►
From YouTube: Arlington County Board | State of County 2019
Description
No description was provided for this meeting.
If this is YOUR meeting, an easy way to fix this is to add a description to your video, wherever mtngs.io found it (probably YouTube).
A
So,
thank
you
all
for
the
opportunity
to
share
with
you
my
thoughts
about
the
state
of
our
County
and
to
answer
questions
after
my
remarks
today.
I
am
pleased
to
be
joined
by
my
colleagues.
I
think
I
saw
Eric
guts,
all
in
attendance,
Eric,
Matt,
defer
ante
did
I,
see
Matt
and
I
do
believe.
Libby
Garvey
is
going
to
join
us
this
morning
if
she
hasn't
already
there's
Libby.
A
Thank
you
all
as
stakeholders
in
the
Arlington
community,
for
your
effective
support
of
business
in
Arlington
and
for
your
commitment
to
this
county
and
your
unabashed
optimism
about
our
future,
and
we
may
not
always
see
eye
to
eye.
But
this
board
appreciates
the
Chamber's
work
and
your
input
and
we
value
the
partnership
on
specific
issues
from
the
transient
occupancy
tax
to
dedicated
funding
for
Metro,
to
helping
us
put
our
best
foot
forward
in
the
competition
for
Amazon's
hq2.
A
The
chamber
and
the
Arlington
business
community
have
been
important,
effective
partners
for
issues
in
this
community,
and
we
know
that
we
share
the
same
fundamental
goal
of
an
Arlington
County
that
is
prosperous,
inclusive
and
committed
to
being
better
tomorrow
than
it
was
yesterday.
In
this
event,
I
guess
I
am
the
tenth
County
Board
Chair
to
participate
in
this
event
is
always
a
highlight
on
our
calendar.
A
I
say
that
both
because
it
is
inspirational
to
see
that
our
outstanding
public
safety
officers
are
going
to
be
honored
and
because
you
offer
the
chair
an
opportunity
to
do
something
that
we
don't
get
a
chance
to
do
often
enough,
and
that
is
to
step
back
from
the
day-to-day
issues,
some
of
which
are
mundane.
That
fill
up
our
monthly
and
daily
agendas
to
survey
the
horizon
and
reflect.
A
And
so
today,
I
want
to
talk
about
not
only
what
I
think
is
working
in
Arlen,
but
also
about
my
belief
that
our
community
functions
most
effectively
when
all
sectors
of
civil
society,
businesses,
residents,
institutions
and
civic
organizations
form
true
partnerships
and
collaborate
when
they
consider
the
consequences
of
their
actions.
For
all
of
us
and
I
want
to
talk
about
how
I
think
our
business
community
can
help
strengthen
these
partnerships
and
collaborations,
and
so
that
I
won't
be
accused
of
ignoring
the
notional
question
posed
by
our
gathering
today.
A
A
Despite
headwinds
that
might
have
derailed
this
and
perhaps
would
have
derailed
most
other
communities,
whether
we're
talking
about
brac,
the
loss
of
key
federal
agencies
that
have
moved
out
of
arlington
sequestration,
federal
government
shutdowns
in
the
long
and
painful
Great
Recession,
along
with
increased
regional
competition
for
businesses
to
fill
office
space.
Despite
all
of
that
Arlington
has
proved
resilient
and
resourceful.
A
We
have
remained
a
welcomed,
welcoming
community
that
values,
diversity
and
inclusion
and
provides
a
strong
social
safety
net
for
the
most
vulnerable.
Among
us.
We
have
maintained
our
covered,
coveted,
triple
triple
a
bond
rating
status
through
several
very
several,
very
tough
and
lean
budget
years,
ensuring
continued
low
interest
rates
for
our
bond
sales,
which
provides
key
value
for
Arlington
taxpayers
for
our
investments.
In
issuing
its
recent
reaffirmation
of
our
triple-a
bond
rating
Fitch
noted
that
Arlington
is
exceptionally
strong,
operating
performance
and
praised
quote
our
solid
maintenance
of
reserves
and
liquidity.
A
Further
went
on
to
note
that
we
have
a
dynamic
economic
base
and
a
strong
revenue
framework
and
listen
to
this.
Everybody
quote:
conservative
budgeting
and
close
monitoring
expenditures.
Now,
yes,
an
impressive
endorsement,
but
Arlington
success
goes
far
beyond
our
financial
performance.
Since
2008,
we
have
reduced
the
number
of
homeless
persons,
content
counted
on
our
streets
from
527
back
in
2008
to
232
in
the
most
recent
point
in
time
count
a
56
percent
decrease.
We
achieve
functional
zero
for
homelessness
among
military
veterans
in
2016,
and
we
are
close
to
attaining
it
for
chronically
homeless
persons.
