Residents urge board to lower real estate tax rate; Supes ok funding for skatepark, tweak litter ordinance; At town hall, Adams talks residential growth, data centers, Town of Mineral and more
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, March 24 through March 29
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).
Thursday, March 27
Lake Anna Advisory Committee, Public Meeting Room, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 6 pm. (agenda packet)
Quote of the week
“You’re trying to push out the lower class and the working man and bring in all this—I’ll say it—Northern Virginia, Lake Anna people and push us little people out.”
-Longtime Louisa resident Ed Heany expressing concern about his rising real estate tax bill during the first public hearing of the Fiscal Year 2026 budget process.
Read more on residents’ concerns about real estate taxes below.
Residents urge board to lower real estate tax rate
Louisa County residents sounded off about a potential jump in their real estate tax bills during the first public hearing of the Fiscal Year 2026 budget process Monday night. (meeting materials, video)
Supervisors advertised a level real estate tax rate for the coming fiscal year of 72-cent per $100 of assessed value to fund a proposed budget that could top $190.5 million. But the assessed value of real estate, excluding new construction and improvements, rose 8.12 percent, so if the rate remains flat, many homeowners will see their tax bills rise.
The board would have to slash the rate by more than 5 cents—to 66.6 cents—to offset the average increase in assessments. Real estate is assessed annually in Louisa County with valuations based on fair market value.
Thirteen community members took to the podium to share their thoughts on the budget, tax rate and assessments. Most urged the board to cut the rate, contending that their soaring tax bills are becoming unsustainable.
Many pointed out that the assessed value of their homes has skyrocketed over the last few years—assessments rose an average of 12 percent in 2022, 14 percent in 2023 and nearly eight percent last year—and chided the board for not easing their tax burden by lowering the rate.
Louisa native Ed Heany said that his home’s assessed value has jumped nearly $140,000 in just a few years. Heany said that when he bought the property, he budgeted for his monthly payments, but rising taxes are stretching that budget, and now he wonders if he’ll have to sell.
“You’re trying to push out the lower class and the working man and bring in all this—I’ll say it—Northern Virginia, Lake Anna people and push us little people out,” Heany said, adding, “Think about what you’re doing. Think about the man who’s been paying taxes here for as long as I’ve been paying taxes.”
Bruce Tenney, a Lake Anna resident and newcomer to Louisa County, said that he too is struggling with his real estate taxes. Since he bought his home four and a half years ago, Tenney said that its assessed value has increased nearly 79 percent, making him question if he can afford to stay in the community.
“My wife and I built what we hoped was a forever home. But, at this kind of tax increase, it’s going to be really hard to stay here,” Tenney said, calling on the board to reduce the rate and rein in spending.
Supervisors have heard similar pleas over the last few years but they’ve remained steadfast in sticking with a 72-cent rate—the same levy the county’s had since 2015. Inflation and rapid residential growth, they say, has ballooned the cost of county services, and the extra revenue generated by higher assessments helps fill the gap.
Board members have also suggested that they don’t want to turn the real estate tax rate into an annual political fight and noted that, at 72 cents, Louisa maintains one of the lowest rates in the area.
While they’ve resisted calls to lower the rate, the board has offered some tax relief. Supervisors extended a one-time, five percent rebate to residents two years ago when assessments jumped about 14 percent, and they’ve broadened eligibility for a real estate tax relief program for low-income elderly and disabled residents.
A couple residents argued that the board’s desire to avoid a yo-yoing tax rate isn’t a good reason not to lower it now, given the unprecedented rise in assessments in recent years and the amount of new investment in the county.
“Over roughly 20 or 25 years, the tax rate has changed up and down between 62 and 72 cents per $100. It has changed six times over the last 25 years. It has been 72 cents for the last 10 years and, in that time, the assessed values have gone up, up, up year over year,” Mountain Road District resident Jordan DeAngeles said. “There’s a lot of development in this county…There are new revenues, new homes, new businesses that also get tax breaks for bringing their business here. I think the value of all that should be to the citizens of this county, and they should realize that through their tax savings and, if not tax savings, at least not a tax increase.”
