Supervisors talk capital projects, debt, AWS revenue and more at budget work session; BOS roundup; Straley proposes $94 million operating budget for LCPS; PC preview

Feb 10, 2025

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, Feb. 10 through Feb. 15

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).

Tuesday, Feb. 11

Louisa County Electoral Board, Office of Elections, 103 McDonald St., Louisa, 10 am.

Dry Cask Storage Committee, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 1 pm.

Wednesday, Feb. 12

James River Water Authority, 132 Main St., Palmyra, 9 am.

Louisa County Water Authority, 23 Loudin Lane, Louisa, 6 pm.

Thursday, Feb. 13

Louisa County Planning Commission, long-range planning work session, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 5 pm. (agenda packet, livestream)

Louisa County Planning Commission, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 7 pm. (agenda packet, livestream)

Other meetings/events

Monday, February 10

Mineral Town Council, Mineral Town Hall, 312 Mineral Ave., Mineral. 6:30 pm. (agenda packet)

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.

Quote of the week

-Mineral District Supervisor Duane Adams, expressing concerns about the county’s burgeoning residential growth during the board’s Feb. 3 budget work session.

Read more about Adams’ concerns and the work session below.

Supervisors talk capital spending, debt, AWS revenue and more at budget work session

The Louisa County Board of Supervisors on Monday held its first work session of the Fiscal Year 2026 budget cycle where board members discussed funding for outside agencies and the county’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). During the hour and a half meeting, supervisors also delved into related topics including the county’s $141 million debt, its anticipated future revenues and burgeoning population growth.

Several supervisors described the coming year as one of transition as county officials prepare for millions of dollars in revenue from a pair of Amazon data center campuses, plan for the county’s financial future and grapple with how to control the steady influx of new residents.

As big decisions loom, four seats on the board are up for grabs this November, giving citizens a chance to directly weigh in on who they want charting the county’s future—a political reality seemingly not lost on some board members.

“This is kind of a transitional budget right now because as we look at the budget over the next two, three or four years, there are going to be a lot of dramatic changes. There are going to be a lot of dramatic changes in the county or potential changes. How do we manage that? How do we manage the residential growth? How do we manage the debt? How do we manage the tax burden? How do we manage the schools…I think the citizens are going to watch with great interest to see how we handle this,” said Mineral District Supervisor Duane Adams, whose seat is on the ballot this fall.

Finance committee recommends $16.5 million CIP for FY26; Board talks debt, AWS revenue

Supervisors spent the bulk of Monday’s work session discussing its Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), a roadmap for spending on big-ticket items like new school buildings, fire stations and infrastructure projects.

While the CIP forecasts 20 years of capital spending, the board will only allocate funding for the coming fiscal year in this budget cycle as the document serves, in part, as a planning tool.

Based on preliminary requests from department heads and other agencies, this year’s preliminary CIP topped $20.1 million, including a $5.6 million request from the General Services Department, mostly for renovations and maintenance projects; a $4.9 million request from the Fire and EMS Department, mostly for new emergency service vehicles and equipment; and a $4.175 million ask from the Parks and Rec Department, mainly to save for a rec center and indoor aquatic center.

The board’s finance committee, which includes Board Chair and Mineral District Supervisor Duane Adams and Jackson District Supervisor Toni Williams, recommended slimming down the spending plan to $16.5 million.

The committee proposed pushing back to FY27 Parks and Rec Director James Smith’s request to set aside $2 million for a multipurpose rec center and slicing his request for $2 million to save for an indoor aquatic center. The committee reduced that figure to $400,000, the same amount the county has set aside over the last three fiscal years.

Smith had proposed socking away money for both facilities over the next three years with construction slated for FY28, but the finance committee pushed back that potential timeline to at least FY29 while signaling that they aren’t particularly interested in pursuing a pool.

