Decals Due
<bt>Treasurer H. Roger Zurn Jr. reminds all taxpayers that the 2006 decals must be displayed on all vehicles by Nov. 15. The new decals are green and may be purchased from the Eastern Loudoun Office located at 21641 Ridgetop Circle, Suite 104, or at the Government Center in Leesburg, 1 Harrison St., Leesburg, on the first floor.
The new decals can only be purchased upon payment of any outstanding personal property tax. If there are any questions, contact the TreasurerÕs Office at 703-777-0280.
The SheriffÕs Office will begin enforcement Nov. 16.
<sh>Open House
<bt>Loudoun residents are encouraged to attend an open house Wednesday, Nov. 16, on proposed changes in land-use policies for about 102 acres of land in Ashburn, known as the Stonegate property. The proposed amendment to the Comprehensive Plan being considered by the Planning Commission would change the designation of the property from business to residential use.
The open house will be held, from 6-8 p.m., at Farmwell Station Middle School, 44281 Gloucester Parkway in Ashburn. The open house is being hosted by the Planning Department on behalf of the Planning Commission. Residents are invited to attend at their convenience. Maps and materials will be available highlighting the proposed changes. Information concerning the corresponding rezoning, which is currently being reviewed by the county, will also be provided. Planning Department staff will also be available to answer questions.
The Stonegate property is located on Smith Switch Road (Route 607), north of Cameron Chase and Farmwell Road (Route 640), east of Ashburn Village, south of the W&OD Trail, northwest of Ashburn Business Park, and west of Beaumeade Corporate Park.
For more information, contact the Planning Department at 703-777-0246.
<sh>Meeting Changes
<bt>Schedule changes have been made for upcoming meetings of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors' Public Safety Committee, Economic Development Committee and Human Services Committee.
The Public Safety Committee will hold its November meeting Thursday, Nov. 17, beginning at 6:30 p.m., in the Lovettsville Room of the Loudoun County Government Center, 1 Harrison St., S.E. in Leesburg.
The Public Safety Committee's December meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., Monday, Dec. 12, in the Lovettsville Room of the Loudoun County Government Center.
The Economic Development Committee will hold a special meeting Monday, Nov. 21, beginning at 6:30 p.m., in the Board Room of the Loudoun County Government Center. The topic of the meeting will be the recommendations made by an Urban Land Institute panel for development of about 100 acres of county-owned land in Ashburn. The panel's report is available on the Loudoun County Government Web site at www.loudoun.gov/business/panel.
The Human Services Committee meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 21, has been canceled.
Meeting packets for the Board's standing committees, including agendas and action items, are available on the county Web site at www.loudoun.gov/bos/documents.htm.
<sh>Dulles South Meeting
<bt>Loudoun County Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services, in conjunction with the architectural firm of Wisnewski Blair Associates of Alexandria, will hold a fourth community meeting for the Dulles South Multipurpose Facility Project Thursday, Nov. 17, at 7:30 p.m., at the Arcola Community Center, 24244 Gum Spring Road in Arcola.
The design team has been working on developing locations for the various building components on the site. Previous community input has been helpful in identifying entrance considerations and locations of the building components relative to each other. All interested community members are encouraged to attend the November meeting and to voice their suggestions and concerns. The multipurpose center will be located near the intersection of Riding Center Drive and Tall Cedars Parkway in South Riding. Following this fourth public session, the design team will develop the layout of the various areas within the building.
For more information or project updates, visit www.loudoun.gov/prcs/facilities or call 703-737-8425.
<sh>Former Bookkeeper Found Guilty
<bt>A Loudoun jury found a former Loudoun County Public School employee guilty Wednesday, Nov. 2, of embezzling funds and recommended she be sentenced to two years in jail and pay fines, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Tracy L. Bryan, 39, of Sterling, a bookkeeper at the Potowmack Elementary School, was charged in April 2004 and accused of taking more than $12,500 of property and cash. According to the Sheriff's Office, Bryan was found guilty on three counts of embezzlement, three counts of obtaining money by false pretense and one count of obtaining a signature by false pretenses. She was acquitted on a forgery charge.
The alleged misappropriation of funds from the Sterling-based elementary school occurred between July 2001 through March 2004 and was discovered during a routine audit conducted by the school.
Bryan is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 13.
<sh>Juvenile Sentenced for Arson
<bt>A Leesburg juvenile was sentenced for arson, according to the Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management.
The juvenile entered a plea agreement in the Loudoun County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court providing for six months probation on the arson charge in connection with the burning of seats on a Loudoun County school bus in May 2005.
The fire damaged several seats on the bus, which have a replacement value of more than $200. The fire was investigated by the Loudoun County Fire Marshal's Office.
<sh>EMS Funding
<bt>Virginia cities and counties will receive $5,429,010 this year for emergency medical services (EMS), a funding increase of more than $2 million from a year ago. Loudoun County is set to receive $178,069. The money is provided through a surcharge on the motor vehicle registration fee called "Four for Life," collected by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles and distributed to localities by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH).
The increase in funding this fiscal year is a result of legislation approved by the 2002 General Assembly, increasing the surcharge on each motor vehicle registration from $2 to $4. The money from the surcharge is dedicated entirely to the state's EMS system. By law, 26 percent of the "Four for Life" funds must be returned to the locality where the vehicles are registered. The funds must be used for training volunteer or salaried EMS personnel of licensed, nonprofit EMS agencies and for the purchase of equipment and supplies by these agencies.
The "Four for Life" funds also provide indirect support to Virginia's cities and counties through grants, contracts and other programs designed to improve EMS services. The grants in the Rescue Squad Assistance Fund provide more than $6 million annually to nonprofit Virginia EMS agencies and organizations.
<sh>Firefighters Grant
<bt>U.S. Sen. George Allen (R-VA) announces that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Fire Administration's Assistance for Firefighters Grant Program has awarded $253,750 in federal grants to Virginia fire departments.
Among the recipients is the Loudoun County Fire Advisory Council Inc., which is receiving $230,000.
The Assistance for Firefighters Grant Program is administered by the U.S. Fire Administration and assists rural, urban and suburban fire departments throughout the United States. These funds are used by the nation's firefighters to increase the effectiveness of fire fighting operations and for firefighter health and safety programs, new fire equipment, emergency medical service programs and fire prevention and safety programs.