Tuesday, April 30, 2019
2019-04-23 - FY19/20 Budget Public Hearing
by Neil Richard
The King George County Board of Supervisors held a brief Public Hearing on the County's upcoming budget proposal. Carol Werle asked during the Public Comment period at the beginning of the meeting about the proposed grants for small businesses by the Economic Development Authority (EDA). Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, would later clarify for her that the grant program for small businesses was currently in the planning stages and not finalized yet. He also said that the program had many potential solutions to the high financial burdens placed on small businesses that included micro loans, grants, and other financial aid.
Regarding the County's budget for fiscal year 2019/2020, Dr. Young reiterated what he already covered in the previous regular Board meeting. When the floor was open for Public Comment on the budget, one resident asked if there were copies of the budget to be reviewed. Dr. Young said the budget was posted on the County's website as well as printed in the Free Lance-Star. As the meeting progressed, he also had staff print copies to be on hand for those in the audience. Jim Lynch, a frequent attendee and speaker, also commented on the Supervisors hard work and quoted from George Washington.
With a promise to schedule work sessions for a two-year budget proposal, Dr. Young concluded his presentation. The meeting ended shortly afterwards.
The King George County Board of Supervisors held a brief Public Hearing on the County's upcoming budget proposal. Carol Werle asked during the Public Comment period at the beginning of the meeting about the proposed grants for small businesses by the Economic Development Authority (EDA). Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, would later clarify for her that the grant program for small businesses was currently in the planning stages and not finalized yet. He also said that the program had many potential solutions to the high financial burdens placed on small businesses that included micro loans, grants, and other financial aid.
Regarding the County's budget for fiscal year 2019/2020, Dr. Young reiterated what he already covered in the previous regular Board meeting. When the floor was open for Public Comment on the budget, one resident asked if there were copies of the budget to be reviewed. Dr. Young said the budget was posted on the County's website as well as printed in the Free Lance-Star. As the meeting progressed, he also had staff print copies to be on hand for those in the audience. Jim Lynch, a frequent attendee and speaker, also commented on the Supervisors hard work and quoted from George Washington.
With a promise to schedule work sessions for a two-year budget proposal, Dr. Young concluded his presentation. The meeting ended shortly afterwards.
Friday, April 26, 2019
OPINION - Why I Believe Higher Rates Now Will Save Us Money Later
by Neil Richard
When my wife and I moved to our current house, one of the major selling points for us was that we would be on "city" water. Our previous house had a water system that was reliable but not as reliable as we wanted. Our previous house was located in a rural area off Round Hill Road and we would frequently be subject to power outages. Without power, we didn't have water to flush toilets or wash hands. This meant that anytime we saw thunderstorms in the forecast, we would fill a bathtub just in case we wanted to flush the toilet. On top of this, our house needed a small pressurized pump to give us adequate water pressure and a filtering system to remove most of the minerals coming from the well.
Once we moved into our current home, we realized that our "city" water from the Service Authority wasn't as great as we had originally thought. The pressure coming into the house was frequently above the recommended levels for our plumbing appliances and we would occasionally see sediment in our toilet tanks.
I'll spare you the details but things came to a head when our neighborhood pool was filled for the summer season with green water. Upon checking the water in our house, and having our neighbors do the same, we realized it wasn't a problem with the pool but rather a problem with the water supply. Although the Service Authority agreed to test our water supply, and they did, we never really heard what the cause of the green water was, although we do have theories.
The end result of our experience with the Service Authority was that management was removed and we earned the nickname of "the green water people." We have also installed multiple leak alarms in our house as well as a Pressure Control Valve (PCV). We also review every bill to ensure there are no anomalies.
It was the constant reviews of our bill that lead me to eventually support the proposed Service Authority rate increase for the coming year. After volunteering to be a part of the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee, I was included in the multiple budget work sessions and offered a chance to give my opinion on many topics. To be honest, the picture isn't pretty. The system is old and was under-maintained and underfunded for years, if not decades.
Will a ten percent (10%) increase in rates next year solve the problem? No. Absolutely not. Will it serve us better than an eight percent (8%) increase next year? Yes. In the long run it will. Because the increases in rates will compound over time, the higher increase in rates earlier in the five year plan sets the Service Authority up for success. And it reduces the chances of failure.
To say this another way, and to give data as evidence, Draper Aden reported that since 2008, water rates have increased about 3.8% per year. That means that since we moved into our house in 2014, our water rate per thousand gallons should have gone from $4.53 to $5.08. Instead, it's at $4.53. In fact, things get worse when you see that our rates last year were higher, $4.92 per thousand gallons, than they are this year. That means the Service Authority lost ground on revenue. That directly impacts how much funding is available for repairs and maintenance. And we've already established that the Service Authority is far behind where it should be in those departments.
As I've become more and more educated on the water and waste water industry over the past few years, I continue to see news about other localities, both regionally and nationally, struggling with similar issues. Many government run water and waste water systems across the country are facing many of the same rate increases.
Now, before you start saying it should be run by a private entity, please remember there are risks involved with that. While I think it's a bad business decision to buy the Service Authority, I'm not in the water and sewer business so I don't know what the return on investment would look like. But I do know that another local water supplier charges $5.07 per thousand gallons right now. Even with a ten percent increase next year, our water rates would be cheaper than this private company. Yes, our rates may be high but they could be higher. Yes, we have high rates compared to the rest of the state, but 26 entities out of the 147 that responded to Draper Aden had higher rates than we do.
The bottom line for me is, the grass may look greener on the other side but it's only because it costs more money to keep it green. I'd rather keep things local where my voice matters. Even if that means I need to pay more in the coming years. I long ago predicted that the Service Authority would need to raise rates three out of the upcoming five years but I never thought it would need to be five out of the next five years. Maybe, just maybe, this will be the light at the end of the tunnel that we need.
When my wife and I moved to our current house, one of the major selling points for us was that we would be on "city" water. Our previous house had a water system that was reliable but not as reliable as we wanted. Our previous house was located in a rural area off Round Hill Road and we would frequently be subject to power outages. Without power, we didn't have water to flush toilets or wash hands. This meant that anytime we saw thunderstorms in the forecast, we would fill a bathtub just in case we wanted to flush the toilet. On top of this, our house needed a small pressurized pump to give us adequate water pressure and a filtering system to remove most of the minerals coming from the well.
Once we moved into our current home, we realized that our "city" water from the Service Authority wasn't as great as we had originally thought. The pressure coming into the house was frequently above the recommended levels for our plumbing appliances and we would occasionally see sediment in our toilet tanks.
I'll spare you the details but things came to a head when our neighborhood pool was filled for the summer season with green water. Upon checking the water in our house, and having our neighbors do the same, we realized it wasn't a problem with the pool but rather a problem with the water supply. Although the Service Authority agreed to test our water supply, and they did, we never really heard what the cause of the green water was, although we do have theories.
The end result of our experience with the Service Authority was that management was removed and we earned the nickname of "the green water people." We have also installed multiple leak alarms in our house as well as a Pressure Control Valve (PCV). We also review every bill to ensure there are no anomalies.
It was the constant reviews of our bill that lead me to eventually support the proposed Service Authority rate increase for the coming year. After volunteering to be a part of the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee, I was included in the multiple budget work sessions and offered a chance to give my opinion on many topics. To be honest, the picture isn't pretty. The system is old and was under-maintained and underfunded for years, if not decades.
Will a ten percent (10%) increase in rates next year solve the problem? No. Absolutely not. Will it serve us better than an eight percent (8%) increase next year? Yes. In the long run it will. Because the increases in rates will compound over time, the higher increase in rates earlier in the five year plan sets the Service Authority up for success. And it reduces the chances of failure.
To say this another way, and to give data as evidence, Draper Aden reported that since 2008, water rates have increased about 3.8% per year. That means that since we moved into our house in 2014, our water rate per thousand gallons should have gone from $4.53 to $5.08. Instead, it's at $4.53. In fact, things get worse when you see that our rates last year were higher, $4.92 per thousand gallons, than they are this year. That means the Service Authority lost ground on revenue. That directly impacts how much funding is available for repairs and maintenance. And we've already established that the Service Authority is far behind where it should be in those departments.
As I've become more and more educated on the water and waste water industry over the past few years, I continue to see news about other localities, both regionally and nationally, struggling with similar issues. Many government run water and waste water systems across the country are facing many of the same rate increases.
Now, before you start saying it should be run by a private entity, please remember there are risks involved with that. While I think it's a bad business decision to buy the Service Authority, I'm not in the water and sewer business so I don't know what the return on investment would look like. But I do know that another local water supplier charges $5.07 per thousand gallons right now. Even with a ten percent increase next year, our water rates would be cheaper than this private company. Yes, our rates may be high but they could be higher. Yes, we have high rates compared to the rest of the state, but 26 entities out of the 147 that responded to Draper Aden had higher rates than we do.
The bottom line for me is, the grass may look greener on the other side but it's only because it costs more money to keep it green. I'd rather keep things local where my voice matters. Even if that means I need to pay more in the coming years. I long ago predicted that the Service Authority would need to raise rates three out of the upcoming five years but I never thought it would need to be five out of the next five years. Maybe, just maybe, this will be the light at the end of the tunnel that we need.
Thursday, April 25, 2019
Committee Member Background Checks
by Neil Richard
In doing research for an upcoming article, it was brought to my attention that a resident of the County that had been appointed to a committee by the Board of Supervisors was convicted of a felony several years ago. A quick fact-check of court records proved that was true, however the resident had already stepped down from the committee and had been replaced by another resident. Out of respect for this individual's privacy, I will not disclose their name.
Because of the felony conviction, and the potential for ensuing issues with residents, I took it upon myself to research everyone else that was currently serving on a committee or board that was appointed by the Board of Supervisors. These are the various groups researched:
These are the two primary resources that were used to complete my research:
In all of my research, in looking up nearly 100 people, my results came to four main conclusions. First, searching for information on these websites is incredibly difficult and time consuming. Second, without knowing personal information, like a date of birth, it was difficult to determine if the person I was looking for was the person I found. Third, the number of traffic infractions was much lower than expected. Finally, there were no outstanding cases that gave me any cause for concern. In all, the sum product of all this research was that everyone representing the County on these boards and committees is an upstanding citizen with little to no experience in the justice system.
[EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is a member of the Service Authority Citizen Budget Advisory Committee and is the Secretary of the Landfill Advisory Committee.]
In doing research for an upcoming article, it was brought to my attention that a resident of the County that had been appointed to a committee by the Board of Supervisors was convicted of a felony several years ago. A quick fact-check of court records proved that was true, however the resident had already stepped down from the committee and had been replaced by another resident. Out of respect for this individual's privacy, I will not disclose their name.
Because of the felony conviction, and the potential for ensuing issues with residents, I took it upon myself to research everyone else that was currently serving on a committee or board that was appointed by the Board of Supervisors. These are the various groups researched:
- Economic Development Authority (EDA)
- Electoral Board
- Landfill Advisory Committee
- Smoot Library Board of Trustees
- Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee
- Planning Commission
- Tourism Advisory Committee (TAC)
- Wetlands Board
- Citizen Budget Advisory Committee
- Service Authority Citizen Budget Advisory Committee
- Board of Supervisors
- School Board
These are the two primary resources that were used to complete my research:
- King George Circuit Court (both Criminal and Civil Courts)
- King George General District Court (both Traffic/Criminal and Civil Courts)
In all of my research, in looking up nearly 100 people, my results came to four main conclusions. First, searching for information on these websites is incredibly difficult and time consuming. Second, without knowing personal information, like a date of birth, it was difficult to determine if the person I was looking for was the person I found. Third, the number of traffic infractions was much lower than expected. Finally, there were no outstanding cases that gave me any cause for concern. In all, the sum product of all this research was that everyone representing the County on these boards and committees is an upstanding citizen with little to no experience in the justice system.
[EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is a member of the Service Authority Citizen Budget Advisory Committee and is the Secretary of the Landfill Advisory Committee.]
Wednesday, April 24, 2019
2019-04-16 - Board of Supervisors Meeting Notes
by Neil Richard
Editor's Note: In taking a large departure from our usual format, we would like to hear from our readers what style they prefer when reading about Board meetings. This week's coverage is an example of a more simplistic and shortened version of coverage that focuses on the main points of interest. Compared to our typical, long winded and dry approach, we want to hear from you which of these formats you prefer, or if you would enjoy reading, watching, or listening to the meetings in some other way. Feel free to leave your comments here or send us an email at theprjct94@gmail.com. Thanks!
The Board of Supervisors held their meeting on the floor of the Board Room in order to accommodate the members of the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee later in the evening. Absent from the meeting but participating remotely was Supervisor Jeff Bueche. The Board amended the Agenda by removing the Tourism Advisory Committee's request for funding and moving the discussion item on the Census Complete Count to the start of the meeting.
With a few stumbles here and there, Cathy Binder led the meeting quickly through the approval of the Consent Agenda, no Public Comment, and no report from the County Attorney. Dr. Millsaps, certified pilot and small business expert, then dove into the 2020 Census presentation with his service dog, Luna, at his side. Dr. Millsaps cruised through the presentation quickly but kept his audience's attention with a mix of humor and knowledge. The bottom line of his presentation was that getting a complete and accurate count of residents in King George County was important on many levels and that by under-counting the population by just 50 people would result in a a loss of $1 million in funds. These funds are through Federal and state grants as well as normal contributions. The same theory applies to the student population in schools determining how much Federal and state funds the school system will receive. With Dr. Millsaps' presentation complete, the Board approved a proclamation that May 1, 2019 would be recognized as King George County Census Awareness Day.
