Due to the current state of affairs with the Coronavirus pandemic, there have been changes made to Prince William County’s proposed budget.

The county’s newest proposed budget protects essential services and funds human services with no increase in real estate tax.

With the county’s budget season reaching its end, Chair At-Large Ann Wheeler of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors released the following statement on the most recent edition of the proposed fiscal year 2021 budget:

“Prince William County families are strong but struggling under the weight of the COVID-19 pandemic. Today I send them a clear message: we are here for you. You are at the heart of every edit that we made to our original proposal. While it is my belief that we have successfully struck a delicate balance between protecting our taxpayers and funding top-notch government services, we strongly encourage the public to weigh in.  

“While not as ambitious as we had originally planned, the budget presented today was thoughtfully re-worked in response to the impact of the coronavirus. Just as families and small businesses have reshaped their budgets and routines, so must we. Government cannot exist in a vacuum; we must competently respond to emerging challenges and change. 

“To provide Prince William families more certainty as the economy recovers, this budget will not increase the real estate tax rate, as we initially proposed. It does, however, include a 10-cent increase on the computer peripherals tax which primarily affects the data centers.  Still to be considered is a modest increase on the annual vehicle licensing fees ($9 for cars and $8 for motorcycles). Those increases are critical in order to balance a budget that has already been significantly scaled back. I would also note that the increase in vehicle licensing fees would put us on par with the rest of Northern Virginia.

“Our residents should rest assured that we took a scalpel, not a hatchet, to our original plans. Every change was painstaking, but we preserved funding for our first responders and other county workers who are on the front lines. Our local government and the human services we deliver are vital to the fabric of this community. During a time of crisis, government must rise, rather than retreat, from the people who elected them to lead. 

“Our community members are at risk of losing their jobs, their childcare, their healthcare, their loved ones, their health, and their lives. They are adjusting to new normals and new sources of stress. We are all hurting, but some of us are in particularly precarious positions. People who are battling addiction might relapse without the support of in-person meetings. People trapped in abusive relationships might have lost their safe spaces. Children with special needs might not have the same access to services, and people struggling with their mental health might be pushed to the brink during this disruption. Not to mention that people are hungry. Even before this pandemic, there were too many families struggling just to find food. While the virus has made the most vulnerable more visible, they have always been at the forefront of my priorities and my mind. 

“Now more than ever, we must preserve the existing budget provisions for those most in need. Those include substantial investments that will establish a child advocacy center; expand a peer outreach program for those struggling with opioid addiction; fund a pilot program to foster more successful interactions between law enforcement and those experiencing a mental health crisis; and stock and maintain a community food warehouse in partnership with local nonprofits. We answer to everyone who lives in Prince William, regardless of the challenges they face, and we refuse to put the most vulnerable among us on the chopping block. We are our neighbors’ keeper. 

“I am grateful for County Executive Chris Martino’s thorough review of the proposed budget in light of this pandemic. Prince William will fight through this darkness together. Brighter days lie ahead. We are #PrinceWilliamStrong.”