A Plan That Lowers Risk & Costs

Transcript:

I’m Will Radle. With 20 years experience serving on state, regional and local public committees as well as non-profit boards, my focus remains creating effective, sustainable solutions to the challenges confronting our community.

Friends, you have the privilege and the responsibility of advocating the best interests of Fairfax County and our people.  We have an interesting history.  In 1988, Fairfax County issued $251.9 million dollars in revenue bonds to construct this incinerator following a unanimous vote by the board to issue up to $300 million dollars in revenue bonds on October 28th, 1986. Tom Davis and Chairman Jack Harrity voted for it.

Now, you may buy the same incinerator at fair market value and keep the same operator.  Fairfax County is engaged in active discussions with Covanta at this time because of our previously negotiated purchase option.

I am here to provide good counsel.  Rather than renting the incinerator through 2031 when Covanta’s land lease expires, or buying the incinerator now, or facing an unknown market in five years and competing for trash solutions, I recommend a fourth choice that has not been discussed.

In my opinion, a wiser choice would be acquiring another purchase option set for 2016.  This new purchase option benefits both the County and our contractor as it puts our decision point at or near our change point in 2016. Covanta will be able to offer terms at that time and we will make an informed decision knowing better the trash and energy markets as well as the regulatory environment of 2016. Our community will be more certain of the consequences and the benefits of our decision in 2016.

My plan lowers risk  and costs. I recommend we structure the new purchase option as a compromise between the do nothing and the rent options put forward by the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services.  Rather than increasing tipping fees by 30% and then up to 50% by 2016, we cut the proposed fee increases in half leading up to 2016.  Our reserve posture in negotiations remain doing nothing and entering the open market in 2016 for at least 15 years. According to county staff doing nothing remains the lowest cost option for the next 5 years. Fairfax County should not reduce our revenue participation when we may grow energy revenues exponentially through PJN.  As increased revenues materialize, we can offset increased fees.

In closing, let’s see a show of hands.  Who is ready to look into the eyes of a parent, the parent of a child who does not have access to full day kindergarten and explain how you voted to invest $418 million dollars to buy an incinerator that may or may not enable us to burn trash more cheaply in 18 years?

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Will Radle: Unifying Force for Fairfax County Will Radle

Hi I’m Will Radle, first I want to acknowledge thousands of our neighbors who quietly serve the community of Fairfax County.  Volunteers make in important difference in our community everyday.  With over 20 years experience serving on state, regional, local public committees as well as non profit boards. My focus remains on creating effective sustainable solutions to the challenges facing our community.

Standing here on March 29th, I shared how to prevent future governors from denying Fairfax County our fair share of funding for public education.  Friends I also shared that it is your responsibility and privilege to advocate for the best interest of Fairfax County and our people.

We need to advocate for fair treatment for Fairfax County taxpayers and students.  In the past quarter, the 13 weeks since March 29th we have not heard a peep, a whisper, a word showing you’re ready to fight for our community.  The taxpayers of Fairfax County subsidize other taxpayers at an annual cost of 501 million dollars annually to meet a state mandate.  This amount represents more than 24% of the revenues we generate through real estate taxes.

Let me share how our real estate taxes are driven up by 31.5% to subsidize other taxpayers in meeting a state mandate.  The general assembly has two methods of funding it’s core requirement for basic education.  The first is state income taxes, which is fair in every locality as every taxpayer pays the same income tax rates.  However, what is unfair is that they look to Fairfax County and they ask us to carry a larger burden share (rounding to whole numbers) 72% of the cost and they ask other localities (Lee County) to carry 17% of the cost.

