PWC Supervisors Move To Reduce Tax Bills for Homeowners

This just in from PWC Chairman Corey Stewart:

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors will vote this Tuesday March 3 on advertising a property tax rate. I am proposing a rate that will reduce tax bills for homeowners by an average of $548.00 (a 16 % reduction). I want to thank Supervisors Maureen Caddigan (Dumfries), Wally Covington (Brentsville) and John Stirrup (Gainesville) for joining me in supporting this tax relief.

This tax rate of $1.198 will support the County Executive’s proposed budget, which reduces government spending by $56 million compared to last fiscal year without cutting any of our uniformed police or fire and rescue personnel. The County Executive’s budget is responsible and sustainable. By focusing our resources, it allows us to protect vital county services while providing tax relief to you during these uncertain times.

To pass this tax reduction, we need at least five supervisors to vote this Tuesday in support of the $1.198 tax rate. Please email the Board at BOCS@pwcgov.org urging the whole Board to join Supervisors Stirrup, Covington, Caddigan and myself in supporting this rate and ensuring tax relief for you.

Please be sure to tune into Comcast Channel 23 or Verizon FIOS Channel 37 to see how your supervisor votes.

Xavier Pinckney to be Tried as an Adult

Accused double-murderer Xavier Pinckney has been ordered to be tried as an adult for the slayings of Jean and Jim Smith just before Christmas last year.

Unfortunately, the hearing was closed to reporters, so we still don’t know important aspects about Pinckney’s prior criminal history — such as his arrest to conviction ratio. The case will now go to a grand jury, so we will now have to wait until at least the next hearing after he is indicted to begin uncovering details of his past run-ins with the law.

I still firmly believe that someone fell down on the job along the way here and Pinckney should never have been out on the streets and free to murder in the first place. We’re going to keep monitoring this closely until we find out just which entity is responsible for keeping him on the loose, whether that be the Commonwealth’s Attorney office under Paul Ebert or the Prince William Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. We WILL find out and make sure that someone is held accountable so that they don’t turn loose the next Xavier Pinckney.