A
We
continue
to
work
toward
the
goal
of
eliminating
homelessness
in
our
County
County
government
services
continue
to
earn
consistently
high
marks
from
residents
in
our
2018,
statistically
valid
community
satisfaction
survey.
Eighty
eight
percent
of
residents
say
that
they
are
satisfied
overall
with
county
services.
86
percent
are
satisfied
with
our
quality
of
life.
Eighty
five
percent
are
satisfied
with
the
quality
of
police
services
and
93
percent
are
satisfied
with
the
quality
of
fire,
emergency
medical
and
ambulance
services.
A
91
percent
report
an
overall
feeling
of
safety
in
our
county
and
ninety
four
percent
say
that
they
feel
safe
in
our
neighborhoods,
an
extraordinary
statistic
and
that
sense
of
safety
is
testimony
to
our
strong
civic
culture
and
our
police
department.
That
focuses
not
just
on
enforcement,
but
also
on
prevention,
education
and
building
ties
with
the
Arlington
community.
The
downward
trend
in
group,
a
offenses
which
are
crimes
against
persons
that
began
several
years
ago,
continued
this
past
year
with
a
nine
and
a
half
percent
decrease
in
such
crimes
from
2017.
A
Now
this
reflects
a
national
trend,
but
the
police
departments.
Many
educational
initiatives
have
made
a
real
difference
in
other
areas.
I
will
call
out
just
one
of
those
key
initiatives.
Today:
transportation
safety
as
our
roads
hold
more
travelers
than
ever,
who
are
using
more
modes
of
transportation
than
ever.
The
Arlington
Police
Department
has
intensified
its
efforts
to
ensure
that
everyone
using
those
roads,
stay
safe.
They
have
a
Transportation
Safety
Initiative,
which
combines
education
and
enforcement,
including
an
increased
focus
on
DUI
diversion
and
it's
getting
real
results.
A
We
saw
27
and
a
half
percent
decrease
in
bicycle
involved,
crashes,
seven
and
a
half
percent
decrease
in
pedestrian
involved
crashes,
and
there
were
fewer
alcohol
involved
collisions
and
in
2019.
As
a
result
of
these
efforts,
the
county
was
awarded
the
governor's
Transportation
Safety
Award
in
the
category
of
pedestrian
and
bicycle
safety.
For
the
collaborative
effort
among
our
county
departments
and
agencies
to
use
a
multi-faceted
approach
to
reducing
pedestrian
and
bicycle
related
crashes
in
Arlington,
I
also
want
to
give
out
give
a
shout
out
to
our
fire
department.
A
Arlington's
average
number
of
fires
annually
between
2014
and
2017
was
slightly
above
the
national
average
for
communities
of
our
size.
However,
fire
deaths
in
Arlington
at
1
per
year
are
about
half
the
national
average.
Our
fire
department
achieved
mission
lifeline
gold
status
this
year,
meaning
we
provide
exemplary
cardiac
care,
as
defined
by
the
AMA
494.
Ninety
percent
of
cardiac
calls
in
the
last
two
years.
A
The
hardest
part
about
preparing
for
this,
this
top
is
that
I
could
go
on.
There
are
many
more
data
indicators
that
exist
that
I
could
have
mentioned,
but
I
only
have
20
minutes,
so
I've
got
to
move
on,
and
this
exemplary
performance
data
and
outside
validation
are
common,
not
just
in
public
safety
agencies
but
across
the
counties
many
lines
of
business.
Now
this
doesn't
happen
by
chance
or
by
accident,
providing
high
quality
services.
A
We
closed
or
announced
24
company
deals
representing
more
than
7
million
square
feet
of
office
space
and
nearly
43,000
new
or
retained
jobs.
Only
two
of
those
deals
involved
incentives
from
Arlington
County.
We
have
focused
on
attracting
and
retaining
tech
related
companies
in
key
sectors
such
as
cyber
security,
as
well
as
professional
services
and
media.
We
have
attracted
large
companies
like
Nestle
and
Gerber,
as
well
as
large,
nationally
known
nonprofits,
like
the
March
of
Dimes,
but
we
are
also
stepping
up
our
support
for
our
communities.
Small
businesses.
A
We
have
added
a
small
business
support
manager
to
our
biz
launch
program,
who
will
identify
new
and
existing
partnerships
to
help
in
key
areas
like
entrepreneurial
development,
for
local
businesses
and
increase
our
capacity
to
provide
customized
assistance
to
our
small
business
clients,
and
later
this
summer,
we
will
launch
permit
Arlington,
which
I
know
will
be
a
welcome
relief
to
many
of
our
communities.
Businesses,
our
initiative
to
improve
the
land
development
building
and
permitting
processes
by
creating
a
new
online
permitting
system
and
centralized
space
for
in-person
customer
visits.
