February 2024

Welcome to the February 2024 edition of the Dulles Direct newsletter, and happy Leap Year! I normally send these newsletters out on the last day of the month, so this will be the only one that goes out on February 29 in this Board term! 

Loudoun County continues to mourn the loss of Sterling Volunteer firefighter Trevor Brown, who died in the line of duty on February 16 while responding to reports of a propane gas leak at a home in Sterling. Trevor was a father of 3 who paid the ultimate sacrifice for his service to our community. My prayers are with Trevor's family and all of our first responders. The Sterling explosion also injured other firefighters and civilians. As of now, one firefighter remains hospitalized. Sterling Volunteer firefighter Brian Diamond is receiving treatment for significant burns at Washington Hospital Center's burn unit. Brian is well known to our community as an LCPS teacher at Lunsford Middle School. The Lunsford community has rallied to support Brian and his family with a meal train and more - thank you for your support!

There is information in the announcements section at the end of the newsletter on donation and other support opportunities for our firefighter community. Loudoun County is committed to a transparent and factual discussion of this incident. For official County information about the incident and pending investigation, click here. The Fire Marshal's office, with assistance from other agencies including ATF, continues to investigate the explosion to determine the cause. In addition, LCFR is conducting a critical incident review, led by agencies outside our jurisdiction, to review the actions taken by our department that evening. The report will be made public when it is concluded.  

Thank you to those who joined my Town Hall meeting on Monday evening. I thought it was a very valuable and illuminating discussion about retail with experts who shared their insights on their own projects and the southern Loudoun market in general. I get questions about restaurants and retail all the time, and I truly hope that every single person who is interested in this topic has a chance to view the discussion. I was joined at the meeting by representatives from Rappaport (South Riding Market Square and Cedar Terrace) and Beatty (Dulles Landing). I also provided updates on the FY25 budget, road projects in the district, and more. The video is posted on my Facebook page here. 

At the Board's February 6 Business Meeting, we observed a proclamation recognizing February as Black History Month in Loudoun. For more information on black history in Loudoun, the County has set up a webpage here. It was good to have such a large cross section of our black community present in the Board room for the recognition.  

Earlier this month, I addressed the Loudoun Chamber at their annual Board of Supervisors breakfast, which this year featured Chair Randall, Vice Chair Briskman, and myself in my capacity as Finance Committee Chairman. I spoke to attendees about the financial state of the County, which remains strong. I focused on data center revenue and our new initiative called the Revenue Stabilization Fund, which is intended as a reserve to address year-to-year fluctuations in data center tax revenue. Thanks to all who came to the event and to the Chamber for their engagement in our community.  

FY25 BUDGET UPDATES

County Administrator's Presentation

County Administrator Tim Hemstreet presented a proposed budget for the Loudoun County government to the Board of Supervisors on February 14 for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25), which begins July 1, 2024. The proposed budget totals $5.2 billion in appropriations for the County government and Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS; more on the schools’ request at the end of this section).

The proposed budget has been prepared at a real property tax rate of $0.875 per $100 of assessed value, which is the current real property tax rate and consistent with the Board’s guidance. While the proposed tax rate for FY25 is equal to the current tax rate, the proposed rate is three-and-a-half cents above the homeowner’s equalized tax rate of $0.84. This means that while the proposed budget does not include a real property tax rate increase, many homeowners would see an increase in their tax bills due to increased assessments in property values. 

The proposed budget includes the planned five-cent reduction in the general personal property tax rate from $4.15 per $100 of assessed value for Tax Year 2024 to $4.10 per $100 of assessed value for Tax Year 2025. This reduction is part of a strategic effort to ensure a balance between real and personal property tax revenue. 

In addition, Mr. Hemstreet acknowledged a shift in the types of resource requests that are funded in the proposed budget. While in recent years, the County added a number of frontline positions that provide direct services to the public, many positions included in the FY25 proposed budget are focused on internal operations, such as administrative, communications, budget, human resources, and procurement positions. As the population of Loudoun County has grown over the last two decades, the County government has also grown, and now requires additional internal supports that keep the organization operating optimally. 

