Greene PC Denies Proffer Amendment

By. Brent Wilson, Field Officer

Back in 2008, Kinvara Properties, LLC received approval of their Greene County rezoning on the west side of US29 near its intersection with Cedar Grove Road (Route 607).  As a part of the rezoning, a series of voluntary proffers were offered by the developer and accepted by Greene County.   On Wednesday, May 15^th Kinerva returned to the Greene County Planning Commission  to request to amendment of the proffers including interconnectivity and removal of the cash proffers 

Attorney Butch Davies spoke on behalf of the request and indicated that Kinvara has a party, Jeana Server, interested in purchasing the property if it included passage from Deer Lake Estates to the Food Lion shopping center and the elimination of cash proffers. Mr. Davies indicated that the buyer would not make the purchase without these conditions.

After hearing from the applicant, the commission opened the public hearing. Chad Womack, a resident in Deer Lake Estates, stated that the residents did not want connectivity to the Food Lion shopping center. Ed Mahoney echoed Mr. Womack’s concern and suggested that a traffic light be installed on Route 29 at the Deer Lake entrance.

Jenna Server, the prospective buyer, said that the $9,000 cash proffer  that was a part of the 2008 rezoning, was not economically feasible given the market study she recently had performed.

Matt Straus, a resident of the Willow Creek subdivision, urged the Planning Commission not to bail out the developer by waiving the cash proffer at the expense of having the residents in Greene County bear this cost. Brian Higgins from the Piedmont Environmental Council asked that the Planning Commission not start a trend of waiving cash proffers. One speaker did speak in favor of the amendment stating it would be good for business in a down economy.

The final speaker was Carl Schmitt, former Greene County supervisor, who helped develop the Cash Proffer policy. He asked the commission not to allow the amendment and to keep the Cash Proffer policy in effect.

The Planning Commission then closed the public hearing and opened their discussion of the request. Vice Chairman Jay Willer indicated he had some concerns about the proffer policy itself, but as for this specific request, he felt there should not be a modification to the proffer policy. Chairman Anthony Herring Joel Snow stated that while he is a businessman and had sympathy with the request he did not support waiving the Cash Proffer. The remaining three commissioners were all in agreement and the vote was unanimous 5 – 0 to deny the rezoning application.

Earlier this Spring, the Free Enterprise Forum issued a white paper ‘Contradictory Consequences‘ regarding the impacts of cash proffers on development projects. While we do not take a position on any project, the Free Enterprise Forum believes the testimony supports that cash proffers are one (not the only) factor in the market viability of this specific project.

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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

Should VDOT Force Trucks to Bypass Stanardsville?

By Brent Wilson, Greene County Field Officer

The Route 33 by-pass around Stanardsville in Greene County  was built in 2000.  This project was first envisioned in 1964 as part of the Virginia Arterial System that was designated for 4-laning and bypasses around major towns. The connection between US-33 from I-81 at Harrisonburg to US-29 at Ruckersville was considered an important part of this plan.   Elkton’s bypass was completed in the early 1970’s.  In addition to improving traffic flow on the arterials, such bypasses also reduce the impact of through traffic on the towns bypassed, especially tractor trailers. Logically you would think that “if you build it, they will come”

The reality is for traffic headed East or West, the Bypass works well.

But for traffic coming to and from the North, geometry wins out.

Traffic coming from the north and wanting to cross over to Route 81 have two options to get there. They can take the right triangle of Route 29 South to Ruckersville and head west on Route 33 and take the scenic bypass [16.0 miles]. However, the shorter route is the hypotenuse of the right triangle. From Madison take Route 230 South which ends on the east side of Stanardsville and then turn right through town on Main Street (old Route 33) toward the valley [12.6 miles]. Of course, this works in reverse for traffic heading north.

So, the economics of taking the shorter (less costly route) wins and one of the benefits of the bypass is significantly diluted.  The question is should through truck traffic be prohibited in Stanardsville? 

This issue is significant enough to be included in the Town of Standardsville Comprehensive Plan.

