by Neil Richard
The King George County Board of Supervisors opened their first meeting of the new decade at 6:29pm with Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, starting things off. This is normal procedure as there are no elected officers on the Board until they hold elections (not to be confused with the elections held in November where the general public votes).
In short order, the Board elected Cathy Binder (Shiloh District) as Chair and Annie Cupka (At Large District) as Vice Chair, marking the first time in County history both seats were occupied by women. Dr. Young was elected as the Clerk of the Board.
The Board then moved on to setting their meeting calendar for the coming year. Richard Granger (James Madison District) mentioned that in the past, the July meeting was removed from the calendar. He asked if the rest of the Board would like to keep it removed or would like to add it back. Jeff Bueche (James Monroe District) said this was brought up last year and he felt it was easier to have a July meeting on the official calendar and then remove it if it wasn't needed. Bueche said it was easier than adding it later and advertising it as a special meeting. Binder suggested July 14, 2020 and consensus was reached to add that to the calendar that was in the Agenda. Binder also informed her peers that she may not be at the last meeting of the year due to a college graduation.
Granger then steered the discussion to the meeting times. He said John Jenkins, former Dahlgren District Supervisor, asked that the meetings be pushed later to give him time to attend. With his absence, Granger asked if anyone was willing to move the meeting time earlier in the day. Bueche said this was also discussed last year and he felt with the Service Authority conducting more and more business last year, he felt it was fair to residents that wanted to give Public Comment at the Supervisors meeting to have the Service Authority meeting pushed up as well. Consensus was reached to hold the Supervisor meetings at 6:30pm with the intention to hold the Service Authority meetings earlier. With date and time discussions concluded, the Board adopted their updated calendar.
The Board then moved to adopt their Rules and Code of Ethics when Eric Gregory, the County Attorney pro tempore, advised the Board to consider updating the documents to reflect the new meeting time and additional date. The Board did so and approved both.
The Board then made their appointments to the Service Authority Board of Directors. They were:
Bueche remarked that this was a significant milestone for King George County as there were now three non-elected citizens that served on the Board of Directors, a majority for the Board.
The Board then made their appointments to the Service Authority Board of Directors. They were the Board of Supervisors.
The Supervisors then took a recess at 6:41pm.
The Supervisors returned from their recess at 7:04pm.
There was no Public Comment.
Jeff Stonehill (Dahlgren District) began his first report saying he wasn't sure how far back everyone wanted to go but he did attend the County Holiday Lunch on December 18th where he lost Dr. Young's game of heads or tails. On January 1st, Stonehill went to Caledon State Park. He said he didn't attend the First Day Walk but it did look like a lot of people were there. On the 6th he attended the first meeting of the Sheriff's Office under the new Sheriff Giles.
Jeff Bueche repeated some of what he said during the Wireless Authority meeting a few minutes prior and said, for the record, it was an honor to serve as Chair last year and thanked Jenkins and Brabo and the rest of the Board for bestowing their trust in him. He said last year would not have been able to happen without the hard work of the County Administrator and that he's a proven leader and very efficient. Bueche said it was imperative to look at the Virginia Governor and General Assembly and their radical legislation. He said the push for equal taxing from the General Assembly is beneficial to King George County. Bueche said with smuggling of cigarettes because of our substantially lower cost the County should look to reaffirm their previous letter that supports a locality's ability to tax cigarettes. He said the General Assembly needs to look for more ways to make King George self reliant and the ability to tax this item would benefit our infrastructure needs as it provides another source of revenue besides residents.
