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As you can see from the chart above, the average home value in Loudoun in FY12 was $397,300: adjusted for inflation today, that’s about $537,002. Today, the average home value is $727,900: an 83% increase, well beyond the rate of inflation. The tax rate column shows how we have lowered the tax rate 42 cents in the time I’ve been on the Board. That’s resulted in an average tax bill of $6,296 this year: just a 23% increase over the average tax bill that you paid in FY12, and over $600 lower than the estimated average tax bill adjusted for inflation. So the point is that while home values have risen drastically during the time I’ve been on the Board, average tax bills have only increased 23% - tracking well below inflation, directly as a result of the steps we’ve taken to lower the tax rate year over year.
If we are being honest, revenue from data centers is largely responsible for holding tax bills to the relatively modest rise that we have seen. Since 2012, we’ve added nearly 150,000 residents, built a dozen new schools, launched an entirely new multi-billion dollar transportation program which includes Metro, and expanded services across the County. Obviously, those things have a cost. But new revenue from commercial and residential growth has largely covered those needs.
Going forward, that may not be the case, and as Chairman of the Board’s Finance Committee I am committed to having straightforward discussions about our fiscal future as we begin work this summer on the FY26 budget. I have been concerned that the rate of growth in the County budget has begun to exceed the rate of new revenue. That is largely because there is less new development in the County, and I expect that trend will continue given the fact that there is less land appropriate for data centers, which currently contribute nearly $700 million to our budget. New housing growth has also been slowing.
We have been working to diversify our commercial tax base to ensure that we are not solely reliant on the data center industry for revenue. The Board also established a Revenue Stabilization Fund, which will be funded in years that we have a surplus in data center revenue, intended to cover the years where the revenue picture is bleaker (such as we experienced during the pandemic). The RSF is a new tool that should allow us to plan for the future – and the uncertainties of data centers and the tech industry in general – and avoid surprises in years where revenue is lower. We were able to dedicate $40 million to stand up the fund this year from last year’s surplus. Finally, we will be taking up planning processes later this year to assess all remaining land in the County in an attempt to properly balance the need to retain and expand the data center industry while ensuring that data centers aren’t built next to homes and in other inappropriate areas.
The School Budget
I am also concerned about the rate of growth in the school budget. As you’ll recall, the Board of Supervisors is responsible for funding Loudoun’s public schools, but we do not have line-item authority over their final budget. The LCPS budget request this year totaled $1.8 billion, a 9.4% increase over the current budget and an increase of $131 million (11.3%) in local tax funding – despite the student population remaining flat. This has been a trend in recent years. Two major associated costs will be the opening of Henrietta Lacks Elementary School and Watson Mountain Middle School this fall (which together will require about 60 full-time staff to operate). About 40% of the new positions in the proposed budget are ESL and special education teachers, needs which LCPS says are on the rise. 74% of the total budget increase request is to support teacher recruitment and retention, which continues to be an issue in the County. 73 positions are requested to support school-based initiatives, and 26 to support programs such as Title IX and digital security/tech support. Our annual per-pupil spending has increased greatly during my time on the Board, from $11,014 in FY12 to $21,789 in FY25, which I believe represents the deep investments we make in Loudoun County Public Schools each and every year. That being said, we must be aware of the rate at which school budget requests are outpacing student generation by a greater margin each year. I understand that inflation, rising costs across the board, and the need to raise wages to attract and retain top talent are real concerns. Our community is willing to invest in education. This year was the first year that Dr. Spence proposed a budget, and I think it is reasonable to give him some leeway to play catchup in areas that he thinks need them. But, my hope is that it won’t be the case every year, and I still would like to pursue a revenue sharing discussion with the School Board that would provide greater certainty to both entities.
Additional Funding from the State
One key item made our school budget discussion go much smoother this year. Virginia's combined House and Senate budget increased funding to localities for education. This was welcome news considering last year’s joint legislative study showing that state funding for education in Virginia has not kept up with the needs of our students – which means local governments have picked up the slack. The current proposed state budget includes an extra $19 million for Loudoun County. The Board of Supervisors used this additional funding to close the $10 million gap between our initial fiscal guidance and the School Board’s proposed budget request. I was somewhat disappointed that the School Board used the opportunity to ask the Board of Supervisors to increase its transfer even further beyond the 9%, but no members of our Board entertained that request given the circumstances.
