2019-02-19 - Board of Supervisors Meeting Notes

by Neil Richard

The Board of Supervisors started their meeting at 7:44pm.

There were no amendments to the Agenda.

Public Comment opened with Renee Parker voicing her thanks and a reminder. She said she has watched meetings of late and the actions of the Board appeared to be antagonistic at times. She said their duties may result in stress but the bond they shared in their first year working together, and the respect they had for each other, was obvious. Parker said each member brings their own strengths and that in the past they reached out to others for help and that set a wonderful example for the young in the community. She thanked the Board for their hard work and reminded them that they have achieved a lot. She said people probably aren't beating down the door to thank them. Parker closed by urging the Board to keep the competitiveness out of their meetings.

Next to speak was Vera Means who wanted to voice her deep concern over the proposed gun range at the former Cameron Hills Golf Course, specifically citing that the application appeared to be a work around for the developers by making it a campground. She then went on to note specific issues with the application, as well as the interviews in a recent newspaper article, including a lack of a signature block, discrepancies in the number of ranges desired, and the confusion of the associated uses. She said an application like this would open the door to allow campgrounds to be developed on farm land and then gun ranges allowed as part of those campgrounds. Means also cited issues where the developer noted that neighboring properties already have a high usage of firearms and said she would like to see that evidence because she doesn't hear it. She also asked to see the evidence that the developer talked to neighboring property owners because they never talked to her.

Jeff Bueche reminded Mrs. Means during a pause that she had exceeded her allotted three minutes. Means apologized and wrapped up her statements saying she also had concerns about the developers claim that they could recycle lead, would perform sound testing, and promote small business. She said this was not an issue of gun rights but rather an issue of wants versus needs.

Next to speak was Kim Dodge. She said that on Thursday she left King George and saw a Sheriff's unit at Port Conway and Route 3 and noted that the traffic on Route 3, Kings Highway, has increased massively. Dodge said that many people complain that they have to stop at the stoplight at Hopyard, Port Conway Road and Kings Highway, but she's thankful for it. She said she noticed the recent installation of the blinking yellow turn signal and felt it was a danger as she was almost hit at the intersection. She warned the Board that Hopyard wasn't even half full yet and that traffic is continuing to get worse in the neighborhood with people speeding and not stopping at stop signs. Dodge said she would like the flashing yellow turn signal to be removed and said they were dangerous.

Linda Petersen then spoke about her opposition to the proposed gun range near her. She thanked the Board for their service, time, and energy. She said they have to take into consideration a lot of issues and it takes them away from their families. Petersen said she grew up in a small town in rural Iowa with a lot of hogs and farms. She said when she first drove into King George, she was reminded of her home town with all of the farmland on both sides of Route 3. She said the rural quality is what makes King George special. As Board members, Peterson said they have seen the growth, the financial responsibilities, and specific concerns of residents. She said when considering the special exception permit for the gun range, she felt it had a new name but was the same business. She said as with any business venture, the most profitable will likely be built first, meaning the gun range. Petersen closed by saying the new application was like a father telling a kid no and then the kid going to their mother to see if they can get what they want.

Billy Clift was the last to speak during Public Comment. He said he has spoken many times before the Board and didn't want to take up too much of their time tonight. Clift said when he saw the application that had campground on it, it felt like a poor attempt to slide one in on the County, maybe even a bold attempt. Clift said there were vague comments and inconsistencies in the application and that residents still don't know what the plan is other than they know it's a gun range.

John Jenkins began his report by thanking everyone for coming out to speak. He said he always appreciates them. Regarding the campground and shooting range, he said the Board would cross that bridge when it came to it. As for the application, Jenkins said the associated uses seem vague and it might be best to forward those concerns to the Community Planning Department. Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, said that Community Development is tracking the concerns and that detailed discussions are taking place.

Jenkins continued that the stoplight at Hopyard was in Granger's district so he wouldn't comment too much on the issue but said Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) would be the one to talk to about the issue. Continuing, Jenkins attended the budget work session on the 13th. He said on the 17th, the King George High School Wrestling Team had the highest placement in the State Tournament in school history taking 8th place. Murrill took 6th place, Murgas took 4th place, and Indseth took 1st place. Jenkins said that Indseth was only the second State Champion in wresting from King George and that it was pretty amazing. Jenkins said they did better than he did but he's not bitter or jealous. He added that sadly, he was informed of the passing of Brian Albertson. Jenkins said he either wrestled or coached somebody in the Albertson family and that Brian had a positive influence on the community. Jenkins said that in talking to the family, they have asked that, in lieu of flowers, for donations to be made to a memorial fund set up by Wilma Ward, Director of Finance, and Chris Clarke, Director of Parks and Recreation. Jenkins said donations can be mailed to the Parks and Recreation Department at PO Box 71, King George, VA and to include Brian Albertson Memorial on the memo line.

Richard Granger opened his report by thanking Mrs. Parker for her comments on civility. He said that things can get heated but thanked her for her comments. Regarding the proposed gun range, Granger said that he apologized for his comments at earlier meetings that the project would require a special exception. He said he had no malicious intent and no intent to mislead anyone. He said the project would need a special exception permit to be approved by the Planning Commission. Regarding the traffic light, he said he would reach out to VDOT. Granger continued by saying he also attended the budget meeting on the 13th. He then clarified that at the last meeting there was a briefing by Ryan Gandy, Director of Economic Development, about the Fredericksburg Regional Alliance (FRA). He said there was a misunderstanding in reading the information presented and that the budget amounts listed were set by the localities, not the FRA. In other words, Granger said, the return on investment wasn't quite the same as they originally thought.

Cathy Binder was next to report. She also thanked everyone for their comments and appreciated Mrs. Parker's comments on civility. She said Parker is usually right on when looking at everything. Regarding the gun range, Binder said she understands everyone's feelings. To Dodge, Binder said she was also amazed at how much traffic has increased. Binder continued, saying she was at the Service Authority budget meeting on the 11th and the County budget meeting on the 13th. She said it was wonderful to hear about the good work and education that the Social Services Department contributes to the community. Binder also thanked the Finance staff and other employees for helping the Supervisors make better decisions. Binder said she regretfully had to inform the Board that Nancy Haenlein was resigning from the L. E. Smoot Library Board of Trustees but wanted to nominate Joseph Gaborow to take her place. The Board approved.

Ruby Brabo was next with her report, noting that on the 7th she met with the President of Atlantic Builders, Chip Taylor, and others to discuss affordable housing. On the 8th she met with the Pitts family to discuss Medicaid Waivers. On the 12th, Brabo met with the Annie Cupka, Economic Development Specialist, and Dr. Young at the Total Machine business in the Industrial Park. Brabo said that between King George and Richmond there are 15 shops like this that could hire about ten people right away to work Computer Numeric Control (CNC) machines. She said that Rappahannock Community College (RCC) is already working to train students in this field. Brabo attended the budget meeting on the 13th and participated in a National Association of Counties (NACo) conference call on the 14th. She joined the Friends of Caledon on the 18th to tour the Lake Caledon area to learn more about the property and potential fundraising efforts to aid in Caledon State Park annexing the site. To Mrs. Dodge, Brabo thanked her for the information on the blinking yellow light. Brabo said the Board has no say over that but will allow Granger to look into since he's already doing so. Regarding the proposed gun range, Brabo said she appreciated the diligence of Mrs. Means in looking at the application and noting the discrepancies. Brabo said it was unfortunate that she had to do all of that documentation but complimented her for her dedication. She said that for everyone else that comes to speak before the Board, their feedback is important but many people don't realize it. Brabo said that citizens notice things they are passionate about. She said she herself had raised a concern over the campground area and how much acreage was going to be used for camping compared to the gun range and it didn't measure up. She then moved to appoint Daniel Hughes to the Landfill Advisory Committee and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee. The Board approved. [EDITOR'S NOTE: Neil Richard, co-founder of Project94, is also a member of the Landfill Advisory Committee.]

Jeff Bueche was next to give a report. He started by thanking everyone for speaking and taking time away from their evening to do so. He told Mrs. Parker that her words didn't fall on deaf ears. Regarding the gun range, Bueche said people often wait too long to comment and appreciated them for coming out early in the process. To Mrs. Dodge, he thanked her for her comments and had faith that Granger was on top of it. On the 11th, Bueche said he attended the joint meeting with the Chamber of Commerce, the King George Builders Association, and the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Advisory Board. He said the presentation about the apprenticeship program was enlightening and could be beneficial to various stakeholders in the community. He recommended any business that needed a skilled workforce to look into the program at www.doli.virginia.gov or to reach out to the King George County School system.