Under the committee’s plan, the rest of the CIP would remain intact. It includes Smith’s request for $175,000 for a skatepark, General Services Manager Anderson Woolfolk’s request for $1.95 million to expand and renovate the animal shelter, Fire and EMS Chief Kristin Hawk’s request for about $4 million for new emergency services apparatuses and equipment and more.

Williams said the plan makes sense because the county expects to receive $12 million in additional revenue from Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) data center development next year and some $28 million the year after that.

Assuming that money materializes, he suggested the county could have the cash to invest in recreational facilities without having to borrow money. Alternatively, it could tap the money for other purposes.

AWS inked a deal with the board in 2023 to build at least 11 data centers on two campuses in the county’s Technology Overlay District and has since submitted plans to build 17. Williams suggested the company could build as many as 36 of the warehouse-like facilities, which house pricey servers and networking equipment that supports cloud-computing, streaming and other online services.

Economic Development Director Andy Wade has said that each data center could generate, on average, just over $2 million for county coffers annually, mostly from real estate and business personal property taxes. That means the county could see a game-changing influx of revenue as AWS builds out its campuses—one of which is already under construction—over the next 15 years.

Most board members seemed content with the committee’s recommendation. But Mountain Road District Supervisor Tommy Barlow, likely the board’s most fiscally conservative member, expressed concern about the county’s $141 million debt load, much of which was incurred in the last few years to pay for two major school construction projects and public utility infrastructure. Barlow asked if the budget included any money to pay down what the county owes.

“I understand why we have the debt, things like the James River water line. But, to me, there should be something in this budget that goes toward paying down the debt that we’ve incurred. I have a really hard time putting more money into things like a swimming pool, pickleball courts and a skatepark and all that kind of stuff when we are not addressing the current obligations that we have,” Barlow said.

Willams and Finance Director Wanda Colvin said the county’s operating budget includes debt service payments, but the county can’t pay off its debt whenever it wants because it’s secured by bonds with attached call dates. Some of the debt can’t be paid off for 10 years while the school debt must be paid off over 30.

“It has call dates on it, so you can’t just make an extra half million-dollar payment this year because you got an extra half million dollars sitting around,” Willams said.

Furthermore, Colvin said the state prohibits localities from setting aside money in what she termed “a sinking fund’ to pay off debt, but they can put money in other places—like long-term capital reserves or a fund earmarked for an indoor pool—that can be used to pay debt down the road or for some other purpose.

Barlow said he wasn’t comfortable putting money aside in a named fund that could give citizens false expectations. But he didn’t make a motion to remove the pool fund from the CIP.

To assuage some of Barlow’s concerns about the county’s debt, Williams noted that both the finance committee and a newly formed revenue committee are devising a payoff plan.

“Once Amazon revenue ramps up, we intend to set aside money in our long-term capital fund, and when 10-year note calls come up, we are going to look and see if we can’t pay them off,” Williams said.

Williams added that, given the amount of revenue that could be coming from AWS, the county might eventually be in a position where it doesn’t have to borrow money for schools or other big-ticket items.

But Barlow and Cuckoo District Supervisor Chris McCotter contended that much of the AWS revenue is still speculative.

Williams countered that, even if AWS doesn’t move forward with all its plans, the county isn’t in a bad spot financially, noting it has pots of savings including nearly $10 million in its long-term capital reserves and about $15 million in the NAPS fund, an account initially established to save money in case the North Anna Power Station was decommissioned.

“It’s an imperfect system, Mr. Barlow. I think we’ve been doing the best we can with what we have. I don’t think we are in a bad position,” Williams said.

The board will continue to craft its budget for FY26 over the next couple months with budget adoption slated for mid-April. The new fiscal year kicks off July 1.

Board talks funding for outside agencies, wants to hear more from FLHF, JABA

Supervisors spent almost half of Monday’s work session discussing funding requests from outside agencies, entities that aren’t formally part of county government, but partner with the locality to provide services.

This year, 31 outside groups requested about $6.36 million, roughly $194,000 more than last year.

