Government Glance: Six Pittsylvania Supervisors to interview candidates for Banister District seat; Charlotte Supervisors to review compensation study; Hanover Supervisors to begin strategic plan work
Part two of a weekly look at what's coming up in meetings of local government in Virginia's Fifth Congressional District
Welcome to part two of this week’s look at what’s coming up at local meetings in Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District. In this installment there are summaries for regular meetings in Buckingham, Charlotte, Hanover, Lunenburg, and Prince Edward. Supervisors in both Charlotte and Pittsylvania have special called meetings. There’s a scheduled meeting in Mecklenburg County but the agenda was not posted at publication time.
Check out part one for the complete picture! And please share this with others you think might want to know more about local government in the 24 localities that make up Virginia’s Fifth District.
Tuesday, October 11, 2022
Prince Edward Supervisors to allocate state funding for school construction
The eight-member Prince Edward Board of Supervisors will meet at 7 p.m. (agenda)
Under public participation, there will be consideration of a draft amendment to the protocol to allow for community members to provide comments virtually by registering in advance. Call the administrator’s office at 434-392-8837 prior to 4 p.m. of the day of the meeting.
Dr. Maria Almond, director of the Piedmont Health District, will make a presentation to Supervisors.
There are three public hearings.
In the first, a couple seek a special use permit to operate a commercial campground at 10064 Prince Edward Highway in Prospect.
“County staff is of the opinion that the use is generally compatible with the zoning district and will have some minimal impact on surrounding properties,” reads the staff report.
In the second, there are several recommended updates to the section of the Prince Edward County Code pertaining to animals. Specifically this relates to the provision of rabies clinics as well as tougher language on enforcement of vicious dogs.
In the third, there is an amendment to the FY22 budget to allocate nearly $1.45 million from the State School Construction Grant Program.
In other business, there will be a discussion of personal property tax relief for 2022, a decision on whether to conduct the county’s real estate reassessment every four years rather than the current six, and an economic development and tourism report from Chelsey White.
After that, a finance report covering a $12,871.53 for budget supplement from to transient occupancy taxes as well as landfill abatements worth $2,084 in lost revenue.
There will then be a presentation on Operation Green Light.
“This program encourages partnering communities to light up their courthouses with green lights to signify appreciation for the sacrifices of our United States military personnel,” reads a staff report.
This year’s event takes place from November 7 to November 13.
There will also be reports from County Attorney Terri Atkins Wilson and County Administrator Douglas P. Stanley. At the end of the meeting, Supervisors will go into closed session to discuss disposition or acquisition of publicly-held property.
Charlotte Supervisors to get compensation and classification study
The seven-member Charlotte County Board of Supervisors will meet at 5 p.m. for a work session followed by a regular meeting at 6 p.m. (work session agenda) (meeting packet)
The work session will focus on a classification and compensation study followed by a presentation by local government Stephanie Davis from the Virginia Tech School of Public and International Affairs.
In the regular meeting:
The Virginia Department of Historic Resources wants to know if Charlotte County wants to help cover the costs of replacing a historic marker on Route 40 at the Lunenburg County border. The cost for each locality is $1,685. If Charlotte County doesn’t want to cover the cost, Lunenburg has agreed to pay for the whole thing, but with information about Lunenburg on both sides.
A resolution is pending to pause all applications on utility scale solar facilities while the Berkley Group assists the Planning Commission with an update of the Comprehensive Plan. This would be through January 1, 2024. In the meantime, Dominion Energy now owns the Randolph Solar project and has written a $500,000 check to Charlotte County per a solar siting agreement. There’s a lawsuit against that project and the judge in the case has recused himself.
Buckingham Supervisors to meet new PVCC president, hold public hearing on Oaklawn event center
The seven-member Buckingham County Board of Supervisors will meet at 6 p.m. in the Peter Francisco Auditorium in the County Administration Complex on U.S. Route 60 in in Buckingham County Courthouse. (meeting packet)
The meeting will begin presentations including an introduction from new Piedmont Virginia Community College president Dr. Jean Runyon. There will also be a resolution in memory of the late John D. Kitchen, Jr. He was a member of the Board of Supervisors from 1988 to 2011. After that, Virginia Department of Transportation Engineer Scott Frederick will appear to answer any questions.
There are three public hearings:
A couple seeks a special use permit to operate tourism rentals with a campsite and an event center on nearly 375 acres on Pattie Road in the James River Magisterial District. This is on an estate called Oaklawn.
