At the April 15 meeting, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors made its final changes to the fiscal year 2026 budget and tax rates.

This article is FREE to read. Please Sign In or Create a FREE Account. Thank you.

Commonwealth's Attorney Amy Ashworth went to the Prince William County Board of Supervisors asking for 24 more staff members in fiscal year 2026, repeating requests from years past.

Ahead of fiscal year 2025, Ashworth similarly requested more staff members despite the Board being reluctant to fund additional positions. In response, Ashworth sent a letter to the Board stating she would withhold prosecution of certain misdemeanor charges if the Board didn't approve her request.

This article is FREE to read. Please Sign In or Create a FREE Account. Thank you.

In the first public meeting between the Board of County Supervisors and Prince William County Schools (PWCS) leadership on April 1, members from each body expressed their concerns over proposed cuts to public schools by President Donald Trump.

This article is exclusively for our Locals Only members. Please Sign In or upgrade to become a Locals Only Member today!

Your support helps us continue delivering more in-depth community news that matters to you.

Prince William County could soon see a significant shift in its meals tax policy, as several key members of the Board of County Supervisors support cutting the tax in half and eventually phasing it out.

Board Chair At-large Deshundra Jefferson told Potomac Local News she supports reducing the county’s meals tax from 4% to 2% in the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, which takes effect July 1, 2025. Jefferson also wants the Board to consider a plan to phase out the tax entirely over the next few years.

“I’ve heard from small restaurant owners who say the tax is hurting their ability to stay in business,” said Jefferson. “With recent federal job cuts hitting our community, small businesses will feel the ripple effect. Cutting the meals tax is a way to ease that financial burden.”

The meals tax, enacted in 2022, is projected to generate $42 million in Fiscal Year 2025—an increase of $10 million over the previous year. Restaurant owners and hospitality workers have consistently voiced opposition, saying the tax inflates prices and cuts into their already-thin margins.

During public comment at the Board’s April 8 meeting, several residents urged supervisors to reconsider the tax.

‘Taxed enough already’

Shannon Patterson, a server at a restaurant in Woodbridge, shared an emotional plea on behalf of workers in the service industry.

“As a server, that tip is my income,” said Patterson. “If an individual has a $20 budget and there’s a meals tax, they’re still going to spend $20—but I get a smaller tip. It’s coming out of our pockets.”

She estimated losing as much as $400 per month in tips due to the tax, calling it “a tax that I didn’t ask for.”

James Rafferty, a 40-year county resident, said the tax “really hurts our county restaurants,” citing the compounding effects of inflation, labor costs, and rising goods prices.

“Lowering the tax back to 0% would be a huge help,” Rafferty said.

Cody Thomas, who works at Electric Palm Restaurant in Woodbridge, echoed those concerns. “It feels like you’re using us as an ATM machine,” Thomas told the board. “Most of us work two jobs. We don’t have time to come here and beg you to listen.”

A swing vote shifts

In what may prove to be a decisive development, Neabsco District Supervisor Victor Angry told Potomac Local News he now supports reducing the tax—a shift that could tip the balance in favor of rollback efforts.

Angry initially supported the meals tax to help fund services as new attractions were expected to boost tourism and restaurant business in eastern Prince William County. But those projects—including a massive indoor sports field house and a potential Washington Commanders stadium—have since fallen through.

“We were expecting new restaurants and increased revenue from visitors,” said Angry. “That didn’t happen. I’m open to change because the circumstances have changed.”

Gordy proposes a phase-out plan

Brentsville District Supervisor Tom Gordy, who has long criticized the meals tax, reiterated his position and shared a concrete proposal.

“I support lowering the meals tax. I issued a directive in April 2024 directing County staff to draft a proposal to cut it to 2%,” Gordy said. “It adds another burden on our residents, and we should continue working to reduce that burden.”

To offset the revenue loss, Gordy supports increasing the county’s Computer and peripheral (data center) tax to $4.15, aligning it with neighboring jurisdictions. “This diversifies our tax base while maintaining services,” he said.

A divided board

Not all supervisors have weighed in. Occoquan District Supervisor Kenny Boddye has previously defended the meals tax, calling it essential to diversifying county revenue and funding public services like police, schools, and parks.

“Receipts data since the meals tax adoption in 2022 shows consistent growth for our restaurants,” Boddye said in a statement earlier this year. He emphasized that “nearly half of restaurant-goers around attraction nodes like Potomac Mills live outside the County,” arguing the tax helps residents by leveraging visitor spending.

The Board of County Supervisors will approve the FY2026 budget in the coming weeks, with a final decision expected by the end of April.