Bueche continued, saying he attended the Social Services meeting on the 12th, the budget work session on the 13th, and enjoyed a great breakfast at the high school on the 18th to benefit the Student Lunch Fund. Bueche said he will be hosting a Round Table Discussion at Caledon State Park on March 22nd at 6pm. Expected to attend are Mike Bennett from the Service Authority Board of Directors and T. C. Collins from the School Board. Bueche then moved to appoint Shellie Renz to the Smoot Library Board of Trustees. The Board approved. Bueche also asked that if anyone was willing to serve on the Planning Commission, to please email him at Monroe@co.kinggeorge.state.va.us.

The Consent Agenda was approved.

The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.

Next on the Agenda was a request from the Department of Community Development to accept Willow Hill Road into the VDOT Secondary Road system. The Board approved.

Wilma Ward, Director of Finance, then asked for the Board to approve the updated Credit Card Policy. Brabo asked for some clarity around the purchase of gift cards. Ward said that generally only Parks and Recreation and the Sheriff's Department use the County credit card to purchase gift cards. The Board approved the updated policy.

Ward stayed at the podium and asked for the FY19 Budget to be amended to appropriate the Rescue Squad Assistance Fund (RASF) grant for the Emergency Services Department. The Board approved.

There was then some discussion about removing the preliminary plat review process from the Supervisors. Dr. Young said that the Board had already removed the final plat reviews from their work load and was seeking guidance on if the preliminary plat review should also be removed. Early consensus seemed to be that the Board was okay with that but after some discussion the Board decided they would like to keep the process in place. Bueche noted that he didn't want to impede on property rights but summed up the concern of others and himself by saying that he preferred to have the preliminary plats come before the Supervisors even though they can't necessary deny a by-right use. He said he would rather know about a project coming in than be kept in the dark. Brabo agreed and added that the Oakwood Estates development was a prime example where the Planning Commission approved the development but that the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) said septic systems needed at least an acre. She said past Supervisors chose to ignore that and felt that a second set of eyes was beneficial.

Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, had a short report, noting that he would like the Board to consider reappointing Robb Harling to the Economic Development Authority. The Board approved. Young also said that Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) would be hosting a public meeting on March 14th in the Board Room regarding the CROPS, Inc. permit request. Young said he also had a last minute addition to his report with the request from Section Three of Potomac Landing to include their newly completed roads in the VDOT system. Young said they wanted to add Section Three to the golf cart community and that VDOT would need an application for the land use on behalf of the Homeowner's Association. Brabo asked if this would cost any money aside from staff time. Young said no, the application fees are waived. The Board gave consensus to proceed.

The Supervisors then went into Closed Session at 8:44pm and invited Annie Cupka, Ryan Gandy, Dr. Young, and Eric Gregory to attend. Cupka left the meeting at 9:03pm and Gandy left at 9:12pm. The Board returned from Closed Session at 9:38pm.

The meeting adjourned at 9:38pm.

Meeting Attendees:
John Jenkins (Board of Supervisors)
Jeff Bueche (Chairman, Board of Supervisors)
Richard Granger (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 February 26, 2019 at 6:30 pm at Company 1.

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

2019-02-19 - Service Authority Meeting Notes

by Neil Richard

The Service Authority Board of Directors began their meeting at 6:30pm on February 19, 2019.

There were no amendments to the Agenda.

There was no Public Comment.

Chris Werle began his report by stating he attended the budget meeting on February 11th. On the 13th, he met with Mike Bennett, Jonathon Weakley, Dr. Neiman Young, Travis Quesenberry, Dean Hoagland, and Draper Aden to discuss and review their comments on the draft feasibility study to decommission the Purkins Corner and Oakland Park Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTPs). Werle said their comments were resolved and would be incorporated into the final report.

Richard Granger said he also attended the budget work session on the 11th and noted that budget work session for the 20th was cancelled due to inclement weather.

Cathy Binder noted that she attended the budget work session on the 11th as well as her first Agenda meeting on the 15th.

Ruby Brabo reported that she attended the budget work session on the 11th and appreciated the citizens that volunteered their time.

Mike Bennett also attended the budget session on the 11th and echoed Brabo's comments thanking the citizens for their hard work. He also clarified that the budget deficit noted during the work session, roughly $200,000, was a little too preliminary. He said the shortfall was relevant to the repairs and maintenance side of the budget, not the overall operation of the Service Authority. Bennett said there may be some other accounts that could make up for the shortfall. He also said that the Board of Supervisors had agreed to waive the cost allocation for the next fiscal year and that it would help the Service Authority a great deal. He thanked all of the Supervisors for their assistance. Bennett also attended the the Draper Aden meeting on the 13th as well as the Agenda meeting on the 15th. He noted that Binder would be joining them at future meetings.

The Consent Agenda was approved.

The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.

Mike Bennett then gave an update of Phase I of the Utility Master Plan. He said he thought it would be a good idea to get a presentation from Wiley Wilson and that previous discussions were around having it be part of the budget work session cycle. Bennett said that maybe it would be better instead to have them present in a regular work session, along with Draper Aden, to allow more time for questions and answers.

Jonathon Weakley, General Manager, gave his report next. Highlights of his report include discussion about the Hopyard Farm water system. As Weakley was describing the issues, Brabo asked if it was something to be concerned about because it was the newest system in the County. Weakley said yes but they feel they have narrowed it down to an electrical issue, they just haven't pinpointed the exact cause. He said he thought it might be an issue of "dirty power" from being at the end of the line but he wanted to be careful and not blame the power company without knowing all the details. He said he was going to look into getting a power recorder to chart data and then, if it was the power supply, work with the power company to find a solution.

Also of note was the Fairview Beach water system. Weakley said that the upcoming flow testing was because of an ISO survey that was due soon. Bennett said they've had really good water in Fairview Beach for awhile now and "I don't think anyone in Fairview Beach has said that."

Weakley then noted, sadly, that the Ninde water system storage tank was in danger of failing. He said the 6,000 gallon storage tank is leaking and that a previous survey noted it may not pass the next inspection in November. There was some discussion over rehabilitating the well house and storage tanks versus replacing them. Brabo said that even with a band aid fix, it may not give much more life. Werle said that Draper Aden said it may not be salvageable.

On the sewer side of the Service Authority, Weakley's report highlighted a new hire at the Dahlgren WWTP and their early initiative to become trained and licensed. Weakley said other open positions will be interviewing soon. Weakley did share some positive news, saying that Tim Maciejewski, Oakland Park WWTP Operator, reached out to a chemical supplier directly and ended up saving the Service Authority about $3,000 per month. Bennett said that he wasn't an engineer but getting chemicals from an engineering firm didn't seem like the best deal and thanked him for finding the savings. Brabo said it was amazing what a fresh set of eyes can do.

Weakley added a little more positive news, saying that future Water Quality Improvement Fund (WQIF) grants could be used for the bulk storage of chemicals which would in turn save more money in the future. He said he had to do more research to see if it was an option in the future.

Next was an update on where each WWTP stood regarding the Total Nitrogen (TN) and Total Phosphorus (TP) limits. Weakley noted that he researched a previous question about better aligning the Dahlgren WWTP permit, with a TN limit of 4.0mg/L, and the WQIF grant, with a TN limit of 3.0mg/L. He said they wouldn't be able to change either but warned that new permits typically use the grant limit as a starting point. There was then some discussion as to previous work done in 2017 where samples showed much lower numbers but suddenly they rose in 2018. Brabo said she remembered there being something done by the previous General Manager and staff that was supervised and reviewed by Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and even the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Brabo asked if Weakley could look into that to see what happened. Werle agreed, saying he saw the lab reports and the lower numbers. Weakley said he would be happy to do so.

Regarding the nutrient tracking, Weakley shared that all WWTPs were operating within limits except for Dahlgren, which had TN of 0.7mg/L over the grant limit but 0.3mg/L under the permit limit, and Oakland Park which was right at the TN limit of 15.0mg/L. Bennett noted that the Total Nitrogen limits at Purkins Corner, 10.0mg/L, and Oakland Park, 15.0mg/L, were larger than the other WWTPs and that was likely the reason DEQ asked for a feasibility study on closing them down.

Speaking of the feasibility study, Weakley said the final report from Draper Aden would be coming soon along with first phase of the utility master plan from Wiley Wilson. Weakley also brought back an answer to Brabo's earlier question about projected connections and actual connections. Weakley said that the projection last year for connections was 62, with 53 being residential water and sewer, six for residential water only, and three commercial connections. He said to date, there have been 42 connections, with 37 being residential water and sewer, three for residential water only, and two commercial connections. Werle said that was roughly one third left to go to meet the projection with one third of the year left.

The Board then went into Closed Session at 7:22pm and invited Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, Eric Gregory, County Attorney, and Jonathon Weakley, General Manager.

The Board returned from Closed Session at 7:40pm.

The meeting adjourned at 7:40pm.

Meeting Attendees:
Christopher Werle (Board of Directors)
Jonathon Weakley (General Manager of Service Authority)
Richard Granger (Board of Supervisors)
Michael Bennett (Chairman, 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 February 25, 2019 at 6:30 pm at Company 1.

Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Service Authority Meeting.

History of the Service Authority - Part 3 - 1965 to 1970

by Neil Richard

In previous articles covering the history of the Service Authority, Part 1 covered 1948 to 1959 and Part 2 covered 1960 to 1964.

Beginning in 1965, the State took notice of the pollution in the County. In March, the State Water Control Board condemned Williams Creek and Machodoc Creek to prevent shellfish harvesting. In April, they said it was not due to the most recent residential developments. Despite this claim, in May the State Water Control Board approved 100 homes and the Willow Oaks Apartments to flow their treated waste into Williams Creek. Also in May, the development called Cloverdale changed its name to Bayberry.

June 24, 1965 - Bayberry Estates

An engineering firm, Russell and Axon, presented a study that showed a need for a central water and sewer system. D. M. Martin, an engineer for the firm, presented a petition signed by 75 voters in support of a Dahlgren Sanitary District. The Board of Supervisors passed a resolution asking Circuit Court Judge S. Bernard Coleman for a bond referendum to create the Dahlgren Sanitary District. On April 20, 1965, the Circuit Court finally created the Dahlgren Sanitary District.

July saw sewer problems at King George High School and Lawrence Roller, the school Superintendent, asked for a single lagoon to solve the problem. He requested five acres at Arnold's Corner for the lagoon. That same month, local meetings were held with the Sanitary District Committee, the Dahlgren Civic Association, Sydnor Pump and Well Company, various health officials, consulting engineers, and interested residents. The purpose was to discuss the Dahlgren Sanitary District.

By the end of July 1965, 220 of the 228 qualified voters within the Dahlgren Sanitary District voted to approve a $700,000 bond by a vote of 132 for and 88 against. Along with the voters, Supervisor Woody Saft also approved the measure. It was noted that only those residents living within the Sanitary District would pay the tax.

Moving into to 1966 we begin to see disagreements and issues with how the newly formed Dahlgren Sanitary District operated and what the water and sewer system requirements should be. These disagreements sparked meetings in Richmond with Deward Martin and Jeule Elliot, both consulting engineers, legal advisor Alfred Garnett, Wilma Pounds of the State Water Control Board, Supervisor Woody Saft, and even Senator Paul W. Manns.

In late 1966, the Stafford Well and Pump Company was authorized to operate the water and sewer system in Bayberry Estates. Douglas and Dickinson, Inc. of Warsaw was approved to install a water system in Ninde that couldn't exceed 80 connections.

1967 brought more progress, and strife, to the budding Dahlgren Sanitary District. In March, the Board of Supervisors approved the tentative terms from the Farmers Home Administration (FHA) to clear the way for a a $55,000 bond for the Dahlgren Sanitary District water and sewer system. The bonds sold at 4.5% interest and would be payable in 34 years. This was much less than the $700,000 approved by residents but the consulting engineer, Deward M. Martin, said this was the most that could be obtained from FHA. $84,000 in Federal grants had already been approved. Martin also said that money could be saved by using a two-stage lagoon instead of a treatment plant as well as by using ten inch pipe instead of twelve inch pipe. Martin recommended using the existing wells instead of elevated storage tanks but that the tanks could be added within two years. Martin also said the fire hydrants could be added in the future. Supervisor Woody Saft didn't like Martin's ideas.

In April of 1967, the Board of Supervisors approved the advertisement of bids for the water and sewer system in the Dahlgren Sanitary District. The bids came back in May. Of the eight sealed bids submitted, the lowest was $649,653.43. Once again, reports said that Supervisor Woody Saft was not happy. Later that month, the Supervisors approved the following contracts:

Water systems

• Section I - G. L. Howard, Inc. - $112,350.90
• Section II - Elevated water tank - Pittsburgh-Des Moines Steel Company - $38,300

Sewer systems

• Section I - Gravity systems - T. A. Loving Company - $218,350.90
• Section II - Sewage Force Mains - Halifax Builders, Inc. - $28,154.88
• Section III - Sewage lift stations - Halifax Builders, Inc. - $72,900
• Section IV - Sewage Treatment Lagoons - Moore, Kelly & Reddish - $58,000

The total for all contracts was $527,808.58. The Supervisors also included $113,000 to purchase land, purchase the existing Sydnor well system, pay legal and engineering fees, and highway inspection fees. This brought the total cost of the project to $651,000 with a recommended safety cushion of $20,000.

Deward Martin again contributed his opinion by saying that even though the FHA loan was guaranteed for $550,000, he had been assured by the FHA that it can go up to $600,000. The State Water Control Board, via the Water Pollution Control Administration, also gave a grant for $71,000. It was also noted that there was an attempt to sell the $700,000 bond in 1965 but the National bond market took it's worst drop in twenty years and it never sold. It was also stated that the County applied for funds from Housing and Urban Development (HUD) but was denied.

The State Water Control Board and Donald Zepp, State Game Warden, tested the water in Machodoc Creek in July 1967 and found it to be too salty for large mouth bass eggs, frys, and fingerlings to survive. That same month, Dahlgren resident Howard Yarus, Supervisor Woody Saft, attorney A. W. Garnett, and engineer Deward Martin went to Richmond in an attempt to get the State Water Control Board to approve moving the stabilizing lagoons in Dahlgren.

In August 1967, the Dahlgren Sanitary District installed their first water lines from Ferry Dock Road north along Potomac Drive. They also installed lines on Forest Road, 15th Street, Gordan Drive, 14th Street, and South Williams Creek Drive. The Dahlgren Sanitary District elevated tank had a 75,000 gallon capacity. Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas R. Quesenberry deeded over 6.89 acres to Dahlgren Sanitary District.

By September 1967, the Dahlgren Sanitary District purchased the Sydnor water system and authorized Supervisor Woody Saft to act as agent to make the Dahlgren Sanitary District system operational. A few months later, the Supervisors placed a Want Ad for a full-time agent.

To close out 1967, the Dahlgren Sanitary District acquired land from Mrs. Rose Q. Payne (0.228 acres), Mr. and Mrs. Clifford C. Reed (0.425 acres), and Willow Oaks, Inc. (1 acre). The residents of Bayberry Estates began complaining about cloudy water. The Board of Supervisors approved water systems at Panorama Woods, located between Comorn and Fairview Beach.

In February 1968, Otis L. Zirkle is hired as an agent for the Dahlgren Sanitary District at a pay rate of $5,000 per year. In March, the Board of Supervisors approved renting a building for Zirkle to operate out of for $20 a month. The Supervisors also approved the purchase of office equipment and supplies for Zirkle for $304.50.

The Board of Supervisors instructed the County Clerk, V. Elwood Mason, to write to the owner of the Bayberry Estates development and contractor John T. Ellington. The Supervisors wanted to know what Ellington planned to do to fix the water issues in Bayberry as the state water test results said the water was not drinkable.

Closing out 1969, the Supervisors amended the Dahlgren Sanitary District operating ordinances to allow 45 days, instead of the previous 30 days, before a penalty was imposed for any unpaid bills.

OPINION - Putting Details, Magic, and Drama Into A Budget Session

by Neil Richard

Having just left the second Open House hosted by the Planning Commission, which was more heavily attended than the first one, I once again entered the realm of the budget work sessions held by the King George County Board of Supervisors. I noticed three main topics rise to the surface in this meeting. I'll try to cover each.

Details

Dr. Neiman Young began the meeting by asking the Supervisors for information on how they wanted to proceed with two items. The first was the cost allocation for the Service Authority. He said in past years it was about $60,000 and this year it was dropped further but he felt it would be better suited to drop it even more to $1,000. Based on this meeting, the previous Service Authority Budget Work Session, and prior year discussions, the Service Authority was a wholly independent entity. However, because the Service Authority and the County shared many services, it was felt that there needed to be a line item to charge the Service Authority a fee for the services the County provided. Dr. Young noted that in the past, this amount was never paid by the Service Authority and caused some accounting issues. Ruby Brabo clarified that the Service Authority never paid because the Board of Supervisors voted to not bill them for it. The Supervisors agreed with Dr. Young to drop the amount to $1,000 to serve as a smaller placeholder in the books.

Next, Dr. Young asked for guidance on the Smoot Library's request for additional funding to staff their Adult Services Librarian position. Young said this was an existing position, not a new one, and that the Library opted to remove funding for the job because it was level funded last year. Both Brabo and Bueche asked if the Library had done any fundraisers to help increase their revenue as the Supervisors had asked them last year. Cathy Binder, who is also a member of the L. E. Smoot Memorial Library Board of Trustees, said the Library has events planned for this spring and summer. Bueche said he was disappointed that they hadn't followed through with the fundraising and Brabo suggested that maybe it would serve the County better to join the Central Rappahannock Regional Library (CRRL) system to save $200,000 a year. Being painfully familiar with the proposal of CRRL taking over the Smoot Library, I knew this savings only looked true on paper. King George County contributed $384,858 to the Smoot Library in 2017 according to the library's 2017 Annual Report. This is very close to the drafted proposal from CRRL last year of an annual fee of $374,490. As I learned last year, joining CRRL isn't as beneficial as it may seem. In looking strictly at the potential savings to the budget, it would be just over $10,000, not $200,000.

