[{"_1":2,"_110":-5,"_111":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6101433,"mediaKeyId","2809206-3b993bdddebfa9a4d72784e71313521c","parentId",2809206,"title","Gloucester staff says mobility data purchase is anonymized; residents raised privacy concerns","audioSeconds",2846,"startMs",6761000,"endMs",9607000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2809206-3b993bdddebfa9a4d72784e71313521c&start=6761&end=9607","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2809206-3b993bdddebfa9a4d72784e71313521c/thumbnail_6761000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6101433/Gloucester-County/Virginia/Gloucester-staff-says-mobility-data-purchase-is-anonymized-residents-raised-privacy-concerns","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6101433-afcdb23dc3eff047a03aea66736849a8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771162126&Signature=UdahLvqPRhPpGzhuMo5mzfwFxH3NX8kc5oDRxC5H~zgjsOcQ8NXHsktvBiVfqp2YZoohfEjeWxiGYAxjClER6KQ8S~6JSU8ZaWEhfwP52rVM9WcEe07frd8hZ~TDZI4VGfYeEbHOH90EJfgEVr7leptoaFRz4XyHS-Nxn6Le0KA-LIs6aFT-OyWmjgBZOVUhyYJ6cEaQbJ-2U9tJHoLaxhqRqIU0~vhglv3dbV-TmnHBbf36jQtNJc4nVy2J~GXFrlwM9PKCqSrA4zVXKCoDEURP-ZVHg8JLJYIA9mlE9jorBLA~R3QEH3G~bc0Z0aTHsVnC1xq44ktSxPYVGrDwXg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Gloucester County, VA","date","2025-03-27T12:58:26Z","article","County staff addressed residents’ questions about rumors that the county had purchased tracking devices that monitor residents’ phones. Staff said the county purchased a subscription to an anonymized mobility data service that aggregates cell‑phone location data to show visitation patterns by ZIP code and to aid tourism and economic-development analysis.

The matter drew attention because some residents described hearing rumors that the county was monitoring individuals in local businesses and parks. County staff said the purchased product provides only aggregated, anonymous visitation data (for example, how many devices visiting a location came from which ZIP codes) and cannot be used to identify individual people.

\"We are not tracking people,\" a county staff presenter said during the meeting. Staff described the purchase as a subscription intended to help the county’s economic-development office, planning work (including comp‑plan studies) and event planning by showing where visitors to county attractions originate.

Residents responded with a mix of privacy concern and interest in the planning use cases; staff said the product is a commercial analytics tool widely used by local governments and economic-development organizations and that the county’s use is limited to aggregated queries for planning or tourism measurement.

No policy change or contract amendment was adopted at the meeting. Staff said they would continue to answer public questions and make clear how the data will be used for planning and economic development.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Gloucester County Town Hall with Board of Supervisors, 3/26/25","oneSentenceSummary","County staff explained a subscription that aggregates anonymized cell‑phone mobility data for economic and planning analysis and told the public the county does not track individuals.","taxTitle","Gloucester County, Virginia","taxId",30980,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6101438,"Gloucester officials discuss water, sewer rates, AMI maintenance costs and a confidential purchase approach",5335,593000,5928000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2809206-3b993bdddebfa9a4d72784e71313521c&start=593&end=5928","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2809206-3b993bdddebfa9a4d72784e71313521c/thumbnail_593000.jpg","/articles/6101438/Gloucester-County/Virginia/Gloucester-officials-discuss-water-sewer-rates-AMI-maintenance-costs-and-a-confidential-purchase-approach","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6101438-67186a5d07ec157c47431aaddefb7e62/orig.mp4?Expires=1771162126&Signature=WIq5HGyRG~tdjfflOq5Ib2C1KRn4s8bkAPhj0sBtaWRa51iGzJS0TFHSQzTcpjB8Qn5sNkUkReizyRhTyZkWgVjaG8BGYLB94BWIWqKOA5l46PsEwRPrjMNkkz6K~vu4DN0GgXhkwMRBTNSjXSyjQ6HIYUqZkANrnV2XsHivosvvzrmHWh~u010tDfD4OLzMbFFb6tnJBhtcOEgbXu9Jm~LHb3eXX~rd5HKp~550WQsc8Sb01fdN5MAPVbwTyZnYI5PU5DLhllAlUsJSBQOhRE63qS-AQQyXzkaJ0NdIdv60Ip8x2DEvTg2~1hZ1MdtqTD7VJBYBBWfguLwKWrNoRw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","County staff used the town-hall forum to explain proposed utility rate increases, recurring maintenance costs for the county’s advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) contract and a confidential approach by a private company to buy the county’s water system.

The utility conversation matters to customers because staff said the multi-year rate plan is intended to cover increased debt-service capacity for capital needs, restore operating reserves and pay for ongoing maintenance and infrastructure repairs.

A county staff member said the AMI contract includes an annual maintenance agreement and that the first‑year maintenance cost was about $114,000, with annual increases projected in the mid‑single digits. Staff said monthly equipment fees charged to individual accounts are intended to cover that maintenance cost. The county’s utilities director described a multi‑year rate path that would rebuild enterprise reserves to roughly a quarter‑year of operating costs and would also enable debt service payments if the board chooses to borrow for capital projects.