Richard Granger reported that he met with Michele Wido about KGI Telecommunications and their relationship with the County. He said the engineering plans required to install their equipment was a big expense. Granger said he hoped the Small Business Development Program would help them. John Jenkins reported that there was discussion at a recent George Washington Regional Commission (GWRC) meeting about affordable housing. He cautioned that higher population density was often needed to make affordable housing work but many people in King George did not want higher density. Both Ruby Brabo and Cathy Binder participated in the Meet in the Middle and both expressed their happiness in seeing the participants enjoy themselves. Jeff Bueche said he would save his report for a future meeting but did want to appoint Donald "DJ" Watkins to the Planning Commission to replace Doiley Fulcher. The rest of the Board approved.
The Board then held a Public Hearing on the proposed No Wake Zone off Machodoc Creek Marina. It was approved. Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, then invited the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee to the table and presented his proposed budget. Dr. Young's presentation centered on two slides. The first was a choice between tapping the Revenue Stabilization Fund or increase taxes one cent. The second was the basic highlights of what the budget included. Ruby Brabo asked why a half cent tax increase wasn't an option and Dr. Young said the antiquated accounting software was not able to do that. The Board opted to use the Revenue Stabilization Fund to cover the small budget gap.
Ryan Gandy, Director of Economic Development, then presented the Small Business Development Program. As the Board wasn't prepared to make a decision on the three page proposal they had just received, they tabled any decision until later. The general consensus was the program had all the right intentions of targeting small business and making it easier for them to locate in King George, but the Supervisors wanted to make sure they didn't rush to a decision.
Jonathon Weakley, Service Authority General Manager, then asked the Board of Supervisors to fund the Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) that was needed to bring several sewer pump stations into compliance with Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The Board approved. Additionally, the Board approved funding for the new playground equipment at King George Elementary School, awarded a contract to demolish the old doctor's office next to Big Dog Outfitters, and approved funding for a fiscal impact profile study. The County will recoup the expense of the demolition through a lien and the fiscal impact study will be used to better quantify the impact any new development, commercial or residential, will have on the community.
The Board also approved sending a notice to the Schools that the County would cease providing Human Resources support on June 1st. Dr. Young said in his discussions with Dr. Robert Benson, Superintendent of schools, that the short notice would be a hardship on the schools. Dr. Young said that while he wanted to make progress on the issue by sending the notice, he also told Dr. Benson that an extension may be possible. Brabo said they should be able to handle the work as the schools have two employees in Human Resources. The Board approved sending the notice before going into a short Closed Session.
Meeting Attendees:
John Jenkins (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:
Jeff Bueche (Chairman, Board of Supervisors) attended remotely
Meeting Agenda
Next Meeting:
The Board of Supervisors will next meet on April 23, 2019 at 6:30 pm at Company 1.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Board of Supervisors Meeting.
Editor's Note: In taking a large departure from our usual format, we would like to hear from our readers what style they prefer when reading about Board meetings. This week's coverage is an example of a more simplistic and shortened version of coverage that focuses on the main points of interest. Compared to our typical, long winded and dry approach, we want to hear from you which of these formats you prefer, or if you would enjoy reading, watching, or listening to the meetings in some other way. Feel free to leave your comments here or send us an email at theprjct94@gmail.com. Thanks!
The Board of Supervisors held their meeting on the floor of the Board Room in order to accommodate the members of the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee later in the evening. Absent from the meeting but participating remotely was Supervisor Jeff Bueche. The Board amended the Agenda by removing the Tourism Advisory Committee's request for funding and moving the discussion item on the Census Complete Count to the start of the meeting.
With a few stumbles here and there, Cathy Binder led the meeting quickly through the approval of the Consent Agenda, no Public Comment, and no report from the County Attorney. Dr. Millsaps, certified pilot and small business expert, then dove into the 2020 Census presentation with his service dog, Luna, at his side. Dr. Millsaps cruised through the presentation quickly but kept his audience's attention with a mix of humor and knowledge. The bottom line of his presentation was that getting a complete and accurate count of residents in King George County was important on many levels and that by under-counting the population by just 50 people would result in a a loss of $1 million in funds. These funds are through Federal and state grants as well as normal contributions. The same theory applies to the student population in schools determining how much Federal and state funds the school system will receive. With Dr. Millsaps' presentation complete, the Board approved a proclamation that May 1, 2019 would be recognized as King George County Census Awareness Day.
Richard Granger reported that he met with Michele Wido about KGI Telecommunications and their relationship with the County. He said the engineering plans required to install their equipment was a big expense. Granger said he hoped the Small Business Development Program would help them. John Jenkins reported that there was discussion at a recent George Washington Regional Commission (GWRC) meeting about affordable housing. He cautioned that higher population density was often needed to make affordable housing work but many people in King George did not want higher density. Both Ruby Brabo and Cathy Binder participated in the Meet in the Middle and both expressed their happiness in seeing the participants enjoy themselves. Jeff Bueche said he would save his report for a future meeting but did want to appoint Donald "DJ" Watkins to the Planning Commission to replace Doiley Fulcher. The rest of the Board approved.
The Board then held a Public Hearing on the proposed No Wake Zone off Machodoc Creek Marina. It was approved. Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, then invited the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee to the table and presented his proposed budget. Dr. Young's presentation centered on two slides. The first was a choice between tapping the Revenue Stabilization Fund or increase taxes one cent. The second was the basic highlights of what the budget included. Ruby Brabo asked why a half cent tax increase wasn't an option and Dr. Young said the antiquated accounting software was not able to do that. The Board opted to use the Revenue Stabilization Fund to cover the small budget gap.
 |
| Use the Stabilization Fund or raise taxes? |
 |
| County employees, Supervisors, and teachers all get a raise this year. |
Ryan Gandy, Director of Economic Development, then presented the Small Business Development Program. As the Board wasn't prepared to make a decision on the three page proposal they had just received, they tabled any decision until later. The general consensus was the program had all the right intentions of targeting small business and making it easier for them to locate in King George, but the Supervisors wanted to make sure they didn't rush to a decision.
Jonathon Weakley, Service Authority General Manager, then asked the Board of Supervisors to fund the Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) that was needed to bring several sewer pump stations into compliance with Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The Board approved. Additionally, the Board approved funding for the new playground equipment at King George Elementary School, awarded a contract to demolish the old doctor's office next to Big Dog Outfitters, and approved funding for a fiscal impact profile study. The County will recoup the expense of the demolition through a lien and the fiscal impact study will be used to better quantify the impact any new development, commercial or residential, will have on the community.
The Board also approved sending a notice to the Schools that the County would cease providing Human Resources support on June 1st. Dr. Young said in his discussions with Dr. Robert Benson, Superintendent of schools, that the short notice would be a hardship on the schools. Dr. Young said that while he wanted to make progress on the issue by sending the notice, he also told Dr. Benson that an extension may be possible. Brabo said they should be able to handle the work as the schools have two employees in Human Resources. The Board approved sending the notice before going into a short Closed Session.
Meeting Attendees:
John Jenkins (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:
Jeff Bueche (Chairman, Board of Supervisors) attended remotely
Meeting Agenda
Next Meeting:
The Board of Supervisors will next meet on April 23, 2019 at 6:30 pm at Company 1.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Board of Supervisors Meeting.
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
2019-04-16 - Service Authority Meeting Notes
by Neil Richard
Editor's Note: In taking a large departure from our usual format, we would like to hear from our readers what style they prefer when reading about Board meetings. This week's coverage is an example of a more simplistic and shortened version of coverage that focuses on the main points of interest. Compared to our typical, long winded and dry approach, we want to hear from you which of these formats you prefer, or if you would enjoy reading, watching, or listening to the meetings in some other way. Feel free to leave your comments here or send us an email at theprjct94@gmail.com. Thanks!
The Service Authority Board of Directors began their second meeting of the evening from their usual seats. Having just finished another budget work session where they were joined by the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee on the floor, the Directors kept the ball rolling after only a short break between meetings. [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is a member of the Service Authority Citizen Budget Advisory Committee.]
As the meeting began, Mike Bennett did note that Ruby Brabo was present for the work session but stepped out to participate in conference call and would return as soon as she was done.
Kim Dodge, a frequent speaker during Public Comment, once again voiced her opposition to raising water and sewer rates. She reiterated that as a small business owner that operates in her own home, she sees a direct impact to her profits when rates go up. It should be noted here that the Directors agreed just an hour earlier during their budget work session to plan on increasing rates ten percent next year and by four percent the following three years. The ten percent increase will bring rates up to just six cents per thousand gallons above the rates assessed three years ago. The current rate per thousand gallons is below rates set four years ago, explaining why the Service Authority did not see an increase in revenue this year.
In the continuing saga of the Consent Order from Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Chris Werle and Mike Bennett both mentioned a Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) to bring some of the sewage pump stations into compliance. There are numerous ones out of compliance, as in 31 of 35, but it appears the majority of those, 19 of them, can be fixed in-house or through minor repairs. Those that need more serious work will require a PER and face such challenges as acquiring more land, purchasing generators, and evaluating various alarm systems. The hope is that the PER, once complete, could be submitted to DEQ to prove that progress is being made and that a schedule has been created to make repairs on the pump stations. The Board approved funding for the PER to not exceed $34,780.
Jonathan Weakley, General Manager, once again provided a detailed report of all things related to water and sewer. There was some discussion about the ground water withdrawal permits for wells, how much is allowed to come out of the ground, and when those permits get renewed. At one point Weakley mentioned speaking to a "Mr. Sweeney" to get more information but it should be noted that he was referring to Dan Sweeney, not the former employee of the Service Authority that retired last year. Regarding the withdrawal permits, Hopyard apparently exceeded limits last year and thus stirred some discussion about making sure the new permits factored in the planned growth, both residential and commercial, in Hopyard.
In his update on the Total Nitrogen (TN) and Total Phosphorus (TP) at the Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTPs), Weakley said that only Dahlgren WWTP was operating above the limits set by the grant but still below the permit limits. He did say that Purkins Corner WWTP exceeded limits because of a mechanical failure and hydraulic overloading.
Weakley also brought up a pump station in Dahlgren that gave him some concern as it was an underground location and required employees to enter a confined space. He said that other communities had these but he was not a fan because of the safety issues associated with them. Weakley said he was looking at bringing the controls above ground to make them easier, and safer, to access. He ended his report by saying that the Wendy's in Dahlgren would open in July or August of this year.
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 April 30, 2019 at 7:00 pm at the Revercomb Building.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Service Authority Meeting.
Editor's Note: In taking a large departure from our usual format, we would like to hear from our readers what style they prefer when reading about Board meetings. This week's coverage is an example of a more simplistic and shortened version of coverage that focuses on the main points of interest. Compared to our typical, long winded and dry approach, we want to hear from you which of these formats you prefer, or if you would enjoy reading, watching, or listening to the meetings in some other way. Feel free to leave your comments here or send us an email at theprjct94@gmail.com. Thanks!
The Service Authority Board of Directors began their second meeting of the evening from their usual seats. Having just finished another budget work session where they were joined by the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee on the floor, the Directors kept the ball rolling after only a short break between meetings. [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is a member of the Service Authority Citizen Budget Advisory Committee.]
As the meeting began, Mike Bennett did note that Ruby Brabo was present for the work session but stepped out to participate in conference call and would return as soon as she was done.
Kim Dodge, a frequent speaker during Public Comment, once again voiced her opposition to raising water and sewer rates. She reiterated that as a small business owner that operates in her own home, she sees a direct impact to her profits when rates go up. It should be noted here that the Directors agreed just an hour earlier during their budget work session to plan on increasing rates ten percent next year and by four percent the following three years. The ten percent increase will bring rates up to just six cents per thousand gallons above the rates assessed three years ago. The current rate per thousand gallons is below rates set four years ago, explaining why the Service Authority did not see an increase in revenue this year.
In the continuing saga of the Consent Order from Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Chris Werle and Mike Bennett both mentioned a Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) to bring some of the sewage pump stations into compliance. There are numerous ones out of compliance, as in 31 of 35, but it appears the majority of those, 19 of them, can be fixed in-house or through minor repairs. Those that need more serious work will require a PER and face such challenges as acquiring more land, purchasing generators, and evaluating various alarm systems. The hope is that the PER, once complete, could be submitted to DEQ to prove that progress is being made and that a schedule has been created to make repairs on the pump stations. The Board approved funding for the PER to not exceed $34,780.
Jonathan Weakley, General Manager, once again provided a detailed report of all things related to water and sewer. There was some discussion about the ground water withdrawal permits for wells, how much is allowed to come out of the ground, and when those permits get renewed. At one point Weakley mentioned speaking to a "Mr. Sweeney" to get more information but it should be noted that he was referring to Dan Sweeney, not the former employee of the Service Authority that retired last year. Regarding the withdrawal permits, Hopyard apparently exceeded limits last year and thus stirred some discussion about making sure the new permits factored in the planned growth, both residential and commercial, in Hopyard.
In his update on the Total Nitrogen (TN) and Total Phosphorus (TP) at the Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTPs), Weakley said that only Dahlgren WWTP was operating above the limits set by the grant but still below the permit limits. He did say that Purkins Corner WWTP exceeded limits because of a mechanical failure and hydraulic overloading.
Weakley also brought up a pump station in Dahlgren that gave him some concern as it was an underground location and required employees to enter a confined space. He said that other communities had these but he was not a fan because of the safety issues associated with them. Weakley said he was looking at bringing the controls above ground to make them easier, and safer, to access. He ended his report by saying that the Wendy's in Dahlgren would open in July or August of this year.
