YEAR IN REVIEW 2023
Completed section of Route 1 Widening project between Featherstone and Marys Way.
Community Services raised more than $27M for the Crisis Receiving Center project.
New veterinary clinic at the Animal Services Center.
The Office of Communications & Engagement coordinated and co-hosted with the CXO two Employee Townhalls.
The county’s first beautification project completed by Neighborhood Services.
Parks & Recreation successfully coordinated another year of Fridays at Five.
Development Services created and launched the Residential Solar County Typical.
Human Resources implemented Phase 1 and Phase II of Mobius HCM.
PWConnects
The Planning Office completed and published the 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
The Office of Communications and DoIT launched the new intranet, PWConnects.
Cover images: The first PWC GovFest brought county agencies together to connect fellow employees.
Economic Development & Tourism held the first “Make Your Mark” Business Appreciation Event.
About 1,800 tons of recyclable materials were collected at the county’s convenience centers.
The Facilities & Fleet Management internship program launched in 2023.
A ground breaking ceremony was held for the first parking garage to be built by the county.
The Department of Social Services received awards for the Child Advocacy Center.
More than 300 seniors attended the Older Amercians Month Celebration hosted by the Area Agency on Aging,
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS ADOPTION OF THE FY2024 BUDGET
Through a collaborative process, the organization was able to advance the community’s strategic priorities and invest in the county’s workforce through compensation adjustments, all while lowering the real estate tax rate by 6.4 cents to $0.966 per $100 of assessed value.
RESTRUCTURING OF GOVERNMENT & CREATION OF THE TRANSFORMATION MANAGEMENT OFFICE
The quadrants of government were aligned to identify process improvements and transformation initiatives that could be accomplished in order to achieve the county’s Strategic Plan goals and the goal of excellent customer service at all points of interaction with the organization.
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
Staff reached tentative four-year Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) with both the Prince William County Police Association and the International Association of Fire Fighters. Both unions ratified the agreements without the need to engage in impasse arbitration, and the Board of County Supervisors will vote on ratification of each CBA at a future Board meeting.
CREATION OF THE OFFICE OF COMMUNITY SAFETY
The Office of Community Safety was created with a focus on community engagement, prevention, intervention, education and diversion strategies to be more proactive in addressing safety concerns within the community.
FOCUS ON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
Using the results of our annual organization survey and the feedback from the listening sessions held earlier this year, GovFest was created as an opportunity to learn more about the different departments and to interact with each other. To provide growth opportunities, Human Resources is now offering training on resume writing and interviewing, along with the creation of the Transformation Management Office which is staffed with internal candidates.
ACHIEVING AAA BOND RATING
Prince William County received confirmation of the county’s AAA bond rating with a stable outlook from all three bond rating agencies this year, which is a testament to the work of our Finance and Budget departments.
INCIDENT COMMAND STRUCTURE & PLANNING FOR THE DIGITAL GATEWAY MEETINGS
The Office of Emergency Management, Fire and Rescue, the Police Department, Executive Management, and other county agencies worked together to develop a multi-agency coordinated response to ensure that large meetings with high community attendance receive the appropriate logistical support and prioritize community safety.
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
1
MOBILITY, ECONOMIC GROWTH & RESILIENCY ACCOMPLISHMENTS Development Services
$1.2 million Residential Solar Fee Reduction Program approved by Board.
Residential Solar County Typical creation and
launch — a time and cost-saving option for solar customers.
Residential Solar Working Group comprised of
staff and industry members successfully created.
Inspection Order Update Policy allowing for
streamlined inspections, creating positive impact on industry.
Small Business Project Management Program has now served more than 2,000 customers.
Land development eReview launch. November 2023 Land Development Seminar attended by a record 155 attendees.
Economic Development and Tourism
1,535 new and retained jobs, 2.6M SF of new
commercial development and almost $3B new capital investment.
About 1,800 tons of recyclable materials received from residents at the county’s convenience centers.
High Class-6 rating from FEMA received for the
county’s participation in the Community Rating Service (CRS) program allowing residents to receive a 20 percent discount on flood insurance premiums.
$750,000 grant from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality procured to assist homeowners in septic systems repairs or upgrades.