Annie Cupka began her report by saying thank you to the community for affording her the honor of sitting here. She looked forward to working together with the community, her colleagues, and County staff "to provide for the health, welfare, and safety of our community." On December 18th she also attended the County Holiday Lunch and thanked Dr. Young and his staff for planning and organizing the event and thanked Chris Clarke, Director of Parks and Recreation, for hosting the event. On the 20th and 23rd she met with various members of the Economic Development Authority (EDA) regarding the EDA's vision, needs, and potential appointments. With that, she nominated Beckey Gallamore to the EDA and the Board approved. On January 1st, Cupka said she and her family participated in the New Year's Day Teen Service Challenge and worked to clean up Wilmont Landing and Barnesfield Park. In discussing their efforts with Clarke, Cupka said she hopes to work with various groups in the future for a County-wide park clean-up in the spring. On January 4th she hosted office hours at the L. E. Smoot Library and spoke with a few residents about various topics. Afterwords she went to the King George County Museum and wanted to remind everyone that the Pictorial History of King George is for sale there. Earlier in the day, Cupka attended a celebration of life event for the recently passed Bennie Merian. Cupka said Bennie was very active in the community from the Farmer's Market to her cafe in Dahlgren to her bistro at home. Cupka said she will be sorely missed by the community. Cupka again thanked the community for the opportunity to serve and said residents can reach out to her via email or during Office Hours about any cares or concerns they may have.
Richard Granger thanked Bueche again for his service as Chair last year and thanked Binder for her service as Vice Chair. He also thanked staff and said nothing gets done without their hard work. Granger said he doesn't say thanks enough for their work. Granger said he looked forward to serving with his new colleagues and thinks they can continue to do great things going forward.
Cathy Binder thanked County staff and those that come to the meetings. She said that anyone wanting to serve on the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee should contact the Supervisor. She said it's helped everyone better understand the budget and the challenges faced, especially the Service Authority. Binder said she will do her best to move everyone forward and have a great 2020 and new decade. She also thanked Bueche for being Chair last year and how he dealt with a lot of hot button topics. She said that being in a room and finding out that there are 500 people in the parking lot waiting for a vote was a new experience but Bueche handled it well. Binder then presented Bueche with an award for his service last year to which Bueche remarked that he was happy to see his name was spelled right.
The Consent Agenda was approved.
Stonehill apologized for not making the nomination earlier as he wanted to have Michael Wardman serve on the Infrastructure Advisory Committee. The Board approved. Binder added that there are a few vacancies on the committee if others are interested in serving.
The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had a brief report congratulating those newly elected to the Board of Supervisors, Service Authority, and Wireless Authority. He said he looked forward to working with all of them and said he can help with any questions, comments, or concerns they may have.
The Board then approved the slate of representatives in the Agenda for the various Boards and Committees with the following individuals:
Dr. Young then gave a short report and thanked everyone for the kind words about him and his staff. He said it has been a pleasure working with the previous Board and the future is bright with the new Board. Young said they got a lot of things knocked out and produced results. He said he looked forward to working with the new members and believed it was possible to replicate the same success this year.
The Board discussed setting work session meeting dates for the upcoming budget discussions and agreed to set their first meeting for January 28, 2020 at 6:00pm at a location to be determined. The Board also came to a consensus to have names of citizens willing to serve on the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee by the next meeting.
The meeting Adjourned at 7:30pm.
Meeting Attendees:
Cathy Binder (Chair, Board of Supervisors)
Jeff Bueche (Board of Supervisors)
Annie Cupka (Vice Chair, Board of Supervisors)
Richard Granger (Board of Supervisors)
Jeff Stonehill (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)
Meeting Agenda
Next Meeting:
The Board of Supervisors will next meet on January 21, 2020 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Board of Supervisors Meeting.
The King George County Board of Supervisors opened their first meeting of the new decade at 6:29pm with Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, starting things off. This is normal procedure as there are no elected officers on the Board until they hold elections (not to be confused with the elections held in November where the general public votes).
In short order, the Board elected Cathy Binder (Shiloh District) as Chair and Annie Cupka (At Large District) as Vice Chair, marking the first time in County history both seats were occupied by women. Dr. Young was elected as the Clerk of the Board.
The Board then moved on to setting their meeting calendar for the coming year. Richard Granger (James Madison District) mentioned that in the past, the July meeting was removed from the calendar. He asked if the rest of the Board would like to keep it removed or would like to add it back. Jeff Bueche (James Monroe District) said this was brought up last year and he felt it was easier to have a July meeting on the official calendar and then remove it if it wasn't needed. Bueche said it was easier than adding it later and advertising it as a special meeting. Binder suggested July 14, 2020 and consensus was reached to add that to the calendar that was in the Agenda. Binder also informed her peers that she may not be at the last meeting of the year due to a college graduation.
