Board runs whiteboard exercise to set CIP priorities; staff warns of borrowing implications
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Summary
King George County supervisors conducted a public whiteboard prioritization of more than a dozen capital projects, from a $19 million VOTEC center to courthouse options, and staff cautioned that advancing big-ticket items will require borrowing that could raise debt service and eventually affect tax rates.
King George County supervisors ran a public prioritization exercise on Feb. 11, 2026, asking board members to place color-coded “sticky” notes on a Microsoft Whiteboard to indicate timing and priority for 14 major capital projects. County staff framed the exercise as guidance for a multi-year capital improvement plan (CIP) rather than firm construction timelines.
Staff presenter Mr. Smolnick told the board the whiteboard tool is intended to show the board’s direction on major facilities likely to require borrowing — not immediate purchases — and that staff will later “crunch the numbers” with bond counsel and Davenport to model financing.
The board and staff repeatedly noted that splitting large projects across fiscal years (for example, authorizing A&E in one year and construction later) is a common strategy to avoid borrowing sums the county won’t use immediately. “If you go out and borrow $20,000,000 and not use that money for years… you may have to pay some of that money back to the IRS,” Smolnick said when discussing phasing for the $19 million VOTEC building.
Board members placed projects into a 2026–2038 timeline during the session, producing a visible record of short-term priorities (top three years) and longer-range items. Staff said the resulting board-priorities document will be published publicly and used to guide debt planning, though exact years may shift as financing realities and grant opportunities change.
The session closed with a procedural motion to adjourn and reconvene on Feb. 17, 2026, which the board approved.
Why it matters: The whiteboard produces a public, editable snapshot of the board’s priorities that staff will use to plan debt issuance and grant strategies. Projects placed in early years are likelier to require near-term financing decisions that could affect the county’s debt service and tax-rate options.
What's next: Staff said it will analyze the whiteboard results, run finance scenarios with bond counsel, and report a summary back to the board at a future meeting. The board recessed the workshop and adjourned to the next meeting on Feb. 17, 2026.