The Main Street of Stanardsville currently sustains an excessive amount of truck traffic, 9% of all vehicles.  This leads to heightened safety concerns, increases need for roadway maintenance, and generates pollution and noise in close proximity to businesses and homes. The route is utilized as a shortcut by trucks travelling eastbound on Route 33 to northbound on Route 29, although there is little evidence that this alternative route saves time on average.

At the February 26^th BOS meeting Supervisor Davis Lamb brought up a citizen’s request to hold a public hearing to discuss the Town of Stanardsville’s  request to consider the restriction of truck traffic in Stanardsville 

Chairman Jim Frydl said the BOS would be willing to hold a public hearing if there were any facts regarding safety issues and concerns.

Fast forward to the March 26^th meeting. Stanardsville Mayor Gary Lowe  was one of 14 people addressing the issue of truck traffic in Stanardsville. Speaking under “other matters from the public” Lowe explained that the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)  has four criteria to check before they will consider redirecting tractor trailer traffic of which the first three have been met. The fourth step is to have the BOS hold a public hearing and then decide if they will pass a resolution of support that would then be forwarded to VDOT. VDOT would then have up to 9 months to render a decision based on a study of alternative route safety, impact on trucks and does it benefit the community. VDOT must also have support and commitment of local law enforcement before they agree to redirect truck traffic.

Sherriff Steve Smith  addressed the BOS and stated that his department is neutral on the matter but that he could enforce the new restriction if VDOT approved.

The other speakers expressed concerns from safety issues, the streetscape expenditures  to happen this year, noise issues, aesthetic issues, etc. Only one speaker, after listing five negatives about the truck traffic in Stanardsville, offered up a positive – it is less traffic on the bypass.

The BOS made no comment in response to the issues raised under “matters from the public” session of their meeting. The Free Enterprise Forum applauds the public’s participation and encourages the BOS to go forward with the public hearing to allow comments from both sides of this issue.

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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

Photo Credits: http://www.wrx900.com/, bing maps 

Greene BOS Budget Balancing Act: Capital Needs, Reserve Fund,Tax Rates, Services

By. Brent Wilson

At the March 12th meeting of the Greene County Board of Supervisors   the discussion centered around the Capital Improvement Plan vs. the growth in the Reserve Fund. The BOS had previously approved the county’s CIP in total but had struggled to identify which projects would receive funding in the next 3 to 5 years.

Several projects were immediately identified as needing to be accomplished in the near future – a Rescue Squad building and an expansion to the high school cafeteria (there are four lunch periods starting at 10:42 am due to the lack of space)  – all agreed these need to happen soon. One possible source of funding for the school cafeteria expansion is by retiring of existing school debt.

The BOS discussed whether the new task force on CIPs should handle the prioritization or should a request go back to each department to sort out their critical needs in the next 5 year. Chairman Jim Frydl (Midway) proposed that the BOS request all departments to provide back a list of 5 year must have projects with written justification for each project. This was agreed by all 5 supervisors.

The discussion moved on to how to pay for the projects and whether the Reserve Fund could be a source of funds for some of the projects. Last year the BOS set a policy on how much should be maintained in the Reserve Fund, funded the schools budget request and then earmarked the remaining additional money in the Reserve Fund to various projects.

The Reserve Fund has continued to grow and exceeds the target level by over $4 million. Supervisor Buggs Peyton (Stanardsville) suggested reviewing what balance should be left in the Reserve Fund and then use any amount beyond that to help fund the capital projects that come back from all departments. Chairman Frydl questioned if the BOS wanted to modify the Reserve Fund policy that has already been set at 15% of the annual budget plus one month operating expenses. He suggested that the departmental requests for the next 5 years be compared to the excess Reserve Fund and if additional funds are required then the Board would have to consider a tax increase would be required to fund all projects.

Mr. Peyton said that the CIP is a wish list – “a Sears Catalogue” and he objected to additional taxes for capital projects but he would agree to pull down the Reserve Fund for the water and sewer project. Supervisor Davis Lamb  (Ruckersville) expressed concern about drawing down the Reserve Fund to zero and wanted to avoid going back to borrowing funds to be able to pay ongoing obligations.

