This week in county government; Green Springs BOS candidates talk growth and more at Spring Creek forum
Engage Louisa is a community newsletter aimed at keeping folks informed about Louisa County government. It’s free, non-partisan, and powered by volunteers. 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, Oct. 4-9
Monday, Oct. 4
Louisa County Board of Supervisors legislative work session, Public Meeting Room, 1 Woolfolk Ave., 4 pm. (public notice)
The Louisa County Board of Supervisors will discuss its legislative priorities for the 2022 General Assembly session Monday afternoon with Sens. Bryce Reeves and Mark Peake, and Delegate John McGuire.
The board adopted the priorities at its September 20 meeting. They include a range of policy positions, from supporting increased state funding for the deployment of high-speed internet and limiting unfunded mandates passed on from Richmond to giving counties the same taxing authorities as cities and encouraging state efforts to address freshwater Harmful Algae Blooms.
Check out the board’s priorities here and read Engage Louisa’s coverage of supervisors’ September 20 meeting here.
Louisa County Board of Supervisors, Public Meeting Room, 1 Woolfolk Ave., 6 pm. The board will convene in closed session at 5 pm. (agenda packet, livestream)
The board will gather for its first October meeting Monday night with a relatively light agenda including two public hearings.
Agenda highlights:
Update on the proposed Chickahominy Pipeline: After the developer of a proposed natural gas pipeline that could cut across the heart of Louisa County failed to show up for a scheduled appearance at the board’s last meeting, county officials are again hoping to hear a presentation on the project.
County Administrator Christian Goodwin said in an email to Engage Louisa on Wednesday afternoon that Chickahominy Pipeline LLC “does intend to have representatives present on Monday night at this time.”
Just hours before the board’s September 20 meeting, a Chickahominy representative told County Attorney Helen Phillips that Irfan Ali, the project’s lead developer, wouldn’t be able to attend because he “forgot to put (the meeting) on his calendar.”
The project first came to light in early July when residents of several central Virginia counties including Louisa received letters from Chickahominy Pipeline LLC asking for permission to access their land to investigate possible construction of a 24-inch natural gas pipeline.
Since then, officials in impacted localities have struggled to get information about the project. The developer did provide maps of a proposed route for the roughly 85-mile pipeline, which would carry fracked gas to the yet-to-be constructed Chickahominy Power Plant in Charles City County. Ali is also involved with the development of that facility, via Chickahominy Power LLC. The plant plans to sell its power on a wholesale market serving numerous states.
According to the maps provided by the developer, the pipeline would cut across Louisa, starting near James Madison Highway (Route 15) and traveling east along an exiting transmission line right-of-way. It would diverge from the transmission line west of the county reservoir, cross Jefferson Highway (Route 33) at Cuckoo, and travel through eastern Louisa to the north of Jefferson Highway. The pipeline would then travel through Hanover, Henrico, New Kent, and Charles City counties. Ali told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that the pipeline would connect with the Transco pipeline in western Louisa.
In a filing earlier this month, Chickahominy asked the State Corporation Commission to rule that its pipeline doesn't require SCC approval. The SCC regulates gas service provided by public utilities and “non-utility gas service,” defined as entities that sell gas to two or more customers.
The filing argues that the project doesn’t fall under SCC jurisdiction because Chickahominy Pipeline LLC isn’t a public utility that requires a certificate of public convenience and necessity and doesn’t plan to sell gas to two or more customers.
According to the filing, Chickahominy Power LLC “has arranged for the purchase of natural gas from a natural gas supplier that will be transported to its certificated facility by Chickahominy (Pipeline LLC)” and “These are transactions involving private parties over which the commission has no authority to require regulatory approval.”
The SCC gave impacted localities and other interested parties until October 8 to respond to Chickahominy’s filing. Louisa County filed an initial Notice of Participation on September 27, requesting that the SCC reject Chickahominy’s legal arguments. The filing states that the county will respond in more detail by the Oct. 8 deadline.
Extending AFD fee waiver: A proposed resolution on the board’s consent agenda would waive for an additional four months the $100 application fee charged to landowners who seek to place their property in an Agricultural and Forestal District.
