Fluvanna Board to Evaluate Industrial Wells

By. Bryan Rothamel, Field Officer

PALMYRA – The Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors approved analysis and appraisal of wells at the old Thomasville Furniture plant after a lengthy closed session on June 5th.

The wells to be studied have been discussed for possible inclusion to the Fork Union Sanitary Department (FUSD) system since the Thomasville plant closed.  The county has discussed adding the wells to FUSD for at least three years.

FUSD is a water system for the Fork Union area. It depends on a system of wells and holding tanks. The wells have been recondition because of possible failure or lower production. One long term solution is connecting FUSD to the James River Water Authority intake.

Years ago, county officials discussed at preliminary levels selling FUSD.

Pre-2010, the county had surveys saying the Thomasville wells were producing better than the current FUSD wells but the plan at the time was to recharge the FUSD wells for better production. The Thomasville wells are not a part of the system and the cost of annexation would have to be discussed.

The supervisors approved Joyce Engineering to analyze and appraise the Thomasville wells, 5-0. The appropriation for the work was limited to $5,575.

While closed sessions routinely do not have actions coming out of them, the supervisors more than likely were meeting about multiple issues. Multiple staff members were included in the meeting at different times signaling issues could be from investment funds, real property, personnel or legal matters.

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The Free Enterprise Forum’s coverage of Fluvanna County is provided by a grant from the Charlottesville Area Association of REALTORS® and by the support of readers like you.

Bryan Rothamel covers Fluvanna County for the Free Enterprise Forum.  He is the founder of the Fluco Blog.  Additional writings can be found at www.Flucoblog.com

What a Difference A Day Makes–New Math in Albemarle

FORUM WATCH EDITORIAL

By. Neil Williamson, President

Over the weekend, with the news that the Republican Party was not running a candidate in the Jack Jouett District and the window for independents to get on the ballot closing soon, I started to think of the Albemarle County Board Election as “dormie”. 

In golf match play, a match is said to reach “dormie” when one of the golfers achieves a lead that matches the number of holes remaining (i.e., three holes up with three holes to play). The best the trailing player can do is tie the match.

The resignation of Scottsville Supervisor Chris Dumler from the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors changed that analogy  and opens up a number of new mathematical realities.

First, and most obvious, the new majority. Now acting as a five member board, the Republicans (Ken Boyd, Duane Snow, Rodney Thomas) will have a voting block that could overpower the balance of the Board.

The new five member board conceptually could take up the  failure of the prior six member board to agree on a chair (3-3).  Currently, Ann Mallek serves as chair until the Board appoints a new chair.  It is unclear politically is such a somewhat transparent power play would be politically beneficial or detrimental to those Supervisors that are up for reelection in November (Snow, Thomas). 

While the chairmanship may or may not be in the near future, the Board must continue to do their work.  It will be interesting to see how much consensus building will occur with the 3-2 split.

The five member construct will be short lived as the Board is looking to agree on a replacement supervisor (to serve until Mid November) by July 10th.   Both Dennis Rooker and Boyd agreed one of the attributes they were looking for in their “temporary” appointment was someone who was not interested in running for the seat in November.  County Attorney Larry Davis indicated such a consideration could be a part of the vetting process but could not be made a requirement.

Perhaps even more interesting than the five member board is the reality that for the 2013 election will mark the first time ever (we think) Albemarle County will elect a majority of the Board of Supervisors.  While the Free Enterprise Forum has questioned the wisdom of an even number of supervisors, we are strong proponents for staggered elections.  Such staggered terms provide continuity and tend to foster better relationships between the elected officials.

Based on the nominating/election calendar, the Free Enterprise Forum anticipates that party affiliations may not be a part of the Scottsville race.   Considering the importance of the issues ahead for the Albemarle County Board, we anticipate at least two “independent” candidates will emerge to compete for the Scottsville seat in November.

It s likely the new BOS math in Albemarle may generate create a significant amount of energy in the 2013 races.  Based on the political chatter we are hearing, we anticipate the ballot will be full this November and voters will have choices.   The Free Enterprise Forum strongly believes contested races makes better public policy. But I wouldn’t fill out your scorecards just yet.

Respectfully Submitted,

Neil Williamson, President

Neil Williamson is the President of the Free Enterprise Forum, a local government public policy organization located in Charlottesville.  www.freeenterpriseforum.org

Photo Credits: Free Enterprise Forum,

Greene BOS Passes Truck Issue to VDOT

By Brent Wilson, Field Officer

On Tuesday, May 28^th, the Greene County Board of Supervisors  held a public hearing concerning the restriction of semi-trucks through downtown Stanardsville. This is one of several steps required to make it illegal for semi-trucks to travel through downtown Stanardsville.

