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 

pls Add your input- "Always vote for principle..."

Ken Reid is No John Roberts
I'd Say He is More Soros-like

“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.” John Quincy Adams

Chris Rankin:

My primary opposition to moving Metro beyond Dulles Airport stems from three concerns that Chairman York and the others who voted in favor of the Silver Line extension have yet to satisfactorily address:

1. Without knowing the final costs, and signing up for a percentage of the total project cost without specifying an absolute cap in terms of dollars, Loudoun County has essentially given Metro and MWAA a blank check. Both of these organizations have an abysmal track record of managing projects to completion on time and within budget. In taking this particular route, our Board of Supervisors has abdicated its responsibility of being good stewards of our tax money, putting total control and authority for all decisions into the hands of individuals who are political appointees and are answerable to nobody.

HERE COME THE TRAIN AND THE TAXES-Reposted

HERE COME THE TRAIN AND THE TAXES

03TuesdayJul 2012

Posted by fdgoldwater in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a Comment

Reposted from School of Athens Blog  

From the Loudoun Times

Decades of planning will move forward, as the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday morning to extend Metro’s Silver Line to the Dulles International Airport and two miles into Loudoun County.

Five supervisors approved – Chairman Scott York (R-At Large), Shawn Williams (R-Broad Run), Matt Letourneau (R-Dulles), Ralph Buona (R-Ashburn), and Ken Reid (R-Leesburg).

Opposing were Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling), Geary Higgins (R-Catoctin), Janet Clarke (R-Blue Ridge) and Suzanne Volpe (R-Algonkian).

Ken Reid's Words...

From Ken's Website June 29, 2012

"It is possible that opposition may be generated and the Board will have opted in and back out of the tax district, only to find that we are funding Dulles Rail at the expense of schools and other needs. This would be very bad."      Ken Reid

Tax surcharge could be instituted as condition of opting into Metro     

Dear Constituents: The Documentation on Dulles Rail shows that extending Metro into Loudoun County will NOT alleviate traffic congestion; will be used by fewer than 10 percent of all Loudoun Commuters when it opens in Loudoun around 2018; AND will NOT yield a positive economic impact until 2035-2040, yet will begin charging Leesburg homeowners about 3 cents on top of their County and Town taxes, only to rise as Metro's costs increase.  Metro will NOT necessarily boost our jobs base, will NOT help; home values (except within 1 mile of the two proposed stations, according to data) and will be competition for funding for schools, public safety and other services. Plus, opting out of rail will save $580 million on the project, and about $1.20 each way for users of the Dulles Toll Road (tolls may go to $4.50 EACH way next year!)

No to Metro Say Ashburn Broadlands Leesburg Sterling

 

These are just two of many people who live in the areas that will be most affected if Metro... Metro taxes, Metro crime, Metro toll increases, Metro gridlock come. 

Their voices are being ignored. 

Dear Mr. Reid and Ms. Volpe:

Not now, not ever...please don't bankrupt Loudoun w/the Silver Line.  We are counting on you to do the right thing for the citizens...not the big businesses.  Exactly who stands to benefit from a mile or two of rail, at how much, for how many years to come, with maintenance ongoing till the cows come home?  Not our citizens. 

Please don't be blinded by the talk, the smoke and mirrors...check it out for yourself... is Metro a boon, or a boondoggle?  Having used it on and off for years...I've hated it!  Hated the bums at the entrances, urinating on walls, turning people into animals as they push and shove to enter trains that are hot, dangerous, and poorly maintained.  Do we want to buy into a system that has a PROVEN Track Record of mismanagement, accidents, insufficient budgets, operators that fall asleep at the helm, text and chat while on the job?  Nope.  No thanks. 

Loudoun has always been the kinder/gentler County.  Why ask for the rif-raff that comes with Metro.  Why fund a problem that has been festering for years?  They grew it...let them lift it.  Please do the right thing for those of us who have long been part of the heritage of this great County.  Take a pass on Metro...OPT OUT for our good, and the good of our grandchildren.

Sincere Thanks,

-------------------

Ken-

Just to throw in my two cents on the Metro Project, there really is no funding option which appeals to me, because I don't favor Metro in Loudoun at all.  I like and want to maintain the bedroom community which Loudoun is.  I moved from just down the street of a Metro station out to Leesburg to get away from exactly what could be happening here now. 

Study after study shows the Metro out to Ashburn will be severely underutilized by the population it's trying to serve.  I could see a potential usefulness in going out to Dulles and could compromise there, however beyond Dulles seems ridiculous.  As a Loudouner I don't want to be part of the metro area.  What I experienced in Sprigfield, I don't want to see again. 

For those in favor of Metro, I would suggest they seek a good real estate agent, and uproot themselves to a Metro stop, the same uprooting I did to get away from it.  In the letter below you state Metro out to Loudoun would not alleviate congestion nor would it be utilized by more than 10% of Loudouners.  Adding insult to injury, Leesburg would be losing $1 million from the gas revenue, even with this special class of tax payers the Board is considering.  

I would hope under NO circumstances would the Metro out to Ashburn be built, and under NO circumstances would you support it. 

