying particular noise sources and zeroing in... Yes. That's the kind of thing that you might want to leave to consultants because there's a lot of tools. I don't disagree, but the technology exists, the... I mean, and has existed for decades, but, I mean, that's all I'm trying to get to, the technology exists to define where something has come from. What is responsible for the sound? In direct cases, for instance, if I know the RPM of a particular machine, I can, and some other parameters of the machine, I can pick that thing out. But you could also try to regulate it for multiple sensors. Correct. The problem with microphones is they're immensely stupid. Is they don't know what direction sound is coming from. They don't know which source is responsible for it. How many sources are responsible for the energy that shows up at that point. They're nothing like the human mind. But does it be able to switch? Does that change if you've got multiple locations and multiple microphones or make it easier, I should say? It gets a little simpler, but it gets much more complex. Okay. Since we have a significant amount of great oak data, you're saying it's not somewhat not useful because of the lack of the octane band. Since we've got a known situation there, and a suspicion that it falls within that octave range, wouldn't it make sense to use that sort of as the baseline, do more testing there over a relatively extended period of time and in other locations? And how long would you suggest we do that for? How long to do it for? That's... I know ideally it would be for every season and every time, but I mean... Well, the shortest that I would recommend is going... I mean, three days is the shortest that I would recommend, including at least one weekend day, because then you get some lower traffic levels, and then you see some of the higher traffic levels on the work days. When I've done measurements around power plants and things like that, we've been out there for two weeks, but I was measuring it a lot of different locations. So it tended to be three to five days at each location. Characterize it pretty well. All right. My concern is that, you know, this isn't just a noise issue, this is a public health issue. It's sound pollution would deal with here. And some people are more attuned to it than others, but it does have mental and physical impacts. And that's a particular concern. It's not only in residential neighborhoods, but now we've got schools students that are being impacted by it. Right, we've dropped the ball from a planning standpoint. And we're going to continue to have problems as we have multiple locations with multiple data centers in close proximity, some of which haven't even, aren't even operational. The building's up, but the noise issue hasn't, hasn't kicked in yet. I would take a little bit of issue with the low frequency noise. I think from a health standpoint, that continuous low frequency noise is probably more of a health issue than the intermittent higher noise levels, at least that's my understanding. And I guess that's why sighting is so important. And why I wanted this to be included in what the DCO AG was doing, and why sighting was so critical to putting this together, because you're going to have different impacts in different areas. And I think that's, I just can't overemphasize how much that needs to be addressed. But I think we do, at the end of the day, we do have the technology available, the technology exists, the personnel exists out there. Human resources to differentiate out the continuous sound from the intermittent sound, we do have the ability to target it. It's just getting the resources to do it. If I may, I just wanted to point out because this has come up a couple times from different supervisors, the best practices that were identified during the research showed the combination of the noise ordinance with the zoning ordinance. And having the DCOIG serving on both is priority for sure. Thank you. All right, thank you, surprise, or angry? Thank you, Madam Chair. So wait, to include a change in the noise scale, I just want to hear you say this, what is the current noise scale and what do we change it to? What is your recommendation? Well, the current scale is the A-weighted. And that's essentially very simple. It's 60 decibels daytime, 55 decibels nighttime. and what we're recommending would be a combination where we would have an impulse scale that would have a weighted C weighted. We'd have an intermittent a weighted C weighted and then for continuous noise we would go with the octaves. Okay we've shown on there. There's a number there that we're trying to get. Because I'm just looking at the slide 16. Yeah 16 with the where you get the comparison between the data centers and it admits 40 DBA and if they build out their campuses, go three more, it basically goes up when we say it here, so we have to keep moving the scale to send it to something. I mean, literally, we're talking about changing the noise chapter for the county, but we focus in so much on data centers and everything is included. The chart that you show where you gave some samples and I saw you claim came over to Cloverdale. So, I have a sewage plan and that sewage plan is pretty much continuous and I have many grocery stores and those grocery stores are continuous and they're in able is really curious what those scales are, what are those ranges? And if that's something, and my concern here is really the fact that I'm hearing a lot about really the target of data center. So if we were really folks in there, I think I heard you mentioned that another locality slid their noise for data center under the environment or something. So is this discussion really about putting data center noise somewhere else? Or because what we're doing in the noise chapter will affect everything in the county. So as we start going forward and I don't think we can separate out if we go to one place and find out that they're in, you know, they're not in compliance. We can't wave that to simply go and try to find you know a data center that isn't as well. So I you know my concern is really there You know, I don't mind changing the chapter. I'm updating the whole noise chapter But I am concerned with with these levels out over trying to get to and if we're trying to get to a certain point That we're doing that for every industry that is going to be in those violations in the county. And then I just ask, well, I guess that's really it. That's just my comment in statement I'll make. And Supervisor Angry, if I could very quickly, is to your point, you're exactly right. We can't single out a specific industry. We can't have the ordinance to say this is just data center. to your point, it applies to everyone, which is why we've been and I've been very sensitive to the unintended consequences. How does it impact schools, hospitals? We did do a couple of shopping centers, restaurants in the areas, just to test again to make sure. And again, if the direction is to move forward, we're going to do some additional testing to have a comfort level that we don't give you you an ordinance that all of a sudden has all these unintended consequences. So if we can go back to the last slide I'll just simply tell you I'm for updating the noise, the ordinance. I'm concerned about the noise scale, how we're going to do that because I definitely, what I've heard a lot of it literally signals out, we're really about data centers on on this, so I wanna make sure that we're... I speak to that? Yes. So, Ed Davidson with J&T, so, yes, data centers, obviously we're the trigger for a lot of this action, but that's not how we're looking at it from developing the ordinance and the enforcement approach. It's compatibility issue. So, Nelson's done a lot of work on identifying what compatible levels are for residential areas and that would apply countywide to all types of uses that have the potential to impact residential communities. And thank you for that because I just I've been hearing a lot of one target. Okay so very concerning for me me. So I just want to make sure that. If I bet, that's where the noise budget comes in. And on the way I addressed it, was transportation improvement districts were developed because what was happening was, if you were looking at developments coming in, each parcel at a time, the last in, is then on the hook for all the traffic that's been generated in that area. And so what it did was it made it more fair because now everybody comes in, they know what they're getting, they know what they're paying to contribute to those improvements. So it's kind of the same principle. All right, quickly because we are coming up at seven o'clock. So are you, which ones are you, yes to all four or are there some that you're yes to? It's still a work in progress. It's going to be a work in progress, but I because I've got to move this meeting. So are you yes to all of them? Some of them. You know, the remat, the red of the order, so that's enough. All right. So I'm supervisor voting. I'm going to get to Franklin Vega, then I'll come back to you and wear again based on time. So supervisor Franklin. Yeah, thank you. Just want to clarify first on. You mentioned about the a maximum of c max on page 15. I see for the daytime the proposed for a is 48 in c is 65. Am I looking at this wrong? Is that the proposed for Prince William County? No. No, ma'am, you're seeing it correctly, and I probably it's misleading to have it on there. Those A weighted and C weighted sound levels are the max, what you would get, they are implicit in those active band spectra, but they are not explicitly in the ordinance. Understood. So, why could you say with those levels are that you're proposing again? 