Prince William County’s Board of Supervisors easily approved the fiscal year 2025 budget with a few changes on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, to take effect on July 1.
Following the April 16 budget markup meeting, the supervisors unanimously approved almost everything on the docket. Notably, the board set the real estate tax rate at 92 cents per $100 assessed value. Multiple supervisors stated that this decision was made to balance the tax burden on residents with data centers.
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In a letter addressed to the Chair and the Supervisors of Prince William County, Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth outlined her intention to withhold prosecution of certain misdemeanor charges, effective May 1, 2024, if county leaders don’t give her more employees.
According to the letter, the Prince William County Prosecutor’s Office is operating with 26 fewer positions than required. A recent time study showed the office has a deficit of seven attorneys and 19 administrative staff, Ashworth wrote.
On April 18, 2024, supervisors voted in a straw poll and decided to fund an additional four attorneys and four administrative staff for Ashworth’s office. Ashworth asked for 16 new people and asserted that the office cannot sustain its current level of service and must take steps to reduce the caseload. As it stands, Ashworth is set to receive $13 million from the county government to operate her office for the coming fiscal year, starting July 1, 2024. The figure does not include funding from Manassas and Manassas Park cities, for which Ashworth also prosecutes criminal cases.
In response to the straw poll, Ashworth wrote supervisors and listed a series of Class 1 and 2 misdemeanors to which she may no longer assign a prosecutor, including petit larceny, shoplifting, narcotic charges, underage alcohol offenses, disorderly conduct, obstruction of justice, escapes, obscenity, false identification and false report to police, destruction of property, trespassing, reckless driving (unless fatal), and all traffic and operator license misdemeanors.
The Prince William Board of County Supervisors is set to approve its entire FY 2025 budget tomorrow.
“The bottom line is that this office was not properly staffed and funded for decades as the County grew up around us,” Ashworth wrote in an email to Potomac Local. “The time study was able to finally give us a clear staffing standard across the state for all prosecutor’s offices.”
Ashworth, a Democrat, was re-elected to office in November 2023 and is in the first year of her second four-year term.
“The Commonwealth of Virginia does not fund prosecution of misdemeanor cases – only felonies. In smaller jurisdictions, it is easier for the prosecutor to just handle all the misdemeanors as well. However, other large jurisdictions do not handle all of the misdemeanors as [Prince William County] does,” Ashworth adds.
Acknowledging the impact of this decision, Ashworth emphasized the need to focus limited resources on misdemeanors deemed most critical, such as DUI, weapon offenses, and violent crime.
Ashworth’s threats to cut prosecutorial services garnered a quick response from supervisors.
“She claims her predecessor understaffed his office. I don’t recall anyone claiming Paul Ebert [Ashworth’s predecessor] didn’t prosecute enough. The question is efficiency. If Fairfax can do more with less, why can’t she?” asked Gainesville District Supervisor Bob Wier.
During a presentation earlier this month, Ashworth told the Board of County Supervisors that of her 54 office employees, 29 were prosecutors when she took over from her predecessor Paul Ebert, Virginia’s longest-serving prosecutor from 1968 until his retirement in 2019. Since that time dozens of full-time positions have been added to the Commonwealth Attorney’s office, resulting in nearly 80 employees.
“By supporting eight new positions in FY25, in addition to fulfilling the three-year staffing plan introduced by Ms. Ashworth in 2021, I am confident that this Board has provided the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney with the necessary resources to fulfill its prosecutorial duties to our residents,” said Occoquan District Supervisor Kenny Boddye. “These new positions will make our Commonwealth’s Attorney office the largest in Virginia, eclipsing even the staffing levels of Fairfax County, which serves more than two times as many residents.”
Since she took over, the Board of County Supervisors has increased funding for her office by $6.4 million and added 32 employees. This represents a cumulative percentage increase of about 93.5% over five years. All the while, Ashworth is pursuing fewer cases than her predecessor, choosing to indict 75 felonies on average per month compared to the 350-per-month average Ebert pursued.
Despite Ashworth having successfully lobbied to increase her office budget to the largest it has ever been in county history, she has the fewest average prosecutions of her predecessors. Meanwhile, the county’s murder rate has doubled, and violent crime increased by 70% since 2019.
In a letter to constituents, Coles District Supervisor Yesli Vega called Ashworth’s letter a “dangerous temper tantrum” describing it as “a stain on the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office and unbecoming of an elected official.” She also questioned how a 2% increase in caseload could represent a $2 million budget request.
Both Weir and Vega pointed to neighboring Fairfax County, which cut misdemeanor prosecutions and has subsequently seen a rise in overall crime, with Vega rhetorically asking, “How has that worked out for them?”
In addition to the potential for increased crime in Prince William, the change would also increase the workload of Prince William County Police officers. In her letter, Ashworth clarified that while her office will no longer prosecute these offenses, the burden of prosecution will shift to the arresting police officer, who must handle traditional prosecutor duties such as subpoenaing witnesses, answering discovery, and presenting evidence in court.
“There will be an additional burden on the department in that we will need to train officers on how to do the legal courtroom work traditionally done by the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office,” said Prince William County Police Chief Peter Newsham. “This will also likely result in officers spending more time in court and less time in the community.”
Newsham added that there likely would be a “negative impact on conviction rates during the learning curve.” adding, “Our officers are committed, dedicated, and professional, but they are not lawyers.”
“I don’t think this board responds well to threats and Prince William County does not have an unlimited source of revenue,” Weir added when asked if Ashworth’s threats would lead to him consider changing his vote. “We’re growing the government at a level that is unsustainable given the revenues.”
