2018-04-26 - VDOT Route 301 and Route 207 Arterial Preservation Plan

Representatives from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Michael Baker International held an informational meeting for the public on April 25, 2018 to present their findings from the Route 301 and Route 207 Corridor Study. At some point during the process, the study became the Arterial Preservation Plan, which essentially means VDOT plans to preserve or save the main traffic artery of Routes 301 and 207.

Paul Prideaux gave the presentation and said that VDOT expected the corridor, specifically between Carmel Church, Virginia and the Harry Nice Bridge over the Potomac River, to have more traffic and development going forward. Their plan for this 40-plus mile stretch of road was an "intellectual approach" that used the theory of access management to reduce conflict points, modify medians and access points, and to use innovative intersections all in an effort to provide a safer drive.

Prideaux said they worked with various parties that had an interest in the corridor, namely King George County, Caroline County, military leadership at Dahlgren and Fort A. P. Hill, and others. He said a lot of the recommendations were related to cross-over improvements. These improvements could be removing them completely, adding turn lanes, or improving access.

One important note Prideaux had for those attending was that the presentation was just a plan. Nothing was set in stone, nothing was funded, and nothing was going to be finished by tomorrow. He said implementing the plan "could be two years, could be twenty years" and that it was more of a master plan of ideas.

He ended the presentation by answering a few questions from the audience. There was a question about VDOT acquiring land now to future use as traffic increased enough to require a fly-over or grade-separated traffic pattern. Prideaux said no, VDOT hasn't acquired this or discussed this but in the future it certainly could be something that becomes necessary as traffic increases. Another question from the audience was regarding the potential future of this route to become an interstate. Prideaux said there has never been any discussion or mention of that from any meeting he has been in. He said there may have been plans for that in the past but currently there are none.

Prideaux then left the audience to view the detailed plans on their own or talk to any of the numerous VDOT representatives present to have their questions answered. With roughly ten representatives present, everyone had a chance to ask questions about roads or intersections that were important to them.

Prideaux was asked earlier in his presentation about how they studied the amount of traffic that was present and he said they studied the maximum peak hours and then extrapolated from there. When I asked for clarification later, he said they studied traffic at 60 minute intervals from Monday through Friday. While he said they did not specifically study weekend traffic or the differences between school year and summer traffic, they attempted to apply an extreme amount of traffic to their study to ensure it would work. His example was that if there was an expected growth rate of two percent every year, they would double it to four percent to ensure the plan could handle the load.

After the meeting, Ruby Brabo, At-Large Supervisor, said the King George Board of Supervisors expressed preferences for a few intersections. For the Route 301 and Route 206 intersection in Dahlgren, she said the Board preferred the Median U-Turn (MUT) plan over the Quadrant Roadway (QR) plan. Brabo also said the Board preferred the QR plan for the intersection of Route 301 and Owens Drive across from the B-Gate in Dahlgren.

All of the details about the Arterial Preservation Plan can be found online on the VDOT website. For specific details on the recommendations for King George County, the presentation can be found here. Details on the recommendations for Caroline County can be found here.

OPENING DAY KING GEORGE FARMER'S MARKET

The wet and heavy fog lifted just in time to unveil a beautiful day for the opening of the King George Farmer’s Market.

Hopping!  That was the word heard across the King George Middle School lot at the intersection of Route 3 and 206.  Rows of cars and tents energized our hopes as we welcomed in the highly anticipated warmer weather of “Real” Spring. 

The rows were full of plants, eggs, meat, dairy, baked goods, coffee, tea, soaps, locally hand-crafted products, fish, and PICKLES!

It was pretty obvious what the most popular stand was for the morning.   The biggest line was on the PICKLE corner of the parking lot.  You just have to try them!

Every Saturday from 8am-12pm, at the corner of Kings Highway and Dahlgren Road is a must stop each week  if you are driving your way through King George, the gateway to the Northern Neck of Virginia.

2018-04-27 - Service Authority Press Release

2018-04-25 - Service Authority Public Notice

2018-04-25 - Planning Commission Public Notice

Military Exercises Part III - The Conclusion

The 98th Civil Affairs Battalion provided local leaders with an outbrief, or summary, of their recent exercises in King George County. The summary of their Validation Training Exercise (VTE) was introduced by Major Hernandez who gave an overview of their main Lines Of Effort (LOE). In civilian terms, the LOE is simply what they were tasked with researching before providing an end-product analysis. These major topics were Recreation, Transportation, Security and Health, Tourism, and Economic Development.

The Recreation Team, led by Captain Perez and supported by Sergeants Macias, Obcena, and Hancock, reviewed the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail (DRHT) [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is the Treasurer of the Friends of DRHT]. Based on their interviews and analysis during the week they found that there was not a centralized area or park for residents and families to use and develop a sense of community. They found that activities for teens was lacking. Their recommendation was to host a free event on the DRHT to enable the King George County Board of Supervisors to make an informed decision about acquiring the trail. Captain Perez and his team felt that this proof-of-concept would allow local leaders to gather data from those that attend while building a sense of community for local residents as well as drawing residents in the region to promote tourism and economic development. The data could be gathered by surveys and interviews as well as vendor demonstrations. In the end, they felt the DRHT could serve as a major corridor in the area and could serve as a foundation for economic development.

Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, asked what the team meant by no centralized area. They explained that the YMCA and King George High School were really the only central points in the County that served as a social area for the County citizens. They felt the trail had “untapped potential” as a main artery to connect the community as a whole.

Next to present was the Transportation Team, led by Captain Cruz. His team summarized what many of us already knew, that with more construction planned for Interstate 95 and a new bridge on Route 301, traffic would be an issue. Their recommendation to reduce the traffic congestion was to implement public transit in the area that would be operated by King George County. By providing a shuttle that ran between Fredericksburg and Dahlgren along with ride-sharing options and incentives, the number of cars traveling through the County could be reduced. The team felt that it could also be used as a more local transit option, especially within the Dahlgren area.

Dr. Young said it sounded a lot like the idea he was presented from Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (FAMPO) that was too expensive. He asked if they had just used their idea or if this was something they arrived at independently. The team explained that yes, it was similar to the FAMPO concept, however it was based on their analysis that this was the best option they could find in the short time they had. They also said it differed from FAMPO’s idea in that King George would be operating the services, not FAMPO.

