The Prince William County Board of Supervisors will go next door to hold a retreat.

Supervisors will meet Monday and Tuesday, January 29 and 30, at Old Hickory Golf Club, less than a mile from the county government center in Woodbridge.

A meeting agenda will be published Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, said county spokeswoman Nicole Brown. Public bodies use retreats to get to know the body’s members and have broad discussions on policy.

Prince William supervisors last attended a team-building workshop in July 2020, as members of the previous board, helmed by former At-large Chair Ann Wheeler, struggled to get along. Notably, it faced controversy for approving multiple land rezonings for data centers, including the PW Digital Gateway next to Manassas National Battlefield, which is now being challenged in court.

DeShundra Jefferson, the newly elected chair at-large of Prince William County’s Board of Supervisors, delivered her first remarks on the State of the County. She expressed hope for collaboration and positive change, emphasizing the need for the Board to work together to address responsible growth, diversify the tax base, and invest in affordable housing and public safety. Jefferson, who represents a change in the Board controlled by Democrats since 2020, aims to bring a collaborative approach.

In a bipartisan move, Jefferson appointed Yesli Vega, a Republican, as the board’s pro-tempore chair. Vega will preside over meetings in Jefferson’s and another member’s absence. Jefferson expressed a desire to celebrate the diversity within the county and emphasized the importance of working together to leave a legacy of progress for future generations.

One of the first actions of the new board came this week when supervisors signed off on a collective bargaining agreement that sees police and fire and rescue employees get pay increases and new benefits in the coming year.

The presentation covered various aspects, including the historical context, negotiation process, and fiscal impacts of the tentative agreements with the Prince William County Police Association (PWCPA) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF). The Board voted seven to one in favor of the collective bargaining agreements, with Coles District Supervisor Yesli Vega casting the lone dissenting vote.

The agreements address pay, maternal leave, and other benefits, aligning the county with contemporary workforce considerations. While some supervisors initially had reservations about collective bargaining, they recognized the importance of addressing retention issues and remaining competitive in wages to retain trained personnel.

The agreements include provisions such as a pay scale committee, a lump sum payment, on-call pay, shift differential pay increase, paid family leave, and adjustments to comp leave caps. For firefighters, there is a transition from a 56-hour work week to a 50-hour work week, requiring the hiring of additional firefighters.

The total cost for fiscal year 2025 is estimated at $16 million.

Prince William County police and fire and rescue employees will see pay increases and new benefits oi the coming year thanks to union lobbyists.

Deputy County Executive Quintin Hayes delivered a comprehensive presentation to the Board of County Supervisors, outlining the critical elements of the proposed collective bargaining ordinance, which supervisors approved during their meeting on Tuesday, January 16, 2024.

The presentation covered various components, providing a detailed overview of the background, negotiation process, and fiscal impacts of the tentative agreements with the Prince William County Police Association (PWCPA) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

Hayes began by highlighting the historical context, noting that the Board had adopted the collective bargaining ordinance in November 2022, with subsequent amendments in July 2023. He said he emphasized the significance of avoiding impasse during negotiations, an achievement for the county’s negotiating team.

The negotiating team, composed of representatives from the county attorney’s office, human resources, the fire department, the police department, and external counsel, played a role. Hayes acknowledged the team’s dedication and the input received from various county offices, including the Office of Executive Management and the Office of Management and Budget.

Supervisors voted seven to one to approve the collective bargaining agreements, underscoring the significance of this development in the county’s approach to labor relations with its first responders. Coles District Supervisor Yesli Vega cast the lone dissenting vote.

Woodbridge Distirct Supervisor Margaret Franklin called the process a “labor of love” and recognized that while the unions didn’t get everything they wanted, the agreement was a positive step forward.

Neabsco District Supervisor Victor Angry said that while initially concerned about collective bargaining, he stepped back and trusted the team, recognizing their capability to navigate the process. He noted that the package addressed important aspects such as pay, maternal leave, and other benefits, bringing the county up to speed with contemporary workforce considerations.

Brentsville District Supervisor Tom Gordy also expressed his initial reservations about collective bargaining but acknowledged the importance of addressing retention issues within the county. He thanked the fire union for proactively sharing their perspectives and recognized the need to remain flexible and competitive in wages to retain trained and qualified personnel.

Gordy emphasized the dynamic nature of the region and the potential changes in wage rates among other localities, stressing the importance of flexibility to maintain competitiveness. While not his preference, he acknowledged the competitive reality of the situation and expressed his commitment to supporting the police and fire departments in their efforts to keep the community safe.

