MOTTO
“The Best Way
to Predict the Future
Is to Create It”
OFFICER’S
Wesley
Walker – President
Ralph
Jones 1st _ Vice President
Jack
Bailey 2nd - Vice President
Tom
Smiley – Treasurer
Eugene Campbell – Secretary
Directors
Ernest
Hoover Tom Newman Richard
Plunkett Charlie Gordon
James
Boyer Richard Gregory
ANNUAL
MEMBERSHIP
MEETING
Friday, June 21, 2001
King William Fire Department and Rescue Squad Building
Social 6:30PM
Dinner
7:00PM
Business
Meeting 7:30PM
1.) President’s Year End Report
2.) Election of Officers
3.) Special Guests
* Honorable Vance Wilkins
Speaker of the House of
Delegates
*
Ryan McDougle
House
of Delegates
Private and Public Sectors coming together for the
good of our community.
The King William Fire Department and Rescue Squad
has a critical need for an emergency exit lane across Rt. 360 at Aylett to
expedite their responses to emergency situations and to eliminate the safety
hazards of traveling east for one half mile and turning into oncoming traffic
to answer emergency calls to the west.
A KWBA committee consisting of Bubba Pohlig and
Straughan Robinson has taken the lead in an effort to complete this project.
Generous donations in time and manpower have already been committed and pledged
by members of the business community.
Bubba Pohlig – General Manager
Straughan Robinson - Permits
Tom Hardyman – Surveying, Design
& Engineering.
Smurfit-Stone – Cash Contribution
Luck Quarries – Stone, Hauling
& cash
Aylett Sand & Gravel –
Culverts
Simons Construction –
Construction Work
Mid Atlantic Seal Coating –
Paving Equipment & Manpower
VDOT – Construction Signs.
King William County Board of
Supervisors – Cash Contribution
The committee is still soliciting donations and will complete the project when the final permits are issued.
Sheriff J. S.
“Jeff” Walton
A Message from the
Sheriff
RADAR and the Sheriff’s Office. While many citizens feel that traffic enforcement is not an important aspect of the Sheriff’s Office duties, I will point out in fact, that traffic enforcement is not a primary function and is secondary to other duties of the Sheriff’s Office. Deputies spend considerably more time responding to calls from citizens, serving warrants, civil process, and investigating crimes. Last year the Sheriff’s Office cleared 68.9% of crimes occurring in King William County.
Deputies are assigned traffic enforcement duties during specific times of the year in conjunction with DMV programs to promote, for example, seat belt safety, drunk driving and aggressive driving behavior; all of which have statistically caused the greatest loss of life for the traveling public. The overtime compensation for enforcement of DMV programs is funded 100% by DMV grants; no local monies are involved.
The Sheriff’s Office regularly receives calls from citizens expressing concern of “speeders” in neighborhoods as well as on Rt. 30 & Rt. 360. Occasionally calls are received from persons traveling on Rt. 360 about reckless drivers traveling at a high rate of speed prompting stepped up patrols in that area.
Therefore, the King William Sheriff’s Office enforces traffic laws in order to provide the citizens of King William County the opportunity to travel the highways without fear of unsafe conditions. In doing so, the Sheriff’s Office routinely monitors the speed of vehicles by RADAR. Deputies monitoring traffic on Rt. 360 provide visibility to the public that lets everyone know that they are on the job and immediately available to respond to calls throughout the area.
Some of you will remember a few years ago when the Governor, due to the high accident rate, declared Rt. 360 from King William to Mechanicsville to be one of the most dangerous highways in Virginia due to speeding. The resulting enforcement has removed this stigma and Rt. 360 is a relatively safe highway. We wish it to remain that way.
Sheriff J. S. “Jeff” Walton is always available for comments or concerns from the citizens and may be reached at 804-769-0999.
REDISTRICTING
APPROVED
It has been reported that the redistricting plan for
King William County has been approved by the Justice Department. The approved plan is a major improvement
over the previous districts alignment.