Chairman Frydl commented that the preliminary audit has indicated the Reserve Fund is now approximately 32% of the annual budget of $53.5 million or $17.1 million. This compares to a minimum balance of 15% of $53.5 million or $8.0 million plus one month’s budget of $4.5 million for a total of $12.5 million Reserve Fund target. Therefore the Reserve Fund has grown, based on preliminary audit, by approximately $4.6 million since the Reserve Fund was set last spring.

Supervisor Eddie Deane (At-Large) expressed concern that he did not want the county to have to borrow to fund their needs. Discussion followed as to whether all excess Reserve Funds should be allocated to projects or not. This lead to a discussion of the property tax rate, given that the property assessments are expected to decline.

Supervisor Peyton stated that he would not increase taxes but would cut spending to balance the budget, the decision is “easy for me”.  When Mr. Peyton was asked for a clarification whether he meant he wouldn’t support raising the tax rate (generating less tax revenue) or raising total property taxes (equal to that of the prior year) that an equalization rate would provide, he indicated that he opposed an increase in the tax rate. He further explained that raising the tax rate to equalize tax revenue would cause some property taxes to increase and some to decrease and he didn’t believe that was fair.

Chairman Frydl summarized that the BOS needs the list of projects required to be done in the next 5 years. At that time, the BOS will be able to determine if there are enough funds for all projects by using the excess Reserve Fund. If more funds are required then the BOS will need to decide if additional tax revenue is required to fund all projects. He also noted that Albemarle County has acted to advertise an increase in their tax rate to equalize tax revenue since their property values have declined, similar to what Greene County is facing.

The key issue facing Greene County as it listens to each department’s budget request  is that the current tax rate is generating revenue to provide funding for operating budgets and growth in the Reserve Fund which is being used as a source of capital fund.

If the property tax rate is not equalized then there will be less tax revenue coming into the county which will result in less funds flowing to the Reserve Fund.  A decision will have to be made whether to maintain current levels of operating expenses by tapping into the reserve funds or use those funds for capital projects. There will not be enough revenue to do both.

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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

Greene BOS Approves Region Ten Rezoning

By. Brent Wilson

At the January 22nd Greene County Board of Supervisors meeting, Jennifer Hinkle, Director of Greene County’s Region Ten Community Service, requested a rezoning of a 1 acre parcel from R-1 to B-1. The site has had a special use permit for usage of the R-1 class since 1981 and for many years housed a fitness center . The acre plot is situated in a residential area just east of Stanardsville off Route 33 Business on Lambs Lane. B-1 rezoning would allow a professional office to be located on the site. The Greene County Planning Commission had approved this request at its November 15, 2012 meeting .

Hinkle explained that VDOT estimates fewer vehicle trips per day.

The Comprehensive Plan  supports business growth in the Stanardsville area. Region Ten has been in service to Greene County since 1972. The need to move locations is caused by the lack of space in their current facility which serves approximately 60 students and 40 adults.

Lisa Roberston, Region Ten’s attorney, spoke about Region Ten’s service to Greene. The request is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and Region Ten is a long time resident of Greene County showing an ability to coexist beside residential property. The current space for Region Ten has residential on two sides and the new space would meet most of the B-1 requirements in a residential area.

However, the majority of the speakers come out opposed to the B-1 rezoning for Region Ten. Wendell Lamb gave the history of the property, 17 acres, that dates back to his mother’s home. He got the special use permit for the fitness facility and then sold the business. He gave each of his children 2 acres of land around the facility and he still owns part of the property. His argument was – would you want Region Ten in your family plot when there are other places in Greene they could locate?

Several other speakers against the rezoning brought up issues of the B-1 class. There is not enough parking spaces, there is not handicapped parking for both levels and no elevator within the building, there is not enough set back, etc. Many believed this to be spot zoning.

None of the speakers against the rezoning spoke negatively toward the work Region Ten does, they spoke out against the location only. However, several speakers were both supportive of the organization’s work and the new location. In addition, Region Ten in Greene County provides space to the Food Bank  in Greene County.

After the public comment, County Attorney Ray Clarke, reminded the BOS that this was a land issue and not specifically about the building on the site. The site review issues related to the building should not be considered. The question of spot zoning  is valid only if the specific location receives benefit. If there are benefits beyond the specific site, then it is not spot zoning.

