This week in county government; BOS to consider pay hike, approval of water service agreements with AWS; PC wraps up 2023 with busy meeting; Mineral Town Council roundup
This week in county government; BOS to consider pay hike, approval of water service agreements with AWS; PC wraps up 2023 with busy meeting; Mineral Town Council roundup
Engage Louisa is a nonpartisan newsletter that keeps folks informed about Louisa County government. We believe our community is stronger and our government serves us better when we increase transparency, accessibility, and engagement.
This week in county government: public meetings, Dec. 18 through Dec. 23
For the latest information on county meetings including public meetings of boards, commissions, authorities, work groups, and internal county committees, click here. (Note: Louisa County occasionally schedules internal committee/work group meetings after publication time. Check the county’s website for the most updated information).
Monday, December 18
Louisa County Board of Supervisors, Public Meeting Room, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 6 pm. (agenda packet, livestream) The board will convene in closed session at 5 pm.
Tuesday, December 19
Lake Anna Advisory Committee, Public Meeting Room, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 1 pm. At publication time, an agenda was not publicly available.
Thursday, December 21
Louisa County Industrial Development Authority, Public Meeting Room, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 8:30 am. At publication time, an agenda was not publicly available.
Other meetings
Tuesday, December 19
Louisa Town Council, 212 Fredericksburg Ave., Louisa, 6 pm. At publication time, an agenda was not publicly available.
Council will hold a public hearing on the town’s Comprehensive Plan. (public notice)
Additional information about Louisa County’s upcoming public meetings is available here.
Interested in taking your talents to one of the county’s numerous boards and commissions? Find out more here including which boards have vacancies and how to apply.
Supervisors to consider pay hike, approval of water service agreements with AWS
The Louisa County Board of Supervisors will wrap up 2023 with a busy meeting. Supervisors will consider increasing board members’ salaries, approving a pair of water service agreements with Amazon Web Services, forming a tourism advisory committee and granting the county’s request for a Conditional Use Permit to construct a civic use building.
They’ll also get an update from Dominion Energy on the Belcher Solar Facility and hear a presentation from the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission on its Regional Transit Governance Study. The Louisa County Water Authority and the Virginia Department of Transportation will deliver their quarterly reports.
The board will say goodbye to Louisa District Supervisor Eric Purcell and Cuckoo District Supervisor Willie Gentry, whose terms end on December 31. Purcell, who’s served two nonconsecutive terms, and Gentry, who’s served five consecutive terms, didn’t seek re-election. Come January, Louisa District Planning Commissioner Manning Woodward will replace Purcell after winning a three-man race in November while Lake Anna resident Chris McCotter will replace Gentry. McCotter ran unopposed for the seat.
Board to consider pay hike: The Board of Supervisors will consider hiking its pay, but it’s unclear how much.
According to the meeting materials, the board will consider approving a resolution that would set its pay at an amount to be determined Monday night. The resolution also stipulates that future raises would be tied to compensation increases for full-time county staff. If the board raises staff’s pay by five percent during an annual budget process, for example, the board would receive the same pay hike.
Supervisors currently receive $9,000 in annual compensation and the board’s chair pulls in $10,200. They’re also eligible for health insurance benefits through the county. The board hasn’t received a substantial pay hike since 2002 when supervisors increased their pay by $3,000.
If the board votes for a pay hike, the raise wouldn’t go into effect until January of 2026 and would require action by a future board. State law requires that supervisors set their compensation prior to July 1 each year with the salary taking effect on January 1 in the year following an election. Four board members are up for election in 2025 while three seats were on the ballot this year. If the board moves forward with tying future pay increases to compensation increases for staff, the same law applies.
“Approval/appropriation of any necessary amounts would have to take place as part of the annual budget process, which concludes prior to July 1 in any given year,” County Administrator Christian Goodwin said in an email to Engage Louisa.
Though supervisors haven’t significantly raised their pay in 20 years, the board quietly voted for a small pay increase earlier this year as part of the FY24 budget. According to the budget, supervisors increased the board’s compensation by five percent, matching the salary increase allotted to staff. The increase, which won’t go into effect until January in accord with state law, raises the chairman’s salary by $510 and the other six members’ pay by $450.
