Lynchburg Council may terminate financing agreement with School Board; Farmers' Market at Montvale School in Bedford?
Plus: What's happening at meetings of the Cumberland and Prince Edward Boards of Supervisors
Welcome to the second installment of this week which covers Lynchburg City Council and the Boards of Supervisors in Bedford, Cumberland, and Prince Edward Counties. There’s a lot going on but here are some highlights:
The foundation seeking a future for the former Montvale Elementary School has a proposal before the Bedford Board of Supervisors to operate a farmer’s market in the parking lot.
Cumberland County Supervisors will get an update on the proposed landfill at Green Ridge.
The Berkley Group is Lynchburg’s choice for a firm to update the Comprehensive Plan
Prince Edward County Supervisors will hold a public hearing for a special use permit for an event and wedding center.
If you are new here, this is an experimental newsletter that seeks to help anyone who wants to know more about what local government is like in the Fifth District. I’ve been reporting in the Charlottesville area for many years, and I started this last May. I’m still learning a lot, and I’m hoping that readers will also come to a better understanding of the places within this geography.
Lynchburg Council to consider termination of agreement with School Board
The seven-member Lynchburg City Council will meet Tuesday for a work session at 4 p.m. in City Council Chambers at 900 Church Street. I can’t send you a direct link to the .PDF but if you download it, you can zoom to specific items in the packet. (meeting portal)
These work sessions are a time for staff to brief Council on business items that will come up for a vote at a later date. There are seven such items this time around, after a training on the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. (page 4)
Wesley Lynchburg Housing is seeking the city’s support to secure multifamily residential rental housing revenue bonds from the Harrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority Bond Issuance. This is for a project at 1201 Long Meadows Drive. (page 60)
Council will be briefed on a Stormwater Management Maintenance Agreement with Campbell County for property near the Lynchburg Regional Airport. (page 101)
There is an amendment to the lease agreement with Republic Parking System, LLC to update equipment at the Lynchburg Regional Airport. (page 114)
They will review and discuss amending the City's Business License filing requirements. (page 125)
They will review and discuss potential ways to decrease tax revenue from the personal property rate given the continued increase in assessments. This will come back for a public hearing on February 28. (page 130)
The Berkley Group is the choice to update Lynchburg’s Comprehensive Plan at a cost of $202,841.60 (page 136)
Lynchburg Police Department and VA State Police Partnership
The evening session begins at 7:30 p.m. with recognitions of the Mayor’s Youth Council, Heritage High football, and E.C. Glass Football.
To speak at Lynchburg City Council, you have to ask for permission in advance. Four people have signed up.
Under general business there are four items.
They’ll consider an extension of a lease agreement between the Lynchburg Municipal Employees Federal Credit Union and the City of Lynchburg.
They’ll consider a request from the school board to use nearly $1.1 million in carryover funds from FY22 for the school capital fund.
They’ll consider termination of modification of a 1993 agreement between schools and the city related to financial practices.
They’ll review and approve the City Council’s Physical Development Committee.
The consent agenda includes an approval of $78.5 million in general obligation bonds for a new police headquarters among other projects. There’s also a resolution for $85,000 for a Drone Mobile Command Response Vehicle for the police as well as $387,250 for an “open and unified real-time intelligence” service called FUSUS and a laser scanner to record crime scenes.
Bedford Supervisors to consider lease for farmers’ market at Old Montvale School, Route 122 study
The seven members of the Bedford County Board of Supervisors usually begin their meeting with a work session on a specific topic. This particular Tuesday they’ll just go right into their regular meeting at 7 p.m. (meeting portal)
On the consent agenda:
Supervisors will appropriate $25,165.33 from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety to purchase a Faro Freestyle 2 Handheld Scanner to digitally scan crime scenes
Supervisors will appropriate $1.92 million of American Rescue Plan Act funds for a broadband project to expand service to the landfill, Wheats Valley, and the Big Island areas of the county. The county will also seek partial reimbursement from the Virginia Department of Community Development’s Virginia Telecommunications Initiative from unspent funds from an award from 2019.
Supervisors will approve the purchase of a new fire truck for $52,937.46.
There are five public hearings and presentations. The first is for a proclamation in recognition of a Virginia 4-H Youth in Action Award. The second is a presentation from Horizon Behavioral Health similar to the one Amherst County Supervisors got last week.
The third item and the first public hearing is for the consideration of an amendment to the county’s noise ordinance for certain exemptions.
“The current ordinance does not have a specific time as to excessive noise created by animals (other than those arising from bona fide agricultural activities),” reads the staff report. “The revised ordinance would provide specific hours.”