The issue has gathered quite a bit of momentum among residents and business owners of Stanardsville, in fact, many wore a sticker with a line drawn through a truck. A total of 21 people spoke to the Board taking several different points of view, however, the main issue raised was safety with most of the county’s schools being located in Stanardsville.

Gary Lowe, mayor of Stanardsville, was the first speaker and Chairman Jim Frydl asked that he give an overview of the project. He indicated that this public hearing is one step that the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) . If the BOS passes the issue to VDOT  then a study would be performed by VDOT which could then be forwarded to the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB)  for a final vote. The issue is the semi-truck traffic through downtown Stanardsville with the alternative being to route traffic east of Stanardsville onto Business 33 to connect to Route 230 heading to Madison County . Mr. Lowe pointed out that this t-intersection is problematic however traffic is managed as it is a narrow two lane road and the turning radius is very difficult for semi-trucks to navigate in either direction. Semi-trucks having business in Stanardsville will still be permitted to travel down Main Street as they currently do. Mr. Lowe summarized that this is a safety issue and with the Streetscaping Project beginning the reduced truck traffic would cause less wear to the street in town.

The issues that the speakers brought up ranged from the noise of the truck traffic, the vibration and potential damage to the sewer system, the owner of a preschool expressing concern for the children in her school, etc. The owner of the Lafayette Hotel, Alan Pyles , expressed concern over the noise of trucks changing gears in front of his hotel. Several speakers brought up the issue of dining outside being interrupted by truck traffic in town. Don Pamenter, head of the County’s Economic Development Authority, agreed that restricting truck traffic from downtown Stanardsville is not the ideal solution but hopes that Greene can work with Madison County to totally restrict semi-trucks from Route 230 and make Stanardsville more inviting. Jackie Pamenter, President of the Greene County Historical Society, gave some history of Stanardsville and how it was laid out with its narrow streets. She felt that truck traffic should be restricted through town and believes that Mr. Stanard would agree with her.

However, some speakers supported leaving the traffic pattern alone. Several speakers expressed concern about the turn radius if you force trucks to head westbound on Main Street and have to make the right hand turn onto Route 230 North. Trucks have to swing into the oncoming traffic lane and go up onto the grass of the opposite lane – blocking oncoming traffic – to complete the turn. The logic was that restricting truck traffic through town was just trading it for another problem making the right hand turn onto Route 230 North.

After the public speakers, Joel DeNunzio from VDOT addressed the BOS and outlined the process if the BOS passed the issue on to VDOT. There are 4 criteria of which 3 must be attained in order for the project to be approved.

1. A reasonable alternative route is available that is appropriate as the old route.

2. Is the character of the truck traffic not compatible with the area.

3. Roadway is residential – meaning per 1,000 feet there are 12 homes.

OR

4. Rural alternative road – this alternative is not available

He confirmed that a safety study would be performed and made available to Greene County. Mr. Cox asked if there was any recourse if VDOT denied the change, which Mr. DeNunzio said there was none. Mr. Deane asked Mr. Lowe about the crosswalks in the streetscapes project and was told that they are to be stamped asphalt – the most cost effective alternative  . Mr. Cox confirmed that making the right hand turn onto Route 230 is dangerous and that it is safer to make the left hand off Main Street onto Route 230. Mr. Deane stated he had not seen trucks speeding through Stanardsville and while restricting truck traffic through town may make it safer, there is an increased safety issue at Main Street and Route 230. Mr. Peyton stated he believes that truck drivers are safer than regular traffic as their CDL license depends on being safe and not being cited.

Chairman Frydl agreed with many of the points that the other supervisors raised and doubted that VDOT would approve the restriction but he placed a lot of value in receiving the analysis that VDOT would perform. In addition, he cited the overwhelming support of the public of passing this issue on to VDOT for their analysis and encouraged the BOS should let VDOT do the analysis and make a recommendation. At that point, the motion to pass on to VDOT was unanimously approved.

The Free Enterprise Forum applauds the open discussion and citizen activism that generated this request.  We agree this is a safety issue that should be studied by the engineers at VDOT rather than be a political issue in Greene County.

Brent Wilson is the Greene County Field Officer for the Free Enterprise Forum a privately funded public policy organization.

The Free Enterprise Forum Field Officer program is funded by a generous grant from the Charlottesville Area Association of REALTORS® (CAAR) and by readers like you.

Fluvanna Supervisors Talk Roads

By. Bryan Rothamel, Field Officer

PALMYRA — The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the Virginia Department of Transportation’s six-year-plan for Fluvanna County and was briefed on the Fork Union project during the May 15 meeting.

VDOT’s plan includes paving several unpaved country roads through the ‘rural rustic road’ program and widening heavily traveled county roads.

