Greene Apartment Complex Proffers Road Connection
By. Brent Wilson, Field Officer
At the January 22nd meeting of the Greene County Supervisors the final piece of the process for the Denstock, LLC/Frank & Pearl Eways apartment complex was completed. A Special Use Permit (SUP) was approved to raise the density for the 212 apartments planned for the development behind the CVS in Ruckersville.
The real selling point of the project was not the addition of quality housing in the Ruckersville area or the minimal number of students to be added to the crowded schools. The tipping point for several supervisors seemed to be the commitment by the developer to proffer a road from Moore Road to the Route 29 intersection. An existing traffic signal already controls traffic flowing from Lowes shopping center on the west side of US29.
The proffered roadway will provide a direct access to the apartment development but, in addition, it actually creates two corners on the east side of Route 29 that will be attractive for commercial development just North of the intersection with US 33.
Perhaps with a touch of irony, the developer desires the connector roadway even more – if that is possible – than Greene County does. Denise LaCour of Denstock stated at all four of the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors meetings that to be successful the development needs the new connecting road and they do not want their tenants to use Moore Road.
LaCour presented a fiscal analysis to the supervisors indicating a positive County tax revenue of over $250,000 per year – primarily driven by the low number of students they expect in their development. The applicant used evidence from Greene County’s Terrace Greene apartment complex’s low student population and the even lower student population that Denstock has experienced in Charlottesville and Albemarle County. LaCour estimates the 212 unit apartment complex will generate 30 K-12 students.
The other issue that was “sweetened” from the prior meetings was the timing of the construction of the connecting road. At the Planning Commission, Denstock agreed that the road would be completed before the Certificate of Occupancy of the sixth building (of 10) would be issued.
At the Board meeting, LaCour indicated she was willing to change the timing of the delivery of the road to the opening of the first apartment building. This will give Greene County the ability to direct traffic to the development from Route 29 and not congest Route 33 and Moore Road. The timing of Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) working on the Route 33/Moore Road project has been delayed as VDOT’s Smart Scale funding process is directing a majority of this cycles funding to expanding the tunnels in the Hampton Road area
Finally, the development is projected to pay $2.4 million for water and sewer connection fees.
Supervisor Michelle Flynn (Ruckersville) asked whether the proposed swimming pool was Americans with Disability Act (ADA) compliant and LaCour assured her that it was. In fact, she explained that all first floor units are ADA compliant – they have bars in the showers, the counters are lower for wheel chair accessibility, the doorways are wider to allow wheel chair accessibility and the showers are “roll in” level to accommodate a wheel chair.
All of the supervisors spoke in favor of the project and complimented the developer in their presentation and the product they plan on building. The Supervisors unanimously approved the SUP.
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 http://www.freeenterpriseforum.org
Public Voices Greene Scenic Byway Support
By. Brent Wilson, Field Officer
At the December 11th meeting of the Greene County Board of Supervisors everyone who spoke
about Greene County pursuing Route 810 and Route 230 as a Scenic Byway were against the idea. Economic Development Authority Director, Alan Yost, asked that the Board advertise and hold a public hearing to give the public notice of the opportunity to discuss the issue.
So the schedule for the January 8th meeting included a public hearing on the Proposed Virginia Byway designation.
Virginia code dictates that public hearings must be advertised in the local paper in advance of the meeting. Due to an error at the Greene County Record, the required notice did not appear in the newspaper and therefore the public hearing could not officially be held although the meeting room was at capacity with citizens ready to speak on this issue.
Alan Yost
The Board of Supervisors recognized that a large number of citizens came to the meeting to be heard on the issue so they went ahead with a “Public Comment” session and allowed the public to speak on the issue and assured them their comments will be added to the comments made at the January 22nd public hearing.
Yost thanked the Board for going forward with the meeting and presented several reasons why the Board should support the Scenic Byway resolution. Yost indicated Scenic Byways are supported in the Comprehensive Plan, more tourists will improve the economy of the county, tourism tax revenue helps decrease the tax burden on the residents of Greene, and tourism doesn’t place demand on County services such as the school system.