Jane Yuan, Executive Director of the Rappahannock Area Community Services Board (RACSB), gave a presentation to the Supervisors and the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee. She detailed the services offered to residents, both those in need and those in the community. Of note was the REVIVE! Training they offered (which I wrote about here) and that they treated 1,628 King George County residents in need. Yuan did caution the Supervisors that due to law changes, there would be expected shortfalls in their budget of about $200,000 next year and potentially $600,000 the following year.

Dave Coman, Director of Social Services, also gave some further details on his use of the Thurman Brisben Homeless Shelter. By referring single individuals there, Coman said he saves the County money. He said the Thurman Brisben Shelter can house a person for 90 days as well as feed them and offer them access to public transit at no cost. Otherwise he would have to pay $250 to $300 per week for just a hotel room. Because of his financial responsibility and tenacity, the Supervisors agreed to fully fund the request from Thurman Brisben.

Ryan Gandy, Director of Economic Development, gave a shortened version of his previous presentation on the Fredericksburg Regional Alliance (FRA). While there were no new details, it was explained that the budget amounts cited in the original presentation were not clarified enough. As we previously reported, each locality contributes one dollar ($1) per capita. However, the spending budget cited was not the budget of the FRA but rather the budget of the locality. Therefore, our previous return on investment calculations were flawed. Instead, the spending budget for each locality is simply a representation of what each locality is willing to spend on economic development. To put it simply, Fredericksburg spends $971,249 while King George spends $164,081. With this clarity in mind, the Supervisors felt a need to look at the overall percentage of the Economic Development budget compared to the entire County budget when doing future comparison. They felt this would be a better measure of efficiency. During the conversation about bringing businesses to King George County, it was noted that some parcels in the Industrial Park do not have three phase power or broadband internet, both of which are frequently necessary for a manufacturer to do business.

Magic

Dave Coman stayed at the table to then go over his budget in the Department of Social Services (DSS). Much like the school budget, there is money from Federal, State, and local agencies involved, making things complex. To help simplify things, Coman said for every $100 he spends, he gets roughly $85 back from the state. Because of his good working relationship with Wilma Ward, Director of Finance, he's able to get those reimbursement payments processed quickly and easily.

Additionally, Coman said that his DSS team is the only one to partner with the Commonwealth Attorney to use those requiring community service hours as their judicial payment to society. Coman said these individuals are used to make repairs to the elderly residents in the County that are in need. He was careful to note that these were repairs and not improvements. He also said this process, and many others that he has used over his lengthy tenure, have earned our DSS team many awards.

Jeff Bueche said that he was appointed to the Social Services Board last year and fully expected to dig into their budget to root out waste and excess. He said that instead he found a group of hard working people that are very frugal with their money. Although I am not personally familiar with Coman or Social Services, it was very clear that his employees worked hard for very little money because it was the right thing to do. Brabo questioned if they were part of the compensation study done by the County and Wilma Ward and Dr. Young said they were not because they were not technically County employees.

Drama

The meeting ended with a bit of drama. The Supervisors began to review their own department, line by line, and when they got to the topic of giving themselves a raise, Richard Granger said he was okay with taking the raise but if future meetings showed a need to raise tax rates, he felt any raise for the Supervisors should be the first thing to go. The rest of the Supervisors seemed to agree. When they got to the line item for travel expenses, the drama began. Recent social media posts drew attention to Ruby Brabo's travel expenses and when Granger noted overspending in the past and suggested a new method of giving each Supervisor their own travel allowance in addition to another central pot of money, Brabo seemed to take offense. She reminded her peers that they supported her running for office in the National Association of Counties (NACo) two years ago and that she told them then that it would require additional costs.

When Brabo said no reports are given to Supervisors on their travel expenses and that no staff had told her in the past three years that she had overspent, Granger agreed and said that was a great reason for a new policy on how Supervisors handle their travel expenses. He said that because there has been overspending, it needs to be addressed and that a new policy seemed like the best option. According to materials handed out during the meeting, the travel expense budget was exceeded in FY16, FY17, and FY18. FY18 was the worst year with a budget of $7,500 and actual expenses of $18,924.90. No clarity was given on how much of that was reimbursed to the County from other entities such as NACo.

Granger continued with his reasoning behind a new policy by stating that any other department isn't allowed to just "blow past" their budgeted amounts and that it wasn't right that the Supervisors aren't held accountable. Brabo began to say that her involvement in various committees and boards has been a good return on investment when John Jenkins interrupted and said it felt like this was turning into more personal attacks on either a specific Supervisor for their travel or for their ideas. Cutting to the quick, Jenkins cited the recent questions raised on social media about Supervisor travel and said that transparency seemed to be the key to addressing both Brabo's and Granger's concerns and ideas. Jenkins said that he looked at the Essex County policy and liked the idea that they publish their information on their website. Jenkins said he was comfortable with each Supervisor coming to the table with their expected travel needs and was fine if each Supervisor had different amounts.

Jenkins then questioned existing policy by saying it would put Dr. Young in an uncomfortable position if he had to tell his boss, the Board of Supervisors, that they were over budget. Cathy Binder agreed that it would put staff in an awkward position. Jenkins said they also need to keep future Boards in mind. Jeff Bueche suggested that everyone should come with a spending plan that shows a forecast for expected travel and then the Supervisors can vote on it at the beginning of the year. Bueche said that if anything unexpected comes up, it can be addressed during the year by the Board but that the plan up front would be transparent. He also said it would put the burden of following the budget on the Supervisor to ensure they don't overspend.

Brabo did ask the citizens present if they had an opinion on the topic. One citizen noted that she was fine with the travel as long as it benefited King George County. Any travel that was to further an individual's political aspirations beyond their current role wasn't right. Bueche further explained that by putting a plan out there for the public would help Supervisors be held accountable to their constituents. Brabo again reminded everyone that the expenses shown don't factor in the revenue received from reimbursement. She said her expenses for the annual NACo conference in July were covered by NACo. Granger again said that because of overspending, he felt a need to create a fiscally responsible policy for travel expenses. Binder asked where money came from to cover any overspending and Brabo and Dr. Young said it came from savings in other departments.

Brabo again said that no staff member had come to her and told her she overspent. Binder said it didn't seem like a fair argument that an employee would go to their boss to say something like that. Bueche again said it puts Dr. Young in an awkward position.

Brabo made one final parting comment before the meeting ended, saying that none of her peers on the Board had the courtesy or respect to bring the social media posts on her travel to her attention. Jenkins said that was a fair point but that during the conversation this evening, he never mentioned anyone by name. Brabo said she hasn't had that kind of disrespect in four years.

2019-02-13 - Wetlands Board Public Hearing Notice

2019-02-05 - Board of Supervisors Meeting Notes

by Neil Richard

The Board of Supervisors began their first meeting of February at 7:24pm.

There was an amendment to the Agenda to add a presentation by Ryan Gandy regarding the King George Stakeholder Report on the partnership with the Fredericksburg Regional Alliance (FRA).

The Public Comment portion of the meeting began with Jerry Courtney. He said he lived about a mile as the crow flies from the former Cameron Hills Golf Course property, was a Navy veteran, and currently worked in the acoustics field. He wanted to give a demonstration, without teaching a class, about how sound can intensify. Giving the example of the King George High School Royal Regiment Marching Band at a football game, he asked everyone to imagine a student performing a solo. He then asked everyone to imagine the entire band performing. He said this simple example explains how sound can amplify and intensify. He then compared this to a single lane on a gun range being used versus multiple lanes being used at once. Courtney said there are formulas and calculators available online that can give further examples on how this process works. He said he reviewed the application from the Ognek brothers and could see where investors had tried to mitigate the concerns. He continued by saying there are multiple studies available that show gun ranges have a negative impact on home values and that he feels bad for those that live closer to the potential gun range. He closed by asking the Supervisors to please take into account the surrounding residents and vote against the proposal.

Next to speak was Dave Dooley who also wanted to voice his concerns over the proposed gun range. He said the Board has heard from several people on Salem Church Road and that may have minimized how broad the impact would be. He said he was a little closer to the golf course than the previous speaker. Dooley said during the winter, he can hear duck hunting on the Rappahannock River, nearly two miles away, from inside his house. He wanted people to understand that this wasn't just a Salem Church Road issue, that it was a broader issue. He said he's been in the County for 25 years and in the Rollins Fork area for more than ten. He said he wasn't anti-gun or even anti-development. Dooley said hunting and target shooting were part of country living and it wasn't a problem when it happened as a part of the natural life of the area. He said most people that hunt and target practice are respectful to their neighbors. He didn't want to say the business was going to be disrespectful but did feel it would have a negative impact on the area. Dooley closed by thanking the Supervisors for their efforts for the County and asked that they keep the Rollins Fork area in mind.