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
The membership committee consisting of Danny
Clark, Charlie Gordon, Ed Jones, Tom
Newman, Ralph Jones has been achieving outstanding results. Current membership
is 141, our goal remains at 150.
Remember our by-laws allow for
two (2) full voting members per business.
If you have an associate that would like to become active please
bring them on board.
WELCOME OUR NEWEST
MEMBERS
Gray
Bland, Jr. - Advanced Transmission
Vernon Dennis -
Smurfit-Stone
Clarence Garner -
CPA
Curtis Grubbs -
Grubbs Construction
Paula Kindley -
Romancing The Stone
Edward “Smitty” Maloy -
Haynes & Miller
Anthony Morganti, Jr.
- Woodshop 600
Ina Muire -
Nails Only
Joy Upshaw - Heritage
Farm
PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE
In
the past year your board has tried to increase the size of your board of
directors so we would have directors to move into positions as officers. This job
has yet to be completed. In June the nomination committee will be calling to
try to get officers to serve on the Association. I have served as your
President for 2 years and Ralph Jones has served for 3 years. We both have
businesses to run as well as work for the KWBA. The KWBA needs new blood to
continue the fire this organization has seen in the past. I will not be serving
another term as president.
All
the members enjoy the benefits of the organization, thus, why not step forward
and continue what all the officers and directors have achieved for the past 5
years. It is time to stand and be counted, this is your organization. Take
control, it is like a garden, to flourish it needs attention, care and time,
“your time,” otherwise it will wither and die.
Wesley Walker
President
“And
I Quote”
Those who desire to give up Freedom in order
to gain Security, will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.
Thomas Jefferson
COMPREHENSIVE
PLAN
As our county
grows and changes, these changes will dictate new rules, regulations and
ordinances to deal with problems that arise from growth. A major concern with
our members is that the solution is not worse than the original problem.
The
county has begun work on a new comprehensive plan. Landmark Design Group is the
consultant that has been retained to assist the county in this endeavor. At our last membership meeting Bill Turner
from Landmark and Matt Walker, Director of Community Development conducted an
informational meeting to receive input from the citizens of the county for this
process. This is one of a series of meetings designed to receive input from all
segments of the county.
Our
members were pleased to have the opportunity to address issues to the staff and
participation was excellent.
The
staff has asked us to distribute a “Citizen Survey” to our members that asks
questions pertaining to Demographic Data, Community Issues, and General Issues.
It is included in your package with this newsletter. Please complete it and
return it to the County Planning Department, 180 Horse Landing Road, P.O. Box
215, King William, VA 23086.
Our
compliments to the Staff and Consultant for a job well done during this phase
of the process.
THE YEAR OF THE TAX MAN???
BUSINESS TAXES AND THE
COUNTY BUDGET
The Board of
Supervisors has unanimously adopted the 2002 – 2003
“County Budget”.
The “adopted budget” in the revenue section (012030)
contains a line item for a Business, Professional and Occupational License
Tax revenues.
There has been no public hearing on the new BPOL
tax, no rate set and no public vote taken by the Board of Supervisors.
Therefore we cannot understand how and why the revenues are included within the
adopted budget and have asked the county for clarification.
The following is a verbatim written response from
the Assistant County Administrator:
While the Board of Supervisors has not yet adopted a
Business, Professional, Occupational License (BPOL) ordinance, they have
adopted a budget for FY03 that assumes the same. The Code of Virginia allows localities to impose a BPOL tax on
the gross receipts of a business entity.
An annual license fee may also be imposed. A BPOL and a merchants
capital tax cannot be levied at the same time; therefore, the Board will also
consider the repeal of the County ordinance imposing a merchants capital tax.
The Board could, of course, decide to retain the merchants’ capital tax and to
not adopt a BPOL tax.
The staff anticipates delivering a draft ordinance
to the Board for their review in the next two to three months. Assuming that
the Board does adopt such an ordinance, the annual license and associated tax
will be payable to the County in early 2003 for the 2002 tax year. The Code of Virginia sets forth the maximum
license fee and BPOL tax for each type of business and/or business service.
Terri Hale
Assistant County
Administrator
Association Questions:
1.) How can a tax not yet approved be included
within the adopted budget.
