When Lori ran for office in 2003, out of control taxes and government spending were her top concern. Instead of trying to fund every pet project, Lori has fought to force the Loudoun County government to set funding priorities by separating the "needs" from the "wants."

Going line-by-line and department-by-department, Lori has voted to focus funding on schools and public safety, but even these agencies must live within a reasonable budget so that the families they seek to serve can still afford to live in Loudoun.

Even though the tax rate has dropped from $1.11 in 2003 to $1.1075 in 2004 to $1.04 in 2005 and then to $0.89 in 2006, the average tax bill in the Broad Run District has continued to rise because of the double-digit assessment increases over those same years. While some county residents experienced assessment decreases in 2006 averaging 7 percent, many in the Broad Run District, especially seniors residing at Leisure World, still received assessment increases. Lori worked with the County Assessor's office to correct the inaccuracies in the records, which led to reassessing all of Leisure World and other age-restricted neighborhoods in Ashburn. Despite the assessment corrections, many families and seniors on fixed incomes faced another tax increase. In the minority again, Supervisor Waters opposed the 7 cent tax rate increase (totally 96 cents) adopted by the Board on April 3, 2007.

Lori voted against the budget three out of four years because the tax burden on residents was so significant. Lori along with two other Supervisors has consistently voted to cut government spending, stop the exponential growth of government, and seek a lower tax rate. Yet, the majority of Supervisors voted for expanded government programs and resisted budget cuts.

At the September 18th, 2007 Board Business Meeting, Lori strongly advocated for the creation of an Internal Audit and Inspector General division to investigate waste, fraud, and abuse as well as to identify cost-saving measures operationally and in construction of facilities. The Board approved the measure 8-0-1 (Snow abstaining). The County Administrator will now include those positions in his base budget recommendations for FY09.

If reelected, Lori will help build a new coalition of Board members to refocus and reign in the budget. She will continue her mission to slow the growth of government spending, promote more efficient use of current resources, and push for a stable tax rate in times of flat assessments and a lower rate during times of higher assessments.

Lori's Republican opponent was silent on what tax rate he would support during the FY08 budget deliberations. Yet, Lori's Democrat opponent recommended "fully funding" the School Board's request of over $100 million more in local tax funding than allocated for schools last year. What would your tax rate be in FY08 if such a request were fulfilled this year? Nearly 98 cents. What would be tax rate be in FY08 if such a request were fulfilled over the last four years? $1.043

Aren't your tax bills high enough already? Support Re-Electing Supervisor Lori Waters: An Experienced Leader with a Record You Can Trust

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