Loudoun's Metro Future is Certain

Now that the votes have been cast there are some people who just won't let it go. What is their problem? It is over folks! Let it go!

Well no, it really has just begun for Loudoun. But we have a window to the future called Fairfax County, if we just look across the border. However keep one thing in mind. While Loudoun may be able to brag about a high average income, Fairfax County's economic base dwarfs Loudoun County's economic base. Note that much of the economic development in Fairfax and Loudoun came before they were shackled to the Metro, go figure.

For Loudoun, the Metro is like the Titanic 2 and it just set sail headed for a terrible fate. Kenedict Reid untied the rope and pushed it off. He and a few have lifeboats reserved but not us.

Suzanne Volpe & the Purple Amoeba

DEMAND THESE 20 cent cap on the Purple Amoeba is UNACCEPTABLE Purple Amoeba should pay for roads around the stations People want to know where we stand on Metro. I think this picture is worth a thousand words. Can we rethink this Metro thing PLEASE? Future of Loudoun is riding on the Purple Amoeba  Now that the Future of Loudoun is tied to the Brilliant Purple Amoeba Thing (PA), keep a few things in mind. The proposal is to cap it at $0.20 per $100. Holy moley Batman! What if that PA does not produce enough $$$, or what if, when Loudoun gets around to hiring a new real estate assessor, they juggle some PA property valuations? Taxpayers would be right back there as the backstop for the Metro BAILOUT. That big $$$$ gap brings to mind the Janet Clarke question of where the money is coming from for roads around the stations. That was never answered. So we had better start screaming that the roads need to be paid for with the Metro Bucks from the Purple Amoeba. Remember, that pesky 20 cent cap is UNACCEPTABLE. In a Channel 8 interview on 7/5, Kenedict Arnold Reid (kudos KK) said he would like Opt Out people to support the PA. Well, since we at Opt Out like to negotiate terms before we sign, see the suggestions above. DEMAND THIS: Suzanne Volpe - don’t block a Referendum Suzanne Volpe, tell us why you blocked the Higgins/Clarke/Reid Initiative. Supervisor Suzanne Volpe, known as a major Loudoun County/ 10th Congressional District Republican power broker, made some interesting votes in the last few weeks. First, she voted with Supervisors Buona, Williams and Letourneau to adjourn the June 18th Dulles Rail Finance work-session before the “Opt-In Considerations” document by Higgins, Clarke, and Reid could be discussed. Then, during the Opt-In vote sequence July 3rd, she was the deciding vote against Sup. Delgaudio’s motionto put the record-high debt expenditure for the Rail Project before Loudoun County voters in a ballot referendum this November. We wonder why Suzanne voted against common sense in these procedural votes. Was she afraid to let the Higgins/Clarke/Reid considerations out of the bag, exposing the project as a huge blank check written to corrupt organizations, and possibly killing the project? Is she really a closet rail supporter, hiding behind Sup. Reid’s flip, which allowed her to vote against rail and protect her conservative street cred? Why would she vote against the referendum? We had a referendum last November for $169 million to build/renovate five schools. Why shouldn’t we have one for this $1.6 billion developer bailout? The answer provided by the pro-rail votes that Volpe sided with (York, Buona, Williams, Letourneau) was that a referendum would open things up to county-wide tax increases instead of using the tax district to pay for the cost of Rail. County staff said this was not the case; the tax district revenue could be used whether the referendum passed or not. With or without a referendum, the county’s general revenue is where the funding will have to come from when/if the tax district fails to raise sufficient revenue. Supervisor Volpe has given the appearance of trying to play both sides of this issue. Unfortunately, her maneuvering has left Loudoun taxpayers on the hook without an opportunity to vote against the Metro in a referendum. Suzanne can make this right by requesting the Board reconsider the referendum at the next business meeting on July 17th. We will see if she votes with the taxpayers or the rent-seeking developers this time … stay tuned!  David LaRock Loudoun Opt Out Group

METRO - THE AMOEBA - WHAT TO WATCH

Before

I believe we at Opt Out had the pro-Metro people scrambling right down to the wire and that whatever they had to offer Ken Reid was huge. A year ago their expectation was that this BAILOUT would sail through, and with a little flim flamery most of the questions would never be asked, the taxpayers would be appointed the cash cows, and the business community would keep buying the cooperation they need with campaign donations.