The rural rustic roads to get paved are Hells Bend Road (Route 606), Stag Road (Route 715), Lantre Road (Route 621), Canal Street (Route 687) and Radicel Circle (Route 687).

Garden Lane (Route 636) qualifies for Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) funds because it has high enough usage and is unpaved. This is different than the rural rustic program that has maximums of road usage to qualify. CTB formula has a minimum to be included and Garden Lane is the only unpaved Fluvanna road to qualify.

The major road projects are widening two county routes, both named North Boston Road (Route 600 and Route 633). North Boston connects the Lake Monticello area to Troy. It is often used by Lake Monticello area traffic to get to Zion Crossroad. This two lane road does not have side white lines and has many pavement patches.

Joe Chesser (Rivanna District) asked for its inclusion during an April VDOT work session. The two projects for the one road were included in previous six-year plans so it could be included in this year’s version without issue. The entire road has a budget of over $3 million to complete. It will require funds in each of the six years to complete the ‘minor widening.’

VDOT also includes in the six-year plan rural additions, countywide engineering and surveying, countywide traffic services and countywide right of way studies for general usage. This helps with speed studies, incidental work that comes up and other issues that arise throughout the budget cycle.

The entire six-year plan has an estimated allocation of $1.2 million from the state government.

Since 2004 the Fork Union community has prepared for a streetscape project. The project is to help improve Route 15 at or near the Route 6 intersection. The project has been slow-moving but county staff hope to submit plans to improve the west side of Route 15 from the Post Office to the second entrance of Fork Union Military Academy soon.

The request for bid will include curb and gutter work, crosswalks, concrete sidewalks with grass utility strip, vehicle entrances, street lights and metering equipment for the business side of Route 15.

Also included in the request will be the first alternate plan to include installation of site furnishings and dry-laid brick pavers in lieu of the grass utility strip. The second alternate is to extend the project from the Post Office to Academy Road (the ‘new’ road around the academy). The third alternate is installing site furnishings and dry-laid brick pavers to that second entrance and the final alternate is street trees installed in the brick paver sections.

The entire project, including all alternates is estimated at $475,300. The early estimates of the construction of just the base bid and first section of brick pavers is $395,900. The project estimates grant money available will be $400,000 for construction costs.

The hope is to get a request for bid out in the next month but the plan has hit snags along the way since 2004. Originally the plan included from the Post Office to the Dollar Store but it was discovered landowners owned from the middle of the road. In order to do such a project, landowners would have to give permanent right of way which not all were willing to do.

Pat Groot, grans administrator for the county, believes as long as the plan moves to bid soon, the county won’t lose any grant money. However, if the plan is delayed longer the transportation enhancement grants have been under heavy scrutiny because many localities have been stretching the project timeframes out.

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The Free Enterprise Forum’s coverage of Fluvanna County is provided by a grant from the Charlottesville Area Association of REALTORS® and by the support of readers like you.

Bryan Rothamel covers Fluvanna County for the Free Enterprise Forum.  He is the founder of the Fluco Blog.  Additional writings can be found at www.Flucoblog.com

Split Board Approves Greene County Budget 3-2

By. Brent Wilson, Field Officer

At the previous Board of Supervisors meeting in Greene County  the property tax rate was increased to equalize the reduction in property values so that the same amount of tax revenue would be generated in the coming year. At the May 14^th BOS meeting the proposed budget that was being reviewed that held local spending flat and required the school system to absorb lower state and federal funding, as had been requested by the school system.

Before discussion of the budget started, Chairman Jim Frydl (Midway District) proposed that a consultant be contracted to review the budget process and provide an evaluation on the process. The only change to the budget that was presented on the 14th was a new request from the Economic Development Authority for additional funding of $12,000 for Small Business Development to hire a part time position. The Board chose not to fund this request in the budget.

Supervisor Davis Lamb (Ruckersville District) was the first supervisor to speak to the budget and he indicated that he couldn’t approve the advertised budget. He cited many inconsistencies in the school budget and referred to cuts in number of school employees made in 2006/7 and 2008/9 along with the 22.5 employee reduction  required to offset the reduction in state and federal funding but then when he compared number of employees of 2008 vs. 2012 he found there is an increase. He said that he would be a hypocrite if he approved the budget with the schools request when he voted against the higher tax rate. He had agreed to only advertise the $.72/$100 new tax rate but he didn’t favor the schools flat funding.

Chairman Frydl asked Mr. Lamb how much he would reduce the request by but Mr. Lamb didn’t provide a specific figure instead he indicated that it was only the school component of the budget he didn’t approve of – the major part of the budget.

