John Gray says no to Prince William $396 million road, park bonds

Voters in Prince William County will see two bond referenda questions on the Nov. 5 ballot.

• One will ask voters for permission for the Board of County Supervisors to borrow up to $355 million to fund new five transportation projects, including improving Route 28.
• A second will ask voters for permission to borrow up to $41 million for parks and recreation improvements, to include funding new trails and turf fields.

Potomac Local asked candidates running for Prince William Board of County Supervisors and the School Board their opinions on the bond questions.

• If voters approve the bonds, the county will need about $1 billion in new tax revenue to pay back the bond.
• We asked School Board candidates for their opinion because a revenue-sharing agreement between the Board of County Supervisors and the School Board means that for every $1 in new tax revenue raised, the school division will get 57% of every dollar.

John Gray, the Republican nominee for the Board of County Supervisors Chairman At-large says the bonds are a bad idea.

• Gray says 85% of the projects benefit land developers, and he says the process to choose which projects would be funded — essentially an up or down vote by Supervisors during a June meeting, in order to narrow down a list of projects — was flawed.
• At least one of the proposed road projects — a $70 million interchange at Minnieville Road and Prince William Parkway — sits at the proposed Quartz District, a 145-acre mixed-use property with homes, commercial offices, and retail space.

“We don’t know the true costs,” Gray told Potomac Local. “We haven’t been told how it will be paid for.”