On the question of whether a private company had offered to buy the county system, staff confirmed the county had been approached under a confidentiality process (the PPEA process was named). Staff described preliminary vetting, site visits and confidential negotiations; they said the board halted that avenue after concerns about losing local control and potential rate increases under private ownership. Staff noted that an offer, if accepted, would have been subject to paying current outstanding obligations and to the PPEA confidentiality rules while negotiations were active.

Separately, staff said the general fund does not currently subsidize the utilities enterprise fund and that past transfers had declined as prior debt obligations fell away. Utilities staff noted ongoing leaks and aging pipes countywide and described a multi‑year plan to address infrastructure as funding allows.

The board did not adopt changes to utility rates at the meeting; staff reminded residents of an upcoming public hearing to review specific proposed rate increases.

No formal agreement to sell the system exists; staff said the PPEA process and any potential proposal would require additional public disclosure steps and board approval before any sale or long‑term contract could proceed.","County staff described proposed multi-year water/sewer rate increases, annual maintenance costs for the AMI meter system and said the county had been approached confidentially about a potential sale of the water system.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6101443,"Budget questions surface as residents press Gloucester supervisors on advertised tax rates, reassessment and 'windfall'",764,219000,983000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2809206-3b993bdddebfa9a4d72784e71313521c&start=219&end=983","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2809206-3b993bdddebfa9a4d72784e71313521c/thumbnail_219000.jpg","/articles/6101443/Gloucester-County/Virginia/Budget-questions-surface-as-residents-press-Gloucester-supervisors-on-advertised-tax-rates-reassessment-and-windfall","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6101443-db51399792ba85ff358ad860d0a6ed87/orig.mp4?Expires=1771162126&Signature=TF0fdo15r2DveOc~ICr9B4y5g7spnAtOWdrmLEmWzzyjN-4dgPbhfn~c3OBXhHda~5wqMQWW78QwYvbLCI5NDxORskRJsNqVabxHnCGSovXOi~4OqPzhbGXIf4ul17lLedHTYTx1cFqc8JZSZoy7Fs-nN5LlzT84XhviiC~fdMgM5E-XGWxeQbbrmxpcAHWB5jEzs~wzwkS2N1tIdePQJK1WhJJ~abRHH~PCs5dlA4AIbHQ0p1jloG6Qag1~gOaHTNXe4WWcN66l~eRumEKXQKUxr6q1bTs3dlmPe4IYdovRgmeJRhXfSTU8-r4ZQ5FbKbYnqNlSWBP3tHRdBKizzA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Residents at a Gloucester County town hall pressed supervisors and staff for clearer answers about the county’s budget outlook, advertised tax rates for the coming fiscal year, and how any one‑time or recurring revenues would be used.

The nut of the exchange was whether advertised tax rates and an expected reassessment could create a July 1 \"windfall\" and, if so, how the board would spend that money.

Citizens raised multiple budget items: the county’s relationship to landfill receipts, whether parks and the Daffodil Festival are net costs or net economic drivers, the status of a compensation study and the presence of reassessment and advertised tax rates during the adoption process. A resident asked why the board would raise real‑estate tax rates if several departments showed program deficits.

County staff said the landfill arrangement with Waste Management produces revenue for the county because the county hosts the landfill and receives tipping-related receipts; staff described that revenue as part of the county’s general fund stream. Staff also told the meeting that the county’s adopted investment practices rely on secure instruments (the local government investment pool and the county’s local bank) and that staff do not have the latitude to invest public funds in higher-risk private instruments.

On parks and festivals, staff and supervisors emphasized that parks and recreation are not typically net revenue sources but that events such as the Daffodil Festival generate sales and lodging taxes and create broader tourism benefits. A county speaker said the festival maintains a reserve account to offset poor years and that the county receives additional sales and meals tax revenue from visitors.

On personnel costs, staff confirmed a board-authorized compensation study priced at $49,000; the county said the study is meant to update positions and pay steps that have not been reviewed in about 10 years and that results will be presented at a public meeting (expected in June). Several citizens asked whether the county could use assigned or unassigned fund balances as short-term liquidity until borrowing or contracts were finalized; staff described statutory and policy limitations on how the county may invest or reassign public funds and said recent interest income had been favorable compared with some alternatives.

Board members described trade-offs the board faced in 2023 when it chose a referendum path that bundled multiple capital projects. Several supervisors said, in hindsight, a narrower approach might have reduced public friction but that the board sought voter input because the package would have used general‑obligation bonds and required a multi‑million dollar borrowing that affected many projects.