Supervisor Buggs Peyton (Stanardsville District) spoke next and he also said he opposed the proposed budget and stated that the majority of citizens he has spoken with were against tax increases. Also, he argued why should citizens pay a higher rate when their property assessments have declined indicating a decline in the property’s value. He felt that the county should only spend 60% of its revenue for schools. He expressed concern that the Reserve Fund has been drawn down the past two years and that in order to pay for all the future projects being considered the property tax rate would need to go up to $.85/$100. Mr. Peyton also indicated concern that Greene County is heading down a path of financial insecurity and fears that Greene will have to return to borrowing to pay the bills. Currently Greene County has $46 million in debt, the Reserve Fund has been consumed and replenished the past two years and the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) is a wish list and won’t get done. He is fearful that the county is heading down the same path as the federal government and Greene County can’t continue to tax and spend.

Supervisor Eddie Deane (At-Large)  spoke next. He recalled that ten years ago the rate was $.84/$100. The tax rate has been lowered and now the failure to sell more hook ups to the water and sewer system is causing the cost of that project to be borne by the taxpayers in their tax rate.  He also said it is sad that local communities have to make up for state and federal mandates being passed on without funding. While he believes there may be cuts in spending in every department in the county, he was in favor of the proposed budget.

Supervisor David Cox stated he supports our budget and thanked Tracy Morrisl for her efforts in preparing the budget and he also thanked the school system in responding timely to his requests for additional information. He indicated that he supports the budget even thought his own property taxes will be increasing as a result of an increase in his properties appraised value.

Chairman Frydl spoke last and challenged Mr. Peyton’s comment about the majority of residents in Greene being opposed to tax increases as he has gotten comments supporting both sides. He also agreed with Supervisor Cox’s comment about getting timely responses from the School System. He also disagreed with the 60% limit on school funding stating that the funding requests should be reviewed on an individual basis and not an arbitrary percentage.  He supported the $.72/$100 tax rate and saw no reason to change from the advertised budget.

Mr. Cox proposed a motion to accept the proposed budget which Mr. Deane seconded. The vote of three ayes of Cox, Deane and Frydl carried the motion vs. the two no votes of Peyton and Lamb.

An additional item of note at the meeting was the announcement of Supervisor Buggs Peyton that he will not seek re-election.

The Free Enterprise Forum commends the Greene Board of Supervisors for their clear discussion on the pros and cons of the budget that was approved.

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Brent Wilson is the Greene County Field Officer for the Free Enterprise Forum a privately funded public policy organization.

The Free Enterprise Forum Field Officer program is funded by a generous grant from the Charlottesville Area Association of REALTORS® (CAAR) and by readers like you.  To support this important work please donate online at www.freeenterpriseforum.org

Albemarle’s Development Double Standard Allows The Library To Cross The Road

By. Neil Williamson, President

On Wednesday (5/1) the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors have an $11.8 Million dollar consent agenda item regarding the relocation of Northside library from its current rental space in the Albemarle Square Shopping Center to a location just west of the intersection of Rio Road and US 29.

The Free Enterprise Forum is concerned a double standard may be in play as this is a “public” project as opposed to a private development. As private development interests are regularly told that the financial demands of regulatory approvals are not the concern of the County. 

In the past, Albemarle has taken such opportunities to showcase how well their projects embrace the goals of the comprehensive plan and build to the highest criteria.  In this case, we believe the county has identified a parcel and is trying to put a square peg in a round hole.

Would a private development get the same free pass?

Currently the Northside Library is in a retail center with significant parking as well as other community facilities within reasonable walking distances such as a bakery, a number of restaurants, a movie theater, a private health club, as well as a new grocery store.

It is important to the discussion that the County is in a lease agreement in this space and that agreement is up for renewal/renegotiation in 2014.

The new site is located on the south side of Rio Road West, just west of the intersection with US29.  The staff proposal is to reuse the existing structure to house both the Northside Library (30,000 sq. ft.)as well as long term County warehouse and storage space (20,000+ sq. ft.).

The site is bounded by commercial land on all sides and is zoned for HC Highway commercial. 

The headquarters for the Daily Progress is located immediately to west on Rio Road.

Interestingly, this same parcel (in combination with the adjacent parcel) was under consideration for a Homewood Suites hotel location in January of last year. 

That project went to Albemarle’s Architectural Review Board (ARB) on January 4th.  At some point after the ARB issued their initial 15 demands (including the need for 3D Modeling) for future submittals, the investors in the hotel project chose to move the project into the more business friendly City of Charlottesville (read the January 3, 2012 ARB minutes here).

While we are not suggesting the ARB review was the exclusive cause of the hotel project relocation, it certainly was one of the contributing factors.  So now, as the private development (tax generating) option has been eliminated we are looking at a public use on the parcel.

Seeing this item on the Board of Supervisors consent agenda leads us to believe last Tuesday’s discussion at the Albemarle County Planning Commission may be the only public discussion regarding this project. 