Meanwhile, local restaurant workers like Shannon Patterson continue to hope for relief.

“COVID taxed us enough,” she said. “Do we really need another [tax] just to eat?”

At the April 1 meeting, many of Prince William's Board of County Supervisors railed against Prince William County Schools (PWCS) administration in their budget asks for the fiscal year 2026.

This article is exclusively for our Locals Only members. Please Sign In or upgrade to become a Locals Only Member today!

Your support helps us continue delivering more in-depth community news that matters to you.

Prince William County’s emergency dispatchers—often referred to as the “first” first responders—are being recognized for their behind-the-scenes heroism during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, April 14–20, 2025.

During its April 1 meeting, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors passed a proclamation honoring the county’s public safety telecommunicators for their dedication to the community. Supervisor Victor Angry (Neabsco District) introduced the resolution, which Chair At-Large Deshundra Jefferson read aloud.

“We thank you for the voices that calm and direct us in moments of crisis,” said Chair Jefferson.

The proclamation recognizes the highly trained professionals who answer 911 calls, dispatch emergency services, and provide life-saving instructions—all while remaining calm under pressure.

Michele Surdam, who leads the Department of Public Safety Communications, accepted the proclamation alongside staff members.

“This job is not for the faint of heart,” said one of the department’s representatives. “It’s our job to bring calm to chaos.”
The proclamation highlights the essential role dispatchers play in coordinating emergency response efforts with law enforcement, fire and rescue teams, and emergency medical services.

Supervisor Yesli Vega (Coles District) echoed her appreciation during Supervisors’ Time, adding:

“Let’s not forget the human beings behind the headsets.”
This week, residents are encouraged to thank the telecommunicators who work tirelessly, often anonymously, to keep the community safe—24 hours a day, seven days a week.

National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week was first introduced in 1981 and is observed annually during the second week of April.

Prince William County's Board of Supervisors has united in wanting to change the county's noise ordinance after 30 years.

The county's current noise ordinance, which hasn't been significantly updated since the 1990s, is being reviewed after residents pointed out the low-frequency noise produced by data centers.

This article is exclusively for our Locals Only members. Please Sign In or upgrade to become a Locals Only Member today!

Your support helps us continue delivering more in-depth community news that matters to you.

Prince William County is grappling with dozens of long-term staff vacancies, prompting concern among officials about recruitment, retention, and the impact on services.

During the county’s first Finance and Budget Committee meeting on Tuesday, David Sinclair, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, delivered a detailed vacancy analysis at the request of the Board of County Supervisors. The analysis focused on county government positions that have remained unfilled for 270 days or more.

According to Clare, 56 roles, totaling 45.82 full-time equivalent (FTE), remained vacant as of February 1, 2025. The combined value of the salaries, benefits, and taxes associated with those vacancies was $4.6 million.

“Some of these positions have been vacant for over a year. And while there are cost savings, they often come with service disruptions,” Sinclair told the committee.

The Prince William-Manassas Regional Adult Detention Center (ADC) had the highest long-term vacancies. The facility has 15.6 FTE jail officer positions that have been unfilled for more than nine months. Last year, the county eliminated 23 jail officer positions from the budget, citing staffing shortages and a lower average daily jail population.

Supervisor Andrea Bailey (Potomac District) and others expressed concern that jail staffing issues may affect safety and morale.

“Our law enforcement community deserves support, especially in retention and competitive pay,” said Bailey.

In response to continued hiring challenges, Sinclair noted the ADC’s salary and benefit savings have been falling into the jail’s fund balance—now totaling around $22 million. These funds, he said, could be used to support retention bonuses or strategic hiring initiatives.

Other hard-to-fill roles include nurses, clinical case workers, IT professionals, and planners.

After multiple failed recruitment attempts, the Department of Information Technology has turned to contractors to fill critical tech roles. Contract workers often cost more than full-time employees, but officials said it’s the only option in some cases.

“We’ve seen three, four, even five rounds of recruitment for a single IT position,” Sinclair said. “It’s not just a vacancy—it’s an operational gap.”

Recruitment and retention are also challenging in public health and mental health services. The Department of Social Services and Community Services reported long-term vacancies for case workers and psychiatrists, including one child psychiatrist position that has remained open for nearly a year.

“These aren’t just administrative roles,” said Supervisor Victor Angry (Neabsco District). “We’re talking about nurses in our jail, mental health professionals, and people who directly serve our most vulnerable residents.”

