IT’S GO TIME: Region play is underway in softball, baseball, soccer and lacrosse. Pages 9-10
May 22, 2019 | Vol. 18, No. 21 | www.princewilliamtimes.com | 50¢ Covering Prince William County and surrounding communities, including Gainesville, Haymarket, Dumfries, Occoquan, Quantico and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.
Manassas tax bills rising to fund schools, new projects By Jill Palermo
Times Staff Writer
City of Manassas homeowners will pay between $210 and $257 more in real estate taxes next year, but the city will also spend more on its schools and begin key capital improvement projects, including the construction of a new police and fire station. In a party-line, 4-to-2 vote, the Manassas City Council approved
Monday a $244 million budget for fiscal year 2020. The council raised the real-estate tax rate 2 cents, from $1.46 to $1.48 per $100 in assessed valuation. Councilmembers voting in favor of the budget were Vice Mayor Ken Elston, Michelle Davis-Younger, Pam Sebesky and Mark Wolfe, all Democrats. Voting against the budget were Councilmembers Ian Lovejoy and Theresa Coates-Ellis, both
Republicans. Manassas Mayor Hal Parrish, also a Republican, cannot vote on the budget. The new tax rate as well as a 5 percent hike in residential assessments will generate an extra $3.3 million in real estate tax revenue in the general fund, which will support a 1 percent increase in city services, a 3 percent increase in school division funding and 9 percent increase in the costs
of services the city shares with Prince William County, according Manassas budget documents. The average annual real-estate tax bills in the City of Manassas are projected to be $5,401 for owners of single-family homes; $3,447 for owners of townhomes; and $2,945 for owners of condominiums, according to budget documents. See MANASSAS TAX, page 5
Memorial Day milestone On his 100th birthday, WWII vet remembers 32-year military career By John Toler
Associate Editor
Respect for America’s “greatest generation” runs deep, especially for succeeding generations with strong military family connections. This is especially true for local real estate broker Becky Miller, who regards the life of her grandfather, retired U. S. Army Lt. Col. Charles T. “Tom” Cox, as exemplary. Born May 26, 1919, Col. Cox will celebrate his 100th birthday on Memorial Day weekend. His military career, from 1935 to 1967, spanned World War II, the Korean War and the Cold War, ending with the Vietnam War. “My grandfather has spent his whole life serving others,” notes Miller. “We can’t imagine the changes he has witnessed – a young kid going overseas in the 1940s, going from farm fields to battlefields.” Cox, who now lives in Heritage Hunt in Gainesville, began his military career in 1935, when he joined the North Carolina National Guard. He served with Battery A of the 113th Field Artillery, based in Greenville, North Carolina. He was underage when he enlisted – only 16 – and lied about his age to get in. “It was during the Depression and being paid 75 cents a drill was big money back then,” he recalled. “I thoroughly enjoyed being a guardsman.” Discharged from the National
Guard in 1939, Cox was recalled in September 1940 when his unit was mobilized. He notes that his records at National Guard headquarters in Raleigh didn’t show that he had been discharged. He had to sell his service station business in Greenville and spent the next year in training. Sent to camp at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, Cox rose quickly through the ranks, completing his training as a sergeant. With the U.S. entry into World War II, his enlistment was extended by President Roosevelt for “…the duration plus six months.” Later qualifying for Army Officer Candidate School, Cox earned his commission as a second lieutenant in 1942 and was assigned to Battery B of the 25th Field Artillery.
Cox retired again after a civilian career and has lived at Heritage Hunt in Gainesville for the past nine years.
Lt. Col. Tom Cox (right) retired from the U.S. Army in 1967. Among his decorations was the Legion of Merit, presented by Lt. Gen. H. C. Donnelly, head of the DASA.
Caribbean assignment
Cox’s first post was in Puerto Rico, where a U.S. force was preparing to invade one of the islands in the Caribbean held by the French, who were by then under the control of the German-controlled Vichy government. “My battalion commander gave me the job of seeing how to f loat a 2 ½-ton truck across a river in Puerto Rico,” said Cox. Using large tarps stuffed with palm branches for f lotation, the experiment was a success. But then the French capitulated, and the invasion was called off. See MEMORIAL DAY, page 2 INSIDE Calendar.............................................12 Classified............................................16 Communities......................................11 Obituaries...........................................15
PHOTOS COURTESY OF TOM COX
Pvt. Tom Cox, front row, fourth from left, with fellow members of Battery A, 113th Field Artillery, North Carolina National Guard, before World War II. Cox stayed in contact with members of his original unit throughout his 32-year Army career. Opinion.................................................6 Puzzle Page..........................................8 Real Estate..........................................14 Sports...................................................9
86 WARRENTON, VA