Staff met with the Board of Supervisors in closed session early this year to initiate this discussion and to place contractual “holds” on the land to allow for due diligence.  Staff has projected the upfit of the property to be in the $8 million dollar range (~$166 per sq. ft.) as compared with $250 a square foot for new construction.

The staff conveniently found the project to be generally consistent with the demands of the facilities and would be a positive redevelopment of this parcel.  Unlike a private development, the focus of the Planning Commission discussion was not as directed “whether the general location, character and extent of the proposed facility are in substantial accord with the adopted Comprehensive Plan” but instead focused on the economics of this infrastructure addition.

The Neighborhood Model portion of the Comprehensive Plan places significant importance to interconnectivity of roadways, pedestrian orientation, relegated parking and multi model access.  

Section 5.9.15 of the proposed Comprehensive Plan includes:

Strategy 2a: All government facilities in the Development Areas should conform to the principles of the Neighborhood Model.

The reality is the West Rio site is not well placed to become a neighborhood center, it is not located near significant residential activity and  the existing bike lanes end at Berkmar.  While the location is “not completely devoid of residences,” according to County staff the density of this residential is low, and access from those homes to the site is challenged.

Commissioner Tom Loach perhaps put it most succinctly when he said “Theoretically, this is not the Neighborhood Model”.  But Loach also said, “ we can’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good”.

Commissioner Rick Randolph voiced cost effectiveness concerns saying “Focusing on the ideal should not get in the way of this moving forward”.  Commissioner Ed Smith echoed this sentiment stating “It’s not a campus atmosphere but it is the lesser of two evils”.  Commissioner “Mac” Lafferty believes this is an opportunity that will not repeat itself. 

As a part of the discussion, Commissioner Don Franco pushed County staff suggesting there might be ways to make the project more Neighborhood Model friendly and asked if the applicant (the County) was prepared to make commitments to mitigate the negative impacts of the redevelopment.  He was concerned that by approving this use, the County might end up in a “firing range” situation where as a commission they have no choice but to approve the site plan regardless of the many concerns.

Commissioner Bruce Dotson enumerated a laundry list of things he would like to see in a library site: Activity center, pedestrian friendly, open space, green space were all important items he wanted to be in the Comprehensive Plan.  How this project failed to measure up to those standards was relatively clear.

To address these concerns staff has suggested that future improvements to make the project more pedestrian and bicycle friendly could be reprogrammed from the proposed Berkmar Extension. The Free Enterprise Forum is very troubled by the suggestion of removing a transportation backbone to make a library fit on a less than ideal site.

Loach was OK with the idea that the applicant (the County) would do their best to address them.  Would a private developer get this level of trust?

In the end the unanimous Planning Commission decision supported the library use with the condition that the applicant (the county) “come as close to the Neighborhood Model as possible”  Perhaps this will be the language used in all future land use discussions – I have my doubts.

Respectfully submitted,

Neil Williamson

Neil Williamson is the President of the Free Enterprise Forum, a local government public policy organization located in Charlottesville.  www.freeenterpriseforum.org

Photo Credits: Free Enterprise Forum

Map Credit: Bing.com

Greene Raises Tax Rate to Counter Property Assessment Decline

By. Brent Wilson, Field Officer

On Tuesday night, April 23^rd,  the Greene County Board of Supervisors heard from only 12 speakers, a fraction of citizens that they heard from a year ago (over 90 speakers), in the public hearing on the property tax rate. With property assessments declining 6.99%, a tax rate increase of $.03/$100 would be required to roughly equalize tax revenue – this is the rate that was published in advance. Chairman Jim Frydl clarified that the meeting was only to take action on the tax rate and that setting the budget will be at the May 14^th meeting.

The comments from the public overwhelmingly supported the increase to generate level funding. Andrea Whitmarsh, current assistant superintendent who has been named to be the new superintendent, thanked the BOS for public funding for the schools. She vowed to continue to strive for improved cost control in the school system. She announced to the BOS that after the School Board submitted their budget they have learned that health insurance costs will be reduced by $150,000. These funds will be used to reinstate some of the cuts announced to offset reduced state and federal funding (of over $700,000).

School Board Chairperson, Michelle Flynn, thanked the BOS in advance for level funding and for their time spent coming to the schools – all five have attended some event in the school system. She also echoed the Stanardsville Fire Department  who earlier commented on the private fundraising that they do to help fund the schools.

Several citizens did express concern over a tax rate increase and that once a levy is raised it is hard to lower it and that seniors have a hard time making their tax payments. One citizen asked that the county do a zero based budget. He was willing to go along with an increase of $.015/$100 instead of the $.03/$100 proposed. His fear was that increased taxes would deter new businesses from locating in Greene County.

