June 12, 2025: Lunenburg Supervisors to hold public hearing on budget, discuss solar project at airport
Election coverage begins with a look at the three uncontested races in the Mother of Counties
Today’s edition focuses solely on one county. There’s a write-up of the meeting of the Lunenburg County Board of Supervisors tonight followed by a write-up of local elections there. This is a newsletter about local democracy. What competitions are taking place in the marketplace of ideas?
Lunenburg County calls itself “the Mother of Counties.”
“After being formed from Brunswick on May 1, 1746, Lunenburg went on to provide territory for the formation of nine other counties after 1753,” reads the website.
These include Charlotte, Patrick and Henry. The website doesn’t say what the other nine are but from Wikipedia we learn three of them are Bedford, Halifax, and Mecklenburg.
Lunenburg County is the third-smallest locality in Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District with a 2020 Census count of 11,936. Population forecasts conducted in 2022 by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia see that dropping to 9,441 by 2050.
However, the Weldon Cooper estimate for July 1, 2024 showed an increase to 12,069. How will things actually play out?
Lunenburg Supervisors to hold public hearing for FY2026 budget, consider permit for Fox Run Events
The seven members of the Board of Supervisors will meet at the Lunenburg Courts Building at 160 Courthouse Square in Lunenburg at 6 p.m. (agenda packet)
There are three public hearings.
The first is for a conditional use permit for Fox Run Events to hold special events such as weddings. They’re located at 10929 Courthouse Road. The staff reports note that this is a “19.66 acre property located in the Lewiston District off Route 49” that “has existing structures, which include a fully remodeled residence, well-manicured and maintained landscaping, along with outdoor barns to be used for storage.”
The staff report does not contain any materials from the applicant or I would show a picture here.
The second is the public hearing on the budget for fiscal year 2026. There are no proposed changes to the real estate tax rate of $0.33 per $100 of assessed value. The budget does show an anticipated decline in revenue.
The third is on the 1.5 percent bonus for eligible employees and partially funded by the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Then there will be a series of reports from departments.
Another item on the agenda has the title “Lunenburg County Airport - Public property development prospect.”
“A solar developer approached the Lunenburg County Airport Manager and administrative staff regarding the prospect of a community shared solar project on 20 acres on the southern end at the approach to Runway 02,” reads page 72 of the packet.
The land itself is jointly owned by the county and the two towns of Kenbridge and Victoria. Each would have to approve the project.
No contested races so far this year for Lunenburg County Board of Supervisors
This year there are three races up for election on the Board of Supervisors. So far, all three incumbents have filed to run for re-election.
They are in District 1, District 3, and District 7.
There has not been a competitive race in District 1 for the entire 21st century to date. Republican Thomas Wayne Hoover was first elected in 2009 and faced no opposition that year nor in 2013, 2017, or 2021. Before that, Jane Gatling Atkinson held the seat and did not have an opponent in 2001 or 2005.
Hoover filed paperwork with the Virginia Department of Elections in May to run for another term. So far no one else has either. The deadline to qualify for the ballot is June 1.
Republican Frank Bacon has been the only person to run for the District 3 seat this century. He’s filed paperwork to do so again this fall and is the only one who has done so.
District 7 Supervisor Robert Gene Zava was first elected in 2009 as an independent when he defeated incumbent George Ingram that year with 73.1 percent of the vote. He did not have opposition in 2013, 2017, or 2021. Ingram did not have opposition in a special election in 2000 or in the general elections of 2001 and 2005.
Stories about Lunenburg County
Kenbridge winding down grace period, set to enforce speed limit, Nate Pentecost, May 13, 2025
Lunenburg School Board names new member, fills empty seat, Brian Carlton, May 29, 2025
Jemeire Hite remembered by school, Lunenburg County Community, Brian Carlton, The Kenbridge-Victoria Dispatch, May 29, 2025
Early voting wraps up Saturday in Lunenburg County, Brian Carlton, The Kenbridge-Victoria Dispatch, June 10, 2025
What do you think?
I’ve been doing this newsletter again since February. I enjoy writing it more than Charlottesville Community Engagement. My vision would be to expand to be able to cover all of the various communities in the style I’ve covered Charlottesville for 20 years.
This summer I am re-evaluating everything. There may be other opportunities for me out there, and I do not have any family in Virginia anymore. What ties me to here has faded. I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know I want to keep doing this work. It’s enough for me, but I also need to find a way to fund it.
For now it’s 11 a.m. and time to get to work on the other newsletter.