200 turn out for Shenandoah BOS meeting ... BOS postpones meeting

We the People were out in force Tuesday night at the Shenandoah County Board of Supervisors meeting.

The supervisors were set to meet at 7:00 pm. Citizens held a rally last Friday that brought out 100 residents upset about their outrageous real estate assessments and planned to turn out in force to the meeting. Citizens for Honest Government teamed up with rally organizer Phil Hunt to encourage people to attend.

They did!

Our boots-on-the-ground reported that over 200 people turned out for the meeting on a rainy and messy night. Many carried signs and "pink slips" saying "You're fired!"

The first 100 chairs filled quickly. More chairs were carried in; they filled. People stood in every square inch of standing room and the crowd overflowed into the hallway.

At 7:00, BOS chairman Ferguson showed up long enough to say there was a problem because they had exceeded the number of people allowed by the fire marshall, and postponed the meeting until Thursday at 7:00 pm at the Central school campus to have room for all residents. He also announced he would have a "presentation" first to tell about the reassessments. (My boots-on-the-ground said, "He is known for 1 1/2-hour dissertations so he will try to run out the clock so people will have to leave.")

By 7:11 pm, it was over.

All those people traveled out on a cold, rainy night only to be sent home. One would think the supervisors would allow the maximum number of people allowed in the building by the fire marshall and carry on.

What happened in Augusta County is now happening in Shenandoah County. Real estate assessments that are skyrocketing have hit landowners at a time of financial depression.

All residents are now being urged to turn out for the meeting on THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, at 7:00 pm at Central school campus.

Residents denied the opportunity to speak on Tuesday said they would be back on Thursday with more people so look for the crowd to grow. According to the Northern Virginia Daily:

Barbara McDonald, of Strasburg, said she'll be there Thursday "with bells on." She said she and her brother own identical tracts of land, and his assessment went up $1,700, and hers went up $45,000.

Fort Valley resident Dan Knapp's assessment went up 125 percent, he said, which he can't afford in this economy. He's in the construction business, and hasn't had much work lately.

"We haven't had beef in my house in 10 months," Knapp said. "We eat deer, and we eat vegetables from the garden."

He's coming out Thursday night, "and I will be bringing more people. It's just ridiculous."

DIRECTIONS: Take Woodstock exit and turn east. Go through first traffic light and past CVS Pharmacy. On right will be a driveway that runs beside the ballfield for the Central school campus; follow drive to area of school where meeting is held (look for cars).

AFP fights universal health care

Americans for Prosperity president Tim Phillips is working to fight universal health care and save our hard-earned tax dollars. Read all about it over at SixtyFour81.com.

Augusta Citizens Against Unfair Assessments townhall meeting

Francis Chester addresses Augusta County residents.

Media coverage

Francis Chester talks with press.

"Across America, home values have plunged, but property taxes—the tax homeowners pay based on their homes’ assessed value—have not. More and more homeowners are filing appeals."
--Parade Magazine (May 31, 2009)

Earlier this year, Augusta County residents expressed outrage at excessively high real estate assessments at a time when the real estate market was dropping, housing starts were the lowest they had been in years, the stock market was reeling, and hundreds of jobs had been lost in the Staunton-Waynesboro-Augusta County area.

At a February organizational meeting for Augusta Citizens Against Unfair Assessments, over 600 people turned out to hear from Churchville attorney Francis Chester and Supervisors Tracy Pyles who also felt the assessments were unfair. Mr. Chester collected over 10,000 signatures on petitions asking the county to roll back assessments to 2005 values.

On March 11, 2009, over 1,000 residents turned out to the Board of Supervisors meeting at the Government Center where 50 spoke out against the assessments. The board chose not to throw out the assessments and went for a 10-cent decrease in the rate, taking it from 58 cents to 48 cents per $100. While that helped ease the tax burden on some, many others were still strapped with assessments that were 30-500% increases over 2005. The value of land had skyrocketed so the more rural western area of Augusta was most affected.

As reported in Parade Magazine:

“Nationwide, we have properties that may be overassessed by as much as 60%,” says Pete Sepp of the National Taxpayers Union, a watchdog group in Washington, D.C. Since those figures are based on studies conducted before the housing bubble burst, it’s likely that even more homeowners are paying too much property tax today. “Many localities are still charging taxes based on the housing-boom values of a few years ago,” Sepp explains.

