$1,130,000.00 RETURNED TO YOU

Yes, that is right. One million one hundred and thirty thousand dollars. I found it and I returned it to you exactly back where it belongs.

Let me tell you how I found your $1,130,000.00

On the first day I was in office, I voted with five other Supervisors to end all spending on Purchase of Development Rights on a motion made by Supervisor Jim Clem (REPUBLICAN- Leesburg).

The Purchase of Development Rights program, over my frequent and loud objections during the York/Democrat controlled Board, took tax dollars from the general fund and from other taxpayer sources, and was given to rich landowners in Western Loudoun to keep their land "undeveloped" which they planned to keep "undeveloped" anyway.

This is millions that could have been spent providing recreational facilities and playgrounds for children.

Millions were wasted or went to political cronies and contributors to liberal Democrats (conservative Democrats would not take money like this).

This new policy passed by the Republican majority board on Jan. 6, 2004, instructed the county staff to stop spending all money or funds anywhere in the building set aside for "PDRs". To do otherwise would be against the new policy. After a search of all the places or ledgers, this money was surrendered and put back in the general fund at our February 3rd board of supervisors meeting and I voted to put it there along with the rest of the board.

Now that the $1,130,000 is back in the general fund. This means it will not go to "PDRs", and can be used to keep schools open, pay deputies and fund fire and rescue stations.

>>>> NOW LETS HAVE SOME IDEAS

I need your help in finding $48,870,000.00 to take of the current proposed budget (posted at loudoungov.com).

I have some ideas on where to find the $48,870,000.00 but I really need your help in finding more.

I will list them below (more coming from me and I will pass on your ideas if you wish) and need your support or response. There is a public hearing next Wednesday, March 3rd at 3 p.m. in the board room and then at 7 p.m. in Heritage H.S. You must call 703-777-0204 to get listed on the line up of speakers and obtain a place in the public comment time (3 p.m. to 6 in the board room and then 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Heritage HS). To send comments, please use the new email address [email protected]

>>>SOME IDEAS FOR REDUCTIONS IN SPENDING >>>For Feedback, Support or Your Opinion!

( THIS NEXT PARAGRAPH REVISED FROM MY OWN NOTES BASED ON WORK SESSION TUESDAY NIGHT) $4,000,000.00. Take $4M from the $4M in the extremely fat "legal contingency fund" and keep a Balance (of $250,000) to defend the county against existing law suits until they are settled. 70 lawsuits have already been settled and more are expected to be settled.(addendum note: Even staff agreed last night that the county will not need $4 million next year and awaits the board's action to re-allocate funds from this year.)

(THIS IS NEW ITEM) $250,00.00 In Illegal Expenditures Already Forbidden By Law?

Stop all funding for taxpayer paid for propaganda sent by Chairman Scott York, The School Board and Parks and Recreation. Thousands of hours of staff time, printing and postage is spent peddling sick and twisted methods to browbeat the elected board to spend money.

In layman's language: why not enforce laws against improper lobbying and use of tax dollars this way? Anyone that says "write the board for full funding" on a government computer in a government building should be punished. It is illegal to use your public office for personal gain. Or to obtain favor for another public employee.

$500,000.00 in reducing Full Time Employees in these non-essential and bloated agencies: public information, the county dump, office of economic development, the planning department, transportation, general services and mapping and geographical information.

(ADDITIONAL POINT: there are no lobbies or citizens pushing for employees to be saved in MANY of these departments, just department heads warning of dire circumstances if you don't fully fund their departments. Some threaten sternly "you must fund us, you have no choice". If the Board stands up to these threats, look for resignations on "principle". GOOD RIDDANCE TO TAXPAYER RIP OFF SCHEMES.)

$400,000.00 Removing training by outside consultants on "leadership" this year. (not related to required professional or safety training). The world will not notice if we go one year without leadership training.

$150,000.00 Remove all out of state travel to conferences, meetings and "opportunities" for sharing experiences and new information. Order the special drinks with umbrellas by mail.

$600,000.00 Remove most of the $800,000 authorized by the old Board for furniture purchases and just leave $200,000 in funds for buying furniture for Sheriff's deputies who lost their headquarters to a flood. Oh Lord, please not the furniture lobby--- they might take away my soft cushion.

$20,000,000.00 "The Board (of Supervisors) can find $20 million by freezing payroll on its side of the street. If it asks the school board to match that $20 million, the proposed tax rate can drop......" (Leesburg Today lead editorial, February 20). I agree with the Leesburg Today. May God bless them and all newspapers.

$20,000,000.00 in freezing salaries on the school board side.(see above Leesburg Today Editorial).