Clearing project for the schools and intersection
of Route 1 and Prince William Parkway near 7-11 expedited and completed to improve safety in area.
$2.5 million in projects for Marine Corps Base
Quantico completed under the Intergovernmental Support Agreement (IGSA).
Initiated the expanded Reforestation Program.
Became accredited Economic Development
Organization — third in Virginia and one of 75 communities to hold this designation.
First “Make Your Mark” Business Appreciation Event with more than 250 attendees.
Retail Shopping Center Inventor Study and Hub
conomic Development - IEDC Economic E
573 workshop attendees, 1,041 one-on-one small
Economic Development - Several marketing
Zone Study completed.
business counseling sessions.
Microloan program approved by SBA. Barriers to Success Study completed. Small Business Advisory Group organized. Planning Office
PW Digital Gateway Special Area Plan (CPA) completed.
2040 Comprehensive Plan completed. 2040 Comprehensive Plan published. PW Digital Gateway rezonings review. Process improvements in current planning to address the concerns of industry.
Public Works
More than 596,000 residents and businesses served by the Landfill and Compost Facility.
2
AWARDS
YEAR IN REVIEW
Excellence silver and gold awards.
awards and nominated for an Emmy.
Public Works -Staff received the APWA Award for the bandalong project for in-stream trash collection along Neabsco Creek.
Transportation
Balls Ford Road Interchange completed Balls Ford Road Widening completed. Route 1 (Featherstone to Marys Way) completed. Old Centreville Road Pedestrian and Lane Improvements completed.
Old Carolina Sidewalk (south of the Town of
FY24 BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS
Haymarket) completed.
Route 28 Phase III (Linton Hall Road to
Pennsylvania Avenue) shared use path completed.
Inaugural Bike to Work Day Youth poster contest. First Transportation Demand Management
program with the I-66 Corridor Education Outreach Project launched that includes paid media ads and a website devoted to the project.
Funding for eight grant applications, taking
advantage of federal, state and regional funding to complete projects, including receiving first direct federal transportation grant to develop the county’s first comprehensive safety action plan.
Broke ground on the Potomac/Neabsco Mills Commuter Parking Garage, the first parking garage built by the county.
Continued support for small businesses seeking assistance.
Included resources supported by development fees to improve plan review times for nonresidential cases and maintain inspection services due to increasing workloads.
Funded membership in the Northern Virginia (NOVA) Economic Development Alliance to improve brand awareness as a top place for talent and business location.
Funded marketing activities to promote the county during the Solheim Cup.
Continued to fund progress for major mobility
capital projects benefiting the community. Active construction projects include widening Route 1, Balls Ford Road interchange and widening, Prince William Parkway interchanges at Brentsville Road and University Boulevard, Neabsco Mills Road, Summit School Road and Telegraph Road widening, University Boulevard extension, and the 1,400-space Potomac/Neabsco Mills Commuter Parking Garage. The Virginia Railway Express commuter rail operations are supported by Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) 30 percent local revenue.
Dedicated the entirety of the county’s motor
vehicle fuel tax revenue to the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission’s commuter and local bus service.
Maintained the Transportation Roadway
Improvement Program, which constructs smaller scale district projects, such as sidewalks, trails and safety improvements. MOBILITY, ECONOMIC GROWTH & RESILIENCY
3
SAFE & SECURE COMMUNITY ACCOMPLISHMENTS Community Safety
Office of Community Safety, based on Board
direction, established including hiring the director, administrator and administrative support.
Multiple county agency members participated
with partners in the PWC Schools to better coordinate activities designed to keep our schools and the community safe.
Criminal Justice Services
Held Veteran’s Treatment Docket first graduation (second planned for 11/29/2023). The program has expanded to assist more veterans (low risk/ high needs population) and is nearly full at 20 participant capacity.
Drug Treatment Court is fully operational
(since July 2022) and nearing full capacity of 20 participants.
Organized and led a state-wide forum on
implementation of new pretrial risk assessment instrument.
Mapped the entire pretrial justice system with
other local key stakeholders and collaboratively working on gaps in the system to include streamlining pretrial processes, including domestic violence strategies.