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 April 30, 2019 at 7:00 pm at the Revercomb Building.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Service Authority Meeting.
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Friday, April 12, 2019
2019-04-02 - Board of Supervisors Meeting Notes
by Neil Richard
The Board of Supervisors began their meeting at 8:12pm.
There were amendments to the Agenda to add an action item to approve the signing of the Deeds of Dedication for Sections 4 and 15 in Hopyard Farm. There was another addition to the Agenda, the Small Business Incentive Plan.
Public Comment began with Chairman Jeff Bueche invoking what he called a "point of Chairman's Privilege" to acknowledge Dr. Robert Benson, Superintendent of Schools, as the first speaker.
Dr. Benson thanked everyone for the opportunity to speak and said he has worked with Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, on finding a possible solution to fund the two main aspects of the school's budget; increasing employee compensation and hiring additional Special Education teachers. Benson said that the school division recently learned that 18 employees would be retiring, an unusually high number, and said it would be hard to replace the experience of these employees. Benson said the new replacements would be paid at a lower level and the salary savings between the retiring employees and the new hires would result in a reduction of roughly $300,000 in local funds from the County. He said the Board of Supervisors needs to meet all the needs of the community and that "we are neighbors and colleagues" that have different opinions but the same desires.
Kim Dodge was next to speak stating she has sat through many budget meetings and commended the Board on dealing with the many financial demands. She said she was again going to ask that they do not raise taxes. She said her taxes went up last year and that a majority of taxpayers don't want the rates to go up. She said that last year, even though there were no rate increases, he taxes went up because of the reassessments. Dodge said she wasn't sure how long Walmart has been here but they supposedly bring in a million dollars and the Sheetz brings in a lot too. She agreed with Bueche that rates shouldn't go up because the County is getting more and more money every year.
Karen Declute was next to speak saying she's been a resident for 16 years and a teacher for the last 14 years. She said it was important to state her support for the school budget, not only as an employee but also as a resident. Declute said that for King George to remain competitive and attract businesses, the County needed to provide a quality education for the workforce. She didn't envy the Supervisor's position and said a lot of factors went into the decision. She felt that some comments from the previous budget session needed to be addressed such as a teacher's raise being negated by a tax increase. She said it was important to point out that many teachers live outside of King George County and they drive by many other school systems on their way to work here. She said it was important to think about the learning curve and cost needed to replace personnel. She closed by saying that nobody wanted higher taxes if they could be avoided but the Supervisors needed to be forward thinking. She reminded them that earlier in the evening, the Service Authority clearly was not forward thinking enough. She said they had a thankless job sometimes but "we trust you to make the best decision possible" and pay attention to elections and election platforms.
Yvonne Richard was next to speak saying she was in favor of raising taxes if that's what is needed to fund fire, rescue, police, and schools. She also wanted to point out the poor behavior at the last budget work session where teachers and parents shared their feedback. She said she was approached by many that they felt the Supervisors were not listening during Public Comment and instead chose to eat or send messages on their phones. She closed by saying that sometimes actions speak louder than words. [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is the spouse of Yvonne Richard.]
Jennifer Truitt was the final speaker, briefly stating she supported raising taxes and that maybe a compromise could be reached.
John Jenkins began his report by saying, as usual, he appreciated the comments and the attendance. He especially wanted to thank Dr. Benson and Dr. Young for their hard work on the potential solution. He continued that he agreed there's a need to provide a quality education for the community and that it needed to be competitive. He said he had flashbacks to when he was in school and the whole counseling department left to work in another division. Jenkins said, "to loosely quote the Stones, 'we may not get everything we want but we will get everything we need.'" He finished his report by saying he attended the budget work session on March 25th and wanted to reappoint Stevie Gray to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee. The Board approved.
Richard Granger was next to give his report and started by thanking everyone that came out to speak as well as those that came out for the previous budget work session. He said it's difficult to put together a budget and he had the opportunity to speak to many people over the weekend. He said the ideas were many and it would be difficult to come to a decision that will please everyone. Granger said the Board is trying to do the best for the County as a whole and appreciated Dr. Young and Dr. Benson for working together to find common ground.
Cathy Binder gave her report next. She thanked everyone for coming out as well as those that talked to her during the past week. She especially wanted to thank the teachers at Potomac Elementary School that talked to her and that she was able to see first hand instances of teachers going above and beyond the norm by working with students in the hallway one-on-one. She said she wanted to share a story she forgot to share during the budget work session. Binder said she used to work as a long term substitute and as an Standards Of Learning (SOL) testing coordinator. She said she dealt with many students that had Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and that one student in particular needed to pass three tests to get her diploma. Binder said she told the student to take her time and even went out to get her lunch. She said the student passed and she ran into her about a year ago. Binder said it was rewarding to hear the student not only thanked her for her help during the testing but that the student had since gone on to own and operate a catering company with her mother. Binder said one instance can make a difference and she wanted to thank those that make a difference every day. Binder said she also attended the track dedication and thanked everyone that attended. She said she still remembers the cinder track that was originally there. Binder also thanked Dr. Benson and Dr. Young for their hard work on the budget.
Ruby Brabo began her report by apologizing to Mrs. Richard and stating she meant no disrespect when she exchanged remarks with Binder during the meeting. Regarding the concept of looking forward, Brabo said she was so thankful that her new Board members have worked on a strategic plan for the County. She said that back in 2008 there were no substitutes for her oldest daughter in high school and she would constantly get messages from her daughter about no teacher being in the classroom. Brabo said that one day she got a call from the school saying her daughter needed stitches because other students were roughhousing. Brabo said things have changed since that lack of supervision and that her younger daughter was able to reap the benefits. She again said she was thankful for her colleagues and again said that the previous seven cent tax increase included six cents going towards schools. Brabo said she can personally see the positive changes that have been made over time.
Brabo continued her report, reading from prepared remarks. She repeated some of the same remarks she gave during the Service Authority meeting and added that during the Local Government Advisory Committee meeting she learned about the Defense Roads Access Act which included funding for road improvements for access to military bases. She said she sent this information to Dahlgren so they could look into it. She also asked that the recharge areas for the aquifer be added to the County's Comprehensive Plan so that they remain protected. On March 22nd she participated in a National Association of Counties (NACo) conference call and the previously mentioned budget work session on the 25th. On the 26th she took part in another NACo conference call where they discussed the TestIT application being used to better document internet speeds in rural areas. Brabo said she also attended the ribbon cutting ceremony at the new track.
Jeff Bueche began his report by thanking everyone that came to the meeting and spoke. He also thanked Dr. Benson for his willingness to work with Dr. Young and thanked T. C. Collins and Gayle Hock, both members of the School Board, for being in the audience.
In reading from his prepared statement, Bueche said he was wearing a blue tie tonight in honor of his nephew JT and everyone else with autism. He thanked Caledon State Park Manager Nina Cox and Chief Moody for their quick response in needing to move his most recent Town Hall at the last minute. He said this was his fifth Town Hall he would continue to host round table discussions in the future. Regarding the March 25th budget work session he attended, he felt there were a few things he needed to address. He said that many times it was said that the County needed to prioritize the schools. Bueche said the County has and that the schools are 56% of the County's budget and that 73% of the debt service is for school capital improvements. Regarding the references to Stafford County, he said King George does not have the economic footprint or the Cost Of Compete (COCA) funds that Stafford does. He said every time a developer comes to King George, citizens push back because they don't want to become another Stafford. Bueche said to pay like Stafford, we would need to be Stafford.
Continuing his report, Bueche said he attended the track dedication ceremony on the 27th and thanked Jim Howard, former Supervisor, for his advocacy for the project. He also thanked the previous Board of Supervisors for cash funding the project and congratulated the School Board and citizens on making it a reality. Bueche attended the King George Farm Bureau Legislative Appreciation Dinner on April 1st and shared that the typical farmer in Virginia is almost 60 years old. He said it was troubling that many in the next generation don't seem interested in taking over the family farm, especially considering the amount of farmland in the County. He said there is a vibrant Future Farmers of America group in King George as well as a thriving 4-H program.
Bueche also thanked the School Board for their hard work on behalf of students. He said that while there may be an impression the two groups are at odds with each other, that is not the case. Bueche said he is in constant communication with his School Board member. He said he didn't want a School Board that just "rolls over" and is willing to settle and the same went for his colleagues on the Board of Supervisors when they looked at the rest of the County departments. Bueche said both Boards have "the best interest of the citizens at heart" and will come to a conclusion on what works best for the County as a whole.
Bueche then responded to Mrs. Richard's comments, stating he was the guy eating during Public Comment at the last budget work session. He said he went straight from work to home so he could change and then straight to the meeting. He said he needed something to eat because he had an ulcer and low blood sugar. He apologized if he offended anyone and that it wasn't his intent to do so.
Judy Hart, Commissioner of the Revenue, then gave the Supervisors a "little smidgen" of an update on her department. She said state income taxes were due May 1st and that she is seeing less and less every year because more people are e-filing. She said business licenses were due March 1st but a few stragglers were still coming in. Hart said the DMV Connect that has been visiting monthly has been a real success with 57 people coming in one day. Hart shared a tidbit of knowledge she learned about earlier in the day about the County sticker and where it should be placed. She said they have been telling residents to place it next to the Virginia State inspection sticker in the bottom left (driver's side) of the front window. Hart said some residents had been told otherwise and some inspection companies have even moved them back to the middle. She said she spoke to the Virginia State Police and they confirmed the County sticker should be placed next to the State inspection sticker. Hart ended her comments by stating her daughter was a middle school math teacher and was always supportive of teachers being paid what professional athletes are paid.
The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.
Ryan Gandy, Director of Economic Development, then presented an update from the Economic Development Strategic Plan. Gandy gave another brief overview of the project so far and the end results. He said he hoped to gain the Board's approval to publish the end product online. During the presentation, Brabo said she thought the wording for affordable housing had been changed because it sometimes gave the wrong impression. Gandy and Dr. Young concurred and said it was housing accessibility now. The Board approved the plan with Bueche commenting after the vote saying he's happy to see it completed. Bueche said he felt like the County was behind the curve on having this done, especially with the landfill revenue having a specific lifetime. He thanked Gandy as well as Annie Cupka, who was in the audience, for their hard work.
Gandy then presented the Small Business Incentive Plan. He said the Economic Development Authority (EDA) unanimously approved the development program which had a goal of encouraging small business growth in the County by offsetting some of the high costs involved with starting a new business. Gandy said the program would be an incentive program where the small business could apply for funding from the EDA on a case-by-case basis with the funds being repaid over time via tax revenue. He said the general idea was to have the fees go towards offsetting the high Service Authority connection fees. He said there were certain rules to applying, such as the business must be in the County and must not relocate within five years. Gandy cited several similar programs in Virginia that used a variety of methods to promote small business growth. Gandy said he was asking the Supervisors to provide their thoughts.
Jenkins thanked him for putting the plan together and said the main motivator for him pushing for this program was some small businesses stopped coming to King George, or expanding their existing business, because of the water and sewer connection fees. He said it may not eliminate the problem but he felt that instead of discussing the issue forever he wanted to see progress.
Granger thanked Jenkins and Gandy for working on the idea and thought it would be a good tool to have available. He felt they should move forward on it. Brabo asked about what would happen if a business closed before the funds could be repaid. Gandy said the proposal was to make the business pay for it. Brabo asked what would happen if they went bankrupt and Gandy said it just may need to be considered a loss then. Brabo said maybe a cost share grant would be better as it would allow the EDA to make money. Jenkins said that wasn't a bad idea but felt that anything was better than nothing. Jenkins also said that the main idea behind this was to help a business offset the connection fees and taking a loan out didn't really help them. He said that many businesses are still intact after several years so it may not be as dire as once thought.
Bueche thanked Gandy and Jenkins for the idea and hard work. He said maybe instead of continuing discussions, a draft policy to review would be a better next step. He also wondered about setting a maximum on the amount of money a business could get. Bueche said he thinks the biggest killer to economic development in the County is the high connection fee but said the Service Authority relies on that money. Bueche said this means that when a business doesn't come to the County, the Service Authority loses a potential customer. Bueche said he wondered if it was legal to waive the connection fee.
Gandy said there would be a meeting with the Service Authority to discuss waivers and fee reductions. There was some confusion between Gandy, Granger, and Brabo as to what the Service Authority could do or was capable of doing regarding the fees. In the end, Jenkins said a cap on the grant should be up to the EDA to decide as it may limit what business comes to King George. Consensus was reached that they would create and review a draft policy.
Wilma Ward, Finance Department Director, then presented her request to upgrade the check writing machine software. It was approved. The Board also approved her request to transfer funds related to the Middle School Expansion Project. Bueche asked Dr. Young if the project was nearing the budget limits. Dr. Young said there would likely be further change orders but the costs could be absorbed by the furniture line item.
Dr. Young then asked for authorization to advertise for a Public Hearing on the proposed No Wake Zone Ordinance. The Board approved. The Board also approved Dr. Young's request to hire an event planner for the coming 300th Anniversary celebration. The Board approved the Deeds of Dedication for Sections 4 and 15 in Hopyard Farm.
There was then some discussion about the Boards and Committees that each Supervisor had volunteered for. Brabo stepped down from her position on the Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (FAMPO) and Jenkins became the primary representative. Granger said he would be the new alternate. Bueche asked if there was any interest in trading for his position on the Northern Neck Tourism Commission (NNTC). Granger said he would take it although there was some friendly bickering over Granger not giving Bueche anything in return. Granger reluctantly gave Bueche his alternate role on FAMPO. Bueche ended the discussion by asking for a listing of all the Virginia Association of Counties (VACo) committees that each Supervisors participates in so the public can be aware.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Prior to the exchange, there were 24 seats, including alternates, available. Another five seats were held by various other County officials. Granger held three seats while three Supervisors, Binder, Brabo, and Bueche, held five seats each. Jenkins had the most with six seats.
