At the Oct. 14 work session County Executive Shorter briefed the Board of Supervisors on several staff directives and memos, closing 2 earlier directives and assigning 4 active items to county departments.

Shorter said staff were directed to: develop a new framework to leverage the arts (assigned to Parks and Recreation); explore elimination of the data center opportunity zone overlay district (assigned to the Planning Office); explore options to establish two additional community gardens on county land (Parks and Recreation); and investigate and outline a process for developing a parks, open space, and library bond referendum for inclusion in the 2026 general election (Finance Department).

Shorter also said two directives had been closed since the last meeting: the directive to return with a public arts policy and task force (a memo sent Oct. 9) and a directive to provide information about master‑plan options for adding community recreation centers (memo sent Oct. 13). Additional memos on the vehicle personal property tax due date, potential costs for an amended collective‑bargaining agreement with the International Association of Firefighters, vehicle valuation methodology, and resident committee updates were also sent to the board.

Shorter offered event attendance figures as illustrative of county outreach: about 230 people attended a community resource center ribbon cutting and nearly 500 joined community day tours the same afternoon; he and other supervisors also praised the Taste of NOVA event, which staff estimated had sold over 7,000 tickets.

Why it matters

The list of directives shows cross‑departmental work that will shape forthcoming policy and bond‑referendum options. The directive to explore the overlay district complements planning staff’s presentation on data centers at the same meeting; the bond‑referendum exploration could put parks, open space, and library projects before voters in the 2026 general election if pursued. Shorter asked for no immediate questions but said staff would follow up with memos and recommended next steps.