Sinclair reminded supervisors that not all vacant positions are funded by the county’s general fund. Some are covered by state reimbursements, development fees, or enterprise funds like solid waste or stormwater management. The county also loses the associated revenue when a state-reimbursed position goes unfilled.

The report also examined salary lapse savings, a budgeting technique in which agencies assume several vacant positions annually. For the fiscal year 2026, the county budget includes $22.3 million in salary lapse savings, the equivalent of about 250 vacant positions.

However, Sinclair warned that the county overspent its salaries and benefits budget by $3.7 million in FY24, meaning that actual vacancies didn’t generate as much savings as expected.

Supervisors expressed mixed reactions to the data. Bob Weir (Gainesville District) questioned whether departments intentionally keep positions open to hit their budget targets.

“We should be clawing back more of this funding,” said Weir. “If we don’t do something about long-term vacancies, we’re not being honest about our staffing reality.”

Supervisor Margaret Angela Franklin (Woodbridge District) wants to see more effort in understanding what’s working in hiring and retention.

“We always hear what’s not working. But what’s helping us reduce turnover? What are we doing right?” she asked.

According to Sinclair, the county’s turnover rate improved in FY24, dropping to 7% without retirements, down from double-digit levels during the pandemic. However, she cautioned that one year of improvement isn’t enough to declare a trend.

The committee agreed to revisit the issue after updated data is available and potentially recommend policy changes, including reevaluating the county’s salary lapse methodology.

“These are the discussions this committee was created for,” said Chair Kenny Boddye (Occoquan District), elected chair of the Finance and Budget Committee, during the meeting. “Let’s dig in now so we’re not scrambling during budget markup.”

To help address ongoing staffing shortages across departments, Prince William County Government will host a countywide Career Expo on Saturday, April 12, 2025, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas. More than 20 agencies will participate, offering full-time, part-time, seasonal, internship, and volunteer opportunities across various fields—from public safety, engineering, and criminal justice to parks and recreation, elections, and human services.

Entry-level to professional positions will be available, with on-site interviews and contingent job offers for some roles. Registration is not required, but attendees can skip the line by using Express Check-In. More information is online.

A routine agreement for using school buses by Prince William County government agencies was anything but routine Tuesday, as the Board of County Supervisors raised sharp concerns over dramatic cost increases and deferred the decision for further negotiations.

The board voted 5-2 to defer action on the agreement until April 8, after supervisors questioned a 72% hike in hourly rates and a 66% jump in mileage fees proposed by Prince William County Public Schools.

This article is exclusively for our Locals Only members. Please Sign In or upgrade to become a Locals Only Member today!

Your support helps us continue delivering more in-depth community news that matters to you.

Willing Warriors, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting recovering service members and their families, will hold a community-wide event this spring to celebrate a decade of healing and hope.

The organization will mark its 10-year anniversary with a celebration on Monday, May 26, 2025, at 11 a.m. at the Warrior Retreat at Bull Run near Haymarket. The retreat provides free, week-long stays for wounded service members and their families, offering them rest, reconnection, and recovery in a peaceful setting.

Since opening its doors in 2015, the Warrior Retreat has hosted nearly 2,700 warriors and their loved ones, helping to restore hope, rebuild relationships, and provide a supportive environment for healing.

“We’ve seen lives changed, marriages saved, and families restored,” said Shirley Dominick, founder of Willing Warriors. “When warriors arrive on Friday, they are often tired and discouraged. When they leave, they are smiling, hopeful, and ready to move forward.”

Dominick accepted a proclamation from the Prince William Board of County Supervisors on Tuesday, March 18, recognizing March 16–22, 2025, as Women Veterans Week and honoring the contributions of women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. During the ceremony, she reflected on the vital role the community has played in the retreat’s success.

“It is you—this community—that made all of this possible,” she told the board. “Your financial support, your volunteer hours, your belief in our mission—it has all helped us serve our nation’s heroes in a meaningful way.”

Gainesville District Supervisor Bob Weir read the proclamation, noting that women veterans are the fastest-growing segment of the veteran population, with many calling Prince William County home.

Sarah Ford, Executive Director of Willing Warriors, encouraged residents to attend the May 26 event. “This anniversary isn’t just about us—it’s about what this community has done together,” Ford said. “We want everyone to come out, celebrate, and be part of the next chapter.”

Willing Warriors continues to offer no-cost stays for service members recovering from both physical and invisible wounds, supported by a network of volunteers, donors, and local partners. The retreat includes private suites, accessible amenities, and access to nearby medical facilities and outdoor activities.

For more information about the anniversary event or to support Willing Warriors, visit willingwarriors.org.