Dr. Young then began his County Administrator's report by asking to reappoint David Garvin to Rappahannock Emergency Medical Service Council. The Board approved. Dr. Young then thanked Dr. Benson for working towards a viable way to get the School's and County's needs met. He asked the Board to consider and give consensus on $589,726 to be used as a number in planning the final stages of the budget. He also asked to know what their schedules could accommodate regarding public hearings and a budget approval prior to May 1st.
Bueche asked if the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee could be involved in the process. He also asked if Dr. Benson was confident that the figure will meet both the needs of the salary increase and the hiring of Special Education teachers. Dr. Young said yes, the citizens could be involved and yes, he was confident that was the right dollar amount. With that, consensus was reached.
Bueche said that he neglected to give a rebuttal to Mike Bennett's comments earlier in the evening at the Service Authority meeting. Bueche said he wasn't looking at just a private sale but other solutions as well. He said he stands by his comment that a sale may be needed but that other solutions should also be looked at, such as becoming a County department or refinancing. He said his take is that the current model isn't sustainable and that told him something isn't working. Bueche said his point was that something had to be done and that, as has been said before, it takes a long time to turn a big ship. He said they inherited something that wasn't structurally sound and the Service Authority wasn't set up for success. To the employees of the Service Authority, Bueche said his intent wasn't to say they needed to find work somewhere else but rather that a discussion needed to happen.
Brabo added that in April, there is a meeting about the Watershed Implementation Plan and how it impacts localities. She said it was critical that as many elected officials attend because it allows a dialogue with the state and advocacy on how costly the plan is to localities.
The Board then went into Closed Session at 9:30pm and invited Dr. Young, Eric Gregory, and Heather Hall to attend. Ms. Hall left the Closed Session at 9:56pm and the rest returned from Closed Session at 10:05pm.
The meeting adjourned at 10:05pm.
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 April 16, 2019 at 7:00 pm at the Revercomb Building.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Board of Supervisors Meeting.
The Board of Supervisors began their meeting at 8:12pm.
There were amendments to the Agenda to add an action item to approve the signing of the Deeds of Dedication for Sections 4 and 15 in Hopyard Farm. There was another addition to the Agenda, the Small Business Incentive Plan.
Public Comment began with Chairman Jeff Bueche invoking what he called a "point of Chairman's Privilege" to acknowledge Dr. Robert Benson, Superintendent of Schools, as the first speaker.
Dr. Benson thanked everyone for the opportunity to speak and said he has worked with Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, on finding a possible solution to fund the two main aspects of the school's budget; increasing employee compensation and hiring additional Special Education teachers. Benson said that the school division recently learned that 18 employees would be retiring, an unusually high number, and said it would be hard to replace the experience of these employees. Benson said the new replacements would be paid at a lower level and the salary savings between the retiring employees and the new hires would result in a reduction of roughly $300,000 in local funds from the County. He said the Board of Supervisors needs to meet all the needs of the community and that "we are neighbors and colleagues" that have different opinions but the same desires.
Kim Dodge was next to speak stating she has sat through many budget meetings and commended the Board on dealing with the many financial demands. She said she was again going to ask that they do not raise taxes. She said her taxes went up last year and that a majority of taxpayers don't want the rates to go up. She said that last year, even though there were no rate increases, he taxes went up because of the reassessments. Dodge said she wasn't sure how long Walmart has been here but they supposedly bring in a million dollars and the Sheetz brings in a lot too. She agreed with Bueche that rates shouldn't go up because the County is getting more and more money every year.
Karen Declute was next to speak saying she's been a resident for 16 years and a teacher for the last 14 years. She said it was important to state her support for the school budget, not only as an employee but also as a resident. Declute said that for King George to remain competitive and attract businesses, the County needed to provide a quality education for the workforce. She didn't envy the Supervisor's position and said a lot of factors went into the decision. She felt that some comments from the previous budget session needed to be addressed such as a teacher's raise being negated by a tax increase. She said it was important to point out that many teachers live outside of King George County and they drive by many other school systems on their way to work here. She said it was important to think about the learning curve and cost needed to replace personnel. She closed by saying that nobody wanted higher taxes if they could be avoided but the Supervisors needed to be forward thinking. She reminded them that earlier in the evening, the Service Authority clearly was not forward thinking enough. She said they had a thankless job sometimes but "we trust you to make the best decision possible" and pay attention to elections and election platforms.
Yvonne Richard was next to speak saying she was in favor of raising taxes if that's what is needed to fund fire, rescue, police, and schools. She also wanted to point out the poor behavior at the last budget work session where teachers and parents shared their feedback. She said she was approached by many that they felt the Supervisors were not listening during Public Comment and instead chose to eat or send messages on their phones. She closed by saying that sometimes actions speak louder than words. [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is the spouse of Yvonne Richard.]
Jennifer Truitt was the final speaker, briefly stating she supported raising taxes and that maybe a compromise could be reached.
John Jenkins began his report by saying, as usual, he appreciated the comments and the attendance. He especially wanted to thank Dr. Benson and Dr. Young for their hard work on the potential solution. He continued that he agreed there's a need to provide a quality education for the community and that it needed to be competitive. He said he had flashbacks to when he was in school and the whole counseling department left to work in another division. Jenkins said, "to loosely quote the Stones, 'we may not get everything we want but we will get everything we need.'" He finished his report by saying he attended the budget work session on March 25th and wanted to reappoint Stevie Gray to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee. The Board approved.
Richard Granger was next to give his report and started by thanking everyone that came out to speak as well as those that came out for the previous budget work session. He said it's difficult to put together a budget and he had the opportunity to speak to many people over the weekend. He said the ideas were many and it would be difficult to come to a decision that will please everyone. Granger said the Board is trying to do the best for the County as a whole and appreciated Dr. Young and Dr. Benson for working together to find common ground.
Cathy Binder gave her report next. She thanked everyone for coming out as well as those that talked to her during the past week. She especially wanted to thank the teachers at Potomac Elementary School that talked to her and that she was able to see first hand instances of teachers going above and beyond the norm by working with students in the hallway one-on-one. She said she wanted to share a story she forgot to share during the budget work session. Binder said she used to work as a long term substitute and as an Standards Of Learning (SOL) testing coordinator. She said she dealt with many students that had Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and that one student in particular needed to pass three tests to get her diploma. Binder said she told the student to take her time and even went out to get her lunch. She said the student passed and she ran into her about a year ago. Binder said it was rewarding to hear the student not only thanked her for her help during the testing but that the student had since gone on to own and operate a catering company with her mother. Binder said one instance can make a difference and she wanted to thank those that make a difference every day. Binder said she also attended the track dedication and thanked everyone that attended. She said she still remembers the cinder track that was originally there. Binder also thanked Dr. Benson and Dr. Young for their hard work on the budget.
Ruby Brabo began her report by apologizing to Mrs. Richard and stating she meant no disrespect when she exchanged remarks with Binder during the meeting. Regarding the concept of looking forward, Brabo said she was so thankful that her new Board members have worked on a strategic plan for the County. She said that back in 2008 there were no substitutes for her oldest daughter in high school and she would constantly get messages from her daughter about no teacher being in the classroom. Brabo said that one day she got a call from the school saying her daughter needed stitches because other students were roughhousing. Brabo said things have changed since that lack of supervision and that her younger daughter was able to reap the benefits. She again said she was thankful for her colleagues and again said that the previous seven cent tax increase included six cents going towards schools. Brabo said she can personally see the positive changes that have been made over time.
Brabo continued her report, reading from prepared remarks. She repeated some of the same remarks she gave during the Service Authority meeting and added that during the Local Government Advisory Committee meeting she learned about the Defense Roads Access Act which included funding for road improvements for access to military bases. She said she sent this information to Dahlgren so they could look into it. She also asked that the recharge areas for the aquifer be added to the County's Comprehensive Plan so that they remain protected. On March 22nd she participated in a National Association of Counties (NACo) conference call and the previously mentioned budget work session on the 25th. On the 26th she took part in another NACo conference call where they discussed the TestIT application being used to better document internet speeds in rural areas. Brabo said she also attended the ribbon cutting ceremony at the new track.
Jeff Bueche began his report by thanking everyone that came to the meeting and spoke. He also thanked Dr. Benson for his willingness to work with Dr. Young and thanked T. C. Collins and Gayle Hock, both members of the School Board, for being in the audience.
In reading from his prepared statement, Bueche said he was wearing a blue tie tonight in honor of his nephew JT and everyone else with autism. He thanked Caledon State Park Manager Nina Cox and Chief Moody for their quick response in needing to move his most recent Town Hall at the last minute. He said this was his fifth Town Hall he would continue to host round table discussions in the future. Regarding the March 25th budget work session he attended, he felt there were a few things he needed to address. He said that many times it was said that the County needed to prioritize the schools. Bueche said the County has and that the schools are 56% of the County's budget and that 73% of the debt service is for school capital improvements. Regarding the references to Stafford County, he said King George does not have the economic footprint or the Cost Of Compete (COCA) funds that Stafford does. He said every time a developer comes to King George, citizens push back because they don't want to become another Stafford. Bueche said to pay like Stafford, we would need to be Stafford.
Continuing his report, Bueche said he attended the track dedication ceremony on the 27th and thanked Jim Howard, former Supervisor, for his advocacy for the project. He also thanked the previous Board of Supervisors for cash funding the project and congratulated the School Board and citizens on making it a reality. Bueche attended the King George Farm Bureau Legislative Appreciation Dinner on April 1st and shared that the typical farmer in Virginia is almost 60 years old. He said it was troubling that many in the next generation don't seem interested in taking over the family farm, especially considering the amount of farmland in the County. He said there is a vibrant Future Farmers of America group in King George as well as a thriving 4-H program.
Bueche also thanked the School Board for their hard work on behalf of students. He said that while there may be an impression the two groups are at odds with each other, that is not the case. Bueche said he is in constant communication with his School Board member. He said he didn't want a School Board that just "rolls over" and is willing to settle and the same went for his colleagues on the Board of Supervisors when they looked at the rest of the County departments. Bueche said both Boards have "the best interest of the citizens at heart" and will come to a conclusion on what works best for the County as a whole.
Bueche then responded to Mrs. Richard's comments, stating he was the guy eating during Public Comment at the last budget work session. He said he went straight from work to home so he could change and then straight to the meeting. He said he needed something to eat because he had an ulcer and low blood sugar. He apologized if he offended anyone and that it wasn't his intent to do so.
Judy Hart, Commissioner of the Revenue, then gave the Supervisors a "little smidgen" of an update on her department. She said state income taxes were due May 1st and that she is seeing less and less every year because more people are e-filing. She said business licenses were due March 1st but a few stragglers were still coming in. Hart said the DMV Connect that has been visiting monthly has been a real success with 57 people coming in one day. Hart shared a tidbit of knowledge she learned about earlier in the day about the County sticker and where it should be placed. She said they have been telling residents to place it next to the Virginia State inspection sticker in the bottom left (driver's side) of the front window. Hart said some residents had been told otherwise and some inspection companies have even moved them back to the middle. She said she spoke to the Virginia State Police and they confirmed the County sticker should be placed next to the State inspection sticker. Hart ended her comments by stating her daughter was a middle school math teacher and was always supportive of teachers being paid what professional athletes are paid.
The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.
Ryan Gandy, Director of Economic Development, then presented an update from the Economic Development Strategic Plan. Gandy gave another brief overview of the project so far and the end results. He said he hoped to gain the Board's approval to publish the end product online. During the presentation, Brabo said she thought the wording for affordable housing had been changed because it sometimes gave the wrong impression. Gandy and Dr. Young concurred and said it was housing accessibility now. The Board approved the plan with Bueche commenting after the vote saying he's happy to see it completed. Bueche said he felt like the County was behind the curve on having this done, especially with the landfill revenue having a specific lifetime. He thanked Gandy as well as Annie Cupka, who was in the audience, for their hard work.
Gandy then presented the Small Business Incentive Plan. He said the Economic Development Authority (EDA) unanimously approved the development program which had a goal of encouraging small business growth in the County by offsetting some of the high costs involved with starting a new business. Gandy said the program would be an incentive program where the small business could apply for funding from the EDA on a case-by-case basis with the funds being repaid over time via tax revenue. He said the general idea was to have the fees go towards offsetting the high Service Authority connection fees. He said there were certain rules to applying, such as the business must be in the County and must not relocate within five years. Gandy cited several similar programs in Virginia that used a variety of methods to promote small business growth. Gandy said he was asking the Supervisors to provide their thoughts.
Jenkins thanked him for putting the plan together and said the main motivator for him pushing for this program was some small businesses stopped coming to King George, or expanding their existing business, because of the water and sewer connection fees. He said it may not eliminate the problem but he felt that instead of discussing the issue forever he wanted to see progress.
Granger thanked Jenkins and Gandy for working on the idea and thought it would be a good tool to have available. He felt they should move forward on it. Brabo asked about what would happen if a business closed before the funds could be repaid. Gandy said the proposal was to make the business pay for it. Brabo asked what would happen if they went bankrupt and Gandy said it just may need to be considered a loss then. Brabo said maybe a cost share grant would be better as it would allow the EDA to make money. Jenkins said that wasn't a bad idea but felt that anything was better than nothing. Jenkins also said that the main idea behind this was to help a business offset the connection fees and taking a loan out didn't really help them. He said that many businesses are still intact after several years so it may not be as dire as once thought.