On Tuesday night Francis Chester met with local residents at Memorial Baptist Church in Staunton. The townhall meeting of the Augusta Citizens Against Unfair Assessments was covered by WHSV TV-3 and NBC-29, Mr. Chester emphasized that he is pursuing the court case but from a different perspective.

WHSV TV-3 reported:

Attorney Francis Chester is changing his plans to try and overturn property assessments in Augusta County.

He says he is now going to focus on bringing the court a mass appeal from residents. Since all the appeals have the common theme of people believing the assessments are wrong, Chester says one mass appeal is the direction he wants to take.

He says if the courts had to hear each appeal individually, it would take years to resolve.

"Give the people their day in court. That's what I'm looking for. Every one of these people need their day in court," says Chester. "When we have a government in this county that is so hostile to the people, the court is there to bring justice and that's what we're hoping for."

NBC-29 reported:

The Churchville attorney leading a lawsuit against Augusta County's reassessment is changing the specifics of his fight but not backing down.

Tuesday night, Francis Chester met with about 60 members of the Augusta Citizens Against Unfair Assessments group.

Chester says he's asking the court to set aside the current suit and change the case to a mass appeal against the county's mass appraisal.

Nationwide, property owners are fighting back. Nowhere is that more true than right here in Augusta County.

Photos by SWAC Girl
Lynn Mitchell
June 2, 2009

Tonight ... Augusta Citizens Against Unfair Assessments

Augusta Citizens Against Unfair Assessments

What: Meeting to update citizens
Where: Memorial Baptist Church, Staunton - Gym (in rear)
Date: TONIGHT -- Tuesday, June 2
Time: 7:00 pm
Info: SWAC.girl@gmail.com

Churchville attorney Francis Chester will update citizens of Augusta County on the real estate assessment issue, where the court case stands now, and where it goes next. If you signed a petition ... and even if you didn't ... come out and hear the latest update.

From SWAC Girl blog - Augusta County Board of Supervisors meeting 3/11/09:
Largest Crowd Ever ... 1,000 Residents Protest Taxes (click to read)


Directions: Memorial Baptist Church is located at 224 Taylor Street, Staunton 24401, beside Robert E. Lee High School.

From Woodrow Wilson Bypass/Rt. 262 (Exit 225 - Staunton Holiday Inn exit): Turn onto Rt. 11 south toward Staunton. At split in road, bear RIGHT about 0.5 mile to next split in the road; bear LEFT on Coalter Street. Follow to traffic light; turn left onto Taylor Street. Church on right; gymnasium in rear.

Best bumper sticker of the RPV Convention

"Raise my taxes - Lose my vote!"

Compliments of
Tertium Quids

Michelle Malkin updates on weekend tea parties

Citizen activists are taking to the streets across America. Michelle Malkin has updates on weekend tea parties.

Thousands turn out for Orlando tea party

Tax revolt tea parties are occurring nationwide leading up to April 15 when hundreds will be held. Donald Douglas at American Power blog has the scoop on yesterday's Orlando event.

Albemarle BOS votes down tax increase

From Keith Drake and Albemarle Truth in Taxation Alliance (ATTA)....

You Spoke--They Listened! Albemarle Supervisors have last-minute change of heart and defeat tax increase!

By a 6-0 vote at their meeting last Wednesday, the Albemarle Board of Supervisors voted for a "Proposed Tax Rate" of 74.2 cents / $100 assessed value. That rate is the highest rate the BoS can adopt at its final budget meeting on April 8th, and represents the tax rate that keeps taxes the same as last year on the average homeowner.

With their vote, this year's proposed tax increase (presented as a "rainy day fund, only to be used if we really need it") was defeated, although several of the Supervisors appeared to support the tax increase up until the vote.

We did not defeat the concept of a Rainy Day Fund -- ATTA agrees that good fiscal management should include such a contingency fund.

Rather, we defeated a tax increase to create such a fund -- an especially poor idea in these times of economic distress many of us are experiencing.

ATTA is committed to working with the county government, to show them how to create a Rainy Day Fund from existing revenues ...

... by spending the money we already collect more effectively and efficiently.