Personal Property Tax
The personal property tax rate (the car tax) remains at $4.15 per $100 assessed for Tax Year 2025 – still down from the $4.20 rate that we were using up until FY23. You may recall from past correspondences that Virginia provides personal property tax relief to localities. In 1998, PPTR was enshrined in the Code of Virginia and was capped at a lump sum payment of $950 million statewide in 2004. Loudoun receives $48 million annually, which provided 70% tax relief originally but in 2024 is just barely 33% due to our population growth during that time. This formula is fundamentally unfair to Loudoun, and we have long advocated changing it to a model based on population. However, there is no appetite at the state level to make this change since most jurisdictions have experienced population stagnation and are still receiving a similar percentage of relief as when the program began.
Due to this dynamic, the Loudoun Board plans to use a phased approach to lowering the car tax over time. However, the personal property tax rate is also what data centers pay on computer equipment – which represents a major chunk of our revenue. Governor Youngkin just signed a bill this session that will allow us to tax vehicles at a different rate than data center equipment on a permanent basis. Given that, the Board is planning a discussion this fall to potentially address car tax bills.
How the Budget is Funded
The County budget each year consists of both the operating budget, which funds County departments and keeps the local government running efficiently throughout the year, and the six-year Capital Improvement Program (which I’ll be referring to throughout this document as the CIP), a funding plan of future road, school, park, and other infrastructure projects. The two components of the budget are funded differently. The operating budget is funded primarily through local tax revenue out of the tax rates discussed above. The CIP is funded from a variety of different sources and is fiscally constrained, which means we can’t fund everything we want every year. In any given budget cycle, CIP projects receive funding from sources such as General Obligation Bonds, local tax collection, Northern Virginia Transportation Authority Funds, and state revenue matching grants. Since timelines and funding sources change annually in the CIP, I’ll be highlighting projects of interest in the Dulles District alongside my commentary on our operating budget. I do want to note that the County once again received AAA bond ratings from the nation’s leading credit rating agencies, which allow us to borrow money for capital projects at the lowest possible interest rate. These agencies noted the diversity and resiliency of the County’s economy in their assessments.
With all that said, let’s dive into the details of what's in the FY25 County budget.
Employee Compensation
Most of our annual operating budget consists of personnel costs, and the tight labor market is a major driver of budget increases. This year’s budget includes a 7% merit pay increase for the general County workforce, a 12.7% pay increase for public safety personnel, and a 6.5% increase for LCPS employees. These larger-than-normal pay increases were dictated by the County’s policy of being within 95-105% of our comparator jurisdictions. For law enforcement in particular, there have been huge increases around the region and localities regularly deal with a shortage of qualified officers.
Transportation
Staffing in the area of transportation has grown significantly over the past several years. This is primarily driven by the County’s aggressive Capital Improvement Program (which I address below) and growing transit operations. This year, the Board funded positions specifically intended to support the CIP, including two full time employees to deal with utility management and right of way acquisition – which is frequently a major bottleneck to constructing projects in a timely manner. We also funded a land acquisition manager to assist in acquiring land quickly and efficiently for projects, and three additional facilities development personnel to aid in proactively managing facility construction projects. The department budget is up to $11 million, slightly increased over FY24. When I first took office in 2012 the County had no money set aside for building new roads despite our rapidly growing population. Now over a decade later, we have a robust six-year CIP and have made great progress – especially in the southern part of the County. However, there are many more projects I want to see completed during my tenure on the Board, and our continued commitment to funding the Department of Transportation and Capital Infrastructure is a positive step forward. Thanks as always to our Transportation staff for their excellent work and support.