The FY25 proposed budget includes: 

• $15.7 million in base budget adjustments to continue to provide core services
• An increase of $41 million for employee compensation to keep Loudoun competitive in the market, which consists of: 
• A 7% increase for the general County workforce
• A 9.4% salary scale adjustment and a step increase for uniformed Fire and Rescue personnel and Sheriff’s deputies, for an average pay increase of 12.4%
• The addition of 263 positions in 26 departments, including a substantial number of positions associated with opening new facilities over the next two years
• $7.4 million for affordable housing, which continues the dedication of the equivalent of one-half cent of the real property tax rate to affordable housing needs
• $40 million for the Revenue Stabilization Fund, created by the Board of Supervisors in 2023 to address fluctuations in tax revenue from data centers

The salary scales were prepared based on the County policy of offering between 95-105% of the average of comparison counties in Northern Virginia. I will note that on the public safety side in particular, there is a significant shortage of qualified personnel, and many jurisdictions are offering large pay increases and sign-on bonuses. Loudoun County has been on the lower end of that scale but has generally fared better in recruitment than most of our neighbors. 

At the direction of the Board of Supervisors, the budget was also prepared with a “reduction option,” which is funded at the homeowners equalized tax rate of $0.84 per $100 of assessed value, which is three-and-a-half cents less than the proposed budget. This tax rate, if adopted, would provide $21 million less revenue to the County government and $31 million less revenue to the School Division, creating a $41 million gap for LCPS.

LCPS Request

The largest component of our operating budget is schools. As you’ll recall, the Board of Supervisors does not have line-item authority over the LCPS budget, but we are responsible for appropriating their funding each year from taxpayer dollars. Last week, the Board of Supervisors and LCPS hosted our annual joint-committee meeting to discuss the schools’ request and ask pertinent questions about funding issues.

As a refresher from last month, Superintendent Aaron Spence submitted a budget request of $1.8 billion, a 9.4% increase over the current budget and an increase of $131 million (11.3%) in local tax funding. LCPS has stated that two major associated costs will be the opening of Henrietta Lacks Elementary School and Watson Mountain Middle School this fall (which together will require about 60 full time staff to operate). About 40% of the new positions in the proposed budget are ESL and special education teachers, needs which LCPS says are on the rise. 74% of the total budget increase request is to support teacher recruitment and retention, which continues to be an issue in the County. 73 positions are requested to support school-based initiatives, and 26 to support programs such as Title IX and digital security/tech support. Overall, the budget reflects a 6.5% pay increase for all LCPS personnel.  

Capital Improvement Program

The FY25-30 Capital Improvement Program (CIP), which includes both County and school projects, totals approximately $3.5 billion for the six-year planning period. The category with the largest expenditure percentage is transportation projects at 40%, followed by County projects at 32% and school projects at 28%.

New County projects include the Cascades Library and Senior Center complex renovation, funding to begin preliminary design of an Eastern Loudoun Community Arts Center, and an addition to the Purcellville Fire and Rescue Station. 

For transportation, the budget continues to include funding for the Route 50/Loudoun County Parkway interchange, Route 50 northern collector road, and Braddock and Northstar widening projects. However, this year’s budget reflects current estimates for cost escalation, which unfortunately have resulted in large increases in project budgets due to the tight labor market and supply chain costs. For instance, the Route 50 northern collector road project now is showing a project estimate of $445 million.

I was disappointed that the proposed budget did not contain funding to straighten Bull Run Post Office Road, which is something I worked on with staff during 2023. Staff developed a $13.7 million project (in today’s dollars, it will be $21 million by the end of the six-year period) to straighten the 90-degree curves and make safety improvements. However, I believe we made progress at this week’s Finance Committee work session on being able to get the project into year 6 of the CIP - at least for design and land acquisition, which starts it on the path toward completion. Stay tuned on that.

School projects include the addition of an Eastern Transportation Facility and a school replacement program, which will standardize LCPS' evaluation of school buildings to determine whether systems upgrades or renovations are necessary and, long-term, whether buildings need to be replaced. The six-year CIP also contains ES-34 and HS-14, a new elementary school and high school for the Dulles North area.