ATTA feels the "Form 4" exercise launched nearly two years ago, and the recent Resource Management Review provide many opportunities to save money and provide the same (or better) level of services.

ATTA Thanks All Who Helped!

In our latest video, ATTA Chairman Keith C. Drake recaps last week's vote by the Board of Supervisors, and recognizes those who helped swing the vote of several of the supervisors.

Watch our latest YouTube video by CLICKING HERE.

Close interstate rest areas ... VDOT's bluff?

Jerry at From On High may be on the right track when he said:

Personally, I think VDOT is just trying to get more funding by threatening to close rest stops along Virginia's interstates. But that's just an opinion.

My husband is a truck driver and he thinks the state is using the rest area closures as a hot-button issue to get citizens up in arms over the budget cuts. It's happened before ... it will happen again. Take something that everyone is familiar with and dangle it like a carrot out there as an example of what will happen if the budget is cut because taxes aren't raised.

Message: Don't protest your taxes or the rest areas will close.

Problem: The pork in the budget is not exposed.

More consequences of huge government bills

Fellow Valley blogger Jim Patrick from Shenandoah County says it loud and clear:

The problem is not Democrats. It’s not Republicans. The problem is 1,000 pages of garbage —written by special interests— that nobody in Congress has read through. Again.

Call your Congress critturs and ask them to defeat this monster.

He is talking about the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009:

Buried in its thousand-or-so pages, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (S. 22) has provisions that provides for potential civil forfeiture when a person picks up, moves, takes, trades, sells, or gives away a “paleontological resource.” You can loose your car for the kids picking up a neat rock.

It gets worse. Read his well-written post here.

DJ McGuire announces candidacy for Spotsylvania BOS

After dealing with his own property tax issues in Spotsylvania County in the past, and after watching the Board of Supervisors raise taxes on an annual basis, a well-known blogger in the Virginia blogosphere has decided to throw his hat in the ring as a candidate.

DJ McGuire of the Right-Wing Liberal blog made his decision official on Tuesday. He has quite an impressive resume:

D.J. McGuire is a married father of three. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the College of William and Mary, and a Master’s Degree in Economics from Georgetown University. A cost estimator for nearly ten years, Mr. McGuire has worked with several clients (all agencies in the Department of Defense) to help hold down cost to the taxpayer and ensure accurate estimating.

D.J. was also an Adjunct Professor in Economics at Germanna Community College (2007-8), where he enjoyed sharing his experience and his knowledge with the next generation of Americans.

D.J.’s grandfather, Michael McGuire, was President of the Elizabeth, NJ, City Council, and was an ardent defender of the taxpayer during the dozen years he served as City Councilman. It is that respect for the taxpayer that D.J. will bring to the Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors.

DJ has mentioned his grandfather during comments on my blog about the current real estate assessment battle in Augusta County. His grandfather was a staunch anti-tax conservative Democrat, a fact not lost on him as he hears the only Augusta BOS member, a Democrat, lead the fight for the little guy.

Learn more about DJ's issues here. Go here if you would like to contribute to his campaign.

It's time Republicans once again become the Party of less government and less spending, of lower taxes and free enterprise. It's time we got back to the tenets of the Republican Creed including:

That fiscal responsibility and budgetary restraints must be exercised at all levels of government.

"ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT" ... that means at the local level, too.

DJ McGuire for Supervisor. It's time.

Del. Ben Cline at AFP "Defending the American Dream"

Del. Ben Cline represents the southern end of Augusta County.

Photo by SWAC Girl

AFP's "Defending the American Dream" photos ... part 1

Virginia State Director Ben Marchi


Atty. Gen. Bob McDonnell and State Sen. Steve Martin

State Central Committee member Patsy Drain


Virginia delegation

Photos by SWAC Girl

Jim Gilmore at "Defending the American Dream" Summit

Gov. Jim Gilmore and State Central's Trixie Averill

When Gov. Jim Gilmore entered the grand ballroom Saturday at the "Defending the American Dream" Summit in Arlington, he was all smiles. The man smiles all the time. He has a servant's heart ... he campaigns hard ... he pounds the facts ... he never lets up. I have written many times of my respect for his service to our country and to the Commonwealth of Virginia.