A few speakers quibbled with the way the county assesses real estate, specifically arguing that valuations for waterfront homes on Lake Anna are flawed.
Lake Anna resident Richard Magenheimer said that he moved into a waterfront home five years ago, and, since then, assessments on lakefront dwellings have jumped significantly across the board. He said the county assessor’s office should bring in an expert on valuing waterfront property to devise a new assessment formula because the current process misses what drives value.
“The formula [for assessing waterfront property] is archaic, and it doesn’t get into what the real economic valuation drivers are for waterfront property, which are things like frontage—there’s no consideration for how much frontage you have—and the number of bedrooms,” Magenheimer said.
Magenheimer added that short-term rentals are further skewing assessments on the lake because dwellings are purchased as investment property instead of for residential use.
“These are commercial enterprises in residential zoning. Commercial real estate is primarily bought and sold on a multiple of cashflow. These properties are selling at ridiculous prices not because they are on Lake Anna and what not, but because they are generating hundreds of thousands of dollars and, in some cases, seven figure rental income, and that’s how they are purchased,” he said.
Lake Anna resident Phil Winston agreed. Winston said that he and his wife live in a waterfront home that hasn’t been improved since they built it in 2008. But, he said, it’s being compared to sparkling new short-term rentals.
Winston pointed to a brand new waterfront rental that’s advertised to sleep up to 30 people and rents for $20,000 a week in the summer. The assessor compares this home to his waterfront property, Winston said, warping his assessment.
“These two houses are not the same, no matter how you look at it. I request that the board and the assessor’s office look at making short-term rentals a whole separate category where they are priced against each other,” Winston said.
While most community members complained about their rising tax bills, Louisa District resident Julie Houston expressed an additional concern—a lack of community involvement in the county’s budget process.
Houston suggested that county officials do more to give people a voice in how they spend taxpayer money and to educate residents on how the budget process works. As an example of what she’d like to see, Houston pointed to neighboring Albemarle County where board members and staff have scheduled seven town halls to talk about the budget and gather community input before it’s adopted.
“I think that transparency generates trust. It would be really great if we could have some town halls to get some input from the citizens about how to spend the money,” Houston said.
Supervisors didn’t respond to residents’ calls to lower the tax rate during the meeting. But, in a Facebook post on Monday, Green Springs District Supervisor Rachel Jones said she’s prepared to cut taxes.
“In April, I will not vote to raise our tax rate. I will support adjusting our rate lower for 2026,” Jones wrote.
The advertised budget for FY26 tops $190.5 million in expenses but anticipates just $187.2 million in revenue. That means, even with a level rate, the board must pull $3.3 million from cash reserves to cover its costs. If supervisors opt to trim the rate by a penny, they’ll lose $1.1 million in revenue. Making up for the loss would require digging deeper into reserves or cutting the budget.
Jones didn’t propose any cuts in her post, but Board Chair and Mineral District Supervisor Duane Adams said at a town hall on Wednesday that he expects the board will ultimately consider a $189.5 million spending plan. Adams didn’t expand on what accounts for the reduction, nor did he address the possibility of lowering the tax rate or offering a one-time rebate as the board did two years ago.
Both Adams and Jones are Republicans who ran as fiscal conservatives and whose seats are up for grabs this November. Neither has publicly announced whether they plan to seek re-election.
The board will hold a public hearing on the advertised budget and tax rates on April 7 with budget adoption set for April 28. Fiscal Year 2026 starts July 1.
For more information on the budget process, click here.
BOS roundup: Supes ok funding for skatepark
Aside from holding the first public hearing of the FY26 budget process, the board took up several action items Monday night, greenlighting construction of a skatepark adjacent to the Betty Queen Center, okaying an honorary road naming, clearing the way for an equipment sales and rental business in eastern Louisa County and more.