Property Assessments for Tax Year 2024

You should have received in the mail this month assessments for your real property owned in the County. The assessment notices are not tax bills but rather communicate to property owners the value of their property as of January 1, 2024. The values are reflective of sales activity in the local real estate market during 2024. Assessments are conducted by the Commissioner of the Revenue’s office. Once the current tax rate is applied to your assessment, you receive a tax bill in the mail.

At the Board’s February 6 Business Meeting, we heard the Commissioner’s annual assessment summary, which you can read here. All residential properties in the Dulles District when taken in totality are 7.11% more valuable in 2024 than 2023, which represents increased liquidity in your property. Residential properties Countywide are 6.28% more valuable in 2024 than 2023. For a full breakdown by district, town, and residential development type, click the link above.

If you believe your assessment is incorrect, you have 30 days after receiving your assessment notice to file an appeal with the Commissioner of the Revenue. After that, you can make an appeal to the Board of Equalization. 

My Thoughts

I will be carefully reviewing both the LCPS and County budgets. I am concerned that the level of growth in both is not sustainable over the long term. We have been the recipient of new data center revenue most years which covers a large portion of cost increases, but the ability to generate that level of revenue will be slowing as tighter restrictions on locations take effect and less land becomes available. One instrument that we now have in place is a data center Revenue Stabilization Fund, which has been set up to receive surplus funding in years that we have it and to make up a deficit when there are shortfalls. I will likely not be supportive of any additional items from my colleagues that were not proposed in the budget, and I have submitted questions to both LCPS and County staff about specific positions and items to help evaluate the requests. One approach I may be taking is to be realistic about the rate of hiring that can occur and instead slot some positions as mid-year additions, which would save money this fiscal year.

Meeting Schedule and Logistics

The schedule has been released for both public input sessions and Board work sessions (open to the public with no input component) on the FY25 budget. The schedule can be found online here and is as follows (all meetings will be held at the Government Center, 1 Harrison St. SE in Leesburg):

Public input sessions:

• Saturday, March 2, 2024: 9:00 a.m.

Board work sessions:

• Tuesday, March 12, 2024: 6:00 p.m. (CIP as part of regular Finance Committee meeting)
• Monday, March 4, 2024: 5:00 p.m.
• Thursday, March 7, 2024: 5:00 p.m.
• Monday, March 11, 2024: 5:00 p.m.
• Thursday, March 14, 2024: 5:00 p.m.

Additional work sessions will be scheduled as necessary. Final budget adoption is planned for Tuesday, April 2 as part of our regularly scheduled Board business meeting.

Anyone who wishes to speak at the public hearings may sign up in advance for one speaking slot by calling 703-777-0204. Public input may be provided in person or virtually. More information about providing input to the Board of Supervisors is posted on the County's website at loudoun.gov/signuptospeak. 

The budget public hearings will be televised on Comcast Government TV Channel 23 and Verizon FiOS Channel 40 and streamed live at loudoun.gov/meetings. 

In addition to providing comments at the public hearing, members of the public may also: 

• Leave a message on the Board of Supervisors’ Comment Line at 703-777-0115.
• Send an email to the Board of Supervisors or write to the Board of Supervisors, P.O. Box 7000, Leesburg, VA 20177.
• Provide comments through the Loudoun County government’s Facebook and Twitter sites

The Board of Supervisors will determine the final tax rates and related budget policy decisions during March budget work sessions with final adoption of the FY25 budget expected at the Board’s business meeting April 2, 2024.

More information, including the FY25 proposed budget, the County Administrator’s FY25 budget presentation, the schedule for Board of Supervisors budget work sessions and the Board’s Finance/Government Operations and Economic Development Committee’s CIP work sessions, is posted on the Loudoun County website at loudoun.gov/budget.   