John McCullough was next to speak against the gun range. He kept his comments short by saying nobody could be more pro-gun than him but he couldn't imagine living there and hearing nothing but gunfire all weekend long.

Rob Neal was next to speak, again repeating his stance against the potential gun range. He cited a recent Free Lance-Star article where Richard Granger was quoted as saying the Comprehensive Plan would need to be revised to make gun ranges acceptable and a special exception permit would need to be obtained. Neal said the article also quoted the Ogneks as saying their application will demonstrate change isn't needed. He then directed his thanks to Ruby Brabo for her comments in the article about not wanting something like this in her backyard. Neal said he wanted to thank her for "publicly stating what you feel." Neal then moved off the topic of the gun range and said he recently noticed the plantings in the median of Kings Highway (Route 3). He said he was recently invited to attend an economic seminar and one of the things that came up in the discussion was how to help the County economically. Neal said he appreciated them for making the County more beautiful. Neal closed out his comments by telling Jeff Bueche the guys at the Convenience Center were awesome.

John Jenkins was absent.

Richard Granger began his report by thanking everyone for coming out to speak. He thanked Mr. Courtney for his real world example of how sound intensifies. Regarding the potential gun range, Granger said he needed to make a correction. He said the County Ordinances would need to be changes to allow gun ranges and then a Special Exception Permit would need to be obtained. Granger continued his report saying he attended the Tech Transfer meeting and budget work session on January 24, another budget work session on the 31st, and the military outbrief on February 1st. He also attended the joint meeting with the Tourism Advisory Committee (TAC) on the 4th. He then thanked Chris Clarke for recommending someone to fill a vacancy on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee. With that, he nominated Allen R. Parker to serve on the Committee.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: After the meeting, we obtained further information and clarification about the proposal and approval process for the potential development of the former Cameron Hills Golf Course. First, the application filed with the Department of Community Development is under the name of Freedom Hunt Outdoor Club. The owner of record is 170, LLC which shares an address with Michael Ognek. So although the development project has been identified under various names the Freedom Hunt Outdoor Club is the official name at this time. Second, the application filed was for a campground, not a gun range. Under Proposed Use, the application does list various activities such as "...camping, hiking, wildlife viewing and photography, archery and shooting." But the specific part of the application regarding the Special Exception Permit is for a "campground." Third, the application asks for variances to the Zoning Code. These variances are mostly related to the tent camping that is being proposed. The application asks for the elimination of laundry facilities and portable toilet requirements as well as improved roads. Finally, to further clarify the approval process, the Freedom Hunt Outdoor Club would need to obtain approval for their Special Exception Permit as a campground. This would require a Public Hearing before the Board of Supervisors.]

Cathy Binder began her report by thanking everyone for speaking. She said she read the newspaper article and spoke with Heather Hall, Zoning Administrator and Senior Planner, and confirmed that Granger's earlier correction was right. Binder met with Jonathan Weakley, Service Authority General Manager, on the 25th, attended the Mock Town Hall on the 29th, and attended the Virginia Association of Counties (VACo) Chairperson's Institute where there was positive discussions about King George's use of a Citizen Budget Advisory Committee. On the 24th and 31st she attended budget work sessions and the joint meeting with the TAC on the 4th.

Ruby Brabo's report began with her attending the budget work session on the 24th, a National Association of Counties (NACo) Military and Veterans Affairs Committee meeting on the 28th, and the Mock Town Hall on the 29th. On the 30th she attended a Rural Action Caucus reception and a VACo Board of Directors meeting on the 31st and the budget work session that same evening. On February 1st she attended the military out-brief and on the 4th she attended the joint meeting with the TAC. On the 5th she participated in a conference call with the Governor's Chief Broadband Advisor to discuss plans for broadband in the state.

Brabo thanked everyone for speaking during Public Comment and thanked Mr. Neal for his positive comments on the plantings. She said she has received calls, emails, and comments in person, all praising the plantings. She said the TAC came before the Board and they approved of the idea.

Regarding the proposed gun range, Brabo asked Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, if County staff has correctly interpreted the ordinances. Dr. Young responded that the parcels are zoned A1 or A2 and that looking under the ordinances, several uses are allowed by-right and several are listed as requiring a special exception. He said where the ordinance is silent or doesn't specifically mention a use, such as a gun range, that use is not allowed. For it to be allowed, it would need to be added to the zoning ordinance and then allowed by a Special Exception Permit. Eric Gregory, County Attorney, added that the Comprehensive Plan is a part of the zoning scheme for the County but is not a governing document. He said it is a guideline and not binding. In other words, Gregory said, the zoning ordinances are the important ones. Brabo then stated for further clarity on the process that if the zoning ordinances were amended, they would require a public hearing to add gun range as a use and it would apply to the entire County.

Brabo then asked if the Board would give consensus to send a letter of support for broadband in the state instead of using the state's excess budget amounts for state employee bonuses. After some discussion as to how broad or specific to word the letter, a consensus was reached to send a letter that broadly asks for more financial support for broadband.

Brabo asked Dr. Young for an update on the installation of a blinking warning light on Dahlgren Road near the new stoplight at the Caledon Road intersection. Young said he would look into it and update the Board but from the audience somebody said they took a picture of it today and it was installed.

Jeff Bueche thanked everyone for commenting and said unfortunately people too often wait too far along in the process to speak up. He commended everyone for doing that. He continued by stating he attended the budget work sessions on the 24th and 31st as well as the joint meeting with the TAC on the 4th. He thanked the citizens that served on the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee for the County and felt Dr. Young gave a very informative State of the County presentation. On the 25th, Bueche attended the Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services Awards Banquet. He congratulated the award winners and thanked both the career staff and volunteers that help protect residents every day. On the 31st he attended the County Government Day in the Virginia General Assembly and enjoyed exposing his son to the inner workings of government. Bueche also attended the VACo Chairperson's Institute on the 1st and 2nd. He closed by giving a few thoughts on the budget process including that "every line item has an impact to someone, some department, etc."

The Consent Agenda was approved.

The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, reported on two items. First was a request for a Deed of Easement from Scarlett Cooper for a storm water management facility. Gregory apologized for the late nature of the request but there were delays in the real estate transactions. He said the facility would be the responsibility of the property owner and that if they failed to maintain it, the County could repair it as needed and place a lien on the property to recoup the expenses. The Board approved the easement.

The second half of Gregory's report included various bills that were in the State's House or Senate that impacted localities. He listed several that passed one house, some that died, and some that were delayed. Of those he discussed, he said the ability for localities to tax cigarette sales failed and the legislation improving proffers passed. Brabo asked about the bill to transfer development rights, HB2139. Gregory said it passed the House and was sent to the Senate. He said if it passed there, it would be something the County would need to look at. Brabo asked if it passed would it be mandated. Gregory said no, an ordinance would need to be created to clarify the process. Brabo warned the rest of the Board that this is a potential source of Stafford's explosive growth and that it should be considered carefully if it passes. Gregory agreed that it may not be right for King George.

The Public Hearing regarding the amendment to the Subdivision Ordinances was next. Heather Hall gave a summary presentation of the history, the changes, and the recommendation from the Community Development Department. Nobody made a public comment and the Board approved.

Next was a presentation from Jeff Stonehill, partial owner of Machodoc Creek Marina, on his request to make the area near the Marina a No Wake Zone. He said they have found that because of the Marina's location in the Machodoc Creek, boats speed through the area and cause damage to his customers' boats docked at his location. Stonehill also said it makes fueling boats dangerous. Additionally, he said there is a blind corner coming through the area and he's afraid an accident may occur with boats leaving his boat ramp. He said the State defined No Wake as "slowest possible speed required to maintain steerage and headway" and said buoys would be placed about 50 feet form the dock. He also said that boats cannot stop like cars. Stonehill said he has consulted with various authorities, including the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) and said that because King George does not have an existing No Wake Zone, a county ordinance would need to be created. He said that for a No Wake Zone to be created, the applicant, in this case himself, would be required to bear all the costs of installing the buoys and maintaining them. He said the Virginia State Marine Police, DGIF, and even the King George County Sheriff's Office could enforce the No Wake Zone rules.

Granger asked if the steerage and headway was different for different sized boats and how law enforcement could enforce that. Stonehill said there are various factors including tides, wind, and the size or displacement of the boat that would determine the safest speed. He said it would be up to the officer to determine what was safe and what was not.