This "PAYROLL freeze" applies to salary increases, cola, step, bonus, new positions, vacancy savings, resignations, lateral moves, vertical and horizontal moves and third dimensional jumps from department to department at twice the salary and other concepts (capitol acquisitions: READ NEW SUV VANS) that have escaped the English language definitions so far.

$1,700,000.00 Eliminate foreign language programs in elementary schools. It is unnecessary at the elementary level, when children need to be learning basic mathematics, spelling, grammar and other fundamental skills. Other school districts wait until middle or high school, with no adverse results

$12,000,000.00 Estimated savings from allowing schools to locate ball fields in the minor flood plains like other school districts, thereby saving money from lower construction costs and having to buy less land.

$10,000,000.00 in new debt saved from asking the school board to add six (6) new classrooms to each new school which in turn saves $140,000.00 in cash payments out of the general fund to pay that new debt.

$240,000.00 eliminate former Supervisor Dave McWatters and "cable activists" favorite boondoggle. The last board set aside $240,000 from the $960,000 paid to taxpayers by Adelphi Cable to promote "public access television" which is the private reserve of political activists intent on squandering tax dollars for a "vanity" opinion and propaganda effort paid for by taxpayer funds.

$2,000,000.00 vote no on the proposed purchase of the 90 acres in Lovettsville for a Park in an area of the county which has been down zoned to one house per 20 acres so that 10 per cent of the population can have more open space. What?

$200,000 in savings from privatizing the animal shelter

$3,000,000.00 in estimated revenue next year by the board immediately considering to sell the portion of the Fields Property (outside Perceptible) that is not needed for a school.

$4,000,000.00 in estimated revenue next year from the board immediately considering to sell the portion of the Shell horn property not needed for the public safety center and the jail which are funded with bonds.

$1,000,000.00 in estimated revenue by voting to reverse the previous boards decision to grant tax exempt status to the Howard Hughes Institute effective Jan. 1, 2005 ($6 million over several years).

I need your help. Please tell me if I am on the right track. Please tell me if this is the direction you want to go.

>>>Year After Year, Burton Cries Out

Year after year, my fellow board member Jim Burton cries out "We challenge anyone to come up with cuts", they cry from the mountaintop with the loudest of voices and pound their (respective) chests righteously.

So I come up with proposals in the form of motions. They vote for one out of one hundred and say the rest of my proposals are "cruel".

To me, your Sterling Supervisor, they say "now you being are ugly."

>>> IS THIS UGLY OR CRUEL?

So there you have it. I am beginning the process once again for the fifth year in a row. And now pray for the current board members as they tackle this process. Tell them. Tell me what you think of my ideas. You will get more ideas in the days ahead. I promise you that. I wish to charge forward as your Sterling Supervisor and achieve the dream of restrained government growth.

But I can not do it without you.

>>>STUPID LETTERS

Some people write letters claiming that I "never" attack Republicans. Liberals must have ear wax blocking their ears. In response to a long time Republican, Betsy Mahr, claiming that donations to me were somehow corrupt, I said that since childhood, age 14, I had been a member of the Republican County Committee and I had no problem working with people as long as I was honest with them. If a Republican claimed to be a Republican I took them at their word. When I opposed Republicans for their policies, I would say it up front. During public comment I reminded everyone about former Senator Jane Woods and former Delegate Jack Rollison of Prince William (both Republicans), both of whom did something to go back on pro-life pledges or to increase taxes. Both of whom I was openly critical of. Others feel the same way. I warned them on the record for years that they needed to come back to the fold. Now they are both former office holders.

When I "warn" Democrats, the same "warning" applies to Republicans. And that is fair. AND HONEST.

LOUDOUN LIBERALS AND DEMOCRATS are misleading themselves or others if they think I blindly follow all Republicans. Most of you know I have strong anti-tax increase and boondoggle busting beliefs no matter what the political climate. That's what you can depend on me for. I will not let you down.

>>>SMART LETTERS >>>SMART LETTERS

This is what former Republican nominee for Blue Ridge Supervisor Ben Weber writes to me in response to my defense of the Republican Board of Supervisors and my exposing the many wrongheaded and hurtful policies of Supervisor Jim Burton (self proclaimed Independent, really Democrat).

"Eugene: A very well written letter. Many of the issues you pointed out played a major role during my campaign. However, I might also add that he (Burton) voted against several proposals to update Blue Ridge Middle School as well as Hillsboro in favor of a new high school in Dulles, when Blue Ridge was in desperate need.

I fear that there will be lasting impacts on our children in Blue Ridge as they will have to be bused to the east. Meanwhile, Mr. Burton, during the campaign indicated that a new high school should be planned close to Hamilton. Too bad the town of Hamilton is concerned about how a new school will affect their water treatment facility, their traffic, and their way of life.