Board oks funding for skatepark
Skateboard enthusiasts will once again have a dedicated place to perform slides and grinds.
The board of supervisors on Monday night agreed to allocate up to $160,000 to reconstruct a skatepark at 540 Industrial Drive adjacent to the Betty Queen Center, making good on a years-old promise to replace a skatepark that previously occupied the space.
When that facility was dismantled more than a decade ago to make way for a temporary home for the Louisa County Health Department, county officials promised they’d replace it when the health department found a permanent home. The department moved to a county-owned building in the Town of Louisa in late 2023.
“This is following up on something that was promised to the community 15 years ago,” Board Chair Duane Adams (Mineral) said, before voting in support of the project.
Of the $160,000 appropriated for the facility, Deputy County Administrator Chris Coon said that just over $90,000 will cover the cost of ramps, about $21,000 will go to fencing and between $25,000 and $48,800 will be spent on concrete work and “usage improvements.”
Coon said the cost of the concrete work depends on whether county staff can complete some of it or if it will all be handled by a contractor.
The county could add other enhancements in the future, according to Coon, including lights and shade structures.
The board will tap the Parks Maintenance and Enhancement Fund to pay for the project. The fund includes nearly $460,000, earmarked for upgrades and upkeep at county-owned parks.
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee recommended using the fund to rebuild the park.
“This is incredibly exciting for all of us on the commission. We were waiting and waiting [for the park to be rebuilt], and I know some of the board members have [been waiting] as well,” Committee Chair Amy Ware said during the public comment period.
Supes ok code amendments aimed at cracking down on litter
After suggesting last year that they wanted to take bold steps to crack down on litter, supervisors took something more akin to a baby step on Monday night.
Following a public hearing in which no community members weighed in, the board voted 6-1 to amend the county’s solid waste ordinance, aiming to crack down on commercial waste haulers who don’t property cover or secure their loads.
Specifically, the amendments make it a Class 2 misdemeanor for commercial haulers to travel with an unsecured or uncovered load. The county’s solid waste ordinance previously prohibited such activity but didn’t include an enforcement mechanism specific to commercial haulers. A Class 2 misdemeanor is punishable by up to six months in jail and/or up to a $1,000 fine, per state code.
The amendments also define “commercial hauler” and update the definition of “residential waste” to comply with state code. “Commercial hauler” is defined as “a person engaged in the business of collecting, transporting, hauling, transferring or disposing of refuse.”
Deputy County Administrator Chris Coon told the board that the ordinance changes came at the recommendation of the litter work group. Formed last April to develop a comprehensive litter control plan, the group includes Green Springs District Supervisor Rachel Jones, Cuckoo District Supervisor Chris McCotter and seven citizen representatives. Neither Jones nor McCotter commented on the recommendation.
In a memo, Coon said practices employed by commercial waste haulers “significantly impact roadway cleanliness,” and the amendments are designed to hold them accountable.
Mountain Road District Supervisor Tommy Barlow was the only board member to vote against the change. He signaled that he wanted to hold off on amending the ordinance until the board could address a different issue related to the county’s handling of trash from businesses.
Board oks honorary road naming for Col. Samuel Nelson Drew
The board of supervisors agreed to name a stretch of Louisa County roadway in honor of an Air Force veteran and former US diplomat who died while working to bring peace to a war-torn slice of Europe.
At the request of a group of his high school classmates, the board will bestow an honorary road naming on Col. Samuel Nelson Drew. A 1966 Louisa County High School grad, Drew served a distinguished career in the Air Force and as a diplomat with the State Department. He played a key role in crafting the Dayton Accords, an agreement that brought peace to the Balkans. In 1995, Drew died in an accident while traveling in the region and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by then-president Bill Clinton.
Deputy County Administrator Chris Coon said the county plans to name a mile-long stretch of Davis Highway near Louisa County High School in Drew’s honor.