The BOS then spoke on the issues. Clarence “Buggs” Peyton (Stanardsville) began the discussion by stating that B-1 zoning would allow a variety of new commercial uses on the property (see page 29 of Greene County Zoning Ordinance ) whereas the SUP was for only the one use. He felt the Comprehensive Plan designated this area primarily for family development.

Supervisor Davis Lamb (Ruckersville) agreed with Peyton.  Supervisor Eddie Deane (At-Large) stated he appreciates what Region Ten brings to Greene County. If the rezoning is approved then, Region Ten would have to deal with any non-conforming issue at that time, Dean suggested. 

Supervisor David Cox (Monroe)  had similar questions about what Region Ten would have to do to be in compliance. Chairman Jim Frydl (Midway) echoed Cox’s zoning questions and Greene County Planning Director Bart Svoboda answered that the current building probably is non-conformance as it stands today for B-1 zoning.

Peyton made a motion to deny the rezoning request which was defeated in a 2-3 (Cox, Dean, Frydl – No) vote.  Cox made a motion to approve the request which passed 3-2 (Peyton, Lamb – No).

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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

Greene School Board Requests Level Funding

By. Brent Wilson, Field Officer

The Greene County Board of Supervisors and School Board held a joint public input session on Tuesday, January 15^th to begin dialogue with the public in anticipation of a difficult budget process.

Jim Frydl (Midway District), Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, started the evening stating the purpose of the meeting was to get feedback from the public on what is important in a time when real estate assessments are down, there are added state and federal requirements and the county must start paying for the water and sewer system. County staff has told the Board of Supervisors of a projected $800,000 to $1 million in lower county revenue, primarily due to reduced property assessment. Greene Treasurer Stephanie Deal reports increases in real estate, personal property and sales taxes that total over $350,000 in 2012 vs. 2011.

Michelle Flynn, Chair of the School Board, made a brief presentation  stating that revenue from the State is projected to decline by $232,000 due to flat enrollment and that Federal sequestration – if it occurs – would reduce Federal funds by $125,000. The presentation noted that “Local tax rate increase will be required just to equalize local revenues due to lower assessment values”.

The largest item presented as a cost cutting option is a reduction of 32 positions that total $913,000. Governor McDonnell has announced a 2% increase in teacher wages but 1% of that increase would have to be paid by the county and that tenure would be extended after 5 years instead of 3 years adds to the School Board’s request.

The total for all projected cuts and cost increases from state and federal sources along with other cost increases such as fuel and insurance came to $675,000. Flynn summarized the reductions to the school budget from 2008 of over $3 million. The School Board is asking that the Board of Supervisors provides the same funding as this year for the 2013/2014 school year.

Following the presentations, it was time to hear from the public. This meeting was quite a different setting than the last time the BOS met the public to talk about budgets. Only 12 citizens spoke on a variety of issues from the school system, JABA , the Senior Center , the Shelter for Help and Emergency and the Greene County Public Library . Two of the speakers asked for more information related to the school system – how much needs to be cut, how much would cutting athletics contribute, how is the school budget spent, etc. One speaker asked not to have taxes raised as it makes it hard for seniors on fixed income.

The other speakers gave comments to support their organizations. Kiki Flood didn’t want to see any budget cut and wants the schools to get increased funding. Karen Fisk from the Greene County Library asked that their hours of operation be expanded by eight hours a week to better match the need from Piedmont Virginia Community College  classes starting in the upstairs of their building. The final speaker was David Morris who grew up in Greene and went on to earn a masters degree and had a career in social work. He has moved back to Greene and supports putting education on a high priority as it is preparing our kids for tomorrow.

Each member of the Board of Supervisors and School Board then summarized the meeting. Flynn thanked the Board of Supervisors for attending and invited the public to their workshop on January 23^rd.

Supervisor Davis Lamb (Ruckersville) commented on the poor ranking of US students in the world  and that we must improve.

