March 18, 2025: Supervisor meetings today in Amherst, Campbell, Charlotte, Danville, Nelson and Pittsylvania
Another exercise in civic journalism intended to get more people information about what local government does
One of the challenges of relaunching this newsletter is that I have to limit the time I spend on it. I am not being paid for this newsletter and do not have any ads on it. I am not going to turn on payment on this newsletter because I remain concerned that might damage Charlottesville Community Engagement.
There’s also Patreon, which is for general contributions to support all of the work I do. There’s a lot of it, and I spend more time creating it and then attending to the business. Yet, here I am five years after launching an independent business. Five years ago today, I produced a podcast about Albemarle County’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Take a listen here.
Today I’m giving myself a maximum of 90 minutes from now to write as much as I can about the meetings on the schedule. That way I have to keep an eye on the clock because I have a full set of stories to tell in the other newsletter. This one, mostly summary.
Let’s get going!
(editor’s note: Two hours. I spent two hours on this and the result is something incomplete, but hopefully in a way that has you asking more questions)
Halifax Supervisors to hold public hearing on tax rates, bond sales for titanium factory
Halifax County is located on the border with North Carolina and has a population of 34,022 according to the U.S. Census. The Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia estimated the population declined to 33,423 as of July 1, 2024 and their forecasts show that dropping to 27,576 by 2050.
Will that happen? Either way, decisions are made by an eight-member Board of Supervisors that includes a tie-breaker. I’ll note Albemarle County has six Supervisors and there is no tie-breaker. Deadlocked votes happen from time to time.
This group technically has three meetings today beginning with a joint meeting with the Planning Commission scheduled for 6:30 p.m. All three are at 1050 Mary Bethune Street in Halifax. (agenda packet)
There are two public hearings. The first is on a conditional use permit for a 197-foot tall cell tower at 3120 Wilson Road in Virgilina. The second is for a rezoning from Agricultural-1 to Residential-2 on Philpott Road. Details in the packet.
At 7 p.m. they will meet as just the Board of Supervisors meets. The main item on that agenda today is a public hearing on the 2025 tax levies. The plan is to use the same rates as 2024. (agenda packet)
After that public hearing, the Board of Supervisors will convene a joint meeting with the Halifax County Industrial Development Authority (IDA) in the same room. On the agenda is a public hearing on bond financing for the company IperionX, a company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. (agenda packet)
In August 2023, I reported in this newsletter that IperionX had secured all the permits needed for their titanium factory. At this public hearing, the IDA and the Board of Supervisors will take comments on the issuance of up to $400 million in bonds for several purposes related to constructing a three-building “titanium recycling and manufacturing facility” to be built at the Southern Virginia Technology Park in South Boston.
To follow up these stories, take a look at SoVaNow.com. Heck, Miranda Baines has a preview of these public hearings. I became a paying subscriber last week. A major purpose of this newsletter is to amplify other work so it can be read across the entire Fifth Congressional District.
Amherst Supervisors holding budget work session, will consider solid waste management plan
Amherst County is just to the north of the City of Lynchburg across the James River and to the south of Nelson County. The 2020 Census recorded 31,307 people, a number that stayed roughly the same in the Weldon Cooper Center’s 2024 estimate. Their forecasts show a decline to under 29,000 in 2050.
Before then, the five member Board of Supervisors will meet hundreds if not thousands of times. Two of those times are today with a 4:00 p.m. session on the budget and a regular meeting at 7 p.m.
There are five items on the agenda with the first being a presentation on the school budget from Dr. William Wells, the Superintendent of Amherst County Schools. This presentation is not available in advance.
Next up, Supervisors will look at funding for outside agencies in the FY26 budget. One item to note is that County Administrator Dean Rodger’s budget recommends reductions in fundings for several youth sports organizations. For instance, the Monelison Football Association asked for $10,000 and the budget only recommends $2,500. Same thing with the Madison Heights Youth Baseball. (see the list)
There is also a list of supplemental budget requests for the current fiscal year. (see this document)
Then there’s a review of the Capital Improvement Plan which includes details on each project. Amherst County operates its own landfill and so there is $1.35 million programmed into FY26 for a landfill pan scraper. For some reason, the details on that are not in the packet. Then again, I’m an hour into the 90 minutes I allotted so I am going to move on. (the packet)
Finally at the work session, a vote on the health insurance contract for county employees for FY2026. (details here)
The regular session begins at 7 p.m. and the agenda is here. Amherst County uses Civic Plus which allows the public to find documents easily. I recommend looking at the “meeting overview” tab to scroll around.