Congratulations Master Deputy Rudolph

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office held its annual Awards and Recognition Ceremony on February 2, and I want to congratulate Dulles South’s own Master Deputy Terry Rudolph for his receipt of the Master Deputy Program Achievement Award. The award recognizes superior job knowledge, devotion to duty, dedication to the people served, and loyalty to the Sheriff’s Office. Terry is an excellent law enforcement representative for our community. He is responsive to requests for enforcement and can often be found at community meetings and events forging relationships with Dulles South residents. I consider us very fortunate to have him as our Traffic Safety Deputy at the Dulles South Station. 

Niche's Best Places to Raise a Family in Virginia

Congratulations to both the Stone Ridge and South Riding communities, which were recently listed in Niche’s 2023 list of best places to raise a family in Virginia. Stone Ridge was #16 on the list, and South Riding made it into the top 3. I am happy to see our excellent local communities recognized on a statewide level. For the full list of best places to raise a family, click here. 

Opening for Dulles District Animal Advisory Committee Representative

The Dulles District position on Loudoun County’s Animal Advisory Committee is currently open and seeking applicants. If you have experience in the field and would like to submit an application, you can do so by clicking here. You can find more information on the AAC here. For a full list of vacancies on the County’s boards, commissions, and committees, please click here.

Northstar Boulevard - Evergreen Mills to Route 50

Work continues on the project to construct Northstar Boulevard from Evergreen Mills Road to Route 50. The contractor has completed both bridge abutments and installation of the girder beams, marking a significant milestone for the project. This has allowed bridge deck activities to commence. The last water line tie-ins are currently in progress and are expected to continue through March; storm pipe installations are ongoing on Arcola Mills Drive. Other roadway and utility activities towards the north and south ends of the project are progressing as well. 

Braddock Road Widening Projects

Work also continues on the project to widen Braddock Road in the area of Supreme/Summerall Drive to Gum Spring Road. Westbound Braddock Road traffic was shifted to the new pavement this week allowing work to complete the median areas to begin. Use extra caution at the all way stop now that the Braddock approaches are further apart than they were before. Grading and installation of the asphalt shared use path on the west side of the Supreme/Summerall Drive intersection is underway. The bases for the traffic signal at the intersection have been installed and it is estimated that the signal should be activated this spring. Earthwork and utility relocation work continues on the segment closest to Gum Spring Road. Weather permitting, completion of the full project is expected by late spring or early summer.

Cedar Terrace at South Riding

LEGI-2023-0019

At the Board’s February 14 Public Hearing, we voted 8-0-1 to approve an application from Toll Brothers for the parcel that was previously part of Peterson’s proposal at Avonlea. If you recall, the original Avonlea parcel was split into two separate components, one owned by Peterson and one by Toll. Following adoption of the County's updated Airport Impact Overlay District, Toll in partnership with Rappaport submitted revised plans for their proposed Cedar Terrace development. Cedar Terrace would be located on the property behind Home Depot in South Riding, wrapping around between Tall Cedars Parkway and South Riding Market Square.

Toll’s original proposal for this property included a mix of multifamily units and townhomes numbering 1,100 residential units with only 81,000 square feet of commercial. The proposed residential was almost entirely within the areas identified as 65+ DNL in the 2019 Noise Contour Study completed by MWAA. In meetings with Toll Brothers, I told them I would not support that much density, and that new residential in the 65+ DNL would not be permitted. I asked them to reimagine the project with a larger retail component and less housing.

As a result, Toll submitted a new proposal that consists of 393 residential units, made up of mostly townhomes with some multifamily units, all outside the 65+ DNL area. Approximately 13% of the residential units would be designated as Affordable Housing Units. The amount of retail/commercial space has now been increased to over 220,000 square feet and will be laid out as an extension of the existing South Riding Market Square. The proposal provides over 25% of the property as open space.

We had to be realistic about what we can expect on this site, given its long and complex history and the fact that it’s virtually bisected by the DNL 65 noise contour for Dulles Airport. The noise contour makes it very difficult to achieve a true mixed-use vision with first floor residential, but I think that the plan presented in the application is reasonable and will bring us good new amenities. Some of the retail proposed in the application is being developed in a main street-style layout, while another section is a more traditional format, allowing for a mix of users. Rappaport, the current operator of the South Riding Market Square shopping center, is involved in this project as a partner as well, and I have had discussions with them about potential tenants for the new spaces. They believe that there is strong interest including with some users that are new to our area.  