The Security and Health Team, led by Captain Enicks, presented a simple idea to install blue light emergency call boxes on the DRHT. He said they could be as simple or as complex as desired and could be powered by running electricity or use solar panels. He said installing these at regular intervals along the trail would increase security and allow better monitoring of the trail. It would also provide faster response times for emergency services.

Dr. Young thanked them but did speak up that the team’s true deliverable at the end of the week was a detailed security analysis of the various facilities they visited during the week. While it wasn’t disclosed publicly, Dr. Young said it was enlightening and worth the time involved.

The Tourism Team, led by Captain Chua and aided by Sergeants Valenzuela and Nazario, began their presentation by handing out a brochure. They said they worked primarily with Annie Cupka, Grant Writer, but also talked to numerous other people in the County such as Elizabeth Lee and Dr. Rob Gates. They also met with Claudette Jordan, Don Shelton, and others that Captain Chua said knew an incredible amount of information about the local area. Their recommendation had two major parts, a race series and a tour. The race series plan was was simple, just four races a year with a different focus, but drew an immediate positive response with applause from the crowd. The runners would get a medal at each race and at the end of each year, the four medals would form a larger medal. While this may not be a new concept, many races around the world use it, the combination of this idea with the idea of focusing on different areas of history, like Armed Forces and African American history, was what really drew the great response. Not to be overshadowed by such a great idea, their second recommendation was to have a guided bus tour through the County. Their catch phrase “Where Everything Started” fed off the history of the early Presidents born in the area up to more recent history with the development of the Global Positioning System (GPS). This phrase tied to their brochure which included several historical points in the County along with places to eat and spend the night.

The final presentation came from the Economic Development Team led by Captain Baskelwhite. They primarily focused on the three priorities of the industrial park, natural gas lines, and broadband internet. They said several companies they spoke to mentioned the lack of natural gas and broadband as a reason why they did not have a location in King George County. As with the other teams, they brought up the DRHT as a great place to hold challenge events, such as an obstacle course race, and health events, like a fundraising walk for autism research. They also mentioned bring in other vendors, like microbreweries, and hosting festivals, like a bluegrass concert, as potentially beneficial events that could provide not only tourism but also economic development. Personally, I enjoyed the idea of a food event that would give residents and tourists the opportunity to sample local foods and recipes.

Major Hernandez summarized the presentation by saying the DRHT provided a “centralized point of access across the County” and could potentially connect various historical sites. He also said the teams saw the DRHT as a potential connector between the “blue and green” spaces, water and land respectively, to areas of commerce.

Dr. Young and Major Hernandez then opened the discussion up for feedback. The feedback from the Staff at the table was positive, especially from Tim Smith, Director of Parks and Recreation who joked that they had “done all of his work for him.” Personally, I apologized for misleading them earlier in the week and thanked them for entertaining my wife during the Town Hall and asked them to come back next year. Major Hernandez said he would certainly speak to his command staff about returning in the future and Dr. Young said they were more than welcome.

Captain Oh, Cathy Binder, Ruby Brabo, Dr. Neiman Young

Major Hernandez and Captain Oh then presented the Board of Supervisors and the County with plaques to show their appreciation. The command staff also presented Dr. Young with a static line hook, a device used to ensure an airborne trooper’s parachute deploys when they jump from the plane. Dr. Young “gave it a try” and proceeded to do a mock jump to the delight of those watching. The crowd slowly began to disperse and the exercise was at an end. With luck, their upcoming deployment will go smoothly and they’ll return to their families safely. And maybe the 98th Civil Affairs Battalion will return again next year to test their soldiers’ mettle against the issues King George County is facing.

2018-04-24 - King George County Service Authority Press Release

Military Exercises Part II - The Town Hall

An impromptu Town Hall was called together at the last minute to play host to the 98th Civil Affairs Battalion. This group of Army soldiers, based out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was told by Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, that the local citizens just wanted to talk to them and get to know them. He sold it as more of a meet and greet and that the public was singing their praises for the group’s presence in the County.

In reality, it was part of the week-long training exercise and the local citizens that attended were told to be more aggressive and pointed in their questions in an effort to simulate a more stressful environment. There weren’t many “gotcha” moments during the evening as the soldiers did well in handling themselves and answering questions. However, as one King George High School student noted later, they gave a lot of “non-answers.” I have to concur with the young lady and was impressed that a Senior in high school would be present enough in the conversation to pick up on that, not to mention just being present for such an event. As I heard later, and agree with, “there’s hope for our future” if these are the students we have in our local school system.

The mock Town Hall began with Board of Supervisors Richard Granger, Cathy Binder, and Ruby Brabo making introductions along with Dr. Young. Granger and Dr. Young gave some opening remarks before turning things over to Major Hernandez. The Major gave an overview of their operations but mainly focused on the Company’s motto of “the bridge between” by saying they were here to act as the bridge between the community and their needs. Major Hernandez introduced his staff from Headquarters and the teams that were present. Each team consists of four people and is led by a Captain with the other three being Sergeants. Most of the teams have a designated Medic but not all.

At the Town Hall, each of the five teams participating in the exercise were represented by the Captain and one of the Sergeants. Captain Babb worked under Major Hernandez in Headquarters. Captain Perez led the team focused on Recreation. Captain Enicks led the team focused on Security and Health. Captain Cruz led the team focused on Transportation. Captain Baskelwhite led the team focused on Economic Development. And Captain Chua led the team focused on Tourism. In the audience were several observers that were there to monitor each team and to provide them with feedback as part of the exercise. These observers were not introduced and did not participate by asking questions but simply sat there taking notes on their teams.

With the introductions out of the way, the questions from the citizens in the audience began to flow. I was a little disappointed that the first question was one that I had posed to some of the teams earlier in the week, specifically about a military take over. The Major answered by saying that no, it was just a training exercise. From there, the questions began to get a little harder and a lot less scripted.

For the most part, the teams were able to answer fairly well. There was clearly a dearth of available time for them to find out all of the facts about their assigned tasks, but in the short amount of time they had, they did fairly well. They were also honest enough to be upfront in how a week was certainly not long enough but they felt confident in their skills to be able to provide the County with an end product that would benefit everyone.

There were some questions that, scripted or not, stood out among the rest. One student from the High School asked if they would attend the walk-out planned for April 20th as he felt there were concerns over security. Major Hernandez said they were not planning to do so based on their schedule but would certainly be willing to see if there was an opportunity to do so. Another question raised by Yvonne Richard had a bit of a surprising answer [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is the spouse of Yvonne Richard.]. None of the teams was working with, or appeared to plan on working with, the Service Authority. Many in the audience seemed surprised but Major Hernandez again said time was a severely limiting factor. He did provide some hope though by saying that if 98th Civil Affairs Battalion returned in the future for more exercises, they would be happy to explore the needs related to the Service Authority or anything else we could recommend.