EBDM is working with George Mason University
to develop a prototype for a criminal justice data dashboard.
Lowest probation recidivism ever in annual threeyear recidivism study in 2023, with a recidivism rate of 13% for cases that ended three years ago.
Fire & Rescue System
Reviewed, updated or approved more than 20
policies and consensus was reached on major purchasing initiatives to include structural firefighting protective gear and thermal imaging cameras.
In an effort to “right size” EMS response, a pilot
program was introduced with Manassas City and an urgent care facility to reduce unnecessary redundancies in dispatched units, and initiated an EMS staffing strategy resulting in reduced mandatory hold over for employees.
Another high school cadet program launched and is currently in progress.
Pilot paramedic program at VCU started, which
reduces the need for county resources, provides opportunities for clinical rounds in a more urban environment and accomplishes training mandates in a condensed format without loss in quality.
Emergency Management coordinated a PWC/
MCB Quantico Full Scale Exercise and secured significant grant funding to renovate the Emergency Operations Center and to increase disaster response capacity.
Police Department
Officer vacancies reduced from close to 90 to
below 60 as a result of Board action on police salaries.
Continued hiring of candidates who more closely reflect the community.
AWARDS Criminal Justice Services - Director Steve Austin Police Department - VACO Child Advocacy received the Robert L. Marsh Public Service Award from the PWC Bar Association. This annual award seeks to recognize exemplary public service and is named for Robert L. Marsh, the long-time Prince William Circuit Court Administrator, who set the highest standards for excellence and professionalism in public service.
Police Department & Academy - CALEA re-accreditation.
4
YEAR IN REVIEW
Center Achievement Award shared with other PWC partners.
Police Department - CIT program of the year. ublic Safety Communications - CALEA P re-accreditation, totaling 20 years of CALEA accreditation.
Continued support from residents, rating overall satisfaction at 96 percent.
Through Board action to procure Elite, the
department was able to train more effectively, utilizing a modern indoor facility.
Response to resistance study commenced by the National Police Institute.
Public Safety Communications
Annual mental health check-ins for telecommunicators implemented.
Interoperability van deployed to improve crisis public safety communications capabilities.
Technology solutions to improve fire dispatch, personnel selection and next generation 911 implemented.
FY24 BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS Included increases for sworn staff to
ensure compensation competitiveness with neighboring jurisdictions and funding for hiring incentives for hard to hire sworn positions.
Funded implementation of a Community Safety Initiative in the county.
Completed the three-year staffing plan for
the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney to address felony and misdemeanor caseloads.
Included funds for a veterinary clinic at the new Animal Services Center to improve animal care.
Included financing and operating costs for
the newly acquired firearms training facility, fire apparatus replacements, and a new renovation and rebuild program for existing stations within the county’s Fire & Rescue System.
Funded future capital improvements including construction of Fire & Rescue Stations 27 and 28, expanding the Public Safety Training Center and improvements to renovate the existing Judicial Center addressing future courtroom and parking needs at the Judicial Center complex.
SAFE & SECURE COMMUNITY
5
GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS, PERFORMANCE & INNOVATION ACCOMPLISHMENTS Facilities and Fleet Management
Purchased and closed on Elite Shooting Sports.
Successfully opened the Prince William County Scenario Based Training Center for use by midJuly.
Successfully participated on the online auction
to purchase the Worth Avenue building to house the Crisis Receiving Center (CRC). Completed the design for the CRC within 10 months.
FFM Internship program launched with the first
Summer Intern program held over the summer of 2023. The first participant from this program was hired on full time.
Human Rights
Increased the percentage of cases resolved within one year to 94 percent.
Investigated and closed 48 cases, including 34 employment cases.
Participated in at least 75 educational and outreach activities.
Developed three educational webinars —
FMLA - The Prince William County Way; Re-Entry - The Prince William County Way; and Harassment in the Workplace.
Conducted Fair Housing Testing on July 31, 2023. Continue to work closely with the Housing Office to distribute housing and education materials to the community. On April 1, 2023, the Human
Rights Office developed a newsletter for Fair Housing Month titled “Focus on Human Rights: Fair Housing Month.”