Public Safety
Sheriff’s Office
The Sheriff’s Office has a budget this year of around $139 million, which is up from last year’s total of $132 million. Our largest addition was 14 field deputies to help shoulder increasing workload. There was a motion made to remove these positions which received no further support on the Board. I made a motion to prorate half (seven) of the positions, meaning that they will be added to the department in January 2025 instead of July when the fiscal year starts and the adopted budget goes into effect. I made this motion because the Sheriff’s Office is still working to hire the field deputy positions that we gave them last year. While I believe that increasing the number of field deputies is an important step toward enhancing public safety and ensuring appropriate workloads for our law enforcement officers, I wanted to be realistic about how many could be hired at once. Sheriff Chapman confirmed that attempting to hire seven now and seven more in January would make more sense than attempting to hire all 14 this summer. That decision resulted in savings for taxpayers since all the positions didn’t have to be funded for the full year.
We also funded two part time crossing guards for assistance with LCPS walk zones, a behavioral health coordinator for LCSO personnel to continue advocating for wellbeing among department members, five data management personnel to assist with increased workloads as a result of technological advancements, and three administrative and managerial positions.
There was a motion to add four additional school resource officers (SROs) for schools around the County that would go beyond our staffing formula, so the Board did not support it.
Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney
The Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney was another big point of discussion this budget season, as in years past. Newly elected CA Bob Anderson is still figuring out his department’s needs and how best to structure resources, which led to a bit of uncertainty on the part of the department as well as the Board. After initially making a large request for new positions, I asked him to consider reclassifying existing vacant positions that were authorized under his predecessor, and he agreed to do so. In the end, we funded one additional investigator position to deal with caseload increases related to drug and trafficking offenses.
Fire-Rescue
Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System also received increased funding. The departmental budget totals about $148 million, an increase from last year’s total of $142 million. The Board added 17 staffing positions for the Leesburg South Station, which is anticipated to open in 2026, and nine positions for the new Lovettsville Station, which will open this June. We also funded an EMS training specialist and a data and analytics manager, as well as a union representative for an anticipated collective bargaining agreement with IAFF. Finally, we allocated $285,000 to LCFR for a behavioral health specialist and a return to work coordinator, which were brought forward as vital needs following our recent experience with the house explosion in Sterling.
Parks & Recreation
Parks & Recreation always has a lower percentage of local tax funding because the department charges for some services based on what it costs to provide them, such as admission fees to the Recreation Center, preschool tuition, and afterschool programs. Total budgeted expenditures in FY25 for the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Services are about $83 million – up from $74 million last year.
In the FY25 budget, we added a communications specialist, a lodge program assistant for Hanson Park, an ADA-compliant afterschool programmer, a specialist for aging programming, an HR trainer, and 51 full time employees to staff the Ashburn Recreation and Community Center, which will open in 2025. We also increased part-time staffing hours at Bolen Park to support additional activities at the site.
Library Services
The budget for Library Services this year was about $25.5 million, up from $25 million last year. We didn’t add any positions in FY24, but this year we added an HR technician and an extra communications specialist. I did not support the latter position as it wasn’t as big a priority for me as some of the others in the budget. During our CIP discussion, we also voted to send funding consideration for the planning study and conceptual design of the Cascades Library renovation to a separate Fund Balance discussion.
Health & Welfare
Board funding for the Department of Family Services this year is $44.3 million, up from last year’s amount of $40.7 million. A 2023 analysis found that Loudoun County Child Protective Services caseworkers had the highest caseloads of any locality in Virginia, which the Board found unacceptable: we funded 8 positions last year to reduce caseloads and improve quality of service. This year, we continued to try to claw back up to the state standard by adding 11 new positions to meet the continued increase in CPS service demands ranging from the hotline and intake administration to investigations and assessments. This addition should help the department achieve the standard professional practice ratio of new monthly family assessments and investigations to caseworkers. We also gave Family Services a ten-person public benefits team and five additional positions for the Quality, Data, and Compliance Unit of DFS’ Internal Operations Division to address chronic shortages in our ability to process those services.
Local Administration of the Loudoun County Health Department began last summer. The Board initiated this effort to transfer control of the Health Department from the state toward the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, after it became clear that a one size fits all approach dictated by Richmond wasn’t the best way to provide services locally. Since the department is still in the process of working through local administration, we added a number of new positions this year: seven environmental health staffers to address food, hotel, and pool establishment permits and four staffers to help provide increased access to clinical health services provided by the Health Department (two medical interpreters, a supervisor for the WIC Program, and an administrative program manager). The total Health Department budget this year was about $17.3 million, up from $15 million last year.