The county is obligated by the state to fund three of those requests: a $2.7 million ask from the Central Virginia Regional Jail, a $759,292 request from the Louisa County Health Department and a $291,590 request from the Rappahannock Juvenile Center. But the rest are essentially discretionary. The board reviews the requests as part of the annual budget process and decides which entities deserve county support and how much taxpayer money they’ll get.

Of the 31 groups that requested support, 28 got money from the county last year. The board opted to fund 26 of the 28 again, though not necessarily at the level each requested. In total, supervisors agreed to allocate more than $5.8 million.

Before deciding on their funding, the board asked the two other organizations—the Fluvanna-Louisa-Housing Foundation (FLHF) and the Jefferson Area Board on Aging (JABA)—to come to a budget work session prior to its February 18 meeting to provide more information about their requests.

For about three decades, FLHF has provided critical home repairs to income-eligible residents, rehabbed dilapidated homes, offered affordable rental units, installed accessibility ramps and conducted a first-time homebuyer education program. It’s currently developing an affordable housing complex with 25 rental units for low-income elderly and disabled residents and essential workers.

Executive Director Kim Hyland asked the board for $215,000, more than three times what her organization got this year. FLHF received $65,000 in FY25, $20,000 more than it nabbed in FY24 but $90,000 less than it requested.

Hyland said in her written request that the organization would use the lion’s share of that money—$165,000—to support its daily operations, noting the organization needs additional staff to keep pace with the growing demand for its services. She asked for $50,000 to launch an “Essential Home Repair” pilot program to provide grants to income-eligible residents who need assistance for major repairs.

The finance committee recommended giving FLHF just five percent more than last year or $68,250.

As they did a year ago, Adams and Williams expressed concern about forking over money for the organization to hire more staff. Williams, who runs a construction business, also said that $50,000 wouldn’t fund many major repairs. He suggested that FLHF partner with volunteer organizations in the community to expand its reach instead of relying on paid help.

Several board members pushed back on the committee’s recommendation with Green Springs District Supervisor Rachel Jones noting the dire need for FLHF’s services. She suggested that investing in the organization could save the county money.

“I know for a fact that because of their staffing levels, [the foundation] is having to turn more of our county citizens away. I do believe that this could [cause those citizens] to lean back into social services, and, in some way, we are going to end up paying in the long run,” Jones said.

The board agreed to invite Hyland to the February 18 work session to make her pitch.

JABA, which provides services to older residents, including running the county’s “Respite and Enrichment Center,” a day program for the elderly, asked for $292,566 for FY26, the same amount it got last year.

Adams and Williams recommended allocating the money, but Louisa District Supervisor Manning Woodward said he wanted to talk directly with JABA’s leadership before the board moves forward, suggesting that the county isn’t getting the level of service that the group once provided.

Board talks residential growth

Supervisors also touched on a topic that’s expected to take center stage in the coming months: Louisa’s burgeoning population growth.

According to the latest population estimates from the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, Louisa County grew 10.2 percent since the 2020 census, making it the third fastest growing locality in the state. From April 2020 to July 1, 2024, the county added 3,832 people and, as of last July, its population sat at 41,428.

In the coming year, county officials will undertake a state-mandated five-year review of the Comprehensive Plan, a long-range planning document that lays out a vision for future development, and several board members have made clear that finding ways to slow the influx of new residents is high on their agenda.

They’ve expressed concern about rapid population growth spoiling the county’s rural character and decried its impact on the county budget, correlating more rooftops with the growing demand for services.

Adams, the board’s chair, reiterated those points during Monday’s work session, noting that the upcoming Comp Plan review provides an opportunity to implement strategies to slow growth.

“Once again, Louisa County is in the top three fastest growing localities in the state. To me, that is not a badge of honor. That’s not a place I want to be. That will continue to have a drag on the ability to maintain the rural character of the county. It will continue to drive up expenses. Rooftops do not drive revenue; rooftops drive up expenses. It drives up school expenses. it drives up emergency services,” Adams said.