Binder asked how many buoys needed to be installed. Stonehill said he planned on four but it was ultimately up to DGIF to determine how many are required. He added that many residents further up the creek expressed an interest in expanding the No Wake Zone to include all of the creek. Binder then asked how much it would be policed and how would speeder be ticketed. Stonehill said they have asked for an increased police presence but it has been limited due to a small DGIF staff. He did say that anyone that witnesses a boat speeding in a No Wake Zone could testify to it and the offending boat captain would receive a ticket just like a speeding ticket for car drivers.

Gregory said he had to hand it to Stonehill for doing the research and looking at everything involved. His suggestion was for Stonehill to apply to the Board of Supervisors and submit an application for the new ordinance as well as send an application to DGIF. He said while the application with the state was being reviewed, the County could work on the new ordinance. Gregory said once DGIF approves the application, the County could give Public Notice, hold a Public Hearing, and adopt the new ordinance. He said the Planning Commission wouldn't need to be involved but the state was in charge of the waterways. Brabo told Stonehill he may want to think about including other entities in the No Wake Zone proposal. Gregory reminded her that whoever applies is fiscally responsible for the buoys and he may not want to do that for the entire creek. There was then some confusion over the potential name of the ordinance as Gregory referred to it at the Machodoc Creek No Wake Zone but Brabo said it was called Williams Creek. Which name is correct depends on which documents and maps are reviewed. Generally speaking, Williams Creek begins north of Owens Drive and flows south into Machodoc Creek. It ends prior to the Machodoc Creek Marina. Machodoc Creek and Upper Machodoc Creek begin near the High School and flows generally east into the Potomac River. In the end, Gregory said the Board could tailor the name as desired and with DGIF input.

Next was a presentation by Brad Hudson, Director of Community Development, regarding the Dominion Medical building located next to Big Dog Outfitters. In his presentation he shared photos and information regarding the building's unsafe nature and deterioration. He shared aerial photos taken by Chief Lynd as well as ground level images that easily showed the roof leaking and partially collapsed. He said it was difficult to see in the images but inside the building were records that were presumed to be medical records and that mold was growing throughout the building. Hudson also shared the timeline of notices that were attached to the building as well as published in the newspaper. He said all correspondence sent to the building's owner were returned by the Post Office. Hudson's bottom-line request was for $25,000 to remove the building down to the concrete slab. He said the expense would be recouped by placing a lien on the property.

After the presentation, Brabo asked if the building was attached to the Big Dog Outfitters store next to it. Hudson said they share a masonry firewall but that wall served as the property line. Brabo asked if the buildings were owned by the same person and Hudson said they had different owners. Brabo said that even though Hudson's research said the County was not required to shred any medical records found inside, she wanted to do the right thing to ensure they were destroyed properly. Binder agreed. Brabo asked if the Treasurer or the Commissioner of Revenue would be able to waive the lien and Gregory said no, they would not be involved in that transaction because it was the County placing the lien and the County that had the right to waive the lien. Gregory further clarified by saying the County in this case was defined as the Board of Supervisors. The Board approved Hudson's request for funds.

Next was the amended portion of the Agenda, Ryan Gandy's presentation on the Fredericksburg Regional Alliance (FRA). Gandy gave numerous facts and figures, both written and in chart form, on how the FRA was funded, how their expenses broke down by each locality, and how the FRA compared to other regional economic development groups. After the presentation, Granger said he serves on the FRA Board and never had any concerns about the value that they provide to King George. He did appreciate Gandy putting everything together.

Brabo agreed that it was nice to see all of the information. While she meant no disrespect to Curry Roberts, FRA President, she felt his presentation would have been a marketing pitch whereas Gandy's presentation looked more at how money was utilized. She said it appears to her, the largest benefit is the access to the data and research that allows staff to be freed up for other tasks. She did question why the FRA only joined the Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce and not the King George Chamber of Commerce.

Brabo also called attention to the fact that it appeared Fredericksburg received the bulk of FRA's spending. Each locality contributes one dollar ($1.00) per capita to the FRA so with roughly the same population, Fredericksburg and King George contribute roughly the same amounts in 2017 (Fredericksburg contributed $29,213 while King George contributed $24,739). However, of the spending budget to each locality, Fredericksburg was allocated $971,249 while King George was given $164,081. This equates to King George getting a return on their investment of roughly 563%, the lowest among the five member localities in the FRA. Fredericksburg in turn gets the highest rate of return at 3,225%.

Gandy said it would be up to the Supervisors to determine how much is expended with FRA in the County's budget. Brabo thanked him for bringing all of the information to their attention and said again that it was great information to have. Granger added that as the FRA representative, he could sit down with Gandy and Curry Roberts to discuss how the FRA could maybe focus more on King George. Brabo also pointed out that although it's great to have a regional partnership like this, in the end the partners were competitors when it came to economic development. Bueche thanked Gandy for his hard work and asked Dr. Young to supply this information to the citizens serving on the Budget Advisory Committee.

Next was a request from the Department of Finance to transfer funds from the General Fund to the Capital Fund as it related to the debt mitigation payment. The Board approved.

Chris Clarke, Director of the Parks and Recreation Department, then presented his request to update the fees associated with the use of the Citizen's Center. He said the current fees date back to 2010 and possibly beyond that. He said his first few days on the job he was confused by how much a customer had to pay for rental fees, cleaning fees, security deposits, and more. To end the confusion and to make the rates more reasonable to cover costs, he presented an updated fee schedule. He gave a few examples showing how modest the increases were. For an eight hour wedding reception, he said the current fee would be $406 while the new fee would be $460. He said this is still one of the cheapest rates in the area with Hopyard charging $800 for the same event and White Oak Fire Department charging $500. He said both of those venues don't clean while the staff at the Citizen's Center does. He also said events that would involve alcohol would have a larger fee. In the end, he said the Citizen's Center would still be the cheapest place to rent but the goal was to increase fees to create more revenue and decrease the cost to residents. Clarke also clarified that if the new fees were approved, they would not impact reservations that have already been made but would only be for future rentals. The Board approved the new rates.

Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, was next to present his request for funding for an outside vendor to study the odor complaints at the landfill. He said he received proposals from several firms. Granger said the landfill was in his district and would appreciate everyone's support on this. He said as with the FRA, he felt this was the Board doing their due diligence on behalf of the residents of King George. The Board approved.

Next was a request to write a letter of thanks for Hap Connors and his contributions over numerous years to the Commonwealth Transportation Board, especially as it related to the SMART SCALE projects. Consensus was given.

Dr. Young then gave his report on a letter from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) stating that CROPS, Inc. had requested increasing the amount of land they can apply biosolids to. Because the request was greater than 50% of the existing land used, DEQ must hold a Public Meeting to get comments from residents. DEQ was asking for help from the County in coordinating the event. Consensus was given.

The Board went into Closed Session at 9:25pm and invited Eric Gregory, County Attorney, and Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, to attend.

The Board returned from Closed Session at 9:58pm.

The meeting adjourned at 9:58pm.

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

Absent:
John Jenkins (Board of Supervisors)

Meeting Agenda

Next Meeting:
The Board of Supervisors will next meet on February 13, 2019 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.

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

2019-02-05 - Service Authority Meeting Notes

by Neil Richard

The Service Authority Board of Directors opened their February 5th meeting at 6:30pm.

There were no amendments to the Agenda.

Yvonne Richard was the only one to speak during Public Comment. She began by saying thank you to everyone for serving on the Board. Her suggestion was to give customers more than twenty minutes notice when performing maintenance on water lines. She said some people may be negatively impacted if they set a dishwasher to run during the day and service is interrupted [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is the spouse of Yvonne Richard.].

Chris Werle began his Board Report by saying he had reviewed and made comments on the draft feasibility study that was being created on the decommissioning of the Purkins Corner and Oakland Park Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs). He said his comments were mostly focused on the upgrades, the costs, and the new ammonia regulations coming in the future. He said the County Engineer, Travis Quesenberry, also gave his comments as well. He reminded the Board that at a previous meeting, they said an update from Draper Aden would be done at an upcoming budget work session but he felt a meeting was necessary before that to wade through the technical comments first. Werle said Jonathan Weakley, General Manager, would schedule that meeting soon. On January 25th, Werle said he met with Weakley to discuss the upcoming budget work sessions.

Richard Granger apologized in his Board Report that he still had not found anyone to serve as his representative on the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee. Granger said Mrs. Richard, who was still in the audience, volunteered even though she did not live in his district. With that, the Board approved Mrs. Richard to serve on the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee for the Service Authority.

Cathy Binder had no Board Report.

Ruby Brabo's Board Report began with an update from a meeting she held on January 29th with Cliff Parker from AQUA. She said he presented some interesting charts and data on the average water and sewer rates across Virginia that may help when the Board looks at rates in the future. Brabo said that, with apologies to Werle and Mike Bennett, Chairman, that going forward Binder, Vice-Chair, should be in as many meetings as possible as this was her training year. Brabo said she understood Werle's role on the Board but felt Binder should be included whenever practically possible.

