Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Business Meeting - March 3, 2026

Date: March 3, 2026
Time: Meeting called to order at approximately 9:00 a.m. (with delays due to missing quorum); ceremonial resolutions and public input starting as early as 5:30 p.m.
Location: Loudoun County Government Center, Leesburg, VA
Presiding: Chair Randall
Members present: Supervisors Randall, Brixman (remote), Sainz (remote), Umstead, Glass, Letourneau, Turner, Kirshner, Croney

The meeting opened with a delayed start until a quorum was achieved. The agenda included consent items, a legislative report, ceremonial resolutions, board committee reports, board comments, public input, and a closed session. Key actions included adoption of the consent agenda, a 6‑3 vote to add an immigration enforcement policy statement to the legislative program, and approval of two proclamations (Red Cross Month and Groundwater Awareness Week).

Consent Calendar

• Approved unanimously. Items included the Agricultural and Forestal District 2025 Annual Report, Agricultural District Advisory Committee Bylaws Amendment, Affordable Dwelling Unit Advisory Board Bylaws Amendments, Housing Advisory Board Bylaws Amendment, Housing Choice Voucher Resident Advisory Board Bylaws Amendments, confirmations and nominations, Administrative Items Report, Gated Community Design and Construction Standards, and a proffer amendment public hearing waiver for The Villas at Cascades (PCOR‑2026‑0008).

Public Comments & Testimony

Speakers focused overwhelmingly on groundwater concerns, with many thanking the board for the Groundwater Awareness Week proclamation but urging more aggressive action:

• Avis Renshaw (President, Loudoun County Farm Bureau) – requested the board act on a 76‑page groundwater study available on the LCPCC website; noted her well went dry for the first time in 2025 and that nearby subdivisions are drawing down the aquifer.
• Madeline Skinner (resident of Philemont) – opposed a planned development on historic horse show grounds that will add over 4 acres of asphalt; raised concerns about blasting, lack of well‑dry‑down testing, and potential harm to neighboring wells.
• Andrew Stoddard (resident of Hamilton, water resources engineer with 50‑year experience) – stated that the number of wells has increased from ~6,000 in 1980 to 19,000 in 2025; asked the board to determine the finite limit for combined groundwater and surface water withdrawals to ensure sustainability.
• David Ward (retired county water resources specialist, 42‑year resident of Catoctin District) – thanked the board and urged the county to move beyond crisis‑driven awareness; noted the “dark ages of groundwater awareness” after 2008.
• Roger Smith (resident near Waterford) – criticized a November 2024 project that extracts water from the Peonian Springs aquifer and sends it to the Potomac rather than recharging the aquifer; urged future projects to align with the groundwater proclamation.
• Kyle Hartman (remote, lifelong Sterling resident) – recommended focusing on increasing recharge rates and reducing hardscape; noted that less snowfall and more torrential rain are reducing groundwater recharge.
• Mara Walsh Copeland – criticized the Walrus process for unbalanced public input (54% industry, 32% ag/conservation, 14% citizens) and urged the board to review the TLUC staff packet and Kimley Horn summary before May.
• Nicholas Ratcliffe (Waterford resident, research geologist retired from USGS) – expressed dismay that the county appears to lack adequate staff to evaluate water‑contractor recommendations; suggested the board engage USGS‑type expertise.
• Trinity Mills (Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy) – called for a robust, transparent, and rigorously reviewed groundwater study with oversight from USGS and DEQ.
• Dick and Diana Virgo (property owners in Clark’s Gap corridor) – opposed the proposed interconnection project for Peionian Springs and Waterford that would drill four commercial wells extracting 414 gallons per minute (54 million gallons/year); feared drying up neighboring wells and urged termination of the project.
• Robert Cohen (hydrogeologist) – stated that the “red blob” groundwater decline map produced by the Ag Work Group and published by the Conservation Coalition is “fallacious, unscientific, and misleading”; provided a memo detailing errors.
• Nan McCary (Lucketts resident) – thanked the board for the proclamation and urged more public education on water sustainability.
• Phil Daly (Lincoln resident) – noted that the spring and creek on his property have been drying up in recent years; expressed concern that past studies have been ignored.