While Adams and other board members haven’t publicly shared specific ideas about how they could try to stem the tide of new residents, he suggested on Monday that the county explore ways to use revenue anticipated from data center development to protect the county’s rural character.

Adams also turned his attention to the county’s two towns, which make their own land use decisions, suggesting that town leaders are ignoring county leaders’ priorities and emphasizing the need for better communication.

“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. And there have been communications and need to continue to be communications between the county government and the town government because they’re at odds right now,” Adams said.

Jackson District Supervisor Toni Williams had a slightly different take. He emphasized that residential growth in the county and its two towns is driven by cost.

“If you make a lot in Mineral cost $100,000, and you make the water hookup cost $60,000, I guarantee you, you will shut down development in the Town of Mineral. I’m not advocating for that, but because a lot in Mineral goes for $20,000, and it costs $27,000 to hook up to water and sewer, it becomes cheap…relative to everywhere around here,” he said.

While several supervisors signaled an interest in slowing growth and focused on Louisa’s affordability relative to surrounding areas, Patrick Henry District Supervisor Fitzgerald Barnes, one of the only board members who has advocated for the development of workforce housing, said that while Louisa may be affordable for some, that isn’t the reality for everyone, particular young people who grew up here and now want to buy a home.

“I hope we can find a balance because I am very, very concerned about young families being able to buy a home,” he said. “I’m very concerned about that because the only avenue I see right now is if your mom and dad own a piece of land and can subdivide you a piece.”

BOS roundup: No SMART SCALE funding for Louisa in FY26

While their most revealing discussion came during the budget work session, supervisors’ regular bimonthly meeting also yielded some news. Here’s a roundup. (meeting materials, video)

Thornton: No SMART SCALE funding for Louisa County this time around

Based on recommendations from state transportation staff, Louisa County isn’t expected to receive state funding for major road improvements in the coming fiscal year, marking the fourth funding cycle in a row that the county, in cooperation with VDOT’s Culpeper District staff, proposed projects that failed to garner state support.

Since 2016, the state has doled out billions of dollars for transportation improvements via SMART SCALE, a data-driven scoring system used to prioritize upgrades to local roads and related infrastructure.

The program, which funds projects on a biennial basis, draws on a variety of factors to determine where to allocate money. For Louisa County and other mostly rural areas, the criteria focuses heavily on a project’s potential for safety improvement (PSI). A project’s cost-benefit—how much its likely to improve a slice of roadway versus how much it costs—also plays a significant role.

Every other summer, localities and regional planning organizations from across the state submit improvement projects. Staff from VDOT and the Department of Rail and Public Transit study, score and rank the proposals. Based on those scores and rankings, staff recommends projects for funding with the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) getting the final say.

In this year’s cycle, dubbed SMART SCALE Round 6, Louisa submitted three projects, which aim to improve some of the county’s most dangerous intersections. They include proposals for:

A single-lane roundabout at the intersection of James Madison Highway (Route 15) and Louisa Road (Route 22) at Boswell’s Tavern;
A single-lane roundabout at the intersection of James Madison Highway (Route 15) and Three Notch Road (Route 250) at Zion Crossroads;
A single-lane roundabout at the intersection of Courthouse Road (Route 208) and Three Notch Road (Route 250) at Ferncliff;

During his quarterly update, VDOT Residency Administrator Scott Thornton told the board that none of Louisa’s submissions ranked high enough to garner state support.

Thornton said that SMART SCALE is working with about a third less funding than anticipated because money was reallocated to cover cost overruns for previously approved projects. He noted that staff only recommended 53 projects this year, down from about 160 in past cycles. In total, the CTB is set to provide about $1 billion via SMART SCALE in FY26, roughly $600 million less than in FY24.