Bennett said he had a brief discussion before the meeting about that and said they would do everything possible to keep Binder in mind and trained for her to assume the role of Chair next year. Bennett said the Draper Aden report had a fair amount of engineering content so Werle and the County Engineer would understand it better.

Werle said that Binder should be at that meeting but Brabo said that three Board members can't be present as that would constitute a meeting. Brabo said she was just looking to include Binder in meetings when feasible. Bennett said they definitely wanted to get Binder up to speed.

Mike Bennett began his Board Report by thanking Werle for his two years serving as Chairman. He said there was obviously a rocky period of time in the past but thanked him for the incredible amount of time he put into the organization. Bennett said the only person that probably understands how much time Werle has put into this is Mrs. Werle. Bennett again thanked him and said he looked forward to working with Werle in the coming years.

Bennett continued his report by saying he met with Weakley about a variety of issues including staffing, Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) compliance, pump stations, and more. Bennett said he is aware of how a lengthy Service Authority meeting impacts his fellow Board members that serve on the Board of Supervisors as well as those members in the audience waiting for that meeting. Bennett said that he still wants to remain transparent and get the job done but felt that if some things could be accomplished in budget work sessions, they should try to do that. He cautioned that he didn't want to do anything inappropriate but there were certain discussions that were directly tied to the budget that could be handled. His big example was the feasibility of decommissioning the Purkins Corner and Oakland Park WWTP as well as pump stations. He said both issues are complicated and very expensive but he felt it could help save time in future meetings by discussing them in work sessions. The rest of the Board seemed to agree.

Bennett concluded his report by thanking everyone that volunteered for the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee and that Weakley needed their contact info to ensure they were available on the scheduled dates and to be able to share material before the meeting.

The Consent Agenda was approved.

The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.

Jonathon Weakley, General Manager, then began his report by thanking Mrs. Richard for volunteering to serve as well. He also said the KGALERT system was something they're becoming accustomed to and that more advanced notice is certainly best. He gave the recent example of the Walnut Hill connection that went out the night before scheduled work was to begin.

Weakley continued with an update on the water system. He had a meeting with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) on January 24th, repairs were made at the Arnold's Corner well house, and switches were replaced in Cleydael. He also added that in making their repairs in Cleydael, they tested the Peppermill well to ensure it could maintain pressure in the system. Weakley also said required survey letters were submitted to VDH and that the Walnut Hill water tie-in between St. Paul's/Owens and Dahlgren would be made February 6th.

Deviating from his written report, Weakley said they have scheduled meetings with administration and maintenance at King George High School to investigate reports of intermittent discoloration in the water. He said this was also an ideal time to build rapport with all interested parties as well as ensure there is a owner/agent document in place so all parties know their responsibilities.

Weakley then began to give an update on the sewer system. He said that Fairview Beach and Dahlgren WWTPs have nutrient requirements for the permit as well as the Water Quality Improvement Fund (WQIF) grant each facility received. He said that while Fairview Beach WWTP has the same requirements in both the permit and the grant, Dahlgren has a stricter requirement for the grant than the permit. Weakley said the Total Nitrogen (TN) was limited to 4 mg/l by permit but the WQIF grant required 3 mg/l. He said within the grant language, if limits are exceeded, DEQ can assess a fee but he isn't sure what that fee amount would be.

For historical context, DEQ issued a letter in March 2018 stating that the Dahlgren WWTP exceeded allowed limits for Total Phosphorus (TP). The limit in the grant was 0.30 mg/l and the annual average was 0.44 mg/l. DEQ assessed a rate of $8,500 per 0.1 mg/l overage for a total fee of $11,900. That same month, Fairview Beach WWTP has a similar fee assessed for $3,976.

Bennett asked if he had any thoughts about which took a priority, the grant or the permit. Eric Gregory, County Attorney, said the permit is the legal authority while the grant will only govern funds for a project. Bennett wondered if there was a way to make the limits the same and asked Weakley if he had seen this before. Weakley said he hasn't really seen this much before. Gregory added that often the grant is to fund equipment upgrades to get a certain level or reading above the permit and when it falls below, then the funds could be impacted. Gregory said that has happened before. Werle added the regulations and guidelines say they can collect funds. Weakley said he was happy to see if there's any wiggle room or if they can get them to match. Gregory agreed that it was certainly worth a try.

Weakley continued his report stating new operating procedures and manuals were being completed, a sampler was installed at Purkins Corner WWTP, and an algae evaluation was being completed. He also said pump stations were continuing to be an issue noting that there were two sanitary sewer overflows recently. He said both were reported as required to DEQ but the pump failures and lack of redundancy were an issue. Weakley said he didn't like coming to the Board with reports like this but he was being honest and transparent. He did give more positive news with revenue coming in with connections in Hopyard. Werle added that Ryan Homes built 41 homes last year and were on track to build more than that this year. Werle also said that Hazel Homes is working on the infrastructure in the final three sections for the remaining 450 homes. Weakley said it helps the bottom line.

Weakley also thanked Dr. Young, County Administrator, and Travis Quesenberry for their help with the decommissioning proposal and the utility plan submission. Weakley said two tampering fee letters were sent, hiring wastewater operations staff is ongoing, and meetings on the feasibility study for decommissioning are planned. The meeting for the feasibility study was discussed at length to determine who could and who should attend the meeting. With only two Board of Director members being allowed to attend, the timing of the meeting, and the technical knowledge needed, the Board agreed that Werle would attend the first meeting and that Binder would attend meetings after that. Also invited were Dr. Young and Travis Quesenberry.

Weakley also said that a billing issue related to the encryption codes for water meters was discovered and resolved. He said about 70 meters were not billing correctly and those customers would be put on a payment plan. Weakley said he has already reached out to the Finance Department to develop a new quality control process to ensure this doesn't occur again.

Brabo asked about the water systems being combined and what the benefit would be for combining them under one permit. Weakley explained that it would save money in the end because of the reduction in sampling, lab analysis, and correspondence. Brabo also said that in the past, the General Manager would provide the Board monthly updates on the current revenue and where it tracked with the projected revenue to see if the Service Authority would meet it's budget. Weakley said he would gather the information for a future meeting.

Bennett then discussed the pump issues at some length. He said the issue was complicated and that most pump stations should have two pumps. Weakley agreed that most larger stations have two. Bennett said the problem with ours was that we only had one working pump. Similar to the earlier, and still on-going, issues with having the correct number of wells working or available for use, the pump stations need redundancy. He said DEQ took special notice of this lack of redundancy and may continue to focus on it in the future. Bennett said we don't know what DEQ will require but wanted to give the Board and customers a preview of coming attractions but said "it may be a horror movie." He continued by saying it would cost a lot of money to get them up and running but they're hopeful DEQ will let them phase it in over time so there wouldn't be such a blow to the bottom line.

Bennett said he talked to Weakley over the phone a few weeks ago and asked him how it was going being the General Manager. Bennett said Weakley told him he loved a challenge "but man, this has a lot of challenges." Bennett said that was dead honest and we're here to help. Bennett then spoke to Mrs. Richard, who was still in the audience, that he didn't respond to her public comment because he felt like, with all due respect, it was a no-brainer that more notice should be given.

Bennett made two final points. First, he felt that Weakley should give a State of the Union of sorts for the Service Authority. Bennett said Weakley would have a fresh look on things and it may help. Bennett said he's been impressed so far with Weakley's performance, noting that he recently caught an issue where a vendor had over billed them. Bennett's second point was surrounding Weakley's power to change job descriptions and pay. Bennett wanted to know how much the Board was involved with that. Brabo said the only employee the Board oversees is Weakley. She said it was up to Weakley to run his shop how he saw fit. Regarding pay, Brabo said Weakley would need to put it in his budget and bring it before the Board for approval.

There was no Closed Session.

With that, the meeting adjourned at 7:20pm.

Meeting Attendees:
Christopher Werle (Board of Directors)
Jonathon Weakley (General Manager of Service Authority)
Richard Granger (Board of Supervisors)
Michael Bennett (Chairman, 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 February 11, 2019 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.

Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Service Authority Meeting.

OPINION - Second Round of Military Exercises

by Neil Richard

The 98th Civil Affairs Battalion landed in King George County again, this time arriving by car instead of parachute. As with last year's exercises, the format was to brief County leadership and staff on their goals, answer questions from residents at a Town Hall, and give presentations with their findings. Many of the men and women of Bravo Company were not only new to Civil Affairs but also new to each other as teammates. Despite this challenge, they exceeded expectations and handled themselves as well as, and sometimes better than, the previous teams.

The week began with a presentation to show the general overview of the group's plan and their main focus. There were four individual teams, each with a different area to research and develop a plan for the end of the week. During the week, each team met with local residents, business owners, and regional partners. Just like last year, each team was met with challenges, some real, some manufactured, to help them in their training exercise.