Granger then steered the discussion to the meeting times. He said John Jenkins, former Dahlgren District Supervisor, asked that the meetings be pushed later to give him time to attend. With his absence, Granger asked if anyone was willing to move the meeting time earlier in the day. Bueche said this was also discussed last year and he felt with the Service Authority conducting more and more business last year, he felt it was fair to residents that wanted to give Public Comment at the Supervisors meeting to have the Service Authority meeting pushed up as well. Consensus was reached to hold the Supervisor meetings at 6:30pm with the intention to hold the Service Authority meetings earlier. With date and time discussions concluded, the Board adopted their updated calendar.
The Board then moved to adopt their Rules and Code of Ethics when Eric Gregory, the County Attorney pro tempore, advised the Board to consider updating the documents to reflect the new meeting time and additional date. The Board did so and approved both.
The Board then made their appointments to the Service Authority Board of Directors. They were:
- Mike Bennett
- James "Jim" Morris
- Allen Parker
- Annie Cupka
- Cathy Binder
Bueche remarked that this was a significant milestone for King George County as there were now three non-elected citizens that served on the Board of Directors, a majority for the Board.
The Board then made their appointments to the Service Authority Board of Directors. They were the Board of Supervisors.
The Supervisors then took a recess at 6:41pm.
The Supervisors returned from their recess at 7:04pm.
There was no Public Comment.
Jeff Stonehill (Dahlgren District) began his first report saying he wasn't sure how far back everyone wanted to go but he did attend the County Holiday Lunch on December 18th where he lost Dr. Young's game of heads or tails. On January 1st, Stonehill went to Caledon State Park. He said he didn't attend the First Day Walk but it did look like a lot of people were there. On the 6th he attended the first meeting of the Sheriff's Office under the new Sheriff Giles.
Jeff Bueche repeated some of what he said during the Wireless Authority meeting a few minutes prior and said, for the record, it was an honor to serve as Chair last year and thanked Jenkins and Brabo and the rest of the Board for bestowing their trust in him. He said last year would not have been able to happen without the hard work of the County Administrator and that he's a proven leader and very efficient. Bueche said it was imperative to look at the Virginia Governor and General Assembly and their radical legislation. He said the push for equal taxing from the General Assembly is beneficial to King George County. Bueche said with smuggling of cigarettes because of our substantially lower cost the County should look to reaffirm their previous letter that supports a locality's ability to tax cigarettes. He said the General Assembly needs to look for more ways to make King George self reliant and the ability to tax this item would benefit our infrastructure needs as it provides another source of revenue besides residents.
Annie Cupka began her report by saying thank you to the community for affording her the honor of sitting here. She looked forward to working together with the community, her colleagues, and County staff "to provide for the health, welfare, and safety of our community." On December 18th she also attended the County Holiday Lunch and thanked Dr. Young and his staff for planning and organizing the event and thanked Chris Clarke, Director of Parks and Recreation, for hosting the event. On the 20th and 23rd she met with various members of the Economic Development Authority (EDA) regarding the EDA's vision, needs, and potential appointments. With that, she nominated Beckey Gallamore to the EDA and the Board approved. On January 1st, Cupka said she and her family participated in the New Year's Day Teen Service Challenge and worked to clean up Wilmont Landing and Barnesfield Park. In discussing their efforts with Clarke, Cupka said she hopes to work with various groups in the future for a County-wide park clean-up in the spring. On January 4th she hosted office hours at the L. E. Smoot Library and spoke with a few residents about various topics. Afterwords she went to the King George County Museum and wanted to remind everyone that the Pictorial History of King George is for sale there. Earlier in the day, Cupka attended a celebration of life event for the recently passed Bennie Merian. Cupka said Bennie was very active in the community from the Farmer's Market to her cafe in Dahlgren to her bistro at home. Cupka said she will be sorely missed by the community. Cupka again thanked the community for the opportunity to serve and said residents can reach out to her via email or during Office Hours about any cares or concerns they may have.
