As noted previously, Supervisor Ralph “Profiles in Courage” Buona (R-Ashburn) bravely agreed to change his vote against the tax rate required to fund the budget he himself spent three months developing as chairman of the Loudoun Board of Supervisors’ finance committee, and instead abstain so that the tax rate would not be defeated. This allowed him to be able to claim he was still against big bad taxes, but without actually causing the entire budget process to collapse in ignominious chaos.
The tax rate accordingly passed on a 4–3 vote on April 3.
But it turns out it hadn’t passed. The state constitution requires an absolute majority of the board to set a tax rate, not merely a majority of those voting. When they finally discovered this little legal fact, the county treasurer had to abruptly stop printing the tax bills that have to go out this month. Last week the Board held a re-do on their screwed up vote; this time Buona courageously voted for the tax rate that was the direct consequence of his own budget, allowing it to pass with the required five votes.
Your all-Republican Board of Supervisors at work once again, showing how businesslike and professional they are! Would it be too much to ask in the future for supervisors to take logically and ethically consistent positions, drop the political theatrics, and run the government in the businesslike fashion they are always claiming that they bring to the job?
realloudoun 