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Public Policy Positions

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Guiding Principles

The Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce is committed to serving as the advocate and "voice of business" on behalf of its more than 1,100 members on issues that impact businesses in the County. The Chamber's positions are based on the following principles that we believe are critical to continue Loudoun County's economic success and the quality of life our residents enjoy and businesses demand:

The following outlines the Chamber's specific public policy positions on the priority issues of its members.

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The Loudoun County Chamber supports making Loudoun County highly competitive in the global marketplace through aggressively promoting the retention and expansion of existing businesses, and by creating an environment that is conducive to the formation and attraction of new ones, thus assuring the County's continued prosperity. The Chamber supports increased public and private economic development efforts focused on encouraging the growth of appropriate, quality businesses in the County in order to increase the current ratio of the County's commercial tax base relative to the residential tax base.

To foster successful economic development, the Chamber strongly recommends that adequate land areas be designated and carefully reserved to meet the long-term needs of future business development, including developing the full potential of transit station areas. Further, the Chamber encourages the County to ensure that its land use categories and the land areas so designated are responsive to the full complement of current and future market demands, such as for vertically mixed-use environments. To this end, the Chamber supports the County's efforts to conduct outreach leading to strong visions and plans for its premier business corridors. These plans should be used to implement and achieve the highest and best business growth.

The Chamber also believes that top priority should continue to be given to reviewing and revising, as appropriate, the processes by which development plans, building permit applications, and other related government processes impacting businesses are considered and evaluated, as well as the associated fees that are assessed. Existing codes and procedural requirements that do not contribute to meaningful improvement of the application or proposal under consideration must be streamlined or completely eliminated where appropriate, and fees assessed should be consistent with the actual cost to the County to facilitate the process. The Chamber also supports the County's efforts to work with developers to encourage and incent green or sustainable development without adding additional time and expense to the development process. The Chamber specifically supports efforts to encourage business growth through streamlining the development review process, annual updates to the zoning ordinance, regular updates to the community's Comprehensive Plan and incentives for energy efficiency It is among our highest priorities that changes be made to the sign ordinance to ensure it is competitive and business-friendly.

The Chamber believes Loudoun County should invest additional financial and personnel resources to fund a more aggressive and comprehensive national and international marketing program that leverages the County's strongest economic assets, including industry sectors where Loudoun possesses a clear competitive advantage. To promote and properly evaluate the effectiveness of the County's economic development program, the Loudoun County Chamber supports the development and implementation of measurable performance goals and metrics that ensure the appropriate level of accountability for the County's elected leaders and professional staff.

Because of the unique and invaluable contributions that small businesses offer Loudoun's economic prosperity, the Chamber strongly supports increased state and federal funding for the Loudoun Small Business Development Center, while maintaining the financial support currently offered by Loudoun County and the Town of Leesburg. The Chamber also supports the development of business incubators in the County that will allow for and encourage collaboration and innovation by providing office space where entrepreneurs and innovators can work together and share ideas, and where small businesses have the opportunity to grow stronger and more quickly.

Further, recent changes in the national and world economies are creating new opportunities for businesses to locate or expand in Loudoun County, as well as for the County to benefit from sizable corporate relocations. The Chamber encourages the General Assembly to continue to invest in business incentive programs, thus encouraging dynamic and growing businesses to invest in Loudoun County. To help create an environment in which Loudoun County can attract and retain top-quality companies, priority should be given to reviewing the qualification criteria for Virginia's business incentive programs. Furthermore, the Chamber supports the continued funding of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) incentive programs and encourages the VEDP to develop state incentive programs that focus on company retention and recruitment. The Chamber pledges to work with and support the VEDP on incentive programs that encourage higher paying jobs.

To ensure that Loudoun County's tremendous potential is not diminished, the Chamber opposes arbitrary efforts to limit or suspend growth and economic development. The Chamber believes that elected officials must be mindful that excessive and inconsistent restrictions placed on new business development or expansion that do not contribute materially to improving the quality and effectiveness of that development send a negative signal to prospective businesses considering our County as a place to locate and grow. The Chamber believes it is critical that commitments made in the course of any economic development negotiations always be fully honored by both government and the business.

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TOURISM AND BUSINESS TRAVEL

The Loudoun County Chamber recognizes the quality of life and economic benefits that a thriving tourism destination contributes to Loudoun County. The Chamber strongly believes that visitors of all types – business, leisure and groups – should be encouraged to visit Loudoun and be greeted warmly by businesses and residents alike. The Chamber also recognizes that tourism and travel does not just occur and that a thriving destination requires marketing, promotion, and tourism coordination and development.