The proposed resolution states that the board initially approved linking future pay increases to increases for staff during the FY24 budget process. But the board didn’t formally vote on the change outside of its approval of the county’s $148 million operating budget, which included the five percent pay hike.
In November, the board raised full-time employees pay another two percent to account for a pay increase provided by the General Assembly as part of amendments to the state budget. Supervisors would see that increase tacked on to their salaries in 2026 under the policy.
Louisa District Supervisor Eric Purcell suggested raising the board’s salary at its December 5 meeting, noting that supervisors’ pay is lagging behind some of Louisa’s peer localities. Purcell said that serving on the board requires a lot of work, and low pay and long hours could deter qualified candidates from vying for a seat.
“I’m getting ready to leave this board and I think we have an interest as a county and as a county government entity, at a minimum, (to) not have artificial barriers or hindrances to attracting the kind of people who can do this job well…Otherwise, we end up getting a much smaller candidate pool and, before long, I just don’t think the leadership is as well representative of the county as it should be,” Purcell said.
Currently, five of seven board members are either retired or self-employed while two are employees of Louisa County Public Schools. In the last two election cycles, only one candidate has run for four of seven board seats.
While supervisors didn’t discuss how much of a pay hike they’ll consider, Purcell said that the board should “look at supervisors’ salaries to bring them in line with our neighbors.”
When compared to rural neighboring localities, Louisa supervisors receive less pay than their counterparts in Orange and Goochland. Orange, which has roughly the same population as Louisa, pays its board members just under $13,000 annually and its chair just under $16,000. Goochland, which is less populous than Louisa, pays its board members $17,000 and its chair $19,000. Fluvanna, which also has fewer residents, matches Louisa’s current salaries.
Supervisors to consider approval of water service agreement with AWS: The Board of Supervisors will consider approving a pair of water service agreements with Amazon Web Services as the tech giant prepares to build two data center campuses in the county’s Technology Overlay District.
Under the agreements, the county, via the Louisa County Water Authority, could provide up to 7 million gallons of water per day to the campuses at peak demand and full buildout. The water, which would be drawn from the publicly owned Northeast Creek Reservoir, would be used to cool the racks of computer servers inside the facilities. Data centers are a critical component of 21st century infrastructure, housing servers and networking equipment that support cloud computing and other web-based technology.
In late August, Louisa County announced that AWS planned to invest at least $11 billion to build two data center campuses in its newly created TOD, a special zoning designation designed to attract lucrative tech-sector development. The project is part of the company’s plan to invest at least $35 billion by 2040 to build data center campuses across the state.
One of the campuses—dubbed the Lake Anna Technology Campus (LATC)—is slated for 146 acres at the corner of Kentucky Springs Road and Haley Drive adjacent to the North Anna Nuclear Power Station. The other—the North Creek Technology Campus (NCTC)—is planned for 1,444 acres south of Route 33 and east of Mount Airy Road across from the Northeast Creek Reservoir.
Though AWS hasn’t publicly announced specific plans for the campuses, a conceptual plan submitted to the Army Corps of Engineers shows seven standard data centers covering about 1.7 million square feet at the Lake Anna campus. An AWS official told the Louisa County Planning Commission in November that the NCTC could include 20 to 25 data centers but noted there’s still “a fair amount of flexibility” on what the final number would be.
The water service agreements up for approval on Monday lay out the responsibilities of both the county and AWS. The county would build, own, operate and maintain the water and wastewater infrastructure needed to support the campuses while AWS would pay for the infrastructure, based on a monthly reimbursement schedule, as it’s built. Thanks to an incentive agreement previously approved by the county and AWS, at least some of the company’s costs would be offset by infrastructure grants provided by the county. The grant money would be drawn from net new tax revenue directly generated from the campuses.
AWS would also pay set rates for water and sewer service that match what’s currently paid by the Louisa County Water Authority’s residential customers: $7.71 per 1,000 gallons for both raw and potable water and $11.41 for sewer. The agreement would last 10 years then renew on an annual basis.