The request will next go to the Virginia Department of Transportation for final approval, which could take up to a year. The county will work with stakeholders to erect signs along the roadway then hold a dedication ceremony. Drew’s classmates will pay for the signage.
Board oks CUP, proffer amendments for farm equipment biz
Supervisors held a public hearing and voted unanimously to approve Amos Equipment Repair, LLC’s request for a conditional use permit (CUP) to operate an equipment sales and rental business on a 4.26-acre parcel (tax map parcel 93-161) on the south side of Jefferson Highway near its intersection with Spring Wood Road and Ellis Road in the Jackson Election District.
The property, owned by Land Lovers, LLC, is zoned General Commercial (C-2). It was previously home to an HVAC shop and carpet store showroom.
Earnest Amos, Amos Equipment’s namesake and owner, plans to use the property to sell and rent farm and garden equipment with incidental storage, maintenance and servicing of such equipment. Amos currently operates a farm equipment rental and repair business in Goochland County.
In addition to the CUP, the board also agreed to amend five of 12 proffers attached to the property’s 1989 rezoning from General Agricultural to General Commercial. Among other provisions, the amendments require the use of dark-sky compliant lighting, mandate that any equipment maintenance or servicing be performed inside and limit the business’ operating hours to between 8 am and 6 pm, Monday through Saturday while barring operation on Sunday.
Supes approve CUP for construction yard
Supervisors held a public hearing and voted 7-0 to approve JWC Enterprises/On Demand Concrete’s request for a conditional use permit (CUP) to operate a construction yard on a five-acre parcel on the north side of Louisa Road (Route 22) at its intersection with Spotswood Trail (Route 33) in the Louisa Election District (tax map parcel 24-17-A).
The property, owned by Ronald Reynolds, is zoned General Commercial (C-2) and already home to Haymaker Auto Repair.
On Demand Concrete operates as a mobile concrete company, using the subject parcel to store gravel, sand and cement—ingredients in concrete—as well as concrete trucks and related equipment. The company loads the material on trucks at the property but mixes concrete on-demand where it’s needed. No concrete production takes place on the parcel.
Supervisors okayed the CUP with six conditions. Among them is a requirement that On-Demand Concrete construct a 150-foot long and eight-foot-tall wooden privacy fence at the intersection of Poindexter Road (Route 613) and Louisa Road (Route 22) to protect the view shed of surrounding properties, including 400 acres owned by the Trevilian Station Battlefield Foundation.
Supes agree to take ownership of dam, farm out maintenance to AWS
Supervisors agreed to accept ownership of a flood control dam in central Louisa County and to farm out its maintenance to one of the world’s largest technology companies.
But the transaction still requires a green light from the infrastructure’s current owner and the federal agency that built it to control flooding in the South Anna River watershed more than 50 years ago.
The board voted 7-0 to assume ownership of South Anna Dam #23 and to approve a memorandum of understanding with Amazon Web Services (AWS), tasking the tech giant with ensuring its proper function, structural integrity and ongoing regulatory compliance.
The dam is one of 10 built by the federal government in the county for flood control, eight of which are owned and maintained by TJSWCD. The infrastructure includes a dam and flood mitigation impoundment situated near the northern end of a 1445-acre tract south of Route 33 and east of Mount Airy Road. AWS acquired the property in late 2023 for data center development.
According to the meeting materials, the dam “is not currently in compliance with regulatory requirements” and, as a condition of Amazon's intended development of its property, it “must be in compliance.”
Economic Development Director Andy Wade said the MOU allows AWS to contract with a vendor of its choice to maintain the dam and that TJSWCD is on board with handing over ownership to the county.
“They are more than willing to unload this dam and have characterized it as a benefit to their organization. They are well aware of this, and we’ve been working with them for several months,” Wade said.
In an email to Engage Louisa last week, Steve Lucas, who chairs TJSWCD’s board of directors, said the organization had begun preliminary discussions with the county about transferring the dam’s ownership, but nothing had been finalized. He agreed with Wade that handing over maintenance to AWS makes sense.