Gainesville Supervisor Bob Wier said he is torn over the agreement and will address its costs during the budget process in April. “There are people who are going to be angry with me for voting in favor of it, but the fiscally conservative, responsible side of me sees an upside in this that I rarely find, and that’s that we know what the set cost is going to be,” said Wier.

The tentative collective bargaining agreements were ratified by the PWCPA on October 19, 2023, and the IAFF on October 26, 2023. The unions managed the voting process independently.

According to Hayes, detailed fiscal impact studies examined direct and indirect costs. Direct costs encompassed wages, certification pay, specialty pay, overtime pay, and other compensation.

The agreement with PWCPA included the establishment of a pay scale committee, a $1,000 lump sum payment effective July 1, 2024, a total of $636,000, on-call pay costing an additional $3.6 million, and it entitles officers to receive one hour of overtime for each day assigned to overtime.

The agreement also calls for a 50-cent increase in shift differential pay and introduces six weeks of paid family leave at the cost of about $157,000 family leave. It also increases the comp leave cap from 80 hours to 120. Crime scene technicians will get $1 add-on pay for about $213,000 for about 95 crime scene technicians.

The agreement with firefighters featured a transition from a 56-hour work week to a 50-hour work week, which will require hiring 30 more firefights for $6.5 million. The move comes after county firefighters pleaded with supervisors to change their work schedules from a 48-hour week to a 56-hour week, promising it would improve employee retention and morale.

Supervisors also improved market adjustments for existing staff costing $1.2 million, $650,000 in stipends for certifications, paid family leave totaling $343,000, and increased comp leave cap from 80 to 120 hours.

All employees are already budgeted for a 3% merit performance increase in the upcoming budget.

The total cost for fiscal year 2025, starting July 1, 2024, is $16 million.

Local Spotlight: Folks, I’m serious about Local Spotlight being the most effective, affordable advertising I’ve ever offered.

• And it’s a tremendous value for small businesses and nonprofit organizations.

Local Spotlight members receive:

• At least three ads on our potomaclocalnews.com website (new positions coming)
• Priority posting of announcements and events here in the Publisher’s Post (emailed directly to more than 15,500 opt-in recipients)
• We have 1.5 Million local, engaged readers — authentically local readers, unlike those “local” viewers the big social media companies told you reached during your last “targeted” campaign.
• Flexible payment options that include annual and bi-annual payments
• Plus: I’m so convinced that Local Spotlight members will get such great value that I’m willing to work with smaller businesses on monthly plans to earn your membership in the program.
• Sold $1,620 annually (SAVE 10%), $894 bi-annually, or $149 monthly.
• Contact me today to become a member.

Snow day: We’re expecting up to three inches of snow today, according to our forecast sponsored by Water’s End Brewery. Send us your snow pictures.

Events: Post your events to our local calendar FREE by clicking this link. We reach 1.5 million readers a year, so FREE ain’t bad for that amount of targeted reach.

MLK Day: Reporter Katherine Madere is covering the 39th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Program & Youth Oratorical Competition, held this year at Colgan Senior High School near Woodbridge.

New Mexican-style: Amelia Breeden’s story about Anita’s New Mexican-style diner reopening near Manassas has drawn some debate on our Facebook page, proving once again that people on social media will argue over anything.

• “Oh man, this brings back wonderful memories from my childhood.”
• “So many great El Salvadoran places in Manassas. I was actually sad to see this.”

Huntley event confusion: Some on the FredNats Facebook page are confused about the event at the baseball stadium honoring Fredericksburg’s “Huntley,” who won season 24 of “The Voice” on NBC.

• “What fun? No food, no game, no concert? So everyone just stares at each other and worships Huntley?”

Trash talkin’: The Stafford County Sheriff took a swipe at Dallas Cowboys fans this morning after their 48-32 loss in the wildcard playoff game. Full story.

Supervisors: Prince William and Stafford counties Board of Supervisors meetings will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024. Our reporters will cover stories about adding classroom trailers to preserve historic sites.

Shootings: We’re following several breaking stories today, including two shootings, on our homepage.

Drop a line: Tell us how we’re doing and send news tips to [email protected].

Thanks for your continued support of local news in our communities.

Uriah Kiser
Publisher
Potomac Local News

DeShundra Jefferson, chair at-large of Prince William County’s Board of Supervisors, delivered her first remarks Tuesday, January 9, on the State of the County. She was elected in 2023 and assumed office on January 1.

This article requires a paid Locals Only Membership to read. Please Sign In or Upgrade to a paid membership. Thank you.

“Retired NASA scientist John Lyver, a fierce critic of the massive Prince William Digital Gateway data center development, was appointed to the county planning commission Tuesday during the Prince William Board of County Supervisors’ first meeting of the new year,” reports Shannon Clark at the Prince William Times.

