Preservationists have been clamoring for it.

Politicians have been promising it.

And finally, after two false starts, the Stafford County Board of Supervisors is set to vote tomorrow on a bond referendum to buy the pristine Crow's Nest peninsula.

With an affirmative vote from the Board of Supervisors tomorrow, the referendum would take place in late August, according to Kandy Hilliard, the supervisor whose district includes Crow's Nest.

The board could also determine how much needs to be raised through the sale of bonds, Hilliard said in an interview.

Based on three widely divergent appraisals, Hilliard said she is advocating $25 million--an amount that would require a 2- to 3-cent increase in the real-estate tax rate. That might not be enough to pay for all of Crow's Nest, she said.

But there is also another roughly $5 million in state funds earmarked for Crow's Nest, and Hilliard believes the county could also obtain $1 million to $2 million in federal funds for Crow's Nest.

With all that money, Hilliard said, the owner of Crow's Nest would know the county could realistically afford the property.

"If the opportunity to make an offer on this property comes forward, I want us to have a funding source in place," she said. "We have to show we are serious as we can be, and part of that is showing we have money in hand."

Save Crow's Nest, the preservation organization that asked for the bond referendum in February, said there may still be a glitch in the supervisor's plan.

The Board of Supervisors must ask for a referendum at least 90 days before the election is to be held to give the Circuit Court it.

Referendums held as special elections cannot be held too close to the November presidential election because the Stafford voter registrar needs time to prepare the voting machines.

Having the referendum and the presidential election concurrently is possible, but many preservationists say that's not advisable because the presidential election would overshadow the vote for Crow's Nest.

Tuesday will be the last chance for supervisors to send a resolution in support of a referendum to the Circuit Court in time for a special election.