Bueche thanked Gandy and Jenkins for the idea and hard work. He said maybe instead of continuing discussions, a draft policy to review would be a better next step. He also wondered about setting a maximum on the amount of money a business could get. Bueche said he thinks the biggest killer to economic development in the County is the high connection fee but said the Service Authority relies on that money. Bueche said this means that when a business doesn't come to the County, the Service Authority loses a potential customer. Bueche said he wondered if it was legal to waive the connection fee.
Gandy said there would be a meeting with the Service Authority to discuss waivers and fee reductions. There was some confusion between Gandy, Granger, and Brabo as to what the Service Authority could do or was capable of doing regarding the fees. In the end, Jenkins said a cap on the grant should be up to the EDA to decide as it may limit what business comes to King George. Consensus was reached that they would create and review a draft policy.
Wilma Ward, Finance Department Director, then presented her request to upgrade the check writing machine software. It was approved. The Board also approved her request to transfer funds related to the Middle School Expansion Project. Bueche asked Dr. Young if the project was nearing the budget limits. Dr. Young said there would likely be further change orders but the costs could be absorbed by the furniture line item.
Dr. Young then asked for authorization to advertise for a Public Hearing on the proposed No Wake Zone Ordinance. The Board approved. The Board also approved Dr. Young's request to hire an event planner for the coming 300th Anniversary celebration. The Board approved the Deeds of Dedication for Sections 4 and 15 in Hopyard Farm.
There was then some discussion about the Boards and Committees that each Supervisor had volunteered for. Brabo stepped down from her position on the Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (FAMPO) and Jenkins became the primary representative. Granger said he would be the new alternate. Bueche asked if there was any interest in trading for his position on the Northern Neck Tourism Commission (NNTC). Granger said he would take it although there was some friendly bickering over Granger not giving Bueche anything in return. Granger reluctantly gave Bueche his alternate role on FAMPO. Bueche ended the discussion by asking for a listing of all the Virginia Association of Counties (VACo) committees that each Supervisors participates in so the public can be aware.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Prior to the exchange, there were 24 seats, including alternates, available. Another five seats were held by various other County officials. Granger held three seats while three Supervisors, Binder, Brabo, and Bueche, held five seats each. Jenkins had the most with six seats.
Dr. Young then began his County Administrator's report by asking to reappoint David Garvin to Rappahannock Emergency Medical Service Council. The Board approved. Dr. Young then thanked Dr. Benson for working towards a viable way to get the School's and County's needs met. He asked the Board to consider and give consensus on $589,726 to be used as a number in planning the final stages of the budget. He also asked to know what their schedules could accommodate regarding public hearings and a budget approval prior to May 1st.
Bueche asked if the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee could be involved in the process. He also asked if Dr. Benson was confident that the figure will meet both the needs of the salary increase and the hiring of Special Education teachers. Dr. Young said yes, the citizens could be involved and yes, he was confident that was the right dollar amount. With that, consensus was reached.
Bueche said that he neglected to give a rebuttal to Mike Bennett's comments earlier in the evening at the Service Authority meeting. Bueche said he wasn't looking at just a private sale but other solutions as well. He said he stands by his comment that a sale may be needed but that other solutions should also be looked at, such as becoming a County department or refinancing. He said his take is that the current model isn't sustainable and that told him something isn't working. Bueche said his point was that something had to be done and that, as has been said before, it takes a long time to turn a big ship. He said they inherited something that wasn't structurally sound and the Service Authority wasn't set up for success. To the employees of the Service Authority, Bueche said his intent wasn't to say they needed to find work somewhere else but rather that a discussion needed to happen.
Brabo added that in April, there is a meeting about the Watershed Implementation Plan and how it impacts localities. She said it was critical that as many elected officials attend because it allows a dialogue with the state and advocacy on how costly the plan is to localities.
The Board then went into Closed Session at 9:30pm and invited Dr. Young, Eric Gregory, and Heather Hall to attend. Ms. Hall left the Closed Session at 9:56pm and the rest returned from Closed Session at 10:05pm.
The meeting adjourned at 10:05pm.
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 April 16, 2019 at 7:00 pm at the Revercomb Building.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Board of Supervisors Meeting.
Thursday, April 11, 2019
2019-04-02 - Wireless Authority Meeting Notes
by Neil Richard
The Wireless Authority opened their quarterly meeting at 8:07pm.
There were no amendments to the Agenda.
There was no Public Comment.
John Jenkins and Richard Granger had no report.
Cathy Binder said she has struggled with wireless issues and understands the pain experienced by residents. She said with her job and her business, she needs that connection to put everything online.
Ruby Brabo shared an update that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had teams of employees dedicated to helping service providers but only one employee to help with rural areas in the entire country. She said that because of this staffing shortfall, the local internet provider, KGI Communications, has been waiting nine months since winning the auction for the white space to provide services. She also asked that residents download and use the TestIT app to help provide a better source of data on internet speeds.
Jeff Bueche had no report.
The was no Consent Agenda.
The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.
The County Administrator, Dr. Neiman Young, had no report.
The meeting adjourned at 8:12pm.
Meeting Attendees:
John Jenkins (Board of Supervisors)
Jeff Bueche (Board of Supervisors)
Richard Granger (Chairman, Board of Supervisors)
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)
Meeting Agenda
Next Meeting:
The Wireless Authority will next meet on June 18, 2019 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Wireless Authority Meeting.
The Wireless Authority opened their quarterly meeting at 8:07pm.
There were no amendments to the Agenda.
There was no Public Comment.
John Jenkins and Richard Granger had no report.
Cathy Binder said she has struggled with wireless issues and understands the pain experienced by residents. She said with her job and her business, she needs that connection to put everything online.
Ruby Brabo shared an update that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had teams of employees dedicated to helping service providers but only one employee to help with rural areas in the entire country. She said that because of this staffing shortfall, the local internet provider, KGI Communications, has been waiting nine months since winning the auction for the white space to provide services. She also asked that residents download and use the TestIT app to help provide a better source of data on internet speeds.
Jeff Bueche had no report.
The was no Consent Agenda.
The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.
The County Administrator, Dr. Neiman Young, had no report.
The meeting adjourned at 8:12pm.
Meeting Attendees:
John Jenkins (Board of Supervisors)
Jeff Bueche (Board of Supervisors)
Richard Granger (Chairman, Board of Supervisors)
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)
Meeting Agenda
Next Meeting:
The Wireless Authority will next meet on June 18, 2019 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Wireless Authority Meeting.
2019-04-02 - Service Authority Meeting Notes
by Neil Richard
Shortly before the Service Authority Board of Directors opened their meeting, Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, made an announcement that anyone wishing to make Public Comment should sign up on the form in the lobby. He then clarified that that was for anyone wishing to speak during the Board of Supervisors meeting.
The Board of Directors began their meeting at 6:30pm.
There were amendments to the Agenda to add an Action Item regarding the adoption of the Rules and Procedures as well as an amendment to the Rules and Procedures to allow for remote participation in meetings.
Mike Bennett apologized for not including them on the Agenda.
Public Comment began with Kim Dodge, a resident of Hopyard, speaking about the water and sewer rates. Dodge said that she had heard at a previous meeting some comments about maintenance and waste water treatment plants that may need to be closed. She said it was her understanding that when the developer built the Hopyard subdivision, they had to build the sewer system and put that cost into cost of the home which in turn was passed along to the value of the house which meant higher taxes. Dodge said when she first moved here, the rates were fine. She said there were then huge increases. She said one of the solutions she heard about was to raise rates. She also heard from somebody in Presidential Lakes who said their rates were not that bad. She said they pay water and sewer but not the debt fees. Dodge said Hopyard pays more and has to pay local taxes so she was asking to not increase the rates. She said she was asking for this for the whole County. She said the people she talked to in Presidential Lakes didn't mind their bill because they were only paying for one part, not all four.
Christopher Werle was the first to report beginning with his summary of the most recent budget work session the night before on April 1st. Werle said the presentation from Davenport and Associates was a five year plan that laid out various scenarios and options with the ultimate goal of bringing the Service Authority into compliance with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Additionally, it would provide better financial stability to ensure that Service Authority facilities were maintained and capital improvement plans were made for future needs. Werle said that in his opinion, the best solution included five basic points. First was an increase in rates. Second was maintaining a minimum amount of cash reserves. Third was restructuring part of the existing debt. Fourth was meeting critical financial benchmarks in five years. Fifth was a new line of credit to pay for immediate capital needs. Werle summed things up nicely by saying "Implementing the plan will be painful and add to the substantial financial burden our customers already bear. However, it is needed to ensure the long term financial strength and stability of the KGCSA, and I believe moving forward with it is the right thing to do." He also added that the Board of Directors are obligated to provide the General Manager and Service Authority staff the resources necessary to be successful.
Richard Granger was next to report, starting by thanking Mrs. Dodge for her comments. He corrected her by saying that Presidential Lakes was water only and that residents there had their own septic systems. He also clarified that they did pay for the water debt as well as their water usage. Granger said he attended the budget work session as well and felt that Werle summed things up well.
Werle added that he neglected to respond to Dodge's comments and said that the systems in Hopyard Farm cost $26 million and were proffered to the County as part of negotiations. Werle said he didn't believe the cost of the infrastructure was relevant to the price of a home but that the connection fee was certainly part of the cost of the house. He said he lives there too and the residents of Hopyard are not being penalized. Werle said the Service Authority charges the same rates to everyone as required by law and the only difference is how much a customer uses and what type of customer they are, meaning water only or water and sewer.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Neither Werle nor Granger mentioned that some residents of Presidential Lakes, specifically those in the Lake Jefferson section, are customers of AQUA Virginia, not the Service Authority. Those customers pay a much higher rate for both water and sewer as well as higher rates for water debt and sewer debt.]
Cathy Binder was next, stating she has been to all of the same budget meetings as well over the past few weeks where they have been reviewing options on how best to get the Service Authority back on the right footing. She said that one of those options was restructuring the debt, which Werle had already covered well. She also said that she never thought she would learn so much about what happened before turning on the tap or what happened after flushing the toilet. Binder said rate increases are a possibility in order to provide the quality service as well as to get back into compliance with the state.
Ruby Brabo began her report by stating she attended Local Government Advisory Committee meeting for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed quarterly meeting. She said during the meeting she learned about HB1822 which was just signed by the Governor. She said the bill allowed for cost sharing for the decommissioning of a waste water treatment plant (WWTP) as well as the rerouting of sewer lines and building new sewer pump stations. Brabo said she also learned about the Governor's Watershed Implementation Plan which included the potential closure of WWTPs that cannot "achieve technology based limits." She said this meant that within the next year and a half to two years, the Service Authority may be forced to close Purkins Corner and Oakland Park WWTPs, much earlier than anticipated. Brabo ended her comments by saying that during the meeting, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) noted that no local targets were set because of her efforts.
Mike Bennett began his comments saying that Brabo went to a conference and got helpful information for the Service Authority. He said that her travel shouldn't be controversial but it apparently was. Bennett continued, stating that Brabo had sent a message about the new law and the changes to the grant program regarding the decommissioning of WWTPs. He said that prior to the change, the grant did not cover new pipes but now it does. He noted that new sewer pipes were a huge part of the potential decommissioning of Purkins Corner and Oakland Park WWTPs. He said the law was complicated enough that he wasn't sure how much the Service Authority could get but it sounded like it would range between 35% and 75%. Bennett also said that the information Brabo brought back changed how he looked at the timing of things. He said that prior to the new information, he felt the decommissioning was a long term need but that has changed to a short term need. He again thanked Brabo for the information.
Bennett added that he had a meeting with Wiley Wilson and Draper Aden on March 20th and also visited the Nindes Store well house facility. He said the facility is in terrible shape and he touched the storage tank gently and his fingers came away wet and rusty. Bennett said he wasn't an expert but he felt replacement was the only option. On the 25th, Bennett met with Davenport about the financial needs of the Service Authority. On the 26th he met with Jonathon Weakley, General Manager, and Eric Gregory, County Attorney, and DEQ Enforcement representatives. Bennett said they discussed many issues and solutions and the Service Authority got guidance on a number of things. He said it was a much different atmosphere, in a positive way, than last year's meeting when they negotiated the Consent Order. Bennett said they were still the regulators but things felt much more collegial. He said during the discussion, DEQ shared a story of how the Purkins Corner WWTP was built in the 1990s without any DEQ permit. Bennett said DEQ is still talking about this 20 years later.
On March 27th, Bennett, Binder, and Weakley attended a meeting with Darrel Hertenstein regarding his planned development in the area of Kings Highway (Route 3) and James Madison Parkway (Highway 301), also known as Office Hall. Bennett said the project would include an urgent care facility, housing, and businesses. While the end result isn't known yet, Bennett said he was hopeful the Service Authority would see additional revenue because of the connections. Despite the potential for about $9 million in connection fees, Bennett said the project also raised two key concerns. First, the development would be served by the Purkins Corner WWTP. With this plant being considered for decommissioning, any new development would need to be factored into what Hopyard WWTP could handle. Second, the project includes an access point to Highway 301 which would mean increased access to Service Authority infrastructure by any future development. Thus increasing the need to consider other options for Purkins Corner WWTP, including building a new plant. Bennett said he did not know if that was a feasible option but felt that every option should be considered. Bennett joked that after this meeting, Weakley let him go home for lunch before attending another meeting with Draper Aden in the afternoon. Bennett continued his report joking that Weakley let him work from home on the 28th to participate in a conference call with Davenport. Bennett also attended the budget work session on April 1st. Addressing Kim Dodge, Bennett said he hears her loud and clear. He lives in Fairview Beach and knows how much has to be paid but felt the needs of the Service Authority were gargantuan.