I am excited for the future of Cedar Terrace and will aid in the development process however I can. For more information on this project, I would encourage you to watch the video from my Town Hall meeting, in which representatives from Rappaport described in detail the tenants they are seeking and the design of the project.  

Stone Ridge Section 40

LEGI-2023-0042

At the Board’s March 13 Public Hearing, we will consider the Stone Ridge Section 40 application, a rezoning that would permit 144 dwelling units, comprised of 65 single family detached and 79 single family attached. It would include 18 affordable dwelling units and 6 workforce housing units, as well as a recreation building and active recreation facilities for the Stone Ridge HOA. The Planning Commission issued a recommendation of approval on an 8-0-1 vote, finding that the project was consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and Loudoun policies. As a reminder, that is the construct by which land use applications are evaluated - and failure to do so will result in legal challenges and quite possibly reversal of the Board’s decision by a court.

As part of the application, the developer would complete missing sidewalk and trail links from Pepperbush Place to Greenstone Drive and along the Greenstone frontage connecting to the existing trail. A new sidewalk will be built along Gum Spring Road from Greenstone to meet the existing trail at Destiny Drive, as well as a trail connection to Kudu Court.

I have been actively engaged in reviewing this application for several months and look forward to further discussion with the Board of Supervisors at our March 13 Public Hearing. I’ll provide another update next month, and again when the Board takes a final vote on the application. If you’d like to sign up to speak on March 13 on this application or any other item on the agenda, please click here. 

In addition for Stone Ridge residents, the HOA is hosting a discussion with Van Metre about this application on Tuesday, March 5 at 7:00 p.m. at the Nettle Mill Clubhouse.

Data Center CPAM & ZOAM Update

As you’ll recall from past correspondences, the Board is undertaking Comprehensive Plan Amendment and Zoning Ordinance Amendment processes this year to determine which remaining land in Loudoun is suitable for data center development. Many of our issues with data centers right now are due to them developing by-right (under approvals from previous Boards of Supervisors, when residential buildout in the County was significantly lower), so we have a great responsibility to thoroughly examine data center rezonings coming to the Board and ensure that they don’t go in too close to residential. During our Zoning Ordinance rewrite process late last year, we realized that the data center question would be too big to address as part of the larger rewrite and that we would need to break it out into a separate process.

At our February 6 Business Meeting, the Board approved County staff’s draft project plan. The CPAM will seek to restrict the location of data centers in the Suburban Mixed Use, Suburban Neighborhood, and Suburban Compact Neighborhood Place Types and remove the Urban Employment Place Type from data center development. The ZOAM will seek to revise data center design standards and create a new zoning district that would implement the CPAM’s location restriction on data centers.

The project is estimated to take 16 months to complete with final adoption expected in the spring of 2025. Public and stakeholder engagement opportunities will be available all year long, both in individual meetings and at a Town Hall this fall. I’ll provide the meeting schedule once it is available.

I think this process is necessary to ensure both that data centers develop with aesthetics and minimal intrusion in mind, and that they develop on land around the County that is suited for heavy industrial uses and does not interfere with existing or planned residential development. I am eager to get to work on the process, and I’ll be providing updates this year as the CPAM and ZOAM progress. 

Dulles Greenway Toll Increase Request

The State Corporation Commission’s evidentiary hearing regarding TRIP II’s proposed toll hikes on the Greenway is currently underway in Richmond. Toll Road Investors Partnership II, LP (“TRIP II”), the company that owns the Greenway, is asking the SCC to approve a request (Case # PUR-2023-00089) to increase the maximum tolls for most drivers to $8.10 during peak hours, up from the current $5.80; and to $6.40 during off-peak hours, up from $5.25. Loudoun County’s attorneys have joined with the Attorney General’s Office and SCC staff as participants in that hearing. It was noted during the hearing that over 900 individuals provided input and testimony to the SCC on the matter.