He was immediately greeted by folks ... he shook hands with Lt. Gov. John Hager ... he talked with various State Central members who were in attendance.

After the general session, when the Virginia delegation adjourned to have lunch together, Gov. Gilmore made stirring, forceful remarks about his run for U.S. Senate, about his opponent ... and brought the crowd to their feet as they applauded both his introduction and the conclusion of his remarks.

Jim Gilmore for U.S. Senate ... he is the man we need in Washington.

Mayor Steve Lonegan, NJ State Director, at AFP Summit

I first heard Steve Lonegan at the 2007 "Defending the American Dream" Summit hosted by Americans for Prosperity in Washington, DC. As the state Director of New Jersey's AFP chapter, his remarks were riveting. You could tell he believed in what he was saying about lower taxes and responsible spending. He made such an impression on me that, when I saw his name on the roster for this year's Summit, I was looking forward to hearing him speak once again.

He did not disappoint. He was witty ... he was passionate ... he was committed. He charged up the crowd at Friday's AFP rally in front of the Capitol, and he addressed Saturday's audience of over 2,000.

Longtime mayor of Bogota, New Jersey, a small community west of New York City, Steve Lonegan has fought against higher taxes and wasteful spending in government.

Wickipedia reports:

Shortly after the 2003 mid-term elections where Democrats took complete legislative control, then Governor Jim McGreevey attempted to push through a fifteen-cent per gallon gasoline tax increase above the existing 10.5 cent direct tax and 4.0 cent indirect tax already affecting motorists. The plan was to push the increase through during the "lame duck" session.

With time of the essence, Lonegan enlisted radio talk show hosts to lead a grass-roots effort that gathered over 10,000 petitions to the Governor and legislative leaders and enough pressure to stop the gasoline tax increase.

As AFP State Director for NJ, Mayor Lonegan has been active:

Lonegan is the New Jersey state director of Americans for Prosperity. As state director, Lonegan began organizing Taxpayer Action Seminars in towns around New Jersey. However the main focus of Lonegan's AFP was attacking Jon Corzine's liberal economic and regulatory policies.

As AFP state director, Lonegan led the fight against three ballot questions in the 2007 election and defeated two of them. The two questions defeated, one supporting Embryonic Stem Cell research and the second, dedicating one cent of the sales tax for "property tax relief", were the first ballot questions defeated in the state since 1990.

The organization under Lonegan's leadership has also been active in fighting Paid Family Leave, Low Income Housing mandates, Taxpayer funded legislative elections, new mandates for sprinklers in fireproof high rise buildings and Governor Corzine's proposed budget.

Author of the book, Putting Taxpayers First, Lonegan spelled out how Republicans went from 27 Senators and 58 Assemblymembers when Christine Whitman was elected to 18 Senators and 31 Assemblymembers 10 years later. His prediction is that "Republicans will continue to remain the minority in NJ as long as they continue to avoid controversy and try to accommodate liberals, public employee labor unions, the media, and other special interest groups."

Steve Lonegan is a leader.

Leaders are not afraid to put the bulls-eye on their backs while standing up for what they believe in ... and Steve Lonegan is no exception. That is why he is so effective at what he does. That is why he is such a powerful, stirring speaker at the AFP rallies. That is why he has won as mayor ... and that is why he may be running again as governor of NJ ... he's done it before and word is he may be doing it again.

Something tells me if he does ... Steve Lonegan may just pull it off this time.

AFP crashes MoveOn.org protest at Capitiol

Americans for Prosperity, that low-tax group that actually believes in responsible spending to allow hard-working Americans to keep more money in their own pockets, crashed a MoveOn.org protest at the U.S. Capitol yesterday.

AFP wants energy independence from foreign oil. MoveOn.org protesters, many wearing Obama shirts adn pins, admitted they want $10-a-gallon gasoline.

Check out this YouTube video to see the confrontation.

Democrats feuding over Kaine's transportation proposals?

"Governor Kaine wanted the Democrats in the House and the Senate to get behind one set of proposals, and that is just not going to happen."

- Sen. R. Creigh Deeds (D-Bath)

Uh-oh. Sounds like trouble on the democrat side of the aisle. Thursday's Washington Post reported:

The internal battle between House and Senate Democrats over what taxes should be increased represents a turnaround in Virginia politics. For much of this decade, it has been moderate and conservative Republicans who have been divided, resulting in stalled efforts to enact taxes or fees to relieve traffic congestion and repair the state's aging network of highways.