In September 2019, the board waived the fee for two years at the request of the Ag/Forestal and Rural Preservation committee. The committee is charged with researching and identifying tools that can be used to enhance and preserve farms, forests, and open space in the county.
At a meeting earlier this year, the committee requested that the board extend the waiver. The resolution states that the extension was requested due to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
AFDs allow property owners to voluntarily prohibit development on farms and forestland for a 10-year period. The conservation tool has grown is popularity in Louisa over the last several years. Since January, the county has added more than 10,000 acres to the districts.
Adjusting tax relief for the elderly and disabled: At the request of Commissioner of the Revenue Stacey Fletcher, the board will hold a public hearing and consider approval of an amendment to county code that would adjust the sliding scale that determines the amount of real estate tax relief available to some elderly (65 and over) and totally disabled residents.
After supervisors raised concerns about elderly residents’ ability to cover their rising tax bills earlier this year, the board expanded its tax relief policy, which hadn’t been updated since 2009. They unanimously agreed to raise the financial net worth cap for eligibility from $100,000 to $200,000, excluding the dwelling and ten acres, and the cap on allowable tax relief from $1,000 to $2,000. The board decided to leave the annual income cap at $40,000.
Fletcher pointed out that when the board increased the net worth cap, the tax relief scale was not updated so the extra $100,000 of net worth was added to the end. She asked the board to adjust the net worth across the scale. See below for the current scale and Fletcher’s proposed changes.
Amending code for personal property tax returns: The board will hold a public hearing and consider an amendment to county code that would eliminate the filing of annual personal property tax forms on motor vehicles, trailers, and boats if there has been no change on these items since the previous form was filed.
Any changes in situs and/or ownership on motor vehicles, trailers, and boats should be reported to the Commissioner of the Revenue within 30 days of the change, according to the proposed ordinance, via a form available online and from the commissioner’s office.
The commissioner’s office downloads, on a monthly basis, DMV records on motor vehicles and trailers, and annually downloads records on boats from the Department of Wildlife Resources in an effort to ensure accurate personal property tax records.
Tuesday, Oct. 5
Louisa County School Board, Central Office Administration Building, 953 Davis Highway, 7 pm. Louisa County School Board meetings are currently unavailable via livestream or archived video. The only way to access the meetings is to attend in person. (agenda)
Thursday, Oct. 7
Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission, Virtual Meeting, 7 pm. A Zoom link is available in the meeting materials. (meeting materials)
Christine Jacobs has served as the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission’s Interim Executive Director since February. On Thursday, she’ll lead her first commission meeting as Executive Director.
The commission named Jacobs as the permanent replacement for former Executive Director Chip Boyles earlier this month. Before serving as Interim Executive Director, Jacobs worked as TJPDC’s Chief Operating Officer, Director of Housing, and Housing Coordinator.
The commission has a relatively light agenda on tap including a resolution to approve its projected FY23 budget and a pair of presentations by Legislative Director David Blount.
Agenda highlights:
Grant funding for fiber internet deployment: TJPDC, in partnership with Firefly Fiber Broadband, a subsidiary of Central Virginia Electric Cooperative, applied for $85.9 million in state funding from the Virginia Telecommunications Initiative as part of the FY22 grant process.
If awarded, the grant would support Firefly’s Regional Internet Expansion Project (RISE), which seeks to bring universal fiber access to 13 central Virginia localities including Louisa. The Board of Supervisors pledged nearly $9 million in matching funds for the project in early September.
Blount will provide an update on the VATI application process. In his latest legislative report, he notes that the initiative, administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development, received 57 applications representing 84 localities and applicants requested over $943 million. Thanks to an influx of cash from the American Rescue Plan Act, federal pandemic relief legislation passed earlier this year, VATI has about $750 million in available funds.
Blount indicated that the total cost of the RISE project is expected to exceed $307 million. The project seeks to lay about 4,300 miles of fiber, passing over 40,000 locations. Firefly’s major partners include two other utilities, Dominion Energy and Rappahannock Electric Cooperative. TJPDC is the lead applicant and grant administrator. VATI is expected to announce awards in December.