Because of the economic advantages offered by a robust visitor and conference/meetings industry, from both business and leisure travel, the Chamber supports an integrated, well-funded approach to marketing Loudoun as a visitor destination. We believe that Loudoun's destination marketing and funding strategy must place high priority on those activities that generate the most tax revenue, while creating economic opportunities for County businesses in the visitor and conference/meetings industry. Sports and performing arts venues, in particular, deserve careful consideration to enhance the experience of the leisure and business traveler, as well as to attract more businesses to the County.

In addition, the Chamber supports inclusion of high value business sectors and corridors beyond those traditionally associated with tourism in the County's destination marketing strategy. These would include, but not be limited to, educational facilities like universities or training centers that attract large meetings and groups. In addition, the Chamber recommends that Loudoun's strategy target corporate travel decision makers in order to generate more overnight stays from the County's high value business sectors.

Given the opportunities to leverage Loudoun's unique tourism assets to benefit business expansion, while generating more leisure trips from the business travel market, the Chamber advocates that the County continue a more aligned approach to economic development and its visitor/conference marketing that is also driven by measurable performance goals and metrics that ensure the appropriate level of accountability.

The Chamber also supports efforts to ensure regulations, taxes and zoning ordinances are structured to enable tourism to prosper and will help to distinguish Loudoun County as a preferred destination.

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REGULATORY REFORM

The Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce supports a regulatory regime at the federal, state and local government levels that emphasizes the importance of strong economic growth while ensuring rules are cost-effective and based on valid scientific and technical data. The Chamber supports a level playing field from a regulatory standpoint that does not advantage one industry over another. The Chamber asserts that all levels of government should conduct reliable cost-benefit analyses of all proposed regulations and provide a detailed annual accounting of the costs and benefits of those regulations.

The Chamber believes that government laws, regulations and policies should not unnecessarily restrict private property rights, and believes that private property owners should be justly compensated for any reductions in the value of their property caused by government actions.

Unfunded Mandates and Policies: The Loudoun County Chamber opposes the imposition of unfunded mandates or policy positions, particularly those that would require Virginia's or Loudoun County's businesses and other taxpayers to fund the long-term costs of these mandates.

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GOVERNANCE

The Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce believes that, in order to effectively meet the needs and concerns of Virginia's businesses and residents, government must operate with a business-minded focus on efficiency, responsiveness and strategic vision that enables government to adjust to rapidly changing economic and political landscapes. In order for business and the economy to prosper and, therefore, generate increased tax revenues to help support the implementation of government's core functions, it is critical that the regulatory and policy environment allow for continuity or operational stability in the jurisdictions in which our members operate. For these reasons, the Chamber supports the following positions related to governance that we believe will help enable a more stable, consistent, business-friendly, and business-focused environment.

Staggered Terms: Drastic changes among the Board of Supervisors members (and related changes to the Planning Commission and other Board-appointed positions) over the past 20 years have led to a swinging political pendulum that has resulted in adverse impacts on Loudoun County's reputation and its economic development policies. The potential for major policy shifts creates uncertainty for County businesses, investors, and citizens, and has a negative effect on economic growth and development of the County.

The International City/County Management Association and the National Civic League have deemed staggered board terms a "best practice" for local governance. Staggered terms exist in 52 of Virginia's 95 counties, where they provide a measure of continuity and predictability in government, and help mitigate the potential for wholesale shifts in policies that dramatically impact areas such as land use, transportation and taxation.

For these reasons, in order to foster more stability and continuity on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, the Loudoun County Chamber supports a system of staggered election cycles, rotating every two years, for the four-year Supervisor terms. Under this system, five seats on the Board of Supervisors would be placed on the ballot two years apart from the other four Supervisor seats.

For similar reasons, the Chamber also supports implementation of staggered terms for the Loudoun County School Board.

At-Large Magisterial Districts: To provide for more of a countywide perspective on the Board of Supervisors, the Loudoun County Chamber supports having additional at-large seats on the Board. The strong imbalance towards magisterial districts has fostered a parochial perspective on the Board of Supervisors that does not provide sufficient emphasis on the greater good of the entire County. The Chamber believes more at-large districts will correct this imbalance and create greater accountability on decisions that impact the greater good of all of Loudoun County.

Form of Government: Loudoun County is a rapidly growing and evolving community, facing more and different challenges than were imagined even just 20 years ago. Today, there are serious questions regarding whether the County's current form of government, defined as a Traditional Form of Government by the Commonwealth of Virginia, is adequately constructed to position the County to meet its greatest challenges.

Following up on County Administrator Tim Hemstreet's analysis of the various forms of government available to the County, the Loudoun County Chamber strongly advocates the Board of Supervisors appoint a citizens-stakeholder committee to further research and analyze alternative forms of government. This committee should be charged with making recommendations to the Board of Supervisors within a narrowly defined timeframe – ideally no more than one year – with a commitment that the Board would act on those recommendations no more than six months after they are presented.

Two-Term Governor: In order to foster greater stability and continuity in state government operations, the Loudoun County Chamber strongly advocates that the General Assembly approve a Constitutional amendment to allow Virginia's future Governors to seek a second consecutive term.