In addition, Yost is working with Albemarle County and Madison County. Madison has already approved the Scenic Byway for Route 230. Albemarle is behind both Madison and Greene County in their process.
Yost indicated that Greene County would incur no cost with the program, there are no restrictions to what vehicles can use the roadway, Route 810 is actually rated by VDOT for 4 times the current traffic volume and it is estimated that a 4% increase will occur from the designation.
Finally, Yost referred to the editorial in last week’s Greene County Record which referenced 3,000 miles of Scenic Byways in Virginia. Yost stated that he has been unable to find a county that regrets naming a Scenic Byway and a county can change their mind and remove the designation at any time.
Supervisor Dale Herring (At Large) asked Yost if the designation would apply to the parts of Route 33 Bypass and Route 33 Business that connects Route 810 and Route 230 and was told they would be included in the proposal to Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and that small sections of four lane roads have been designated when they connect other parts of a Byway. Chairman Bill Martin (Stanardsville) outlined the route as Route 230 to Route 33 Business through Stanardsville to Route 33 By-Pass West to Route 810 toward Albemarle County.
The presentation shifted to comments from the public of which 18 of 19 speakers spoke in favor of the Scenic Byway designation. One of the main issues brought up is the town of Stanardsville would benefit from tourism traffic which has been down since the Route 33 Bypass was built around the town.
The hope is that more traffic through town would attract more businesses to locate in Stanardsville. One thought was that if the Scenic Byway was adopted that possibly the southern portion of Route 810 would be better maintained.
The final speaker in favor of the Scenic Byway designation took off from the movie Field of Dreams by suggesting the Board to…. Approve It and They Will Come!
There was one speaker opposed to the designation. His comments focused on the road conditions and narrowness of Route 810 at the southern end near Albemarle County was not safe or adequate for the increased traffic.
Vice Chair Michelle Flynn (Ruckersville) reminded everyone that the formal public hearing on this issue will be held at the next Board meeting on January 22nd. She assured those that spoke tonight would have their comments entered into the record as will any emails, phone calls or letters up until the next meeting. Martin was pleased with the great attendance and encouraged others to come to the next meeting. At that point the issue was tabled until the January 22nd meeting.
Later in the meeting it was announced that Greene County has hired a new County Administrator – Mark B. Taylor – who holds the same position at Spotsylvania County and he will start in April.
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 http://www.freeenterpriseforum.org
Greene Supervisors to Meet at Undisclosed Location
****CORRECTED 4:18 pm****
By. Neil Williamson, President
Over eight years ago, the Free Enterprise Forum called out the Greene County Board of 
Supervisors for holding a public meeting and not notifying the media [Greene Supervisors Hold Secret Public Meeting]. This morning, in a moment of Deja Vu all over again, Greene County alerted the media, of a special meeting on December 18th at an “undisclosed location”. Here is the proposed agenda:
Greene County Board of Supervisors
Undisclosed Location
Tuesday, December 18, 2018 – 8:00 a.m.
1. Call to order
2. 8:00 a.m. – CLOSED MEETING
Matters pursuant to Section 2.2-3711 (a, 1-7) of the Code of Virginia
3. – OPEN MEETING
4. Reconvene, certify closed meeting
5. Adjourn
We applaud Greene letting us know they are meeting. We anticipate this is regarding the hiring of their new County administrator which is absolutely a proper use of the closed meeting provisions provided by Virginia State Code.
We believe holding the meeting at an “Undisclosed Location” is a violation of the **spirit but not the letter [added at 4:13 pm nw]** of public meetings law.
§ 2.2-3707. Meetings to be public; notice of meetings; recordings; minutes.