Name removed

Leesburg, VA  20176

Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2012 9:12 AM

To: Clarke, Janet; Volpe, Suzanne; Buona, Ralph; York, Scott; Williams, Shawn; Higgins, Geary; Letourneau, Matt; Reid, Ken; Delgaudio, Eugene

Subject: Silver line view from the center left

Sent: Friday, June 29, 2012 10:05:26 AM (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
To: BOS
Subject: Your Election Year Campaign Pledge to Lower Taxes

Dear Board of Supervisors,
It is now known that four supervisors will break their election year campaign pledge to be fisically responsible and LOWER TAXES on July 3, 2012.
Which of the five remaining supervisors will join in breaking their commitment to lower taxes during their election year campaigning?
Don't Fairfax Loudoun. If you or the people you represent like Fairfax so much -- MOVE THERE.
Don't be known as the supervisor who promised lower taxes but gave Loudoun its biggest tax increase in the history of the county.
Vote NO to Metro. We don't need more housing, more crime, and more cars on the road. We don't need to pay for West Virginia's Metro stations anymore than Fairfax wants to pay for Loudoun's.
Now, we have supervisors who don't want to tax those closest to the stations even though their home values may increase and they are more likly to use Metro.  How is this fair to residents of Leesburg, Western Loudoun, Northern Loudoun, Sterling?
Mike Hudak
   -- anyone of you can call me. I would enjoy the conversation. Afterall, I am just a dumb finance executive who does not "get it."
Loudoun Resident since 1992.  I moved to Loudoun to escape Fairfax. Don't Fairfax Loudoun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear members of the Board; 
   Duty will again have me out of the country during next week’s meeting on the extension of the Silver Line, so I thought to provide my thoughts via e-mail.   Initially, I did not pay much attention to this issue, as I see little impact to my family’s commuting arrangements (we carpool and/or use the Loudoun County bus service.)  However after listening to my neighbors, I sought to learn more about this extension. Let me add that on no other issue have I heard such anger expressed by those in my neighborhood (Broadlands).
I agree Dulles IAD could benefit from a rail line, but that would not be used by most of the people in Loudoun, many who live in close driving distance to the airport anyhow.  The anti-rail group has circulated a flyer stating the two-mile Rail District proposed tax rate of .09 to .21 would increase our taxes (I believe my Broadlands residence falls into this proposed tax zone) by $450-$1050. My family cannot afford this.  (Has the board provided home-owners any information on funding this project to the contrary? )  To push this ahead without identifying how the Country is to pay for it is reckless; business and development will benefit and should pay, if there is to be a tax levied it needs to be universal for the County, and not targeted to an handful of the unwilling. 
I have to agree on this point; to hear my neighbors, the imposition of a tax burden unduly leveled on a selected geographic area from which questionable benefit will accrue will in all likelihood generate a class action suit against the Board and possible individual suits.  The irony is of course, that our present tax dollars will go towards defending the Board members as well as challenging this decision.  Tax-payer losses either way amid the cost and legal gridlock.
There must come a point where this Board stops viewing constituent taxation as an bottomless well.  Many of you were in fact elected to curb the excesses of the previous Board to include some of the current incumbents.  Please stand by those principles.  We are so upside down on our mortgage to market value that we cannot afford to move out of Loudoun County, much less pay forward for a questionable project of which we will never see the benefit.  My realtor advised me that the additional tax burden may further negatively impact our ability to sell our Broadlands residence while the benefit of metro proximity will not be realized until the installation is complete in the coming years.  This is of key concern for already distressed homeowners. 
Please be sage and transparent with our money. 

name deleted
Broadlands VA
20148

_______________________________________________

Board of Supervisors, As a homeowner and taxpayer in Loudoun County and as an Ashburn resident I ask that you VOTE DOWN THE METRO COMING TO LOUDOUN.  The costs far outweigh the benefits of this proposed Metro expansion for Loudoun County. Stop the Metro at Dulles and build some commuter lots - done! Why would you want to put the Metro into a beautiful suburban area such as Ashburn. No one moves to Ashburn saying "I want to move there for the Metro". People move to Ashburn to get away from the congestion the Metro will bring, they move to Ashburn to raise a family in a safe and quiet environment. If we wanted to live near a Metro we would be living in Fairfax, Arlington or Montgomery Counties. Leave Loudoun the way it is and leave the Metro at Dulles Airport! Those of you on the BOS in favor of the Metro speak how it will bring profit and make Loudoun more appealing to businesses. How does that work for the whole county when the metro will only go to part of Ashburn?  Not Leesburg, not Aldie, not Purceville, etc... It is clear that those BOS members in favor of the Metro are looking out more for their best interests in the political arena, not those of who you represent. Who will be paying for this project - the taxpayers!  Raised taxes, higher tolls, more contruction, more traffic - why not use these funds to work towards lowering the tolls to take traffic off such roads as Rt. 28, Rt. 7 and Waxpool. That would be met with great acceptance county wide. Let the residents make the decision on this particular issue - WE VOTE NO TO THE METRO EXPANSION INTO LOUDOUN! Sincerely,name deleted

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