Thornton said the intersection of Routes 22 and 15 at Boswell’s Tavern scored highest, ranking 16th among projects in the Culpeper District and 103rd out of 271 projects statewide. According to VDOT data, the intersection ranks 48^th district-wide in PSI with 26 crashes between 2018 and 2022.

The intersection of Routes 208 and 250 ranked 123rd statewide and the intersection of Routes 15 and 250 ranked 150th. The former intersection had 18 crashes between 2018 and 2022 while the latter had 32 crashes in the same timeframe.

The county has applied for funding for all three projects in the past but hasn’t been successful. The 250-208 project has been rejected in the last four funding cycles while the 15-250 project has been rejected in the last three.

Looking ahead, Thornton said the Route 22-15 project likely stands the best chance of nabbing state support, suggesting that it could’ve made the cut in a year where more funding was available.

“It’s right in line cost-benefit-wise,” he said, noting that the project was expected to cost about $20 million.

The county hasn’t won state support for a major road upgrade via SMART SCALE since 2017 when the intersection of Routes 522 and 208 at Wares Crossroads was selected for a single-lane roundabout. VDOT finished that project late last year.

As Louisa County experiences significant residential and industrial growth—the county ranks as the third fastest growing locality in the state over the last four years based on percent of population growth and Amazon Web Services is developing a pair of data center campuses near Lake Anna and in central Louisa—many residents have raised concerns that its roads can’t handle the onslaught of traffic.

Thornton said the best way for the county to leverage support for major road improvements via SMART SCALE is to pony up some money for its projects. Louisa County hasn’t done that in the past.

“You can put money on the project. That would be the biggest thing, to buy down some of the costs. That gets the benefit-cost score to go up,” Thornton said.

Mineral District Supervisor Duane Adams, an occasional critic of SMART SCALE whose argued that its scoring system favors dense urban and suburban communities at the expense of rural areas, asked Thornton how many of the projects recommended for funding are in Northern Virginia.

Thornton said he’d provide the board with a district-by-district breakdown.

According to SMART SCALE’s website, the greater Richmond area and Hampton Roads fared best this cycle. Of the 53 projects staff recommended, 14 are in the Richmond District while 11 are in the Hampton Roads District. The Staunton District has six, the Northern Virginia, Fredericksburg, Lynchburg and Culpeper districts each have four and the Bristol and Salem Districts are home to three.

Board approves MOU for easement maintenance

Supervisors approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the county and the Louisa County Water Authority (LCWA) to maintain authority-owned utility easements.

The authority owns some 61 miles of water and sewer line easements, some of which have become overgrown, prompting the MOU.

Under the agreement, the county, via its Parks and Recreation and General Services Departments, will serve as the easements’ primary caretaker in coordination with the authority. The departments will cut and clear vegetation biannually—once in late winter/early spring and once in late fall/early winter—with LCWA permitted to perform additional maintenance outside that schedule.

To handle the maintenance, the county plans to purchase a skid steer with bush hog and mulch attachments. The authority agrees to provide $160,000 for the equipment. In a separate action, the board greenlit the equipment purchase on Monday night at a cost of $172,000.

Both county and water authority personnel are permitted to use the equipment if they are properly trained. The county will handle major and minor repairs, but each entity is responsible for footing the bill for any damage that happens on its watch.

Louisa District Supervisor Manning Woodward, who serves as the board’s liaison to the water authority, said the agreement would safeguard’s LCWA’s infrastructure and save money in the long run.

Woodward noted that some of the authority’s right-of-way hasn’t been cleared in years, including a 13-mile-long easement running from Fernlcliff to southern Fluvanna. The easement is home to infrastructure that will one day channel millions of gallons of water from the James River to the county’s growth areas along Interstate 64.

“The majority of the [James River water line] is in the Central Virginia Electric Cooperative’s right-of-way. They have a company that clears their part of the right-of-way, and they’ve been taking the brush and putting it on the water authority’s right-of-way. So, it’s a mess right now. It needs to be cleared big-time,” Woodward said.