Another question that sparked an interesting answer was regarding school security at the local elementary schools. Captain Enicks said his team had met with Dr. Boyd at King George High School but had not visited any of the elementary schools. Dr. Young asked Major Hernandez if that could be added in place of another area of focus. The Major said he could certainly make a recommendation on which topic could be replaced but deferred to Dr. Young’s judgement on the decision. It wasn’t clear if this was part of the training exercise in the sense of putting the soldiers in stressful situations by making last minute changes. At the end of the exchange, I didn’t feel confident that there was a final decision to have a team visit an elementary school but I did feel confident in the group’s ability to react to sudden changes in their mission.

The last set of questions that caught my attention was from the young lady mentioned earlier. She asked the teams where they had visited but the answers never specified any exact location. Brabo chimed in and tried to redirect the conversation by pointing out that they never gave an actual answer and Major Hernandez stepped up to have each team talk about where they went and what they learned. Again the teams struggled a bit to pinpoint exactly where they went and who they had worked with but with enough prodding finally began to get into specifics.

After nearly 90 minutes of questioning, Dr. Young called a “tactical pause” and announced an end to the staged Town Hall. The audience applauded but the troops didn’t appear too fazed at being duped. In fact, I would say some of them were not. There was mention of the recent Free Lance-Star article announcing the mock Town Hall and it appeared Major Hernandez knew about it. Regardless of how much foreknowledge the soldiers had, I was confident enough in their performance, and the audience’s, that they learned something. Dr. Young even asked the citizens for their feedback.

For me personally, this event was another enjoyable experience. Just like the interviews I held earlier in the week, asking pointed, sometimes difficult, questions was exactly what the soldiers needed to endure. As I told a few of them after the meeting, when running these exercises stateside, it’s hard to simulate a stressful environment. Regardless of where they are deployed, from Afghanistan to Thailand, the people, languages, and cultures they encounter may not be as welcoming as we were. My advice was to keep it human. Using military jargon takes away a little bit of the personal connection they may need to make to accomplish their mission.

UPDATE: Photos of the event added. Credit Yvonne Richard.

Military Exercises Part I - The Interviews

Several weeks ago, I was approached by Dr. Young, County Administrator, and Annie Cupka, Grant Writer, to participate in an upcoming military exercise that would be held in King George County. I knew about the exercises and their general time frame having attended previous Board of Supervisors meetings but I never expected to be involved. I also never expected to learn so much or have so much fun doing it.

The 98th Civil Affairs Battalion is based in Fort Bragg, just outside of Fayetteville, North Carolina, and is part of the United States Army Special Operations Command. Skipping the military jargon, the group is tasked primarily with supporting civilian authorities in foreign countries. Their operations are broken down into six main areas of focus. They include Rule of Law, Economic Stability, Infrastructure, Governance, Public Health and Welfare, and Public Education and Information. They provide support to the civilian authorities during war and peace and they also support their fellow troops by sharing information about the local population. Dr. Young’s previous service with the 91st Civil Affairs Battalion serves as a good example. As a Captain in Afghanistan, Dr. Young and his group learned from local residents that while the US Army was asking them to stand up against the insurgent forces, there was a trust issue with the locals and they had a fear of abandonment. By recognizing the needs of the local populace and building a stronger relationship with them, they were able to use that closer bond to get the locals to help in the fight against the insurgents. They were able to build that strong relationship by doing things like making repairs to bridges and roads and boosting the local economy. Except the US troops didn’t do the building, they only facilitated by helping local leaders find local contractors. They helped the local authorities document the process, publish the budget documents publicly, and have the finished work inspected. In a nutshell, the US troops were simply there to help locals by being a guiding hand.

With Dr. Young’s experience in this specific field, he was the leading force in bringing the troops from the 98th to King George for their exercise. My involvement was to be there as a member of the Press and to ask questions that would stress them. Dr. Young was admittedly nervous about asking me to do it and I’ll admit I was nervous too. Having been tasked with being an aggressive person of the Press was out of character for me personally but I did my best because I want to share the experience with my fellow residents.

Leading up to the exercise, I was given my role in the exercise and was told to develop a list of questions. Dr. Young was not sure my questions would be hard enough and asked for a preview so he could provide feedback before the exercise. I gladly obliged but was not too keen on my list of questions being shared before I could ask them. Dr. Young did a good job of only striking a few of them from my list and after re-reading those questions, I realized they had no bearing on the exercise and would likely end up with me getting no answers from the soldiers.

Aside from the questions, I was also directed to be aggressive and obnoxious but was warned “don’t do anything to get arrested.” I was also asked to not share any of the final outcomes related to the Security and Health, especially those related to school security. Having several members of my family in local schools, I was more than happy to oblige with the request. In fact, I’m taking it a step further and will only mention in general terms that they will be studying various scenarios at various locations in the County. This team will also work with the Sheriff’s Office, Fire and EMS, and other local authorities to develop an outline for future plans and procedures to be put into place. While I won’t mention where they will be working, I will say it involves important areas other than just the schools.

Aside from the Security and Health team that I interviewed, I also listened to and interviewed a team that was working on Tourism and another that was focused on Recreation. I missed the presentation from the team working on Economic Development and the team working on Transportation.

All of the teams did well in answering my questions. While I was instructed by Dr. Young to not ask them a question regarding their Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) training, I managed to work it into my introduction to help break the ice. It was also a way for me to help lay the groundwork of confusion. I then pulled the proverbial Crazy Ivan by asking them a question from my “crazy uncle.” Although it was actually a seed planted by my father, the test was to see if they laughed when I asked them about overthrowing the local government and building internment camps. Everyone passed the test with a straight face or stunned silence. Although one soldier did laugh, I think he was just laughing at the absurdity of the question.

I also asked all of them if there was any sort of kick-back or sweetheart deal between them and Dr. Young for doing the exercise here. None of them knew of any graft but it spoke volumes to me that Dr. Young didn’t ask me to remove this question from the list I submitted to him. I never expected there to be any backroom dealings but it made me feel better that he had no issue with the question. I also asked a few sporadic, general questions about training accidents, merging Civil Affairs Reservists with Active Duty for training, and the tedious “what’s your biggest challenge this week” question. All of them answered concisely and coherently.