Bennett then said he wanted to offer a rebuttal to comments made by Supervisor Jeff Bueche regarding the privatization of the Service Authority. Bennett said he had called Bueche to tell him about his comments and even offered to send him a copy, to which Bueche declined. Bennett said they had a friendly conversation as they normally do and hoped that after his comments they would still remain friends.
Bennett then read three pages of a prepared statement outlining his reasons for disagreeing with Bueche's statements. To start with, Bennett said he felt a response was needed because some Service Authority employees were concerned that their jobs were now at risk. Bennett said this came on top of years of low morale and that folks were upset. Bennett reassured the employees that there are no current plans to sell the Service Authority and that, in a worst case scenario, if it was sold, the Board of Directors would do everything they could to protect the employees and their jobs. Bennett also wanted to reassure Service Authority customers. He said that if a business were to purchase the utility, the problems would still exist. Pump stations would need to be repaired, the debt would still be there, and the customer base would not dramatically increase. Bennett said because of these factors, he did not see the Service Authority as a sound financial investment for any company. Additionally, as part of a technical review committee last year, Bennett said he and the the rest of the committee were against selling the Service Authority because a new owner would pass along the costs to the customers. Bennett then gave a real world example of a water and sewer company that was recently purchased in a nearby County. He said that the new owners raised rates so much that the County took them to court on behalf of the residents and won. He cautioned that people should be careful what they wish for. Bennett also said that he may agree in principle with Bueche's opinion on the private sector being more efficient than government. However, Bennett said there were certain things were the government excelled and certain things that citizens didn't want a private company to run, such as the military, law enforcement, and fire and rescue. Bennett said it was the job of the Board of Directors to make the Service Authority work and right now they are digging out of a really deep hole. He said the new General Manager, Jonathan Weakley, has been a steady hand on the wheel and has put together an honest and necessary budget. Bennett said he felt Weakley deserved a chance to turn things around and deserved the support of both Boards. Bennett finished his rebuttal by saying that if, after a reasonable amount of time had passed, things were not moving in the right direction, then as a last resort he would consider selling.
The Consent Agenda was approved.
Next was the Utility Master Plan (Phase I) presentation by Sheryl Stephens of Draper Aden and Ryan Bogese of Wiley Wilson. The presentation was full of information, much of it depressing or scary. Stephens said Draper Aden looked at the water system and all of its associated above-ground parts from well houses to water tanks. She said that after these inspections and visits, they created a list of repairs and their associated cost estimates. Stephens said the repairs were broken down into two parts. Primary Repairs which impacted the health and safety of customers and were violations of regulations. Secondary Repairs were less critical deficiencies they noticed during site visits. The photos in the presentation did not instill confidence with previous management and showed painfully obvious signs of deferred maintenance and repairs. Corroded pipes, rusty storage tanks, and decaying buildings were noted at several locations. In their summary, Draper Aden recommended repairing or replacing three well houses at Bumbrey, Nindes, and Owens. For the recommended system repairs, they broke down the costs for each water system and had a grand total of $50,700 for Primary Repairs and $89,250 for Secondary Repairs. These did not include the estimated cost of $100,000 to $130,000 to repair or replace each of the three suggested well houses. In addition to these recommendations, Draper Aden also said the elevated and ground level tanks needed to be inspected and maintained annually. They also made recommendations based on Virginia Department of Health (VDH) concerns. These suggestions included increased revenue, better capital improvement planning, and regular maintenance and repairs as well as employee training.
Draper Aden was also tasked with looking into the potential costs associated with interconnecting several different water systems. To connect the Circle System to the Courthouse System would cost about $720,000. Connecting the Canterbury System to the Courthouse System would cost $990,000. Connecting the Nindes Store System to the Circle System would cost $3.2 million. Although this connection is already complete, they estimated that connecting the Owens System to the Dahlgren System would cost $252,000.
Moving into the waste water side of the Service Authority, Ryan Bogese took over for Wiley Wilson. Bogese said they were tasked with looking at the Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTPs) and bringing the sewer pump stations up to a DEQ Class 1 Reliability level but were not asked to look at the capacity of WWTPs, future needs, or maintenance costs. Bogese noted that the majority of issues noted by DEQ at the five WWTPs have either already been addressed are are currently in progress. He said the estimated costs for Primary and Secondary Repairs at all of the WWTPs was about $363,900. He did note that the Dahlgren WWTP was the only facility to have dewatering equipment. Werle asked if centrifuges would be used and Bogese said a preliminary engineering report would be needed to determine what would be best. Bogese continued his report and recommended adding one to the Hopyard Farm WWTP, especially due to space and proximity to the landfill, at an estimated cost of $1.9 million to $2.2 million. Regarding the pump stations being brought up to a DEQ Class 1 level, he listed the various options DEQ gave on how to achieve this. As has been discussed in earlier meetings, Bogese repeated that eight pump stations are not in compliance and that five pump stations are within the 100 year flood plain and that two of these stations do not have emergency generators. In estimating the costs, he said the total Primary Repairs would be $762,400 and Secondary Repairs would be $11,400.
Brabo asked if the pump stations were in the flood plain because of the new updates to the flood plain map and Bogese said he didn't know but it was a good possibility. Dr. Young said he looked at the new maps and it would actually add one additional pump station to the numbers given. In other words, they were originally built within the known 100 year flood plain. Bennett commented that he knew where some of them were and it's hard to say they didn't know that when they installed them because they were so close to the water. Weakley added that other jurisdictions have done this as well so it wasn't uncommon. Brabo clarified that the new maps would mean six pumps were within the flood plain and Dr. Young said yes.
Bogese concluded his report by saying they recommended a Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) at the eight pump stations in question to determine how best to achieve the Class 1 status. He also recommended evaluating the protection of those pump stations in the flood plain and asking DEQ for a variance on certain items.
Bennett summarized the last bit by saying it would cost about $773 to bring the pump stations into compliance and apparently they had not been in compliance since the dawn of time. He said DEQ was very interested in the pump stations and felt it was embarrassing that the Directors didn't have this information already.
The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.
Next was the authorization to sign the Deeds of Dedication for Sections 4 and 15 of Hopyard Farm. Bennett asked why the deeds were dated 2017 and 2018 in some cases to which Gregory responded that he wasn't sure but likely they got signed when the person was available. Gregory said they had no control over that process. Bennett asked to make sure the documents gave easements to the County and the Service Authority and Gregory confirmed that was the case. Gregory said they allowed for fire hydrants, right of way, and turn-arounds among other things. The Board approved the authorization.
Next was the adoption of the Rules and Procedures. Brabo commented that she thought they were already adopted but Gregory said it was just to be safe. The Board adopted the Rules and Procedures. Bennett then said the Amendment to the Rules and Procedures was to allow for participation from a remote location. He said it was the same policy the Board of Supervisors had and that the only change was from "Board of Supervisors" to "Board of Directors." The Board adopted the amendment.
Jonathon Weakley then gave his General Manager's report. On the water side of the Service Authority, Weakley said they were working on updating plans to update their sampling for lead and copper. He thanked Dr. Young and his staff for his help in that process. He also noted the Old King George Elementary School, or Old Old King George High School, would be subject to upcoming inspections and they were working with the School Board. Weakley said the Hopyard Farm repairs have been been scheduled or are already in progress. He said a well went offline in Fairview Beach and a new pump would be installed soon. He said they received complaints of milky water in Cleydael but were not able to find any discoloration. He cautioned that he was not saying they didn't believe the customer. He encouraged customers to sign up for KGAlert and to call if they have a problem. He said the axiom of "see something, say something" applied. Weakley said the Oakland Park system had been flushed and that several alerts were sent via KGAlert.
On the waste water side of the Service Authority, Weakley said a new Operator had been hired at Oakland Park and responses had been sent to DEQ. He said the Dahlgren WWTP was operating on only one effluent pump while the other is being repaired. Weakley said the EQ Basin liner needs to be repaired as well. He also noted that the Commonwealth Governor's School toured both the Dahlgren WWTP and the Fairview Beach well house. Brabo asked for Weakley to go back and see when the Board voted to repair the basin liner and Werle said it was last year for about $120,000. Werle said the repair was because of a large storm. Brabo said never mind to her earlier request. Weakley added that the warranty period for the liner ran out in November of 2018. Weakley continued his report noting several other repairs at other WWTPs as well as attending budget work sessions and holding weekly management meetings.
Bennett asked Weakley if, based on his experience elsewhere, the repairs seen here were typical. Weakley laughed and said it sounded like he was leading the witness. Weakley said there were certainly needs here and the length of the list is what set us apart. He said generally there are Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs) where certain things would be funded in advance. He said that if something failed in year four of a five year plan, then at least there was some money already available to make repairs. Weakley said that infrastructure repair is a common theme across the state and felt that the Service Authority was looking at ten years before getting back to normal. He added that the debt isn't addressing what needs to be fixed. He also said the plan for growth is important because if a development is approved today, the pipe doesn't go in the ground tomorrow.
Brabo said that during the interview process, the Board let Weakley know he would be facing a challenge. She said he didn't know how big the challenge would be and said he hasn't turned and ran. Weakley said he appreciated her kind words and said he was committed to the long haul regardless of what it looks like. He added that it really has been a team effort and has never felt isolated. Weakley said everything is shared and that the right solution doesn't have to be his idea. Bennett added that he wanted to echo the comments from Brabo. He also wanted to add that he met Mrs. Weakley and told her it would be a challenge. Mrs. Weakley told Bennett that Mr. Weakley loves a challenge.
The meeting adjourned at 8:01pm.
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 April 16, 2019 at 5:15 pm at the Revercomb Building.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Service Authority Meeting.
Shortly before the Service Authority Board of Directors opened their meeting, Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, made an announcement that anyone wishing to make Public Comment should sign up on the form in the lobby. He then clarified that that was for anyone wishing to speak during the Board of Supervisors meeting.
The Board of Directors began their meeting at 6:30pm.
There were amendments to the Agenda to add an Action Item regarding the adoption of the Rules and Procedures as well as an amendment to the Rules and Procedures to allow for remote participation in meetings.
Mike Bennett apologized for not including them on the Agenda.
Public Comment began with Kim Dodge, a resident of Hopyard, speaking about the water and sewer rates. Dodge said that she had heard at a previous meeting some comments about maintenance and waste water treatment plants that may need to be closed. She said it was her understanding that when the developer built the Hopyard subdivision, they had to build the sewer system and put that cost into cost of the home which in turn was passed along to the value of the house which meant higher taxes. Dodge said when she first moved here, the rates were fine. She said there were then huge increases. She said one of the solutions she heard about was to raise rates. She also heard from somebody in Presidential Lakes who said their rates were not that bad. She said they pay water and sewer but not the debt fees. Dodge said Hopyard pays more and has to pay local taxes so she was asking to not increase the rates. She said she was asking for this for the whole County. She said the people she talked to in Presidential Lakes didn't mind their bill because they were only paying for one part, not all four.
Christopher Werle was the first to report beginning with his summary of the most recent budget work session the night before on April 1st. Werle said the presentation from Davenport and Associates was a five year plan that laid out various scenarios and options with the ultimate goal of bringing the Service Authority into compliance with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Additionally, it would provide better financial stability to ensure that Service Authority facilities were maintained and capital improvement plans were made for future needs. Werle said that in his opinion, the best solution included five basic points. First was an increase in rates. Second was maintaining a minimum amount of cash reserves. Third was restructuring part of the existing debt. Fourth was meeting critical financial benchmarks in five years. Fifth was a new line of credit to pay for immediate capital needs. Werle summed things up nicely by saying "Implementing the plan will be painful and add to the substantial financial burden our customers already bear. However, it is needed to ensure the long term financial strength and stability of the KGCSA, and I believe moving forward with it is the right thing to do." He also added that the Board of Directors are obligated to provide the General Manager and Service Authority staff the resources necessary to be successful.
Richard Granger was next to report, starting by thanking Mrs. Dodge for her comments. He corrected her by saying that Presidential Lakes was water only and that residents there had their own septic systems. He also clarified that they did pay for the water debt as well as their water usage. Granger said he attended the budget work session as well and felt that Werle summed things up well.
Werle added that he neglected to respond to Dodge's comments and said that the systems in Hopyard Farm cost $26 million and were proffered to the County as part of negotiations. Werle said he didn't believe the cost of the infrastructure was relevant to the price of a home but that the connection fee was certainly part of the cost of the house. He said he lives there too and the residents of Hopyard are not being penalized. Werle said the Service Authority charges the same rates to everyone as required by law and the only difference is how much a customer uses and what type of customer they are, meaning water only or water and sewer.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Neither Werle nor Granger mentioned that some residents of Presidential Lakes, specifically those in the Lake Jefferson section, are customers of AQUA Virginia, not the Service Authority. Those customers pay a much higher rate for both water and sewer as well as higher rates for water debt and sewer debt.]
Cathy Binder was next, stating she has been to all of the same budget meetings as well over the past few weeks where they have been reviewing options on how best to get the Service Authority back on the right footing. She said that one of those options was restructuring the debt, which Werle had already covered well. She also said that she never thought she would learn so much about what happened before turning on the tap or what happened after flushing the toilet. Binder said rate increases are a possibility in order to provide the quality service as well as to get back into compliance with the state.