Initiative and Referendum: The Loudoun County Chamber believes Virginians are well-served by the legislative process that provides for reasoned deliberation, debate, compromise, and agreement among elected citizen legislators who are held accountable by frequent elections. Virginia has a referenda process by which the General Assembly may authorize the submission of specific state and local issues to popular vote. The Loudoun County Chamber opposes amendment to the Virginia Constitution to alter this process to incorporate initiative and referendum procedures that bypass the legislature. The Chamber believes such procedures undermine the principles of representative government that are fundamental to an orderly, stable system of government in a complex society.

Privatization: The Loudoun County Chamber supports efforts to examine the role of all levels of government in providing goods and services in order to determine those which might be provided more efficiently, effectively, and economically in and by the private sector and non-profit organizations, particularly in the areas where services beyond the core functions of government are being provided by government.

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EMPLOYMENT AND LABOR ISSUES

The Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce supports legislative and regulatory policies that stimulate economic growth and create jobs by allowing businesses to fairly manage their personnel resources without undue government or outside intervention. The Chamber strongly favors allowing free market conditions to determine important labor issues such as compensation and conditions of employment, while strongly advocating that all employers meet their legal and ethical obligations to their employees and the government. The Chamber opposes expanded government regulation of the workplace, including legislation that would limit an employer's right to operate during a strike.

Unionization and Right To Work Laws: The Loudoun County Chamber opposes any local, state or federal laws or regulations that undermine Virginia's Right To Work laws, which have played a historically significant role in the state's nationally recognized economic and employment growth.

The Chamber opposes all federal legislative or regulatory proposals that undermine the rights of Virginia's workers to secret ballot elections to decide whether to form a union. The Chamber also opposes legislative or regulatory proposals to authorize federal government officials to impose workplace rules, such as wage levels and work hours, in the absence of an agreement between management and employees. The Chamber also opposes the imposition of additional sanctions, such as fines against businesses for violations during the union recognition process.

Minimum Wage: Because increases in the minimum wage fall disproportionately on small businesses, which are often the least able to absorb dramatic increases in labor costs, the Loudoun County Chamber opposes increases in the minimum wage and believes that any increase must include provisions that lessen the cost and regulatory burden on Virginia's small businesses.

Unemployment Compensation: The Loudoun County Chamber supports Virginia's unemployment compensation laws, which provide adequate and temporary financial assistance to employees who become unemployed through no fault of their own. The Chamber opposes the extension of benefits to workers who, through their own actions or inactions, become unemployed, including as a result of an employer-initiated lockout or an employee strike.

Wage and Benefit Mandates: The Loudoun County Chamber opposes Living Wage proposals and other government mandates that establish wage and benefits levels as a condition for obtaining contracts with that government.

Workers' Compensation: The Loudoun County Chamber opposes any changes to Virginia's workers' compensation law that would increase costs and regulatory burdens on businesses, or otherwise undermine the laws existing sound principles and purpose.

Repeal Davis-Bacon Act and Project Labor Agreements: The Loudoun County Chamber supports the outright repeal of the Davis-Bacon Act and the imposition of "prevailing wage," including through Project Labor Agreements, on any construction contract over $2,000, funded in whole or in part by the federal government.

The benefits of the "prevailing wage" go to a very few at the expense of taxpayers and the Act is a prime example of an unfunded mandate and government waste. Davis-Bacon inflates the cost of federally funded construction projects by as much as 15%, discourages economic growth, and benefits the select few at the expense of all taxpayers – at a cost of more than $1 billion annually. Davis-Bacon unfairly disadvantages non-union construction companies while forcing state and local governments to pick up the cost of artificially high wages.

In-sourcing: The Loudoun County Chamber opposes any federal, state, or local in-sourcing of private sector labor positions to government sector positions, unless the function being in-sourced is inherently governmental in nature and/or the in-sourcing decision is substantiated by a bona-fide cost-benefit analysis that shows that efficiencies and documented cost savings will result from the in-sourcing activity. Any such cost-benefit analysis must reflect all true costs associated with both the private sector activity, as well as the government sector activity, to include items such as, but not all inclusively, direct labor costs, fringe benefit costs, retirement costs, overhead costs, general and administrative costs, and any other direct and indirect costs that would be incurred by either party.

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TAX AND REVENUE POLICY

The Loudoun County Chamber strongly urges elected leaders to actively engage the Chamber and other business leaders in every stage of consideration and development of new tax and revenue policies that impact the business climate in Loudoun County.

At the local level, the Loudoun County Chamber supports sound taxation policies that effectively balance the County's ability to finance the vital government services and operations that businesses and residents require, with the need to maintain a strong, pro-business environment that enhances the County's economic competitiveness.