Along with these more general questions, I also asked more specific questions for each group. I asked the Security and Health team why they were training here instead of Puerto Rico when that is their usual training ground and Puerto Rico still needed help after the hurricane. They gave a somewhat rote answer of it being a national issue that was being handled by the National Guard and other groups. With a little more probing I was able to get the impression that if they did go to Puerto Rico it would not be beneficial for them to have a training exercise while emergency personnel were still needed for a real-life emergency.

For the Tourism team, I asked where they felt their area fit into their group’s main focus and they saw it fall under the Economic Development section. They said they were staying and eating locally and that all of their encounters with residents were positive. They were meeting with Dr. Gates from the Dahlgren Heritage Museum later in the day but were not aware of the upcoming Route 301 Bridge project [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is also an employee of the Dahlgren Heritage Museum. Sean Gates, a co-founder of Project94, is also the son of Dr. Gates.]. They quickly tapped into this thread and began asking detailed questions to get more information. They quickly had a grasp of the potential issues of traffic in the area.

For the Recreation team, I apparently threw them off their game when I addressed one of the Sergeants by name and directed her to lead the team back to the room for questions. Each team was lead by a Captain and apparently this was an unexpected, and unintentional, breach of protocol. Since I was oblivious to this at the time, I didn’t hear about it until later. Had I known this could be a potentially stressor, I would have applied it to all of the teams I interviewed. The team adapted well and was able to come back with questions of their own during the conversation and were knowledgeable of some of the main points of concern for the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail (DRHT) [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is the Treasurer of the Friends of DRHT]. As with the Tourism team, they were able to ask questions that dove deeper into their specific area of focus and I felt confident in their abilities.

Overall, I felt somewhat like a fraud sitting there with Dr. Young introducing me as an “influential citizen.” I felt confident that Dr. Young was not going to pull any punches with the soldiers as he repeatedly told them this wasn’t an exercise, this was real life for our community. As I learned with my children long ago, you can throw somebody off their train of thought simply by having detailed knowledge about something people assume you know nothing about. Knowing names, dates, acronyms, and other military minutia or slang came from my doing hours of research about the 98th Civil Affairs group and the work they’ve done in the past. I also leaned heavily on my family’s past military experience with a smattering of pop culture thrown in for good measure. While I don’t feel like I am a cocky, arrogant, or abrasive person, I feel like I can pretend to be one for at least a little bit. And when things get tough, I can always fall back on my tried and true, and truthful, statement that I’ve been to prison and I’ve worked at the FBI Academy.

2018-04-17 - Board of Supervisors Meeting Notes

The Board of Supervisors began their meeting at 9:11 pm after a long Closed Session of the Service Authority finally ended.

Opening up public comment was Jim Lynch who was there as a representative of the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail (DRHT) [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is a member of the Friends of DRHT]. He stated that the National Trails Systems Act of 1968 was amended in the 1980s to provide for the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail (PHNST) to run from the headwaters of the Potomac River to the Chesapeake Bay. He said a couple of years ago the Board of Supervisors supported PHNST routes through the County and that DRHT is considered the "spine" of these inter-woven routes. He said the National Park Service recently delivered two signs to be installed on the DRHT to show it's location on the PHNST. The sign was in the front of the room and he offered to stick around and answer any questions they may have.

Kim Dodge was next to speak at the podium. She said she was disheartened to hear that lowering the tax rate wasn't considered at all. She said she heard it would be kept at 70 cents per $100 and that next year it would be increased. She said that even if property taxes went down to 6.7%, she still wouldn't see any benefit. She said she wanted to know what the amount of taxes collected last year was and that the Supervisors should know this number "off the top of their head without looking it up." Dodge said that equalization is to protect taxpayers when there is going to be a big windfall for the County and wants to know the bottom-line figures. She said the County, statistically, is a group of people that have a political viewpoint of budgetary restraint. She said the majority of taxpayers follow this point of view and that she knows the County is in tons of debt but there's nothing to show for it. She said there was nothing wrong with paying off the debt early to save interest. Dodge also said the public hearing is a procedure and that the decision is already made. She said she wants to keep her money. Dodge closed by saying she wanted to know what the figures were for the real estate property taxes from last year, what's being brought in this year with the 70 cent rate, and what the windfall difference is between them.

Joe Frank was next to speak. He introduced himself as the King George County representative with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). He handed the Board fact sheets showing the various programs offered by the USDA. He said one issue that has come up recently among local farmers is the closure of the fertilizer plant in Sealston. He said the concern wasn't that the plant is gone, it was that the site is contaminated. He said with it not being in use, there is nobody there to monitor the water which means it will eventually leach into the local water supply. He said the local farmers wanted County residents to know that if they test their water, the contamination isn't coming from them, it's the fertilizer plant that's the problem.

Representatives from Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) then stepped forward to speak. They handed out a draft of their current plan showing projects and funding for the coming years. They began summarizing the projects, including Chatterton Lane, the replacement of the Pine Hill bridge, and countywide traffic services. Dr. Young, County Administrator, interrupted their presentation by saying this wasn't appropriate to use up public comment time nor to have a back-and-forth discussion. He said he wasn't being rude but suggested setting a date for a work session in the future to allow more time. Ruby Brabo suggested adding it to the already scheduled work session on April 24th and the rest of the Board concurred.

John Jenkins began his report by thanking all of those speaking for their comments. He attended the Farm Bureau dinner on April 9th and a GWRC and FAMPO meeting on the 23rd. He commented that there should be an update on the Route 301/Route 207 Study coming soon.