Well people are not thrilled with what they are seeing even before the cold Metro reality hits. Here are a few things to watch for. Knowing a little allows you to spot the tricks. We will keep updating the list. 

Costs will escalate 

Is The Purple Amoeba Real?

The Purple Amoeba

According to Ron Utt of the Heritage Foundation, Dulles Rail, when measured in results achieved, is “...one of the most expensive new transit projects ever conceived.

The cost to Loudoun being discussed are sketchy and written in pencil, and we know that rail project projections have a long and distinguished history of under-estimated costs and over-estimated revenues. The figures are not believable and the tax districts are worthless unless they are guaranteed to cover all the Loudoun County costs arising from Phase 2.

The centerpiece of the payment talk is a little wonder concocted by Supervisor Williams. It began as the 2-mile Tax District and included sizable residential communities and commercial and industrial properties.

The Tax District Fairy is on Staff at Loudoun County

In just a short time the 2-mile District shrunk in size, shedding the residential areas, while it’s supposed revenue potential grew. There are serious questions about whether it can be formed without notice to and approval by landowners, and in general it proposes imposing huge burdens which may well scatter current and potential new businesses and discourage others from choosing Loudoun as a home.

We have named this district “The Purple Amoeba.” This creature and its power presently seems to be the best our Supervisors can come up with to pay for the project which will most certainly make traffic worse, decrease mobility, and re-direct vast resources away from families, businesses, and worthwhile improvements. Only in the public sector do ideas this bad stay alive.

If Loudoun Opts In, we the taxpayers are the back stop because there is noassurance that taxpayers would not be landed with meeting the residual charges in the event that the special tax districts fail to deliver "enough revenue to cover the costs".

To summarize, the “The Purple Amoeba” is an idea that at best could pay some of the cost of rail; if it does not happen your property and business taxes will pay for Metro, forever. It is just that simple. The Purple Amoeba is a shifty, shaky, iffy, suspicious, maybe even phony proposition being used as an excuse to advance this bailout.

It is just a metter of time.

The Purple Amoeba will be voted on this Friday. It is a mirage. Another threat to the stability of this project is a toll-dependent financing method which may be revoked by court action and leave Loudoun with vast debt. This risk is barely acknowledged by most Supervisors. Instead, they are fixated on and fascinated by the Purple Amoeba.

There is a rainbow in all this, a $600 million winning Lottery ticket owned by LoCo payable for opting out, we pay $0, zero risk. It is clear as day if you just run a column of numbers from RCLCO. Buses can satisfy the current and future transit needs of Loudoun, but first we must toss out the idea that it is OK to trust our future to the dreaded Purple Amoeba.


David LaRock


Hanilton Virginia

Metro-Loudoun Crime Wave Coming...Unintended Consequences?

From a former prosecutor...

"Loudoun will draw its first serious crime wave ever just from people riding the Metro from D.C. and P.G. County"

Daniel M. Gray, Esquire 

There is an possibility that Metro will have an impact on the quiet neighborhoods that surround the stations. If crime does increase, how far will it reach beyond the station areas? Hopefully Supervisors are weighing this as they form their opinions on whether Metro is good for Loudoun or not.

$600 Million Bonus If Loudoun Opts Out of Metro - Pay $0... Risk 0...