To serve this goal, the Chamber strongly supports a comprehensive taxation strategy that carefully considers all available revenue options, and then implements the appropriate options, at the appropriate levels, to meet the County's resource needs. This comprehensive taxation strategy must also be accompanied by a stringent, business-like analysis of all County programs and service levels, to effectively align the investment of limited business and residential taxpayer resources with those government operations that serve the most vital interests of the County.

In addition, we urge that all tax policies be assessed against the potential impact on Loudoun's economic competitiveness and quality of life, not just on the revenues that are anticipated. The Chamber opposes those tax policies, both existing and proposed, that will have a demonstrably adverse impact on net business and job growth. Further, the Chamber is opposed to any capital facilities fee increases that will inflate the cost of housing to the point of creating a disincentive for businesses to locate in Loudoun County. The Chamber urges the County to regularly and closely analyze the capital needs assessment to ensure that the programmed capital improvements (which are utilized in calculating capital facilities fees) bear a clear relationship to Loudoun County's goals to be business friendly.

At the state level, the Loudoun County Chamber supports the substantive reform of Virginia's tax and revenue system to more closely align the source of the Commonwealth's tax revenues with the spending priorities of state and local government. Even in these challenging economic times, northern Virginia is still experiencing economic prosperity, which generates income and other tax revenues that significantly benefit state government. Meanwhile, northern Virginia's local governments continue to be dependent upon local property tax revenues to fund schools, public safety, human services and even transportation improvements. The Chamber believes high growth areas, like Loudoun County, should have greater access to the income tax revenue generated by its citizens to support the increased costs associated with that growth, such as building new schools and roads, and paying the salaries of teachers and public safety personnel.

The Chamber believes the state must invest in essential infrastructure that is critical to the economic health of the revenue-producing regions in Virginia in order to enable the success in these regions that benefits the entire Commonwealth. We specifically support rebate of a percentage of the state individual income tax back to the locality from which it was collected to help address this issue. The Chamber encourages business-friendly tax policy that considers policies in other states, to ensure Virginia businesses can remain competitive in national and international markets. The Chamber encourages full consideration of the overall economic impact of a business or industry's presence in Virginia prior to awarding or removing any business sales tax exemption, as well as before considering any other significant change to business tax policy.

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INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT

The Loudoun County Chamber supports managed, thoughtful growth in the County. This includes support for well planned commercial growth and development that will bring additional resources to the County to help address the infrastructure challenges we face. The Chamber supports use of public-private partnerships and other creative initiatives to encourage the availability of resources to invest in critical infrastructure, including schools, transportation, technology, parks and recreational facilities, and public safety, to meet the needs of today's Loudoun County businesses and residents. The Chamber also supports an open dialogue and improved coordination between the business community, County and Loudoun's towns on development and infrastructure issues.

Transportation: The Loudoun County Chamber assigns top priority to securing new, sustainable regional and statewide transportation funding. To that end, restoring regional funding (without prejudice) and addressing the Commonwealth's growing statewide maintenance deficit should be a major priority of the 2011 General Assembly session. Responsibility for enacting new regional funding rests with the General Assembly, not local governments.

To better direct transportation allocations, the Chamber supports development of a performance-based statewide transportation plan focused on existing and new corridors of statewide and regional significance. Such a plan should include a short list of strategic priorities deemed most essential to the Commonwealth's long-term prosperity, safety, security and quality of life.

The Chamber supports continued reforms within the Virginia Department of Transportation and use of public-private partnerships, but believes that such initiatives are no substitute for the new funding required to address the growing backlog of unfunded priorities.

At the local/regional level, the Loudoun County Chamber supports construction of a comprehensive transportation grid. The Chamber urges the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority to be regional in its approach above all else, and to establish regional priorities based upon performance-based criteria. The Chamber further urges the Authority to leverage and invest new local, regional and state revenues in regional solutions that move the most people in the most cost-effective manner. The Chamber supports use of debt financing at the state, regional and local levels, accompanied by a dedicated revenue source for debt service, as an important tool to invest in transportation infrastructure.

The Chamber also supports more efficient use of current transportation dollars, including a re-examination of the state transportation allocation formula to provide for more emphasis on population, vehicle miles of travel and other congestion standards that would net a more equitable distribution of money for our region. The Chamber opposes using revenue from the Transportation Trust Fund for non-transportation purposes. The Chamber also endorses requiring the Highway Maintenance and Operating Fund to be self-sustaining and supports efforts to prohibit transfer of construction funds from the Transportation Trust Fund to disguise maintenance funding deficiencies

In terms of specific projects, the Loudoun County Chamber supports:

The Loudoun County Chamber also supports consideration of graduated tolling and other options along the Dulles Greenway in order to determine if there can be increased utilization of that existing transportation corridor and reduced use of alternative, congested routes.