Many differences appear to be over how to raise the needed finances. The Post continued:

[Democrat state senator Richard] Saslaw, backed by many Senate Democrats, wants an increase in the state's 17.5-cent-a-gallon gasoline tax, which hasn't been raised since 1986. [Del. Ward] Armstrong and [Del. Brian] Moran, who are spearheading efforts by Democrats to gain the majority in next year's elections, oppose a gas tax increase, citing the record price of fuel at the pump. Kaine agrees."

I just don't think we can impose [a gas tax] on the public when they are already paying three dollars and 60 cents a gallon," Armstrong said. "We all have constituents that are struggling to put gas in their car."

Kaine and Democrats commissioned a poll six weeks ago that found more than 80 percent of residents oppose a 15-cent-a-gallon increase in the gas tax.

Saslaw shot back at the House Democrats: "I don't run the state on polls, and if Brian and Ward want to run the state on the polls, that is their problem."

Tim Kaine is scheduled to address the transportation issue in Staunton next week. Americans For Prosperity and others will be there to greet him.

If you plan to attend:

Tim Kaine's Staunton Transportation Town Hall Meeting
Thursday, May 22 - 6:30-8:00 pm
Mary Baldwin College
Francis Auditorium - 3rd floor
227 E. Frederick Street, Staunton

H/T to GOP Caucus

Cross-posted at SixtyFour81.com

Albemarle Truth in Taxation Alliance ... "What Were They Thinking?"

Guest column by Peter Wurzer
Director of Research, ATTA

Albemarle Truth in Taxation Alliance (ATTA) has learned quite a bit about how our county operates. Here are some of the surprising findings:

Until February 2008, no master set of county organizational charts existed. How did the County Executive, Board of Supervisors, or public know how 641 county employees were managed?

Our School Division has one spending program to extend employee longevity and another one to encourage early retirement. What?!

The School Division contribution for professional workers to the Virginia Retirement System is now 16% of salaries, up from 12% in 2006. That 4% is equal to an additional annual salary increase. This may be a state mandate, but do we factor that increase into the total compensation discussion?

The Hollymead Fire/Rescue Station: We need it, but did it need a large workout room, community meeting room, columned portico, sculptured hallway ceilings and floor medallions? It cost $5.9 million! There may be two more like it on the way.
In the past year, the county grew less than one-half of 1% (406 new residents). But the county appropriated 14 new government positions. That's a new employee for every 29 new residents!

What Can I Do?

A lot.

Write a Letter to the Editor. Today! People do read them. The more letters the newspaper receives, the more Albemarle Taxpayers will know about how we can improve the budgeting process.

Join ATTA. The more members we have, the louder our voice is.

Spread the Word. Send copies of this eNewsletter to your friends, neighbors, co-workers, church and club members. The more people that know, the more likely we'll get a more honest and respectful budgeting process. Need copies of our print edition? Email us and we'll send you some.

Participate, Volunteer, Help Out. Send us your ideas, comments, suggestions - help with membership drives, fundraising, and mailings - contribute your special talents -- there's no one else to do the work but us!

Contact your Supervisor - today. They do listen. Call them, write them, and email them. Tell them you won't tolerate one penny of tax increase unless it's justified.

Cross-posted at SixtyFour81.com

Albemarle Truth in Taxation Alliance (ATTA) .. success in 2007

ATTA saves Albemarle Taxpayers nearly $10 million
Guest column by Keith C. Drake, Ph.D. - Chairman, ATTA

ATTA Town Hall Meeting
Lane Auditorium, Albemarle County Office Building
Monday, February 25 - 7 p.m.
The truth about this year's budget; learn how YOU can help.

In the winter of 2007, a group of concerned Albemarle citizens rose up and spoke out against a massive tax increase proposed by county government. They educated taxpayers about a little-known state law that requires counties and cities to lower the real estate tax rate by a proportional amount of any assessment increase (§ 58.1-3321).

How much did ATTA save you in 2007? If your home assessment is $300,000, you kept $180.* That's REAL money YOU decide how to spend.