12 percent of completed investigations were
appealed to the HRC and the HRC upheld the decisions of the Human Rights Office.
On March 27, 2023, 36 students successfully
graduated from the award-winning Human Rights Student Leadership Council Cohort 7. Cohort 8, with 38 high school students, began October 16, representing all Prince William County public high schools.
Human Resources
Implemented Phase I and II of Mobius HCM
(including development, testing, implementation, training, monitoring, course correction, help desk, learning management, performance management and talent), including the county’s first countywide online timekeeping and integrations with third party timekeeping systems. Continuous partnering with departments on training, troubleshooting, improvements and issue resolution.
Rolled out ADA compliance training to all 1,200 managers and supervisors.
Hosted an annual Retirement Seminar to more than 200 employees.
Deployed formal in-person New Employee Orientation.
Revised/streamlined the recruiting process and updated the policy and procedures.
AWARDS Facilities & Fleet Management - Named the 26th best fleet in the North American Fleet Association 100 Best Fleets.
M anagement & Budget - Received the
Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association for the Fiscal Year 2024 Budget. To receive the award, the county has to publish a budget document that meets program criteria as a policy document, a financial plan, an operations guide and a communications device.
Procurement Services - Recognized for spending growth achievement at the annual Fairfax
6
YEAR IN REVIEW
County Purchasing and Virtual Card Consortium Forum at JP Morgan in Washington. Prince William County reported impressive savings of $2.5M from the $32M program expenditures spanning over 38,000 transactions. Another important area is program rebates, which the county reported $404k program rebates for calendar year 2022, with anticipated doubling for calendar year 2023.
DoIT - Received first place award for Technology Leadership from the Center for Digital Government and the National Association of Counties.
Revised job classifications to align minimum
experience requirements with level of decision for consistency.
ompleted a compensation review for all C departments to get a “snapshot” of salaries across the county to guide compensation budget decisions.
Hosted first hiring event job fair for entry level
positions with the option for hiring managers to conduct interviews and extend contingent offers at the event.
Talent Management: n Received 52,263 applications and processed 729 hires. n Screened and presented applicants to hiring managers within five days of the job posting closing date with 99% efficiency and filled vacancies (posting date to offer date) within 68 days. n Processed 109 re-class requests. n Conducted 57 training sessions. n Received a score of 87 percent satisfaction rating on division’s annual customer service survey.
17 EEO cases 12 resolved and five pending; and 13 EEO trainings facilitated.
Information Technology
Intune End Point Management rollout increasing mobile security of County devices.
Designing SASE Edge mobile security solution Set DoIT Project Internal Team and began
planning for PWC 311 project and partnership with Transformation Management Office
Management and Budget
Completed alterations to the Community Partners program and presented them to the community on October 26, 2023.
Procurement Services Automated the Solicitation Information Form for Capital Projects.
Developed a License Agreement Addendum
for Department of Information Technology to utilize when working to provide new technology solutions for county agencies. The License Agreement Addendum helps to protect the county from risks and reduces the negotiation time on contract terms.
FY24 BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS Collective Bargaining staffing support in
County Attorney, Finance, Human Resources, and Management & Budget (7.0 FTEs).
Facility security improvements for Elections. Public Safety Firearms Range Operating Costs (ongoing support of facility purchase)
Staffing support for the Fire & Rescue Station Renovation and Replacement program in FFM.
CRC Maintenance and Operations Tech in FFM.
Worked closely with Communications and
Tax Administration Staffing (12.0 FTEs),
Upgrading HCI (Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure) for
Procurement Services Business Services
Engagement on launch of new PWConnects. expansion requirements.
VOIP - adding Cisco endpoints for new Voice Services.
Tech Inclusion is training other departments
on Northstar Digital Platform so that public can receive free educational support on use of technology.
supported by revenue. Analyst (1.0 FTE).
Countywide Grant Writing Support (2.0 FTEs) in Finance, Financial Reporting & Controls.
Technology Improvement Plan investment
of $1.6 million to support County IT service, cloud, infrastructure and system security needs.
GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS, PERFORMANCE & INNOVATION
7
HEALTH, WELLBEING & ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY ACCOMPLISHMENTS Area Agency on Aging
Older Americans Month Celebration is BACK! More than 300 attendees at May 2023 event.
Both Senior Centers received re-accreditation for five more years.
Will for VETS started again this year after COVID; 35 veterans, their spouses or their widows received fully executed wills.
Selected to participate and completed CDC Social Determinants of Health Grant.
Expanded Senior Center without Walls Virtual
Center for Active Adults by adding fitness classes.
Social Services
Enhanced Medical Assisted Treatment services
and capacity with higher Department of Medical Assistance Services reimbursement.
Collaborated on Peer Pipeline with GMU
Empowerment around Peer Internship Program without additional funding; aiming to start January 2024.
Housing & Community Development
Received 100 percent score on HUD’s Section 8 Management Assessment Program audit.
Received 25 new HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers.
Supported staff during Medicaid Unwinding –
Received 15 new State Rental Assistance Vouchers
Wrote grant for Operation Ceasefire, which was
Awarded 15 additional State Rental Assistance
goals are being met. awarded.
Asked by the state to be a pilot for the Kin First
to serves disabled individuals.
Program (SRAP) Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) Vouchers.
Now program, which focuses on placing children with relatives versus in foster care.
Homeless Navigation Center-East architectural design underway.
Worked with UVA, who provided funding to
establish a DSS staff position to be located at their Manassas location to process benefits applications.
Community Services
Raised more than $27M for the CRC project.
Construction contract to be signed by the end of the year.
Held a Dedication Ceremony for the CRC in
May 2023 with Governor, Commissioner, Board members and others in attendance.
Received the department’s first ever SAMHSA
Grant, which is for Child Mental Health Initiative $4M over four years.
Received Opioid Abatement Authority Cooperative Grant to initiate Opioid-Based Addiction Treatment.
Launched fentanyl/opioid youth media campaign
utilizing Opioid Abatement Funds. Fentanyl Exposed was successful youth media campaign targeting fentanyl information and teaching how to save a life with naloxone; followed with campaign in movie theatres and dispersing Leave Behind Bags for first responders and community.
8
YEAR IN REVIEW
AWARDS Social Services - VACO and Leadership at All
Levels Awards for the Child Advocacy Center
Library - AVA Digital Gold Award Library - Hermes Platinum and Gold Awards Library - ALA Core PR Xchange Award Library - Two Viddy Gold Awards
Awarded Family Self-Sufficiency Funding
$107,198. FSS Program increased from 23 to 42 participants.
Created an Affordable Rental Rehabilitation
Program for owners/landlords of single-family homes that will be leased to low- moderate income families at completion of the rehab project.
Created two new five-year pilot Tenant Based
Rental Assistance programs with HOME and HOME ARP funds to serve 50 homeless families/ individuals.
Parks & Recreation
Successfully implemented Fridays at Five program.
Successfully implemented the Holiday Walk of Lights on the Boardwalk.
Successfully assisted the former Gainesville
Supervisor with the first Public Safety Community Appreciation Day.
Established a Farmer’s Market at the McCoart Complex on Thursdays.
Continued on next page
Community Planning & Development (CPD)
awarded $4.8 million for FY24 in Sponsoring Partnerships and Revitalizing Communities (SPARC) competitive funds through Virginia Housing (VH) for reduced interest rate first trust mortgages through VH for first-time eligible homebuyers for persons living and/or working in Prince William Area.
Implemented CPD Emergency Housing Assistance
Program II (EHAP II) funded with CDBG-CV (CARES, Act CDBG Funding) with $1,151,588 budgeted for disbursement, including monthly mortgage payments to be disbursed in future payments.
Juvenile Court Service Unit
5,827 cases processed through Intake Services. 77 percent successful diversions. 76 percent of youth not re-offending within two years of release from probation.
89 percent youth not re-offending within one year of discharge from the Intensive Service Program.
Library
637,981 people have visited 12 branches from January–October 2023.
Visitors checked out 1,672,402 physical items (does not count online).
Nearly 105,000 attended library programs and events.
FY24 BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS Included financing and operating costs for the newly acquired Crisis Receiving Center.