Ruby Brabo began her report by stating she attended Local Government Advisory Committee meeting for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed quarterly meeting. She said during the meeting she learned about HB1822 which was just signed by the Governor. She said the bill allowed for cost sharing for the decommissioning of a waste water treatment plant (WWTP) as well as the rerouting of sewer lines and building new sewer pump stations. Brabo said she also learned about the Governor's Watershed Implementation Plan which included the potential closure of WWTPs that cannot "achieve technology based limits." She said this meant that within the next year and a half to two years, the Service Authority may be forced to close Purkins Corner and Oakland Park WWTPs, much earlier than anticipated. Brabo ended her comments by saying that during the meeting, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) noted that no local targets were set because of her efforts.
Mike Bennett began his comments saying that Brabo went to a conference and got helpful information for the Service Authority. He said that her travel shouldn't be controversial but it apparently was. Bennett continued, stating that Brabo had sent a message about the new law and the changes to the grant program regarding the decommissioning of WWTPs. He said that prior to the change, the grant did not cover new pipes but now it does. He noted that new sewer pipes were a huge part of the potential decommissioning of Purkins Corner and Oakland Park WWTPs. He said the law was complicated enough that he wasn't sure how much the Service Authority could get but it sounded like it would range between 35% and 75%. Bennett also said that the information Brabo brought back changed how he looked at the timing of things. He said that prior to the new information, he felt the decommissioning was a long term need but that has changed to a short term need. He again thanked Brabo for the information.
Bennett added that he had a meeting with Wiley Wilson and Draper Aden on March 20th and also visited the Nindes Store well house facility. He said the facility is in terrible shape and he touched the storage tank gently and his fingers came away wet and rusty. Bennett said he wasn't an expert but he felt replacement was the only option. On the 25th, Bennett met with Davenport about the financial needs of the Service Authority. On the 26th he met with Jonathon Weakley, General Manager, and Eric Gregory, County Attorney, and DEQ Enforcement representatives. Bennett said they discussed many issues and solutions and the Service Authority got guidance on a number of things. He said it was a much different atmosphere, in a positive way, than last year's meeting when they negotiated the Consent Order. Bennett said they were still the regulators but things felt much more collegial. He said during the discussion, DEQ shared a story of how the Purkins Corner WWTP was built in the 1990s without any DEQ permit. Bennett said DEQ is still talking about this 20 years later.
On March 27th, Bennett, Binder, and Weakley attended a meeting with Darrel Hertenstein regarding his planned development in the area of Kings Highway (Route 3) and James Madison Parkway (Highway 301), also known as Office Hall. Bennett said the project would include an urgent care facility, housing, and businesses. While the end result isn't known yet, Bennett said he was hopeful the Service Authority would see additional revenue because of the connections. Despite the potential for about $9 million in connection fees, Bennett said the project also raised two key concerns. First, the development would be served by the Purkins Corner WWTP. With this plant being considered for decommissioning, any new development would need to be factored into what Hopyard WWTP could handle. Second, the project includes an access point to Highway 301 which would mean increased access to Service Authority infrastructure by any future development. Thus increasing the need to consider other options for Purkins Corner WWTP, including building a new plant. Bennett said he did not know if that was a feasible option but felt that every option should be considered. Bennett joked that after this meeting, Weakley let him go home for lunch before attending another meeting with Draper Aden in the afternoon. Bennett continued his report joking that Weakley let him work from home on the 28th to participate in a conference call with Davenport. Bennett also attended the budget work session on April 1st. Addressing Kim Dodge, Bennett said he hears her loud and clear. He lives in Fairview Beach and knows how much has to be paid but felt the needs of the Service Authority were gargantuan.
Bennett then said he wanted to offer a rebuttal to comments made by Supervisor Jeff Bueche regarding the privatization of the Service Authority. Bennett said he had called Bueche to tell him about his comments and even offered to send him a copy, to which Bueche declined. Bennett said they had a friendly conversation as they normally do and hoped that after his comments they would still remain friends.
Bennett then read three pages of a prepared statement outlining his reasons for disagreeing with Bueche's statements. To start with, Bennett said he felt a response was needed because some Service Authority employees were concerned that their jobs were now at risk. Bennett said this came on top of years of low morale and that folks were upset. Bennett reassured the employees that there are no current plans to sell the Service Authority and that, in a worst case scenario, if it was sold, the Board of Directors would do everything they could to protect the employees and their jobs. Bennett also wanted to reassure Service Authority customers. He said that if a business were to purchase the utility, the problems would still exist. Pump stations would need to be repaired, the debt would still be there, and the customer base would not dramatically increase. Bennett said because of these factors, he did not see the Service Authority as a sound financial investment for any company. Additionally, as part of a technical review committee last year, Bennett said he and the the rest of the committee were against selling the Service Authority because a new owner would pass along the costs to the customers. Bennett then gave a real world example of a water and sewer company that was recently purchased in a nearby County. He said that the new owners raised rates so much that the County took them to court on behalf of the residents and won. He cautioned that people should be careful what they wish for. Bennett also said that he may agree in principle with Bueche's opinion on the private sector being more efficient than government. However, Bennett said there were certain things were the government excelled and certain things that citizens didn't want a private company to run, such as the military, law enforcement, and fire and rescue. Bennett said it was the job of the Board of Directors to make the Service Authority work and right now they are digging out of a really deep hole. He said the new General Manager, Jonathan Weakley, has been a steady hand on the wheel and has put together an honest and necessary budget. Bennett said he felt Weakley deserved a chance to turn things around and deserved the support of both Boards. Bennett finished his rebuttal by saying that if, after a reasonable amount of time had passed, things were not moving in the right direction, then as a last resort he would consider selling.
The Consent Agenda was approved.
Next was the Utility Master Plan (Phase I) presentation by Sheryl Stephens of Draper Aden and Ryan Bogese of Wiley Wilson. The presentation was full of information, much of it depressing or scary. Stephens said Draper Aden looked at the water system and all of its associated above-ground parts from well houses to water tanks. She said that after these inspections and visits, they created a list of repairs and their associated cost estimates. Stephens said the repairs were broken down into two parts. Primary Repairs which impacted the health and safety of customers and were violations of regulations. Secondary Repairs were less critical deficiencies they noticed during site visits. The photos in the presentation did not instill confidence with previous management and showed painfully obvious signs of deferred maintenance and repairs. Corroded pipes, rusty storage tanks, and decaying buildings were noted at several locations. In their summary, Draper Aden recommended repairing or replacing three well houses at Bumbrey, Nindes, and Owens. For the recommended system repairs, they broke down the costs for each water system and had a grand total of $50,700 for Primary Repairs and $89,250 for Secondary Repairs. These did not include the estimated cost of $100,000 to $130,000 to repair or replace each of the three suggested well houses. In addition to these recommendations, Draper Aden also said the elevated and ground level tanks needed to be inspected and maintained annually. They also made recommendations based on Virginia Department of Health (VDH) concerns. These suggestions included increased revenue, better capital improvement planning, and regular maintenance and repairs as well as employee training.
Draper Aden was also tasked with looking into the potential costs associated with interconnecting several different water systems. To connect the Circle System to the Courthouse System would cost about $720,000. Connecting the Canterbury System to the Courthouse System would cost $990,000. Connecting the Nindes Store System to the Circle System would cost $3.2 million. Although this connection is already complete, they estimated that connecting the Owens System to the Dahlgren System would cost $252,000.
Moving into the waste water side of the Service Authority, Ryan Bogese took over for Wiley Wilson. Bogese said they were tasked with looking at the Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTPs) and bringing the sewer pump stations up to a DEQ Class 1 Reliability level but were not asked to look at the capacity of WWTPs, future needs, or maintenance costs. Bogese noted that the majority of issues noted by DEQ at the five WWTPs have either already been addressed are are currently in progress. He said the estimated costs for Primary and Secondary Repairs at all of the WWTPs was about $363,900. He did note that the Dahlgren WWTP was the only facility to have dewatering equipment. Werle asked if centrifuges would be used and Bogese said a preliminary engineering report would be needed to determine what would be best. Bogese continued his report and recommended adding one to the Hopyard Farm WWTP, especially due to space and proximity to the landfill, at an estimated cost of $1.9 million to $2.2 million. Regarding the pump stations being brought up to a DEQ Class 1 level, he listed the various options DEQ gave on how to achieve this. As has been discussed in earlier meetings, Bogese repeated that eight pump stations are not in compliance and that five pump stations are within the 100 year flood plain and that two of these stations do not have emergency generators. In estimating the costs, he said the total Primary Repairs would be $762,400 and Secondary Repairs would be $11,400.
Brabo asked if the pump stations were in the flood plain because of the new updates to the flood plain map and Bogese said he didn't know but it was a good possibility. Dr. Young said he looked at the new maps and it would actually add one additional pump station to the numbers given. In other words, they were originally built within the known 100 year flood plain. Bennett commented that he knew where some of them were and it's hard to say they didn't know that when they installed them because they were so close to the water. Weakley added that other jurisdictions have done this as well so it wasn't uncommon. Brabo clarified that the new maps would mean six pumps were within the flood plain and Dr. Young said yes.
Bogese concluded his report by saying they recommended a Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) at the eight pump stations in question to determine how best to achieve the Class 1 status. He also recommended evaluating the protection of those pump stations in the flood plain and asking DEQ for a variance on certain items.
Bennett summarized the last bit by saying it would cost about $773 to bring the pump stations into compliance and apparently they had not been in compliance since the dawn of time. He said DEQ was very interested in the pump stations and felt it was embarrassing that the Directors didn't have this information already.
The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.
Next was the authorization to sign the Deeds of Dedication for Sections 4 and 15 of Hopyard Farm. Bennett asked why the deeds were dated 2017 and 2018 in some cases to which Gregory responded that he wasn't sure but likely they got signed when the person was available. Gregory said they had no control over that process. Bennett asked to make sure the documents gave easements to the County and the Service Authority and Gregory confirmed that was the case. Gregory said they allowed for fire hydrants, right of way, and turn-arounds among other things. The Board approved the authorization.
Next was the adoption of the Rules and Procedures. Brabo commented that she thought they were already adopted but Gregory said it was just to be safe. The Board adopted the Rules and Procedures. Bennett then said the Amendment to the Rules and Procedures was to allow for participation from a remote location. He said it was the same policy the Board of Supervisors had and that the only change was from "Board of Supervisors" to "Board of Directors." The Board adopted the amendment.
Jonathon Weakley then gave his General Manager's report. On the water side of the Service Authority, Weakley said they were working on updating plans to update their sampling for lead and copper. He thanked Dr. Young and his staff for his help in that process. He also noted the Old King George Elementary School, or Old Old King George High School, would be subject to upcoming inspections and they were working with the School Board. Weakley said the Hopyard Farm repairs have been been scheduled or are already in progress. He said a well went offline in Fairview Beach and a new pump would be installed soon. He said they received complaints of milky water in Cleydael but were not able to find any discoloration. He cautioned that he was not saying they didn't believe the customer. He encouraged customers to sign up for KGAlert and to call if they have a problem. He said the axiom of "see something, say something" applied. Weakley said the Oakland Park system had been flushed and that several alerts were sent via KGAlert.
On the waste water side of the Service Authority, Weakley said a new Operator had been hired at Oakland Park and responses had been sent to DEQ. He said the Dahlgren WWTP was operating on only one effluent pump while the other is being repaired. Weakley said the EQ Basin liner needs to be repaired as well. He also noted that the Commonwealth Governor's School toured both the Dahlgren WWTP and the Fairview Beach well house. Brabo asked for Weakley to go back and see when the Board voted to repair the basin liner and Werle said it was last year for about $120,000. Werle said the repair was because of a large storm. Brabo said never mind to her earlier request. Weakley added that the warranty period for the liner ran out in November of 2018. Weakley continued his report noting several other repairs at other WWTPs as well as attending budget work sessions and holding weekly management meetings.
Bennett asked Weakley if, based on his experience elsewhere, the repairs seen here were typical. Weakley laughed and said it sounded like he was leading the witness. Weakley said there were certainly needs here and the length of the list is what set us apart. He said generally there are Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs) where certain things would be funded in advance. He said that if something failed in year four of a five year plan, then at least there was some money already available to make repairs. Weakley said that infrastructure repair is a common theme across the state and felt that the Service Authority was looking at ten years before getting back to normal. He added that the debt isn't addressing what needs to be fixed. He also said the plan for growth is important because if a development is approved today, the pipe doesn't go in the ground tomorrow.
Brabo said that during the interview process, the Board let Weakley know he would be facing a challenge. She said he didn't know how big the challenge would be and said he hasn't turned and ran. Weakley said he appreciated her kind words and said he was committed to the long haul regardless of what it looks like. He added that it really has been a team effort and has never felt isolated. Weakley said everything is shared and that the right solution doesn't have to be his idea. Bennett added that he wanted to echo the comments from Brabo. He also wanted to add that he met Mrs. Weakley and told her it would be a challenge. Mrs. Weakley told Bennett that Mr. Weakley loves a challenge.
The meeting adjourned at 8:01pm.
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 April 16, 2019 at 5:15 pm at the Revercomb Building.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Service Authority Meeting.
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
2019-03-27 - King George Track Ribbon Cutting
by Neil Richard
The King George High School track has been open for business for a few months already but today was the official ribbon cutting ceremony. With several dignitaries attending, the ceremony was brief and to the point. Athletic Director Alex Fisher hosted the ceremony with everyone gathering at the far end of the track. School Board Chairman T. C. Collins said a few words, mostly thanking everyone involved in making the project happen. The crowd applauded current and former Coaches, Athletic Directors, School Board Members, County Supervisors, track athletes, parents, and community members.