Jeff Bueche began his report by also thanking those who spoke during Public Comment. He then addressed Mrs. Dodge's comments by saying that a real estate tax rate of 70 cents on every $100 is low by comparison. He said comparing it to Westmoreland County isn't quite fair because of the different population sizes. He said home values went up, including his, and that was a good thing. Bueche said this was a sign that the economy was good and that the value of our largest investment went up. He said as the population grows, so does the need for personnel to provide services to the citizens. While he understood Dodge's point of view, he wanted to have an "intellectual discussion." He said she could afford the changes by buying two fewer cups of coffee per month and that if she was concerned about taxes going up, she should look at how the debt pertains to this. Bueche said he campaigned on reducing the debt and that for the first time, local leaders are finally addressing the debt instead of making promises. He said many things are required by Federal or State law but are not funded by those government entities. He said all five Supervisors and all of the citizen advisors [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is a member of the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee] wanted the same thing and he never had anyone say the rate should be lower. He said building a budget "was no easy task" and that it was hard and that you can't fund everything. Bueche continued by saying you need to assess the needs of the whole County and that they're elected to make the best but hard decision. He closed by saying he also wanted to address the constant reference to "Ruby taking your money" on social media. He said he took offense to this and that, even though he may not always agree with Ruby, they do the best they can and the Supervisors all have ownership and accountability to their constituents. Bueche then made a motion to appoint Jeremy Crowley to the Landfill Advisory Committee. Brabo commented that he attended the last meeting and was very engaged. The appointment was approved. Bueche said he attended the Senior Officials Workshop for All-Hazards Preparedness on April 9th, a Social Services meeting on the 10th, and the 98th Civil Affairs Battalion jump into Fort A. P. Hill on the 13th. He also asked for an update on the blighted property ordinances and Eric Gregory, County Attorney, said he should have a draft ready by the end of the week.

Ruby Brabo began her report by saying she attended a National Association of Counties (NACo) summit from the 4th to the 7th and learned a lot about sugar cane and rice products and crops as well as the proposed Farm Bill, SNAP program, and work force training. She attended the All-Hazards Preparedness Workshop on the 9th and the main question asked was "are you ready?" She said everyone needs to be ready and understand their role in a disaster and that local government is a key or main player. She said she would like to have the Sheriff's Public Affairs Office be the single voice during a disaster and all seemed to concur. She said she would also like to appoint a single Supervisor to act as a liaison with the Emergency Operations Center and volunteered herself with Cathy Binder as an alternate. Again, everyone seemed to agree. She also asked that the building codes be reviewed to make sure they were up to date for any local weather events. She said she also attended the Farm Bureau dinner on the 9th and the Landfill Advisory Committee meeting on the 10th. She said the Landfill Committee was excited to move forward and was already looking into finding a location for a Dahlgren convenience center and scheduling clean-up events. She said it was a very good meeting. Brabo said she attended a GWRC meeting, the 98th Civil Affairs Battalion jump on the 13th, and a lunch with 98th Civil Affairs Battalion leaders on the 16th. She said she learned of an upcoming FRED Transit pricing offset that started in 2019 and supposedly would make the cost cheaper to localities and wanted Dr. Young and others to meet with FRED.

Dr. Young said that he has already met with FRED three times and they still are not willing to listen to the needs of the County. He said FRED worked with FAMPO to get a consultant and presented the findings of their study but didn't talk to anyone in the County. He also said FRED offered to provide a shuttle from Dahlgren to Fredericksburg but the cost was too high and the bus would only drop passengers off at the gate and not drive on base.

Brabo summarized things succinctly by saying " I guess we're back to working without FRED."

Brabo continued her report by saying composting was still a topic of interest and wanted to have Jeff Jenkins, Director of Landfill Operations, and David Howard, Waste Management Landfill Manager, to attend a meeting to learn more. She had an update regarding the chem/bio department move from Dahlgren to Indian Head, Maryland and said the move still continues to progress and Congressman Wittman and Senator Warner were given a tour of the new facility despite local officials being excluded. She also reminded everyone that there were numerous vacancies on various Boards and Committees and that anyone interested should see the Agenda for a complete list. Brabo thanked Jim Lynch for speaking and sharing the new sign. She also thanked Joe Frank for sharing details regarding the plant situation. She then addressed Kim Dodge by saying "everyone up here is a taxpayer" and that if Dodge would like to give her questions to either of the employees in the room, Dr. Young could address them later. Brabo said that the Federal and State mandates have requirements and to maybe contact those entities to discuss why they aren't funded. She said most residents are happy in the direction of the County and that three years ago, the Board didn't support the Sheriff's need for more staffing but the current Board has.

Cathy Binder began her report by saying she attended the All-Hazards Preparedness Workshop on the 9th, the Smoot Library Board of Trustees meeting on the 10th, and the lunch with 98th Civil Affairs Battalion leaders on the 16th. Regarding the Library meeting, she said her goal is to provide dialog between the Board of Supervisors and the Trustees by sharing concerns and successes and to make everyone aware of the topics.

Richard Granger began his report by saying he attended the Farm Bureau dinner on the 9th and the lunch with 98th Civil Affairs Battalion leaders on the 16th. He then tried to appoint Dixie Lee Washington to the Smoot Library Board of Trustees and Brabo said he couldn't because Bueche already did it at the last meeting. Granger then gave an update on the last meeting's topic of appointing Beth Elkins to the RACSB. He said he spoke to both Elkins and leaders at RACSB and it was clear that Elkins had a passion for serving those with special needs. He also said she has served in the past but due to term limits had to rotate off the Board. He said Elkins is now serving again and this would be her second term. He also said there is still a vacancy on the Board. Her appointment was approved and Brabo suggested reaching out to former Supervisor Jim Howard to see if he would fill the vacancy.

The Consent Agenda was approved without comment.

The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.

The Board them listened to KGI Telecommunications repeat their request from the previous Service Authority meeting. Steve and Michele Wido, asked the County to waive lease fees for tower space for 18 months and to waive other fees involved in setting up. They also asked the County to expedite permits. Dr. Young asked Brad Hudson, Director of Community Development, to give his recommendations. Brabo said only waiver of fees, permits, and speeding up the permit process was under the purview of the Supervisors. She asked Hudson if he could expedite permits with the staff he has and he responded that he can't give a specific date due to staffing. He said he works through permits as fast as he can. Brabo asked about waiving fees and Hudson said he was afraid it would set a precedent and that it's never been done before to his knowledge. Jenkins said they needed to support them and Bueche said it provides critical infrastructure to the entire County. Brabo said she doesn't think anyone disagrees but staffing is an issue. Mr. Wido added that due to the local topography, there are dead zones where people want service and that small towers or tall poles could do this. Mrs. Wido, the company's President, said that points two, three, and four on their slide showing their request came straight from the County.

Hudson said that expediting things may not necessarily work. Brabo said she felt that point was already addressed, that there was not enough staff to move permits through faster. Hudson said a new cell tower would cost less than $400 in fees. Brabo suggested that a joint public hearing with the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors could help save time. Hudson said the time to review a new tower would take longer than just adding an antenna to an existing structure. Dr. Young said his advice is that broadband is a priority in the County right now and that he knows there's a concern over setting a precedent. But he felt that there's only one internet company right now and he highly advises the Board to consider waiving fees. Jenkins agreed and Brabo made a motion to that effect that was approved.