The Loudoun County Chamber has long supported a sustainable revenue source for transit construction, operation and maintenance needs, and urges that a portion of new regional revenues be dedicated for such purpose. We also support local transit to serve the major businesses and job centers in the County and the use of advanced technology and integrated communications, as well as teleworking, to help alleviate traffic congestion.

The Chamber acknowledges the importance of efforts to conserve and ensure the efficient use of energy and fuels. In addition, with regard to the environment, the Chamber believes the greatest reductions in greenhouse gases in the transportation sector will be achieved through the development of higher mileage and alternative fuel vehicles, and supports greater investments in these and other carbon dioxide-reducing technologies. The Chamber also supports more intense use of the land to leverage the value of transportation investments to the best extent possible and encourage walkable communities.

The Loudoun County Chamber recognizes the economic and tourism value of both Washington Dulles International Airport and Leesburg Executive Airport.

Therefore, the Chamber supports continued infrastructure investment at Washington Dulles International Airport, including expansion of concourses to provide additional aircraft gates and amenities. Further, the Chamber strongly supports maintaining compatible land uses in the areas surrounding the airport.

With regard to Leesburg Executive Airport, which is the second busiest General Aviation airport in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Chamber supports maintaining compatible land uses near the airport, within the Town of Leesburg and the County, in order to maximize the airport's value. The Chamber also supports efforts by the Town of Leesburg to attract more compatible businesses to and around the airport and supports Loudoun's efforts to work cooperatively with the Town on tax and other issues to attract more business travel and activity at Leesburg Executive Airport.

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Technology: The Loudoun County Chamber recognizes the expanded role of technology as a critical enabler for economic development in northern Virginia. Loudoun County is home to unique resources that distinguish this area from other locations in a variety of technology fields, including biomedical research, satellite, information technology, broadband providers, and others. Further, because of these unique characteristics and the rich resources already present here, the County stands poised to become the preferred location for firms focused on the development and implementation of technologies which support and enhance business and residential green applications. Therefore, the Chamber supports policy initiatives that attract and sustain businesses that offer these services in Loudoun County. We also support policy that encourages the adoption of technologies that improve the management of our natural resources.

In recognition of the importance of universal availability of broadband for creating jobs, growing our economy, attracting investment, facilitating telework opportunities, establishing communications infrastructure for public safety, and providing access to educational and training resources, the Loudoun County Chamber supports policy that encourages continued growth of Loudoun's broadband infrastructure. The Chamber encourages investment in the necessary infrastructure to enable cutting-edge wireless and other Internet infrastructure in Loudoun, and supports cooperation between government and commercial interests to maximize broadband access throughout the County.

To encourage a vibrant information technology industry and the use of technology in all businesses in Loudoun, the Chamber supports the following public policy initiatives:

Energy: Loudoun County has established itself as the global leader for cyberspace and has an economic engine built around communications firms and large-scale data centers, all intensive energy consumers. The County's economic well being is intrinsically tied to affordable and abundant energy, particularly electricity. In addition to insisting upon compliance with all applicable environmental laws and regulations, the Loudoun County Chamber supports maintaining open channels of communication with government agencies, public officials, the media and the public to meet their needs with regard to energy and environmental issues. Additionally, the Chamber supports participation with government agencies and others in framing responsible laws, regulations and standards affecting the community, the workplace and the environment to continually improve energy diversity, conservation and environmental programs.

The Loudoun County Chamber recognizes that, as the County grows, its energy requirements will increase as well. These additional needs cannot be met by the current sources of energy. The Chamber acknowledges the solution must include a diverse mix of options, including increased conservation and energy efficiency, new sources of conventional and renewable energy, and new transmission and distribution infrastructure. Reliable, affordable energy is required to support the needs of business and to sustain the community's high quality of life.

The Chamber supports the development of statewide goals for energy conservation and renewable energy sources, consistent with the goals outlined in the Virginia Energy Plan. However, a responsible energy plan for the Commonwealth should emphasize the importance of a reliable energy supply to support the continued development of technology and information-based commerce in Loudoun County.

At the local level, the Chamber encourages the development of a long-term, County-wide energy plan which includes an emphasis on energy generation, transmission and conservation.

While the Chamber supports increased use of economically viable energy efficiency and conservation programming, it also believes every effort should be made to minimize any additional financial burden that these programs may impose on both businesses and consumers. The Chamber also believes that every effort should be made to minimize additional financial burdens imposed on businesses and consumers by climate change regulation or legislation. Improperly crafted climate change regulation could have a significant detrimental impact on businesses and consumers alike. The Chamber supports a holistic approach to energy policy, including incentives and proven market-based methodologies, to accomplish the identified goals whenever possible.

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ENVIRONMENT

Loudoun County has long-established, broad and effective environmental protections set out in the Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance, Facilities Standards Manual and Revised General Plan and such protections have, for years, ensured a thorough and diverse network of environmental protections. These protections have laid the foundation for Loudoun County becoming one of the top green counties nationwide.