Supervisor “Buggs” Peyton

Supervisor Clarence “Buggs” Peyton (Stanardsville)  expressed concern about the reduction in assessed value of property and subsequent reduction in property tax revenue. He felt this year will come down to cutting spending or raising taxes. Last year the reserve fund was depleted and Greene County now needs to be conservative in its spending. His final comment was that he wouldn’t support an increase in the tax rate and he wouldn’t compromise his beliefs unless the schools were seriously in jeopardy.

Finally, BOS Chairman Frydl commented that the Board of Supervisors is scheduled to receive an update on the reserve fund in February.  His final comment was that we all will have to do more with less and believes that most citizens in Greene County will be disappointed in the budget as there is less revenue available and more demands from the state.

The Free Enterprise Forum applauds the two boards to begin the dialogue in this difficult process early. While the number of speakers was significantly reduced from the hearing held this Spring, including the public as a vested third party is critical.

Hopefully, the two elected board retain this level of communication and transparency.  The next few months of the budget will include several ups and downs regarding proposed state and federal funding. 

In addition, citizens and elected officials  must understand the fiscal impacts of reduced property assessment.  While many, perhaps most, citizens, would prefer to pay lower taxes; the locality must balance its budget.  If revenue is reduced, spending on local government services, including schools, will be impacted. 

The annual budget question is how the Board of Supervisors chooses to balance spending and revenue.  The fact that the School Board and Citizens are both engaged at this stage of the process is a good thing.  Will they maintain this level of communication and transparency?  Will citizens remain engaged in the byzantine budget process?  Stay tuned.

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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

Greene BOS and School Board Talking Tax Increase vs. Cutting Services

By. Brent Wilson, Greene County Field Officer

Virginia law dictates that localities’ Board of Supervisors (or City/Town Council) have taxing authority and provide a financial allocation to the school division, but they do not have line item control of the school budget, that power is delineated to the School Board. In every locality, this creates dynamic tension between those who have the responsibility for generating revenue through taxation and those whose responsibility is educating the children.

Last week, what started with a request from Greene County School Board Chair Michelle Flynn  to the Supervisors requesting the same funding in FY2014 as FY2013 quickly turned into a request for a presentation at a mid-January public meeting a list of potential cuts for public feedback to prioritize approximately $1.2 million of spending reductions.

Flynn started the meeting with two key questions. First, can the Board of Supervisors  provide the same funding level as this year and the schools will cover any reductions in state and federal funding with cost reductions? Chairman Buggs Peyton (Standardsville) comment was that the county is facing a 6% decline in personal property tax due to reassessment of property values. Flynn’s second request was, would the BOS cover the 1% increase in VRS cost

This lead into a discussion of the Early Retirement Incentive Program (ERIP) which currently has 19 participants.   Peyton agreed with using teachers but not unskilled positions such as secretaries and custodians. He also indicated that bus drivers that require special training should be included. Flynn contended that custodians are hard to find and should be included in ERIP.

Peyton shifted the conversation to the $16 million reserve fund that has since been committed to various projects and that the county is looking at a tax increase since the assessment is down. Supervisor Jim Frydl (Midway) estimated that due to the reduced assessments, a shortfall of approximately $1 million would occur if the personal property tax rate stayed the same.

Peyton stated that he is serving his 11^th year on the BOS and his priorities for the county, that some may find hard to believe, are education, fire and police.

School Board Member Roddie Kibler (Monroe) asked how do both boards act proactively to address the $1.4 million funding needed?

Greene County Schools Superintendent David Jeck said that one issue he does not want to impact is increasing the student vs. teacher ratio. With so many mandated programs, there is very little that can be cut – athletics, transportation (which is not a school requirement) and the vocational education program are all possible reductions. Jeck suggested surveying parents to ask what they would recommend cutting to come up with the reduced spending.  Flynn agreed that historically until there is discussion of cutting programs, there is very little public input.

After the first School Board Public Input Session, Jeck told NBC29:

“If there are certain things that they want to see kept in the budget and if there are certain things that they want to see protected going into next year, then it’s really important that they come out and share that with the school board.  The school board needs to hear that, and our school board is very responsive to folks who come out and speak.”

Frydl suggested a joint meeting between the Board of Supervisors and the School Board in January, 2013 to discuss options to cut education funding. School Board Member Troy Harlow (At-Large) assured that if the schools don’t receive the same funding then cuts will have to be made.