The next two public hearings are related to amending polling places including the absentee voting precinct. The first is because Mountain View United Methodist Church is now Mountain View Church.
Next, Bedford Supervisors will consider a resolution to authorize a federal RAISE grant to study the Route 122 Corridor. This is the major thoroughfare that runs through Smith Mountain Lake.
“Bedford County staff recently met with Franklin County, West Piedmont [Planning District Commission] and Central Virginia PDC staff to discuss partnering on a planning application for the Route 122 corridor,” reads the staff report. “The most recent study on Route 122 was completed in May 2003 and needs updating.”
Bedford County is anticipating more growth on the corridor, particularly in the Moneta area.
“Bedford staff intends to focus these priority locations in the vicinity of Hales Ford Bridge where the county has experienced significant growth and crash history,” the report continues.
The boiler at the Bedford County Courthouse also needs to be replaced at a cost of $110,942.
Then there’s a resolution to allow County Administrator Robert Hiss to enter into a lease for a farmer’s market at grounds of the Old Montvale School on U.S. 460 on Saturday’s beginning this April. This would be operated by the Montvale School Preservation Foundation.
“The market will be limited to farm or home grown plants, vegetables and/or fruits, homemade cottage industry foods with appropriate FDA labeling, and handmade craft items,” reads the report. “The Foundation has identified that they do NOT want this to devolve into a flea Market.”
There is also a resolution to ask the Virginia Department of Elections for a waiver to operate splint precincts for any election held in 2023.
“Precinct 104-Barnhardt Baptist Church has a single house with two voters that were erroneously drawn out of their district by the census block lines,” reads the staff report.
The final resolution is to adopt rules of procedure for the Broadband Authority.
Cumberland Supervisors to adopt resolution for opioid settlement
The five member Board of Supervisors in Cumberland County will meet at 7 p.m. at the Circuit Courtroom at 17 Courthouse Circle in Cumberland, Virginia. (meeting packet)
After the welcome, Pledge of Allegiance, and comments from Administrator Derek Stamey, Supervisors will get a series of reports.
In 2022, the county provided $8,960.86 in real property in 32 applications. The Commissioner of the Revenue is recommending increasing the income requirements for relief from $22,000 to $30,000.
The zoning report states that there have been inquiries regarding tri-plexes and quad-plexes, and that there may be a need to update the zoning code to allow for multi-family housing. There’s also an idea to create a mixed-use district on Cumberland Road and Anderson Highway.
The Board of Supervisors will have a public hearing on new definitions in the short-term rental ordinance on March 14, 2023.
Under new business there will be a resolution on Cumberland County’s participation in the opioid settlement with Teva, Allergan, Walmart, CVS, and Walgreens.
“The opioid epidemic that has cost thousands of human lives across the country also impacts Cumberland County, Virginia by adversely impacting the delivery of emergency medical, law enforcement, criminal justice, mental health and substance abuse services, and other services by Cumberland’s various departments and agencies,” reads part of the resolution to allow Stamey to execute documents to participate in the settlement.
There will also be an update on the Green Ridge project. That’s a new sanitary landfill proposed within the county. Learn more on the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality website.
There are three public hearings:
There will be amendments to the business personal property tax rate to add a reference to § 58.1‐3503 of the state code.
There will be a Conditional Use Permit for a business called Anna’s Puppies at 69 Amos Road in Farmville.
There will be a Conditional Use Permit for a business called the Denaro Christmas Tree Farm on 10 acres at the Churchview Estate in Farmville.
Wedding and events center permit to go before Prince Edward BOS
The eight member Board of Supervisors in Prince Edward County meet Tuesday at 7 pm.
After all of the various items that happen at the beginning of a meeting, there will be a work session on the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Six Year Plan.
There will be updates from Farmville Town Manager C. Scott Davis, School Superintendent Barbara Johnson, and Prince Edward County Sheriff Tony Epps.
There will be a public hearing on a special use permit request to operate a wedding and events center with lodging at 3286 Poorhouse Road.
“This parcel is in an A1, Agricultural Conservation zoning district and this use is allowed in the district only after approval of a special use permit,” reads the staff report.
There are several other items of business. These include:
Transient Occupancy Tax - Emergency Ordinance to bring the existing ordinance up to state regulations
Flood Zone Ordinance Amendment
Planning Commission End of Year Report
Economic Development Update
Wayfinding Signage Planning and Design Services - funded in part through an American Rescue Plan Act tourism recovery grant
Approval of an Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development grant for the cannery
An update on work to upgrade the solid waster convenience site in Rice
