Supervisors attended a worksession at Algonkian Regional Park's meeting center on Sept. 9 to prioritize issues. What they came up with will not surprise: Next year's budget process, the recent comprehensive plan amendment applications and a review of the zoning ordinance are the top issues on supervisors' minds.
Rather than reconvene the following morning to finish discussion, supervisors voted to call off the second day of the worksession to allow staff to draw up a report on the resources and timetable needed to address the top three issues. County Administrator Kirby Bowers will report to the board at 1:30 p.m. at the Sept. 21 business meeting, held in the county government office in Leesburg.
"I think it was a worthwhile process," said Supervisor Jim Burton (I-Blue Ridge). "It got a little spirited there at the end. Up until then, it was congenial."
Burton was referring to a conversation among the supervisors regarding the comprehensive amendment plan amendment (CPAM) applications. Supervisor Stephen Snow (R-Dulles) stated his belief that dealing with the CPAMs would help address the zoning ordinance, while other supervisors felt that the CPAMs had nothing to do with the zoning ordinance.
One thing supervisors could all agree on, however, was that addressing the CPAMs was paramount. The CPAMs, which are developer-initiated amendments to the county plan that request higher-density planned developments, could alter the future of the county if accepted.
"This board, more than others, is going to define that moment," Supervisor Bruce Tulloch (R-Potomac) said.
Supervisor Jim Clem (R-Leesburg) warned against politicizing the CPAMs. "I don't want this to become a political hot potato," he said.
Meanwhile, Supervisor Lori Waters (R-Broad Run) pointed out that only one of the six CPAMs from the spring is currently in process: Loudoun Healthcare's hospital facility CPAM, which suggests an entire healthcare plan for the county. Currently, that CPAM is still in Planning Commission worksessions.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN with the CPAMs — or the budget process, or the zoning ordinance — won't be decided until after Bowers' presentation to the board on Sept. 21. The top three priorities will be his topic, but he stressed that the multitude of other issues before the board won't be eliminated from discussion. What Bowers has to do is present the board with a plan for addressing the top priorities with the staff he has on hand.
"There is a limited amount of staff representing the core administration staff," he said. The amount of issues currently before the staff is "daunting," he added.