The Chamber supports "green" initiatives throughout Loudoun County that are based on incentives and voluntary compliance. The Chamber specifically supports the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors' Green Business Challenge, the Virginia Municipal League's Green Government Challenge and other market-based voluntary initiatives supporting conservation, efficiency, and other economically viable green practices.

Because of the interrelationship between regulations and business growth, the Loudoun County Chamber strongly encourages government to take all steps necessary to ensure the predictability of Loudoun County's land development application process. Further recognizing the impact that the land development application process can have on a prospective business's decision to locate in Loudoun County, the Chamber urges the Board of Supervisors to fully consider the impact of any proposed environmental regulations, including the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance, on Loudoun's competitive advantages over other jurisdictions inside and outside the Commonwealth.

The Chamber supports reasonable, business-friendly efforts to protect the Chesapeake Bay. However, the Chamber is very concerned that a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) process for the Chesapeake Bay will chill economic development and impose real caps on business activities and economic growth in Loudoun County. Any TMDL process must be thoughtful, contain cost-efficient measures and must reflect the input of business stakeholders who, if such a process is implemented, will be required to comply with the process and its restrictions for years to come.

While the Chamber generally supports measures that will enhance Loudoun County's environment, it also believes every effort should be made to minimize any additional financial burden or degradation of the tax base that these measures may impose on both businesses and residents. Overly burdensome environmental regulation could have a significant detrimental impact on businesses and residents alike. The Chamber supports a holistic, Loudoun-appropriate environmental strategy that is flexible and reflects Loudoun's diverse land uses in its urban, suburban and rural areas. The Chamber strongly believes that any regulation that is considered must have a measurable positive impact, and utilize incentives and proven market-based methodologies to accomplish its stated objectives.

The Loudoun County Chamber supports policies that provide appropriate incentives – including, but not limited, to tax credits, development densities, fast track permitting approval and other measures that are competitive with those offered in surrounding jurisdictions – for businesses that invest in environmentally sustainable building designs and systems.

Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance: The Loudoun County Chamber believes that the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors should suspend all efforts to adopt a Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance, until after the E.P.A. and the Commonwealth of Virginia complete their efforts to adopt a TMDL standard and the subsequent requirements on Virginia jurisdictions to meet that standard.

Upon the issuance of the TMDL standards and the requirements on Loudoun County, the county must undertake a renewed effort to identify the specific areas and extent of water quality deficiencies, including the precise identification of the sources of these problems.

After completion of a thorough analysis of the extent and causes of Loudoun's water quality status, the Board of Supervisors should provide for a new Stakeholder input process that will be given adequate time, resources and staff support to recommend a targeted and effective plan to effectively address Loudoun County's unique and varied water quality challenges.

The Loudoun County Chamber continues to believe that targeted, supportable and incentive-based regulations, based on sound cost-benefit principles that reward businesses and other landowners for taking measures to protect both our natural and business environments be adopted.

Additionally, every effort must be made to protect Loudoun County's prized economic assets, including the county's most valuable and strategically located commercial development corridors and its rural businesses and agricultural operations.

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EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE

K-12 Education: The Loudoun County Chamber believes that a top performing K-12 education system, both public and private, that equips our students with skills, training and knowledge to become productive lifelong members of our nation's workforce is vital to the future prosperity and quality of life in our community. The Chamber also recognizes and embraces the critical leadership role that businesses and industry leaders play in ensuring the quality instruction, programs and results of our K-12 schools and workforce training programs.

The Loudoun County Chamber supports policies and systems in which students are expected to achieve at internationally competitive levels of proficiency, particularly within areas of critical need – such Science, Technology, Mathematics, Engineering and the Arts. To achieve this aim, the Loudoun County Chamber supports policies and practices within Virginia's educational systems that ensure the highest quality instruction content and learning environment.

To this end, the Chamber believes state and federal education funding should more appropriately reflect the full costs of all state and federal education mandates in addition to basic education costs. The Chamber has long advocated the reformulation of the state Education Funding Composite Index because it currently places Loudoun County Public Schools at a disadvantage and does not account for our County's special needs caused by continued enrollment growth, increasing numbers of students for whom English is not spoken in the home, and the added financial burden of operating in the high cost metropolitan Washington, D.C., area, nor does it accurately reflect revenues local governments' can access to pay for education. The Loudoun County Chamber also supports legislation that requires an increase in state funding for the Standards of Quality by 3 percent per year until the local share of education costs does not exceed 65 percent and the state share is equal to 35 percent of total costs. In addition, the Chamber supports offering competitive compensation to attract and retain highly qualified teachers, as now required by federal law.

