FY 2027 Budget Work Session – March 2, 2026

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors convened a budget work session on March 2, 2026, at 10:30 AM to begin deliberations on the FY 2027 proposed budget. Chair Randall opened the meeting, stressing the importance of work sessions for offering amendments and asking questions. Staff provided an overview of the budget packet, tax rate proposals, and the toteboard process. An opening motion to place the proposed budget on the table at a real property tax rate of 80.5 cents (tax year 2026) and personal property tax rates of $4.15 (general) and $3.09 (vehicles, tax year 2026) / $3.00 (tax year 2027) passed 9‑0. The remainder of the session focused on departmental resource requests, with no final votes on individual items.

Discussion Items

Emergency Management, Safety, and Security (David Short)

• Funded request: one security analyst to monitor open‑source and social media for threats to county officials, employees, and facilities. This position would transition threat monitoring from a collateral duty to a continuous function.
• Unfunded alternate: one senior emergency management specialist to manage the Tier II hazardous chemical reporting program, the local emergency planning committee (LEPC), facility plan reviews, and dam/impoundment compliance. This would free up a supervisor to focus on special events coordination.
• Supervisor Crowley noted the board had approved six safety/security specialists in FY 26; Short confirmed they have been hired and are focused on physical security, not the cyber/social media role.
• Vice Chair Turner clarified that alternate requests are additional unfunded items, not alternatives to funded items, and can only be added by reducing other expenses or raising the tax rate.

Equity and Inclusion (Carl Rush)

• Unfunded alternate: one learning development supervisor to enhance OEI’s capacity for professional learning, curriculum oversight, and data tracking. Current lack of middle management limits scaling; OEI has received over 160 requests and provided 600+ hours of leap implementation support.
• Supervisor Bricksman expressed hope that a large resource request elsewhere would not be approved, freeing funds for all alternate requests.
• Chair Randall acknowledged the team’s work amid challenging conditions.

Finance and Procurement (Eileen Crawford)

• Funded request: two grant analysts to support prospecting, compliance, and data management for federal, state, and county grants. The county missed a multimillion‑dollar grant due to insufficient writing capacity.
• Funded request: $500,000 to continue the child care fee reduction program from January 1 to June 30, 2027, after ARPA funds expire. The program currently serves 121 children with a waitlist of 51; families must be at or below 80% AMI and use a Loudoun provider. Full‑year funding would be approximately $1 million annually.
• Supervisor Laterno questioned whether two analysts were needed given potential reductions in federal grants; Crawford emphasized increased compliance requirements from executive orders and site visits.
• Chair Randall noted the board had previously prioritized transitioning the child care program to local funding.

General Services (Mr. Brown)

• Funded requests: facilities maintenance staffing for new stations (Fire Station 28, Purceville expansion), glass recycling expansion (funded by plastic bag tax), a program administrator, and a local tax‑neutral waste management position. These maintain current service levels.
• Unfunded alternate: one public works crew chief and two technicians to address a growing backlog; without them, work orders per staff would rise from 300 to 342, risking deferred inspections and noncompliance.
• Brown noted the county maintains stormwater infrastructure as the “maintainer of last resort,” with only two crews for the entire county. Supervisor Kirshner questioned whether the county should continue accepting that liability.
• Supervisor Bricksman expressed concern about the sustainability of the plastic bag tax revenue; a pending state bill could reduce the county’s share.

Human Resources (Aaron Moore)

• Funded request: a reasonable accommodation coordinator (due to ADA caseload doubling post‑COVID), two staffing/compensation positions (application volume rose from 30,000 to 60,000 per year since FY 23), and a benefit specialist for workers’ comp/FMLA (claims up 19%–76% while workforce grew 48%). The benefit specialist is listed as priority 3.
• Supervisor Crowley asked if the benefit specialist was truly the lowest priority; Moore acknowledged operational risks if unfunded.
• Supervisor Bricksman asked about accommodations for addiction; Moore confirmed that substance abuse treatment falls under disability accommodations.

Information Technology (Nate Wentland)

• Funded request: a security operations manager to oversee cybersecurity tools and response to increasing ransomware and nation‑state threats. The position is critical for maintaining the county’s cyber insurance rating and protecting sensitive data.
• Chair Randall praised the team’s proactive approach.

Public Affairs and Communications (Glenn Barber)

• Funded request: a communications manager dedicated to supporting the Department of General Services (DGS), whose communications needs have grown significantly. This would free up other PAC staff and improve service delivery—currently 15–20% of services miss requested timeframes.
• Chair Randall commended the county’s social media updates.

Real Property Asset Management and Planning (Jackie Marsh)

• Funded request: a planning program manager and a senior master planner to handle increased space planning workload; the team currently completes about 70% of projects annually, and these positions would raise that to 90%.
• Unfunded alternate: a real estate specialist to manage lease negotiations; the county oversees 75 leases plus 16 new ones.
• Supervisor Turner asked whether a new county government building would reduce the need for lease space; Marsh noted that new buildings are designed for 2050 growth, and leased space will still be needed for employees who don’t fit in the central building.

Key Outcomes

• Opening motion passed 9‑0 to set tax rates and appropriations as proposed, allowing budget deliberations to proceed.
• No final decisions on individual resource requests were made during this work session; board members indicated they would consider motions at the conclusion of work sessions based on overall budget capacity.
• Staff will respond to remaining budget questions at the next work session on March 5, 2026.
• The CIP work session is scheduled for March 4, 2026 (Finance Committee).
• Chair Randall will be absent for the March 4 public hearing; Vice Chair Turner will preside.