A
Permit
Arlington
will
take
the
customer
experience
for
both
business
and
residents
to
the
next
level,
making
it
efficient
and
user-friendly
with
better
physical
and
more
intuitive
virtual
spaces.
The
first
phase
will
include
almost
half
of
all
countywide
permits,
including
right-of-way
use
permits
and
site
plan
applications,
as
well
as
civil
engineering
plans
and
more.
We
will
begin
testing
the
system
in
July
and
you
can
sign
up
to
be
a
volunteer
tester
on
the
arlington
county
website
by
putting
permit
arlington
in
the
keywords
search
now.
A
Admittedly,
it's
taken
longer
to
get
to
this
point
largely
because
each
of
the
33
permit
and
application
types
in
phase
1
of
this
project
has
its
own
special,
unique
processes
and
workflow,
and
all
of
which
are
customizations,
which
we've
had
to
built
into
the
build
into
this
new
online
system.
It
is
required
not
only
a
complex
technological
solution,
but
intensive
staff
work
to
document
and
translate
our
business
practices
for
each
permit
into
software.
We
don't
have
an
off-the-rack
solution
for
this.
A
We
had
to
build
it
from
scratch
and
the
time
for
completion
of
phase
one
is
coming.
We
are
also
streamlining
information
on
our
public
website
to
make
it
more
easily
and
readily
accessible,
weeding
out
and
refreshing.
The
building
arlington
website
to
update
materials
and
to
present
information
more
clearly
keep
feedback
from
stakeholders.
A
A
Two
months
ago,
that
would
have
gotten
a
lot
more
applause
at
an
event
like
this,
but
you
all
are
that's
old
news
you're
onto
the
next
thing
right.
Well,
some
were
surprised
that
Arlington
was
chosen
from
among
the
hundreds
of
communities
that
competed
for
HQ
I
was
not
the
day
the
company
released
its
RFP.
That
was
back
in
2017
as
I
read
through
their
requirements.
You
know
great
access
to
rail,
a
connection
to
airports,
capacity
to
absorb
significant
development.
A
Emailed
Victor
Hoskins,
director
of
economic
development
and
just
had
as
I
recall,
just
a
few
words
you're
on
this
right
and
Victor,
of
course,
emailed
back
like
what
took
you
so
long,
of
course,
and
the
board's
unanimous
vote
to
approve
the
package
was
the
culmination
of
many
months
of
intense
effort
by
county
staff
who
were
competing
against
240
other
bids
that
covered
hundreds
of
locations,
and
we
had
months
of
engagement
with
our
community.
Amazon's
presence
in
Arlington
will
be
transformational.
A
A
Now
my
colleagues
and
I
think
often
about
the
hard
work
that
is
ahead
by
this
and
future
boards
by
the
business
community,
as
well
as
the
residents,
but
also
by
Amazon
I,
think
Amazon,
realizes
that
its
success
in
Arlington
will
be
defined
not
only
by
what
this
investment
contributes
to
its
bottom
line,
but
but
what?
But,
by
how
the
company
continues
and
contributes
to
the
community
and
to
this
region.
We
expect
Amazon
to
be
a
good
corporate
citizen,
supportive
of
our
community's
commitment
to
equity,
inclusiveness,
transparency,
environmental
stewardship
and
fair
labor
practices.
A
The
company
began
taking
some
initial,
very
encouraging
steps
earlier
this
month.
In
fact,
just
last
week
when
it
announced
that
it
will
donate
3
million
dollars
to
the
Arlington
Community
Foundation
to
support,
affordable
housing
and
combat
homelessness
in
our
County
they're,
going
to
double
that
up
with
a
corporate
match
for
any
employee
contributions
to
a
number
of
Northern
Virginia
nonprofits
that
work
in
providing
housing
for
the
most
vulnerable.
A
The
company
will
offer
this
as
an
initial
step,
not
the
end
at
the
beginning
of
its
engagement
with
our
community.
We
welcome
their
lead
and
we
hope
others
will
follow,
and
we
will
continue
to
make
the
case
to
Amazon
and
to
all
businesses
in
Arlington
that
if
we
are
to
remain
a
community
for
people
at
all
income
levels,
all
of
our
businesses
need
to
pay
their
employees
sufficient
wages,
part
of
a
constellation
of
policies
that
will
address
equity
in
our
community.
A
Many
of
you,
particularly
if
you
follow
the
business
cycle,
know
that
we
are
nearing
being
in
the
longest
economic
expansion
in
this
country's
history.
But
as
long
as
that
economic
expansion
has
gone
on,
we
have
another
ignominy,
Aesthetic,
the
minimum
wage.
The
federal
minimum
wage
has
been
set
at
$7.25
an
hour
we
can
and
we
should
do
better.
A
And
that
is
because
the
community
can
stay
healthy
and
successful
only
when
all
of
its
members
are
treated
fairly,
have
a
place
at
the
table
and
when
their
socioeconomic
status
is
not
predictive
of
their
outcomes
and,
quite
frankly,
they
all
have
a
chance
to
thrive.