Thank you for copy of your letter and please continue to protect my rights as a taxpayer of Loudoun County." (unquote)

Eugene Response: Thanks for confirming real situation on the ground in Blue Ridge. The Board of Supervisors will resume rescue operations.

In fact, I was told that now it is nearly unanimous on the Board to do what I thought the board should do for five years: sell the Fields Property that we purchased for one million dollars over the market price.

>>> NEW TOPIC, CROWDING IN STERLING

>>> Rust Withdraws Bill

In a letter to me and the Board of Supervisors Delegate Tom Rust has announced he has withdrawn HB 1006.-Buildings in Loudoun County; Regulation, Occupancy & Use (Patron: Tom Rust, Loudoun/Fairfax-R)

Rust says, and he is right of course, that the county has the power without any additional legislation to regulate crowding in Loudoun County. Thank you for your work Delegate Rust.

The bill (hb 1006) examined the crowding in Sterling

• Fundamentally, a public safety and health issue;

• Our situation is more prevalent in Eastern Loudoun County (in our more suburban areas) but growing in other areas;

• Regulation of occupancy of units is nothing new in the Commonwealth (already a part of the Town of Herndon's local ordinance);

• There is genuine concern over public safety access to residential units;

• There is genuine concern over legitimate fire hazards and overall safety of residents, especially children; and

• There is genuine concern over structural integrity of residential units once changed to accommodate greater numbers of residents.

What we in Sterling are facing:

• Multiple residents (related and unrelated) living in one unit (single-family, or multi-family dwellings);

• Multiple vehicles parked on property near the residence (some with illegal and expired tags);

• Artificial partitions and barriers being constructed (and not a part of any approved building code design);

• Makeshift living areas and kitchens in dwelling units without prior approval;

• Concern over proper ventilation (e.g. carbon monoxide) in these residential units;

• Concern over easy access into residences and egress on to properties by public safety personnel on emergency calls, including emergency vehicle access; and

• Concern over neighborhood blight

>>>CITIZENS WANT IMPROVEMENTS NOW

Some Loudoun examples

• A resident in Sterling Park writes, "A neighbor in Sterling Park took his garage and subdivided into apartments (rooms). He did not have to post a permit for this construction work. Subsequently signs are posted all over sterling offering rooms to rent. There must be ten or more people living in this house/garage and ten cars parked taking up neighbors parking spaces. Zoning has been out to assess the complaint but no solution has been found."

• Another complaint - 16 unrelated adults living in a two-bedroom townhouse. Extra cars are parked on the street and completing covering the front yards.

• Reports of 14 people (unrelated) living in a two-bedroom townhouse

• Reports of 9 people (unrelated) living in a three-bedroom home

• Numerous stories of owners of townhouse or single family homes being subdivided living rooms, dining rooms and garages to partition off rooms.

• Single family houses become multi-family apartments.

• Parking becomes an issue: on-street, in yards, behind houses, etc. Excessive trash, noise and increased traffic all also issues.

Loudoun County, according to Delegate Tom Rust and other state authorities that he consulted, HAS the authority to help mitigate this problem and to protect OUR residents from these potential hazards.

>>>LAND USE COMMITTEE ON THE JOB

I have asked the Land Use Committee and they agreed at their last meeting that Loudoun needs the ability by local ordinance to regulate and enforce the use and occupancy of such buildings.

It needs to be able to limit, restrict, lower; and control the number of occupants in a building or dwelling unit for health and safety of these residents.

I urge ALL CITIZENS to support the necessary amendments to our county ordinances when they are proposed. I will keep you informed. Thank you all for helping to enforce decent living standards in Sterling.

>>> Will Vote to bring TAX RATE DOWN >>> CAN YOU PLEASE WRITE TODAY?

Please write to encourage all Supervisors to bring the tax rate down. Write (new address) [email protected]. Here is a direct quote from an interview given a newspaper by Supervisor Mick Staton:

"Supervisor Mick Staton (R-Sugarland Run) said the assessments underscore the need to control spending, a view shared by the board's new GOP majority. "I will not raise the tax rate. I will vote to bring it down," he said."

http://www.leesburg2day.com/current.cfm?catid=17&newsid=8381

bad news from Richmond, Virginia STATE DELEGATE BOB MARSHALL'S (R- P.W. AND LOUDOUN)MESSAGE:

"The House of Delegates Republican leadership has caved in to the demand for tax increases of $500 million dollars for the next two years.

I expect more "compromises." The only question now is how big will the tax increase be?" (unquote).