The County continues to invest heavily in our Department of Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Developmental Services. This year, the department’s budget is $71.7 million – up from $70.8 million last year. We added six support coordination positions to address an expected increase in disability waivers and reduce the waitlist, as well as three internal support positions to help with departmental growth and operation complexity. We also funded five early intervention case managers and an accounting technician. During my time on the Board, I’ve seen the MHSADS budget increase greatly as we invest resources in this important field of health.
Affordable Housing
The County continues to dedicate the equivalent of one cent on the tax rate to meeting the goals of the Unmet Housing Needs Strategic Plan. Affordable housing is a regional issue and mostly addressable by the federal government: local governments are limited in what we can do to affect change in this area, but we continue to try. This year, $7.4 million was set aside for affordable housing, up from $6.5 million last year and bringing our total to $18.6 million since we began dedicating money each year from the tax rate. We have other tools at our disposal that we continue to utilize in the fight for affordable housing as well: the state and federal Rental Assistance Programs, Community Development Block Grant funding, and our Housing Trust Fund, which supports various County initiatives and programs, such as the Affordable Multi-Family Housing Loan Program.
Additionally, we will be discussing allocating an additional half-penny equivalent to the Housing Fund during our FY25 Fund Balance discussion. Should it pass the Fund Balance process, the equivalent will be added to the FY26 base budget. Some of my colleagues considered adding this to the base budget which would have made the tax rate a half penny higher, but I would not have supported that approach.
Several of the positions added in various departments will also support affordable housing programs and initiatives.
Other Departments
There are a few other new positions to highlight:
For the Department of Elections and Voter Registration, we added an assistant registrar and voter services specialist to help address the proliferation of no-excuse early and mail voting (which has led to rapid workload increases). The department does an excellent job delivering free, fair, and secure elections in the County, and has unfortunately been bogged down with frivolous FOIA requests and other issues for the past few years. We did hear from the department director that these requests are beginning to subside and that department staff has been able to return to more normal workloads lately.
For the Department of General Services, we added six capital facilities staffers to help with maintenance of existing and planned County facilities: leased and owned square footage in the County is continually on the rise. We also converted two part-time support services technicians to a full time position for the department and added six positions to the department in response to a study from Alvarez & Marshal which determined that the department’s current structure is not sustainable long-term. This addition funds the first phase of the study’s recommendations: we’ll be examining the rest of the recommendations in future budget cycles. We also added two public works technicians to address demands associated with maintaining critical infrastructure such as water and wastewater facilities, PRCS facilities, and traffic calming measures like speed displays and speed humps.
We added two systems staffers, a classification and compensation analyst, and a data and projects analyst to our Human Resources department.
We added a veterinarian and three veterinarian technicians to our County’s excellent Animal Services department, as well as a customer service specialist for interfacing with the public and two humane law enforcement officers, who cover shift hours and are responsible for a significant area of enforcement.
For the Department of Planning and Zoning, which is one of our more crucial and overworked departments at the County, we added a proffer management planner to help work through proffers from rezoning applications (which are often complex and time-consuming), a senior planner to work solely on the Unmet Housing Needs Strategic Plan, and four staffers for the Special Projects Division to focus on project management related to Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance amendments. I made the motion to prorate two of the senior planner positions from the Special Projects Division request to begin in January 2025 to allow the department time to fill the positions at a more reasonable pace.
I will note that I made a motion during budget deliberations to remove one program manager and one conservation program planner from staff’s proposed Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) request. My motion passed 5-4, eliminating the positions and the ability to staff up this program. At another time, I will write more extensively about the PDR proposal but essentially the crux of the concept is that the County will be purchasing the rights of properties to ensure they are not developed. I don’t think this will be effective, but it will be very expensive, and with most of the “targeted" properties being in Western Loudoun, it means that your tax dollars would be going toward paying property owners elsewhere, regardless of need and whether or not those properties actually would develop.
Moving along, the Department of Information Technology requested funding this year for a Workforce Innovation Program that would help address our difficulty in attracting top talent to IT positions by creating a pipeline of talented individuals from local schools. The Board voted to send this program to the Finance Committee, which I chair, for further discussion so we can find out if we can implement a requirement to work for the County once training is complete. I like the idea of the program and think that once we find out more, it could be a great way to not only provide jobs to talented individuals attempting to break into the IT field, but also retain them to work for the County.