Woodward added that a private contractor had agreed to clear the easement for $8,000 a mile. Given that quote, the county and the authority determined that acquiring the equipment made more sense.

“The water authority figured it was at least 20 miles that needed to be cleared. That’s $160,000 for just one time and then that’s it,” Woodward said, noting that now the county would own the equipment and could use it for easement maintenance and other tasks.

Straley proposes $94 million operating budget for LCPS

Superintendent of Schools Doug Straley proposed a $94 million operating budget for Louisa County Public Schools in Fiscal Year 2026. The spending plan is 5.69 percent more than this year’s budget, an increase driven largely by compensation increases and more staff.

Straley previewed the budget at the school board’s February 4 meeting. The board will adopt the spending plan in early March then forward it to the board of supervisors for consideration as part of the county’s budget process. Supervisors have the final say on how much local funding the division receives. Spending on public education typically comprises nearly 60 percent of the county’s operating budget.

Of the roughly $94 million proposal, about half that money would be drawn from local funds, roughly $3.65 million more than what supervisors initially allocated for this fiscal year. The rest would come from state and federal sources.

Straley said the spending plan could change somewhat as Governor Glenn Youngkin and the General Assembly negotiate amendments to the biennial state budget. He noted that his plan is based on the governor’s proposed amendments, which would add an additional $1.9 million in state funding for FY26.

“There’s uncertainty in the budget. Nothing is ever certain [until] it’s a done deal, and this is far from a done deal,” Straley said. “But I do feel confident we’ll get additional [state] funding as we move forward.”

Straley also noted that the proposal doesn’t account for potential increases in the division share of employees’ health insurance costs or its earthquake and workers’ compensation insurance. He said he expects to have those number prior to budget adoption.

Though neither Straley nor the school board addressed the issue, it’s also unclear how much federal support the division will receive, particularly considering ongoing efforts to tighten spending in Washington. The division relies on federal funding for a variety of programs, most notably a USDA-backed initiative that provides free breakfast and lunch to any student that wants it.

Of the extra $3.65 million in county support, $1.133 million has already been okayed by supervisors. That money will cover annual salaries and benefits for six new teaching positions, which were added last summer and fall, among other expenses.

Discounting already approved funding, Straley is counting on an extra $4.419 million from local and state sources to cover increases in two areas: compensation and daily operations. The latter includes instructional costs, including new personnel, and other day-to-day expenses.

Compensation increases would account for more than half the increase, tapping $3.017 million. Of that, $2.26 million would cover a three percent salary increase for the division’s certified employees, including teachers, counselors and administrators, plus a step increase—an automatic pay hike that kicks in based on an employee’s years of service. About $697,000 would cover a four percent pay increase for classified employees like custodians and cafeteria workers.

“This is always something that’s near and dear to my heart because I think we need to focus in on how can we make sure we are taking care of our staff on the financial end and being competitive so we can keep our staff here,” Straley said.

Straley would also tap $58,000 to begin increasing salary supplements for staffers who are either working toward a master’s degree, have attained a master’s or attained a doctorate. He said the money would cover the first year of a three-year plan to raise the supplements, noting that the incentive hasn’t been increased since he took over as superintendent about a decade ago.

“We’ve lost some staff—not people leaving us—but we’ve not [been able] to hire some staff because they applied somewhere else, and they chose to go to the other place because of a little higher supplement,” Straley said, adding that his multi-year plan would make Louisa competitive with surrounding localities.

While compensation comprises much of the budget hike, the division also faces escalating operational costs. Those expenses are expected to add $1.42 million to next year’s spending, excluding a potential hike in employees’ health insurance rates. Of that, roughly $640,000 would pay for new staff, which is needed to accommodate the division’s growing enrollment.

“There’s been a 10.2 percent increase in population in Louisa over the last four years. And the school division certainly isn’t immune to that. Our enrollment is going up. We are the third-fastest growing community in the state,” Straley said, citing recently released population estimates from the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service that rank Louisa as one of the state’s fastest growing localities since the 2020 census.

