What’s On the Agenda? Stafford’s Board of Supervisors Meets October 15

Stafford County’s Board of Supervisors will hold its next meeting on Tuesday, October 15, at 5 p.m. The meeting will be streamed live, and the agenda will be posted online. To provide the public with more information about the board meetings, we’ve assembled a list of some of the items on the agenda.

On the agenda:

Board of Supervisors

• The board is voting on whether to approve amendments and revisions to its bylaws. Notable changes include a requirement that when any Board member writes an op-ed letter or letter to an elected official or local, state, or federal agency expressing his/her views, he/she shall place on the same document a disclaimer that the statement represents only the views of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the board.   The revision removes social media posts, memorandums, and emails from this requirement.
• Sections 7.2 and 7.3 will no longer include Ethical Standards.

…annually the Board shall review and consider endorsement of a code of performance and ethical standards to convey to each other, as well as to the citizens of the County, its commitment to conduct the business of the Board and the County in a professional and dignified manner.
B. The Board shall be presented with a code of performance and ethical standards annually at its annual organizational meeting for review, approval, and execution…Board members agree to follow its adopted Human Resources Policy for Board Support Assistants, dated July 2, 2024, as last revised, and its code ofperformance and ethical standards regarding Board Support Staff, including, but not limited to, hours of work, conduct, and required trainings.

Transportation

• A proposal to study the Courthouse Targeted Development Area (TDA) for additional transportation improvements. This area finished a $200 million transportation improvement in 2020, which added the Diamond Interchange off of I-95 Exit 140, constructed Hospital Boulevard, and expanded Courthouse Road from two lanes to four.  The proposal says more improvements are necessary to support current and future growth in the Courthouse TDA. Over 4 million square feet of commercial, warehouse, light industrial, and data center space, and over 300 residential units have already been approved. Applications have been submitted for additional 500,000 square feet of commercial, warehouse, and industrial space, and an additional 700 plus residential units.

Public Safety

• The Department of Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services wants permission to sign a lease agreement to rent a boat slip at Hope Springs Marina to store their new fire and rescue boat.
  • The marina is located on Aquia Creek, near the Potomac River, and they believe it’s the best spot for the boat. The lease would cost $3,000 for the first year, with a 3% increase each year after.
  • The department has enough money in their current budget for this year’s lease, and future funding will depend on the county’s budget.
  • The department recently got a 32-foot fire boat, and they’ve also arranged for a boat lift to be installed at the marina. The lift, owned by Stafford County, will keep the boat safe and make maintenance easier. The lease would be for 10 years, and the boat lift would stay with the county if the boat is ever moved.
• The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office requests approval to accept a grant from the 2024 COPS Technology and Equipment Program. The grant, totaling $246,000, would be used to purchase an Emergency Police Dispatch system.
  • This new system will help the Sheriff’s Office improve how they handle emergency calls, making it easier to respond quickly and accurately to different situations. The grant doesn’t require any county money to match the funds, so it’s fully covered.
  • The new system would complement the county’s current emergency dispatch services for medical and fire calls. It works by asking important questions during each call to make sure the right type of help is sent, depending on the answers given.

Human Resources

• The county’s Human Resources Department wants to update its salary policies to help attract and keep employees. These changes are important because Stafford County is growing fast and needs to be competitive in how it pays its workers to keep up with other areas. The staff is recommending several updates, and they’re asking for approval to hold a public hearing about some of them.
  1. Sign-On Bonuses: For hard-to-fill positions, staff recommends offering sign-on bonuses of $2,500, $5,000, or $12,000, depending on the job. The employees will need to stay for a certain period (12 to 36 months) to keep the bonus.
  2. Probationary Pay Increases: If new hires perform really well during their first 6-12 months, they could get a 3% raise if they were hired at the lower end of the pay scale.
  3. Pay for Certifications/Degrees: Employees who earn important certifications, degrees, or licenses that help the county could get up to a 5% raise.
  4. Bilingual Pay: Employees who speak another language that helps their department could get a $2,000 yearly bonus. They’ll need to pass a language test.
  5. Employee Referral Bonuses: If employees refer a friend who gets hired, they could earn between $300 and $1,200, depending on the position.

  The proposal also considers how to set pay for constitutional officers. Historically, constitutional officers entered the office receiving the same salary as their predecessors until 2024, when the board reduced the salary of the county’s new Treasurer.

  In the proposed updates, the board will decide if a newly elected Constitutional Officer gets a salary supplement on top of the state-provided pay. After that, the officer will get the same raises and cost of living adjustments as other county employees.

  • To set the salary for a new officer, the County Administrator will work with Human Resources to compare salaries from similar areas. Based on this, the County Administrator will recommend it to the Board, which will review it in a closed session. The Board may invite the officer to discuss the salary during the session.
  • Under the proposed language, the newly elected officer will not be informed of the new salary until after the election and may be excluded from discussions on the matter.

Planning and Zoning

• Additional time is requested to review a rezoning application on the Musselman Road warehouse project, Attain at Stafford, and The Arbors at Stafford. The Musselman Road Warehouse project in the George Washington District includes rezoning 21 acres from Urban Commercial and Suburban Residential to Light Industrial.
  • The warehouse will be approximately 218,000 square feet. Attain at Stafford, a mixed-use development, and The Arbors at Stafford, an age-restricted community, are both in the Falmouth district. Together, the two will add 470 dwelling units on over 30 acres. The developer is requesting additional time to review prior county feedback.