Capital Improvement Program
The approved FY25-FY30 CIP (the CIP always covers six years including the current fiscal year) totals $3.5 billion for the entire six-year period. Transportation projects total $1.4 billion (40% of the CIP), County projects total $1.1 billion (32%), and school construction and renovation projects total $996 million (28%). Local tax funding accounts for $750.9 million in the six-year CIP, debt financing about $2.3 billion, and intergovernmental assistance (federal, state, etc.) about $434.4 million. We are constantly on the lookout for ways to fund and accelerate projects in our CIP, and that often includes applying for government grants and seeking multiple sources to coalesce around a single project.
I will cover the projects in the CIP that are of interest to residents in the Dulles District. While you may recognize many of the projects below from past correspondences, the information here is the latest and most accurate we have regarding timelines and funding amounts – all according to our newly adopted FY25 budget. I’m only covering projects that are still in our CIP for future planning here. I continue to discuss completed and in-progress projects, as well as projects proffered by developers, in my monthly newsletters, which you can find archived here. There is a link at the end of this report to sign up for the newsletter, in case you aren't already on the mailing list.
One thing you may notice if you compare these updates to last year is that costs have gone way up – especially on construction. That’s an unfortunate reality for much of the country post-pandemic and is a result of general inflation, supply chain shortages, material cost increases, and other factors. In some instances these higher costs are delaying projects, which makes it all the more important that we take a look at funding sources and try to plan for efficiency during our CIP process each budget season.
Arcola Mills Drive
Arcola Mills Drive (previously Evergreen Mills Road) will be widened from Belmont Ridge Road to Stone Springs Boulevard at a total cost of $72.3 million. Construction funding will begin in FY29, with estimated project completion year of FY31. This portion of Arcola Mills Drive will be a three-lane roadway with a continuous left turn lane and right turn lanes spaced between Belmont Ridge and Stone Springs. Construction includes intersection improvements at Belmont Ridge and Stone Springs and a new bridge over the South Fork of the Broad Run. The road will feature a sidewalk on one side and a shared use path on the other. Going back to what I said about increased costs, this project in particular was hit hard – construction funding was originally supposed to start this year and the entire project was estimated to be over $10 million cheaper. Despite the projected delays and cost increases, the anticipated date of completion has only been pushed back one year at this point – not great news, but not as bad as it could have been. Land acquisition is funded this year.
Braddock Road Widening
Braddock Road will be widened to four lanes from the eastern entrance of Paul VI to Loudoun County Parkway. Construction is expected to begin in FY27.The total project cost is $43 million (actually down $1 million from last year!), and the Board endorsed the location and design guidelines for the project in 2023. The project also includes the construction of shared use paths on both sides of the road. Utility relocation and land acquisition are funded this year.
In 2023, Fairfax County approved an agreement with VDOT to move forward on improvements to Braddock Road and Old Lee Road. This allows VDOT to begin preliminary engineering and design to straighten the “S” curve and intersection improvements as recommended in the safety study that was completed in 2020. This has been a major priority for me. Several years ago, I requested a VDOT study on the safety and operations of the Braddock Road corridor which led to action. Design is underway and could take another year or more before land acquisition and utility relocation will begin – which is required before construction.
Even though it is technically not in our district, Dulles commuters will be interested to know that a roundabout is planned for the intersection of Braddock Road and Trailhead Drive. Construction funding will begin in FY28 and the project should be complete by FY30 at a total expected cost of about $12.3 million.
A roundabout is also planned for the intersection of Braddock Road and Route 15. It is currently slated to receive $28.4 million in funding with construction funding becoming available in FY29, with expected completion in FY30.
Bull Run Post Office Road
This year, I was able to get a project added to the six-year CIP to realign Bull Run Post Office Road. Realignment would enhance traffic operations and safety by removing the two curves at Buffalo Run Lane and Holly Springs Lane via a realignment between Cedar Ridge Boulevard and Souther Drive. In addition to realignment, this section of the road will be upgraded to current VDOT geometric and operational standards.