These citizens understood the law's intent: to begin a new budgeting process with the same amount of money spent in the previous year-so that local government must justify any tax increase in a transparent manner. Last year, that law dropped our rate from 74¢ to 58¢, and we forced the discussion of how much to raise that rate above 58¢. Here's what we accomplished:

-- Dozens spoke at the two public budget hearings
-- Hundreds sent letters and emails, and placed phone calls to our supervisors
-- 1,500 signatures were collected on our Truth in Taxation petition in only two weeks
-- Nearly 10,000 Truth in Taxation flyers were distributed throughout the county, educating people about county government's obligation to lower the tax rate first - and then justify why any tax increases are necessary

The result: a 6¢ lower tax rate than without our efforts, resulting in a savings of nearly $10 million to county taxpayers! Our 2007 Truth in Taxation campaign shows what average citizens can accomplish.

What Happened After Last Year's Budget Season?

Quite a bit. The leaders of the 2007 Truth in Taxation movement began taking a hard look at the county budget. They began peeling back the layers of the budgeting process. What they found went far deeper than simply arguing for a reasonable tax rate.

ATTA is now registered with the Commonwealth of Virginia as a Political Action Committee (PAC).

Seeing the need for a permanent, non-partisan organization to act as a watch-dog over the county budgeting process, these citizens formed the Albemarle Truth in Taxation Alliance.

ATTA is here to stay -- working for all Albemarle County taxpayers.

* $60 saved for every $100,000 of assessed value

Cross-posted at SixtyFour81.com

"Defending the American Dream:" Who was there?

This was AFP's first "Defending the American Dream" summit ... and it was a smashing success! They had twice as many people as they expected -- close to 2,000 fiscal conservatives traveled from 35 states around the country to participate in workshops and listen to Republican Presidential candidates. The Mayflower Hotel was packed and the AFP staff worked overtime to accommodate everyone. It was, I am sure, a monumental task that required smoothing out some last-minute glitches but they pulled it off in a grand way ending with a huge elegant buffet Friday night.

Seven Republican Presidential candidates attended. Thought AFP invited the Democrat candidates, none accepted ... perhaps something to do with AFP's goal of lowering taxes and holding the line on spending?

Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, Sam Brownback, Ron Paul, Mike Huckabee, John McCain ... seven candidates which offered a rare opportunity to hear from so many in a venue other than a debate.

Lots of folks attended from the Sixth District: State Senator Mark Obenshain, Delegate Chris Saxman and Delegate Ben Cline. Sixth District Chairman Fred Anderson, State Central Committee members Kathy Terry and Trixie Averill, Virginia College Republican President Jarrett Ray from JMU, Augusta Middle River Magisterial Chairman Barb Tillett, Kim Wiseman and her mom, Kelly Keech, Rockingham Chairman Mike Meredith, VFRW Representative Suzanne Curran, Tara Huffman, David Huffman, and Christy Huffman.

Many other familiar faces were seen: Attorney General Bob McDonnell, Mike Reynold, Jacob Parrish, Fifth District Chairman Jim Rich, Congressman Tom Davis, Paul Harris, Jim Parmalee, Kevin Bolling, Jeb Wilkinson, Tucker Martin, Whitney Duff, State Central members Patsy Drain and Juanita Ballinger, and I know there are more that I'm forgetting.

It was great to see so many of our College Republicans in attendance. I met Samantha, CR State Secretary, who attends Mary Washington but is from Charlottesville. She and I discovered we were both at the Win the War rally in Charlottesville in June to counter Cindy Sheehan.

And I reconnected with Duane Sand from North Dakota. More about him later.

The North Carolina delegation wore pig hats to demonstrate "no more pork." The Texas delegation wore white cowboy hats. Sitting across the aisle from one another, they were a hoot as the "pigs" went up against the "Hook 'em horns."

The Virginia delegation wore "Virginia (heart) is for AFP" stickers. Wisconsin wore cheesehead hats. Georgia waved miniature state flags.

The music was loud and patriotic and rallied the delegates.

Tim Phillips, President of AFP, was losing his voice by Friday night's closing session. I'm sure those folks are ready for a good night's sleep. They can rest knowing they were a success.

Heading home to Staunton ... more to come....