One point that was emphasized early and often was that even though this was a training exercise, both sides of the symbiotic relationship saw a real world impact. Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, cited a specific Sergeant from the previous trainees that spoke to him after his deployment. Young said the Sergeant gave examples from his experience in King George that helped complete their mission while deployed. Ruby Brabo also cited benefits to the County, including a partnership with the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail (DRHT) that helped expand the options available to the Parks and Recreation Department [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is the Treasurer of the Friends of DRHT.].

Before going into the end results from each team, it should be noted that these results were driven by a short week, multiple interviews and on-site surveys, and input from elected officials. As was the case last year, the presentations given had some obvious facts stated, some new ideas given, and were generally well received. The presentations are also not binding in any way, but rather an outsider's perspective on what can be done to resolve current or future issues.


Economic Development
This group recommended a workshop or summit for the Economic Development Authority, Economic Development Department, Tourism Advisory Committee, and other groups to better work together and collaborate as a group. They also recommended looking into regional partnerships to see where membership money could best be spent.

Parks and Recreation
This group looked mostly at the river access in the County. With Wayside Park on the Potomac River going away when the new 301 Bridge is built, the County would be left with one County-owned water access location; Wilmont Landing. After reviewing the area, they recommended making minor improvements but nothing more. Due to County property being surrounded by a National Wildlife Refuge, only four spaces on site, and the Rappahannock River being one of the fastest in the state, they felt it would be too expensive, too complicated, and too dangerous to make large improvements there.

However, they recommended using existing, privately owned water access points instead. They felt using a Private-Public Partnership (P3) could benefit the property owner, local businesses, and the County. Locations mentioned were Fairview Beach, Waugh Point, Caledon, Machodoc Creek Marina, and Still Water Marina. They also clarified that the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) owned the Hopyard Landing access point and that it was open to the public.

Transportation
In looking at the transportation needs and challenges of those working on base and living in the surrounding area, this team suggested using a variety of methods to help curb traffic and increase the speed of access onto base. They suggested van pools, bike lanes, micro-bussing, and even changes to access control. Citing the public transit system in Fayetteville and Fort Bragg, their home base, they felt a public or ride sharing option was feasible. Alternating traffic at the gates and even special HOV lanes at the gates may require more work but were still in the realm of the possible.

Emergency Operations
In being tasked with refining the current Emergency Operations process, this group said they found so few deficiencies, they would instead present their findings on the security assessment they did for the Courthouse and Revercomb Building. Using the two existing options of building a new Courthouse or to use existing buildings, they felt their plan could work for either of those options or anything in between until a final solution was developed. By focusing on improving security at the Courthouse, increasing drills at the Revercomb Building, and identifying the benefits and challenges of any solution, this group felt their ideas could be used now and in the future regardless of what the final answer is for the Courthouse question.

In closing, this young group made an impression with their innovative ideas. There were stumbling points along the way but they learned from their mistakes and adapted well. There level of detail was great but the depth of their research was most impressive. Not only how much was done before their arrival but also during their stay. I wish them well in their future deployments and know that they will not be forgotten.

OPINION - Line By Line Review of Department Budgets

by Neil Richard

On January 31, 2019, the Board of Supervisors and most of the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee met for their second Budget Work Session. Just like the previous Work Session, Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, repeated much of what was covered last year. While he and the Supervisors may have remembered the information from last year, it served as a good education for the citizens.

Dr. Young's review covered the differences between charities and outside agencies, mandated and unmandated agencies, and a table comparing the amounts requested by outside agencies last year and the actual amounts funded by the Board. Dr. Young also assured the Board that neither he nor his staff removed any funding requests as it was the Board's decision on what was ultimately funded.

As in previous years, the Board agreed to not fund unmandated agencies with only a few exceptions. There was a general consensus to fund the disAbility Resource Center and the Thurman Brisben Homeless Shelter again this year. Bill Doyle, the Vice President of Finance at Rappahannock Community College (RCC), gave a short presentation explaining their funding request this year and why it was different. RCC asked for an additional $113 dollars this year compared to last year. While the Board listened, the general mood was that they saw no reason to pick apart his request but did appreciate his time and effort in presenting his request.

There was some discussion over King George County being a member of the Fredericksburg Regional Alliance (FRA) and how much that membership gave back to the County. There seemed to be some concern over the return on investment but the discussion somehow turned into another discussion on the defunct plan to bring natural gas to the Industrial Park. There was also some discussion of the large increase in funding requested from the Rappahannock Area Community Services Board (RACSB). At just over an extra $7,500 from last year, the Board felt like a presentation was in order to get a better understanding of why the request was so much larger and to learn more about what services they offer and how they benefit King George residents.

Dr. Young also reviewed the various line items that could, and would, impact the budget. The mandatory items included an unknown School Board budget, unknown health insurance increases, the Virginia Retirement System (VRS), and more. He also shared his desire to include optional items, such as the planned increase in County employee pay, four new employee positions, and a potential increase to the Supervisors salary. Much of this discussion was around the request for a truck inspector at the landfill to ensure trucks leaving the facility had no loose trash remaining in their trailers. Young said this used to be an existing position but was never back-filled when the previous employee left. He said he added this position due to the frequent complaints about trash along the roads near the landfill as well as main roads that trucks use to transport trash to the landfill. The Board balked a little bit and was more interested in looking to see if Waste Management could foot the bill. Dr. Young said he has already discussed the matter with them and it sounded like Waste Management felt the County should pay for it. In the end, the general consensus from the Board was to look at some way to share the cost of the inspector's salary between Waste Management and the County.

Next on the Agenda for the evening was a line-by-line review of three departments. Because the Social Services Director was on vacation, the only departments reviewed were Information Technology (IT) and Parks and Recreation. Chris Dines, Director of the IT Department, reviewed his budget page by page, line by line, and answered questions from the Board. When asked why there were so many licenses for Microsoft Office 365, Dines said it was for every County employee, not just the employees in the IT Department. The Board also questioned why he was paying for an air card for Travis Quesenberry, County Engineer. Dines said he needed a mobile connection when he was working in the field and didn't have a tablet that could do so.

Next up was Chris Clarke, Director of Parks and Recreation Department. His budget was split into four major sections; Administration, Citizen's Center, Athletics, and Programs. Clarke explained that because Athletics and Programs were self-sufficient with their funding, he wasn't going to review them. Under the Administration umbrella fell the majority of Clarke's budget. While nobody on the Board called attention to it, I noticed that of the fleet of vehicles used, only one was relatively new; a 2017 van. The other three vehicles used included a 2009 Ford Explorer and two vehicles from 2000. With half of his fleet nearly 20 years old, I predict a need for a new van next year.

When the flyers and brochures came up, most of the discussion focused on how the school system no longer allowed flyers to be sent home because of their use of the Peachjar tool. Peachjar is  a system by which school systems, including King George County, can electronically distribute flyers. In other words, instead of sending flyers and newsletters home with students, they can be sent in a more environmentally friendly way. There was also a lengthy discussion regarding the need for a PO Box versus a mailbox outside the building. The general consensus seemed to be that simply installing a mailbox would save the County $200 per year. The Board questioned the need for so many cell phones but Clarke explained that those employees that needed to be contacted on evenings or weekends had them as well as those employees that were often in the field because of athletic programs.

One discussion that both departments shared was the travel and conference expenses. Similar to her question last year, Ruby Brabo questioned why Dines had such a small budget for conferences. Dines said that because his staff is so small, he rarely attends them unless they are nearby. When the Board asked Clarke about the conference fees that Dr. Young had removed from his budget, Clarke said Dr. Young made a fair point that as a very new employee he should maybe wait until next year to attend more events.

Clarke then moved into the Citizen's Center budget, noting that with recent bathroom renovations, there was a significant drop in revenue. He also said the construction at the King George Middle School and a leaky roof at King George Elementary School have impacted their athletics programs as well. Although Clarke didn't go into detail about it, his budget paperwork did explain that the Citizen's Center was frequently rented by various groups. Because of this, cleaning staff often worked odd hours, including past midnight on weekends, to clean the building immediately following an event.

Although not a part of the presented budget, it was brought up that the Old King George Middle School currently had no heat. Because of this, the water was turned off to prevent pipes from freezing. Due to the lack of water, Dr. Young said a porta-potty was brought in for those that still rent the building. He said although it wasn't ideal, it was a stop-gap measure until heat and water could be restored.

Future work sessions are scheduled for February 13th and 26th with the first meeting covering a line-by-line review of Social Services and expenditure reports and the second meeting will include a briefing from Davenport. Future work sessions beyond those will include a budget from the School Board and revenue reports.

Further Reading:

January 29, 2019 - A View From Outside The Citizen Budget Advisory Committee