60, 55. Okay. Thank you. And then also, so I know where, you know, you say that this is not really about the data center industry but the whole presentation is about the data center industry. And to be fair, that's what triggered this discussion, as has been mentioned. So I think that's okay. But as Supervisor Angry mentioned, if it brings other entities kind of into this and wait, I know you're going to do some additional weightings, but particularly like I'm just throwing out like some of the trash trucks that come before 7 a.m. Because I know our target. There's what 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. Is what we're looking at amending the noise ordinance, but Particularly for that industry, obviously they have a lot of communities to service and they break those up into days, but even on those days Particularly where I live is very dense, so they have a lot of communities to get through. Have you taken that into consideration in terms of how to, I don't know if Cater is the best word, but thinking about these entities that have different circumstances based on their business model? Note, into your point, Supervisor Franklin, that's been a lot of the discussion, even with the DCO AG, as we've talked about, they've probably gotten tired of hearing me say it over and over, but the unintended consequences, understanding that this ordinance crosses many, many different industries. And so again, we don't want to set something that were the issue at heart, as we've just said, is the noise from data centers. that's what we're really focused on. So while we're trying to draw the levels down to say we get them to a certain level that attacks or addresses the data center noise centers. That's what we're really focused on. So while we're trying to draw the levels down to say we get them to a certain level that attacks or addresses the data center noise. But let's not take them to a level that all of a sudden now we've created noise with just household construction or trash halls. That's right. And you mentioned that. So let's make sure that we're actually taking those things into consideration because again, different entities, different business models, different levels of effectiveness for how they do their business. The last couple of things and actually maybe agree with Supervisor Weir in terms of the specific devices used to kind of bring out certain sounds like if we're looking to determine if data centers are violating this ordinance, then I would agree to make sure that we have whatever this instrument is that can Delineate between data center between construction between whatever else so that we're not Getting all these false positives and not being able to be really clear or really Using our own discretion, which I don't think we should if you're talking about a civil or a criminal matter. So that's something that I think I would actually agree to. And then just going in terms of, I'm Glass-Supervisor Gordon you mentioned about buffering with regards to trees and how ineffective those could be. But obviously we do have things like sound walls that we've built in other residential communities being built, particularly if it's next to a highway or things of that nature. Can you talk a little bit about the effectiveness or sound barriers and sound walls, particularly as it relates to data center construction and maybe that's what we need to look more at as opposed to some of these other types of buffering that we've done? Generally, a supervisor, the effectiveness of a barrier is a sound wall or a barrier, which even a building can serve as a barrier. In order for it to have any effectiveness at all, it has to break the line of sight. So if the equipment is on top of the data center and I want a sound wall to be effective, it has to be taller than the. It has to be at least taller than my line of sight to that equipment and then another couple of feet above that. Yeah, so I would say you know that's something particularly on the on the buffer issue we haven't really talked a lot about that throughout this discussion. Maybe that's something that we continue to keep our eye on to figure out the most effective way not just with data centers but any type of development that we're doing here in the county. Thank you. Well, you raised an interesting question, ma'am. During construction, one of the things that get done out west when they're putting in gas wells and things like that in Colorado is you can rent sound panels to put up around the construction site. Of course, they're very compact, but it's at least a concept. And Chandler and Arizona did have success in installing the sound barrier walls around the data center there. All right, very quickly. Supervisor Franklin, how did you feel on the questions at the end? Yeah, I'm supportive of kind of where we are now. And I think it's a surprise or A and the supervisor's point probably needs to see the details of the decibels to make sure that those are not heard in other industries. I support that. I just want to take that as a yes. All right. Supervisor Vega. We're coming on time. Supervisor Vega. Michelle Robel has a couple comments. I'm going to look at time and possibly Boate and we might have to have you guys hold to Supervisor's time, but go on Vega. Thank you Madam Chair. Of course, I support any and all measures that will alleviate the issues that the industry have brought. And if folks do feel that we are targeting data centers, they are the reason why we're here. For the folks that are here watching and chambers and for the folks that are watching at home wanting this board, your public servants to provide you with relief based on the presentation and information that we've been given, to a certain extent, we're a little unlimited as to how aggressive we can be, with this noise ordinance modification that we're seeking to do here, but that is the intended goal. I've been in the seat for over five years and maybe I've had one complaint about, you know, the trash being picked up before their scheduled time and whatnot, but I've never seen an issue unite people across political parties, across every box you can think of when it comes to the concerns and issues that have been raised by this industry. I will say, however, that I don't want to throw the baby out with the bath water because not every application that we've seen coming from the industry has been problematic. In fact, we have some that we can use as a model and that I love what was shared with us that we can implement if at all legally possible model noise emissions. supervisorvisor Franklin was talking about other alternatives. And I do think that based on some of the conversations that I've had with folks in the industry, they want to do better. They want to put this ugly chapter behind them, where we've had projects that have not been built to a standard. And that has caused issues that folks in my district are dealing with in the great O community and I don't want to you know ignore the issue that supervisor we are made in regards to this being a public health concern because it is and we can't ignore that either. But what that being said I want to know in terms of you guys talked about other localities that you looked into in regards to crafting up your recommendation here to us today. The enforcement component gives me a little bit of concern here, right? And so when you looked at those other localities, did you look at their enforcement success? And if so, what did that look like? So the most successful I would say would be Fairfax County. That was the most positive feedback I received. They broke out their enforcement into a separate organization which is now co-compliance. It makes it a lot easier. They have a website that citizens can file complaints on. Things are addressed within 24 hours. It just makes everyone a lot more comfortable because then that leaves the higher authorities to deal with the industries, right? And so when I spoke with Fairfax County, I mean, I had somebody from the co-compliance on the line and he's like, these meters are great. They tell us everything we need to know. I mean, so it does work if you implement them, right? So those changes will work. Again, Chandler Arizona took a hard line in the sand. There is is working, but they're not having to enforce much anymore with having those high level build standards. So again, it comes down to not just the noise ordinance, but partnering it with your zoning ordinance, and then making sure you have strong enforcement. Thank you for that. And timing is very critical, right? Because when you get a complaint for noise and law enforcement arise, by the time they arrive, the noise is no longer there. you know, the same can be said about this. And so I know that this is still a very much fluid process, but that is something that I'm going to be looking at very closely in terms of how the county is going to respond in a timely manner to any complaints so that we can ensure that we're being proactive and that we're not ignoring, you know, calls, complaints, however, which way they come to us and that were actually handling that. Being more specific in regards to the example, can you guys provide a specific example of how the proposed ordinance will prevent issues such as the 90 Hertz tone that was identified at the Great