Showing posts with label Tax Dollars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tax Dollars. Show all posts

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Mr. Howard Mowry's Comments At November 12th School Board Meeting


1. Accountability and performance have a lot in common, without one serving the other, then one could possibly consider fraud.  This division does have some serious problems, but all schools are accredited.

Of special interest is the amount of absenteeism in the system especially the high school. Reviewing the 2019 records 329 students were chronically absent, meaning 10 per-cent or more days for the school year.

This amounts to 3,290 school days at an approximate cost of $68.31 a student or $244,740 of wasted taxpayer’s contribution to the system for one school. Combining the elementary and middle schools the total was 368 or $251,381. A grand total right at a half million for the school year not counting those with less than 10 days out.

Since the funding for the school system is divided three ways the only marker for accountability is the local contribution. Years ago, a sitting board raised the percentage by 6 points above the composite index figure where it has stayed ever since.

Recommend that to improve upon and decrease absenteeism the Board of Supervisor’s reduce funding by a given percentage point/s until attendance hits a pre-determined level of accountability.

At the same time with all these students absent, all the schools are accredited, 94 percent graduate on time. One needs to consider either the student is smarter than the teachers, or the system has been dumbed down so far even a moron is a genius. I wonder what the businessman has to say about our graduates. A survey may be helpful.

2. At the same time when we talk funding by the state, they fund under many standards unknown by the general public. If our composite index is 38 cents, then the state would provide 62 cents to meet the operating revenue fund for the county.  Wrong they only fund 52 percent, or a shortchange of approximately 2 million.

Additionally, the budget when approved may not reflect the true revenues since the funding is set on attendance at the end of September the first month of the new school year. This revenue amount is also adjusted at the end of March of the same school year, which could be a plus or minus of students, also effecting the

Development of the next fiscal budget year.

The solution is for the school board with cooperation with other boards request the General Assembly review their multiples of funding and reduce the process to a local standard percentage of revenue intake and have the state provide the rest.

If this is not possible then one might possibly perceive that in reality, we are broke or bankrupt.

I thank you for the time.



Publisher's Note: School Board Chairperson, Robin Rice only allowed 3 minutes for comments even though there were only a handful of people at the meeting. She did not allow Mr. Mowry to complete his comments.

Video Of November 12th School Board Meeting

Saturday, June 9, 2018

Gloucester County, Virginia's Hidden Tourism Plan


Gloucester, VA - The Coleman Bridge.  Picture taken for the new Gloucester Links & News website. 

Imagine a tourist area that is made up of Colonial Yorktown with its’ battlefields, new Victory Museum, the Yorktown River Walk, the Waterman’s Museum, floating docks that can accommodate cruise ships up to 400’ long and numerous other tourist attractions. Further imagine two Virginia State Parks located on the York River in Gloucester; a National Park on the York River in the Capahosic area of Gloucester; the York River State Park on the York River in the Toano area of James City County and; New Quarter Park located next to Cheatham Annex and close to historic Williamsburg. Imagine tour boats picking up and dropping off tourists at each location as they navigate up and down the York River while tour guides describe locations of various shipwrecks on the floor of the York, the docks at the Navel Weapons Station and Cheatham Annex, watermen harvesting clams, fish, oysters and crabs, historical sites and so on. Imagine new marinas in Gloucester and more boats, jet skis and other watercraft enjoying the York River and it’s tributaries for recreation. Imagine Gloucester’s rich history being brought to the forefront and Gloucester becoming a high density part of Virginia’s tourism industry. Imagine ferry boats or an up river bridge connecting Gloucester to the Williamsburg area, creating a historic tourism circle made up of Gloucester, Yorktown, Jamestown and Williamsburg. 

Now let reality set back in and let yourself begin to realize that a tourist area of that magnitude would cost hundreds of millions of dollars or more and would take a very long time to design, plan and complete. Let yourself begin to realize there would be even more negative impacts on commercial Watermen. Let yourself realize it will require more roads, housing, hotels, restaurants, fire and rescue, police, schools and bigger local government. Finally let yourself realize Gloucester County would no longer be the quiet little town it has been throughout history.

It is now time for a serious question. What would you say if you learned that such a tourism plan has been in the works for several years and that several steps have already been taken to move the concept forward without informing the People that such a plan exists? After reading the rest of this article we think you will realize that is exactly what is occurring as none of the steps taken thus far have included public statements from anyone acknowledging or even mentioning the existence of a non-publicly disclosed master plan that we believe has been in existence for over 20 years. Anyway, here are just few steps that have been taken publicly so far without the un-named plan being mentioned.