For the first time in all the years that we have dealt with continued requests for toll increases, the SCC staff have issued an opinion opposing the requested increase. They have cited an agreement with all of us that the increased tolls would “materially discourage” use of the Greenway, therefore not meeting one of the legal requirements for approving a toll increase. There is also testimony that the existing tolls are already doing this from experts involved in the case. Virginia law enacted in 2021 provides objective criteria for evaluating toll increase proposals, including a requirement that proposed Greenway toll rates are “reasonable” to users in relation to the benefit they are deriving from using the road so that the rates do not “materially discourage” use of the road.

Following the conclusion of the hearings, the SCC will issue its decision on the matter, and I will be sure to share that information when it is available.

Legislative Items

In the typical General Assembly session there are thousands of bills that are filed from members around the state. Each year, we encounter several bills that seek to lessen the authority of the County. I want to bring to your attention a few that are particularly troublesome:

• HB1391: Loudoun County continues to oppose any legislation or budget language that would potentially permit automatic toll rate increases each year of an unknown amount and an extension of the Greenway’s operator’s license for an unlimited period of time, which is not good for Loudoun residents. I am pleased to share that the bill I told you about last month that would seek to remove SCC oversight and allow the Administration to cut a long-term deal with the Greenway to guarantee toll rate increases and an extension of their franchise agreement died in committee. We worked hard to keep this bill from reaching a vote on the floor because it was a bad deal for Loudoun commuters in the long run. We continue working to prevent language favorable to the Greenway from inclusion in the budget.

• SB354: Real estate contract disclosures, certain; established by localities prohibited: This bill was filed by Senator Locke from the Hampton area and would prohibit localities, such as Loudoun, from requiring disclosures on real estate transactions. As most of you are aware, the County has several areas where we have enacted overlay districts requiring notification. These include notifications about proximity to quarries and within airport flight paths. If passed, we would no longer be able to require that the purchaser of a home is notified that the home may be subject to overflight and airport noise levels in the areas closest to Dulles. Obviously, this would severely limit the information available to homebuyers. This bill has passed the State Senate and reported out of committee (ironically the subcommittee on housing/consumer protection) on the House of Delegates side.

• SB544: Short-term rental property; locality's ability to prohibit use of accessory dwelling unit: This bill was filed by Senator Bagby from the Richmond area and would limit the County’s ability to limit the use of residential units for short-term rentals. We have recently enacted limits on where these uses can be established and have set specific standards that must be met, particularly with parking and registration requirements. If signed into law, our ability to manage these would be severely limited. The bill passed both the State Senate and House of Delegates and would need to be signed by the Governor before becoming law.

• SB304: Zoning; development and use of accessory dwelling units: This bill was filed by Senator Salim from the Fairfax area and would have limited the County’s ability to restrict the development of Accessory Dwelling Units, effectively doubling the density of residential properties. For example, your neighbor could have built a second dwelling unit on their property as long as it met setback requirements similar to a garage or shed. Many of our homes have rear load detached garages that are only a few feet from the property line and the Accessory Dwelling Units would be allowed in the same location. While this bill did pass the State Senate, it has been continued to 2025 in the House of Delegates.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

How to Donate to and Support Our Firefighters and First Responders

Many have inquired how they can assist our first responders in Loudoun County. If you would like to donate, please visit the website of our non-profit partner, the Loudoun First Responders Foundation (LFRF) at www.LoudounFRF.org. The Loudoun First Responders Foundation serves Loudoun County by providing immediate financial support to active first responder personnel in their time of need. They are working directly with the families of the firefighters involved in this tragic event and providing direct assistance.  

For community members who wish to donate goods and services, please email LCCFRSdonate@loudoun.gov and staff will reach out to you directly to coordinate. Additionally, many of you have expressed your heartfelt condolences to the family of firefighter Brown and the injured members of LC-CFRS. An email address, LCCFRScondolences@loudoun.gov, has been set up to collect those messages and share them with first responders.