Oak neighborhood? There's nothing in the ordinance that specifically outlaws tones. That would be, well, we're looking at the overall sound energy in that octave band. And there are methods in our industry for penalizing tones when they do appear, but they have to be what were called prominent, which they have to just be so much energy in that tone compared to whatever else is in the octave that you basically crank up the measured level 5 DB, you assign a penalty. None of the tones that I have seen measured reach that limit. It doesn't mean that they're not audible or that they're not irritating. It's just that we would be blazing a new trail to figure out how to address that. Thank you. And then the last question that I have Madam Chair is, how will the proposed changes to the noise order in specifically the inclusion of the DBC, band measurements, guarantee, or can we even guarantee effective mitigation of low frequency noise? Well the the octave band limits in particular will they specifically crank down on the low frequency noise and and they they are designed to match the sensitivity of human hearing so they they don't allow much low frequency noise through that's going to be a problem. Okay, and it doesn't mean it's gone. It just means it's becoming more manageable. Okay, thank you, Madam Chair. All right, I want to go to the county attorney because she had a comment. Thank you, Madam Chair, members of the board. If you can go to slide 26, please, I just want to reinforce on the bottom. Some of the discussion that's occurred tonight, talking about in Arizona, as we know, Virginia is different. Some of what has been discussed, may or may not have authority here in Virginia as a Dillon rural state. And I just want to caution everyone with understanding zoning ordinance versus noise ordinance, conflating the two, putting in together. So we will continue to work with County Executive as his team and the consultants on if the board, what you're interested in, if it's legally available in Virginia at this time or whether we need to go to your legislative agenda, but some of the issues that have been discussed tonight, I have questions whether there's legal authority in Virginia. I just want to state that for the record, Arizona, parts of Arizona are a integral. But they have different statutes, different institutions, different general assemblies, different code of ways of jurisdictions, county, city, etc. So we're focused on the county exec form of government here in the state of the Commonwealth of Virginia. So thank you Madam Chair. All right, thank you. We're going to go to Bodhi then we're. Yeah, thank you Madam Chair. I'll be quick because I know we're short of time. So actually I think that we need to, before I say anything else, look at what this looks like long term, especially as we talk about existing buildings and that threshold of addressing existing establishments, whether it's data centers, whether that's hospitals, schools, everything we've already discussed, because if we put something in place, and we find ourselves with existing establishments that are non-inccompliance, well, what kind of timetable do we give folks to come into compliance? I know we talked about that way where we have a giant data center building with dozens of compressors or dozens of fans. It can take them upwards of a year from out longer to cycle all those out coming compliance. So I think that's something we also need to be careful about. We talk about not with just data centers but everyone else knowing that there are schools in this county that were built in the 70s. Knowing there are hospitals in this county that have been built decades old. Other types of buildings, public facilities, private facilities, what have you that are literally sometimes five decades old knowing that there needs to be some kind of a gnawing of that when we put anything in place. So I wanted to say that. But to go back to the thought that I agree. Whatever we do with the noise ordinance, also has to marry with what we want to do from a zoning ordinance at a DCSM standpoint, because you can't just do one and I'll look at the other two. We need to put in place strict performance standards around all these things. The setbacks are one thing, the berms, the grading, all those things you'd be taking into account as well as we look at these changes. So definitely it needs to be a holistic approach and not just one and the other because they will need to be looked at together. But in terms of the questions, can you go to the last slide just so it makes sure I get it. So I do support the re-white of the ordinance, include the change in noise scale. And again, we need to be careful about what those exact numbers are. Because I... the re-white of the ordinance include the change in noise scale, but again we need to be careful about what those exact Numbers are because I you know to have daily life out of compliance in some of these communities already most of the day Obviously there's issues with that. I do support Separate them out because again right now we just look at one type of noise when we know that that, regardless of its data centers or other types of establishment, they emit different kinds of noises and different times. Again, I want to make sure, I think, to have the Gordy said it, making sure that construction is separated out and treated as its own thing, because there's a lot of unique aspects of construction that doesn't go into the other things we're dealing with here. Low frequency noise emission criteria, some noise testing and modeling ensure compliance with the noise ordinance condition operating the county. I think that if we have the authority to do something like that we should begin looking at that as again not only in the noise ordinance cell but as part of the performance standards that we look at as part of the land use process for if we have the authority to do so and finally None of this is has any any standing and it's not worth the paper It's written on we don't have a reason with mean some monitor it properly or enforce it properly So all the measurements all the the equipment all the training that needs to be done I know I mentioned to these to you way we need to do that because really that's really the only way we'll be able to where we are right now, which is where kind of the wild west with this stuff, to understanding as a staff and then having expertise. I agree we get really granular, we have certain case by case basis where we just don't know because there's so many different sources of noise. We should have the ability then flex into comes some kind of consultant support there because that's the only really way we'll be able to really delineate what's going on. So I support all these, but I think we really need to be careful around the grandfathering and that that time on of allowing compliance, the actual decibel levels themselves, but also frankly understanding that we have a Hodgepodge County that we have a master plan in very many different ways. And again, knowing topography, knowing that as we build these campuses out, knowing that frankly as a board, we may have data center campuses that boards three or four boards ago approved and they're just coming on line right now and we're coming up on a campus that we're now looking at. There's a lot there that we need to be able to be able to get our grappling around as we consider community of little noise. Thank you Madam Chair. Thank you Madam Chair and I'll be short my definition of short is different than his. Yes to everything on page 27 there that's out of the way with respect to targeting of the data centers. Yes, that is the goal. That's how this started. That's what triggered it in particularly great oak. Let's get that out of the way. But I think, and I'm kind of curious about this. My issue with great oak data centers and that is the continuous low frequency generation. It is a sole source, 24-7. And apart from industrial uses, it possibly possibly a hospital although they have a much smaller scale of cooling and other other I mean the ish let's be serious in Prince William County do you see barring maybe a handful of other examples any other industry that is creating that level of low frequency noise that penetrates the house more so than the higher level noise and constitutes the issue. There are two potential candidates. One is power plant. Which I'm going to get to our second. Would you note in the Kingsburg measurement, would you also consider depending on your proximity power lines as a source of low frequency noise? No. Now how can that's fine. Last but not least, and I'll probably get in trouble with the county attorney on this, I'm going to be approaching her and talking to her about sound modeling as a condition in an SUP, as opposed to a proper condition, but we'll talk further on that. See, I'm three minutes shorter than him. All right, thank you guys so very much. Thank you for this presentation. Looks like we are, yes, you can move forth and prosper. I'm gonna go into public hearing, but I did wanna say this publicly. Yes, we are here because of data centers. And I really do apologize to the great oak community because you guys have been through a lot. And that is a collective failure of everyone on the board whether or not we voted for those data centers. What you guys are living with should not be happening. And I don't want another great oak in this community. Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate that. All right, no speaking out. I'm sorry, I love you, but you know, decorum. All right guys, we are going to move in. Thank you everyone. We just have a five minute. I appreciate that. All right, no speaking out. I'm sorry, I love you, but you know, decorum. All right, guys, we are going to move in. Thank you, everyone. We just have a five minute stretcher legs break. We, we, so no, no, no. We're going to open the public hearing time because we are delayed. Okay, so if you need to go stretch your legs, I'm going to let people remember we have to have a quorum. run by run. So I'm going to open the public hearing for item, did the item 14A. And this is the purpose of this public hearing so obtain public input on the proposed fiscal year of 2026 annual budget. I am waiting for people to come in. So again, what we are going to do, we are going to go into the public hearing, we are going to then go into close session and report out if we need to, we will then do public comment time and then supervisor's time. All right, so the public hearing is opened for the proposed budget. I'm going to call people up in groups of five. You have three minutes. Please state where you are from or where you didn't reside. If you were to approve 501C3, you know who you are. You have up to five minutes, but only one person can do that five minutes. So with that, I have Shan, a danner. Here my neighbor. Hi. Then I'm going to have Dr. Aitoria Goggins, Evelyn Yorita, Reverend Andrea Hoki, and then Reverend Abessi Vaffed. If the five of you can go up and stand in front, we need people to come in and take seats. We need people to come in and take their seats. Yeah, we got quite a few folks. Yeah, no one can leave supervisors, no voters. No one can leave until someone comes back. All right, ma'am. I'm just going to give you a people comment. We've got to keep it moving. Come in, everyone. Take a seat. There is no standing unless you're one of the speakers. All right, ma'am. Reverend Savage, I love you. Have a good sermon, but you need to sit it down right now. I love you. Yes, I tell you, guys, I said. No, you gotta sit. Yeah, Fire Marshall, Fire Marshall, there's a rule, read the rule. Yeah, no standing. You know what, really? I better go to heaven after dealing with this. the board. My name is Sharon Danner. I would like to have the five minutes please. We are 5-013-C. I'm represented in the Potomac District for more than 40 years. I'm a member of St. Francis with Cicé Catholic Church, and I'm a leader with voice representing many of our members gathered here today. I did want to ask them to stand. Could they stand momentarily? Just to acknowledge them. Yes, they can stand momentarily up and down. So let's go ahead and stand. Go ahead and stand. Thank you. I really want to thank you for changing the schedule so that I wouldn't be here so very, very late at my age. I'm here to speak in strong support of the proposed funding of the $5.7 million for the Prince William County Crisis Receiving Center. We thank the Board, all of you, for your tireless support for this project over the past three years. We ask you to continue your investment through this budget. The CRC project is slated to open in August and will change the current system of how we provide crisis care, where people in our community suffering from mental health or addiction issues are warehouseed for days on end in hospital emergency rooms without receiving the care or end up needlessly in jail. To one where people receive the immediate effective and humane treatment that they need. The CRC will be a huge benefit to our community, including reducing the burden on the county's law enforcement officers, who currently are forced to expend thousands of hours each year addressing behavioral health emergencies. Once operational, the CRC will certainly save lives. The PWC CRC has two components, one for adults and one for youth. Without the additional 5.7 million of PWC support, the opening of the youth component of the CRC will be significantly delayed, meaning our youth will continue to suffer under the current harmful system of care. Our youth deserve better. I urge you to make this investment now. My granddaughter is a student in our county schools, and she has suffered from mental health issues. There have been long hours into the night in the emergency room waiting for a psychiatrist to never come. There have been countless hours of driving to Fairfax County for treatment that's not available here. My family and so many others really need help now. Again, thank you for your support of the CRC and thank you for considering the additional investment to support our county youth. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker please. Good evening. Members of the Board, I am Reverend Dr. Eitori Yavie Goggins, pastor of first African Methodist Episcopal Church in Manassas, Virginia. And I am a voice leader representing the many members who just stood so grateful. Anyone who is tried to rent an apartment or buy a home in the county knows how difficult it is That there are just not enough apartments that are affordable or homes that are affordable for people that need them We need rental and ownership housing so that people who work in our county such as the teachers police officers firefighters and young professionals and others can afford to live here. People earning the lowest incomes have the highest housing challenges in the county. And while investments along the housing continuum from homelessness to home ownership are needed, it is really our lower income individuals and families who are the most vulnerable. We are in strong support of the $5.5 million for the Housing Trust Fund and the three positions to staff the Office of Housing and Community Development, which is included in the budget for the fiscal year 2026. We also recognize and support the ongoing commitment of $5 million for the housing and trust fund and staff in future years through fiscal year 2030. Affordable housing developers also need to be able to access the housing trust fund to serve as local leverage for affordable rental housing development. We understand the housing trust fund is tied to the adoption of the affordable dwelling unit ordinance, which will serve as another important tool to have affordable units included in the market rate for sale and rental developments. Several young adults and young professionals in my congregation are looking at options outside the county for affordable housing. Some have already relocated to other counties because they want their own homes and do not want to live with their parents. So that means what? More travel time on the road, more congestion, more frustration, and less time with families. Everyone should be able to afford a home that is safe, that is near where they work, and where they worship. We need affordable housing in our county that is attainable and accessible to all residents of all income levels so that we can live in community together. Thank you for your past support of affordable housing in Prince William County and for considering this additional investment to the advancement of the program. Thank you very much. Next speaker please. Good evening. I am Reverend Andre Dieta-Hawksy, retired AMA pastor. I've lived in this area for over 30 years. I'm a member of voice. And first of all, I'd like to thank the board for all the work that you do you're doing and we'll continue to do. I'm here this evening to speak on behalf of the crisis receiving center. To request that the board allocate 5.7 million in the budget to the Prince William County Crisis Receiving Center so that the youth component of the CRC is able to open on time this summer without this extra funding the opening of the youth component will likely be delayed. Speaking as a parent of a child who I thank God has overcome many challenges and having been on both sides of this, right? As a community member, as a parent, now advocating for mental health care in our community. I come and I just ask that you could would consider that mental health is not a you or me issue. It's a we issue. It is a human issue. And so as you look at the budget, I ask that you would just kindly consider approving the amount for the budget. Thank you and God bless you. Thank you, Reverend Hossie. The next speaker I have is Evelyn. Is that you? That's me. Okay. Thank you. Please. Good evening, Chairwoman and Supervisor. My name Miss Avalen Orutia. I am the Executive Director of TEN, some workers United and a long-term resident of Prince William County. TEN's workers United is a 38-year-old grassroot community organization with directly organized, working class community of color. We work with immigrants, women, youth and law law wages workers to increase civic engagement, build leadership skills, and help people become change agents who improve their quality of life, then self and their families. Now this day, we recognize that so many communities are being attacked. Bureau services and resources are being taken away, and people are being left behind. Veterans, veterans people of fixed incomes those who really on social security rely on social security people who have dedicated their entire professional career to serve the government and so many others now more than ever we we need action from local leaders to help protect those most impacted first of all thank you for the steps you have already taken to address the widespread housing crisis and the lack of housing supply and affordability in the county. I'm here today to speak on support of the