VATI grant applications are available for review here.
Redistricting: The Virginia Redistricting Commission is slogging on in its effort to draw new state legislative districts ahead of an October 10 deadline to submit them to the General Assembly.
Blount will provide an update on where the process stands and how redistricting might impact the six localities in the Thomas Jefferson Planning District.
The bipartisan commission, formed via a constitutional amendment approved by voters last November, includes eight citizens and eight legislators, split evenly between the two major political parties. It’s tasked with drawing new maps for the 100-member House of Delegates and 40-member State Senate as well as Virginia’s 11 Congressional Districts, based on data from the decennial census.
The maps must pass the commission with the support of a super-majority then pass the legislature with at least a simple majority. If the commission fails to submit maps for state legislative districts by the Oct. 10 deadline, it’s allotted one 14-day extension. If either the commission or the legislature can’t agree on new maps, the Virginia Supreme Court is tasked with drawing the districts.
The Virginia Constitution and state code lay out criteria for the maps, which also must comply with the U.S. Constitution and federal law. The amendment mandates a series of public hearings prior to commission approval. The commission will hold eight public hearings this week.
Click below to learn more about the redistricting process, view proposed maps drawn by the commission’s Democrat and Republican map drawers, provide public comment, and more.
Green Springs BOS candidates talk growth and more at Spring Creek forum
The two candidates vying to represent the Green Springs District on the Board of Supervisors met for their second forum on Thursday night, sparring over residential growth at Zion Crossroads and its impact on the area’s infrastructure and natural resources.
Independent incumbent Bob Babyok and Republican challenger Rachel Jones participated in the Louisa County Chamber of Commerce’s forum on September 22 where they hinted at divergent approaches to the county’s future growth, particularly around Zion.
But Thursday’s forum, hosted by the Spring Creek Leadership Council and held at the gated community’s clubhouse, provided the candidates an opportunity to address those and other issues in depth.
Mark Tubbs, the leadership council’s chair, moderated the event, asking a series of questions provided to the candidates in advance. At the end of the roughly hour and a half Q and A, the candidates fielded several inquiries from the audience.
Babyok, a Spring Creek resident, defeated long-time incumbent Richard Havasy for a spot on the board in 2017 and currently serves as its chair. He cited his accessibility, experience, and background in service, leadership, and management as reasons he should be re-elected.
He pointed to his 20-year service in the United States Air Force, his career managing country clubs, and the relationships he’s built since joining the board. He also championed his efforts to keep constituents informed, specifically via his monthly newsletter that reaches some 2,500 people.
“I constantly go out of my way looking for active engagement with all sorts of people in all different locations,” he said.
Jones, a political newcomer who has lived in the district for over 20 years, touted her background in law enforcement and grassroots community service. She worked as a police officer in the City of Charlottesville, specializing in domestic violence cases, as well as a dispatcher for the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office. She noted her involvement with Louisa County Public Schools where her two children are students, her work coordinating youth programs at Zion Methodist Church, and other community activism.
“My passion for community service is the reason I’m running for the Board of Supervisors,” she said.
Both candidates painted themselves as the right choice for voters interested in a supervisor who will represent everyone in the district. Babyok emphasized his decision to run as an independent, noting that he passed on opportunities to run as a party-affiliated candidate in 2017.
“My responsibility is to bring people together not divide,” he said, adding that, historically, the district has only elected independent candidates to the board.
Jones said she chose to run as a Republican because “that is where my beliefs lie.” But, she insisted that she’s committed to working across party lines and has friends and family with various political views.
“I don’t care if someone is a Democrat or a Republican. I will stand for you. I will fight for you. I will listen and I will understand,” she said.
Later in the forum, she added that she’s “proud to live here” and call “Green Springs my home, the whole district” and that she’ll fight for everyone “from the Fluvanna County line to Gordonsville.”
Much of the forum centered on topics that have long animated politics in the Green Springs District: residential and commercial growth in and around Zion Crossroads and the water and other infrastructure required to sustain it.