To serve the campuses with cooling water, the county would build a “two-headed” raw water pump station at the Northeast Creek Reservoir’s water treatment plant with pumps to provide approximately 1.4 million gallons per day of capacity to the LATC and “designed to facilitate future addition” to supply 5.2 million gpd to the NCTC. The design specifications for the NCTC note that an additional pump station and related infrastructure could be required to meet its raw water needs.
According to the LATC agreement, Louisa County agrees to build an 11-mile raw water line from the pump station to the campus, measuring between 14 and 16 inches depending on the type of pipe used. The county also agrees to acquire the easements necessary to construct the line. The campus would only be served by public raw water infrastructure.
The agreement requires the county to complete the infrastructure by January 20, 2027. Wade has said that AWS would initially rely on groundwater for the first phase of the LATC, which is expected to include one to two data centers. Construction at the site could begin next year.
As for the NCTC, which would use public raw and potable water service as well as public sewer, the county would build a 2,000-foot, 12-inch water main from the Northeast Creek Water Treatment Plant to provide potable water to the campus, a 2,000-foot, 24-inch raw water transmission line, a 6,000-foot sewer force main from Thomas Jefferson Elementary School and a sewer pump station. The county agrees to complete the infrastructure by July 23, 2026.
AWS would reimburse the county up to $24.78 million for the actual cost of the LATC infrastructure and up to $9.87 million for the NCTC infrastructure. Any changes to the maximum reimbursement amounts would require written approval from AWS.
The agreement would also allow for other potential customers to tap the raw water infrastructure under provisions addressing so-called “latecomers.” The county would be required to levy a “latecomer connection charge” for 10 years with proceeds going to AWS. AWS would have sole discretion to waive the charge.
One of the key concerns about data center development is the facilities’ insatiable demand for water. But Wade has said at numerous county meetings that there’s adequate capacity in the Northeast Creek Reservoir to serve the sites, fulfill the needs of current customers and provide for future growth.
Though the campuses could use as much as 7 million gallons of water per day at peak demand, Economic Development Director Andy Wade has said that the facilities would likely only need that much water during the hottest days of summer. He’s noted that, in winter, the centers would rely on the ambient air temperature for cooling.
Wade has said the campuses would draw, on average, 630,000 gallons of water per day from the reservoir and 230 million gallons a year at full buildout. Based on a recent analysis, he’s said that the reservoir has a safe yield capacity of 3.2 million gpd and 1.1 billion gallons per year. Louisa County Water Authority General Manager Pam Baughman said in September that, from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023, the average daily withdraw from the reservoir was 277,000 gallons.
Supervisors to hold public hearing on CUP for civic use building: Supervisors will hold a public hearing and consider whether to approve Louisa County’s request for a Conditional Use Permit to construct a 4,000-square foot building designated for civic use on 104 acres of county-owned property at the end of Sacred Heart Avenue (Route 825) off Mica Road (Route 700) in the Cuckoo Election District (tmp 59-112).
Assuming its approved, the building will include storage space, conference rooms, offices and multi-purpose rooms, according to Assistant County Administrator Chris Coon. The property, which is split zoned Industrial Limited (I-1) and Agricultural (A-2), is already home to the Louisa County Animal Shelter and dog park, a fire training facility and a telecommunication tower.
The CUP would allow the county to expand existing uses on the site, Coon told the Louisa County Planning Commission, and bring them into compliance with the county’s current zoning code.
Since the county plans to expand public facilities, supervisors will also determine if the building and related plans are in substantial accord with the 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The Planning Commission found the county’s request in conformance with the plan.
Read more about the county’s proposal below in Engage Louisa’s update from last week’s Planning Commission meeting.
Board to discuss formation of Louisa Tourism Advisory Committee: Supervisors will discuss formally establishing a tourism advisory committee. Currently, the county has a Parks, Recreation and Tourism Committee, but the board is interested in appointing a panel devoted exclusively to tourism.