following, adding the 5.5 million for the housing trust fund and the three full-time staff of the housing and community development in the fiscal year 2026. Continued commitment of 5 million per year to support the housing trust fund and the housing staff through fiscal year 2030. As you know, we need more housing for all types of family and we must create policies to increase the housing supply for everyone. We especially need to preserve our community where family earn less than 40% of the median income. Those working in retail, cleaning, childcare and those earning the Virginia minimum wage, which is just only $12.41 per hour and many others. We would like to see that crowning create more housing but also invest to prevent the forced displacement that may occurred during the rapid growth and development as a result of unfair rent increases. We need innovation programs and resources like a local voucher program to support those families that are struggling to continue living in the county. Let's continue making progress for all families. We all have the right to live in a safe, dignified and affordable home. Thank you for your consideration. Thank you so much. And before the next speaker I have is Reverend Bessie Jett. Okay. Very good. Thank you. Good evening members of the board. My name is Reverend Bessie L. Jett. I'm a member of the first Baptist Church in Manassas. And I'm also a leader with voice representing many others of our members gathered here today. Based current threats of mass deportation, voice recognizes that many people might not be comfortable coming out to testify at a local budget hearing. So we are here representing those who are afraid. People earning the lowest incomes have the highest housing challenges in the county. While investments along the housing continuum from homelessness to home ownership are needed, it is really our lower income individuals and families who are most vulnerable. We strongly support the $5.5 million for the Housing Trust Fund and 3 FTE for staffing for the Office of Housing and Community Development, which is included in the FYI 26 budget. We also recognize and support the ongoing commitment for 5 million for the housing trust fund and staff in future years through fiscal year 2030. Affordable housing developers need to be able to access the housing trust fund to serve as local leverage for affordable rental housing development. We understand the housing trust fund is tied to the adoption of an affordable dwelling unit ordinance, which will serve as another important tool to have affordable units included in market rate for sale and rental developments. Forest also recognizes the importance of funding for additional 72 permanent supportive vouchers which would provide housing assistance to persons with serious mental illness in addition to the state rental assistant program. If I may be personal and transparent, I currently am paying $1,700 a month for rent for one bedroom apartment. I anticipate it going up to $1,800 by the end of the fall. My income is a little over $4,000. Consequently, I am looking to move in with my son that I might be able to afford where I'm living. Again, thank you for your past support of affordable housing in Prince William County and for considering this additional investment to advance program. Thank you. Thank you, Reverend Jeff. The next speaker I have is Pat Victorson. And then our non-resonance are Ray Carillio and Jill Norcross. Just line up in the back please. I'm also here representing 501C3 NAMI Prince William. My name is Pat Vectorson. I am the president of the local affiliate, the Prince William affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. I want to thank you, first of all, because this board has been marvelously supportive of something that is going to be game changing in our county, and that is the crisis receiving center. So many people have advocated for this, our police, and I help with CIT training, so I know a lot about what police go through when they have to respond to mental health crises, how challenging it is for them, and what a difference this crisis receiving center will make for our first responders. We also know how important this is for our hospitals. Our hospital ERs are not prepared to handle challenging cases like mental health. And I say challenging because, hey, they're not bleeding. They don't have broken bones. They're not having a heart attack or a stroke. But these are people in crisis. And the longer they're unseen injuries, they suffer from these unseen injuries, the worse the outcome. It can also be challenging to hospital staff because people in mental health crisis sometimes lash out and that can result in injury to hospital staff. So this is another reason our hospitals are so strongly supporting the crisis receiving center. I also want to speak on behalf of families. NAMI's mission is to build mental health awareness, to support families and people living with mental health conditions, to provide in-depth education about mental health conditions, but also to advocate. So I'm here tonight to advocate for the Crisis Receiving Center that you have so strongly supported. It is based on the best research this country has to offer through SAMHSA. It is also pulled together by our wonderful community services leadership, something that we can be very proud of in this county. And we have a wonderful vendor in place. We've overcome many, many challenges in establishing this crisis receiving center and all of you are aware of that. We're going through another challenge right now that has to do with IMDs. an acronym that means institution for mental diseases and it is something that comes out of a 1965 law that most people know nothing about. But the upshot of it is that it limits the number of beds in a facility that can be reimbursed through Medicaid. We ran into a problem with our Department of Medical Services at the state of Virginia. And through our advocacy, we had a letter writing campaign and we convinced D-MAS to apply for a waiver from this Medicaid restriction. And however we know that there's a waiting period. It's likely that we will receive the waiver, many states have, but there is a waiting period. And during that waiting period, there are additional charges. So this is why we are asking for that $5.7 million boost from our board of supervisors to make sure that the youth component can open. My family would have benefited from that, had the youth component been around when he was ill. I know from the fact that I respond to a help line here locally that many other families would also benefit from that. So please, I know it's another big lift for you folks, but you've come through for us in the past. So I'm asking again, please come through for us, provide that $5.7 million supplement and help us open that youth component at our crisis receiving center. Again, thank you so much for all that you've done. Thank you, actually, for the next speaker. It's actually Kate Smiley, then Ray, a career, and then Jill Norcross. Thank you very much. My name is Kate Smiley, and I'm with the Data Center Coalition, a membership organization that includes many of Prince William County's leading data center owners and operators. Thank you for the opportunity to speak to comment on the advertised tax increase on computer and peripheral equipment in the county's fiscal year 2026 budget. Virginia's data centers provide significant benefits to communities like those in Prince William County. Beyond the creation of hundreds of quality construction jobs and high wage operational jobs, these benefits include $166 million in tax revenue to the county last year. A 50% increase over the previous year. More than half of that revenue goes to county schools and the balance goes to general fund priorities including public safety, libraries, parks, and public transportation. As noted in the 2023 data center industry tax revenue report released by the county last October, significant contributions from quote, significant contributions from data centers, particularly in the computer equipment and peripherals classification, emphasize their importance to the county's revenue stream. Significant changes in the data center industry could substantially impact the county's future revenues. Unquote, furthermore, the report states that maintaining, quote, competitive tax rates and other economic development incentives could sustain and or enhance revenue growth in this sector." The county maintained a stable tax rate of $1.25 per $100 of assessed value for computer and equipment peripherals for almost 20 years before increasing the rate to $1.35 in tax year 2020, $1.50 in tax year 2021, $1.65 in tax year 2022, and $2.15 in 2023. Last year, the board voted to increase the tax by 72% from $2.15 to $3.70, bringing the CNP tax rate in line with the tax rate for business tangible property, furniture, and fixtures Respectfully, this year's additional advertised increase to $4.15 would constitute a 93% tax increased just over the last two budget cycles. Increasingly, we're seeing significant interest among local jurisdictions, not just across the Commonwealth, but across the country who are seeking to attract data center investment. Many factors go into data center investment decisions and tax and regulatory climate are important considerations which can impact both data center owners and tenants. While predictability and certainty of cost structures are important for all businesses, they are especially important for the data center industry. Given