Budget adoptions slated for Monday in Amherst, Charlotte, and Mecklenburg
Plus: Bedford Supervisors to consider "microvenue" for weddings in residential neighborhood
May offers a lull for elected bodies in Virginia. March and April often have additional meetings related to the budget and slowly but surely localities are adopting their financial planning documents for the fiscal year that begins on July 30. Several are doing so this week.
So that may mean shorter meetings which seems to be the case for the six localities featured in today’s edition of this experimental newsletter. I’ve now been at this for a year and have big plans for the next year.
What do you think? What would you like to see next? Drop me a line or leave a comment below. And if you’d like to support this work, please consider a contribution through Patreon.
Amherst County Supervisors to adopt FY24 budget
The five member Board of Supervisors in Amherst County will meet at 3 p.m. in the administration building at 153 Washington Street in Amherst. (meeting info)
“The total FY24 budget is $56.2 million, an increase from FY23 of $5.8 million of 11.5 percent,” reads the budget message from County Administrator Jeremy Bryant. “The increase is explained by increased investments in human services, external provider expenses, employee compensation and benefits, debt service, and education.”
Supervisors appointed Bryant to the position on a permanent basis late last month.
“Microvenue” to go before Bedford County Supervisors
The seven-member Board of Supervisors in Bedford County will meet at the administration building at 5 p.m. for a work session followed by the regular meeting. (meeting portal)
There are two items at the work session. The first is an annual update and dinner with the Cooperative Extension Office. Then there will be a budget discussion on external agencies. That information was not in the packet.
This week is Emergency Medical Services Week and National Skilled Nursing Care Week. The first two presentations will be devoted to those events.
Next is a public hearing on the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Secondary Six-Year Plan for FY24 through FY29.
“The draft Bedford County Fiscal Year 2024-2029 SSYP totals $7,168,133 allocated at the residency level including 20 rural rustic road projects and three countywide cost centers,” reads the staff report. “The countywide cost centers are utilized for various activities related to secondary construction but not related to a specific project.”
After that is a public hearing for the consideration of a special use permit for a “meeting hall” at 2843 Elkton Farm Road in Forest to host weddings and other events with less than fifty guests.
“The Vaughan House Micro-Venue is a first-of-a-kind, backyard micro-wedding venue,” reads the narrative. “Tucked within the trees in a “hidden garden” setting, the structure and surrounding property provides an intimate wedding backdrop for its couples and guests.”
The Planning Commission voted 4 to 1 to recommend denial on April 4, 2023.
Then there will be consideration of the per diem rates for the Bedford County Nursing Home. They’ve not been updated since November 1, 2020 and staff is proposing an increase of $15.
Supervisors will also consider a resolution appropriating grant awards for the Bedford County School Board related to replacement of staff computers and digital mapping of schools.
Buckingham County Supervisors have a light agenda
The seven-member Board of Supervisors in Buckingham County meets at 6 p.m. in the Peter Francisco Auditorium in the County Administration Complex. (meeting info)
After public comments, there will be a presentation from the Virginia Department of Transportation on road matters. That’s followed by a public hearing on VDOT’s Secondary Six-Year Plan.
And that’s sort of that for this meeting. There are no land use public hearings, but there are quite a few reports. But most of the packet is minutes from previous meetings.
I want to salute Buckingham County for having close to verbatim minutes. There is a whole passage from the April meeting between Jaunt CEO Ted Rieck and Supervisors about service to Charlottesville. Jaunt carries about 15 passengers a day on two of its routes in Buckingham County, and two on weekends. They don’t currently charge a fare and some elected officials thought that was not right. However, Rieck explained that doing so would bring in less revenue. This would have been worth a story and worth following up.
Mecklenburg County supervisors to adopt FY24 budget
The nine-member Board of Supervisors in Mecklenburg County meets at 9:30 a.m. (meeting portal)
On the agenda are six land use public hearings and one for the VDOT Secondary Road Six-Year Plan. There are three rezonings (R1 to B1, A1 to B1, R-2 to R-1A) and three special exceptions (A vehicle salvage yard, a firearm safety class, and a boat storage and detailing shop).
There is also a “2232 review” for two Verizon Wireless projects. This refers to a check of whether a proposed project is consistent with a locality’s Comprehensive Plan. Later in the meeting, County Attorney Russell Slayton will discuss extensions for 2232 reviews for two solar projects (New Hope Agrisolar, Lone Oak Agrisolar).
There will also be updates from VDOT, Empower Broadband, and Dominion Energy on a transmission line. For more information on the budget, check out this April 12, 2023 article in the South Boston News & Record.
Charlotte Supervisors to make several changes to county’s zoning code
The seven-member Board of Supervisors in Charlotte County will meet at 1:30 p.m. in the county administration building.
There will be two public hearings shortly after the meeting begins. The first is on the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Six-Year Plan for Secondary Roads. The other is on nine changes to the zoning ordinance. Here are some of them:
A definition of “residential facility” will be added
Civil penalties rather than criminal ones will be added to the code based on recent changes to state law
The code will more clearly reflect that the Planning Commission can initiate zoning text amendments
More time will be allowed for both the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors to complete review of conditional use permits
A new use of “Motor Vehicle Rental/Leasing/Sales” will be added
Livestock markets would now require a conditional use permit rather than be a by-right use
Other items:
There will be an update on the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the courthouse.
Supervisors will adopt a $72.6M budget for FY2024 and set tax rates of calendar year 2023. Employees are getting a seven percent cost of living increase. The budget now reflects creation of a Department of Public Safety and a new director.
There will be consideration of a mutual aid agreement with Mecklenburg County for Fire/EMS service.
The Planning Commission’s next work session on the Comprehensive Plan update will be on May 23.
In one other meeting Monday:
Nottoway County Supervisors will also meet at 6 p.m. An agenda was not available at publication time. (meeting portal)
Reading material:
Bedford commission recommends denial of halfway house in Goode, residents voice concerns, Justin Faulconer, Lynchburg News & Advance, May 3, 2023
Area legislators visit Bedford County to discuss state budget, other issues, Rachael Smith, Lynchburg News & Advance, May 4, 2023
Polling places may have changed for voters, Crystal Vandergrift, Kenbridge-Victoria Dispatch, May 5, 2023
Case against supervisors dismissed, Crystal Vandergrift, Kenbridge-Victoria Dispatch, May 5, 2023
Board gets look at final design for new high school, but price still up in the air, Miranda Baines, South Boston Gazette-Virginian, May 5, 2023
Debt ceiling diehard in rural Virginia vows to ‘call Democrats’ bluff’, Lauren Fedor, Financial Times, May 6, 2023