A. All meetings of public bodies shall be open, except as provided in §§ 2.2-3707.01 and 2.2-3711.
C. Every public body shall give notice of the date, time, and location of its meetings by:
1. Posting such notice on its official public government website, if any;
2. Placing such notice in a prominent public location at which notices are regularly posted; and
3. Placing such notice at the office of the clerk of the public body or, in the case of a public body that has no clerk, at the office of the chief administrator.
Emphasis added – NW
After publishing this post, I learned of a different code section that explicitly permits closed meetings at an undisclosed location.
B. The notice provisions of this chapter shall not apply to closed meetings of any public body held solely for the purpose of interviewing candidates for the position of chief administrative officer. Prior to any such closed meeting for the purpose of interviewing candidates, the public body shall announce in an open meeting that such closed meeting shall be held at a disclosed or undisclosed location within 15 days thereafter.
Greene County Board of Supervisors is hosting a legal meeting at an undisclosed location. Despite being just as legal as the secret public meeting was in 2010 — it does not make it right.
Yogi Berra said it best, “Deja Vu all over again”.
Respectfully Submitted,
Neil Williamson, President
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 and Nelson County. For more information visit the website www.freeenterpriseforum.org
Photo Credit: davescottblog.com
Greene Supervisors Approve Ruckersville Rezoning
By Brent Wilson, Field Officer
Ruckersville, especially near the intersection of US 29 and Route 33, is one of Greene County’s
designated development areas. The northwest corner of Ruckersville has developed with Walmart and Lowes. The newly redeveloped Market by Tiger Fuel opened its doors late last year on the Southeast corner. Last night (12/11) the Greene County Board of Supervisors heard a rezoning request that could eventually add residential uses and lead to a solution to efficient access to the northeast corner of Ruckersville.
For over a decade, Frank Eways has tried to develop a Planned Unit Development (PUD) on his property on Moore Road off Route 33 East with no success. So he has now partnered with Denstock, LLC from Charlottesville to develop an apartment complex on the property.
Planning Director Jim Frydl presented the rezoning request. The Rapidan Service Authority (RSA) would provide water and sewer to the site. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) traffic impact study for the apartment project indicated the traffic created by the apartment use is close to the traffic predicted by the existing PUD.
The school impact data indicated these apartments would have less impact than other development types. The average number of students per Single Family Home is .56 students/house, a Multi-Family Unit – townhouse/condo – normally is .32 students/unit. However, Terrace Greene apartments in Greene County near the Albemarle County line have produced .14 students/unit. In addition, Terrace Greene low vacancy rate indicates a strong demand for high end apartments.
Denise LaCour from Denstock, LLC has significant local development experience. She was the head of the Kessler Group that developed Forest Lakes and in 2013 she started Denstock. Currently Denstock has developed 965 high end apartments in central Virginia with another 224 units in process
Stone Creek Village near Monticello High School – Developed by Denstock, LLC
Denstock’s plan is to develop the Eways property and hopes that the county will approve a connector road to US 29 at the intersection where the road from Lowes intersects US 29. The connector road is not part of the rezoning application however it is on the agenda for the Planning Commission next week as a Special Use Permit.
LaCour addressed the markets the project is trying to serve – millennials and baby boomers – both with disposable income and without families. In broad strokes she described millennials as mobile and not wanting to be tied down to owning a property. She also indicated Baby boomers don’t want the maintenance that comes with ownership. They want to be able to travel for weeks at a time without worrying about mowing the yard.
In the public hearing portion of the meeting three citizens spoke about Moore Road being a rural road.
Supervisors Chair Michelle Flynn pointed out that the area being considered is not zoned agricultural but is being considered to rezone from PUD to R-2, Residential with basically the same density. She also highlighted that the demand for this project is confirmed by Terrace Greene being full.
Supervisor Bill Martin indicated this property is in an area that is planned to grow but that the existing PUD zoning has not been successful. The presentation clearly demonstrates there is a demand which is supported by Terrace Greene’s success. He also appreciated the explanation of the connection to US 29 – although it was not part of the rezoning being requested – it demonstrates a long term solution to getting traffic onto US 29.