What is their argument for increasing our tax burden to subsidize other taxpayers.  Well, they say that Fairfax County is rich and other localities are poor.  Did you know that every year at least one month (according to community needs assessment) 25% of Fairfax County households are unable to meet their basic needs.  25% of Fairfax County residents is 275,000 Virginians.  Do you want to look at them and tell them they are rich? It’s unfair.  There is only one real estate tax and it’s driven up 31.5%.  The voters of Fairfax County elect 22.5% of our state senators and 17% of our state delegates.  Since march 29th, I’ve had the privilege of speaking with democratic and republican senators and delegates.  What they’ve shared with me is that there is the need for unifying force, and that unifying force should be the chairman and board of supervisors standing up and speaking for our community.  Thank you

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Will Radle: New Vision For County Leadership

Transcript of Will Radle’s Speech

Hi I’m Will Radle, with over 20 years experience serving on state, regional, local public committees as well as non profit boards. My focus remains on creating effective sustainable solutions to the challenges facing our community.

In the one page document distributed by the clerk I share how to prevent future governors from denying Fairfax County our fair share of funding for basic education.

I share how to increase local control, how to increase support from Richmond by over 501 million dollars annually, without increasing taxes Virginians pay.  In fact following my plan, the Fairfax County household with the median household income and average property value will realize the tax reduction.   My plan directly benefits every locality in the commonwealth except for one,  Lee County in southwest Virginia indirectly benefits.

We create our choices.  Fairfax could lower real estate taxes by over 23% to 83 cent per 100$ of assessed value. Household of the median income and the average assessed home value would realize over 400$ in tax savings while county revenues would remain relatively flat. Or we could lower real estate taxes by over 14% to 93 cents per 100 dollars of assessed value.  Taxpayers would realize a modest tax reduction while county revenues would increase by 193 million dollars to address local priorities.

With my plan we will take control of our roads, address traffic congestion and provide solutions for the challenges created by Barack.  We will restore cuts in public safety. We will quicken our capital improvement program for our county and schools.  We will fund full day kindergarten without placing other children in substandard facilities.  We will protect and strengthen our safety net of human services.  We will award a pay raise to county and school employees for the first time in years.  We will provide tax relief.  Our budget is a statement of our communities values not just a book of numbers.  We will honor our local priorities.

Before closing, I want to thank Kristin Michael and Brian Logwood the budget director of Fairfax County public schools and the Virginia department of education respectively.  I also want to thank marcia wilds of Fairfax county’s department of management and budget.  Friends you have done your best in a difficult time.  As I said standing here in February you have the privilege and responsibility to advocate the best interest of Fairfax County and our people.  The question remains of course, whether will you do this work or wait for new leadership. Thank you.

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Will Radle: Building A Culture Of Listening

Will Radle listens to his community

Transcript

Hi I’m Will Radle.  Reading local community newspapers I saw a need to listen.  There were over 250 of our local neighbors in the Dranesville District who signed a petition after the planning commission saying that they had not been heard and had not been informed.  Supervisor Foust did an excellent job convening two meetings, the first on june 1st and there was a sizeable crowd and then the second was last week on thursday.  Again, additional people came expressing concern.  I think this is an issue not only for Dranesville but for all of fairfax county and we can follow the lead of some supervisors such as Supervisor Highland who has an active and engaged process. But even from that process there are some persons who believe they have not been heard.

Let me read from the connection newspaper Mt Vernon Gazette April 28th

During the existence of division task force on january 2nd 2011 the speaker Jay Speigel who is an active writer in our local paper.  He proposed the following statement be incorporated in land use committees report.

“we must improve the advisor role of community umbrella organizations by more closely scrutinizing the extense of the neighborhoods and citizenry that they claim to represent. And ensuring that positions that they take in their advisory capacity are representative of the mainstream of community thought rather than the personal views of those who serve on their committees and boards.”

In Dranesville and Great Falls throughout my ten hours investment of time, listening and hearing what people had to say.  There is an overwhelming sense that we need to review the process to strengthen inclusion, to strengthen information that people need to receive in a timely fashion.  Because, we certainly wouldn’t want a 57000 sq ft facility going up next door without people feeling like that have been heard.

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