Beyond TJSWCD, the transfer also requires approval from the National Resources Conservation Service (NRSC).
Mountain Road District Supervisor Tommy Barlow asked Wade why TJSWCD didn’t transfer the dam directly to AWS, keeping the county from, as he put it, “being in the middle of it.”
Wade said the NRSC prefers that the county own the infrastructure.
“Because the county has existing dams and impoundments that they own and service within Louisa County, [the NRCS was] more comfortable with the locality being the owner than a private entity being the owner,” he said.
Supes ok FEMS grant application
Supervisors gave the Fire and EMS Department the go-ahead to apply for a Rescue Squad Assistance Fund Grant. The grant would total $48,000 and be used to purchase medication pumps and video laryngoscopes. The total cost of the equipment would be $96,000 with the grant requiring a 50/50 local match.
At town hall, Adams talks residential growth, STRs, budget, Town of Mineral and more
Mineral District Supervisor Duane Adams last Wednesday night held a wide-ranging town hall that stretched more than two hours, fielding questions and comments about everything from preserving the county’s rural character to his relationship with the Town of Mineral.
The event drew about 30 residents—from the Mineral District and beyond—to the Louisa County Public Library where the group engaged in an unscripted Q and A that was mostly cordial, but featured some pointed exchanges.
Residents raised concerns about the county’s spending on big-ticket items, over-crowded short-term rentals at Lake Anna, rapid residential growth and—in perhaps the evening’s most dramatic moment—a comment Adams recently made about the Towns of Louisa and Mineral that miffed Mineral’s mayor.
Adams, who’s in his second term and serves as the board’s chair, holds one of four seats on the ballot this November. The Republican hasn't publicly announced whether he plans to seek re-election.
Adams, attendees talk residential growth, rural preservation
Since the 2020 census, Louisa County’s population has grown more than 10 percent, making it the third fastest growing locality in the state.
The steady population growth, Adams and other supervisors have said, is ballooning the county budget as more rooftops require more services—from new schools to more firefighters.
Beyond the cost of residential growth, supervisors have emphasized that many Louisa residents choose to live here because they value rural life. When the county updated its Comprehensive Plan six years ago—gathering residents’ feedback about their vision for the community’s future—they heard one message loud and clear: preserve the county’s rural character.
In adopting the plan, county officials made rural preservation a chief goal. But some residents say they’re falling short of achieving it.
Mineral District resident Chris Liles said that, since adopting the plan, the county has approved several high-density residential developments, particularly at Zion Crossroads, which seem to run counter to its goals.
“We say we want to stay rural. And we say that every time you build something, it costs the county so much more to put these kids in school and for fire and rescue…[But] I can’t remember a high-density housing option, multi-use facility that we’ve said no to,’ Liles said.
Jim Riddell, whose family has farmed in Louisa for five generations, said the county has lost 6,000 acres of working farm and forest land in the last five years—a fact that should alarm every Louisa resident.
“The more farms and forests we can keep in this county, the better our budgets will be, the longer our resources will be here, our water, our soil, our energy,” Riddell said.
Riddell noted that, for every dollar collected in taxes from farm and timberland, just 30 cents are spent from county coffers. But, for every dollar collected from residential property, $1.65 is spent.
But Riddell took a somewhat different view than Liles, contending it makes sense to cluster residential growth in designated areas that are served by water and sewer like Zion. The county needs to be vigilant in slowing sprawl that eats up rural land, he said.
“Development where the infrastructure is—the sewer and the water and the roads—that’s common sense to a point. We don’t need sprawl across our [agricultural lands] at four acres, six acres because it eats [it up],” Riddell said.
He added that he opposes efforts to increase the minimum lot size from 1.5 acres in A-2 zoning, an idea that Adams has pushed as a mechanism to slow growth.
