Lynchburg City Council to discuss budget reconciliation for 16-cent real estate cut; Budget public hearing in Amherst County
Plus: Info on meetings in Danville, Goochland County, and Pittsylvania County
Welcome to the second edition of this newsletter for this week for meetings happening on Tuesday, April 18. The goal of this newsletter is to provide a snapshot of the many different local governments in Virginia’s Fifth District. I’ve spent a large part of my career covering Albemarle and Charlottesville, but I want to stretch out to look at a wider canvas. I took a little break in March, but I hope to keep going.
The hope is to eventually be able to do longer-form stories that compare different localities. For now, my hope is to provide as much forward notice as I can of what may be coming up in local meetings.
Thanks for being along with me on this journey, and please share with others.
Amherst County Supervisors to hold public hearing on FY2024 budget
The five-member Amherst County Board of Supervisors will meet at 7 p.m on Tuesday, April 18 in the Administration Building at 153 Washington Street in Amherst. I can’t provide you a direct link to the agenda because the upgrade for CivicPlus blocked the ability to do so. (meeting portal)
Tonight there are two public hearings.
The first is a special exception for Cowan Systems LLC to install a 12,000 gallon tank for diesel fuel at 178 Elon Road.
The second is on the $56.2 million budget for FY2024, and increase of 11.5 percent over FY2023.
“The increase is explained by increased investment in human services, external provider services, employee compensation, and benefits, debt service, and education,” reads the introduction to the budget written by interim County Administrator Jeremy Bryant. “The major components of the County’s budget are education at 29 percent, public safety at 21 percent, human services at 9 percent, and debt service at 8 percent.”
The budget narrative also lists several challenges coming up and points out that six requested positions were not filled. There will be 237 full-time equivalents, up from 234 in the current fiscal year.
“While we were able to add a Route 29 code enforcement position in FY24, staff continue to wear many hats and struggle to have the ability to manage the growing workload,” the narrative continues.
Adoption of the budget is scheduled for May 2.
There will be a special presentation on the Gateway Sanitary Sewer Project. This $3.5 million project is intended to boost capacity to accommodate some upcoming development. There’s still a need to find $2.5 million and the Economic Development Authority has been working with various groups to find solutions to close the gap.
“A transparent, collaborative partnership between the county who would be establishing infrastructure and the business community doing the commercial development is crucial to minimizing the risk and maximizing economic return for the county,” reads a letter from EDA Chair Andrew Proctor.
Potential solutions include creation of a utility service district, direct support from the county, and increases in the water and sewer rates to help pay for debt service.
Under departmental reports, the Amherst County Museum and Historical Society will make a presentation.
Danville Regional Alliance paying $200K to help with PLAN Danville
The nine-member Danville City Council will meet Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Municipal Building. Danville uses the CivicPlus software so I cannot directly link to the agenda but it’s there on the (meeting info) page.
There are four items under new business:
There will be a review of general fund financials as of March 31, 2023. That’s the end of the third quarter of fiscal year 2023. Revenues are up 5 percent over the same period a year ago.
There will be a public hearing on a request to vacate a public right of way on Piney Forest Road. A parking lot was built that encroached onto city property.
There will be consideration of an appropriation of $200,000 from the Danville Regional Foundation. This does not require a local match. It will pay for a community engagement process for the comprehensive plan to be called PLAN Danville.
There will also be consideration of a $331,740 from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation for the Community Flood Preparedness Fund. This requires a local match of $36,860.
From the minutes of the March 21, 2023 meeting, we can learn some interesting things about the budget. The proposed budget for FY24 is $138M even, a $15.4M increase over the current budget. The city of Danville expects $8.4 million in revenues from casino gaming because a temporary casino will open in July. Of this, $4.1 million will go to the general fund and the rest will go to the capital improvement program.
During the work session, there will be a work session on tourism with a presentation from Eddy Alexander. (meeting info)
Goochland Supervisor to approve $143.7 million budget for FY24
The five-member Board of Supervisors in Goochland County meets Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. (meeting info)
There are five items under new business
There is a resolution to set the real estate property tax rate at $0.53 per $100 of assessed value. There’s an additional $0.32 per $100 of assessed value for the Tuckahoe Service District. The personal property tax rate is $3.75 per $100 of assessed value unless you’re a volunteer or paid firefighter or rescue personnel. In that case the rate if $0.0001 per $100 of assessed value. (staff report)
There’s a resolution to set the percentage of tax relief for personal property tax at 30 percent. (staff report)
There’s another resolution to set the water and sewer rate with a increase of three percent for water, sewer by four percent, and water and sewer connection fees by five percent. They also want to decrease the itinerant merchant annual permit fee from $150 to $100, and to remove the seven-day itinerant fee of $50. (staff report)
There is a resolution to adopt the County Administrator’s proposed budget for FY24 of $143,661,148, a 15.5 percent increase over FY23. The actual budget for FY22 was $104,514,074. (staff report)
There is a resolution to appropriate the FY24 budget. (staff report)
Public hearings begin after 6 p.m.