Mineral District Supervisor Duane Adams suggested making the change after the county hiked its transient occupancy tax from two percent to seven percent. Under state law, three percent of the county’s revenue from the tax must be used for tourism-related initiatives. The tax is tacked on to customers’ bills when they spend the night at a local hotel, bed and breakfast or short-term rental. The TOT is expected to provide nearly $600,000 for tourism-related spending next year.
According to a document explaining the committee’s purpose and mission, the panel would serve as an advisory body to the Board of Supervisors, county administrator and director of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, providing recommendations on advertising, target marketing and long-range plans for tourism. It would also research and investigate other ways to advance and develop tourism in the county. The committee would be the official local tourism industry organization, empowering it to formally advise the county on how to spend the TOT revenue.
The committee would be comprised of a range of stakeholders including representatives from the agritourism industry, the arts, history, hospitality, retail, restaurants, recreation, The Lake Anna Business Partnership, the Louisa County Chamber of Commerce, the Towns of Louisa and Mineral and a member of the Board of Supervisors.
Dominion to update board on Belcher Solar Facility: Dominion Energy will update the board on its controversial Belcher Solar Facility off Waldrop Church Road (Route 632). Problems with stormwater runoff and erosion and sediment control have plagued the 88 MW site since its construction three years ago with several neighboring farmers complaining that runoff from the 1300-acre facility has caused flooding and severe erosion on their land.
In June 2021, Dominion publicly apologized to the board because of the ongoing problems at Belcher, which drew media attention from across central Virginia including an in-depth story from Richmond’s WTVR detailing damage to several farms off Bickley Road near the southern end of the property. In March 2021, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality fined Dominion $50,000 for the unauthorized discharge of sediment into Harris Creek on the other side of the site.
Dominion last briefed the board on its efforts to address the issues at Belcher in September 2022. Dominion representative Sarah Marshall told the board that the company was making progress in its effort to effectively handle stormwater runoff, noting that vegetation had been established on more than 80 percent of the project area. She said she was confident that, as Dominion implemented the next steps in its stormwater management plan, neighboring property owners’ concerns would be resolved.
The fallout from Belcher prompted the Board of Supervisors to rethink the county’s approach to utility-scale solar development. Last year, the board unanimously adopted a revised solar ordinance that significantly beefs up erosion and sediment control standards for large solar projects, mandates a 300-foot buffer around the facilities and caps the number of acres that can be used for utility-scale solar generation at roughly 9,800, three percent of the county’s land.
When the board greenlighted Belcher in 2016, it was only the second utility-scale solar facility approved in the county. Since then, the board has approved five more. When complete, the seven sites will cover some 5,200 acres. Only Belcher and Dominion’s Whitehouse facility off Davis Highway (Route 22) are fully constructed and providing power to the grid.
TJPDC to discuss Regional Transit Governance Study: A representative from the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission will discuss recommendations from its Regional Transit Governance Study. The study explored ways to establish a dedicated funding source for transit in the region and is an outgrowth of the Regional Transit Vision Plan. Funded by the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transit, the transit plan was completed last year and envisions ways to expand regional transit at varying levels of funding.
The study recommends the establishment of a regional transit authority—Charlottesville and Albemarle in 2009 won permission from the General Assembly to form the Charlottesville-Albemarle Regional Transit Authority (CARTA)—to generate revenue exclusively dedicated to public transit.
Though the CARTA legislation doesn’t include a provision for dedicated funding sources, the study recommends using the existing governance structure authorized by the General Assembly while “an ideal transit authority that has potential to accomplish regional goals is pursued.” The legislation establishes Charlottesville and “all or portions of Albemarle County” as the essential boundaries, but additional portions of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson counties as well as cities, towns, tourist-driven and public transit agencies, and higher education agencies may join as members if they choose.
Beyond forming the interim entity, the study recommends several next steps including conducting a needs assessment that clearly analyzes rural transit needs and estimated service costs, and ensuring continued rural engagement in development of a legislative packet for a regional transit authority.