the magnitude of long-term capital investments involved in each data center project, Significant changes to a local area's business climate, consignal uncertainty, and impact competitiveness and investment decisions. We are appreciative of the opportunity to offer comments and welcome further dialogue regarding the CNP tax rate to ensure Prince William County remains a competitive destination for new and recurring data center investment. Thank you very much for your time. Thank you next speaker. Good evening board members my name is Ray Gadio and I represent Corsco Data Centers. I am from out of state and currently relocating to Prince William County due to the opportunities data set in industry provides. I work daily in Prince William County along with my team in a variety of projects across Prince William County. At Corsca, we strive to be great citizens and want to speak in favor of a balanced, thoughtful approach development in Prince William County. We believe that the rapid increase in the C&P tax rate will have a negative effect on the county. Corsical chose to begin conducting business in the county because it is currently and remains a business-friendly atmosphere and we need to help keep it that way. The nearly two times increase in the C&P taxes is not only unfriendly to business but it will also cause employees,, and businesses to look elsewhere in Virginia and other markets. The county has gained a competitive advantage and could lose that edge over other locations. We employ thousands of crafts people, laborers, and factory workers in the county and across Virginia. They and their families depend on the county's economy to continue the business-friendly environment you already help foster. As examples, our general contractors employ 350 to 800 individuals on site each day in Prince William County across six projects per year. Our other trade partners who are going to speak here today employ thousands of skilled union professionals. These companies not only build the services, build and service data centers, but also other industries across the county and Virginia. This economic impact for the county is in the billions of dollars when you consider development, labor, housing, restaurants, and other services. Today the county continues to be enriched by the development and all that it brings. We ask that you respectfully consider these benefits and more in your decision and welcome further dialogue. Thank you. Thank you next speaker please. Good evening Board of Supervisors. My name is Jill Norcross and I'm the Executive Director of the Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance and I really appreciate the opportunity to speak tonight in front of you in support of your investments in the FY 2026 budget. We are so excited to see Prince William County step in to commitments to affordable housing like your peers in Northern Virginia. I just want to thank you for the investments made last year, $5.5 million and this year for $5.5 million and investments in the staff to kind of enhance the office of housing and community development because we know that we need some additional technical expertise to kind of leverage the investments that you're making here at the county. And I'm grateful to the state resources that you're taking advantage of specifically to house people who are chronically homeless or maybe severely mentally ill through the permanent supportive housing vouchers. You'll be receiving and also the state rental assistance program vouchers as well. It's amazing to just see what your small investments in the county can do to leverage additional affordable housing growth and housing supply across the continuum. So I also want to just really applaud our advocacy partners and voice and tenants and workers in United, United, who really said everything I wanted to say just in recognizing that we also are leveraging our voices here and trying to speak up and support those who are suffering from severe housing challenges and who might not feel comfortable coming into a county office building to speak during budget season as they often do. So again, thank you for your consideration. Also, ask that you really do consider we've seen from the data that is really the lowest income renters in your community that have the highest cost burdens and are really suffering the most in housing and as you build out your housing programs and developments that you also take a look to trying to address the need of the individuals who are really suffering right here and right now not being able to afford to remain in Prince William County and grow and thrive. So again, thanks for all you're doing. Keep up the great work and we look forward to being your partner in this work. All right, thank you. I'm gonna go now to see if we have anyone sign up for a vote time. Do we? I don't, okay. Yes, we do. Okay, how many do we have, please? We have one. Okay. Thank you very much. Shall we begin? Yes, your speaker is Vita Carroll. Hey. Vita Carroll, Brentsville. I'm not talking about data centers tonight. I'm speaking in my capacity as a parent, and I'm specifically speaking in capacity as my parent, as a parent to a child with developmental delays. So most of you guys know I have five kids, two are school aged and one has a rare genetic disorder and among many other things that causes global developmental delays. And particularly when he was younger, he needed a lot of extra help and therapies to kind of do. Just all the normal stuff any kid can do going up the stairs, swinging on a swing, emotional regulation. And I remember the first time he participated in a fully adaptive activity and that was the I can swim summer swim camp. And after the first day of that camp, I just felt so much relief that my child was included and safe and I didn't have to justify who he was to anyone. It just was, it was an adaptive program. And I remember going home and telling Chris about this camp and I was just, just felt so much relief that we had found something that was easy that was normal when nothing about his life up until that point had been easier normal. So because of my family's experience I just I understand the need for adaptive recreational programming and accessible recreation in the county. And honestly, the county's not too great. I serve on the Parks and Rec Commission and staff can tell you that this is kind of something I advocate for disability inclusivity. And the staff is great, staff is supportive, but the reality is the staff is limited. County staff only employs one full-time ADA adaptive staff member that's Veronica Loffman. And for reference, Fairfax County has 10 full-time therapeutic recreation staff, Loudon, which is more comparable to us in size, has five full-time recreation, therapeutic recreation staff, and Arlington has six. We just have one, and that staff member can't keep up. So I was disappointed to see that an additional the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the county lobbyists. But this small amount would have direct impact on many families across every magisterial district and it would allow the DPR to provide much more staff support for adaptive programming like summer camps, weeknight programs, programs that are not currently accessible to children with developmental delays. And my family, my child, we deserve access to adaptive programming and inclusive recreation options without having to drive halfway across the county without having to drive out of county. It's really not a big ask. It's not a big dollar amount. Please consider providing this funding as you develop the budget. Good luck with FY 26 budget. Have a good night. Thank you, Mrs. Carroll. That concludes our online. Thank you for your service. All right, thank you so much. I don't know if there's anyone else who want to speak. All right, I guess not. So I'm going to close the public hearing for agenda item 14A. And with that, we are going to, it's going to give supervisors about a five minute break and then we are going to go into closed session. After closed session we are going to resume with public comment time then we're going to go to supervisor's time and then we can dismiss ourselves. So and thank you everyone who has come out to speak. Thank you. Services are also available for those who require special assistance in making a payment. For more information about making a tax payment, please visit our website at pwcva.gov. I was probably in my early 30s. My dad couldn't get good internet out at his house and the ISP drove out to his house and said you'll never get fiber out here. There's just not enough homes to justify trenching. And that's really where the idea for Tracks will begin using road networks to bring the internet. We have a saying here to anywhere and it's about connectivity. It's about getting connectivity in hard to reach areas. It's about closing the digital divide. And when I say digital divide, it's the separation between communities that have high speed internet. All right, we're going to start a fight. Thank you, supervisor Vody. So we had a motion. So we redo it. No, we need second. Second. Okay, thank you very much. All right, and we're going to report out. Vote. And vote. All right. Madam Chair. Vote unanimous. Move for acceptance of the internal auto report, including the renewal process. Medicaid renewal process. Second. All right, let's, I don't think there's any discussion. Let's go ahead and vote. Thank you, sir. Vote unanimous? All right. Now we have public comment. Sorry. That's we're