Black History Program

The Loudoun Clerk of the Circuit Court is hosting a Black History Month program that will highlight many of the County’s records containing information about enslaved individuals in Loudoun County. “Records of Loudoun’s Enslaved Community, 1757-1865,” will be held on Saturday, March 2, 2024 from 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. at the historic Charles Hamilton Houston Courthouse located at the intersection of King and Market Streets in downtown Leesburg.

The exhibition will include wills, deeds of trust, judgements, bill of sales and other historic records documenting some of the names and experiences of Loudoun’s enslaved community. The Black History Committee of the Friends of Thomas Balch Library, Morven Park and Oatlands will be joining the Clerk and his historic records team to highlight other resources and projects focused on Loudoun’s enslaved individuals. This free event is open to the public.

For more information, contact the Clerk of Circuit Court’s Historic Records Division at 703-737-8775 or via email at clerks-archives@loudoun.gov. More information about the historic records maintained by the Clerk’s office is online at loudoun.gov/ClerkArchives.

Dulles South Soup Kitchen Race Against Hunger

Saddle up for a noble cause at the Middleburg Spring Races on April 20th! Let's gallop towards change as we rally behind Dulles South Soup Kitchen's Race Against Hunger.

Every hoofbeat brings hope and every attendee fuels a warm meal for a neighbor in need. Share the spirit of giving and let's ensure this event leaves a lasting impact!

To purchase tickets or sponsorships visit https://www.dullessouthsoupkitchen.org/registration.

Tax Relief for the Elderly and Disabled

Participants in the County’s tax relief program for residents who are 65 years of age or older and/or permanently and totally disabled should soon begin receiving their renewal forms. Applications and certifications for Tax Year 2024 were recently mailed to applicants who are already in the program and to residents who have requested an application for the Loudoun County Tax Relief Program for the Elderly and/or Disabled.

The filing deadline for participants already in the program is April 1, 2024. The filing deadline for first-time applicants for Vehicle Personal Property Tax Relief is September 3, 2024. The filing deadline for first-time applicants for Real Property Tax Relief is December 31, 2024.

Applicants are encouraged to mail in their forms in the pre-addressed envelope included with their renewal forms. 

Applications for first-time applicants may be obtained online at loudoun.gov/taxrelief. Residents may also call 703-737-8557 to have a form mailed to them. 

Additional information about the program is available online at loudoun.gov/taxrelief.

Early Voting for March 5 Primary Election

Loudoun County election officials remind voters that they will have expanded opportunities for in-person early voting for the March 5, 2024, presidential primary election. The last day to vote early in person is Saturday, March 2.

Extended hours for early voting at the Office of Elections and Voter Registration, located at 750 Miller Drive, Suite 150, in Leesburg will include Saturday, March 2 from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Early voting at the Office of Elections will continue Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. with the hours extended to 7:00 p.m. today.

Additional early voting sites are available at Carver Senior Center in Purcellville, Claude Moore Recreation Center in Sterling, and Dulles South Recreation Center in South Riding. Exact dates, times and locations are posted at loudoun.gov/VoteEarly.

The hours for the Dulles South Recreation Center , located at 24950 Riding Center Drive in South Riding, are as follows:

• Thursday, February 29 12:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
• Friday, March 1 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Saturday, March 2, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Although the deadline to register to vote in the March 5 election or to update current voter registration information was February 12, voters may register and vote a provisional ballot. Information about Same-day voter registration is available from the Virginia Department of Elections.

• Text LCVOTES to 888777 to receive text alerts from the Loudoun County Office of Elections and Voter Registration or sign up for the Election Update category through Alert Loudoun, the county’s email and text notification system.
• Follow the Office of Elections and Voter Registration on Facebook and Twitter. Loudoun County Government also posts general information on Facebook and Twitter.



More information about voting in Loudoun County is online at loudoun.gov/vote.

Public Input on Childcare Needs

Loudoun County families with young children and childcare providers are encouraged to participate in a survey and/or focus groups intended to help better inform the County’s efforts to support the childcare needs of the community. The survey and focus groups are part of the county’s Childcare Needs Assessment, which is exploring issues related to affordable, high-quality childcare in Loudoun County.