Dr. Young began his comments by addressing Mrs. Dodge's comments. He said the prior year's tax resulted in roughly $18 million and the current tax would result in roughly $19 million with a "windfall" of just over $1 million. He said the tax increase based on the average value of a home in King George would be $88 per year. He said the information has been "exhaustively" given to the public then began to list some of the many dates where the topic was discussed at public meetings. He also said there is information on the County's website available for all citizens to view regarding the matter. He then began to address Mrs. Elkins' appointment to RACSB then realized it was already taken care of. He also said the liaison Supervisor for the Emergency Operations Center was addressed and moved on to the issue of Binder's place on the Smoot Library Board of Trustees. He said she was previously appointed to serve under the Shiloh District however after review, that seat was already filled. He then suggested Binder serve under the At-Large District. Brabo said she would like to defer until the next meeting making it sound like she already had somebody in mind to serve in that role.

The Board then went into Closed Session at 10:22 pm regarding the acquisition or sale of property, prospective businesses, and consultation with legal counsel. Tim Smith, Director of Parks and Recreation attended the first portion of Closed Session and was replaced by Ryan Gandy, Director of Economic Development about fifteen minutes later. The Board returned from Closed Session at 11 pm and adjourned one minute later.

Meeting Attendees:
John Jenkins (Board of Supervisors)
Jeff Bueche (Board of Supervisors)
Richard Granger (Chairman, Board of Supervisors)
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)

Meeting Agenda

Next Meeting:
The Board of Supervisors will next meet on May 1, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.

Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Board of Supervisors Meeting.

2018-04-17 - Service Authority Meeting Notes

The Service Authority Board of Directors was slightly delayed in starting their meeting as Cathy Binder was a couple minutes late. The meeting began at 6:34pm as soon as she took her seat.
The sole public comment came from Kim Dodge. She started by saying there were some positives about the Service Authority but the $38 million in debt was bad news and that there has been no investment in infrastructure. She said it was great news that the rates were not going up next year. Dodge said when she moved here years ago, she paid just over $100 for both water and sewer with five people in her house and is now paying more than twice as much with only three people in her house. She also said Hazel Homes had to construct the infrastructure in Hopyard but she expressed concern over the existing infrastructure in Hopyard being able to handle the increased load of the expected 900 homes and commercial center. She said she has spoken to Mr. Werle, Chairman, about this several times and he told her it would run more efficiently. She said she has started a small business in the County doing massage therapy and found it hard to find an affordable place to operate. She said she does laundry at home for this business and her water bill "is going out of control." She closed by commenting that her Homeowner's Association (HOA) fees would probably be going up because they need to pay for the water in the pool.

The Board then began their reports with Mike Bennett and Richard Granger having nothing to report.

Ruby Brabo said she drove by the well compound in Owens the other day and saw several unmarked SUVs and an open gate and called Chris Thomas, General Manager, to report the suspicious activity. She wanted to remind everyone to say something if they see something. She responded to Mrs. Dodge that the developer of Hopyard, Hazel Homes, wasn't required to build the infrastructure but instead it was a proffer as part of the re-zoning request. In other words, the County didn't force Hazel to build it, instead they offered to build it. Brabo said that if anyone with a pool calls the Service Authority before filling it, they won't be charged for sewer for those gallons used.

Cathy Binder had nothing to report.

Chris Werle said he had nothing to report but thanked Mrs. Dodge for speaking. He said that Brabo had addressed all of the questions but explained further that the debt was acquired through the purchase of the old systems and the debt increased due to upgrades that were mandated by the State and Federal governments. He said the good news is that the debt fees are not going up, assuming of course that there is no new debt taken on. Werle said he's a customer too and as a low consumption user, his debt fees are nearly twice what he pays for water and sewer services. He also explained that the Hopyard sewage plant currently operates at about one tenth of its potential and can be expanded as future demand requires.

The Consent Agenda was approved without comment.

The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.

KGI Telecommunications then presented a request to the Board. The request, made by Michele, KGI President, and Steve Wido, began with a simple brief about their company and the services they provide. They said they are a local company looking to meet the need for faster internet in King George County by using the 5.8 and 3.65 gigahertz (GHz) bands. They are currently leasing space on two towers and supply broadband internet to 14 very satisfied customers. They listed various benefits to broadband internet such as working from home, streaming videos for college courses, and virtual doctor visits. They said they are currently waiting on approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to use the 3.6 GHz band and that this was their biggest hurdle at the moment. They have another 200 potential customers that could use that frequency. Their request tonight was to have the Board of Directors waive rent on the Arnold's Corner tower for 18 months, waive building, zoning, and planning fees, allow special use permits for new structures, and to expedite the processing of permits. They closed by saying things were going well but just waiting on the FCC approval.

Granger asked why they were asking for 18 months and if there was a reason for that time frame. Steve Wido said it would give them the needed time to get to the customers on the waiting list and would help their cash flow. Werle asked why there was a sudden change when they had a tentative agreement at their last meeting that was a 12 month lease and seemed to be acceptable by all parties. Wido said they didn't expect to hit a snag with the FCC approval process. He said they had the equipment on the tower but didn't realize it would take such a long time to get approval. Werle asked if they could get a better deal with their other leases and Wido replied that they can't renegotiate a contract because it's already signed and in place. Binder said things didn't sound like they were planned very well. Wido replied that they didn't know it would take so long and that ultimately the Board doesn't have to approve their request. Werle said his concern was that it would be setting a precedent for future companies, then suggested maybe they could waive the fees and KGI could get a grant from the Economic Development Authority (EDA). Brabo agreed. Werle suggested meeting with Chris Thomas, Dr. Young, County Administrator, and Ryan Gandy, Director of Economic Development, to look into the idea of an EDA grant or other potential options. Brabo again agreed and said the Board was happy to continue to negotiate. She also said that while she was sure the Widos did their due diligence, some things are out of their control, especially regarding wait times for government approval. She added that a week ago she met with a customer of KGI and they were very happy at the cheaper but faster connection.