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Loudoun Board of Supervisors: Public Input July 2 (Monday) 6:00pm Board Room, 1 Harrison St, Leesburg Opt Out and Loudoun Gets a $600 Million Bonus When Metro Comes to Dulles Airport $600 Million in new revenue is forecasted from development around the Rt. 28, Rt. 606, and Rt. 772 station areas with rail ending at Dulles Airport. Loudoun can use this revenue for road improvements, schools, buses, and parks Loudoun can expand commuter and local bus service as needed Parking garage and bus dropoffs at the Rt. 28 station provide convenient access from Loudoun If Loudoun Opts Out, less rail is built and that should reduce future toll hikes Without paying for Metro, financing is made available for roads like Rt. 606, Rt. 7 and Rt. 50, and for schools, parks, and things that improve your quality of life Opt In and You Will Get Buried in Debt and Taxes Currently, Loudoun lacks a way to fund Rail. Special Tax Districts are proposed, but may fall through, shifting ALL the $1.5 billion expense to homeowners and businesses Residential development at Rt. 772 terminal means massive needs for costly new roads, schools and other government services Without federal funding, tolls will increase rapidly to fund Phase 2 of Dulles Rail Rail will take much of Loudoun’s transportation funding, including gas taxes, for at least 30 years. Much-needed road improvements may be postponed indefinitely Current  commuter and local bus funding will be shifted to funding the entire Metro system

The Blank Check Boys - Identity Crisis Alert!

 "I honestly don’t know who we think we are.” 
Ralph Buona Mon. 6-18 Metro work session

Best Quote from Ralph Buona: speaking about the Higgins initiative that actually asks for some reasonable concessions before handing over direct withdrawl access to MWAA and Metro. Bouna says, 

“I was stunned. Most of these things are not within the control or purview of the board,” Buona said. “Some of these require action from Congress, the General Assembly, MWAA, WMATA, private property owners, the governor. I honestly don’t know who we think we are.”

Well Ralph please don't be timid because if you  CANNOT control it then you CANNOT accept the shaky proposal. 

Ashburn 2 Mile Tax Update Thursday, 6-21

Ashburn Update Tuesday 6-19: The Tax Pig, Opt Out and David LaRock were chastised and called liars on Tuesday evening by the Three Blank Check Boys; Buona, Williams, and Letourneau, for informing their constituents that Ashburn and Broadlands are the ground zero of the tax zone. They swore no 2-mile tax zone; it is gone they said. 

Ashburn Update Wednesday, 6-20: Tax Pig was on location at Cascades Senior Center for Tim Hemstreet and Suzanne Volpe's Metro presentation. In the 22-page summary/handout, 


THE dreaded 2-MILE ZONE IS BACK. It was one of only two funding scenarios in the presentation.  You can't have it both ways now Blank Check Boys; Buona, Williams, and Letourneau. Ashburn BEWARE.


Ashburn Update Thursday, 6-21: from Ralph Buona mass email:

"There is not going to be a 2-mile tax district and the Board of Supervisors never gave it any serious consideration. Some hard-core rail opponents having been putting flyers on doors all over Ashburn trying to scare people to believe there will be a 2-mile tax district. Supervisor Williams and I have constructed a tax district that focuses on the areas very close to the actual proposed rail stations and based upon the way we've drawn the lines, it excludes virtually ALL residential properties"

Bouna Fact Check: Tax Pig and the Opt Out group saw that Ralph, Matt, and Shawn were considering placing the tax burden right on the backs of those whose taxes they promised to lower. We alerted Ashburn and Broadlands  before they got away with it. The 2-mile ground zero district is a very real scenario, and it can be chosen at ANY time. It was shown to the people of Cascades less than 24 hours after The Blank Check Boys denied it exists. Do they think the Tax Pig prints the presentations and puts maps up on the County website? Go see it and decide whether you can trust people who deny their own information. 

Ashburn Update Thursday, 6-21: from Ralph Bouna mass email: 

"I firmly believe the Board can finance this project without an increase in the tax burden on residents. We are considering a mix of a commercial and industrial tax (C&I) and one or more special tax districts surrounding the planned stops."

Fact Check: Over half the land in Loudoun falls into a category that may be taxed by a Commercial Industrial Tax, including many rural residents.