The project was not originally in the proposed CIP because there was only room for two new road projects, but I worked with staff to identify that there was no longer a need for the Route 7/Route 690 Interchange Phase 2 due to recent action by the Purcellville Town Council. Bull Run Post Office Road seemed like a natural replacement given its priority ranking for safety improvements. Funding will come online in FY28 for design, land acquisition, and utility relocation. Some right-of-way has already been reserved for the project so land acquisition may be able to commence sooner. Construction will take place in future fiscal years after these preliminary steps are taken. The total cost of the project is estimated at $21.7 million with estimated completion in FY32. Despite the advanced timeline and project cost, I thought it was important to get a marker down on this project. This is a good example of why I say that no matter how long or expensive a project is predicted to be, it is always worth looking for opportunities to include it or advance funding during our budget process. A lot of our work on the CIP entails planning for several years in the future, but such diligence is critical to ensuring a road and infrastructure network that will support population growth and resident needs well into the future. It pays to look ahead!
Dulles West Boulevard
This four-lane median divided roadway between Arcola Boulevard and Northstar Boulevard will cost $81 million and include shared use paths on both sides of the road. Utility relocation and land acquisition is funded this year. Expected completion is in FY27.
Northstar Boulevard
Northstar Boulevard will be widened from Tall Cedars Parkway to Braddock Road; the project is budgeted at $42.3 million with construction funding becoming available in FY28. The current anticipated completion is still FY30 despite construction funding being pushed back a year in the FY25 CIP. The project will include plans for a tunnel to allow for safer access to the school sites on the west side of the road (location TBD but we do have grading issues in the area so our options may be limited), a shared use path along the new travel lanes, modifications to the existing traffic signal, and installation of new traffic signals.
Route 50/Loudoun County Parkway Interchange
Construction funding for this project is finally beginning to show up in the current CIP, starting in FY29. The project is estimated to cost $299 million and will require regional, state, and federal dollars to bring to fruition. We received $32 million in NVTA funding that will help fund design and right of way acquisition. During last year’s budget, I was able to reallocate funding from the Prentice Drive project (which is much lower priority at this point) in order to fund land acquisition for the interchange in FY28. The estimated year of completion is FY34, although I expect that may be pushed back due to the sheer scope and cost of the project.
Route 50 Northern Collector Road
The Route 50 Northern Collector Road would serve as an alternative to 50 that would connect from Tall Cedars Parkway to Route 28 at the Air and Space Parkway interchange. This may be the most challenging project we’ve ever attempted. I have had meetings this year with both MWAA and Fairfax County about this project. I think the County has successfully addressed most of MWAA’s issues, and we are largely in agreement at this point. Fairfax County is still evaluating. The current cost in the CIP is $445 million, up an insane amount from last year’s estimated $246.9 million (a large driving component of that increase is a planned underpass for the Air and Space Museum’s taxiway), with construction not yet listed in the six-year plan. Design is funded in FY28 and land acquisition is funded in FY29. The benefits of this project are clear: it will reduce congestion on 50 and the regional road network in general. However, it is not currently on the Fairfax County transportation plan. One piece of good news: as a member of the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board, I was able to get this project adopted as part of the region’s long-term plan, making it eligible for federal funding. Still, it will be a mammoth task to pull together all the funding and coordination necessary to make this project a reality, especially given the rate at which estimated costs are increasing. The project is one of my big priorities for this Board term, and I will continue advocating for it in the region. We have had productive discussions with MWAA and Fairfax County.
Westwind Drive
Westwind Drive will connect from Loudoun County Parkway to Old Ox Road with a sidewalk on one side, a shared use path on the other, and a bridge over the Broad Run, as well as widening the eastern leg of Ladbrook Drive. The design process has begun, including required federal environmental impact studies due to the planned crossing of the Broad Run. The total cost is estimated at $136.4 million with a targeted completion date of FY29. Construction is funded beginning in FY27.
Intersection Improvement Program
Several new Dulles projects are included in this year’s Countywide Intersection Improvement Program in the CIP.
Old Ox Road/Dulles Summit Court
This project will enact various improvements at the Old Ox Road/Dulles Summit Court intersection including repositing the stop bar, extending the median nose, modifying the curb ramps, and installing additional warning signs. The project also includes a new curb, gutter, and mill and overlay pavement within the north side of the intersection. The project is expected to cost $584,000 and be completed in FY26.
