Monica Gary for Virginia Senate District 27

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17 hours ago

Our Board voted this evening to advertise the tax rate at:

$1.145 real estate
$6.10 personal property
$0.03 Fire and Emergency Services Tax

This is NOT the set tax rate and we have more budget work sessions to come. I will be running a poll to gauge public support for various rates at and below the advertised rate. Please be on the lookout for that and share feedback when it becomes available. ... See MoreSee Less

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With these rates voted on, if kept at these rates will it full fund the requested School Board budget? If not what would be the shortfall? What is the Boards path forward for fully supporting and fully funded the education of our youth in this County? I have lived here since 2007, it has been the same circus since then on not fully funding the schools for sustainment or growth due to not wanting to prioritze spending or taking the tough steps of a higher tax rate to cover what is needed for future stability of the school system.... just my thoughts as a resident/parent fully invested in our County education system

The Hon. Monica Gary

2 days ago

There has been recent discussion regarding the actions of Board members having conversations with developers. It is important for the public to be aware that the bylaws prohibit these discussions with applicants during the time an application is before the Planning Commission. Because there are no applications regarding the Moncure site, the bylaws have not been violated.

It is also important to understand that this is common practice for developers to approach Supervisors to gauge potential interest in a project prior to application. These processes can be costly and they would rather know up front if the project is not viable (ie not likely to have support of the majority of the Board). These preliminary conversations are normal business and not an indicator of “back room deals” like many have suspected in the past.

I appreciate the diligence of our constituents and encourage you all to continue to ask hard questions and continue to hold us elected officials accountable.

Here is the link to read the recently updated (2022) bylaws: cdn.staffordcountyva.gov/FINAL%20By-laws%20Adopted%202022.09.20.docx ... See MoreSee Less

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The Hon. Monica Gary

2 days ago

When the rich themselves say “tax the rich”, we should pay attention. I’m grateful to be a small part of what’s going on with Patriotic Millionaires down in NC. Every visit reinvigorates me in the fight for the working class. Last week, I spoke to encourage folks to speak up to their elected officials.

borderbelt.org/patriotic-millionaires-launches-program-in-whiteville-nc/?fbclid=IwAR1MiJGABm9JIlR... ... See MoreSee Less

Patriotic Millionaires picks a small NC town to push for higher taxes for the rich

borderbelt.org

Patriotic Millionaires, an advocacy group that pushes for higher taxes for the rich, launched a pilot program in Whiteville last summer.

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Taxing the rich gives people little motivation to become rich. Instead we should incentivize the rich to donate more. It’s a mental game…. On the flip side, we give little motivation for the poor to work because they make more money not working.

The Hon. Monica Gary

3 days ago

We snagged some grub at Cowboy Jacks Saloon after knocking on some doors today. Still gathering signatures (I need 250), so let me know if you’d like to help out 📝

I’ll come to you so we can ”knock the block” together and meet some of your neighbors! Let’s do this 💪 ... See MoreSee Less

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Come see me and Jennifer Ann Star we’re neighbors

The Hon. Monica Gary

3 days ago

Say 🚫 to echo chambers. #thereisabetterway ... See MoreSee Less

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You better speak on it Sister!

The Hon. Monica Gary

3 days ago

This is what my oldest son Brian is doing these days. I’m so proud that he has chosen to serve. His younger brother completed his USMC training earlier last year. Our third son will likely be joining the armed forces later this year. #service ... See MoreSee Less

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The Hon. Monica Gary

3 days ago

Proud to be an elected woman and celebrate Women in Public Office Day with National Foundation for Women Legislators (NFWL)

#womeninpublicofficeday #celebratewomen ... See MoreSee Less

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The Hon. Monica Gary

1 week ago

I was honored when I was asked to serve on the selection committee for the Stafford Region 2023 Most Influential Women. I was amazed by the level of excellence that defined this banquet event. The vocals (and song choice) of Nayjah moved me beyond words. Michelle Myers Riddick of Riddick Entertainment & Events absolutely slayed the decor, music and overall ambiance. Caressa Cameron delivered a powerful, motivational message. But best of all was being surrounded by fellow laborers in the community, who are like family. I’m so grateful for every one of you and thank you for the work you do!

Congratulations one more time to Stafford Regions Most Influential Women 👏👏👏🎉🎉🎉 I can’t wait for next year! ... See MoreSee Less

+5

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Ok Michelle!! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

The Hon. Monica Gary

1 week ago

There is a lot of discussion happening around school funding. It is absolutely needed. We will not get it fixed overnight. It took years of poor planning to land us here, and it will take a few years to get right. We can start with the County Administrator’s proposed budget of a $0.09 increase and $0.03 fire levy.

For transparency, what the School Board is requesting would require a $0.285 tax increase which is more than double (2.375X) the proposed rate. ... See MoreSee Less

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Does that include debt service and day school?

What is it that I hear the supervisors voted for a 40k pay increase and clothing allowance, etc.? But didn’t fully fund the school budget?

I'd love to see some real numbers on how the proposed tax increase would actually affect the average resident's tax bill. It's kind of hard to wrap my head around. What's the bottom line? Are residents really pushing back against the increase? Because I'm all for it.

Yes, it took years for this to occur….years under the GOP! The citizen who kept putting the GOP back into office and those who chose not to vote against them are to blame! Before an issue can be properly addressed, the root problem must be identified first! And the GOP and its supporters is the root problem!!! They must be voted out of office!

Yes, good schools don’t come cheap. They have to be valued and taken care of. We are just now building new schools after almost 20 years. Think of that!! We all can talk about new schools and trailers and over population, but we should be talking about infrastructure. You buy a house or a new car and you expect a certain amount of funding to keep it running well. You also know that to keep that house or car for 20+ years, you have to put money into it. A new roof, new engine, new transmission, new A/C, etc…. Problem is that for the last many years, the Schools ask for $20M for infrastructure repairs and they get less than $5M. I think the schools talk about over $500M dollars in 3r funding that is needed to keep our schools, some built in the 60’s operating. This is definitely a pay me now or pay me later scenario. And now we are in the pay me later mode. How much better it would have been to pay for routine and preventative maintenance rather than now having to pay for corrective maintenance. This problem did not happen overnight, but it is not going away. Eventually a Board is going to have to face the hard facts and put this County and it’s schools back on the right track. This is not a problem you can fix with nickels and dimes!!

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