Several of the citizens spoke in favor of the equalized rate and made the comment that this is not raising taxes, but merely to balance out the decline in assessed property valued to generate the same tax revenue – the bill will be the same amount. One citizen encouraged the BOS to equalize taxes to ensure that the quality of life is maintained in Greene County to attract businesses to the county.

The meeting then turned to a discussion among the supervisors. Supervisor Davis Lamb referred to a study he found on line that indicated that in the past decade funding for schools has increased faster than enrollment. He indicated he was not in favor of increasing the property tax rate as Social Security COLA is increasing only 1.4%  and Medicare Part B has a 9.3% increase. Supervisor Buggs Peyton also did not support the tax rate increase since the schools received their largest increase ever last year. He expressed concern over the funding the past two years of athletic facilities instead of academics. He also expressed concern that it is time to stop bullying and intimidation and promote collaboration within the schools. Lastly, he indicated that to meet all the needs of Greene County the tax rate would need to be at $.85/$100.

Supervisor Eddie Deane, the supervisor who proposed the $.72/$100 tax rate, believes that the increase will help avoid a larger increase in the future. He appreciates the transparency with the school system. When a more detailed budget by line item was requested, it was presented the next day. He does not want more people in the schools to lose their jobs. He also suggested that the county look into citizens being able to pay more than their tax bill and identify what function it should be assigned to.

Supervisor David Cox appreciated the comments from the public and applauded them for being respectful this evening. And also he complimented the School Board for being open during the school year. He also supported the $.72/$100 tax rate to help offset problems down the road.

Chairman Jim Frydl was last to speak and he also thanked the audience for attending. He also stated that the county has underspent by $979,000 to date. He agreed with Supervisors Dean and Cox that the alternative to raising the tax rate is to put our head in the sand. He indicated that the School System is not asking for increased funding, but for level funding. With that being said, they are already having to eliminate 22.5 positions due to reduced state and federal funding. He supports the $.72/$100 equalized tax rate which would charge residents the same amount as last year.

Supervisor Lamb said that some of the positions being eliminated are due to people leaving the school system. Supervisor Dean indicated that the lack of sale of EDU’s has caused the county to bear the full cost of the water and sewer system. Supervisor Frydl agreed stating that any units sold at the $10,000 rate will help offset the $2,000,000 cost which is the worst case.

At that time Chairman Frydl summarized each supervisors position with 3 supporting the $.72 rate and 2 supporting maintaining the $.69 rate. David Cox proposed the motion for the $.72 rate with Eddie Deane seconding the motion. Peyton and Lamb voted no and Frydl, Deane and Cox voted in favor of the equalized rate.

The Free Enterprise Forum commends the citizens of Greene County for their behavior during the meeting, quite a difference from a year ago. The vote to equalize the tax rate will allow Greene County to replenish their Reserve Fund which has proven to allow the county to address major financial issues.

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Brent Wilson is the Greene County Field Officer for the Free Enterprise Forum a privately funded public policy organization.

The Free Enterprise Forum Field Officer program is funded by a generous grant from the Charlottesville Area Association of REALTORS® (CAAR) and by readers like you.  To support this important work please donate online at www.freeenterpriseforum.org

Fluvanna Passes Budget and CIP

By. Bryan Rothamel

PALMYRA – The Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors passed the 2014 fiscal year budget and associated tax rates unanimously during the April 17 meeting.

The budget had minimal changes from the advertised budget. The tax rates did not change from advertised amounts, with the real property tax rate at $0.795 per $100 assessed and personal property tax at $4.15 per $100 assessed.

“I love this budget,” said Mozell Booker (Fork Union District) after the meeting. “We put in some things that we took out last year and the schools are in a better position. I loved the whole budget process, the way it was organized, the way it was presented. And we got a 5-0 on the tax rate.”

The minor changes to the budget were increased funding for the Fluvanna-Louisa Foundation and Jefferson Area Board of Aging. These two changes came from other budget lines but totaled $17,000 of changes.

Notable budget items include $13.75 million for the school district, educational supplements for deputies and structured pay increases for county employees who are currently paid less than market value.

“It was a win-win situation for everybody involved: for schools, for deputies, for staff. Those are the best sorts of budgets. I think that’s why we had such smooth sailing this time around,” said chairman Shaun Kenney (Columbia District).

The FY2014 budget is for $65,312,998. The Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), included in the total budget figure, has $3,834,662 worth of projects for FY2014.

The CIP caused more discussion than the budget. Don Weaver (Cunningham District) did not like the inclusion of a $20 million new elementary school for FY2018. The supervisors only commit to fund items in the FY14 column unless an item stretches from FY14 into following years. The other years were described as ‘hopeful’, ‘dreams’ and ‘planned for’.