Jeff Bueche, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, was also invited to speak a few words. He thanked everyone for attending but said he couldn't take credit for the project and instead thanked Jim Howard, former Supervisor, for being an advocate for the new track surface.
Fisher then explained that even though there were a lot of competitive people on the track, including those currently on the track team, he wanted to make sure that T. C. Collins, Jeff Bueche, and Jim Howard were at the front of the pack and crossed the finish line first.
As expected, the competitive people took off and Collins barely edged out a win. There were no official results for the non-certified 100 meter race, but based on the photo finish, Ruby Brabo finished second and Cathy Binder tied for fifth. Jim Howard, Jeff Bueche, and Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, took a more leisurely jog across the finish line. A few local residents, School Board members, and former parents took their time walking and enjoyed the new rubberized surface.
The roughly $1 million project was cash-funded by the County as the old surface was in dire need of repair. The old rubberized surface prior to the newly installed surface was in such bad shape that several sections of the track had worn down to bare asphalt. Local track teams would not run on the surface citing safety concerns, forcing King George to travel to all of their meets. Prior to that old rubberized surface, the original track had a dirt and cinder surface. While this made long track spikes legal, it also made falling more painful.
As seen in some of the above pictures, the King George High School track has a long tradition of being an important part of the County's history. It not only serves as a place for student athletes to compete, but also a place for parents, students, and coaches to learn about good sportsmanship.
The King George High School track has been open for business for a few months already but today was the official ribbon cutting ceremony. With several dignitaries attending, the ceremony was brief and to the point. Athletic Director Alex Fisher hosted the ceremony with everyone gathering at the far end of the track. School Board Chairman T. C. Collins said a few words, mostly thanking everyone involved in making the project happen. The crowd applauded current and former Coaches, Athletic Directors, School Board Members, County Supervisors, track athletes, parents, and community members.
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| Matt Boyd, former track and cross-country athlete, returns to King George for a lap around the new track. |
Jeff Bueche, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, was also invited to speak a few words. He thanked everyone for attending but said he couldn't take credit for the project and instead thanked Jim Howard, former Supervisor, for being an advocate for the new track surface.
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| Near the finish, Cathy Binder, Ruby Brabo, and several track athletes give T. C. Collins a challenge. |
Fisher then explained that even though there were a lot of competitive people on the track, including those currently on the track team, he wanted to make sure that T. C. Collins, Jeff Bueche, and Jim Howard were at the front of the pack and crossed the finish line first.
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| Dr. Neiman Young, Matt Boyd, Jim Howard, and Jeff Bueche make it look easy. |
As expected, the competitive people took off and Collins barely edged out a win. There were no official results for the non-certified 100 meter race, but based on the photo finish, Ruby Brabo finished second and Cathy Binder tied for fifth. Jim Howard, Jeff Bueche, and Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, took a more leisurely jog across the finish line. A few local residents, School Board members, and former parents took their time walking and enjoyed the new rubberized surface.
 |
| Photo courtesy of Gary Butler. Used with permission. |
The roughly $1 million project was cash-funded by the County as the old surface was in dire need of repair. The old rubberized surface prior to the newly installed surface was in such bad shape that several sections of the track had worn down to bare asphalt. Local track teams would not run on the surface citing safety concerns, forcing King George to travel to all of their meets. Prior to that old rubberized surface, the original track had a dirt and cinder surface. While this made long track spikes legal, it also made falling more painful.
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| Photo courtesy of Gary Butler. Used with permission. |
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| Photo courtesy of Gary Butler. Used with permission. |
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| 1974 Boys Track Team. Photo courtesy of Cathy Binder. Used with permission. |
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| The old cinder track on display. Photo courtesy of Cathy Binder. Used with permission. |
As seen in some of the above pictures, the King George High School track has a long tradition of being an important part of the County's history. It not only serves as a place for student athletes to compete, but also a place for parents, students, and coaches to learn about good sportsmanship.
Thursday, April 4, 2019
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
An Interview With Mike Muncie - Local Leaders #5
by Neil Richard
Introduction
The basic idea behind this interview series is to interview local leaders that live, work, or have an important impact on King George County. We have asked various citizens for recommendations on who they see as a local leader. Additionally, we feel that everyone has a story and it deserves to be told. So we want to know their story. As you can see with the questions below, we want to share their story with the rest of the citizens in King George County. If you have somebody you would like to nominate for a future interview, please contact us.
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| Mike Muncie, Director of General Properties |
Editor's Note:
Much like my earlier interview with Don Smith, Mike Muncie is one of those people that you can sit down and talk to all day if time allowed. I found myself sharing some of my own stories with him during our conversation but have removed them from the article in an effort to focus more on Mike's answers. I also removed some personal information that wasn't pertinent to the questions asked. We also spent some time discussing what type of restaurant King George needs which was also committed. One final note for readers, Mike's interview is very "stream of consciousnesses" in style and therefore may jump around a little.
Basic Biographical Information
Born in Quantico and lived in King George my whole life other than when I was stationed elsewhere in the Air Force. Education, I graduated from King George High School in 1978. Had pre-enlisted in the Air Force before I graduated. Got out in 1983 and did two years Reserve after that. Some schooling throughout that career. Never did get a degree as far as an Associates or BS. Right now I'm in the second year of a four year apprenticeship for my Journeyman's License in HVAC [Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning]. And then eventually I'll test for my Master's.
Certifications I still hold all of my certifications to inspect in the State of Virginia. Combination Inspector. Plumbing, Electrical, and structural. Erosion and Sediment Control. Never have sat on any Boards or any Committees.
Personal Questions
What do you remember about your grandparents?
Not too much about my dad's side of the family. My dad died when I was five. He was from Terre Haute, Indiana and his father from what I remember, I never remember him but my dad's mother, we weren't around her that much so I don't remember much about her. I know she died when I was in the service.
My mom's father and mother were both from Georgia. We lived with them, because my mom was a single parent after my dad died, so we moved back from Indiana. When my dad got sick, he had a brain tumor, so we went out there for about six months. Then mom had my grandmother come pick us up and we stayed with them. When dad passed away, my mom settled the estate out there and we moved in with my grandparents. We lived there until I was about 12 right there in Dahlgren. Mom worked on the base. Everybody in the family worked on the base except for me.
Both of them, on my mom's side, were from Georgia, lived on farms close to each other, got married when my granddad was 18. He enlisted in the Marine Corps. My grandmother was one of nine children and the matriarch of our family. She was the oldest daughter.
My great-grandmother had nine kids and her husband died so all of the kids had to help out and work the farm. She always instilled that work ethic in us. I used to hate it as a kid but she always said "hard work never killed anybody." We had chickens when we were there in Dahlgren and had a big garden. She'd make you get out there and weed. My granddad worked on the Main Range but he was a like a jack of all trades. He could do anything. But he was a man that didn't show a lot of love. He did but he didn't tell you that he loved you. He showed it in a different way. He'd always be messing round with fruit trees and grafting them. He'd let you help him cut the angles with the pocket knife. It was just a different way of showing you he loved you. He'd take you fishing. He was a great man. He taught me a lot.
What historical events influenced your life the most?
It's kind of hard but the one that sticks out for me is when the Columbia exploded, the Space Shuttle. I remember working in Fredericksburg, I remember when it happened, it was almost like 9/11, you just kind of....I don't know. How it changed my life, I really couldn't tell you but it just made me feel more patriotic I guess. Just glad to be a part of it. It's kind of hard to explain. It impacted my work that day, I can remember what we were doing, and we all just stepped back and the whole day you're talking about and thinking about. I didn't know them but it felt like family. I don't know how to describe it. I don't know if it made me step up my game or not. Shortly after that I went from Carpenter to Lead Carpenter and then to Supervisor. I didn't know anybody but it felt personal. I was in downtown Fredericksburg at the old Princess Anne Hotel remodeling it and was cutting out a doorway to turn it into a reception area. I was shoring up the floor joists to install a beam and that's when I found out.
9/11 was big too. I remember what I was doing when that happened. I was working at Doc Stone in Stafford and had three jobs going up there. I was on top of the Staples, on the roof, with the welder when I heard about it. I kept seeing all these planes flying low and wondered what in the world was going on and finally found out. Heard there was an attack on the Twin Towers.
Outside of work and home, what is your favorite place in King George?
Summertime, I'm out on the river. The Potomac. Usually we go to Betty Lou's Island in Machodoc Creek. We have on Facebook the Machodoc Creek Yacht Club. We'll go out on weekends and sit there and talk and have a good time in the sun. Then we go down to Dockside to have dinner or go to Maryland.
Usually if I'm not doing that I'm at the gym. My son Connor just bought a house so I haven't been to the gym much lately. I've been helping him fix things up there. But at the gym I workout. Do some cardio. At one time I was thinking about entering a competition for weight lifting. I was working towards that but now it's just to maintain and stay off medication.
What person, place, or thing do you think is the most underappreciated in King George County?
It used to be Howard's.
The one that comes to mind right now is Wilmont Landing. We used to go there a lot growing up in high school. Just sit there and party, light a bonfire, you know. But at that point is where three Counties meet. There's King George, Caroline, and Westmoreland. We used to go duck hunting in there too. To me, it's just a real pretty place. I'm sure it has a lot of history. The old brick mill used to be there. There was a brick kiln right there where they'd make the bricks and a barge would come up there. Used to be able to go down there and find a whole brick and it would say WILMONT on them. A lot of them are brittle and broken up but every once in a while you'd find one that's whole.
That's my second answer next to Howard's. I wish we could get a decent restaurant.
Professional Questions
Who is your inspiration or mentor?
I had an answer for that and now I'm just drawing a blank. I would have to say my grandmother. She's no longer here but, you know, she was a very strong woman. Very hard working. Instilled a lot of good things in me I feel. Before we moved out, I think I was about 10, and it was summer time and we wanted to go to the pool on base and she said "come on in here and help me cook." I'd say "Granny I don't want to cook" and she'd say "you're going to need it one day. You're going to be out on your own one day." Stuff like that. And now, to this day, I was married for 19 years and I think I cooked just about every meal. Same thing now. I enjoy cooking. But like I said, she instilled a work ethic in me that's why I do what I do today.
She was always big about education too. She graduated but a lot of her brothers didn't because they had to work on the farm. She wanted all of us to have a better education. She wanted all of us to go to college and Connor was the first. Wish she could be alive to see that. She would have been very proud of him. He was six months old when she died. I should have went to college. I started to do it again when I was married before Connor was born. I started back and my ex-wife Nancy was going to school too and I was going to school and it was just crazy. Finally I just had to give it up. But now nothing's going on so I take a class two nights a week for three hours a night. I get out of class at 9:30pm and get back here by 10:30pm and you're tired but you can't go right to sleep and you get up at 5am.
What is your ideal vision for King George County in the future?
Oh man. I'd like to see it remain somewhat rural like it is now. But I'd like to see the conveniences that we have like the Walmart and a few other places. I think infrastructure is a big one. And I'd like to see some people start building some more schools because I think we're going to be overwhelmed when these approved subdivisions are actually filled up. I don't think we're preparing enough for that.
By infrastructure I mean the roads, especially around and by the Courthouse. Water and sewer. The roads. Some of these roads, you know like 206 [Dahlgren Road] is unreal. Very scary. I try to avoid it as much as I can. Another fire station. And I would love to see General Properties, one day, have more skilled employees. Instead of outsourcing all the stuff like HVAC and plumbing, which we do a lot of plumbing in house, but something big. Electrical, we try to maintain in house but again, if it's big like feeder work. But if I had the licensed people, then I could actually do the in house work. I know that's how Spotsylvania operates but that would be a big budget item. Salaries would have to go way up. But I really think in the long run you would save money.
What do you feel are the top 3 issues to address in King George?
Service Authority. I think they do a good job with what they're given. All the other issues, the debt, how it was accumulated. I'd like to see us get out from under that.
Probably 206 [Dahlgren Road]. That's terrible.
The bridge [Highway 301 over the Potomac River] and the traffic but we don't have any control over that.
What do you feel are the top 3 successes in King George?
I know a lot of people will disagree with me but the dump. It's a big money maker for the County. I know one day it's going to shut down but I think it's helped the County a lot as far as revenue. I mean, look at the fire trucks. All the rescue equipment and the Sheriff's office, all of their stuff is top notch. When I came out of the Air Force in 1983, I joined the volunteers and everything we did up there we worked for. Yard sales, fund drives, we never got money from the County. So I think that's a plus.
Another one people may not agree with is Walmart. It's definitely eliminated a lot of trips to town. But there again, it brings a lot of riff-raff from across the bridge. I've heard this several times, "if you build a Walmart, they will come," meaning other businesses. Which would be good for the County as far as tax base. I think you could concentrate all that growth in one spot and you're all right. You start spreading it out all around the County and you start loosing site of what you really like, the rural nature. I think once the bridge goes in, the corridor through there will blow up.
I think the new field house that we built at the high school is another one. I think the County needed it. I know there was a lot of talk about using The Pit but I think it was something that was well needed.
What person, place, or thing do you think we lack in King George?
A home cooking style restaurant. I would say a competitive gym, something other than the YMCA. There's Anytime Fitness but it's not a full one. But it's not for somebody that wants to come in and do some heavy lifting. And I know they have a Cross Fit up there but it's not the same style as what I'm talking about. Usually a body builder would do lighter weights and more reps but at some point you have to lift heavy. So the YMCA is about it right now.
Going back to the home cooking restaurant, my go-to for a home cooked meal for breakfast is fried eggs, sausage, grits, biscuits and gravy. Lunchtime would be fried chicken, mashed potatoes. Dinner would probably be meatloaf, greens. But it's the comfort foods.
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