going to do public comment time and then after that we're going to do to the supervisor's time and I appreciate everyone who has stayed. We got a little behind schedule. So I'd like to have Melinda Dullinger, Laura Halfler, and they're well shot to the back. And so you have three minutes to speak. Please start by stating your name and where you general reside, your Magistaral District. Thank you. Can we get the projector turned on please? Do you want to start with the video? No, you'll solve both. They see the video. Okay. Melinda D'Onger, Ocaquan District, esteemed members of the Prince William County Board. I'm sorry, can you speak in a little bit more, bring it forward to you. All right. Thank you. Melinda Dolenger, Ocaquan District. A steam the members of the Prince William County Board of supervisors. I stand before you today to bring urgent attention to a public health and animal welfare crisis unfolding in our community. A business known as the puppy shop has set up in monastas. Operating under conditions that are both unethical and unacceptable. Let me be clear, this is not just about a bad business. This is about a documented pattern of neglect, abuse, and legal violations. The owner of this shop has a criminal record that speaks for itself to count of no valid rabies certificate, one count of petty larceny, one count of inadequate care by an owner, animal abuse, two count of failure to have a vehicle inspected. This individual has already been kicked out of Falkier County for violation and now they have set up shop in Prince William County to continue profiting off the suffering of animals and unsuspecting customers. I visited this store myself just yesterday. What I saw was shocking, filthy, foul smelling conditions, sickly animals in an environment that no living creature should be subjected to. Reports of surface of people adopting puppies from this shop, only to find them suffering from severe illnesses, leading to heartbreak and thousands of dollars in vet bills when people try to document the truth to owner resorts to intimidation and threats. This isn't an isolated incident. It's part of a much larger, deeply disturbing problem. Consider these facts. Over 2.6 million puppies, sold each year, come from puppy mills. An estimated 500,000 dogs are currently trapped in puppy mills used solely for breeding. Up to 70% of puppy mills operate illegally evading oversight while perpetrating animal cruelty. 90% of puppy-sold and pet stores come from mass breeding operations, many of which are unlicensed and unregulated. This is not just about protecting animals, it is about protecting the families of Prince William County from fraudulent businesses that put profit over ethics. I urge you to take immediate action. Shut down the puppy shop before more harm is done. Implement stricter regulations on pet shops and breeders to ensure compliance with human standards. Mandate full transparency about where these animals come from and what the conditions they were bred in. Promote adoption over profit driven pet sales to break the cycle of abuse. Prince Moon County should not be a dumping ground for businesses that have been run out of other communities. We must take a stand now for our citizens for the health of our community and for the innocent animals that cannot speak for themselves. Thank you. Thank you, next speaker please. Good evening, Laura Hauffler, part of the Animal Advisory Committee and I'm here in the capacity of resident. I'm here to ask you to please issue a directive to staff to review the current ordinances as they pertain to pet stores in our county. For all of the reasons that were just shared, and I understand that there is a resolution resolution that has been forwarded to you at some point. And what I would like to ask is that you look at that resolution and that you move forward that directive so that the staff can evaluate what's really going on and they can take action. Thanks so much. Thank you, next speaker. Hi, Noel Schott from Aquaquan and I'm a member of the Animal Advisory Committee. Back in August, August 26th, the Animal Advisory Committee submitted a resolution to you. It was provided to you on August 26th by the County Clerk. We're asking for you to put a directive to county staff to look at the county code, the zoning ordinance, and business licensing. Falkier County was able to get this pet store owner out because they changed zoning. We also know that our animal control officers are not allowed to actually go and inspect pet stores. It requires citizens to go to the pet store and call the non-emergency number. You can change that by issuing a directive. That way, animal control officers change the code so that the animal control officers can go in and inspect anytime they want. That way they'll be able to see where were the puppies coming from, they're coming from puppy mills. Are they raised, vaccinated? As we know, this person wasn't vaccinating their animals. So I know it's not unheard of for you to be able to do this right now during your meeting to ask for a directive. So if you'd be inclined to do that, so we can push this forward. Again we send it to you in August and frankly if you've been social media just went out rage just this weekend because of what's happening at this puppy shop next to Eves Drop Brewery. There's a protest being planned for this Saturday. So I think you're gonna get a lot more calls from your constituents and I think the best way to just be proactive is let's get that directive going tonight so that the county staff can look into it. Thank you. All right, thank you. I believe that's what do we have anyone for a vote? All right. No, we're All right. Thank you so very much. I appreciate everyone who has come out to Speak tonight on this important issue. Next we are going to go back in time. We're going to go to agenda item number 12. Supervisor time and I'd like to get a motion for 12 a through 12 s. So we'll have to second. All right, I don't think there's any discussion. So let's go ahead and take a vote. Vote unanimous. Supervisor, are seeing from both. All right. And then we are going to go around the horn. Starting with vice chair. Andre Bailey. Thank you very much. Madam chair on the 13th. I attended the. Dar Elnore annual F Yesterday had a wonderful community roundtable for veterans with Senator Tim Cain. And it was absolutely well attended and needed. And so I want to thank him for the opportunity to serve the community in this way. On the 22nd, I'll be a keynote speaker with top ladies of distinctions for their Women history month program. So I'm looking forward to that and then on the 25th Supervisor Franklin. I will be partnering together for our annual fourth our fourth annual Women's history program and on the fifth of April is dumpster day for the Potomac District. That's all I have, Madam Chair. Have a good evening. All right, supervisor. Supervisor Weir. Thank you, Madam Chair. Just a couple of quick notes. We're having a Gainesville District Town Hall tomorrow night. That'll field high school is 630. I have a suspicion it will be a rock fight. We're going to talk about the budget and everything else that everybody's going to want wanna talk to should be a fun time. I don't know that the second thing rises to a directive level. I'll leave it to the board to decide, but Mr. Shorra would like some input or some feedback as to the feasibility of the planning commission using the electronic voting board rather than a one by one roll call vote as that seems to impact the results of their votes sometimes. Well, it's the appearance and I've had a number of complaints about that. So I appreciate it. Last but not least, I'm going to address one of the comments made during the budget public hearing. I'll be honest with you, the increase in the CMP tax amounts to nothing more than a rounding error and a tiny rounding error at that for corporations such as Amazon, Microsoft, CloudHQ, I could go on. They note that it's 93% increase in the data center taxes in the last two years. I would argue that offsets or partially offsets, a quarter century of it can only be characterized as a subsidy at the expense of the residents paying property taxes at a level several orders of magnitude higher than they did for a quarter of a century, a crime or river. Thank you Madam Chair. Mr. President, Boatty? Thank you Madam Chair. I'll be quick. I know that Madam Chair I will be co-hosting a I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I know that we've talked a little bit about it, and I think it'll be addressed soon. Thank you. Supervisor Angry? Thanks, Madam Chair. So I'll just jump right to it the comments with the Issues we just heard so I'm sending you guys back around the resolution that the The animal advisory sent to us and I noticed some questions that you all want So my hope is not not not to give a directive tonight, but for you all to look at this resolution and have all of your appointees brief you on how this is a direct signal out issue. So it won't affect other, you know, distributors or whatever we want to call it. It won't affect other businesses that have animals. So before we give this directive, I would just ask if the AC could get back with those supervisors, explain what this means, and then also Chris, we'll get with you and explain that the depth of that to make sure what we're putting forward can be addressed for this one issue, and it doesn't affect other businesses and issues that have come up. So I know that was a question that I heard