On February 14, 2014 the daily press reported funding for a new state park on the York River and Aberdeen Creek was being sought by local legislators to begin constructing amenities to include trails, camp sites, cabins and water access. The Daily Press reported that Del. Keith Hodges, R-Middlesex, and Sen. Thomas K. "Tommy" Norment, R-James City were seeking $8 million for work on the first phase of the park which include roads, a beach, swimming area, seven miles of trails, a fishing pier and other basic amenities. A 2011 park master plan estimated the cost of the first phase at $13.3 million. Hodges had also requested $600,000 to pay for staff and equipment to develop the park. The park has 2,260 feet of York River shoreline at an area where the river is two miles wide, it has 3,776 feet of shoreline along Aberdeen Creek, it encompasses 431 acres of land and was purchased in 2005 for $3.9 million from Newport News resident Pela Hundley during former Gov. Mark Warner's administration. (The same Pela Hundley who sold the new Page Middle School property to Gloucester County in 2004.) The property purchase was financed using general obligation bonds from a voter-approved state referendum in 2002. Phase two plans for lodging facilities at the state park include 30 camping sites and a group camp site, 10 cabins to include one three-bedroom, eight two-bedrooms, one lodge, a picnic area and a play area. More amenities are included with a price tag of $13.6 million for phase II. A 2010 park master plan estimated the total cost of the park to be around $28.2 million.

On May 20, 2014 the Daily press reported President Obama’s proposed budget called for spending $6 million on the Werowocomoco site in Gloucester and the John Smith Trail, which traces Smith's exploratory journey throughout the Chesapeake Bay area from 1607 to 1609. (The story behind this park coming to the attention of the President is another complex and somewhat curious story that will be covered in the future.) Governor Terry McAuliffe visited the farm that is owned by Bob and Lynn Ripley which was supposedly home to Chief Powhatan and his daughter Pocahontas when settlers arrived in Virginia in 1607. That during the Governor’s visit he is reported to have said the property could link Gloucester with the Hampton Roads region's famed Historic Triangle of Jamestown, Yorktown and Williamsburg. The Daily Press further reported that McAuliffe said he had briefed and had the full support of Virginia's congressional delegation about the proposal for the national park. They also reported that he sees Werowocomoco National Park and the John Smith Trail as a way to draw tourists, help diversify the state's economy and bring money to communities such as Gloucester. The Daily Press reported that he said he can see tourists landing from the water.

On August 7, 2012 the Daily Press reported that the Gloucester Board of Supervisors unanimously approved establishing “No Discharge” zones in Gloucester. The establishment of these zones means boaters will be prohibited from dumping human sewage in the Piankatank River, Mobjack Bay and the York River and all of their tributaries. On October 7, 2014 the Board of Supervisors authorized the Gloucester Go Green Advisory Committee to submit an application for the establishment of No Discharge Zones in Sarah Creek and the Perrin River. Currently, the Federal Clean Water Act prohibits dumping untreated sewage from boats anywhere in the U.S., but does permit dumping treated sewage from certain marine sanitation devices in U.S. waters, except in No Discharge Zones. Once No Discharge Zones are establish even those with both device types will not be permitted to dump sewage in the No Discharge Zone waters and will be required to have human waste removed from their boats at marinas with waste pumping stations or through other on-land disposal facilities.

In March 2015 Lewis Lawrence, executive director of the Hampton Roads Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission made a presentation to the Gloucester Board of Supervisors on dredging Aberdeen Creek. During this briefing Lawrence said watermen have been raising concerns in recent years about their ability to get boats in and out of the wharf at the end of the creek. He further said that in 2009 the Middle Peninsula Chesapeake Bay Public Access Authority and Planning District Commission were asked to study Aberdeen Creek as a commercial seafood hub, specifically looking at land-use issues and options for dredging. This study was funded through a grant from Virginia's Coastal Zone Program. (A “networked program”. established to manage Virginia's coastal resources, the program relies on a network of state agencies and local governments to administer the enforceable laws and regulations that protect our wetlands, dunes, subaqueous lands, fisheries, and air and water quality within the Virginia “Coastal Zone.) The Daily Press reported that the Virginia Institute of Marine Science is performing an economic impact study and that Lawrence said the dredging could cost $600,000 to $1.5 million, depending on the extent of the project. They further reported him saying the most probable cost should be around $744,000, or $93,000 a year which would be paid for by Gloucester taxpayers over eight years.

On April 16, 2015 the Gloucester Board of Supervisors repealed the Boat Tax, resulting in a $438,000 annual revenue loss.

On July 19, 2015 the Daily Press reported that Governor McAuliffe, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Virginia Department of Transportation met under the bridge at Gloucester Point where they signed a memorandum of understanding which asks the three agencies to work together to identify new potential public access projects, especially at bridge crossings and roads. The Daily Press quoted McAuliffe saying, "Where ever we have VDOT next to one of our state parks and [there is a bridge] or an opportunity for us to build at that waterway and allow people to access the water I want that done"

On October 20, 2015 the Gloucester Board of Supervisors received a presentation on what is being referred to as the York River Stewardship Program. The presentation primarily focused on what is being called the York River Maritime Heritage National Marine Sanctuary Initiative. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is legally responsible for the management of maritime heritage resources within designated sanctuaries. According to NOAA, the National Marine Sanctuaries Act authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to, “…designate and manage areas of the marine environment with special national significance due to their conservation, recreational, ecological, historical, scientific, cultural, archaeological, educational or esthetic qualities as National Marine Sanctuaries.” In other words, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce will be in complete control of the York River, its tributaries and land that “may” impact the condition of the York River. Bodies of water that are designated sanctuaries under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act appear to be highly regulated, especially in the area of commercial fishing. The president of the Waterman’s Museum Board also shared that York River boat tours leaving from the Waterman’s Museum will likely begin during the summer of 2016.