There is a public hearing on a proposal to amend the zoning ordinance to drop the community meeting requirement for some meetings. Staff is now recommending withdrawing the ordinance because “there is not a clear-cut set of objective criteria that can be developed that can serve as a catch-all carving out exemptions, for community meetings.” (staff report)
There is an application from Tuckahoe Lands LLC for a rezoning on 14.298 acres from Agriculture-2 and Residential-1 to Residential-1, Limited to allow for the creation of 14 acres. The proposal has changed substantially and “Board members are expected to remand this case to the Planning Commission for an additional public hearing.” (staff report)
There is another rezoning that the developer is now asking for a deferral on an application for a 14-lot industrial park. This is for a rezoning of 39.2 acres of Agricultural-2 land to Industrial (M-2). This item will return at the June 6, 2023 Board of Supervisors of meeting. (staff report)
Luck Stone Corporation is seeking a Conditional Use Permit for an asphalt mixing plant on a 11.27 acre portion of a 137.386 acre park. (staff report)
The county is seeking a rezoning of five acres from Industrial to Business on Hockett Road 900 feet from the intersection with Tuckahoe Creek Parkway. This will be for a new fire-rescue station. (staff report)
Lynchburg City Council to consider budget reconciliation at work session
The seven member Lynchburg City Council will meet at 4 p.m. Tuesday in the 2nd Floor Training Room in City Hall at 900 Church Street. Because the city’s website platform is CivicPlus, I can’t send you to a direct link for their meetings. Best I can do is a link to the meeting portal for now.
This is a budget work session with a reconciliation. I stepped away at a crucial time in this process as a Republican majority have asked for budget cuts to allow for their reduction in the property tax rate from $1.11 per $100 of assessed value to $0.89 cents. City Manager Wynter Benda had proposed a cut to $1.05. This will cut millions of revenue.
All of the budget materials are here.
Let’s also catch up by reading several articles from the last little while.
Teacher pay at the center of conversation as Lynchburg City Council, school board discuss budgets, Bryson Gordon, Lynchburg News & Advance, March 29, 2023
Even with a delay, city council holds public hearing on the budget, Rodney Robinson and Bryson Gordon, Lynchburg News & Advance, April 5, 2023
Public comment opportunities remain over city's real estate tax rate, 2024 budget, city says, Bryson Gordon, Lynchburg News & Advance, April 6, 2023
Lynchburg residents continue to weigh in as council deliberates budget, Bryson Gordon, Lynchburg News & Advance, April 12, 2023
Lynchburg City Schools, sheriff’s office await new city budget, Connor Dietrich, WSLS, April 14, 2023
Pittsylvania County to be briefed on efforts to create athletic training center for young women
The seven-member Board of Supervisors in Pittsylvania County begin their day Tuesday with a work session at 4 p.m. in the Board Meeting Room at 39 Bank Street SE in Chatham. (agenda packet)
There are two presentations:
There will be an “Off Season Informational Presentation” from Delilah White. This is to be a development and training center for female athletes called OFF SEASON. The organization is at the very beginning of fundraising. .
There will be a construction update on the Gretna Library
Staff will give updates:
There will be a budget update from Kim VanDerHyde. The proposed FY24 budget will be presented to Supervisors on April 26 with a May 16 public hearing. Approval is set for May 23.
There will be an update on the CSA/CPMT audit
There will be a discussion on the stocking of Sycamore Creek with trout this November.
The work session will end with a closed session about the acquisition of a public property.
The regular session begins at 7 p.m. (meeting info)
There is one land use public hearings. A landowner seeks a rezoning from R-1 (Residential Suburban Subdivision District) to A-1 (Agricultural District).
There are two other public hearings. One is for revisions to the ordinance related to temporary camping and one is on the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Rural Rustics Program, part of the Secondary Six-Year Plan.
Reading material:
Lynchburg electoral board member resigns, city seeking applications for new general registrar, Bryson Gordon, Lynchburg News & Advance, March 30, 2023
Danville City Council approves ordinance to allow alcohol to be served at Caesars Casino 24/7, Sydney Jaxtheimer, WSLS, April 5, 2023
With casino opening and possible major industry at megasite in Dan River Region, where will workers come from? John Crane, Danville Register & Bee, April 8, 2023
Danville residents unite in opposition to proposed luxury RV park, John Crane, Danville Register & Bee, April 10, 2023
Code changes approved for casino, Chuck Vipperman, Chatham-Star Tribune, April 12, 2023
Seeking to represent Chatham-Blairs District, Chatham-Star Tribune, April 13, 2023