Richard Granger thanked Bueche again for his service as Chair last year and thanked Binder for her service as Vice Chair. He also thanked staff and said nothing gets done without their hard work. Granger said he doesn't say thanks enough for their work. Granger said he looked forward to serving with his new colleagues and thinks they can continue to do great things going forward.
Cathy Binder thanked County staff and those that come to the meetings. She said that anyone wanting to serve on the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee should contact the Supervisor. She said it's helped everyone better understand the budget and the challenges faced, especially the Service Authority. Binder said she will do her best to move everyone forward and have a great 2020 and new decade. She also thanked Bueche for being Chair last year and how he dealt with a lot of hot button topics. She said that being in a room and finding out that there are 500 people in the parking lot waiting for a vote was a new experience but Bueche handled it well. Binder then presented Bueche with an award for his service last year to which Bueche remarked that he was happy to see his name was spelled right.
The Consent Agenda was approved.
Stonehill apologized for not making the nomination earlier as he wanted to have Michael Wardman serve on the Infrastructure Advisory Committee. The Board approved. Binder added that there are a few vacancies on the committee if others are interested in serving.
The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had a brief report congratulating those newly elected to the Board of Supervisors, Service Authority, and Wireless Authority. He said he looked forward to working with all of them and said he can help with any questions, comments, or concerns they may have.
The Board then approved the slate of representatives in the Agenda for the various Boards and Committees with the following individuals:
- Dahlgren Museum Board
- Binder
- Fredericksburg Regional Alliance
- Granger
- Stonehill (alternate)
- FCC Military Affairs Council
- Bueche
- George Washington Regional Commission (GWRC)
- Cupka
- Binder
- Liaison with King George Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services
- Bueche
- Northern Neck Tourism Commission
- Stonehill
- NSWC Community Relations Council (COMREL)
- Granger
- Bueche (alternate)
- Potomac Watershed Round-table
- Stonehill
- Binder (alternate)
- Rappahannock Area Agency on Aging (RAAA) Board of Directors
- Binder
- Rappahannock Juvenile Detention Center Commission
- Wilma Ward
- Rappahannock River Basin Commission
- Stonehill
- Regional Jail Board Commission
- Sheriff Giles
- Dr. Young
- Cupka
- Social Services Board
- Bueche
- YMCA Board of Directors
- Cupka
- Fredericksburg Area metropolitan Planning Organization (FAMPO)
- Cupka
- Binder
- King George County Local Emergency Planning Committee
- Stonehill
- Bay Workforce Elected Officials Consortium Board
- Granger
- Emergency Operations Center Liaison
- Stonehill
- Binder (alternate)
- Coalition of High Growth Communities
- Binder
- Rappahannock Area Alcohol Safety Action Program Policy Board
- Keri Gusman
- Complete Census County Committee
- Granger
- Binder - Five positions plus two alternates
- Bueche - Three positions plus one alternate
- Cupka - Four positions plus zero alternates
- Granger - Four positions plus zero alternates
- Stonehill - Five positions plus one alternate
Dr. Young then gave a short report and thanked everyone for the kind words about him and his staff. He said it has been a pleasure working with the previous Board and the future is bright with the new Board. Young said they got a lot of things knocked out and produced results. He said he looked forward to working with the new members and believed it was possible to replicate the same success this year.
The Board discussed setting work session meeting dates for the upcoming budget discussions and agreed to set their first meeting for January 28, 2020 at 6:00pm at a location to be determined. The Board also came to a consensus to have names of citizens willing to serve on the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee by the next meeting.
The meeting Adjourned at 7:30pm.
Meeting Attendees:
Cathy Binder (Chair, Board of Supervisors)
Jeff Bueche (Board of Supervisors)
Annie Cupka (Vice Chair, Board of Supervisors)
Richard Granger (Board of Supervisors)
Jeff Stonehill (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)
Meeting Agenda
Next Meeting:
The Board of Supervisors will next meet on January 21, 2020 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Board of Supervisors Meeting.
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