For his part, Adams said the county is preparing to update the Comp Plan this year and, in preparation, he recently met with Riddell and other leaders in the agricultural community to discuss strategies to protect farmland.
While he didn’t share what ag leaders think the county should do, Adams said he’d been convinced that increasing the minimum lot size isn’t a good move.
“We have to figure out—and we’re working on it—how we keep ag land in ag land and how we keep forest land in forest land,” Adams said.
Adams said the county has already taken one significant step toward slowing residential sprawl: shrinking the county’s designated growth areas during the last Comp Plan update.
Adams fields questions about data center development
Adams fielded several questions about Amazon Web Services’ plans to develop a pair of data center campuses in Louisa County.
One of the campuses, dubbed the Lake Anna Technology Campus (LATC), is under construction on 150 acres at the corner of Haley Drive (Route 700) and Kentucky Springs Road (Route 652) adjacent to the North Anna Power Station. It will include seven data centers, covering more than 1.7 million square feet, with construction, according to Adams, expected to be done in three years.
The other—the North Creek Technology Campus (NCTC)—is slated for about 830 acres of a 1445-acre tract south of Jefferson Highway (Route 33) and east of Mt. Airy Road (Route 644) in central Louisa. The campus could include more than two dozen of the warehouse-like facilities, according to county and company officials. It’s expected to take 15 years to build.
Adams touted the facilities as a financial boon for the county. He said that each data center would contribute more than $37 million to county coffers over 15 years with that money coming from both real estate and business personal property taxes.
The money, he said, would provide the county with a healthy revenue stream to upgrade roads, pay for schools and emergency services, and provide tax relief to citizens, among other endeavors.
“What [these data centers] have allowed us to do is put a tax base in place that puts the county on a [solid] financial footing for about the next 50 years,” Adams said, acknowledging that AWS will receive tax breaks, but they’ll be derived from net new revenue generated by the campuses.
Adams also insisted that AWS’s plans would help keep the county rural because they concentrate revenue-rich economic development in two compact areas.
“These data centers that we’re talking about, it’s about a $40 billion investment in the county. Louisa County is a 514-square mile county, and those campuses are located on less than 1,600 acres. So, I don’t know how you can get a bigger bang for your buck,” Adams said.
But several attendees expressed concern about the impact of large-scale industrial development on the county and whether the infrastructure’s in place to handle it.
A couple Lake Anna residents voiced concern that the LATC will initially rely on groundwater until a public water line from the Northeast Creek Reservoir is complete in 2027. One said that he lives nearby and worries his well will dry up, given the facilities’ insatiable demand for water.
Adams said the campus would only rely on groundwater for about 18 months as it awaits public water. He noted that the county has conducted hydrology studies at both the Northeast Creek Reservoir and the Lake Anna site, which determined there’s adequate water supply to support the campuses. The Northeast Creek study has been discussed at several county meetings, but county officials haven’t provided details about any water studies conducted at the LATC.
One community member questioned whether county roads could handle the onslaught of traffic generated during construction, particularly at the North Creek site. He said the campus would draw as many as 1,500 workers per day during construction plus trucks delivering materials.
“You are talking about a long [construction] timeframe,” he said, warning of significant traffic safety issues.
Longtime Louisa resident Mary Kranz wondered if the AWS campuses could lead to data center sprawl like in Northern Virginia where some communities have been inundated by the facilities.
Adams minimized concerns about construction traffic, saying that AWS would likely add turn lanes along Route 33 and might bus in workers. With respect to data center sprawl, he said the county’s Technology Overlay District—a special zoning designation targeted for tech sector development—includes a limited number of parcels and features “wide buffering” to protect neighbors.
Residents raise concerns about capital spending
Adams kicked off the town hall by briefly discussing the county’s proposed $190.5 million budget for the coming fiscal year, which includes about $175 million for daily operations and $15.5 million for capital projects.
The board is in the process of finalizing the budget, which Adams said could come in about a million dollars lower than advertised, though he didn’t say where that savings would come from.