Dr. Young spoke up that he had missed the suggestion. Werle repeated the suggestion that they meet to work out a lease agreement to delay lease payments while customers got on board and the suggestion for an EDA grant to help pay lease fees. Dr. Young asked what if the grant application was denied. Werle said the lease payments would be due when they were due. Brabo said she hoped broadband was important enough to get such a grant. Young said he rarely speaks up during Service Authority meetings but didn't want to see any delays because of his involvement and hard work in getting broadband access to the citizens. Werle said it wasn't being delayed and that there was already an agreement between the interested parties but the Widos are the ones that brought this proposal forward. Brabo asked what the current agreement was, specifically how much was the Service Authority asking the Widos to pay. Werle answered $1,000 per month. Brabo said maybe consider an incremental payment over time because any income is still income. She said she doesn't want to inhibit the expansion of a valuable service. Young said he wants to reiterate that previous attempts to bring broadband to the County have failed until KGI came forward and that he doesn't want to wait. Werle committed to calling for a vote on the issue at the next Board meeting.

Next on the agenda was the authorization to advertise a proposed change to the Service Authority's regulations, specifically in Section 9, Paragraph I. This change would strengthen the Service Authority's ability to enforce fines, and increase fines, for meter tampering. This was approved without comment.

Chris Thomas, General Manager, gave his brief report that as discussed during the last meeting, flushing would increase in frequency. He said the Courthouse, Hopyard, and Oakland Park systems were flushed on April 16, 2018 and the Fairview Beach and Dahlgren systems were flushed on April 17th. He said there were very few calls about discolored water but there were several calls in Oakland Park about low water pressure. Thomas said these calls were expected and that they used the KGALERT system and website to give the public warnings about the flushing.

The Board went into Closed Session at 7:04 pm to consult with legal counsel about possible litigation. Unseen to many that attended was that three individuals had previously been directed to the private meeting room before the Board opened their meeting. Those three individuals left the Closed Session meeting at 8:17pm. During that time, Dr. Young and Jeff Bueche left the meeting briefly, presumably for a short bathroom break. During this time Jim Lynch also gave a short speech to the audience about the sign at the front of the room that showed the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail (DRHT) [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is a member of the Friends of DRHT] and how it was included in the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail (PHNST). He also offered to answer any questions anyone may have.

The Board returned from Closed Session at 9:10 pm, over two hours after starting, and adjourned their meeting.

Meeting Attendees:
Christopher Werle (Chairman, Board of Directors)
Christopher Thomas (General Manager of Service Authority)
Richard Granger (Board of Supervisors)
Michael Bennett (Citizen)
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)

Meeting Agenda

Next Meeting:
The Service Authority will next meet on May 1, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.

Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Service Authority Meeting.

2018-04-19 UPDATE: A previous version of this story incorrectly listed the owners of KGI Telecommunication as "Michelle and Steve Wido" and gave an incorrect spelling of Michele Wido's name. Juan Marte is the owner of KGI and Michele Wido is the President.

2018-04-25 UPDATE: The three unknown individuals that went to Closed Session prior to the meeting starting were later identified as representatives from Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ): "Jeff Reynolds, Director, Division of Enforcement at DEQ; Kristen Sadtler, Water Enforcement Manager at DEQ; and Ed Stuart from DEQ's northern Virginia regional office" according to an email from Chris Werle, Chairman of the Board of Directors.

2018-04-18 - Tax Rate Public Notice

2018-04-18 - Planning Commission Public Notice

2018-04-16 - Press Release

Source:
https://www.kinggeorgecountyva.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3273

2018-04-03 - Board of Supervisors Meeting Notes

Hot on the heels of the Wireless Authority meeting, the Board of Supervisors opened their April 3, 2018 meeting at 8:42pm.

There was an amendment to the Agenda to remove Judy Hart, Commissioner of the Revenue, from the presentations planned.

Warren Veazey opened public comment with a brief summary of recent activities on the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail (DRHT) [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is a member of the Friends of DRHT]. He said that even though it was winter, the trail hosted a half marathon in February with 129 runners and about 30 volunteers. He also shared that there was a Sheetz to Sheetz run in March with 17 runners and a local Boy Scout troop that hiked, biked, and camped on the trail. He said last weekend a group of 14 volunteers from the AEGIS Training and Readiness Center (ATRC) in Dahlgren came out to help clear and clean the trail.

John Jenkins opened his report by thanking Veazey for his comments and said it "proves that the trail is a positive impact on the community." Jenkins said he attended budget work sessions on March 26th and 27th and April 2nd. He said as a general comment the process has been pretty good and was the smoothest it's been since he's been on the Board. He said it wasn't perfect but it was a solid budget. He said the Board has an eye on the future with debt mitigation and that he's proud of securing our schools with School Resource Officers (SROs). He also thanked the citizens that served on the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee, especially Jeff Stonehill who accepted Jenkins' appointment.

Jeff Bueche opened his report by wishing everyone a Happy Easter season. He attended a Virginia Association of Counties (VACo) conference in Richmond on March 23rd and 24th and the budget work sessions on March 26th and 27th. He attended the local Emergency Management Committee meeting on March 29th where they discussed the recent wind storms and planned ahead for the spring storm season. Bueche attended the final budget work session on April 2nd and said that what he's learned from his first budget season is it's not a question of what's more important and that there's no right or wrong answer but that you can't fund everything. He also thanked the citizens for giving their own time, especially Neil Richard [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard is a co-founder of Project94.] from the James Monroe District. Bueche said he was glad that the debt was being addressed and that it's not just a line item anymore. He was also glad the Board was able to make two SROs happen and that while a third was still needed, two was better than none. He then went on to nominate Dixie Lee Washington to the Smoot Library Board of Trustees, who was approved. He also nominated for future Judicial reappointment Paul Tucker to the Board of Building and Fire Code Appeals and Steve Tarrell to the Board of Zoning Appeals. Both nominations were approved. Bueche closed with an update that T. C. Collins had resigned from the Landfill Advisory Committee and that anyone interested in serving should contact him.

Ruby Brabo's report was a mirror of her Service Authority Board of Directors report where she noted her participating in a conference call on March 21st with the Local Government Advisory Committee about the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. She said the local targets for the Watershed Implementation Plan are being set at the state level instead of the local level and that "communication with the state as these targets are set is going to be critical." She also participated in a conference call with the Governor on March 22nd about the upcoming state budget. On the 24th she taught the Social Media and Citizen Engagement portion of the Newly Elected Supervisors training session at the VACo conference. On the 26th and 27th she attended the budget work sessions and on the 28th she participated in the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) meeting. She said she was happy to report the other localities involved in the RTA were eager to participate. On March 30th she attended the COMREL meeting and on April 2nd attended the final budget work session. She thanked the citizens for helping and thanked her counterparts on the School Board for working together.

