The Prince William Board of County Supervisors will hold public meetings this month to maintain the continuity of government and take the appropriate steps towards adopting the Fiscal Year 2021 Budget.

During the Board’s 2 p.m. meeting on April 14, County Executive Chris Martino will provide a recap and his recommendations regarding the Proposed FY2021 Budget. During the 7:30 p.m. meeting, the Board will hold legally required public hearings for the proposed budget, including hearings for the computer equipment and peripherals tax, vehicle license tax, building and land development fees, stormwater management fee, parks and recreation fee schedule, solid waste user fee rates, and the emergency medical services billing fee. At 8 p.m., the Board will hold a legally required public hearing on the proposed effective real property tax increase.

The Board meetings are exempt from the Governor’s Executive Orders regarding public gatherings, and members of the public may attend the meetings in-person or participate remotely. If the public would like to participate remotely, they may do so in the following ways:

1. Public Comment Time – The Board is accepting public comments online or via telephone only during this time on the agenda. Due to the health and safety concerns of COVID-19, the Board temporarily removed in-person public comment time. The Board will consider at every other meeting whether to reinstate the in-person public comment time.
2. Public Hearings – During the public hearings, members of the public may comment in-person, online or over the telephone.

Those who would like to comment online or over the phone during public comment time or during any of the public hearings must sign up at pwcgov.org/SpeakUp. They will then receive an email with instructions on how to log in to participate during the meeting. People must sign up by the cutoff date indicated for each meeting to ensure that they receive instructions in a timely manner.

The public is also welcome to provide written comments on the Board’s agenda using SpeakUp, or they may email or call the Board members.

While the meetings are open to the public, people are encouraged to stay at home and watch the live broadcast on the county’s website at pwcgov.org and on the county’s cable channels, Channel 23 on Comcast and Channel 37 on Verizon. Each meeting is archived on the website at pwcgov.org/video and rebroadcast on the cable channels once the meeting is complete.

The Board and county staff will implement health and safety measures before and during the meeting to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in accordance with federal and state health and safety guidance. Any members of the public who attend the meeting will be expected to comply with these measures, including maintaining a social distance of at least 6 feet apart, both in the Board chambers and the atrium.

The Board is legally required to hold the public hearings and to adopt a balanced budget. The Board will meet on April 16 for another public hearing on the budget and to hear the School Board’s Fiscal 2021 budget presentation. The Board will also meet on April 21 for budget markup and on April 28 to adopt the budget and tax rates. These meetings will take place at 7:30 p.m. and the same methods for remote participation for the public and requirements for in-person participation will occur.

To view the agendas for the meetings, as well as additional information regarding the Board of County Supervisors, visit pwcgov.org/bocs.

For information about the county’s response to COVID-19, visit pwcgov.org/COVID19, or sign up to receive text alerts by texting COVIDPWC for English or COVIDPWCES for Spanish to 888777.