Babyok discussed his efforts to enhance economic development in the county by bringing new businesses to Zion and directing commercial and industrial development to specific growths areas, particularly along the Interstate 64 corridor.
He emphasized a cautious approach to residential development, balancing it with a commitment to protect areas outside the growth areas. He pointed to the county’s recent revision of its Comprehensive Plan, which has a central objective to preserve the county’s rural character, and noted that the plan shrinks the Zion Crossroads Growth Area, which used to extend to the Albemarle County line.
Jones challenged the idea that Babyok takes a cautious approach to residential growth.
“Mr. Babyok would like you to believe that’s he’s not for residential growth. Every rooftop puts a strain on our county services, on our public safety, on our schools. Mr. Babyok has not missed a chance to vote for residential development,” Jones said.
Babyok supported two sizable mixed-use developments at Zion, approved by the board in 2019: Zion Town Center, expected to include about 600 apartments, townhouses, and single-family homes, and Crossing Pointe, which will feature over 300 townhouses and multi-family homes. He also voted for a proposal that would’ve brought more than 300 apartment to Sommerfield Business Park. Supervisors shot down that project in a 4-3 vote, citing concerns about water levels in the county wells that feed Zion, among other issues.
Jones honed in on those concerns, saying that the aquifer that supplies Zion’s wells doesn’t have unlimited capacity.
“If I take this cup of water and I put a straw in it and I add more straws and I start drawing from those straws, it’s the same amount of liquid in this cup,” she said referencing the possibility that the county could tap additional wells.
Babyok said that supervisors capped how much water can be drawn from the wells at 75 percent of their daily capacity, in response to citizens’ concerns, and added that “no matter how much buildup there has been, those wells remain very close (to the level they were) when they began (using them).”
But, he pointed to the James River Water Authority’s efforts to build a pipeline that will channel water from the river to the county as the solution that will finally quench Zion’s thirst.
“It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when the James River Water Authority will have water flowing in Louisa County,” he said of the pipeline’s completion, noting that he expects the project to be done in two to three years.
“I’ve been listening this for twenty years, ‘it’s in two years, it’s in three years,’” Jones responded. “I will work for us to come to a conclusion because I want to be able to turn my water tap on in twenty years and have water come out.”
The JRWA project has been slowed by the authority’s decision to place its water pump station near the confluence of the James and Rivanna rivers. That site is believed to be Rassawek, the ancestral capital of the Monacan Indian Nation.
Facing strong opposition from the Monacan and their allies, the authority paused its Army Corps of Engineers permit application to investigate alternative locations. JRWA is currently conducting archeological fieldwork at a site slightly upriver. The Monacan agreed to support an alternative location under certain conditions.
Traffic was also a point of contention. Jones said that increased residential development would clog roadways and that VDOT doesn’t have the funds to significantly upgrade the area’s transportation infrastructure.
Babyok noted that the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission, in cooperation with VDOT, is conducting a small area study focused on finding traffic solutions at Zion. He also suggested that the intersection of Routes 15 and 250 could get an influx of federal funding for improvements via a bipartisan infrastructure deal.
Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger secured about $5 million in funding for upgrades at the intersection in a broad transportation bill that cleared the House in July. But, the Senate included transportation funding in its infrastructure package, which would allocate $110 billion for roads and bridges. Virginia’s cut is expected to total about $7 billion.
That bill passed the Senate in August and is currently pending in the House. The Commonwealth Transportation Board would allocate Virginia’s money. It’s unclear if the Zion project would receive funding.
Watch the Spring Creek forum by clicking the button below. (The forum begins around the 32 minutes mark).
Chamber forum: The Louisa County Chamber of Commerce recently released a recording of its September 22 forum, which included all six candidates vying for seats on the Board of Supervisors this November. (Only the Patrick Henry and Green Springs Districts feature contested races). Watch the Chamber forum by clicking the button below.
Click here for contact information for the Louisa County Board of Supervisors.
Find agendas and minutes from previous 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.