Supported Community Partner organizations with a five percent donation increase.
Five-year plan invested in capital facilities,
such as a Homeless Navigation Center and the Juvenile Services Center.
Included increased investment in watershed projects to improve water quality and stormwater infrastructure.
Funded reforestation program. Included funding for increased capacity
for litter control activities and landscaping/ beautification throughout the county.
Funded an Energy Program Manager to
support and implement the Climate Mitigation and Resiliency goals in the Community Energy and Sustainability Master Plan.
Included investment in the landfill’s capital
infrastructure to increase its capacity by more than 35 years.
HEALTH, WELLBEING & ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
9
HEALTH, WELLBEING & ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY ACCOMPLISHMENTS Updated the African American History Trail.
Previously only online, the African American History Trail is now more accessible, with wayfinding signs at each of the 20 stops where visitors can read about the historical locations.
Ribbon cuttings including: Harbor Drive Wellness
Park, Occoquan Greenway Hedges Run Segment 3 Bridge, Forest Valley Disc Golf Course, Marumsco Acre Lake Park improvements, Anne Moncure Wall Park improvements, Brittany Neighborhood Park improvements and Rollins Ford Park.
Sustainability Adoption of the Community Energy and Sustainability Master Plan (CESMP).
In the process of hiring Climate and Energy Program Manager.
VCE
1,140 enrolled volunteers gave 22,777 hours in
support of programs. The value of their time is the equivalent of 11.7 full time staff and equals $724,309.
VCE staff and volunteers attended more than
31 outreach and education events where the community was able to learn more about VCE’s programs and services locally.
535 participants enrolled in Parent Education
classes — 84 percent of those who attended completed the class series; 96 percent reported using the information they learned in class improved their family situation; and 90 percent reported communication within the family improved as a result of the classes.
597 participants served through online and faceto-face educational programs and counseling appointments.
75 percent of Financial Education and Housing
Counseling participants had success in adopting their financial action plan.
95 percent of mortgage default clients did not lose their homes to foreclosure.
520 youth were enrolled in 4-H VCE clubs and camps.
The 4-H Embryology Project distributed more
than 1,800 eggs to 84 schools and clubs reaching 12,486 youth in the greater Prince William area.
10
YEAR IN REVIEW
4-H staff and volunteers held 101 events with 3,378 attendees.
The Agriculture and Natural Resources program hosted 88 environmental education activities serving 1,967 participants.
197 BEST Lawns Urban Nutrient Management plans were completed.
Master Gardener Volunteers, leading the Plant a
Row for the Hungry program, collected more than 129,540 pounds of produce from the Dale City and Manassas Farmers Markets and delivered to Prince William Food Rescue and House of Mercy.
The Office of Communications & Engagement planned and executed the annual 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony.
Public Works received the APWA Award for the bandalong project.
520 youth were enrolled in 4-H VCE clubs and camps.
Transportation held the inaugural Bike to Work Day youth poster contest.
Community Services launched a fentanyl/ opioid youth media campaign utilizing Opioid Abatement Funds.
Nearly 105,000 attended library programs and events. 11
FINANCE, COMMUNICATIONS & ENGAGEMENT, EQUITY & INCLUSION FINANCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS 99.2 percent Tax Collection Rate for 2022 achieved.
Mobius Workforce Payroll module successfully
implemented in collaboration with HR, DoIT, AST and Financial Reporting & Control as part of the Mobius Human Capital Management system implementation.
Coordinated with Emergency Management for the tracking and identification of FEMA eligible public assistance costs resulting in the reimbursement of more than $7 million.
The county retained its Triple-AAA bond rating
and stable outlook from all three major rating agencies (Fitch/Moody’s/S&P Global) in 2022 and again in 2023.
Completed all required ARPA filings in accordance with established Department of Treasury deadlines. It is important to note that 3,544 of 4,266 jurisdictions in the U.S. are non compliant with their ARPA filings and reports — Prince William County is compliant.
No findings on CARES Act for the FY2021 and
FY2022 Single-Audits, and the state’s oversight audit produced no findings either.
Implemented a new Claims Management System in Risk & Wellness Services.