David LaRock


Loudoun Opt Out Group

Four Supervisors Expose Metro's Serious Problems

Four Supervisors Disclose Rail's Serious Problems and Possible Solutions  Last night Supervisors Clarke, Higgins, and Reid presented a summary of some major problems with the Dulles Rail Project, which would need to be fixed before they could support the project. The letter was clearly intended to fix many of the serious problems with the project, and provide Loudoun with some leverage to prevent taxpayers’ hard-earned money from going to a project that would make taxes, tolls and traffic worse. The project could be made more workable if the items the document are resolved as requested. Supervisors Buona, Letourneau, and Williams berated the others for bringing their concerns forward, and thus exposing Dulles Rail’s problems. Supervisor Delgaudio indicated he was in agreement with the points made in the letter, but would still vote against Metro even if the qualifications were met. Supervisor Higgins, the primary author of the resolution, is a professional negotiator, and understands that if Loudoun opt into the rail project without these conditions being met, Loudoun will lose any leverage to fix the project for taxpayers and commuters from Loudoun and the rest of the region. Loudoun’s vote to Opt In or Out is the only opportunity we have remaining to ensure the toll increases are prevented or reduced, WMATA and MWAA are made more transparent and accountable, taxpayer liability is limited, and traffic reduction is maximized. Please read the document, and encourage all nine supervisors to join in pushing for these common-sense changes in the agreement, before it is too late. Loudoun County’s motto is I Byde My Time, and rather than vote for the project before they can figure out how to fund it, Loudoun’s Supervisors should request the additional 5 months to Dec 1, 2102. This is the biggest financial commitment in Loudoun County history, and if we can’t do this right, we shouldn’t do it at all. The Supervisors are under intense lobbying pressure to vote for this project. The handful of speculative developers who would profit from it are working them hard, and taxpayers have been hearing much more about the benefits than the costs. The Board will hold a Public Input session tonight. We, as taxpayers, need to encourage our Supervisors to vote the right way. Please join us to publicly support those Supervisors who want to Opt Out. Ashburn and Broadlands Don't Want to Pay for Metro Hello Friends, This is the voice of people from Ashburn, where the interest is waning. The disgust will continue to grow. Last night Supervisor Bouna presented a poll that was a new version of the "do you like shiny trains" survey. Wow, it has come to this. Experts conclude unanimously this Metro/Business Bailout project that FAILS to relieve traffic, make traffic far worse, will cripple the businesses and citizens in the county with taxation AND will drive new business away... but Supervisors still trumpet rail as the people’s choice. The simple, obvious facts of this disaster-in-the-making are of no interest to Bouna, Williams, Letourneau, and York. That is very bad news and a strong reminder of how important a rigid vetting process is and will be in the future. Start thinking about that folks. Our work is cut out for us. With just a little information which for the most part has NOT been provided to residents by the County, these people get it and they reject it. Instead of saying yes to a fluff survey question about rail and transportation as your survey people did, these people who comment, as Mr. Reid points out, have knowledge of cost, and so they reject the shiny train. For them it is a simple no-brainer to discern the lack of merit.  If this proposition was presented to a corporate Board of Directors with all its uncertainty, extreme costs, and lack of any basis for expectation of providing a return, it's presenters would be laughed out of the room and dismissed for wasting the time of the board, yet some of our Loudoun Board still hold tight to the shiny train.  Please listen to the people who elected you, they are few now, but in the months and years ahead, if you pass this, they will look to you with disgust as they realize their trust has been betrayed.  Jennifer Nolan While Metro Rail to Dulles Airport would be nice, there is absolutely no - repeat, no - justification for the monumental taxes and fees being proposed to pay for it.  The Silver Line should have been built 10, 20 or 30 years ago. That the powers that were at the time were too short-sighted to see the need for the rail line then is not the fault of the people who live in the area now.  We are getting along fine without the Silver Line and have been for years. If it is so unaffordable that it cannot be paid for without imposing crippling property tax increases (and toll hikes, for that matter), then we don't need it.  In case you haven't noticed, dear Board of Supervisors, this economy is not yet back on its feet. There are still people in Loudoun County who are unemployed or under-employed and struggling to keep their homes as it is. How do you propose they pay for this tax hike?  Until Metro, the State of Virginia and the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors can find a fair, affordable way to pay for the Silver Line, then forget it! Diane Greene Completely against the special tax district. I thought I was pro-metro but it is clear we need more answers before BOS decides on 7/4. What are the additional costs to our residents, who will pay, how long, potential increases, and how this will affect local traffic & roads, further widening of roads between Rt 7 & 50, & east/west crossroads,and how the increased development around the stations will impact the funding to our schools & class size. Keith Hyde Metro doesn't have enough riders now to support itself and has to be subsidized. Metro is a waste, only a few want it or use it. Most do not so why should the minority dictate what we pay for and use??  IF you lived in a Special Tax District, where you'd pay an additional $1200 per year, (let's round that to $100 per month) effective Jan. 2013, FIVE full years before a single train arrives....WOULD YOU STILL BE telling everyone to shut up and pay for your new toy? $6000, and not a single ride....Wow, just how MUCH money do you make? When it's coming out of YOUR pocket, you may feel a bit differently.