Supervisor Marie Durrer clearly stated that she was against the rezoning request prior to the meeting but, now understanding that the plan is to eventually connect to US 29 where the Lowes intersection is located, has changed her mind. Supervisor David Cox also agreed that the connector road was a major factor in his supporting the rezone request.
Although the connector road will be addressed as a Special Use Permit and is not part of the rezoning application, the applicant clearly stated that the connector road is a critical piece to the success of this development. With that, the Supervisors unanimously approved the rezoning request.
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 http://www.freeenterpriseforum.org
The Countdown — Time to Think About 2019
By. Neil Williamson, President
Recognizing today is the ‘Morning After’ Election Day 2018, it may seem premature to start talking about 2019. It’s not.
The Free Enterprise Forum believes the vast majority of the candidates for the 2019 races will make their decisions in the next 60 days.
That’s right, by the time you watch the ball drop on New Year’s Eve, who will be on the ballot in November (and the primaries) will likely already be determined.
Wait, we just had an election.
Yes, this is Virginia, we love elections so much we vote EVERY year. What are we voting for in 2019? So glad you asked — from Virginia’s Board of Elections:
Some might look at that list (on the left) and believe this is not that important an election, we think otherwise.
While the Federal and statewide offices get a significant amount of publicity (and paid advertising), it is the local races that bring government home. These are the elected officials you run into at the grocery store AND who control your property taxes, school spending as well as the majority of your land use decisions.
Who is up?
In addition to the House of Delegates, Virginia Senate, School Boards and Constitutional officers, here is the list for Board of Supervisors and City Council –
Albemarle County: Board of Supervisors Ann Mallek, White Hall; Rick Randolph, Scottsville; Norman Dill, Rivanna
Charlottesville: Wes Bellamy, Kathy Galvin, Mike Signer [important note Primary Date is June 11th]
Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors Mozell Booker, Fork Union; Patricia Eager, Palmyra
Greene County Board of Supervisors David Cox, Monroe; Michelle Flynn, Ruckersville; Dale Herring, At Large
Louisa County Board of Supervisors Willie Gentry, Cuckoo; Troy Wade, Louisa; Toni Williams, Jackson;
Nelson County Board of Supervisors Thomas Bruguiere, Jr, West; Larry Saunders, South
Without question local (and state) government impacts your life.
The question is who will step up to fill these important leadership positions.
- Will the current incumbents run again?
- Will they have any opposition?
- Who will step up?
- Will there be a primary challenge?
- Do you know someone who should run?
- Should you run for office?
Once again we have more questions than answers but this much we do know – the candidates (and their families) will likely decide by NYE 2019.
The Free Enterprise Forum maintains an open door policy to talk with anyone regarding running for local office and what is required to serve.
As a non-partisan organization, we do not endorse candidates but we do support contested elections. We believe uncontested elections make untested officials.
Respectfully Submitted,
Neil Williamson
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.
Albemarle Banning Through Trucks–NIMBY 2.0
Adapted from comments to the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors October 10, 2018
By, Neil Williamson, President
Tonight, you will be considering asking for permission from the Commonwealth Transportation Board to ban through trucks on Owensville and Miller School Roads.
Trucks make up a small fraction of all of the traffic on these roads. According to the staff report, trucks make up less than 4% of all traffic on Owensville Road and 10.4% of traffic on Miller School Road. Recognizing some portion of this truck traffic is local, the ban would likely impact less than 5% of the traffic.
This is just the latest in a series of truck bans the county has pursued. Such bans are NOT supported by the state. From your packet this evening:
It is the philosophy of the Commonwealth Transportation Board that all vehicles should have access to the roads on which they are legally entitled to travel. Travel by any class of vehicle on any class of highway should be restricted only upon demonstration that it will promote the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the Commonwealth without creating an undue hardship on any of the users of the transportation system. Emphasis added -nw
We believe health, safety and welfare are core government functions but that’s not what we see in action here. We believe this is an evolution of the Not In My Backyard or NIMBY movement. We call it NIMBY 2.0.