Discussion Items

Legislative Report (Item I‑1)

Jonathan Freeman (County Administration) updated the board on the 2026 General Assembly session (final weeks). Key items:

• Homeownership grants program: Both bills on third reading, no issues expected.
• Data center bills: Undergrounding/transmission line bills and Senator Lucas’s weatherization bill still pending in House Labor and Commerce.
• Housing bills: Two concerning bills active:
  • SB 454 / HB 816 (by‑right multifamily in business districts) – narrowly passed (11‑10) Senate; on House floor. No affordable housing requirement.
  • HB 1279 / SB 388 (“faith in housing”) – on Senate floor; expected to go to conference. No requirement for affordability or water availability.
• Budget: House and Senate budgets differ on data center sales‑and‑use‑tax exemption (House keeps expiration 2035 with energy efficiency standards; Senate eliminates exemption by Jan 1, 2027). Senate’s LCI formula change would reduce Loudoun’s K‑12 funding by ~$31.5 million annually starting 2028. Senate proposal to divert 0.7% data center tax from NVTA to WMATA capital fund opposed. House budget includes $76.5 million/year for WMATA operating funds.
• Oak Hill state park: Delegate McCullough’s HB 500 continued (soft defeat). House budget proposes $5 million state funding (instead of $10 million) and requires Loudoun to contribute an additional $5 million (raising county total to $27 million). Senate budget does not include acquisition. Chair Randall noted the board may need to reconsider before governor’s action.

Discussion included questions about water availability concerns expressed by the board (Chair Randall noted that none of the housing bills address water adequacy).

Immigration Enforcement Policy Statement (Motion by Supervisor Brixman)

Supervisor Brixman moved to add to the 2026 legislative program a policy statement: “The Board of Supervisors supports legislation that encourages transparency in civil immigration enforcement activities, limits state and local law enforcement cooperation in immigration matters, and limits their ability to enter into immigration enforcement agreements.”

• Supporters (6): Chair Randall, Vice Chair Turner, Supervisors Brixman, Glass, Saints, and Croney. They argued the statement sends a message to residents – many of whom are scared to leave their homes – that the board sees them; noted fewer than 1 in 7 ICE arrests involve violent criminal charges; cited local ICE operations that lack judicial warrants.
• Opponents (3): Supervisors Umstead, Kirshner, and Letourneau. They expressed concerns that the statement would tie law enforcement’s hands in cooperating with ICE regarding violent offenders; called it overly broad, a “dangerous precedent,” and poorly timed (near end of session).
• Outcome: Motion passed 6‑3.

Ceremonial Resolutions

• Proclamation Recognizing March 2026 as American Red Cross Month in Loudoun County (R‑1) – Approved. Supervisor Glass presented and noted the Red Cross provides 40% of the nation’s blood supply and that winter storms have impacted blood drives.
• Proclamation Recognizing National Groundwater Awareness Week, March 8–14, 2026 (R‑2) – Approved. Supervisor TeKrony (via staff) highlighted that ~75,000 residents in western Loudoun rely on groundwater; noted drought concerns and a state bill to study groundwater.

Board Comments & Regional Updates

• Supervisor Croney expressed disappointment about Amazon’s purchase of GWU’s 120‑acre Loudoun campus (potential data center use): “The continued concentration of this single industry does not serve the long‑term interests of our community.”
• Supervisor Umstead reported that elementary schools had 1,649 calls for service to the sheriff’s office in the last school year (over ~181 days), supporting the need for SROs in elementary schools.
• Supervisor Brixman also criticized the GWU land sale: “I have no interest in data centers being developed on this property… trusted community partners don’t make these sorts of decisions without involving the community.”
• Supervisor Kirshner expressed gratitude for the groundwater proclamation and noted county staff are working on a detailed study of western Loudoun’s groundwater.
• Vice Chair Turner announced he will join the effort to place a Desert Shield/Desert Storm memorial on the National Mall.
• Chair Randall stressed the need to treat substance dependence as a disease, not focus on individual substances.

Key Outcomes

• Consent agenda adopted unanimously.
• Motion to add immigration policy statement passed 6‑3 (supervisors in favor: Chair Randall, Vice Chair Turner, Brixman, Glass, Croney, Saints; opposed: Umstead, Kirshner, Letourneau).
• Proclamation for Red Cross Month approved.
• Proclamation for Groundwater Awareness Week approved.
• Board comments set a direction for staff to continue monitoring Oak Hill, groundwater study, and data center policy.
• Closed session on annual performance reviews of the County Administrator and County Attorney (no formal action taken).
• Next steps: Staff will continue legislative advocacy on housing, budget, and Oak Hill; public input on water issues will inform future policy.