The Chamber recognizes the current economic uncertainty will likely result in less revenue being available for education from all levels of government. With this in mind, the Chamber believes Loudoun County Public Schools and the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors must continue to work to implement cost reduction and operational efficiencies within our school system. The Chamber continues its offer to assist the school system and Loudoun County government in full implementation of the efficiency review recommendations released by MGT of American in 2007. Full implementation was projected to save the school system $2.2 million over five years. Beyond this, the Chamber supports continued consideration of increased efficiencies and willingness to review local education spending from top to bottom, particularly given the funding constraints and economic outlook.

The Chamber calls on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors and Loudoun County Public Schools to continue efforts to work together to outline a new framework for school site selection and land use permitting that streamlines the process, as called for by the 2007 MGT efficiency review, and locates new schools in a manner that supports both the education and economic development mission of our community. The Chamber opposes the use of commercially planned or zoned land for school sites, given the importance of preserving this land for future economic development opportunities.

The Chamber supports the establishment of The Governor's Career and Technical Academy in Loudoun. This institution, housed within the C.S. Monroe Technology Center, represents a significant partnership with Northern Virginia Community College and a number of regional industries and businesses. The Chamber supports development of innovative efforts like these which help raise Loudoun's K-12 efforts to K-14, providing a pathway for Loudoun students to further education or immediate employment in the region's high skill, high demand, and high wage employment sectors.

In addition to supporting efficient use of current resources by Loudoun County Public Schools, the Chamber also supports consideration of creative approaches to maximize and supplement traditional education funding, such as:

In recognition of the vital link between schools and the region's potential skilled workforce, the Chamber further supports:

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Higher Education and Workforce Development:The Loudoun County Chamber recognizes the importance of and supports all of the colleges and universities, both public and private, which provide high quality undergraduate, graduate and professional education to Loudoun's residents. The existing need for life-long education and training demands a higher education infrastructure that is accessible, both online and on campus, that is dynamically changing to meet the demands of the times and the diverse workforce, and that is supported by adequate state funding, loan guarantee programs and other financial means. The Chamber supports positioning the Commonwealth's public and private higher education institutions to play a full role in shaping job creation in a global knowledge-based economy. The Chamber calls on the Commonwealth's elected leaders to reverse a decade of reduction in state funding for higher education that has shifted the burden of funding to students and families.

The Chamber believes, however, that any new state investment must be targeted toward specific goals that will provide the best return on investment for every dollar spent, including:

With regard to our publicly funded institutions, the Chamber is very concerned that the current economic downturn will result in budget balancing action that would undermine the Commonwealth's ability to provide adequate per pupil state funding for George Mason University and Northern Virginia Community College. For the last decade, we have already seen the Commonwealth's real dollar investment in higher education decline. This long-standing funding inequity limits the ability of both institutions to meet the education and workforce development needs of the Commonwealth and our region. Should the Governor and the General Assembly reduce operational funding for either institution, the Chamber opposes any action to cap tuition increases as that will only exacerbate the reduction in funding. In addition, it could also force the institutions to take actions such as limiting class offerings and relying more on tuition from out-of-state-students, which would result in less space for in-state students at our Virginia schools. The Chamber believes that each institution must be provided the flexibility to address any fiscal shortages by balancing the needs of mission-critical activities against student affordability. The Chamber continues to support an increase in Tuition Assistance Grants to $3,500 for both undergraduate and graduate students, and notes that the need for a Cost of Living (COLA) adjustment for college and university employees has not been fully addressed.

The Chamber fully supports the transfer agreements that guarantee attendance for qualified graduates of Virginia's community colleges in Virginia's public four-year higher education institutions. However, we ask that the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia, Governor and General Assembly pay close attention to the program's impact on student slot availability at the state's four-year institutions. The benefits of this program to families and students can be undermined if the four-year institutions don't have room to take qualified student transfers.

The Chamber supported the creation of the 21st Century Capital Improvement Program to systemically address the programming and financing of capital projects for higher education and state agencies. The current economic downturn has seen a significant loss of jobs in the Commonwealth's construction sector. The Chamber asks the Governor and General Assembly to carefully consider maintaining funding for scheduled capital improvements at our higher education institutions. Private-sector firms are providing very competitive pricing, which allows funding to stretch further, creating an environment that can advance needed capital projects and reduce the loss of jobs in an important job sector. The Chamber believes this competitive pricing can help advance new, and much-needed, facilities for George Mason University and Northern Virginia Community College. With more and more local students opting to stay close to home for financial reasons and with increasing numbers of displaced workers seeking retraining for second careers, both institutions must be able to keep pace with the steady increase in local demand for their services. Over time, this will also necessitate a gradual ramping-up of local capital commitments which significantly leverage construction dollars.

We ask the Governor and General Assembly to consider making permanent for public four-year institutions and community colleges a program that reimburses institutions when they use their own funds to advance planning for critical capital projects.

The Loudoun County Chamber specifically supports the establishment a full-service, four-year university campus in Loudoun County, along with an expanded presence for Northern Virginia Community College in the County.