Tall Cedars Parkway/Nations Street
A right-in, right-out, left-in configuration will be designed and constructed at the intersection of Tall Cedars Parkway and Nations Street. Land and easement acquisition is expected to be completed this year.
Sidewalks and Trails Program
One new Dulles District project is included in this year’s Sidewalks and Trails Program in the CIP:
Millstream Drive – Village Center Plaza/Loudoun Park and Ride to Stone Carver Drive
This project will design and construct a 0.07 mile sidewalk segment along the south side of Millstream Drive between the Village Center Plaza/Loudoun Park and Ride to an existing sidewalk east of Stone Carver Drive. The project is expected to cost about $1 million and be completed in FY27.
Parks and Recreation Projects
There has been a lot of discussion about an Eastern Loudoun Community Arts Center. It is officially included in the six-year CIP at around $86.6 million, although an estimated completion year or timeline for the availability of construction funding is not included. The Finance Committee is having discussions about the exact scoping and size of this project which are continuing.
An indoor sports facility, location TBD, is also included in this year’s CIP. There is no timeline yet but I am interested in seeing the project develop over the years.
The PRCS Renovation Program is funded in our CIP at $35.8 million. The program will provide large-scale maintenance projects for capital facilities, upkeep and improvement of athletic fields, and the replacement of aging playgrounds Countywide. The program will be ongoing and intended to maintain facilities as they age and wear.
Dulles South Community Park will be co-located on the Lightridge High School site and is undergoing the County’s design process. The park will cost about $23 million and construction funding is planned in FY26. A completion date of FY28 has been estimated at this point, up one year from the 2023 estimate.
The Dulles Adult Day Center will include amenities such as a kitchen, dining room, quiet room, restrooms, small and large activity rooms, clinic, staff offices, storage, screened porch, and a fenced-in courtyard. The facility will provide a safe and engaging environment through professionally designed programs that meet the specific needs of each participant. Services will include physical activities, medication administration, nutritious meals, health monitoring, mentally stimulating activities, assistance with personal care needs, limited transportation services, and more. The total expected cost is $17.4 million and the estimated year of completion has actually been moved up to FY29. Land acquisition is funded this year with construction funding coming online in FY28. I am excited about this facility, as I continue to look for ways to aid and assist Loudoun’s aging community.
School-Related Capital Projects
ES-32 (Henrietta Lacks) and MS-14 (Watson Mountain) are both expected to open for the 2024-2025 school year.
ES-34
ES-34 is a Dulles North elementary school on a proffered site in the Silver District West development. Construction is funded beginning in FY29, with an estimated completion date of FY30. Total funding is anticipated at $76.9 million, and the school will house 960 students.
HS-14
HS-14 will be a Dulles North high school co-located with MS-14 (which is situated on the Rouse Property on Evergreen Mills Road and should be operational this fall; the site will one day house an elementary school as well). Construction funding is in FY25 with the total anticipated cost being $271 million. Project completion is estimated in FY29, and the school will house 2,100 students.
Facility renewals and alterations
Nearly $1 billion is set aside in the six-year CIP for replacements, repairs, and updates to critical systems such as heating, air conditioning, ventilation, etc. at LCPS facilities Countywide.
School bus replacement and acquisition
$133 million is set aside in the six-year CIP for annual school bus replacement and acquisition and supporting required associated infrastructure.
School bus radio replacements
$14.4 million is set aside in the six-year CIP for periodic updates to radio systems on the County’s school buses.
In Summary
Although I didn’t support every item in the budget, I did vote for final adoption, which passed 8-1. As mentioned above, I think we need to curtail the rate of growth of both the County and schools in the future, and I certainly believe that the tax rate is a component of affordability for residents that we should pay close attention to. But I also recognize the work that staff has been doing to provide services, and some of the after-affects of COVID-19 have made it very challenging.
As always, if you have any questions on the budget, CIP, or any other topic, feel free to reach out at matt.letourneau@loudoun.gov or by phone at 703-771-5069. I look forward to seeing you all out and about in the community this year. Take care!
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