Solid waste options to be discussed in Bedford; Buckingham to consider capping total amount of solar allowed in county
The second full week of September is a busy one for local government in the Fifth District
The work of local government is the work of holding a complex civilization together. How do we get our energy? Where do the things we discard go? These are the kinds of questions that our elected officials are ultimately responsible for making.
This newsletter is intended to provide a summary of what’s coming up at these meetings so more people might know what’s happening. In the past sixteen months of doing this work, I’ve only just begun to understand how all of these various pieces fit together.
This time around, a look at the two B counties.
Many localities around Lynchburg are examining options for the future of solid waste hauling. Expand landfills or invest in transfer stations. Bedford County Supervisors will get a report at a work session on Monday.
Many localities in rural Virginia are putting restrictions on utility-scale solar and small scale solar facilities in response to concerns from their community members.
Several articles from Bedford County and one from Buckingham County with an update from the Farmville Herald on the latter’s study of the future of mining.
Bedford Supervisors to be presented with options for future of solid waste disposal
The seven-member Bedford County Supervisors will meet at 5 p.m Monday for a work session followed by a regular session at 7 p.m. (meeting portal)
The work session will feature a discussion of waste management options including the potential of closing the landfill. The firm Gershman, Bricker and Bratton (GBB) has been hired to develop scenarios for Supervisors to consider. They’ve also advised Campbell County in recent years. The report is a great primer on the state of solid waste in 2023 as well as what’s on offer in Bedford County.
“In Bedford County, residents are provided opportunities to recycle everyday household recyclable items at 15 of its 25 waste management convenience centers distributed throughout the County,” reads the report. “Mulching and composting of brush and yard waste is also considered a form of recycling offered to community members who drop off these materials for processing.”
Bedford County managed 47,200 tons of waste in calendar year 2022.
There’s a second study from the Blacksburg-based firm TRC conducted a study of the cost to close or partially close the landfill. This report makes an observation about the whole region.
“Solid waste management in the Central Virginia region is currently in a state of flux,” reads the report.
Amherst County recently completed a transfer station to haul solid waste out of the community but also voted to reopen its landfill.
Members of the Region 2000 group are Appomattox, Campbell, Nelson, and Lynchburg. Construction of a final cell at the Livestock Road landfill has been completed but is expected to reach capacity by 2030. Campbell and Lynchburg are exploring their own individual options.
Green Ridge Recycling and Disposal are seeking a permit for a new landfill in Cumberland County to accept transfers from other localities.
In the regular meeting beginning at 7 p.m., there are no public meetings.
There will be consideration of a resolution for the approval and appropriation of $78,647 for an American Rescue Plan Act Victim Services Grant Program for Bedford Domestic Violence Services.
“This grant funding will be used to replace the shelter roof, flooring, and increase part time staffing hours to support services to domestic victims of crime,” reads the staff report. “When grant funding ends, part time staff hours will be decreased to stay within the County Budget.”
There will also be consideration of a resolution to continue authorization of a groundwater monitoring program.
“The Virginia Solid Waste Management Regulations require periodic groundwater monitoring at wells located around sanitary landfills to demonstrate adherence to established groundwater quality standards,” reads that staff report.
The Bedford County Board of Supervisors next meet on September 25.
Buckingham Supervisors to consider proposal to call solar in the county at 1,000 megawatts
The seven-member Board of Supervisors in Buckingham County meets on Monday at 6 p.m. in the Peter Francisco Auditorium in the County Administration Complex on Route 60 in Buckingham Courthouse. The meetings are streamed live on YouTube. (agenda packet)
After the usual start to the meeting, there are five presentations including one from Ted Rieck, the chief executive officer of Jaunt. Two routes currently travel between Buckingham to the University of Virginia and the agency is combining them into one.
“The new combined route will still serve UVa,” reads an August 29, 2023 letter from Rieck to County Administrator Karl Carter. “It will offer an additional trip to Pantops/Martha Jefferson Hospital, a major employment destination.”
After the public comment period, there will be an update from the Virginia Department of Transportation. This will include a resolution to add roads in the Forest Ridge subdivision to the state’s secondary road network.
There will be a public hearing on a resolution to amend the ordinance for tax stabilization for the elderly and disabled. This phrase was recently added to the ordinance.
“If a new tax rate set by the Buckingham County Board of Supervisors is lowe than the rate set at the time of the initial application, the successful applicant shall be taxed at the lower rate,” reads the minutes from the August meeting. (page 30)
The changes being considered this time around are to raise the income restriction from $35,000 to $40,000 and to increase the net combined to quality from $80,000 to $100,000.
There will be an introduction of an application from U.S. Cellular for a 199 foot monopole at 2462 Axtell Road near Scottsville. This requires a special use permit on land designated Agrilculture. The consultant working on the project is CityScape. That firm is assisting Albemarle County with a review of its policies, as I reported on July 10.
There are six items of consideration from county departments.
One regards the credit rate of 27.68 percent for PPTRA projects. There does not appear to be material on this in the packet.
The next regards a repayment of $2,755.24 to Cumberland County for sales and use tax accidentally paid to Buckingham County. There does not appear to be material on this in the packet.
The Fire Fighters Association is asking Buckingham County to split the costs to purchase nutrient tax credits for a site used for the tractor pull. The total amount is $75,670. Details are on page 303.
The EMS Coordinator seeks the appropriation of $899 of grant funds for the purchase of an MSA Altair 4XR Multi-Gas Meter for hazmat clean-up purposes.
There are proposed changes to the county’s solar policy. A solar committee is recommending putting a cap on the total amount of solar generation in Buckingham County to 1,000 megawatts or 4,500 acres of fenced area. Other changes include upgrading the threshold for a “small solar facility” from three megawatts to five megawatts. The committee recommends capping the total of these facilities to 100 megawatts. (begins on page 306)
There is a proposal to increase pay for bus drivers
At the end of the meeting, there will be a closed session on the acquisition or disposition of publicly held property.
The Buckingham County Board of Supervisors meets next on October 9.
Reading material for Bedford and Buckingham:
Buckingham Planning Commission postpones mining work, Brian Carlton, Farmville Herald, August 30, 2023
Bedford County board grants tax-exempt status to Virginia Institute of Autism, Justin Faulconer, Lynchburg News & Advance (paywall), August 30, 2023
Bedford board OKs resolution for reimbursed funds from broadband project, Justin Faulconer, Lynchburg News & Advance (paywall), September 1, 2023
New retro arcade to open in Bedford near Liberty High School, Justin Faulconer, Lynchburg News & Advance (paywall), September 1, 2023
Town of Bedford may be designated as ‘American World War II Heritage City’, Odyssey Fields, WFXR, September 8, 2023
Bedford commission OKs special use permit for new Kubota dealership in Montvale, Justin Faulconer, Lynchburg News & Advance (paywall), September 9, 2023
Kaine urges National Park Service to designate Bedford as WWII heritage city, Justin Faulconer, Lynchburg News & Advance (paywall), September 9, 2023
Bedford County Board of Equalization to hear complaints on real estate assessments, Justin Faulconer, Lynchburg News & Advance (paywall), September 9, 2023