The sun is out today and the temperatures rose just in time for the weekend! I hope everyone will have an opportunity to experience the weather this weekend and enjoy the spiritual week we have ahead. Easter, Passover, and Holi are all coming up in the next several days, and the schools are on Spring Break. I wish everyone a joyous and relaxing time if you are celebrating any of the holidays, or taking a well deserved rest.

On April 6, the Board is slated to officially approve the County budget and tax rate for the next fiscal year. The final real estate tax rate we arrived on is 98₵ per $100 in assessed value. While this is a 5.5₵ reduction from the current tax rate, it will not necessarily ensure you pay less taxes next year. Whether your tax bill goes up or down will depend on whether your real estate assessment increased or decreased from the previous year. That being said, the 98₵ tax rate is well below the tax rate the Board was discussing when we began the budget process. The Board was able to fund many county services while keeping the tax rate as low as we reasonably could. I know this has been a hard year financially for many in Loudoun and I am pleased to see the tax rate at which we ended up.

Some of the services the Board was able to achieve were an expansion of the county's drug court to double its capacity, beginning a body-worn camera program for all law enforcement officers in the county, fully staffing all county departments to ensure quality service for county residents, and funding the LCPS request with a 4% raise for all teachers to secure a funding match from the Commonwealth.

If you feel your assessment for next year was not calculated accurately, you can contact the Commissioner of Revenue's office to explore options for an appeal. The Commissioner of Revenue is an independently elected official in Loudoun who is responsible for assessing real estate in the county. Residents have until June 1 to appeal their assessment to the Board of Equalization via the Commissioner's office. Commissioner Wertz's office contact information can be found here: loudoun.gov/99/Commissioner-of-the-Revenue.

I would also like to remind everyone to register to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at Vaccinate.Virginia.Gov. The registration is open to all Virginia residents and workers regardless of whether you currently fall into a priority category. Please check to make sure your friends and family have registered as well. After registering you will be contacted when it is your time to receive the vaccine.

Loudoun is now vaccinating all those who fall in the phase 1b category, which includes several career fields, adults with high-risk conditions, and those aged 65+. The Health Department has informed the Board that everyone who was 65+ on Loudoun's waitlist has been vaccinated. Therefore, if you or someone you know is 65+ and either works or lives in Loudoun, please contact the Health Department at [email protected] or 703-737-8300 to schedule an appointment as soon as possible.

In other news around the district, the Ashby Ponds traffic signal has finally been updated to allow for signalized left turns! It has been over a year long process to make this change and I am happy to see it finally in affect. Additionally, a traffic signal at Demott Drive and Mooreview Parkway is being installed by Van Metro in accordance with their new development nearby. This signal will not be operational until closer to the end of the year, but it is being installed now.

I want to call attention to the first item below in the newsletter: the Broad Run District seat on the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Board. If you are looking for an opportunity to serve the greater Broad Run community, and have an interest in parks, please consider applying to fill the seat. In addition to the Parks Board, the Board of Supervisors has also created a new Loudoun Environmental Commission. That commission also has many open seats for experts in the environmental field. Information on both advisory bodies can be found at Loudoun.gov/Advisory.

Lastly, I went to two events this past week which I thought I would highlight. On Monday, I attended the "topping out" ceremony for the courthouse expansion in Leesburg. This was a celebratory event to mark the completion of the steel framing of the 90,000 square-foot courthouse expansion. This expansion will provide a drastic increase in the quality of service residents experience when they visit the courthouse. As Chair Randall said at the event, difficult trials happen at the courthouse, but marriages and adoptions happen there too.

The second event I attended was a visit to the vaccination POD at Dulles Town Center, on Wednesday, to show my appreciation to the volunteers working the site. I also went to thank the Data Center Coalition for sponsoring lunch every day this past week for the site volunteers. Broad Run's very own Ford's Fish Shack was the chosen caterer for the meals and I spoke with many volunteers who truly appreciated the delicious food.

As always, please reach out to me regarding any matters affecting the Broad Run District, or if I can answer any questions.

Sincerely,

A position to represent the Broad Run District on the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Board (PROS) has become available. PROS serves as an advisory capacity to the Board of Supervisors and recommends the creation of programs and the usage of open land areas to create recreational spaces in the County for the enjoyment of Loudoun residents. 

Meeting times: PROS meetings are currently held virtually at 5:30pm on the second Thursday of each month.

Learn more about PROS: Loudoun.gov/518/Parks-Recreation-Open-Space-Board

Interested applicants must fill out the online application form: https://lfportal.loudoun.gov/Forms/AdvisoryApp

VDOT has released their map of roads that will be resurfaced in 2021. The exact dates for the road work are unknown at this time, as it is dependent on weather and contractor schedules. Resurfacing projects can last from a few days to a few weeks, depending on the size of the project.

Repaving Scheduled:

Resealing Underway:

The next Loudoun County Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collection event will occur Saturday, March 27, 2021, 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., at 751 Miller Drive SE in Leesburg. Loudoun residents are welcome to bring HHW from their homes to the event, free of charge. Read More.

   

For more information about the Household Hazardous Waste Program, and to view what materials are accepted and not accepted, visit loudoun.gov/hhw. 

This section contains updates on land use and development projects around the Broad Run District. To check on other projects in Loudoun County, or to view more specifics on major projects in the Broad Run District, visit Loudoun's Online Land Applications Map and follow the steps below.

Application number acronym meanings (Loudoun.gov):

This section contains updates on road and transportation improvement projects around the Broad Run District. To check on other projects in Loudoun County, or to view more specifics on major construction projects in the Broad Run District, view Loudoun's Capital Projects Status Map.