The PWC Code was amended by the Board as
they adopted an ordinance creating a Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) financing program to operate in coordination with the Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Energy’s statewide C-PACE program after several months of analysis and research by Treasury Management, County Attorney’s Office, Tax Administration, and the Director’s Office.
AWARDS Finance received, for the 42nd consecutive
year, GFOA’s Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the FY2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR).
inance received, for the 17th consecutive F
year, GFOA’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in the FY2022 PAFR designed to serve a broader audience than the ACFR.
COMMUNICATIONS & ENGAGEMENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS Worked closely with the County Executive
to coordinate seven listening sessions with approximately 260 employees in attendance. Reviewed, analyzed and categorized the 189 topics discussed.
Coordinated all efforts and co-hosted with the
County Executive on two Employee Townhalls, which were delivered virtually with great reception and feedback.
Coordinated the first ever GovFest: Employee
Connection, which had approximately 30 agencies as vendors and nearly 300 employees in attendance. Received incredibly positive feedback on the event.
Led and promoted the 2023 Organizational
Survey, which surveyed more than 6000 employees. Analyzed data and had one-on-one sessions with departments to go over results and encourage creation of action plans.
12
YEAR IN REVIEW
Continue to lead the county’s Change
Management efforts around Mobius Workforce, creating 49 pieces of content to include meetings, videos, newsletters and other material.
Launched the new intranet, PWConnects, which
included a complete overhaul of structure and design to focus on topic-driven content, allowing for a much better end-user experience.
Created a dynamic organizational chart to reflect
the changes of the new organizational structure, as well as worked with the impacted county agencies to make the appropriate changes in the structure of the county’s website.
Partnered with several county agencies to
create marketing material and/or provide support for their public campaign efforts, to include Move Over: It’s the Law, Human Rights Student Leadership Council Cohort 8, National Preparedness Month, Fentanyl Exposed Campain, I-66 Commuter Options, and more.
EQUITY & INCLUSION ACCOMPLISHMENTS Engaged in an Equity and Inclusion review
to move the county’s workforce toward a collaborative human-centered culture to align with what employees most want and value. The Equity and Inclusion Review and Overall Findings Report recommends three key priorities: Priority 1: Organizational Culture and Climate; Priority 2: Organizational Infrastructure; and Priority 3: Community Engagement and Services. These key priorities align with the county’s Strategic Plan and the organization’s vision and values. The indicators will inform the employee cycle and ensure our systems and business standards continue to provide equitable and fair outcomes to support an inclusive workforce that serves the community.
Developed the Equity Impact Screening
Assessment (EISA) tool as a guide during planning policies, standard order of procedures and programs to address and eliminate barriers and unintended impacts to employees and community members.
Operationalized the five guiding principles of
community engagement — informing, consulting, involving, collaborating and empowering.
bring employees together to improve employee engagement, advocacy, professional development opportunities, identification of untapped leaders and greater cross-community/business collaboration.
In June, the Inclusion Leadership Cohort Training
celebrated 85 leaders who successfully completed eight months of coursework. The 2023-2024 leadership cohort is underway, with more than 120 leaders from across the organization. The cohort builds leadership capacity to leverage inclusion as a systems approach.
AWARDS
DiversityMBA has acknowledged the ingenuity
of the Equity and Inclusion Office and has awarded Chris Shorter the Top 100 Under 50 – Executive Leadership Award for outstanding leadership in advancing the county’s culture of equity and inclusivity.
Forming Employee Resource Groups (ERG), voluntary, employee-led groups formed to
Hosted several employee events and Board
events, to include Memorial Day Ceremony, 9/11 Ceremony, Swearing-In Ceremony for Gainesville District Supervisor, and others; and supported several other events hosted by other county agencies.
Successfully managed 29 Board meetings, to
include agenda creation and meeting logistics for each meeting, including multiple meetings that lasted several hours with very large crowds.
250 videos produced (including Board meetings) 199 General Assembly and committee meetings attended.
155 communications with state and federal delegations.
49 ordinances processed and 603 resolutions processed.
Continue to engage and foster positive working relationships with our state, federal and local elected officials, as well as regional and state legislative liaisons. Successfully managed the county’s legislative agenda during the 2023 General Assembly Session.