Bob Ullenbruch agreed with Weaver’s dissension on the elementary school.

Weaver said he would prefer the School Board raise the issue instead of the Board of Supervisors just including an item from very basic discussions. Weaver hoped in the next nine months the School Board would have a better idea of student enrollment, projections and usage of current facilities including the pending closures of Columbia and Cunningham elementary schools.

The CIP for FY14 includes $575,000 for construction of a Zion Crossroad water and sewer system with another $3.1 million in FY15 and $975,000 in FY16. All three years are slated to be paid for by cash, with the first year coming from the Fund Balance instead of operating expenses.

Also in the plan are a groundwater study and adding a water source to the Fork Union Sanitary Department system. The plan also includes replacing an emergency services apparatus.

The CIP has $1.26 million of spending on school projects including new buses, implementation of a new financial system the county finance department uses, renovations to Carysbrook Elementary School and information technology like server virtualization and internet equipment upgrades.

The CIP was adjusted to take school flooring replacement and playground equipment upgrades out of the FY14 year. The supervisors will vote at the next meeting to pay for those items, totaling $150,000, from the FY13 budget. This will allow the school district to award a contract and begin work sooner in order to give proper time before school resumes this August.

The CIP passed 3-2 with Weaver and Ullenbruch voting against it. Weaver announced before the vote his vote against was a protest vote of the FY18 elementary school line.

The first tax bill to include the new tax rates will be due June 5. The FY14 calendar year begins July 1, 2013.

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The Free Enterprise Forum’s coverage of Fluvanna County is provided by a grant from the Charlottesville Area Association of REALTORS® and by the support of readers like you.

Bryan Rothamel covers Fluvanna County for the Free Enterprise Forum.  He is the founder of the Fluco Blog.  Additional writings can be found at www.Flucoblog.com

Fluvanna Supervisor Advocates “Tax” Donations to County

By. Bryan Rothamel

PALMYRA – A Fluvanna County supervisor has a plan to allow easier and unrestricted access to donate to specific line items in the budget through overpaying a tax bill.

“Folks are saying they want to be taxed higher, this is an opportunity to tax yourself higher and point that extra tax to what you feel most important about,” said Bob Ullenbruch (Palmyra District).

“There’s many different departments that people have a passion for and this gives them the opportunity to put their money where they’re passionate.”

Ullenbruch was alerted by a constituent of an option to give residents a section on tax bills to overpay on purpose. The constituent asked House of Delegate Rob Bell (R-Charlottesville) if an option of unrestricted overpayment for a specific department was allowed. Bell responded that state statute does allow such an option and Prince Edward is the only county to utilize the practice.

On April 8, Ullenbruch met with Commissioner of Revenue Mel Sheridan, Treasurer Linda Lenherr and finance director  Barbara Horlacher to discuss the implementation of such an option. Discussions with Prince Edward about carry out will have to occur but the option could begin as early as the second tax cycle in 2013 (the December tax bill).

The option to overpay would be on both real property and personal property tax bills. There would be the amount to pay based on assessed taxes then a second line asking if the taxpayer would like to contribute extra to any budgeted department the Board of Supervisors funds.

This includes school funding, Sheriff Department, parks and recreation, any non-profit, information technology, finance, etc. The donation is unrestricted for the department.

Ullenbruch said the process after each tax collection would include the Treasurer presenting the Board of Supervisors with the excess tax collection earmarked for each department. The supervisors would then vote to release the funds to the departments. The personnel in charge of the department, or School Board in the case of the school system, then decides how to spend the money, without restriction.

“There’s a difference between [the proposal] and say, I show up to the School Board meeting with a check for $100. They can’t use that money for [much] — they’d have to come in with school supplies or this or that. You can’t donate money into the school budget. In this case, you can,” said Ullenbruch.

Most real property tax bills are never seen by the homeowners. Ullenbruch said a majority of tax bills are paid through mortgage bills. The county could choose to mail a separate ‘bill’ to the homeowner for this excess contribution. Tenants could also decide to contribute excess of whatever the owner pays.

All personal property owners would also see the line for additional tax payment on bills. The line, however, is not directing spending of the taxed amount. In order to utilize the option, the taxpayer has to pay the tax in full.

“On the back of the tax bill it’ll be very clear that it is not a portion of your taxes. It is actual overpayment of your taxes. That one of those things we have to be very clear about that,” said Ullenbruch.

Ullenbruch will propose the option on April 10. He is confident it will pass but expects discussion on how the process will be fully carried out.

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The Free Enterprise Forum’s coverage of Fluvanna County is provided by a grant from the Charlottesville Area Association of REALTORS® and by the support of readers like you.