Adams noted that the budget is slightly lower than last year’s spending plan when the county funded millions of dollars in school construction. Over the last two years, the board has allotted more than $62 million for two major school construction projects: a 500-seat addition to Louisa County Middle School and a 54,500-square foot Career and Technical Education (CTE) center next to the high school.
The middle school addition is currently under construction while the school board recently reviewed plans for the CTE center. The building is expected to go out for bid next month.
A few attendees questioned both the county’s spending priorities and how they arrive at cost estimates for big-ticket projects.
Mineral District resident Chris Liles, who described himself as “more fiscally conservative” than Adams, said the county needs to learn to prioritize “wants versus needs.”
The middle school addition, Liles said, is a need because it will alleviate overcrowding in the school. But he categorized the CTE center as “a want.” Liles argued that the facility is a good idea but the county could’ve waited to build it until after it started receiving revenue from data center development.
Adams said investing in both facilities right now is justified. He emphasized that the school division is growing and the CTE building will free up space at the high school, allowing the county to buy time before potentially building additional facilities.
Liles also questioned how the county determines cost estimates for items included in its Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). He pointed specifically to the CTE center and a pair of turf fields under construction behind the middle school.
The fields were initially expected to cost $3.6 million, but the price has since jumped to $6.3 million. The CTE center was expected to cost about $31.5 million. But, it could reach $41 million, according to Jack Clark, an architect working with the division on the project.
Liles suggested that county officials commit to projects based on bad estimates then forge ahead when they far exceed those projections.
Lake Anna resident Valerie Bagby echoed Liles.
“There seems to be a disconnect that’s occurring in the [Capital Improvement Plan planning process and the actual contract value of the projects],” Bagby said.
Adams didn’t directly answer how county staff derives its estimates, which are typically offered long before a project goes out for bid. But he said estimating costs is a difficult task, especially right now.
“How are the tariffs’ going to impact steel prices? We don’t know,” he said.
Mineral mayor pushes back on Adams’ comment about Towns of Mineral, Louisa
Perhaps the evening’s most dramatic moment came when Mineral Mayor Ron Chapman challenged Adams about a comment he made at a budget work session last month.
During a discussion about the county’s steady residential growth, Adams complained that, as the board of supervisors looks for ways to slow growth, the county’s two towns have seemingly ignored that goal, embracing residential growth that county leaders must find a way to pay for.
“While the county seems to be on a path of wanting to manage and slow down residential growth, both of the independent towns in this county seem hell-bent on expanding residential growth, and the county bears the expense, from an emergency services standpoint and from a public education standpoint,” Adams said.
Chapman said that he and other Mineral residents were miffed by the comment. He accused Adams of portraying Mineral as “a drain on the county.”
“I pay the same tax that you pay, that 72 cents on a 100. I pay that. Then I have the privilege of paying a second tax to the town to pay for my streetlights and my trash removal and my snow removal and maintenance of the town,” Chapman said.
Chapman added that Mineral had tried to include Adams in its land use planning when updating the town’s Comprehensive Plan eight months ago. But Adams didn't respond to the town’s invitation.
“I’ve been on town council for three years. I’m the mayor now. I was on the planning commission, and I was the zoning administrator for the town. And you and I have never met,” Chapman said.
Adams said that he had recently met with Mineral Town Manager Nicole Washington and interim Louisa Town Manager Craig Buckley to “talk about more cooperation between the towns and the county.”
But, he said that he makes a concerted effort to avoid involvement in Town of Mineral politics, noting the infighting and dysfunction that has beset town council over the last few years.
“I used to give a quarterly update to the town council. About three years ago, I quit. Until you guys stop having people drug out in handcuffs, I’m not coming to the town council meetings,” Adams said, referencing the recent arrest of a council member amid a dispute over whether he was a lawful member of the body.