Straley’s new hires would include three special education teachers at the elementary school level, a PE teacher and counselor at the high school; a special ed instructional assistant; an HVAC technician and two new custodians. The custodians would be hired about halfway through the fiscal year, just before the opening of a 60,000-square foot addition at the middle school.

Beyond the $640,000 for new hires, Straley plans to use $29,000 to cover stipends for staffers who monitor weapons detectors at its six schools. He noted that the division was relying on federal pandemic relief to cover that cost, but the funding is no longer available.

The proposal also includes an additional $372,000 for other instructional expenses. That includes $180,000 for software licenses and other technology; $50,000 for tuition assistance and reimbursements to offset the costs borne by instructional assistants seeking a teaching licenses and teachers getting recertified; $45,000 for supplies for the division’s STEAM labs, which engage students in science, technology, engineering, art and math; and $97,000 for its growing summer school program.

The division is asking for an extra $360,000 to cover its rising maintenance and utility costs with $210,000 of that earmarked for maintenance supplies and $150,000 allotted for utility bills.

Straley said the division hasn’t had to ask for additional county support to cover maintenance and utilities over the last few years—though the cost of both has gone up—thanks to federal pandemic relief. He also noted the middle school addition would increase the division’s power and water bills.

The division plans to tap $940,000 in one-time federal and state funding, comprised of its remaining federal pandemic relief and “All in Virginia” aid allotted by the state’s Department of Education last year. That money will continue to cover the costs of several staff positions, including school counselors and interventionists, as well as the implementation of the Virginia Literacy Act, an initiative aimed at improving early literacy outcomes.

As part of the budget presentation, the board held a statutorily required public hearing. Only one community member weighed in.

Mountain Road District resident Daphne MacDougall spoke in support of the proposed budget. She praised administrators’ work on the spending plan and said she’s grateful it prioritizes support for teachers.

Board members also reacted favorably to the proposal, though several asked for more details.

Mineral District representative Lloyd Runnett wondered how many more staffers the division would need for the middle school addition beyond the two custodians included in next year’s budget.

Straley said the division plans to hire more cafeteria staff when students start using the school’s second cafeteria in the 2026-27 academic year. He also said that he’d like to add another technology specialist and an agriculture teacher, noting the addition features an ag shop.

Board Chair and Patrick Henry District representative Greg Strickland asked Straley if “there’s proportional expense heading to the elementary schools for the different programs that they have.”

Straley answered affirmatively. He said that ensuring funding is proportional based on the number of students and staff at each of the county’s four elementary schools is “something we really focus on.”

While the school board will consider adopting the budget at its March 4 meeting, the board has already approved part of its proposed spending plan for FY26: a $2.48 million capital budget.

The capital budget typically covers big-ticket items like new buildings, buses, major renovations and technology upgrades. After securing more than $60 million in funding for school construction over the last two years, this year’s capital budget is significantly slimmer.

Of the nearly $2.5 million request, about $1.13 million would cover improvements and enhancements at the division’s six schools with $570,000 going to road and parking lot resurfacing and repairs. The proposal also earmarks $612,000 for three new school buses for special needs students, $500,000 for new Chromebooks and $250,000 for HVAC upgrades.

Like the division’s operating budget, the board of supervisors will consider its capital requests over the next couple months as part of the county’s budget process.

Planning Commission to hold two public hearings, take up tabled CUP request

The Louisa County Planning Commission will convene on Thursday night with two public hearings on tap. The commission will also take up a request for a conditional use permit that it tabled at its November meeting.

Prior to their regular meeting, commissioners will hold a two-hour long-range planning work session where they’ll discuss a potential ordinance related to the retail sales of controlled substances, focus areas plans in the county’s growth areas, gateway enhancements and more.

Commission to consider CUP for equipment sales and rental business

The commission will hold a public hearing and consider 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) and was previously home to an HVAC shop.