The Childcare Needs Assessment Survey, which will be open through March 14, 2024, is designed to find out:

• The biggest challenges for families in identifying, accessing, and paying for childcare services in Loudoun County
• The biggest challenges childcare providers face in supplying affordable, high-quality services for children from birth to five years old, including gaps in local coordination and services among early care and education providers

Loudoun childcare providers and families with children five years old and younger may also choose to participate in focus groups scheduled for March. There will be in-person and virtual options. Details about the focus groups, including exact dates and times, as well as links to sign-up forms will be posted at loudoun.gov/childcareneeds.

The Board of Supervisors approved using funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to conduct the Childcare Needs Assessment as part of the County’s effort to address the impacts of the economic challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic that residents continue to face. Access to high-quality, affordable childcare is a key factor in creating a community of healthy children and families. The Board of Supervisors also approved ARPA funds for future programs which address barriers identified in this needs assessment.

Prior to the needs assessment results, the Board allocated $1,000,000 in ARPA funding to the nonprofit Northern Virginia Family Service to help create a childcare supplementary reimbursement program to support families who are experiencing hardship as an ongoing result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

More information about the Childcare Needs Assessment, including links to the survey, may be found at loudoun.gov/childcareneeds.

PRCS Winter Policies

The County’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Services is reminding residents of their winter weather policies. If there is inclement weather and your event is scheduled for an LCPS or Loudoun County Government facility, you can check closure information online at loudoun.gov/prcsclosures.

In the case of inclement weather, participants can contact facility or program staff to confirm which classes/activities will operate as scheduled and which are canceled or check for updates on social media. Find PRCS Facilities/Programs Facebook pages here: https://www.loudoun.gov/4899/Connect-with-Us.

VDOT Winter Weather Information

VDOT is responsible for clearing over 14,000 miles of road during winter weather events in the Commonwealth of Virginia. VDOT encourages folks not to drive if it is snowing, and to be safe in the case of a storm. If we do get snow, VDOT's goal is to have one passable lane on every road within 24 hours when snowfall is 2-4" and within 48 hours for 4-6". Over 6" is expected to take at least 72 hours. VDOT will prioritize getting the roadways as safe as possible before moving on to shoulders, ramps, turn lanes, intersections, park and ride lots, and more. If you feel that your street is missed after these time frames have passed, you can use the resources below to get more information on plowing status and/or report your issue directly to VDOT:  

• https://www.virginiadot.org/about/emer_response.asp for news releases, important messages, frequently asked questions and links to many other resources, including: 
• @VaDOTNOVA on Twitter
• http://www.511virginia.org for road conditions and traffic cameras 
• http://www.vdotplows.org for neighborhood status and locations of plows 
• http://www.virginiadot.org or 800-FORROAD (367- 7623) to report issues  

Donations to Local Food Banks

Donations to the Dulles South Food Pantry (DSFP) can be made in person at the pantry at 24757 Arcola Mills Drive on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. or on Mondays from 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., or online. DSFP provides food assistance up to twice a month to any person who resides in the attendance zones for the following high schools: Freedom, John Champe, Lightridge, Independence, Rock Ridge, and Briar Woods. Call 703-507-2795 or email info@dsfp.org to schedule an appointment. See the pantry's website for information on how you can help fight local hunger. The pantry is currently looking for plastic bag donations as well. 

Donations to the Dulles South Soup Kitchen can be made on their website or at their location by appointment. Call (202) 930-3775 or email to make an appointment. The Dulles South Soup Kitchen distributes fresh and nutritious hot meals to anyone in need within Loudoun County every Wednesday from 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at the StoneSprings Hospital Center parking lot by Route 50. Registration is required on their website.

Blood Donation

To schedule an appointment to donate blood or platelets with the American Red Cross, please visit redcross.org/give-blood.

Inova Blood Services also takes donors by appointment. Visit https://www.inovablood.org/ to schedule an appointment.