The staff report cites a higher than average crash incidence on Owensville and Miller School Road but it does not answer the larger question. According to the state vehicular crash database, there were 41 crashes on Owensville Road from 2010-2017. During the same time frame there were 50 crashes on Miller School Road.
Do you know how many of these crashes involved large trucks?
Staff indicates 3, our research says ZERO
If you accept staff’s numbers then there were 88 vehicle crashes that were not large trucks. If this is about health, safety and welfare perhaps you should consider banning cars or fixing the road; neither of which are being talked about.
This is not about health, safety or welfare; if this is your interest fixing the road would do the trick.
The data does not support banning through trucks. These roads were paid for by public dollars and all have a right to use them.
The Free Enterprise Forum asks you to follow the direction of the Commonwealth Transportation Board and affirm the right of all legal vehicles to use public roads.
This is what we will argue to the CTB, or the Commissioner should you choose to recommend this NIMBY 2.0 regulation.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak.
Neil Williamson
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.
VDOT Updates Greene Supervisors
By Brent Wilson, Field Officer
Normally, Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Residency Administrator Joel 
Denunzio provides the Greene County Board of Supervisors update. In the October 9th meeting, Deputy Administrator Ed Nicholas filled in for Denunzio to give the report.
Nicholas indicated the recent flooding events, especially in Madison and Stanardsville, have been a challenge to address across the district and that also delayed the normal mowing schedule. He also addressed specific problems starting with South River on either side of Route 230 (Wolftown Road). In order to redirect the river on the west side of Route 230 back to where it had previously flowed, they are working with the property owner to develop a solution. Once the solution has been fully engineered, an environmental permit will be required before they, or the property owner, can commence with this work.
South River Road
Prior to the Nicholas’ presentation, a young man and his mother spoke during ‘Matters From The Public’ and the youth addressed the South River Road flooding and its impacts on his life. Chair Michelle Flynn (Ruckersville) asked Nicholas if VDOT could try to contact the young man and show he and his mother what is planned.
Also to be accomplished this week is to work on final grading and seeding on Route 33 near the Shenandoah National Park. In addition, in the next two weeks the VDOT property at the intersection of Route 33 and the Route 33 bypass will be cleared of debris, have dirt spread and it will be reseeded.
Supervisor Bill Martin (Stanardsville) mentioned to Nicholas that Greene County is reaching out to Washington, Richmond and the Army Corps of Engineers to ask for guidance/help on how to go forward with modifying the flow of several rivers in the county to minimize the impact to roadways. Martin asked that VDOT participate in these discussions.
Supervisor David Cox (Monroe) asked Nicholas what the priorities were on paving/patching the secondary roads in the county that have not yet been completed due to flooding. Especially Route 674 – Parker Mountain Road which is a 2 mile long stretch has a great many potholes and it needs to be addressed. Nicholas assured Cox that VDOT would address this road and any roadway that is a safety issue.
Flynn brought up the final issue for VDOT asking when will Preddy Creek Road going away from Sheetz be addressed? The roadway continues to degrade and patching doesn’t seem to resolve the problem. Nicholas indicated that he would research the problem and reply with a timetable to address the issue.
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 http://www.freeenterpriseforum.org
Fluvanna Supervisors Hear Property Assessment Results
By. Bryan Rothamel, Field Officer
Last week, (10/3) the Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors were briefed on the latest mass appraisal of real property performed. The City of Fargo has a concise definition of this process:
Mass appraisal is the systematic appraisal of groups of properties as of a given date using standardized procedures and statistical testing. This differs from single-property appraisal, commonly referred to as “fee” or “bank” appraisal, which normally deals with only a particular property as of a given date.
Pearson’s Appraisal Service performed an appraisal this year, the first by the company in Fluvanna. Overall, the county saw an average increase of 4.7 percent increase across the county limits. However, inside Lake Monticello only increased 3.4 percent.
