Nelson Supervisors to resume budget talks; Albemarle Supervisors purchasing land in Rivanna District?
The third of three newsletter this week for the Fifth District
Well, we’re at the end of a week in which I actually wrote three newsletters. And the next meeting of an elected body in the Fifth District isn’t until June 1 in Nottoway County. So this may be the last installment for a while unless I decide to mix things up.
And the whole point of Town Crier Productions is to mix it up. This newsletter is still at a very early point as I try to learn more about what makes up this Fifth District. There’s much more than local government, but that’s what I am most interested in as an amateur political scientist.
So, what kind of stories would you like to see about the Fifth District? What would you like to know? Who would you want to interview? Let me know in an email or drop a line in the comments.
Now onto the information!
Nelson County Supervisors to resume budget discussions today
The five-member Nelson County Board of Supervisors will meet today at 3 p.m. for a continuation of this month’s regular meeting. They will gather in the old Board of Supervisors’ Room in the Nelson County Courthouse at 84 Courthouse Square in Lovingston. (agenda packet)
Before they get to the budget for fiscal year, they’ll adopt memorandums of agreement with the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission for Transportation Alternative Program funding for two projects. One is the second phase of the Gladstone Depot Restoration and the second is for pedestrian improvements in the Lovingston Business District.
Then Supervisors will take up the budget for FY24. Some highlights:
There’s a 5 percent salary and benefit adjustment for county employees with an adjustment for some employees based on a recent compensation study.
There’s a 9.9 percent increase in health care premiums for employees which will be absorbed by the county.
There are four full-time employees including a chief deputy registrar, an evidence technician for the Sheriff’s Department, an administrative assistant for building inspections and zoning, and a manager for the animal control shelter. There’s also a part-time recreation aid.
There are four full-time school resource officers, one of which is paid for by the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The cost for the Albemarle Charlottesville Regional Jail will increase nearly 18 percent.
There will be a new emergency services vehicle.
Supervisors will also review the increase in the transient lodging tax rate from five percent to seven percent.
Hanover County Supervisors to consider agricultural rezoning to allow for 25 building lots
The seven-member Board of Supervisors in Hanover County will meet at 6 p.m. in the Hanover County Administration Building at 7516 County Complex Road in Hanover.
After the invocation, the Pledge of Allegiance, comments from staff and Supervisors, “Citizens’ Time,” and the consent agenda, Supervisors will appoint two members to the School Board. This will be for the Beaverdam and Henry magisterial districts.
There are three regular public hearings and three land use public hearings.
There will be a public hearing on the Secondary Six-Year Plan as well as the construction budget for FY24.
There will be a public hearing on the potential condemnation of land for a water and sewer easement as part of the Shelton Point Force Main Upgrade Project.
There will be a public hearing on an amendment to the county code related to tax relief for the elderly and disabled.
There is a request for an amendment to a previous conditional use permit for a 0.95 acre property on Elm Drive.
There is a request to rezone 161.72 acres of Agricultural Land to Agricultural-Residential to authorize 25 building lots at a density of one dwelling unit per 6.47 acres.
There is a request to amend the zoning ordinance to allow accessory housing units in cases of medical hardship to allow family members to live on the same property.
The meeting will end with a closed session to review the performance of County Administrator John A. Budesky.
The Hanover Board will next meet on June 28 for a Comprehensive Plan work session.
Albemarle purchasing land on Wednesday?
The next regular meeting of the Albemarle Board of Supervisors is not until June, but the six members will meet in closed session this Wednesday. Virginia’s open meetings laws allow for elected bodies to discuss certain matters without the public present.
The notice for the May 24 meeting at 1 p.m. cites two provisions of the state code. (view the agenda)
The first is “to discuss or consider the acquisition of real property in the Rivanna Magisterial District.”
The second is “to consult with and be briefed by legal counsel regarding specific legal matters requiring legal advice relating to such acquisition.”
Immediately after the closed session, Supervisors will vote on a resolution to authorize purchase of property and assets. There are no further details but Supervisors will convene in Room 241 after this vote to hold a media briefing.
Charlottesville awarded over $17.5 M in state funds for Buford renovation
The Virginia Board of Education held a special meeting on May 11 to take care of unfinished business including the award of $365 million in the school construction assistance program.
“This is the major school construction grant program which was created in the 2022 [General Assembly] session and funded at $450 million,” said Kent Dickey, Deputy State Superintendent for the Division of Budget, Finance, and Operations.
The Board of Education established eleven scoring criteria in the fall and this was applied to all of the applications.
“Those criteria focused on poor building conditions, commitment, and need which were the key triggers that the General Assembly placed in the appropriation act,” Dickey said.
In all, there were 119 applications from 63 school divisions.
Charlottesville submitted the Buford Middle School project with a budget of $87,813,410 and scored a 77. That translates into $17,562,682 in state funds or about 20 percent of the project’s total amount.
The cost estimate used in the application is slightly lower than the full cost of the project, which includes design work.
“The grant will enable Charlottesville to achieve the full estimated $91.8 million scope of its middle school project—including the renovation of the fine arts building, a terraced outdoor classroom, and a redeveloped school garden—without compromising funding for other school facility needs or capital improvement projects,” reads a press release sent out on May 18.
A contract has been awarded to Nielsen Construction for the Buford project and work is expected to begin shortly after school ends on June 9.
The award has the potential to free up other funding for Charlottesville City Schools but staff are still studying compliance requirements.
“By the terms of the grant, the City agreed to ‘maintain or increase the percentage of local revenues dedicated to public education throughout the duration of the financing proposed for the project’, said City Schools spokeswoman Amanda Korman in an email. “As we carefully follow the grant requirements, it is possible that this grant will create opportunities for the City to support other school facilities needs.
Other projects in the Fifth District awarded funds in this round:
The City of Danville received $13 million for renovations at G.L.H. Johnson Elementary, $13.5 million for the R.I.S.E Academy at the John M. Langston Campus, and $23 million for renovations at George Washington High.
The City of Lynchburg will receive $270,090 for work at the Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle for Innovation.
Halifax County will receive $20 million for the $100 million Halifax County High
Appomattox County has been awarded $4.5 million for the $15 million Appomattox County High
Campbell County will get $15 million for $50 million in renovations at Brookville High School.
Pittsylvania County will receive $2.8 million for work at the Pittsylvania Vocational-Technical Center and $1.8 million for Stony Mill Elementary
Nelson County will get ten percent for $24,517,032 of work at Nelson County High
Reading material:
Two Amherst supervisors appointed to committee exploring ag complex with Nelson, Justin Faulconer, Amherst New-Era Progress, May 23, 2023
Nelson County GOP chooses Ligon for South District supervisor nomination, Emma Martin, Lynchburg News and Advance, May 23, 2023