Still, Adams said he hopes the towns and county can work together going forward, acknowledging that their goals won’t always align when it comes to residential growth.
“I get why you want people [in town]. You want to keep your businesses open. You want to keep Main Street open. There’s two levels to governance. The county is looking at it as a whole, trying to slow the overall population growth down. But, for Mineral, you’re limited to really defined borders. So, how can you get revenue, business? You have to have people,” Adams said.
Lake residents express concerns about short-term rentals
Several Lake Anna residents raised concerns about the booming short-term rental (STR) industry at Lake Anna, and its impact on the quality of life of year-round residents, their real estate tax bills and the long-term health of the waterway.
STRs are dwellings typically offered for rent to vacationers on websites like VRBO and AirBNB. They’ve exploded in popularity at the lake over the last five years, drawing droves of tourists as well as deep-pocketed investors, who see the rentals as a prime opportunity to make money.
Valerie Bagby, who lives on Contrary Creek and Phil Winston, who lives on Mitchell Creek, both suggested STRs are a detriment to the lake.
Winston said he recently searched VRBO and discovered there are 18 houses on Lake Anna advertised to host 20 people or more. He argued that STRs are driving up real estate assessments at the lake—and in turn real estate tax bills—and that it’s unfair to compare his home to commercial endeavors that generate thousands of dollars in rental income per week.
“When the assessment is done based on square footage and based on being on the waterfront, we’re equal. We’re equal. And there’s no way that I should be equal to any short-term rental. They should be paying at a higher rate. They’re only passing it along to their customers anyway,” Winston said.
Bagby said she’s witnessed over-occupied homes in her neighborhood and has grave concerns about overtaxed septic systems harming the lake. She said she’s reached out to the county for help to no avail.
Adams said that while he believes in property owners’ rights, he doesn’t “know any house around Lake Anna that should be sleeping 20 people, 30 people.”
Amid repeated complaints from some year-round residents, the board of supervisors considered heavily regulating short-term rentals a couple years ago, including adopting a strict occupancy cap. But they shelved that plan in favor of far more lenient rules that essentially allow STRs to continue with business as usual.
While that decision pleased some residents—especially those with small businesses that rely on tourism at the lake—it upset others, who say that neighborhoods teeming with overcrowded homes all summer aren’t what they signed up for.
“What is happening around Lake Anna is very alarming to the citizens who have either lived here their whole life or came and invested here in their retirement days, expecting a completely different experience than what is occurring right now,” Bagby said. “I will tell you short-term rentals are a horrible, horrible thing this county has permitted in these residential neighborhoods.”
Adams says lake doesn’t have the population to land an urgent care center
Lake Anna residents have long pushed for an urgent care center, citing the distance the lake’s aging population must travel for basic medical care in a pinch.
Not surprisingly, the topic came up at Wednesday’s town hall, and Adams made clear he doesn’t expect the lake to attract an urgent care any time soon. The reason? Lake Anna doesn’t have the population for health care companies to justify the investment.
Adams said the county worked with Bon Secours Hospital, a Baltimore-based nonprofit, last year in hopes of attracting an urgent care center, and it’s worked with other health care providers in the past.
Bon Secours said it needs at least 46 walk-ins per day, and, after a four-month study, the hospital determined the lake would only yield 25, Adams said. Other providers have come up with the same numbers.
Adams added that he tried to pitch the hospital on the fact that the lake’s a haven for retirees, noting the average age in the Mineral District is 58. But, he learned that isn’t the selling point he thought it was.
According to Bon Secours, Adams said, older residents tend to have established relationships with primary care physicians, who they turn to for medical care, while younger people tend to rely more on urgent care facilities.
“I can get an urgent care here. It’s real easy…build another 5,000 houses down Kentucky Springs Road,” Adams said, noting that most people don’t want the residential growth that’s required to attract the facility.
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My quote of the week ;-) "“I can get an urgent care here. It’s real easy…build another 5,000 houses down Kentucky Springs Road,”" Adams said