Frydl suggested that there is a small window between when the state budget is set in December to when the county budget has to be set in the spring. One of Frydl’s final comments was that either funds will be cut or taxes will have to be raised.

Despite Frydl’s suggestion that the State budget being “set” in December, nothing is done until at least early and often late Spring.  As an example, in May of this year the Greene BOS was adjusting their budget based on the State’s final numbers.  The Free Enterprise Forum Blog reported:

In last night’s (5/2) hastily arranged budget work session, the Greene County Board of Supervisors tentatively agreed to increase funding for the schools by $1.1 million dollars in Fiscal Year 2013.  This was approximately 1 million dollars less than was requested by the School Board.

This let to a most contentious public meeting six days later where we asked if the meeting was a Public Meeting or Pep Rally?

School funding makes up the lion’s share of every locality’s budget.  As we are seeing in all of the localities we cover (especially Fluvanna), greater communication between the school boards and the Board of Supervisors is a positive but will not eliminate the dynamic tension that is designed by state code.

The Free Enterprise Forum does not have specific opinions about any tax rate or spending plan; instead the  Free Enterprise Forum encourages the citizens of Greene County to become educated about the options and express their preference at the public hearing in January, 2013.

There are no easy answers, but it is far better for citizens to become educated and involved during the process rather than enraged at the outcome.

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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

Greene BOS Gets Reassessment Update

By. Brent Wilson, Greene County Field Officer

The biannual reassessment of property values in Greene County  is now well underway.  At the November 13^th Board of Supervisors meeting, Fred Pearson from the Reassessment Office  and Larry Snow, Commissioner of Revenue,  updated the BOS with the process to date. The field work to assess the values for market conditions and changes/additions to property has been completed and the notices have been mailed to property owners. A Comprehensive Sales Data Report that contains sales from each district within the county has been prepared .

Property owners can make an appointment to appeal the reassessment of their property on November 26, 27, 29 or 30. The gross data shows a reduction in value of 6% but that includes land in easement that has declined 15% and is not taxed. The new reassessment value calculates to 99% of market value – well above the 95% minimum required by law.

Supervisor Jim Frydl got confirmation that the 99% was calculated comparing the sales price for those that have transacted recently vs. the reassessed value. Also, the 6% decline will then have excluded the property in land use, resulting a smaller reduction than the 6%.

Snow indicated that the final impact won’t be known until the meetings with the property owners and the hearings with the Board of Equalization running from January to March, 2013. Specific reassessments can vary dramatically, two specific reassessments showed a reduction of less than 1% and another a reduction of more than 10%, but in different locations of the county. There are over 10,000 parcels in Greene County that are reassessed  .

BOS Chairmain Buggs Peyton commented that a decline of $.01/$100 equaled $188,000 in tax revenue. Snow indicated that a decline of 10% would have the equivalent impact of a reduction of about $.07/$100 ($.69/$100 x 10%)  but he didn’t believe that the reassessment would be that drastic.

So, what does this process mean and what is the impact on the county and the homeowner?

Is a lower value good or bad for the homeowner?

A lower assessed value means, all else being equal, that the homeowner will owe less property tax. But, of course, the new assessment is one indicator that the homeowners investment in their home is worth less than the prior assessment. The impact to the county for a lower value, all else being equal, means less tax revenue.

Assuming that the property values decline 5%, that would have the impact of reducing the property tax from $12,972,000 down to about $12,323,000 a reduction of $647,000 in property tax revenue.

So, where will Greene County recoup the nearly 2/3 million dollars in property tax revenue?

The FY 2013 budget for Greene County  isn’t being reduced nor has the cost of operating the county declined by 5%. The process is to have the tax rate increase to offset the decline in the assessed value of the property, the new rate being called an equalization rate.

But isn’t this an increase?

Yes and no.

It is an increase in the rate of tax. But it doesn’t increase the amount of tax being paid. The value of property has been selected to allocate a major cost of operating the county to the residents of the county. If the value of the property declines, then the rate of tax must increase if the locality is to receive the same amount of tax revenue to operate the county.