There was no formal vote on budget changes at the meeting. Supervisors encouraged residents to follow the budget process, attend upcoming hearings and provide input; staff said specific revenue estimates tied to reassessment will be available once the board adopts a final tax rate.","At a Gloucester town hall residents questioned supervisors about advertised tax rates, reassessment impacts, use of fund balance, landfill revenue and a $49,000 compensation study.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":78,"_43":102,"_45":103,"_47":104,"_49":105,"_51":106,"_53":107,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":108,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":109,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6101448,"Gloucester supervisors debate financing and timeline for volunteer fire station after failed referendum",2292000,7627000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2809206-3b993bdddebfa9a4d72784e71313521c&start=2292&end=7627","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2809206-3b993bdddebfa9a4d72784e71313521c/thumbnail_2292000.jpg","/articles/6101448/Gloucester-County/Virginia/Gloucester-supervisors-debate-financing-and-timeline-for-volunteer-fire-station-after-failed-referendum","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6101448-7d80eeff77ca27369b0ceacb4556f90b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771162126&Signature=ZnhbBRz-WII8pgeijPpHfGsS8BAyI-NHLg60y2rKzY-9Cz71OJPGUPjB9tWBVyWQNmeWxvZ9Tt8brDaLT7omM5Z3uoNuOrEBbeXjzS2ygMydoAkIbspIsA53rpGDPc25TlW9QiSWizvP9xrO6xw2qL5wCbxrLhEnK4aFthX17-30HLG6Z25XO8r9B4yWMQoe41vqwstT76dOfFj6-ZuzpRjPQAffk5DtdyqftdLgzBl8nsGtjgf4~tESCNMxSeCg9MedWbxtrsFbQQk~8LTroo1QLygVTsGGpxzujoytMNBd~q2BSlMen6ALVN674ZEw7H5ueBT8GyMvMnXZHVqWQA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Gloucester County supervisors, staff and volunteer leaders used a town-hall session to revisit a failed 2023 referendum and the status of a planned Gloucester Volunteer Fire and Rescue station, discussing rising costs, potential funding sources and a timetable for construction.

The discussion matters because delay has increased the project price and supervisors said the county must choose whether to pursue individual loans, a smaller tax increase or revive a broader bond package to cover the station and other capital needs.

Residents pressed the board about earlier statements that the county “had the money” to build the station without a tax increase. Several supervisors and staff said the referendum decision, changes in assumed revenue and removing a potential one‑time sale of fire-department assets from the county’s revenue estimates altered the county’s borrowing capacity. Citizen Teresa Altimus, who reviewed Davenport financial scenarios presented to the board in 2023, asked why the board had not acted on an analysis that showed local transfer for debt service could have supported borrowing for the station.

County officials responded that the earlier scenarios had counted potential one‑time proceeds — including roughly $2.9 million estimated from sale of properties to be vacated by the fire department — that the board later judged too uncertain to rely on. Staff also said previously scheduled debt payments and the county’s existing debt service obligations limited room to add new loan payments without a larger, consolidated borrowing strategy.

Board members said the intent behind packaging the station within a larger referendum was to take advantage of low-rate general obligation bonds and to address multiple county capital needs together. Several supervisors told the audience they now see, in hindsight, that a narrower approach — raising the real‑estate tax by a smaller fixed amount to build the station first — might have avoided the delay.

Volunteer and fire-rescue leaders urged faster progress. Chief J.D. Climates, identifying himself as chief of Gloucester Volunteer Fire and Rescue, said the building committee was meeting with architects and working on the site plan and asked the board to accelerate permitting where lawful. \"We hope to get shovel in the ground by the end of the year,\" Chief Climates said.

County staff and supervisors said design and site-plan approvals remain the immediate items to complete; staff described site-plan review timelines as the \"critical path\" (roughly a 30‑day review cycle, multiple rounds of corrections) and said they are working with the fire‑department surveyors and engineers to keep the schedule moving.

Multiple residents and board members noted the project’s rising price tag during the delay. Officials told the town hall that project estimates have increased since 2023; one supervisor noted the project cost had increased several million dollars from earlier estimates. Officials also repeated that the county’s annual debt-service payments on prior borrowings continue to constrain near‑term borrowing capacity.

The board did not take a formal vote at the meeting; members said funding choices and the sequence of projects remain under review. Supervisors asked staff to continue working with the fire‑department building committee on site-plan approvals and to return with financing options and a clearer schedule for when borrowing could be executed.

Looking ahead, the county faces a choice between (a) seeking a smaller, targeted tax increase or loan to build the station first, (b) returning to a bundled referendum to capture lower general‑obligation bond rates but require broader voter buy‑in, or (c) pursuing phased borrowing while preserving contingency for other capital projects. Residents said they want clearer, earlier public explanations of which revenues the county counts as available when the board presents financing plans.

No formal action was taken at the town hall; supervisors told the public the station remains a capital priority and that staff will report back with updated financing timelines and site‑plan status.","Board members, county staff and volunteers discussed why a 2023 referendum to fund a new Gloucester Volunteer Fire and Rescue station failed, how costs rose during delays and what financing options remain.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Gloucester staff says mobility data purchase is anonymized; residents raised privacy concerns

Gloucester officials discuss water, sewer rates, AMI maintenance costs and a confidential purchase approach

Budget questions surface as residents press Gloucester supervisors on advertised tax rates, reassessment and 'windfall'

Gloucester supervisors debate financing and timeline for volunteer fire station after failed referendum