Another couple seeks a special use permit to operate an AirBnD and one campsite off of Route 15 in the Slate River Magisterial District.
There is an update of the fee schedule for building permits and the building permit ordinance.
There will also be a discussion of banning dirt privies and only allowing vault privies. That’s the recommendation from the Zoning Review Committee.
“If you decide to accept the Committee's recommendation it would become a policy of the County and that policy will be relayed to the Health Department so when a privy issue arises, the Health Department will know the County's stance and make the proper response to the applicant,” reads the staff report from County Administrator Karl Carter.
Want to watch the videos? Take a look at the county’s YouTube page.
September 12, 2022 Buckingham Board of Supervisors meeting:
In one other Tuesday meeting:
The Mecklenburg County Board of Supervisors is expected to meet but the agenda is not listed on the meeting page.
Wednesday, October 12, 2022
Pittsylvania Supervisors meet to hear presentations from Banister District applicants
There are six applicants to fill the vacant Banister District seat on the seven-member Pittsylvania Board of Supervisors. Jesse Barksdale Jr. resigned immediately in September. The Board will meet at 5 p.m. in the Board Meeting Room at 39 Bank Street to interview the six candidates for a seat that will not be filled until the 2023 November election.
“I believe I bring a skill set that could benefit the people of the county,” writes Sherri Garner, a retired program director at Lockheed Martin Corporation. “I bring a balanced perspective across multiple levels of government as well as proven leadership and communication skills.
Another applicant is Dr. Charles H. Miller, Jr., who served in the Banister seat on the Board of Supervisors from 2017 to 2021.
“I will bring fifteen plus years (15) managing and leading a wide range of organizational development strategies,” writes Sonya Womack-Miranda, a Senior Organizational Developmental Training Consultant with the Golden Key Group. “Identify organizational needs, providing interventions through consulting, facilitating, coaching, and measuring effectiveness for multiple locations worldwide.”
“I have a great desire to be able to help others and make a positive difference in the community that helps me to see my worth,” writes Kathy Ramsey, a county teacher for more than three decades who now works as a tutor. “I am interested in knowing more about how the county government works and to be able to represent the residents in the Banister District would be an honor.”
“I have strong passion for this county and the people of this county I believe that I can bring a tremendous connection with people in the Banister District and the other counties,” writes Kell Stone, a self-employed bail bondsman and full time pastor at Gospel Tabernacle Outreach Center in Gretna.
“As a life-long resident of Pittsylvania County, I would like to serve, along side the board members, the fellow residents of the Banister district residents,” writes Robert M. Tucker, Jr., senior pastor at Sunflower Baptist Church in Natalie and an employee of Kia of Lynchburg. “My skills and leadership ability would be assets to the board.”
Hanover Supervisors to hold work session on strategic plan, get many infrastructure updates
The seven-member Hanover County Board of Supervisors will meet at 12 p.m. for a work session followed by a regular meeting at 2 p.m. (meeting packet)
The noon work session is for a workshop on the strategic plan.
In the regular meeting, There are several presentations.
There will be an annual report from Richmond Region Tourism
There will be an update on personal property collections and a one-time reduction in the assessment method to provide relief to community members.
Hanover County Registrar Teresa F. Smithson will provide an update on the upcoming general election
Marshall Winn of the Virginia Department of Transportation will discuss highway matters
Hanover County Transportation Engineer Joe Vidunas will provide a status update on road projects
There will be a quarterly update on the Comprehensive Plan
General Services Director will provide an update on a facilities study.
Supervisors will then go into closed session to discuss acquisition of property for a public purpose.
There are no public hearings.
Thursday, October 13, 2022
Bulleted point list to conclude this week:
The seven-member Lunenburg County Board of Supervisors will meet at 6 p.m. in the Lunenburg Courts Building in Lunenburg. There’s a lot of reports, but there don’t seem to be many decision points. (meeting packet)
The Charlotte County Board of Supervisors will have a special meeting at 8:30 a.m. to consider returning a refund of property taxes to property owners due to the $500,000 payment from Dominion related to Randolph Solar. (draft resolution)
Another week down! Next week there will be summaries of:
Albemarle County Board of Supervisors
Amelia County Board of Supervisors
Amherst County Board of Supervisors
Appomattox County Board of Supervisors
Campbell County Board of Supervisors
Danville City Council
Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors
Louisa County Board of Supervisors
Nottoway County Board of Supervisors
Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors
Please drop me a line if you have any feedback or suggestions for this newsletter.