from a few of you. So I just sent it to you and you will just look at that and then with this next week we'll hopefully get all those iron out and then come back on Tuesday and present something that we can get in place to actually help get this business out of business. So, okay. And then, so I'll just move into my comments real quick. It's a lot going on here. I don't even really feel like telling you. Oh, hey, so let me just say my pointy breakfast went very well. So we had the pointy breakfast. I want to thank all of my pointies for everything they do. We had the breakfast on Saturday, great event. So thank you Chris, thank you, police chief fire chief for coming out and talking to the group. There was a very good event. Well attended and so thanks again. We got another year ahead of us. Let's continue that work and we'll do some great things. So we have Marine Corps marathon. It's actually not the marathon. It's their half marathon race coming up this Saturday March 22nd. I'm going to be at that event. So if you're running, I'll see you there. If not, come on out and just enjoy a lot of great run. Runners doing some great stuff. Then we have Prince William, Minasus, history symposium. That's March 22nd. I'll be attending that as well. 830 to 4 p.m. at Manassage Museum. And you can learn about the county's history. Tuesday, March 25th, we got the Big Will's Delivery Mills event. That's always a good thing. Area agency on aging hosts that. And it's a great event. We go around and take meals to some families that need those and then on March 29th we got the O.W.L. that's Ocaquon Woodbridge, Lorton, that's their installation of officers banquet looking forward to that. It's always a good event. Saturday May 10th from 8 to 11. Be hosting. Oh look at there. Our spring dumps today. And Shred event at the Gemini Way commuter lot It's a great opportunity for residents to dispose of unwanted items and help keep the community clean. The Shred event has proven to be one great event. So if you got some shreds stuff that you need to get shredded, come on out. It's always a great time. I want to say this last thing, because we had a resident come out and speak about the 18-wheelers again and the trucks. And I don't think that issue ever went away, but I've got two areas now where it's popped up in the Apsko district that we really got to figure out something to do with this. You heard Lyndon Del's one area and then it's also in the Apsko comment. I think the issue there that we really got to look at is because of the whole mixed use that we have with residential with businesses, it has caused a problem in the zoning because you can have trucks on the commercial side of this but the residents are there as well and it doesn't mix well. So I don't know how we can best score about this but I think there's something that we need need to look at and try to rewrite something that addresses how we're now mixing residential with commercial, so we can pull out that element of 18-wheelers parking in some of these areas, because right now they can. So with that matter, Chair, that is it. Thanks a lot. Thank you. I'm gonna go over to Supervisor Gordy. Thank you, Madam Chair. just to continue that conversation from supervisor Angier, thank you. Last week on my way home, past in front of the Knoxville Post Office, no parking signs. There was an 18-wheeler parked right there blocking the entrance into the post office. I mean it is a complete disregard for the law and it's getting out of control. So, no, I think Mr. Shorter, we had a directive on this last year and I know the team's working if we could just get an update on where we are, what the status of that is because like supervisor, Angry said, this is, we're starting to get more and more complaints from constituents on this. So, yeah. I'm happy to provide a verbal update, but I'll just remind them, or this is one of the initiatives on PWC work. So, clear milestones, timelines, issues that will be addressed, scope of the project. But again, I'm happy to provide a verbal update the next time we're together. Thank you. And only other thing I have is I'm providing my notice of my intent to reappoint Olivia Lobalbo to the Animal Advisory Committee and must have asked her to over her resume contact information to the clerk. Thank you. Supervisor Franklin. Thank you. On Thursday, March 13th, I attended or acknowledged the Iftar dinner at Dar Al-Nor. And on Saturday, March 15th, I may remarks that the commemoration of life of Patriot William Grayson. As I mentioned before, he was a revolutionary or Patriot, one of the first two US senators from Virginia, particularly from Prince William County. So thank you to those who invited me, I believe this is my fourth time attending. Yesterday, I also attended the 60th anniversary celebration of the Woodbridge Women's Club. So congratulations to that organization for all the great work that they've been doing, including over $100,000 given out in scholarships throughout their time. So excellent work on their behalf. Also this morning I co-hosted a town hall with Congressman Eugene Vindman with regards to issues impacting our senior citizens, particularly social security, Medicare, and particular. Basically, we kind of went over the challenges that the federal government is kind of seeing with a lot of it, not only current employees, but those who are retired from the feds. What does that mean for their current benefit? And also, what resources exist within the county in which will allow us to collaborate with the feds in the state. So very fruitful discussion and great attendance and looking forward to sending some follow-up information from the office on aging with regards to a list of full resources that the county provides. In a no congressman Vimman will be sending out some federal resources via email as well. Just a few upcoming events on the 25th, I'll be hosting, I think, Survivor Bailey mentioned our Women's History Program at the Filoso Building. We'll be honoring several trailblazing women within our community. So please come out and join for all those that are interested. I'll also be hosting a housing roundtable to discuss the county's affordable housing ordinance and other issues as we've heard tonight. We'll provide more details about this in the coming weeks. And then also this Saturday I'll be with the Coalition of 100 Black Women and Prince William County chapter at their Women's History Appreciation event. We'll do bike to work day on May 15th. I will be at the Woodbridge VRE station, and possibly the RIP-On VRE station as well, and I'll also be participating in the Big Mills-On-Wills program also, and then we'll be doing dumpster day, May 31st at Fred Lim middle school from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. And then lastly, I just want to acknowledge the colon cancer proclamation that we did earlier today. I don't often talk about my personal life, but some of you may know that my mother actually passed away from colon cancer when I was eight years old. So I I appreciate the fact that the county was able to recognize that. And just want to point out the importance of getting checked. I know I started doing colonoscopies very early as a result of my family's history and I just want to encourage others to do the same. I'll also say that I have a very good friend, about 40 years old, stage four, colon cancer currently. So this is a very, very devastating disease, but it is preventable. And so just want to encourage everyone to read up on this, get educated, and more importantly, go and get tested and do all the preventative work. With that, I yield. Thank you, Madam Chair. I wanna go ahead and kick things off with issuing my notice of intent to real point. Harry Glasgow and James Gessbridge to the Solid Waste Advisory Group. Their resumes are on file. Congratulations to David and Lisa where on the grand opening of their new business in the Coles district. They are the proud owners of East Coast, Wings and Grill. Supervisor Weir, they actually residing your district, but I'm glad that they're doing business in mine. So congratulations to the... So congratulations to the Weir family on this new endeavor. We're really really excited for this new chapter in your lives and we wish you all of the success that that this new endeavor will bring forth. Lastly, I want to go ahead and remind folks that our annual Coles district Easter egg hunt event is fast approaching. It will take place on April 5th at the Kyle R Wilson Elementary School at 10 a.m. We're going to be sending out more information as the day gets closer. But because the date is faster approaching, I wanted to make a reference of it today. Madam Chair, thank you. All right. Thank you so very much. I want to begin with notice of a ten to re point. Robin Robinson and Gregory Moore to the towing advisory, towing ordinance advisory. Supervisor Voting noted that we have a town hall on the budget coming up. I just want to quickly mention before I close out local government day, I hosted a bunch of middle schoolers and I was really excited by some of the questions and the engagements that I had from these students. It's great to see that such you know people who are so young are interested in public policy makes me happy for our future and with that I'd like a motion to a judge. Go to a drum second. This is like a thing now. It's a thing, it's been a thing. Someone just needs to beat Bob. That's the new thing. Thank you. I can't get down on that one. Thank you so very much everyone.