The Free Enterprise Forum supports the objective and regular regular reassessment of property.  Based on our experience, the appeal process has seemed far and equitable.  A failure of a locality to regularly reassess property can result in larger swings in valuation. While we do not have a position on any tax rate, it is important all involved understand an increased “equalized” rate in a downward assessment retains the actual dollar figure of the previous tax year.

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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

Principals and Students Address Greene Board of Supervisors

By. Brent Wilson, Greene County Field Officer

The agenda for the September 25^th Greene County Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting was fairly light  but the room was crowded. Greene County Schools made another effort to build the relationship with the Supervisors.

Superintendent Dr. Jeck  and the principals of each school in Greene brought one or more students to address the BOS to give the BOS an update on what they are getting for the extra budget funding they approved on May 8th .

Kyle Pursel, principal at William Monroe Middle School  presented Ryan Deane, Kristin Shifflett and Haley Davis who invited Supervisor Jim Frydl to attend one of their volleyball matches.

William Monroe High School Principal Mike Jamerson joined Greene Technical Education Center Principal Harry Daniel in introducing Mehgan Taylor, Senior Class President. Ms. Taylor invited Supervisor Eddie Deane to be the BOS representative to the high school and invited him to attend the Homecoming Football Game on Friday, October 19^th.

Mike Coiner, principal at Greene County Primary School presented Colin Lambert who extended an invitation to Supervisor David Cox to become the schools adopted board member. Mr. Coiner invited Mr. Cox to come to lunch and take a tour of the Primary School.

Nathaniel Greene Elementary Principal Daniel Phillips presented fifth grader Dyllan Davis who presented BOS Chairman Buggs Peyton a card inviting him to visit his school to see all the great things happening at NGES. Charles Heaton, principal at Ruckersville Elementary School  presented 5^th grader Ryan Davis who made an invitation to Supervisor Davis Lamb to the Veteran’s Day program on November 9^th.

At the end of the students presentations, Chairman Peyton thanked all the principals and students for attending and Supervisor Deane invited all of them to attend future meetings.

The Free Enterprise Forum recognizes the significant effort the school system, and the School Board is putting forward to keep in regular communication with the BOS.  Such familiarity could promote better understanding and communication between the two elected boards as they move into the FY2014 Budget cycle.

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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

Photo Credits: Greene County

Greene County School Board and Supervisors Work on Communication Issues

By. Brent Wilson, Greene County Field Officer

Back on May 8th, the Greene County Board of Supervisors faced a very vocal meeting about the funding for the school system. After that meeting, the Greene County School Board again promised to be more open and transparent with the Board of Supervisors regarding issues going forward.

The paradigm in Virginia is different than other states as both the School Board and the Board of Supervisors are elected by voters.  The Board of Supervisors has the ability to tax (the School Board does not); the Board of Supervisors allocates tax revenue for schools but can not dictate how it is spent.  This structure tends to generate friction between the Board of Supervisors and the School Board in localities across the state.

As a part of their new communication strategy, on September 11th School Board Chair Michelle Flynn provided the Board of Supervisors a comprehensive review including a budget update, energy consumption, and news from Richmond (funding and education). All schools are fully accredited. There have been changes in personnel but there is no increase in staffing in total.

Greene County Schools Superintendent Dr. David Jeck reviewed the school facilities project for the athletic facilities. 95% of the work is complete with two areas needing to be finished – landscaping and a punch list of items. The contractor has defaulted and the school system is now dealing with the insurance company. The low bid general contractor underbid the project and that caused subcontractors to go unpaid. There was a completion bond required under the contract and the bond provides for all of the contracted work to be completed to the satisfaction of the Clerk of the Works to ensure that work is done in compliance to the contract. The baseball and softball fields along with the track are all certified by the Virginia High School League (VHSL) and the facility is now qualified to host district and regional play.

School Board member Troy Harlow covered the upgrades in communication with the community in the past four years. Both Dr. Jeck and the school system have a twitter page that are kept current. The school system uses an automated calling system to ensure information to passed on to parents and teachers. The most recent upgrade is Power School  which allows parents to access their child’s academic record in real time.