47 events supported 139 articles produced 210,000 video views online 771 graphic arts pieces produced FINANCE, COMMUNICATIONS & ENGAGEMENT, EQUITY & INCLUSION
13
FUTURE OUTLOOK FOCUS ON CUSTOMER SERVICE As we continue our clear focus on ensuring residents, visitors, employees and those doing business in Prince William County have the best possible experience with our organization, customer service is a priority. Key areas of focus include:
Identifying and implementing process improvement and transformation initiatives through the success of the Transformation Management Office; Creating a better employee experience by launching a new intranet and other tools that will lead to greater engagement; Holistically looking at the county’s alert notifications to create a better customer service experience in signing up and receiving information from the county; Clearing the Planning Office case backlog by defining “cases” and developing a set of metrics to accurately report and track progress, as well determining an acceptable workload and addressing the gap between the current workload and acceptable workload; Making taxpayer business service improvements to continue to improve customer service in Tax Administration, including the creation of a customer-centric dedicated service team to focus on the development of materials, tools and/or technology for a more taxpayer-friendly customer experience; Reimagining human resources for the organization to better serve our workforce by ensuring appropriate classification and compensation of positions, providing needed and desired training to help employees grow within the organization, and collaborating with departments to help accomplish their recruitment and retention goals; Finalizing and implementing the equity and inclusion impact plan to address the three priorities of improving organizational culture and climate, employee experience and community engagement; Working on community coordinated response that involves a multi-disciplinary approach to address identified concerns in our community, with a current focus on developing and implementing strategies to reduce panhandling in the community; and Working on mobile integrated health to establish a plan to reduce the number of EMS incidents, particularly those events generated by high-frequency users, by focusing on data-informed risk assessment, dispatch protocol changes, improving the efficiency of paramedicine services, call diversion strategies, and increasing Basic Life Support transports.
CRISIS RECEIVING CENTER
We are currently in the process of awarding a contract for construction of the Crisis Receiving Center (CRC). Staff is working diligently to efficiently and expeditiously in moving this project forward. We anticipate the opening of the CRC to clients in early 2025.
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YEAR IN REVIEW
FUTURE OUTLOOK DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
The digital transformation of constituent services to ensure positive touchpoints and interaction with customers that occurs online is a priority. Services to accomplish this include seeking a 311 solution, mobile app, citizen portal, website adaptation, chatbot assistant/AI, texting capability, and where needed, some business process re-engineering.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Affordable housing continues to be a priority for the Board, the community and the staff with a draft of the Affordable Dwelling Unit Ordinance being put before the Board for adoption in early 2024, a plan to roll out the ordinance in two phases, and the proposed FY25 budget inclusive of an affordable housing program budget.
COMMUNITY SURVEY
The county will embark on a Community Survey in the spring/summer of 2024, the first since the end of the pandemic. The results of that survey will help identify areas where the county government is serving its residents well and areas we need to improve.
SOLHEIM CUP
Prince William County will be in the spotlight Sept. 10-14, 2024, with the Solheim Cup being hosted at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville. With approximately 150,000 attendees expected over the four days of the event, it is a great opportunity to showcase our community and it will also take a tremendous amount of work and coordination by all parties involved.
FY2025 BUDGET
The Proposed FY25 Budget will balance operational mandates, legal requirements, investments in constituent experience, and programmatic initiatives. New budget initiatives will have performance metrics that will provide transparency and accountability on their return on investment.
STRATEGIC PLANNING
Executive Management will launch the process to develop the 2025-2028 strategic plan. The plan’s framework will align with the four quadrants of government: Safe and Secure Community; Mobility, Economic Growth and Resiliency; Government Operations, Performance and Innovation; and Health, Wellbeing and Environmental Sustainability.
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING IMPLEMENTATION
Staff will complete a fiscal impact study of the tentative Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) for IAFF and PWCPA and present the agreements to the Board for ratification in January 2024, with necessary steps to be initiated once ratification has occurred.
FUTURE OUTLOOK
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1 County Complex Court Prince William, VA 22192 pwcva.gov