So
striving
for
equity
is
entirely
keeping
within
Arlington
County's
community
Arlington's
community
vision.
We
are
an
aspirational
community
at
heart.
We
set
high
goals
for
ourselves.
We
don't
want
to
just
reduce
homelessness.
We
want
to
end
it.
We
don't
just
want
to
provide
transportation
options.
A
We
want
to
provide
many
layers
of
transportation
options
and
I
know
that
we
can
bring
the
same
ethos
to
the
complex
problems
of
equity
and
housing,
education,
the
use
of
public
spaces
and
access
to
healthcare
and
childcare
that
we
bring
to
so
many
issues
that
make
this
a
truly
great
place
to
live.
Now.
This
will
include
reconsidering
our
land
use
policies
and
our
zoning
policies
working
with
our
public
school
system,
to
consider
new
approaches
to
diversifying
our
classrooms
among
other
challenges
and
changes
and
I
challenge.
A
All
of
you
here
today
to
bring
your
best
thoughts,
your
creative
ideas,
your
innovations
and
entrepreneurial
spirit
to
help
us
come
up
with
new
approaches
to
land
use
that
will
create
more
housing
that
provide
affordable
choices
for
those
who
want
to
make
Arlington
their
home
I.
Ask
you
to
participate
because
I
believe
and
if
I
should
be
so
bold
as
to
say
that
this
should
be
a
priority
of
yours
that
engenders
your
earnest
engagement
at
the
core.
Most
businesses
desire
access
to
the
largest
pool
of
talent
possible.
A
If
we
can
house
people
affordably
and
reduce
their
economic
insecurity,
we
reduce
the
opportunity
costs
that
come
with
unfilled
positions.
We
increase
your
ability
to
retain
valued
personnel,
and
if
workers
can
reduce
time
commuting,
they
can
then
spend
that
time
being
fulfilled
in
ways
that
provide
benefit
to
employers.
A
Now
that
said,
government
can
and
must
lead
this
effort.
I
will
cite
two
recent
examples
of
how
we
are
acting
to
increase
equity
and
address
the
primary
needs
of
Arlington
families
and
to
expand
the
talent
that
may
be
available
to
our
business
community.
Our
child
care
initiative
and
housing
Arlington
as
board
chair
Kati
crystal
championed
the
child
care
initiative,
which
resulted
in
a
rewriting
of
regulations
to
make
our
high
quality,
make
high
quality,
more
affordable
childcare
available
across
Arlington.
A
You're
going
to
be
hearing
a
lot
more
about
this
in
the
coming
months
and
we're
also
addressing
significant
disparities
in
the
delivery
of
health
care
in
our
County,
where
black
residents
experience
eight
fold
higher
rate
of
asthma
hospitalization
compared
to
white
residents
and
where
life
expectancy
varies
by
up
to
ten
years.
Depending
on
what
zip
code
you
live
in
a
steering
committee,
convened
by
Ruben
Varghese,
the
county's
health
director
in
2018
has
recommended
ways
to
prevent
further
disparities
and
to
achieve
one
of
those
big,
ambitious
goals:
health
equity
by
2027.
A
It
focuses
on
bringing
together
government
the
nonprofit,
the
for-profits
sectors,
all
to
assess
policies,
programs
and
practices
by
asking
a
few
central
questions
who
benefits?
Who
is
burden?
Who
is
missing
and
how
do
we
know?
Thank,
You
sky
I,
hope
you've
not
factored
in
the
applause.
For
my
time,
I
think
I,
okay,
I
can
go
now.
A
There
is
much
more
to
be
done
in
this,
and
the
years
ahead,
Amazon's
arrival
here
embodies
and
intensifies
the
challenges
that
we
were
already
facing
as
a
community
challenges
that
come
down
to
the
impact
of
continued
growth
and
continued
change.
The
difference
now
is
that
we
will
have
far
more
resources
and
much
more
stability
in
our
future
budgeting
to
help
us
meet
those
challenges.
So
in
conclusion,
I
gotta
say
this
is
an
exciting
time
for
Arlington.
A
County
government
needs
you,
our
business
community,
to
help
ensure
that
the
opportunities
that
we
now
have
yield
benefits
for
all
of
us.
We
need
you
to
join
a
conversation
with
us
about
wages
and
salaries,
with
the
goal
of
helping
the
Arlington
community
be
stronger
and
more
successful.
We
need
for
all
businesses
and
Arlington
large,
medium
and
small
to
help
us
make
Arlington
a
place
that
works
for
everyone
who
lives
and
works
here.
I
know
that
you
will
continue
to
play
a
positive
role
and
continue
to
build
partnerships
with
county
government
and
this
entire
community
I.