Further community dialog is promised in the future.  The School Board plans to hold two community budget meetings to outline the needs of the school system. In addition, a Growth and Facilities Study hopes to be undertaken this year to keep a look to the future needs of the school system.

The Board of Supervisors responded favorably to the presentation. The only question was related to the state not providing funding for the 20 – 25 special education students. The school system receives federal funding instead of state funding for these students.

Ironically, prior to the School Board presentation, Mr. David Blount, Legislative Liaison at TJPDC  addressed the Board of Supervisors. The Board Of Supervisors actually had feedback for Mr. Blount. Jim Frydl took exception to the state claiming to fully funding education when a large portion of the increase was taken back to help with VRS funding. Chairman Buggs Peyton asked Mr. Blount to take the message to Richmond to not send any more unfunded mandates.

So while the local elected officials are working to try  to communicate better, they may have a shared enemy in the local funding shortfalls legislatively created by elected officials in the statehouse in Richmond.

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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

Saying “No” to the MPO

FORUM WATCH EDITORIAL

By. Neil Williamson, President

When is a regional organization not regional enough?

In the coming days, the Charlottesville-Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) [and the Greene County Board of Supervisors] will be discussing a potential expansion to include Albemarle County’s Crozet, Fluvanna County’s Lake Monticello as well as the Twin Lakes and Ruckersville “urban clusters” of Greene County.

By means of background, the 2010 Census identified these areas currently outside the MPO Boundary area as attaining urban cluster population numbers. 

The MPO Policy Board and the respective localities must discuss if there is interest on both parties to move forward with the expansion of the MPO Area.

The MPO is a federally mandated and federally funded organization designed to facilitate regional cooperation on transportation issues of regional importance in communities of over 50,000 residents.

According to the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC) website [TJPDC serves as staff for the MPO]:

The Charlottesville-Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is the forum for cooperative transportation decision-making among Charlottesville, Albemarle, state and federal officials.

The MPO considers long-range regional projects and combines public input, technical data, and agency collaboration to develop forward-thinking solutions. Organized for the City of Charlottesville and the urbanized area of Albemarle County immediately surrounding the City, it is responsible for carrying out continuing, cooperative and comprehensive transportation planning and programming process*.

The MPO coordinates the transportation planning activities of the various transportation-related agencies that have both a direct and indirect impact on the Long Range Plan and Transportation Improvement Program.

The MPO is led by TJPDC Executive Director Stephen Williams who reports to a Policy Board including five voting members, two Charlottesville City Councilors, two Albemarle County Supervisors and one representative from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).  If the MPO was to expand the construct of the voting members of the Policy Board must change to include the new localities as well. 

The Free Enterprise Forum has documented how the current construct proved critically important during the recent approval of the US29 Western Bypass (What the MPO could learn from Kenny Rogers).   Expanding the voting members significantly changes the voting pool and diminishes the import of the VDOT representative. 

In addition, the geographic unity of the MPO footprint would be lost.  While we recognize the entire transportation network is interlinked, it is difficult to draw a direct impact of Hillsdale Drive Extended to Lake Monticello. 

Currently, if Federal funds are available for a project in an area outside the MPO, VDOT works directly with the locality to secure those funds.  If the area is within an MPO footprint there must be additional consent from the MPO .  This results in a loss of autonomy by the locality.

Finally, such an expansion would require the outlying counties to increase staffing.  The Policy Board currently meets only every other month as does the technical committee but each of these public meetings requires staff (and elected) to review and understand the matters coming before the MPO. 

The Free Enterprise Forum has attended well over a hundred hours of MPO meetings.  As a seasoned observer, we believe the potential loss of locality autonomy, the increase in staff time on issues not germane to the locality, as well as the lack of geographic unity are reason enough for Greene and Fluvanna to say “No to the MPO”.

Respectfully Submitted,

Neil Williamson, President

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Neil Williamson is the President of The Free Enterprise Forum, a privately funded public policy organization covering the City of Charlottesville as well as Albemarle, Greene, Fluvanna, Louisa and  Nelson County.  For more information visit the website www.freeenterpriseforum.org

Photo Credits: Greene County Record, Charlottesville Tomorrow