As we said earlier, those are only some of the steps that have been taken to push along the un-named project. Other steps that have been taken include things like; several million dollars in improvements to Hickory Fork Road; multiple strategically placed mixed use development type plans that have been approved in Gloucester; strategic land purchases by a small number of individuals who obviously know more about the un-named plan than the general public; building Page Middle School on T.C. Walker Road with plans to relocate the school bus garage and sell the property being in the works long before the tornado damaged Page and; the efforts of the Gloucester Main Street Preservation Trust to re-construct Main Street, through a backdoor tax dollar funding mechanism called library and health department space rent. There are plenty more occurrences that clearly demonstrate a long and continuous effort by a few individuals to bring the un-known plan to reality and profit from it without letting the vast majority of Gloucester residents, businesses and property owners know what is actually taking place. There are people who live among us and elsewhere who have and continue to take advantage of knowing things the majority of Gloucester property owners have no knowledge of. Just like what went on with Page Middle School; the plans for the un-named plan have been created, the People’s money is being spent and when the time comes, the whole thing will be shoved down a huge majority of the People’s throats and the few who were in the “know” will profit.

We are not trying to advocate for or against the un-named plan as our primary goal is to let everyone know what is going on I Gloucester County. We realize there could be many long term benefits for Gloucester’s residents, businesses and property owners, but we also know that when things are done outside of the People’s watchful eye, many get taken advantage of so a few greedy individuals can profit. Our advice to Gloucester property owners is to hang onto what you have because within the next several years the value of your property will increase. Don’t be fooled by offers that appear to be high in comparison to Gloucester’s assessed value as the assessment is not a true reflection of your property’s true worth, even though the Code of Virginia requires all properties to be assessed at true market value. That does not happen in Gloucester. A prime example of this is the Route 17 frontage property that connects to the new Page Middle School property, which Harry Corr, now deceased, purchased one day before the School Board voted to build Page on that property. Mr. Corr paid the Pella Hundley Trust more than six times the properties’ assessed values, or so it would appear in Gloucester’s online land records. (Again the Hundley name comes up) As can be seen from this example, Gloucester’s assessments appear to be far lower than true market value.

Should Gloucester become a tourist destination and retirement community, or should it remain a place to live away from all of that?

Kenny Hogge, Sr.
Gloucester Point, Virginia

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Gloucester County, Virginia Blue Collar Government Employees’ Pay Neglected Like The Rest Of Our Infrastructure

The following SlideShare contains the salaries of all of our local government employees. Our local government appears to have neglected our blue collar employees for years by not investing the money to pay them competitive wages. 

  Heck they squirm when they have to spend money to make sure our blue collar employees have safe and adequate work environments. Our white collar employees have seen far more significant pay increases over the last five years than our blue collar employees and they are slated for pay increases again this year. Maybe it is time for our white collar employees to make do with what they are currently earning and raise our blue collar employees’ wages to a competitive level. This is just another area of Gloucester’s infrastructure that has been neglected for years and continues to be neglected today. Tell our Supervisors enough is enough. And don’t forget to remind them this is an election year for three of them.
SlideShare is best viewed in full screen mode. Just click on the double arrows.

Monday, August 12, 2013

Gloucester, VA Where Your Tax Dollars Are Going

Gloucester, Virginia.

Ever wonder how your tax dollars are spent in the county?  Ever wondered what the pay scale is for various jobs in the county?  Well now you no longer have to guess.  We have found all that information and we are bringing it here for you to see how your tax dollars are spent.

This is the latest pay scale grades for Gloucester County Government jobs.




Gloucester County, Virginia Government Pay" target="_blank">Gloucester County, Virginia Government Pay from Chuck Thompson


You can click on the icon at the bottom right of the container to open the document to a full page view for better reading.

Now for the top grade jobs;




This is the employment agreement between the county and Brenda Garton, County Administrator and also twitching Ted, (I'm not an attorney), Wilmot, court jester, county attorney.  It shows additional compensation that the regular employees do not receive such as Brenda's $8,000.00 per year vehicle allowance.  (Buy a new Cadillac on taxpayer money).

The agreement was put up on the county website because of complaints about both Ted and Brenda's pay increases.  The Board of Supervisors were just trying to explain to everyone that Twitch and Brenda only received a 5% cost of living adjustment.  We know a number of federal employees who are mad as hell about this.  Federal employee's have not had a cost of living adjustment in 3 years and congress has already told them that they will not be getting one next year either.

So once again, we see the reckless disregard for the real economy the Board of Supervisors has for your tax dollars.  Please understand, we are not saying that most of the employees do not deserve the raises.  From what we see, many employees are not even being paid a living wage.  However, from the looks of things, county employees are now paid better than people in the private sector.

  It's the private sector where the money comes from.  Federal employees are seeing how they have to shell out more of their hard earned tax dollars to cover the raises of local government employees when they themselves are not receiving the same considerations.  It's simply not right.  It just continues to show that the local officials are out of touch with reality at every level.
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