Cathy Binder said she attended the budget work session on the 26th via phone and the 27th in person. She also attended the April 2nd budget work session and thanked the employees for their hard work and long hours put into making it happen. She also thanked the citizen advisors, including the one representing her district, Sherrie Allwine. She also attended the Newly Elected Supervisors training session at the VACo conference.

Richard Granger thanked Veazey for his comments on the DRHT. He said he also attended all of the budget work sessions and appreciated the citizens working on it as well as their commitment. He said the Board is addressing some of the concerns such as debt and safety and will continue to address them. On March 28th he attended the Rappahannock River Basin meeting where they got a report on the natural resources priorities. He said he was not surprised that they include clean air, clean water, and clean energy. He also said there was a push to leverage existing resources instead of building new attractions.

The Consent Agenda was approved without comment.

With Eric Gregory, County Attorney, being absent, his proxy had nothing to report.

Drew Williams from the Berkley Group then presented the King George County Trailways Study [this is the extended version; the shortened version was used for the presentation]. Williams said that while they began with the County's 2013 Comprehensive Plan they also tried to look beyond it. He said they were looking for a results-oriented plan and not one that sits on the shelf. He said it was oddly fitting that as he was working on the plan he read the article in The Free Lance-Star about the DRHT. Williams said his group held meetings with various employees and stakeholders in November 2017 and discussed some of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT). During the presentation, Williams added a few comments about the Route 3 "diet" being a low cost solution and that the DRHT was the spine of any future bike and pedestrian network in the County. At one point, Williams made reference to paving the DRHT and Brabo interrupted and said she disagreed that a hard surfacing would be ideal. She said stone dust would allow for a permeable surface, something that is important in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed area. Williams commented that this could make commute times slower but Brabo again emphasized that stone dust would be cheaper than a hard surface and wouldn't have that much of a negative impact on cyclists.

Denise Nelson, also with the Berkley Group, then added to the presentation by going into the two phases that were envisioned. She said there would be a more immediate return on investment for the County in the Courthouse and Dahlgren areas. She said extending the DRHT to the Stafford County line would help as would shared road signage on secondary roads.

Williams then returned to finish up the presentation with the bad news for the evening, the cost. He said that any way you slice it, it's a challenge and it will cost money. Brabo chimed in that while it is a challenge, the County has never planned with VDOT in the past. She also commented that VDOT would pay 80% of the cost for bike lanes if the locality paid the remaining 20% but that King George has never asked for that nor planned for that.

Jenkins thanked the presenters for coming out and agreed that it would take a lot of work but had to disagree with one point. He said that while extending to Stafford would be great, the Owens Road area in Dahlgren was more important. He said he's heard many complaints from citizens that ride or walk through the area. Williams said priorities could be shifted as needed and that right now, the presentation was still a draft.

Next up was the request from Dr. Young for the Supervisors to approve advertising for a public hearing for tax equalization. He said with the newly reassessed property values, the County would earn extra income at the current real estate tax rate. Because that extra income was more than one percent, a public hearing was required. Young repeated his same three options from the budget work session earlier in the week. The County can equalize the tax rate down to 67 cents per $100 in assessed value, keep it at the current 70 cents, or choose to go with a number in between. He also reminded the Board that during initial discussions about equalization, he had asked for their patience and had asked for them to address the County's needs first before discussing equalization. Dr. Young said the current rate would allow the County to meet mandated items such as an updated comprehensive plan, health insurance increases, and Virginia Retirement System (VRS) rates. He said it would also allow the County to fund County raises and new positions that were needed as well as allow for two new School Resource Officers (SROs) at County elementary schools. One final highlight Young mentioned was the ability to reduce the County's debt, marking the first time the County has done so and potentially the first county in the state to do so. The Board approved the advertisement.

Wilma Ward, Department of Finance Director, came before the Board to ask for their approval in transferring funds to pay the contract for the modular units at Potomac Elementary School. This was approved without comment. She stayed at the podium to answer questions about the financial status update she had emailed. There were no questions.

Next was an open discussion among the Supervisors regarding a potential incentive plan for water connection fees. Dr. Young said that John Jenkins had raised the question and was looking for a way to incentivize small businesses by paying back part or all of their water connection fees after the business had reached certain revenue milestones or a certain time period. Jenkins added that he thought the tax revenue the business paid to the County would help offset the incentive payment. Dr. Young said he spoke with the County's financial advisors and there was no threat seen to the Service Authority or the County but that the County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had some concerns over who would be making the payment. Gregory suggested that the Economic Development Authority (EDA) may be a better vehicle in paying out the funds to the small business but that the County could pay a grant to the EDA.

Brabo commented that the EDA still owes the County a million dollars and that she was extremely hesitant to give them any more money. Jenkins said he hadn't suggested the EDA but things could certainly be discussed. Brabo also voiced concern over the existing Service Authority system being able to handle the increased load of more customers when the Service Authority was struggling sometimes to supply service now. Bueche said he liked the idea in principle but didn't want to extend the program to larger businesses. He also said that what a small business was would need to be defined. He said that an incentive plan could attract more small business to the area, especially to the future mixed use development area. Jenkins said small business can certainly be defined, there was just a lot of categories to look at. A date was set for a work session on April 24, 2018 at 6:30pm to further discuss the topic along with additional input from Ryan Gandy.

Dr. Young then began his report by saying the Rappahannock Area Community Services Board (RACSB) asked to have the Supervisors reappoint Beth Elikins. Brabo asked that the decision be tabled until the next meeting because she felt that the Supervisors were just reappointing people over and over again without taking a step back to see if anyone else would like to participate. She also noted that this was nothing against Mrs. Elikins. The Board agreed to table the appointment.

Next, Young said the Comprehensive Policy and Management Team (CPMT) asked the Supervisors to appoint Mollie Morris as an alternate. The Board approved.

There was no Closed Session so the meeting adjourned at 9:45pm.

Meeting Attendees:
John Jenkins (Board of Supervisors)
Jeff Bueche (Board of Supervisors)
Richard Granger (Chairman, Board of Supervisors)
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
unnamed (proxy County Attorney)

Absent:
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)

Meeting Agenda

Next Meeting:
The Board of Supervisors will next meet on April 17, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.

Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Board of Supervisors Meeting.