Board to consider budget supplement for landfill operations: Supervisors will consider authorizing a $40,000 budget supplement to cover the rising cost of recycling. According to the proposed resolution, the county’s “co-mingling recycling contract costs” have risen from $20 a ton to $130 a ton. The resolution says that the increase wasn’t anticipated during the FY24 budget process hence the request for more funding. If approved, the money would be drawn from the county’s General Fund.
VDOT, LCWA to update board: Virginia Department of Transportation Residency Administrator Scott Thornton and Louisa County Water Authority General Manager Pam Baughman will present to the board their quarterly reports. The reports detail each entity’s activities over the last three months as well as their near-term plans.
Planning Commission recommends denial of rezoning for more residential lots, oks CUPs for civic use building, contractor’s office
The Louisa County Planning Commission on Thursday night convened for a busy meeting, okaying Conditional Use Permits for a contractor’s office and a civic use building, and recommending denial of a rezoning that would allow more residential lots off Halls Store Road. At the applicant’s request, the commission deferred consideration of a proposed mixed-use development near Gordonsville. (meeting materials, video)
Prior to their regular meeting, the commission held a work session on a draft public facilities plan, which is expected to be added to the 2040 Comprehensive Plan. Planners agreed to hold a public hearing on most of the facilities plan at its January meeting. (meeting materials, video)
Commission recommends denial of rezoning for more residential lots off Halls Store Road: Commissioners voted unanimously to recommend that the Board of Supervisors deny GK Structures, LLC’s request to rezone, from A-1 to A-2, about 22 acres at the corner of Jefferson Highway (Route 33) and Halls Store Road (Route 612) in the Jackson Election District (tmp 73-6-4). The rezoning would allow the developer to divide the property into seven residential lots, four more than what’s permitted under its current zoning. GK Structures hopes to build a single-family home on each of the lots, which would range in size from 1.6 to 6.8 acres.
In an email to county staff Thursday afternoon, GK Structures asked that the commission defer consideration of the rezoning, but didn’t provide a reason for the request, according to staff. Though county officials typically grant deferrals, the commission opted to take up the item Thursday night after delaying consideration at its November meeting.
At that meeting, Chair John Disosway heeded a request from Jackson District Commissioner Cy Weaver to delay voting on the rezoning because Weaver couldn’t attend the meeting. Disosway opened the public hearing to allow residents in attendance to weigh in then continued it until Thursday night. Six community members who live near the subject property spoke during the two-meeting hearing, all voicing opposition to the rezoning. The neighbors expressed concern about increased traffic on Halls Store Road and said that seven new homes would threaten their community’s rural character.
“When we moved here five years ago, we bought land where we bought land specifically because we weren’t interested in having multiple neighbors. We’re raising a family. We have a farm. Having multiple houses around us and multiple people who may not like our farm and may not like the smell of our farm, that will create an issue,” neighbor Alicia Reynolds said.
Representatives from GK Structures didn’t attend either meeting.
Before voting to recommend denial of the request, Mountain Road District Commissioner Gordon Brooks said he was inclined to vote for it because he thought the proposal fit with the character of the neighborhood, noting that most of the surrounding parcels are zoned A-2. Brooks said that he hoped to discuss several aspects of the project with the applicant including his willingness to use shared driveways to enter the lots off Halls Store Road. But, since a representative from GK Structures wasn’t there to answer his questions, Brooks said he couldn’t support the rezoning.
Weaver then motioned to recommend denial, noting that, as a resident of the Jackson District, he wants to “keep it rural.”
Commission oks CUP for civic use building: The commission voted 7-0 to recommend to the Board of Supervisors approval of Louisa County’s request for a Conditional Use Permit to erect a building designated for civic use at the end of Sacred Heart Avenue (Route 825) off Mica Road (Route 700) in the Cuckoo Election District (tmp 59-112).
The 104-acre county-owned parcel is mostly zoned Agricultural (A-2) with a portion zoned Industrial Limited (I-1). It’s already home to several county facilities including the Louisa County Animal Shelter and dog park, a fire training area, parking, storage and a telecommunications tower. The property adjoins the Louisa County Landfill.