According to its land use application, Amos Equipment plans to use the property to sell and rent farm and garden equipment with incidental storage, maintenance and servicing of such equipment.

The applicant says that an existing building and parking lot on the property would remain in use and an additional building would be constructed near the rear of the parcel. The business would rely on an existing commercial entrance off Route 33.

In addition to the CUP request, the applicant is asking to amend five proffers attached to the property’s 1989 rezoning from agricultural to general commercial. The changes would require the use of dark-sky compliant lighting, mandate that any equipment maintenance or servicing be performed inside and limit the business’ operation to between 8 am and 6 pm, Monday through Saturday while barring operation on Sunday, among other provisions.

Community Development Department staff says in its report that, though the property isn’t in a growth area and is designated as “rural” on the Future Land Use Map in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, the proposed use would contribute to the county’s economic development by expanding the tax base and fill a vital need in the community.

“By providing essential equipment to farmers, homeowners, and contractors, this business would facilitate local agricultural and forestry activities and address challenges of diminished support systems for agricultural supplies in the area,” staff writes.

Commission to take action on tabled CUP request for construction yard

The commission will again consider 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 is zoned General Commercial (C-2) and already home to Haymaker Auto Repair.

Commissioners voted 5-0 to table action on the request at its November meeting to give the applicant time to address concerns about a proposed buffer designed to screen the use from view.

On-Demand Concrete owner Joseph Cutright and Holly Reynolds, who represented the property’s owner, Ronald Reynolds, told the commission that the company is using the property to store sand, gravel and other materials as well as concrete trucks. The parcel also provides space to load the materials on the trucks though concrete isn’t produced on site.

“What [Cutright] does is he loads the four components—gravel, sand, water, cement—on to his truck, all separate, and drives to wherever and mixes it on-site. So, he is a mobile concrete unit,” Reynolds said.

The commission decided to delay action on the application after Gerald Harlow, president of the Trevilian Station Battlefield Foundation (TSBF), said during the public hearing that he’d like to see a permanent barrier, like a tall wooden fence, erected alongside the construction yard to ensure its properly screened.

Harlow said he’s concerned about the business’ impact on the view shed around the Trevilian Station Battlefield, where Union and Confederate soldiers fought one of the largest cavalry battles in the Civil War. TSBF owns more than 400 acres adjacent to the subject property.

Commissioners agreed to table the item to give staff and the applicant time to craft a condition to address Harlow’s concern.

According to the meeting materials, staff recommends that the CUP include six conditions including one that requires the applicant to install a 150-foot long and eight-foot-tall wooden privacy fence “to create a visual screening buffer for adjacent property owners at the intersection of Poindexter Road (RT 613) & Louisa Road (RT 22).”

Commission to hold public hearing on Capital Improvement Plan

The commission will hold a public hearing on the proposed FY26 to FY45 Capital Improvement Plan, a 20-year roadmap for spending on big-ticket items like new fire trucks, school buildings and infrastructure projects.

The spending plan will be considered by the board of supervisors as part of the county’s annual budget process, with the board allocating money for projects and purchases slated for the next fiscal year.

This preliminary CIP for FY26 came in $20.1 million with much of that funding going to large-scale renovations, maintenance projects and emergency service equipment. The board of supervisors at a budget work session last Monday tentatively slimmed down the plan by $3.6 million, pushing back funding earmarked for potential construction of an indoor aquatic center and rec center to FY27 and beyond.

Looking ahead, the CIP includes several other big-ticket projects in the next five years including a pair of new fire and EMS stations at Zion Crossroads and Ferncliff or Shannon Hill, tentatively slated for construction in FY28, and a new elementary school, proposed for FY30.

For a deep dive into the preliminary CIP, read the Dec. 22 edition of Engage Louisa. Check out the preliminary CIP here.

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.

Click here for minutes and agendas for School Board meetings. Click here for archived video.

Click here to access past editions of Engage Louisa.

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