2.) What will the rates be?
3.) Are the comments “Highest Rate Allowed By
Law” what we can expect the BPOL rates to be?
4.) State law requires the BPOL tax to be a line
item on the invoice of titled vehicles. How can auto & truck dealers
include it as a line item when the tax rate has not been set and what about the
sales from Jan 1, 2002 until the tax is adopted?
5.) Since the Town of West Point has a business
license tax already in place the county cannot collect a BPOL tax from the
businesses in West Point. With the elimination of the Merchants Capital tax the
West Point Businesses are getting a substantial tax break while the county
businesses are getting a major tax increase if the revenues are placed in the
general fund as previously stated. Is
this correct and is it fair?
6.) Is this
anti-business?
7.) Is this
competitive within the region?
8.) How can businesses plan and forecast
expenditures when the county cannot tell them what the taxes will be for the
current year?
9.) Will this hinder the economic development goals
of the county?
10.) Were the new Economic Development Consultants
included in the decision making process?
MACHINERY & TOOLS TAX
The Board of Supervisors has voted to change the assessment ratio on machinery &
tools from a 80%, 60%, 40%, 20%, 10% assessment to a flat rate of 25%. While this looks good in print and is a step
in the right direction for new equipment investments it is in reality a hidden
tax increase on existing equipment and businesses.
The vast majority of equipment in King William
County is five years old or older and is currently assessed at the 10%
ratio. By going to a flat rate
assessment ratio of 25% and reducing the tax levy to $2.30 per 100 from $3.00
equates to a 91.6% increase in taxes on older equipment.
TWICE A YEAR REAL
ESTATE TAXES
As many of you already know the Board of Supervisors
has voted to bill real estate taxes twice a year, payable in June and
December. This first year change gives
the county an additional one half million dollars in revenues due to the
interest savings and income from the taxpayers pockets. Another hidden tax?
CASH PROFFERS
The Board of Supervisors has voted to increase the
cash proffers to $5,976.00 for new dwellings. A 55.7% increase.
SCHEDULE OF FEES FY 03
The Board of Supervisors has approved a new schedule
of fees for Comprehensive Plan Amendment, Zoning Amendment, Conditional Use
Permit, Construction Plan Review, etc. that raise the fees substantially.
NEW MEALS TAX
There has been considerable discussion from the
Board of Supervisors about implementing a meals tax for King William County. We
do not know what if anything has been decided, but we do wonder if it would be
more beneficial to get the restaurants first, through competitive taxation,
before imposing a meals tax.
TAX RESOLUTION
On May 23, 2002 at its General Membership meeting the association members overwhelmingly approved a resolution to be sent to the Board of Supervisors that states: Be it resolved that the current approved tax structure is contrary to our wishes and desires, and eventually will cost all citizens of King William County through lost revenues and the lack of solid economic growth.
A complete copy of this resolution is attached to this newsletter
“Rob Peter to Pay Paul”
Ever wonder where this phrase
came from? Bartlett, in his Familiar Quotations states that the term is
said to have derived its origin when in the reign of Edward VI, the lands of
St. Peter’s at Westminster, were appropriated to raise money for the repair of
St. Paul’s at London.
Please refer to item 5 in the association questions on taxes. Any similarity?
MINOR SUBDIVISION
PROPOSED CHANGE
There is currently before the Board of Supervisors a
proposal to reduce the allowed number of lots in a minor subdivision from seven
(7) to five (5). It was tabled at the May meeting of the Board of Supervisors
and will be voted on in June.
MEMBER
PARTICIPATION
Thank you for your assistance. The majority of the
items in this newsletter are addressing comments, questions, concerns and
positions surfaced by individual members. As a member of our association any
concerns that you bring before the board will be addressed. We welcome guest
articles from our membership, elected officials, business groups and others
that relate to business issues of concern to our members. Board meetings are the 1st
Thursday of each month at 6:00PM. Members are welcome and encouraged to attend.
You may also fax any suggestions to Wesley Walker, President 804 769-4333.