Assistant County Administrator Chris Coon said that the county intends to construct a building that includes storage space, training/conference rooms, offices and multi-purpose rooms to support various county departments. He said after the meeting that the facility would cover about 4,000 square feet and primarily be used for storage.
Coon also told the commission that, with the CUP, the county could expand existing structures at the site including the Louisa County Animal Shelter. The shelter frequently operates at or near its maximum capacity.
In 2021, the county updated its zoning code, requiring that civic use structures obtain a CUP in A-2 zoning. Though existing uses on the parcel are considered nonconforming, meaning they’re grandfathered in, obtaining a CUP would bring them in compliance with current code, Coon said.
The commission also determined that the building and the county’s related plans for the property are in substantial accord with the 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The determination is required under state code because the county proposes to expand public facilities.
No one other than Coon weighed in during the public hearing. The Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on the request at its Monday, December 18 meeting.
Commission recommends approval of CUP and proffer amendment for contractor’s office: Commissioners unanimously recommended that the Board of Supervisors approve Stafford Contracting, LLC’s request for a Conditional Use Permit to allow a contractor’s office and shop on a 1.12-acre parcel (tmp 30-18-4) on Kentucky Springs Road (Route 652) in the Cuckoo Election District. The property is zoned light commercial (C-1) and in the Lake Anna Growth Area Overlay District.
The commission also recommended that the board approve a proffer amendment to a previous rezoning that would permit the use on the property.
Christian Ellis, Stafford Contracting’s owner, told the commission that he plans to store equipment for his general contracting and home improvement business at the site, which he’s prohibited from keeping at his new home due to HOA regulations. Ellis intends to build a 3,500-square foot metal building to house work vehicles, equipment, tools and related materials.
Ellis said the use would generate little traffic because of the nature of the business, which requires work to be done at customers’ homes. He plans to share an entrance with an adjoining property owner who intends to open a restaurant.
“I just want to fit in over here. I don’t plan on making any noise or any racket. I’ll be the only one in and out...I’m excited about being here in Louisa and fitting in the fabric (of the community) and increasing property values by continuing to work on homes that are here and building new homes as needed in the future,” said Ellis, who just moved to Lake Anna from Stafford County.
Cuckoo District Commissioner George Goodwin, who represents the area, asked Ellis if he’d be willing to add a condition to the CUP that prohibits him from storing construction vehicles, equipment or materials outside his building. Ellis agreed to the condition.
Other than Ellis, no one spoke for or against the CUP during the public hearing.
Commission defers consideration of proposed mixed-use development near Gordonsville: At the request of the applicant, commissioners deferred for 60 days consideration of a proposed mixed-use development near Gordonsville that would feature apartments, townhomes, single-family homes and retail space.
In a memo to the commission, Community Development Department staff recommended deferring the item, noting that the applicant needs more time to “address comments about missing or uncertain information.”
Matthew Crane of Arterra Design and Construction is asking to rezone 19.9 acres at the intersection of James Madison Highway (Route 15) and Kloeckner Road (Route 860) from residential (R-2), Light Commercial (C-1) and Agricultural (A-2) to Planned Unit Development (PUD) for a mixed-use complex dubbed The Village at Spring Green. The applicant is also asking for a Conditional Use Permit to allow multi-family housing in a mixed-use building and a special exception to increase the allowed density from 10 to 18 dwelling units per acre for 3.57 acres of the project.
The property, owned by Green Springs Two, LLC and Cyndra Flynn Kerley, is in the Gordonsville Growth Area Overlay District and the Green Springs Election District. It’s designated for mixed-use development on the Future Land Use Map in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
While Community Development Department staff and the commission didn’t publicly discuss the deferral at Thursday’s meeting, Green Springs District Supervisor Rachel Jones said in a social media post that the applicant asked for the delay to “work on securing a water and sewer plan.”
In a string of emails between Senior Planner Tom Egeland and the development team dating back to October and included in the meeting materials, Egeland asks for communication from the Town of Gordonsville confirming that water service is available and communication from the Rapidan Service Authority confirming the availability of sewer service.
The commission could hold a public hearing on the Spring Green proposal at its February meeting.