The Board of County Supervisors meets at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, 2024, at the McCoart County Government Building, 1 County Complex Court in Woodbridge. The meeting is open to the public and will be streamed online.
Alan Gloss is a freelance reporter for Potomac Local News.
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Below are options the Board may consider:
1) Leave as is ($2.15 per $100)
2) Raise gradually over next 4 years
3) Adopt higher rate now ($3.70 per $100)
For comparison, the tax rate on data centers in Loudoun County is $4.15, and in Fairfax County it’s $4.57.
Complete the survey now. This survey will be available until Friday, April 12. Thank you very much for your participation. Your opinion is greatly appreciated.
If you feel strongly about this, consider sending an email to the entire Board of County Supervisors by emailing [email protected]. You can also find a directory of phone numbers for each member of the Board on the county website.
Finally, consider attending one of the last few budget meetings on April 9, April 16, or the April 23 and speaking publicly. The last official public hearing is on April 9. You deserve to have your voice heard.
Manassas Ballet Theatre celebrated a significant milestone on February 9, 2024, marking its 40th anniversary season. Established in 1983 by Leslie Gearhart, the academy saw a transition in ownership in 1999 when Amy Wolfe took the reins.
Under Wolfe's leadership, a pivotal moment it occurred in 2007 when she donated the academy to the non-profit Manassas Performing Arts, Inc. This decision not only altered the institution's name from Manassas School of Ballet to the widely recognized Manassas Ballet Theatre but also underscored its commitment to fostering artistic endeavors in the community.
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Expressing his gratitude, Anderson said, "I appreciate the support from these dedicated public servants. I look forward to fighting alongside them to improve the lives of Stafford County residents."
Anderson, who grew up in Spotsylvania County, emphasized his commitment to addressing the challenges faced by the community, attributing them to what he referred to as "Biden's failed presidency." He outlined his campaign's focus on taking on key issues, including securing the border and restoring America's standing in the world.
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Yesli Vega will not seek the Republican nomination for the 7th District Congressional race.
Vega was the party nominee in 2022 for the seat now held by Abigail Spanberger. She told Potomac Local News that she endorsed Hamilton at the Prince William County Republican Committee meeting.
Vega began a second term on the Prince William Board of County Supervisors this month.
It’s the latest in a series of endorsements for Hamilton, including the backing of Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.).
Hamilton is married, a father of three, a Navy SEAL combat veteran, and a former Homeland Security division director with a military and public service background.
During his military career, he served in SEAL Team Eight and completed four overseas deployments supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Following an honorable discharge after 10 years, Cameron worked at the U.S. Department of State, supporting crisis response teams and the Bureau of Counterterrorism. His responsibilities included protecting congressional delegations and Ambassadors at U.S. Embassies and Diplomatic Missions. Later, he joined the Department of Homeland Security as the Director of the Emergency Medical Services Division, overseeing EMTs, First Responders, and Operational Medical Programs.
With a bachelor’s degree in health science, Cameron has extensive international experience, serving in over 35 countries under four different Presidential administrations. He and his family live in Orange, Virginia.
Virginia’s 7th Congressional District includes all or part of 10 counties, including Prince William, Stafford, Spotsylvania, Culpeper, King George, Orange, Madison, Greene, and Albermarle. It also includes Fredericksburg.
It’s an open seat this year after incumbent Democrat Abigail Spanberger announced she would not seek reelection and instead will run in 2025 to become Virginia’s next governor at the end of Glenn Youngkin’s term (Virginia is the only state in the union that does not permit incumbent governors from serving consecutive terms).
Spanberger, who worked as a federal law enforcement officer and a CIA officer before entering politics, was first elected to the 7th District seat in 2018.
In her 2022 matchup with Vega, Spanberger won 53% of the vote. Vega won eight of the 10 counties in the district, including Stafford and Spotsylvania. But she lost Prince William County, the most populated county in the district. Prince William voters are credited with giving Spanberger the win.
Hamilton is one of eight Republicans vying for the seat.
Eight Democrats- Yevgeny “Eugene” Vindman, Margaret Franklin, Brianna Sewell, and Elizabeth Guzman, from Prince William County, and Clifford Heinzer, of Stafford County- also seek the seat.
Virginia’s Presidential Primary is on March 5, 2024. Early voting by mail and in-person is now underway. You can find your polling place here.
The supervisor is also collecting toys for children.
Supervisor Yesli Vega: “Help us put a smile on a child’s face this year! Our office is helping to collect new, unwrapped gifts for Toys for Tots. If you are able to help our efforts, you can drop off a gift at the Coles District Office (13476 Dumfries Rd) or bring a toy to our annual Christmas Tree Lighting event. We are accepting donations at our office Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM until Friday, December 15.”
Since 2020, Vega has been the elected Coles District Supervisor on the Prince William Board of County Supervisors. Voters elected her to a second term on November 7, 2023.
Woodbridge District Supervisor Margaret Franklin is running for Congress.
The Democrat filed to run in Virginia's 7th Congressional District to replace incumbent Abigail Spanberger, who announced she will run in 2025 to be Virginia's 75th Governor and not seek re-election to Congress. Spanberger has held the 7th District seat since 2018.
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Prince William County Coles District Supervisor Yesli Vega will hold her annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 1, at 10:30 a.m., at Joseph Reading Park, 8460 Maplewood Drive, near Manassas.
From Vega:
Bring your family for games, light refreshments, and to see our special guest – the Easter Bunny!