Representative from Pearson explained all assessment decisions were based on data from sales.
Lake Monticello vacant land had a decrease in assessment by 15 to 20 percent. Because the subdivision is nearly built out, most undeveloped property is not desirable.
The public utility infrastructure was also reassessed and goes effective immediately. The Commissioner of Revenue estimates that will bring in $83,000 of additional revenue. Those funds will increase the FY19 collection.
Notices of new tax values will be mailed to all land owners and Pearson will be available to discuss the new assessment.
Also at the October 3 Board of Supervisors meeting, supervisors approved two change orders to complete the E911 radio project. The last two changes needed an additional $26,500. 
The county’s animal shelter services are handled by Fluvanna SPCA. Despite the county only contributing for 50 percent of the operational costs, the county’s shelter takes up 75 percent of the FSPCA. To help alleviate some funding issues, supervisors approved a supplement of $35,000.
FSPCA and the county operate on a contract services. In future years, FSPCA will present a budget that supervisors can go over with FSPCA officials during the budget season.
Supervisors approved creating an employee ladder system in the E911 operations center. The FY19 fiscal impact was $10,000. Over the last few years county administration has worked at creating mobility options in the organization chart of departments to allow employees to get promoted. Previously employees would have to either wait to become a department head or leave for a bigger organization with a larger chart to fill.
Supervisors will next meet on October 17 at 7 p.m.
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
Photo Credit: Fluvanna SPCA
The Hindsight Report Back in the News
The Free Enterprise Forum’s 2017 ‘Hindsight’ Report was mentioned in Allison Wrabel’s Daily Progress article this morning.
For context, we are reposting our original post on the topic. The Free Enterprise Forum welcomes the community discussion of the agreement.
By. Neil Williamson, President
Often the most enlightening questions start with, “What if?”
Working with co-author Derek Bedarf, we looked at developing empirical data to answer the question, “What if Charlottesville’s annexation was successful compared with the results of the negotiated Revenue Sharing Agreement?”
After significant research and deliberation, it was determined that this information was available but not assembled in a manner that made such calculations easy. Utilizing Geographic Information System (GIS) technology for the real estate assessment data and 15 years of Albemarle County budget documents for the other taxes (sales taxes, consumer utility taxes, business taxes, motor vehicle licenses and prepared food and beverage taxes. Other taxes excluded from this study, for a variety of reasons, include utility consumption tax, short term rental tax, clerk fees, transient occupancy tax, penalties interest, and audit revenues), The Free Enterprise Forum calculated the tax revenue generating power of the study area.
The resulting “Hindsight Report” examines the tax generating power of the proposed annexation area as it compares with the revenue sharing payments.
- The Hindsight Report indicates that over the study period (2001-2016), Albemarle County received, from the study area, over $277 million in local tax revenue compared with the $212.9 million revenue sharing payments made to the City of Charlottesville (+$64.1 million).
- Had Charlottesville been successful in the annexation and the revenue sharing agreement not been in place, the City would have received $304.7 million in tax revenue from the study area during the study period compared with $212.9 million in revenue sharing payments from Albemarle County (-$91.8 million).
- During the study period, study area property owners paid $72 million less in real estate taxes by being in Albemarle instead of the City of Charlottesville. This “Non-Annexation” Dividend averaged saved (Albemarle) property owners between $3 million and $4 million annually topping out at $6 million in 2007.
The question the data does not answer is whether the Revenue Sharing Agreement was a good deal for all involved. This is a subjective question that can only be answered in context.
At the time, the historical record suggests annexation was a very real threat and revenue sharing negotiations were heated.
The historical public record also shows many citizens at the public hearing raising some of the same questions regarding equity and fairness that remain part of the discussion today.
Was it a good deal?
Hopefully this data will help you decide.
The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to discuss the Revenue Sharing agreement during their second August meeting on Wednesday August 9th.
Founded in 2003, The Free Enterprise Forum is a privately funded, public policy organization focused on Central Virginia’s local governments.
