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Below is a guest editorial that I and the Chairs of the Board of Supervisors of Fairfax and Loudoun County wrote to talk about possible changes to devolution:
The Virginia General Assembly may soon consider a scheme that could cause a significant property tax increase for residents and businesses of Northern Virginia. This tax increase may come under the guise of transportation funding reform called “devolution.” Simply put, devolution shifts the cost of certain state responsibilities for transportation from the state to local governments. Although we are of different political parties, we are firmly united in opposition to devolution because of the massive property tax increase it will produce for the residents and businesses of Fairfax, Prince William and Loudoun counties.
After years of neglect, Virginia’s transportation construction and maintenance funds are nearly depleted. Our roads, particularly in Northern Virginia, are in deplorable shape. By the Virginia Department of Transportation’s own admission, 34 percent of secondary roads in Virginia are in substandard condition. This problem — long in the making by the General Assembly — must be addressed by the General Assembly. Local governments and taxpayers should not be expected to shoulder what is now a responsibility of the commonwealth.

Our three counties would likely need to spend hundreds of millions of dollars just to bring our roads up to the neglected statewide maintenance standards. The cost of this action alone could easily exceed $500 per household. Add to that the hundreds of dollars a year per household, per year, it would take to maintain these roads to those standards. It is important to note that once the state abandons this responsibility, it will never take it back.

Our success at the local level to reduce the size of government and focus on essential services while keeping taxes as low as possible has emboldened the commonwealth to continue passing along its failures in governance to localities. We should not be expected to cut back any further. We cannot perform what have historically been the responsibilities of the state and still meet the other areas of need for our residents.

Instead of making decisions on how to deliver essential services such as transportation, the General Assembly has repeatedly refused to act. Ironically, this comes at the same time as the governor has empaneled a task force to assess state mandates on localities, stating that he will support only “justifiable and reasonable mandates on localities.” Well, devolution is neither justifiable nor reasonable.

Over the past several years, the General Assembly has pushed its responsibilities and the financial burden for more than $1 billion in services down to local municipalities. While doing so, members of the General Assembly have claimed that they have not raised taxes. But their decisions have merely required residents to pay for state responsibilities through their local property taxes, saving taxpayers not one penny. Devolution of road maintenance would be more of the same — a shell game that does nothing to address the state’s nearly depleted construction funding.

Northern Virginia is home to some of the largest businesses and almost 25 percent of the residents of the commonwealth. We have a responsibility to protect our constituents from unreasonable actions that make doing business and raising families here difficult. We strongly encourage members of the General Assembly to meet their responsibilities and join us in doing the hard work of governing.

Sharon Bulova, a Democrat, is chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Corey Stewart, a Republican, is chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors. Scott York, a Republican, is chairman of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors.

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VIRGINIA – According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, as the national job growth increased 1.3 percent, Prince William County experienced job growth of 4.3 percent from March 2010 to March 2011. Prince William County ranks #1 in job growth for the Commonwealth of Virginia and #3 in job growth for the nation when compared to the other 322 large US counties.

“We are the center of the Northern Virginia labor force, we have streamlined our permitting processes to help businesses get to market faster, and we have some of the lowest taxes in the region,” said Corey Stewart, Chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors. “This is further evidence that our effort to create an environment that allows businesses to open and operate without the bureaucratic red tape is moving us in the right direction for job growth.”

Prince William County is located 25 miles south of Washington D.C. and is the second largest county in the Commonwealth of Virginia with a population of 425,00 residents. This is the second time in the last two years Prince William has been recognized as a leader in job creation; during 2010 Prince William was ranked #1 in Virginia, #2 on the East Coast, and #17 nationally in job growth according to CNN/Money.

PRINCE WILLIAM, VA – Earlier today, Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray signed an Executive Order that prohibits public safety agencies from asking about a person’s immigrant status or contacting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The order signed by Mayor Gray is in direct contrast to the policy of Prince William County, VA. Since Prince William County law enforcement officials began checking the immigration status of everyone arrested, the county has seen a 35% drop in violent crime. Prince William County has also turned over more then 4,000 criminal illegal aliens to ICE.

Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart had the following comment: “The actions of Vincent Gray are disturbing and reprehensible. This order is a slap in the face to the law enforcement officials that work every day to protect the millions of people who live, work and visit Washington, D.C. I find it incredibly ironic that the immigration laws of the United States are not even enforced within the boundaries of our nation’s capital.”

PRINCE WILLIAM, VA – Prince William County ranks among the top ten of the wealthiest counties in America.

With a median household income of $92,655, Prince William comes in at #9 in the nation. This should come as no surprise, a recent survey by CNN/Money ranked Prince William County #13 among all jurisdictions in the nation in job growth. This is up from the previous year when the County was ranked #17 nationally, #1 in the DC area and #1 in Virginia.

Corey Stewart, Chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, was delighted to hear this news. “This ranking reflects the pro-business reforms that the County has implemented. We have made a concerted effort to attract high quality jobs to Prince William County and the results speak for themselves.”

Despite the national recession, the County also invested over a billion dollars in new school, road, and park infrastructure projects over the past few years. It just earned its third AAA Bond rating status even as Standard and Poor’s downgraded the Federal Government. The County also implemented a tough crackdown on illegal immigration which Stewart credits for the 35% drop in violent crime.

“We are determined to make Prince William a place of prosperity and opportunity, that attracts hard working, law abiding citizens, said Stewart.” “We just didn’t realize that we would see the results so quickly.”

PRINCE WILLIAM, VA – On the heels of the yesterday’s Supreme Court verdict upholding Arizona’s law which punishes businesses who hire illegal aliens, Prince William County Chairman Corey Stewart had the following comment: “This ruling will set the precedent for the Supreme Court to overturn the 9th Circuit ruling that struck down Arizona’s policy, which is nearly identical to Prince William County’s.”

Prince William County adopted an immigration policy in 2007, which was upheld in Federal Court, that has led to more then 3700 criminal illegal aliens being turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The policy requires police to check the immigration status of anyone arrested and is substantially similar to the legislation later adopted in Arizona.

Stewart went on to say, “I am confident we will see the Prince William model become enacted not only across Virginia but also nationwide. We can not continue to catch and release dangerous criminal illegal aliens who are a threat to the community. They must be held in custody and ultimately deported.”

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the opinion for the majority and said “Arizona has taken the route least likely to cause tension with federal law, it relies solely on the federal government’s own determination of who is an unauthorized alien, and it requires Arizona employers to use the federal government’s own system for checking employee status.”
Stewart is in agreement with this opinion and said, “I hope the court continues to take this sound legal approach when the Rule of Law comes before them. Clearly the Obama administration and even Republicans in Congress don’t view illegal immigration as a serious threat. This ruling gives states and localities the ability to be proactive in combating illegal immigration.”

Chairman Stewart has availability throughout the day and the remainder of the week.

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Prince William Chairman Corey Stewart and Prince William NAACP President Ralph Smith Oppose VA Senate Redistricting Plan
“Plan disenfranchises a majority-minority county and divvies it up among other counties”

Prince William, VA – Chairman Stewart and Prince William NAACP President Ralph Smith expressed concern over the most recent version of the General Assembly redistricting plan approved by the Virginia State Senate last Thursday. As a majority-minority county both are concerned that Prince William County and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park, communities with nearly one half million residents may not adequately be represented as the seats are currently drawn.

The plan as currently drawn would splinter Prince William one of the most populous and diverse counties in commonwealth and the nation into seven Senate districts, six of which would likely be held by residents of other counties, including Fairfax (3), Loudoun (1), Fauquier (1) and Westmoreland (1).

Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chairman, Corey Stewart, and Prince William Chapter NAACP President, Ralph Smith, issued the following statement in regard to the latest Virginia redistricting plan: “This plan effectively disenfranchises Prince William County, which is now a majority-minority community. It dilutes the influence of Prince William in Richmond, despite the fact that we are the second largest County in the Commonwealth and growing fast. This plan is unacceptable, and we urge Governor McDonnell to make reasonable and fair adjustments to the state senate districts.”