Note to readers: The article below was contributed by Town of Mineral resident Chris Guerre. Engage Louisa appreciates Chris’s contribution and commitment to keeping his community informed.
Mineral Town Council roundup: Council votes to work with TJPDC on comp plan, hold public hearing on Miller’s Market gas pump request
By Chris Guerre
On Monday, December 11, the Mineral Town Council met for its last regular meeting of the calendar year. All council members, as well as Mayor Ed Jarvis and Planning Commission Chairman Ed Kube, were in attendance. Town Council Clerk Amanda Nguyen, Town Attorney Catherine Lea, and DMV Select Manager Shannon Hawkins were also present.
Jarvis presided over the meeting as mayor and reported to the council as the acting town manager due to the departure of Reese Peck, the former town manager.
Peck was first appointed by council to be interim manager in late-January 2022. On April 22, 2022, Peck walked off the job, citing the “personal attacks [that had been made against him] by former Mayor Pam Harlowe and Rebecca McGehee” in letters to the editor in the April 21, 2022 edition of The Central Virginian. In May of 2023, Peck was rehired by the town, first as an assistant to the mayor and then as town manager. On November 7, Peck resigned again, although he continued to work for the town – albeit stripped of his managerial authority – for another week. At council's November 16 meeting, Jarvis announced Peck had resigned earlier that day, effective immediately.
At the top of this month's council meeting, council heard public comment on a proposed amendment to the town's FY24 budget to increase general operating expenditures by $16,548.68, in order to enter a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC) for assistance in updating the town's 2018 Comprehensive Plan. At its November 30 meeting, the planning commission voted unanimously to present council with a list of potential revisions to the plan and to formally recommend that council approve and pay for TJPDC’s services by way of the MOA.
Commission Chair Ed Kube presented the commission's recommendations to council, explaining why the development of the five-year comprehensive plan is so important. Kube noted that the town would benefit immensely by partnering with the TJPDC and that council would be involved throughout the process.
Kube fielded questions from council members as they deliberated the issue. How the MOA would be funded dominated much of council's concerns, particularly in light of the fact that no amended, line item budget document was prepared for council to review. While the need to approve an increase in the budget to accommodate the MOA expense was clear, there was little consensus on where the additional revenue would come from.
Council Member Ron Chapman, council's liaison to the planning commission, made an initial motion to approve the MOA, but his motion failed for lack of a second and prompted more discussion. After a short break, Chapman's failed motion was renewed and amended by Council Member Michelle Covert and then seconded by Chapman. Discussion on the motion was initiated by Council Member Olivia Barrow McCarthy, who asked, “[could any of] our assets contribute to this?”
Council Member Blair Nipper commented that “we should be obligating the money [to fund the expense] first,” and Jarvis explained to council that about “$400,000 sits in an investment fund,” but no vote or question was called on Covert's motion. In a follow-up interview after the meeting, Jarvis estimated that, in total, the town holds about $640,000 in reserves exclusive of its capital assets.
After some advice from the town attorney, council members approved, 5-1, an amendment to the budget to include the increased expenditure, and they agreed, 5-1, to enter the MOA. Council Member Rebecca McGehee voted in opposition. However, no motion was presented to amend the budget's general operating revenues, through a transfer of the town's reserve funds or otherwise.
In other business, council voted to appropriate the second half of the town's FY24 budget with McGehee again casting the lone no vote.
And by unanimous consent, council voted to hold a public hearing at their January 8 meeting on Miller's Market owner AJ Singh’s request for a Conditional Use Permit to install gas pumps on the property. The town's planning commission recommended that council move forward with the public hearing after holding a public hearing of its own and suggesting several conditions that Singh would need to comply with in order to add the pumps. Those conditions include using downward-directing, dark sky lighting fixtures and resurfacing the parking lot.
Council's regular monthly meetings are open to the public. In 2024, they’re expected to continue to be the second Monday of each month at 6:30 pm.
Click here for contact information for the Louisa County Board of Supervisors.
Find agendas and minutes from previous Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission meetings as well as archived recordings here.
Click here for contact information for the Louisa County School Board.
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