Bryan Rothamel covers Fluvanna County for the Free Enterprise Forum.  He is the founder of the Fluco Blog.  Additional writings can be found at www.Flucoblog.com

Photo Credit: Fluvanna County

Heavy Handed Albemarle Comp Plan is Not Ready For Prime Time

By. Neil Williamson, President

The 2013 Comprehensive Update to Albemarle County’s Comprehensive Plan is headed to public hearing on Tuesday (4/2) night.  The plan is available online, but the Free Enterprise Forum purchased a hard copy from the Planning Department for the princely sum of $168.

The new plan weighs in at about half the weight of the previous plan and we applaud the use of appendices rather than embedding policies and master plans into the text of the comp plan. 

We are encouraged by the brief (shortest in the Comp Plan) but meaningful chapter on Economic Development as well as the recognition of the importance of agriculture and forestry to the rural areas. We are encouraged that the document asks the question ‘How do Cash Proffers hinder density’.

But with that being said, we find the comprehensive plan to be lacking a consistent, unified voice.  For all the brevity of the Economic Development chapter, there are long winded almost evangelical undercurrents written into the Natural (and Historic) Resources chapters that have little or no concern for the cost of implementation nor property owner rights and do not belong in this planning document. 

  …the County should develop the action plan to focus on conserving ecological integrity at the scale of the landscape.  The landscape approach focuses on a wide scale (square miles rather than square feet) an the management of major land features (e.g., forest blocks, watersheds, urbanized areas) to both conserve ecological diversity and support conservation measures (such as conservation easements) or for restoration efforts.  This plan should also establish conservation approaches for aquatic conservation through land management techniques designed for a specific watershed. (5.1.14)

The concept of a historical protection ordinance has been a flaw in Albemarle County’s comprehensive plan for years.  In this iteration, the concept has been vastly expanded to use GIS technology to create a historic overlay layer and empower (likely without legislative authority) the Architectural Review Board to evaluate development proposals and by right building in and adjacent to the Historic Overlay.

Strategy 2b.3: Expand the Authority of the Architectural Review Board (ARB) to include the review required under the recommended historical overlay district ordinance.  Revise the make-up of the ARB to include members with expertise in historic preservation and revise the name of the board accordingly.

Strategy 2b.4: Establish an advisory review by the ARB of all rezonings, special use permits, site plans, and subdivision plats for proposals located within or abutting a locally designated historic district to ensure that historic preservation considerations are available as part of the decision making process. (5.2.10)

The Free Enterprise Forum has already written extensively about the Monticello Land Grab that is currently drafted into the comp plan has attempted to put into the Comprehensive Plan.  To be clear there is no reason for Monticello’s viewshed to be enumerated in the Comprehensive Plan.  We encourage Monticello to work directly with their neighbors to discuss how each of them exercise their property rights and leave government out of the equation.  

Upon further study, it became clear that Monticello is not the only entity seeking to regulate aesthetics.  Under the Cultural and Scenic resources section the comprehensive plan calls for expanded (again without legislative authority) power for Albemarle County:

The County’s scenic resources are highly valued and contribute both to the quality of life and the tourism economy.  Existing regulations only go so far in protecting the resources.  Greater ability to regulate aesthetics is desired to help preserve these qualities. (5.2.14)

The Transportation chapter section of the Comprehensive Plan needs to be updated to reflect reality.  Without population increases exponentially above the current projection, automobiles will continue to be the dominant form of transportation and home buyers will continue to choose homes that best fit their lifestyle choices rather than being limited by transportation availability.  Highlighting an anti car/anti personal mobility bias the plan states:

Dispersed development patterns have helped promote a transportation network that is mostly focused on the automobile.  In the past, a more abundant supply of cheap land and fuel encouraged development patterns that have become hard to sustain.  Today, and n the future, the local transportation system is faced with the challenge of finding adequate revenue, an aging transportation infrastructure (and an aging population), higher energy prices, and accommodating future population and employment growth….

Since our founding, the Free Enterprise Forum has had issues with the mandated neighborhood model form of development and the manner in which the County has now codified THE MODEL rather than a model.  Considering the importance of this document and our ten years of experience with THE model shouldn’t more time be taken to see how these “principles” have turned out in real projects both good and bad?  In addition, based on all of the evidence light rail will not work in Albemarle County in the next 50 years; why then is it still on page 5.5.19 of the comprehensive plan. 

The Free Enterprise Forum appreciates the significant effort staff and the Planning Commission have put into the document thus far.  We believe there are positives in this iteration but we also believe it could still be better.

We hope that the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors take their time with the document that is supposed to guide our community for the next twenty years.

Respectfully submitted,

Neil Williamson

Neil Williamson is the President of the Free Enterprise Forum, a local government public policy organization located in Charlottesville. The full Contradictory Consequences report can be found at www.freeenterpriseforum.org