Under old business, Supervisors will consider the 20-year solid waste management plan. This is not in the agenda but it is available in the packet for the February 18 meeting. (go look!)
“The County operates the Amherst County Landfill for disposal in an efficient manner, and ensures that it meets and complies with all county, state and federal guidelines and regulations,” reads a portion of the executive summary. “Amherst County receives waste primarily from the residents and businesses of Amherst County. No out-of-County waste is accepted at the Landfill, however a limited number of Nelson County residents utilize Amherst County’s convenience centers.”
The county is expanding the landfill with the construction of a new cell. The $5.2 million project is being financed and at this meeting, Davenport & Company will present details. (staff report)
Supervisors will also be asked to consider an amendment to the current year’s capital improvement plan (CIP). `
“In February 2025, the Board of Supervisors directed staff to move forward with a road improvement ordinance to help upgrade private roads to be brought into the state system,” reads the staff report.
The ordinance requires projects to go through the Virginia Department of Transportation’s revenue-sharing program. To qualify, projects have to be in a CIP.
There’s more in this meeting but I’ve only got 18 minutes. I keep getting distracted by other things, including a decision to listen to the entire discography of The Knack. The third album is quite good.
Pittsylvania Supervisors to consider five rezoning requests
I really want to write out more about Pittsylvania County in this section about today’s Board of Supervisors meeting but I’m running out of time. I hereby grant myself another 32 minutes. This county is in between Lynchburg and Danville and absolutely fascinates me as I’ve only ever driven through it.
The 2020 Census recorded 60,501 in Pittsylvania County. The Weldon Cooper Center estimated that declined to 58,913 by 2024. Their projections show that dropping further to 54,601 by 2050. Will that hold up?
The seven-member Board of Supervisors will make the decisions in any case. A subset of them will meet at 3:30 p.m. as the Finance Committee in the Board Meeting Room at 39 Bank Street in Chatham. (agenda)
The full board meets at 4:30 p.m. in the same locations. Then there’s a work session with two items. One is on the PJM Power Grid and the other is on the Haven of the Dan River.
“HAVEN of the Dan River Region is a 501-C-3 non-profit organization set up for the purpose of raising awareness about domestic violence and sexual assault, providing services to meet the needs of victims, and providing a safe shelter for victims and their children,” reads a staff report.
Then Supervisors will go into a closed session with three topics. One is an economic development update. A second is on legal matters. The third is an update on opioid litigation. (agenda)
The regular meeting begins at 7 p.m. There are five rezoning requests and I’ll have to skip that section for this newsletter. Perhaps a reader would be interested in summarizing? My hope is to find people who would be interested in learning how to do so, and to find funding to cover their payment. This is an experiment in journalism, after all. (agenda payment)
In other meetings:
The Nelson County Board of Supervisors are meeting as I hit send. They are being introduced to their budget at a meeting that began at 10 a.m. Below is a link to the YouTube so you can take a look. I would love to have a full-time reporter in Nelson County. (go see)
The Charlotte County Board of Supervisors will hold a joint budget work session with the School Board. The time and location is not posted and I have to move on. There is also no agenda, but here’s a link to the county’s budget page.
Campbell County’s Board of Supervisors will hold a work session at 6 p.m. on a request for proposals for a transfer station. There’s no information online and nothing turns up in the county’s list of bids. You can see that list on the county’s purchasing page. I should point out I grew up in Campbell County and still regret that my parents would not allow me to purchase my childhood home. I would have paid market rate, but they wouldn’t consider it. Now they live in Pennsylvania in a place where no one knows them. Oh well.
Danville City Council meets at 7 p.m. for a regular meeting followed by a work session. I’m going to skip the details for today and try to make sure I pay the city more attention next time. There’s an update of the zoning code coming up, and I love to write about that sort of thing. (regular meeting agenda) (work session agenda)
Reading material:
Up to $51B in transportation grant awards at risk, advocacy group says, Dan Zukowski, SmartCitiesDive, March 17, 2025
Multiple public hearings on agenda for Halifax County Board of Supervisors, Miranda Baines, Gazette-Virginian, March 17, 2025
Timeline extended for 4 Charlotte County solar projects, Matt Busse, Cardinal News, March 17, 2025
University acceptance rate decreases after regular decision round, Bertie Azqueta, Cavalier Daily, March 17, 2025
Charlottesville to unveil new historical marker, Green Book plaque, on site of the former Carver Inn, Erin O’Hare, March 17, 2025
Assault victim found in roadway has now died, CBS19, March 17, 2025
United behind Spanberger, Va.’s Democratic Party reminds voters of Republicans’ three-way primary, Charlotte Rene Woods, Virginia Mercury, March 17, 2025