Metro to Loudoun - Ashburn and Broadlands Speak Up

The fearsome foursome of Loudoun Supervisors is joining forces with other familiar icons to push for Big Government - Big Spending induced "Metro Hope and Metro Change." Yes we can baby!

It is now or never they sing in chorus as they push to  pass this thing. 

Why hurry? They are nervous because Loudoun Opt Out and our many friends are working hard to inform the public of the very real possibility that we will be awash in new taxes if they succeed. They think that pesky little detail of "Who Pays" is just a minor glitch the team can iron out. 

Will they stick it to the whole county with massive property tax increases? Will they put up a new sign that says, "Open for Business Taxation" with a Countywide Commercial Industrial Tax or will their trusting and ill-informed people in the 2 mile Tax Penalty districts be the ones who pay dearly for this under-funded pork project? People of Loudoun, cast your vote soon because if you don't speak up that will be interpreted as saying 

"Go ahead, tax as much as you need ... whatever it takes"


Matt, Ralph, Shawn, Scott, please contact these people to let them know that all we need to do to pay the $50 to $100 million/year that this WILL eventually cost,

Ashburn Mom Says Loudoun's Metro Scheme Will Harm Families-

Please read this letter from an Ashburn woman who has been alerted to what is going on. It is a glimpse of the harm that will be inflicted on hard working people, families, the little people if this goes through. The willingness on the part of some elected representatives to deliberately prey on uninformed but trusting constituents literally makes me sick. Please spread the word, the tax man commeth.

From a mom in Ashburn:

"I live outside the 1 mile proposed special tax rate area but within the 2 mile radius.  Let me put it into prospective for you:I am a working mom.  My spouse also works.  We both commute which means tolls.  We pay a lot in tolls for two cars each way 5 days a week.  One of the proposed way to pay for metro will be to increase those tolls.  So I am already going to be paying a lot for my two car family.  We don;t have the luxury of commuting together.Add to that a proposed increase in my property tax.  Yes it's great that my home is worth more, but I still have to pay for that in taxes.  Add on top of that a special tax for living within a two mile radius.  I am not having to budget way more money then ever between the tolls, property tax, and now a special tax.  My family simply cannot afford that.  When I moved out to Ashburn we had to budget very carefully what we would pay in tolls (which have since on the Greenway gotten out of control and will only get worse).

You are basically going to price out of our home.In speaking with my neighbors it is very clear to me many of them do not understand how metro is  being paid for which leads to false results of who is really "pro metro".  Many are pro metro - but once you explain the cost you get - NO!!!  So believe me when I say MOST of your voting public do not want metro at this cost. Please vote No.  Many, many, many families live in your district.  Many of them are two parent working families and you are going to put a HUGE financial burden on them.  These are not the people that will be using the metro most of all. 
Please review the facts and costs.  Please understand your district and the people and their situations that make up that district."  

(emphasis added)

 posted by David LaRock

Loudoun Opt Out Group