We incorrectly posted a photo of Brentsville District Supervisor Tom Gordy in an earlier version of this post. 

“Jefferson, D-At Large, shared her vision for the county’s future during the supervisors’ first meeting of the new year. In the new term, Jefferson said she’s hopeful the board can come together and collaborate with respect for one another to “better govern,” reports Shannon Clark at the Prince William Times.

It’s easy to spend money when it’s not your own.

At the last Prince William County Board of Supervisors meeting of 2023, I spoke to the board about the massive cost of feeding board supervisors during their meetings. I showed a video of county residents waiting in food pantry lines.

Talking to some of the organizers of these charities, they tell me they try to serve everyone, but there are many occasions when more people are looking for help than they can serve, and they regularly must close the pantry lines. The board appeared to listen intently to what I was saying. Still, to my dismay, outgoing Chair Ann Wheeler announced that the board would be going to Los Toltecas Bar and Grill in Woodbridge for dinner between the day and evening sessions.

Employees of the county’s social services department tell me that comparing the last full years of the Stewart and the Wheeler boards, the amount of first-time public assistance requests of Prince William County residents rose 48.5%.

Despite their ability to put food on their table, those seeking public assistance are still required to pay the county real estate and personal property taxes. Those tax rates are set by the supervisors who are eating for free using money paid by people who can’t put food on their tables. I

It’s a circle of craziness that is only made more surreal when you realize that unpaid tax debt can subject people to civil and criminal sanctions.

Public records of the Board of Supervisors’ expenditures from January through November 2023 show they spent $12,548.28 taxpayer money on food for 19 meetings. That averages to $82.55 per supervisor per meeting.

As you can tell by the price tag, they are not eating burgers or pizza. They eat from restaurants like Carrabba’s, Los Toltecas, Bonefish Grill, Firebirds, Texas Roadhouse, and the Cheesecake Factory.

Adding to the cost, the Wheeler Board required county staff to have lunch waiting in the board chambers despite not starting work until well after lunch at 2 p.m. To add insult to taxpayer injury, sometimes the board decided to go out to eat, even though the county had already purchased food for them, making taxpayers pick up the tab twice.

Why does the public pick up the tab for their meals in the first place? Last spring, the board gave itself a sweeping pay raise – 70% in the case of the chair’s salary.

There are so many meal options from delivery to door dash where each supervisor can choose to order their food for themselves.

County Executive Christopher Shorter and county attorney Michelle Robl, two of the top 3 highest-paid county employees, are also having their meals provided for them by taxpayers during these meetings.

Shorter hasn’t been here a year and just got 6% and 3% raises. His annual salary is more than $380,000, and he also gets a luxury car allowance and deferred compensation of an additional $20,o000 a year.

This makes his salary more than 10 times the salary of the average Virginian. He still eats for free on Tuesdays.

If it’s too much of a bother to order food separately, why not reimburse the county for the food they’ve purchased?

Hopefully, the incoming At-large chair, Deshundra Jefferson, will put a “Pantry closed” sign over the supervisors’ excessive meal spending because the people can no longer afford a ruling class; that’s why we ousted Ann Wheeler.

Alan Gloss
Coles District

Prince William County: “More than 200 members of the community gathered Tuesday evening, Jan. 2, at the Hylton Performing Arts Center to witness the swearing-in ceremony for the Board of County Supervisors and the county’s constitutional officers.”

“The ceremony started with the presentation of colors by the county’s Joint Public Safety Honor Guard and the singing of the National Anthem by Karen-Leigh Albert. The new and returning officials then took their oaths of office with friends and family joining them on the stage.”

Newly sworn board members include:

• Chair At-Large Deshundra Jefferson
• Brentsville District Supervisor Tom Gordy
• Coles District Supervisor Yesli Vega
• Gainesville District Supervisor Bob Weir
• Neabsco District Supervisor Victor Angry
• Occoquan District Supervisor Kenny Boddye
• Potomac District Supervisor Andrea Bailey
• Woodbridge District Supervisor Margaret Angela Franklin

“Prince William Clerk of the Circuit Court Jacqueline Smith, Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth and Sheriff Glendell Hill also took their oaths of office during the ceremony.”

“After taking their oath of office, the elected officials received their certificate of election from the county’s Electoral Board. The ceremony wrapped up with Prince William Poet Laureate Michelle Garcia reciting her original poem ‘A Good World,’ and the crowd joined Karen Leigh-Albert as she sang God Bless America.”

Click here to see a video of the event.

“During last year’s campaign, Deshundra Jefferson was characterized by some as a “newcomer” to politics. But she rejects that tag,” reports Ben Peters, at Insidenova.com.