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Workforce Housing:The Loudoun County Chamber supports state and local policies, as well as private-sector initiatives, directed at increasing the availability of a wide range of housing options, both rental and for-sale, to meet the needs of Loudoun's growing population and workforce. The Chamber believes the lack of housing options for all ranges of household income is an impediment to sustaining a sound economy. We encourage Loudoun County to adequately plan for a wide range of urban, suburban and rural housing choices to support future economic development and job growth. The Chamber supports regional programs to ensure that all localities adopt inclusionary housing policies and programs, and provide housing opportunities at a broad range of prices near centers of employment and commercial services. The Chamber believes federal, state and local programs supporting workforce housing should be utilized and leveraged to the maximum extent practical. These programs should afford housing-related opportunities to a broad range of businesses, occupations and sectors of employment.

At the local level, the Chamber supports the investigation and potential implementation of creative solutions that will increase the availability of affordable housing alternatives for our workforce, especially for professionals in the healthcare, public safety, government and service industries. Examples of potential solutions include:

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Immigration: Immigrants have played a key role in the prosperity and growth of northern Virginia, filling key jobs in every sector of our economy and contributing to the rich cultural and intellectual experience that characterizes our region. Businesses increasingly depend on foreign workers to fill jobs to remain competitive, and grow to meet future demands for products and services.

The Chamber supports efforts by the Federal government to strengthen national security by providing thorough screening of foreign workers and creating strong disincentives for illegal immigration. The Loudoun County Chamber also advocates that all businesses strictly comply with state and federal labor laws regarding the screening of citizenship documentation provided by employees, to avoid the hiring of individuals who are not lawfully residing in the U.S.

The Chamber, however, opposes increased penalties on employers who unknowingly hire undocumented aliens until a consistent, reliable process for worker verification systems is established. The Chamber advocates that any such worker verification system not unduly burden employers, be properly funded, and have a high data integrity confidence factor.

The Chamber supports comprehensive immigration reform that, along with border security measures, will:

The Chamber believes that, on the immigration issue specifically, policymakers should be careful to ensure that legislation not increase costs and administrative burdens for businesses without any tangible economic benefit.

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HEALTHCARE

The Loudoun County Chamber recognizes the importance of the healthcare industry to the economy and the community, and supports federal and state reimbursement levels that do not harm providers or result in a shift of the payment burden to the private sector. The Chamber supports the continued introduction and expansion of healthcare facilities in Loudoun County to increase the availability of quality healthcare services for business owners, employees and their families.

The Chamber supports collaborative efforts between healthcare stakeholders, including providers, purchasers, insurers and consumers, to ensure continued innovation and creativity in the private marketplace. The goals of these efforts should include the following:

The Chamber is extremely concerned with the impact of federal healthcare reform legislation on the business community. Looking forward, the Chamber urges careful consideration of the impact of any policy change or development of regulations in this arena on the business community. We specifically support initiatives that improve quality and lower costs, encourage fair regulation of the insurance market, build a robust healthcare marketplace for consumers, provide expansion of coverage for the uninsured, expand the use of healthcare IT, create an emphasis on prevention and wellness, and promote pay-for-performance.

The Chamber specifically supports legislation that ensures access to group health insurance for all businesses, including sole proprietors and businesses with few employees. The Chamber supports legislation that reduces state burdens and provides tax incentives to help small businesses offset the staggering increases in health insurance costs, including incentives that encourage participation in "consumer-driven" healthcare plans. These plans not only can increase the number of catastrophically insured, but also put the individual end-users back in control of economic decisions between themselves and their service providers.

The Chamber opposes any legislation that threatens consumer access to healthcare coverage or contributes to increased health insurance costs for employers and their employees. In our community, the Chamber supports exploration of opportunities to provide affordable healthcare to members of the business community, including those without health insurance, through the Loudoun County Health Department, the Loudoun Free Clinic, and the Loudoun Community Health Center, as well as any other health-related service provider and/or clinic that the market will bear.

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CIVIL JUSTICE

The Loudoun County Chamber firmly supports maintaining Virginia's common sense legal system, which has enabled the Commonwealth to achieve its best-in-class economic environment. The Loudosun County Chamber also firmly opposes measures that would increase the burden of excessive litigation and diminish Virginia's competitive position. Therefore, the Loudoun County Chamber supports the following civil justice positions:

For more information about the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce's advocacy efforts, please call 703-777-2176 or visit the Chamber web site www.loudounchamber.org.

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Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce           
          www.loudounchamber.org © 2011 Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce all rights reserved.
          The 2011 “BizVotes Election Education Campaign” is intended solely as a voter education effort to keep Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce members on the candidates and their positions
          on business issues in the 2011 elections. The Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce makes no explicit or implied endorsement of any candidate for elected office.