The entire Hindsight Report can be accessed at www.freeenterprisefoum.org under the reports tab.
Respectfully Submitted,
Neil Williamson, President
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.
Fluvanna Supervisors Record Setting Non-Meeting
By. Bryan Rothamel, Field Officer
Yesterday, the Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors set a new record for inaction and meeting 
time because legally they couldn’t do anything but two motions.
The Sept. 5 meeting lasted all of a minute or two because a quorum was not met. Patricia Eager (Palmyra District) and Don Weaver (Cunningham District) were present. Vice chairperson Mozell Booker (Fork Union District) had previously announced she would be absent. Chairperson Mike Sheridan (Columbia District) and Tony O’Brien (Rivanna District) were not present.
The meeting was scheduled to start at 4 p.m. but was in a 45-minute holding pattern while the crowd mainly of staff or school officials waited for a quorum to be met. At 4:47 p.m. county administrator Steve Nichols announced the meeting was canceled because an unnamed third supervisor could make it, but in an hour — two hours after the meeting was scheduled to start.
County attorney Fred Payne announced a board of less than a quorum could only do two motions: defer the agenda and adjourn. With that, Nichols called the meeting to order in absence of the chair and vice chair people.
He asked if there was a motion to defer and adjourn. Weaver responded he would make that motion. Eager seconded. Nichols called for a vote and it carried unanimously.
The two supervisors then went to meet privately with the county attorney and administrator. Legally, supervisors can meet in groups of less than a quorum to discuss business without violating the open meeting laws. Once a quorum is met, it has to follow normal meeting procedures.
As Weaver and Eager left, Weaver said, “just two of us”, a reference to the gathering not being an official meeting.
Action that was deferred was BOS meeting dates change, library assistant position reclassification, E-911 grant, capital reserve maintenance fund supplemental appropriation, and the consent agenda.
Any item with a time sensitivity that waiting until Sept. 19 will not be feasible will have staff action. On Sept. 19 the board will have to ratify that action. It isn’t an ideal practice and is used sparingly.
But here’s what would’ve happened, had the meeting had a third supervisor:
The big ticket item that was the grant from the Virginia Information Technologies Agency. The $246,000 grant was awarded to Fluvanna to replace voice logging software and other E-911 equipment.
The state would pay for installation and increase contract costs for 24 months. Estimated increase in the contract is $12,000 a year. There is no local match required for the grant besides the county assuming the additional costs in month 25. The county previously received this grant in FY13 and FY14. Estimated deployment of the new equipment is the first half of 2020.
Another big issue was a supplemental appropriation of the capital reserve maintenance fund. This was connected to the unspent middle school funds from last meeting. FCPS is requesting $72,000 for abatement of an unusable classroom in the Abrams building.
County staff has gone through unused CIP allocated funds to see what could be transferred or returned to unassigned in the fund balance, the county savings. Staff found $138,000 of projects that could be moved to the Capital Reserve Maintenance Fund.
Those projects included are a no longer needed hydrogeological study, Carysbrook roof that was repaired instead of replaced, unspent funds of a completed courthouse fire detection system, and unspent funds of a completed courthouse lighting and control system.
A fifth project, building envelope renewal and repair, was reduced in scope or completed in other projects. It had a remaining balance of $120,000. Some of the project was for the historic courthouse that needs additional work of shutter repair, column restoration and painting all exterior trim. That $120,000 was requested to go towards work at the John Hartwell Cooke designed building.
The BOS meeting date change would push back the January 2019 meetings to the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month instead of first and third. The first Wednesday is January 2.
The reclassification of library assistant was to elevate the position to alleviate work from the library director. Currently all employees that work at the library report to the director. Elevating the position would allow a tier setup with chances for promotion. In the tier, only the assistants would directly report to the director. Other positions would report to the assistants.
But none of these happened. The supervisors will try again on September 19 at 7 p.m. Bring snacks.
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
Photo Credit: PerrysburgRotary.org
