The King George County Board of Supervisors got off to a late start at 9:07pm thanks to a very long Closed Session by the Service Authority Board of Directors.
There were no amendments to the Agenda.
Richard Granger opened the floor for Public Comment and clarified for Kim Dodge, who had stepped to the podium, that there would be time for her to comment later at the Public Hearings if she wanted to comment about the equalization rates. As Mrs. Dodge sat down, Granger asked if there were comments from any online attendees. Seeing as the speaker could not be heard and staff attempted to troubleshoot the issue, Granger read a statement from William and Margaret Heath. The Heaths wrote to express their concern about the recent decision of Sentara Pratt to end it's agreement with Dr. Rosier Dedwylder. They requested that the Supervisors secure a new medical association so Dr. Dedwylder could continue to serve the community.
Staff was unable to determine the cause of the issue with the online comments so they instead read what the individual wrote in the chat. Yvonne Richard asked the Supervisors to remove Chris Werle from his role on the Service Authority Board of Directors [EDITOR'S NOTE - Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is the spouse of Yvonne Richard.].
The Board then began their reports. John Jenkins had no report.
Jeff Bueche wished everyone happy belated Mother's Day. He attended the National Day of Prayer on May 3rd in front of the Courthouse and was impressed to see so many united in prayer. On the 4th he attended the Evening Under The Stars event with his wife and felt honored to represent the district that is home to Caledon State Park. On the 12th he and his son volunteered at a cleanup in Fairview Beach. He thanked Lisa Shrewsberry for her efforts in organizing the event. On the 14th he attended a stakeholder meeting in Dahlgren. Bueche said it was Military Appreciation Month and thanked Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, John Jenkins, and Ruby Brabo for their service and their family's service. He also said it was Police Appreciation Week and thanked the Virginia State Police as well as the King George County Sheriff's Deputies for their service.
Ruby Brabo then began her report by reminding everyone that a lot of positives have happened in the County over the years. Despite many people focusing on the negatives, she said big improvements have been made since she took office seven years ago. Schools are accredited, teachers have better pay, many projects have been cash funded, and other examples were given. On May 2nd she attended a Spotsylvania Hospital Board of Directors meeting. On the 3rd and 4th she assisted in interviewing candidates for the George Washington Regional Commission Executive Director position. From the 6th to the 13th she was on vacation without internet and now has a lot of catching up to do. On the 14th she met with Dr. Young, Ryan Gandy, Director of Economic Development, and KGI Communications. KGI informed the County of FCC Spectrum which could be a potential source of income for the schools. On the 15th she attended the Dahlgren Joint Land Use meeting where she learned the runway on base is scheduled to be declassified or taken out of service to allow for re-development. She reminded everyone that the Public Hearing on the Mixed Land Use Ordinance is scheduled for June 12th at 7pm.
She appointed Elody Shojinaga to the Smoot Library Board of Trustees. The appointment was approved.
Brabo then read "a resolution expressing King George County's position in support of Congressman Rob Wittman's request for a detailed analysis of the potential move of the Chemical Biological Radiological Defense Division from Dahlgren to Indian Head." Essentially, the resolution was a way for the Supervisors to provide support of Congressman Wittman's provision that was inserted into the state's budget. The provision essentially requires the Navy to provide a report that shows "the timeline, costs, risks, and benefits" of the move.
After Brabo read the proposed resolution, Granger began to express his concerns. Brabo interrupted and said she had made a motion to to accept the resolution and was waiting for a second. Jenkins seconded the motion and Granger apologized for speaking out of turn. He then asked to table the decision until everyone could review the resolution due to it's significance. He didn't want to approve it without having a chance to think about it.
Brabo said Stafford County Supervisors are going to approve the same resolution tonight and Caroline County Supervisors will do so soon. She then asked if Granger supported the move. Granger said he supported the resolution but took issue with one clause and hasn't had time to read or think about it until now. Bueche said he agrees with the resolution in spirit but some language he would like to look into further. He said he wasn't sure about the paragraph that included the past history as he wasn't sure what was done in the past and would like to know. He also said he has concerns about how much it would cost to retrofit.
Brabo said that was what had been asked of the Navy and Vice Admiral Moore stated at a meeting in 2017 that everything was written down and that it would be shared within the week. Brabo said it was never shared. Bueche said the Department of the Navy should have had a long process to go through before making such a move as this. Brabo agreed and said Congressman Wittman, who is on the House Armed Services Committee, never heard about the move. There was some more discussion with Brabo appearing to get a little frustrated at the hesitancy and she called for a vote. Jenkins suggested tabling it until later. After some brief clarity from Eric Gregory, County Attorney, Brabo made a substitute motion to table the decision. Everyone vote for this with Brabo casting the lone dissenting vote.
Cathy Binder then began her report by saying she attended a meeting on April 18th at the Dahlgren Heritage Museum [EDITOR'S NOTE: Neil Richard, a co-founder of Project94, is an employee of the Dahlgren Heritage Museum.]. She loved the meeting and one of the key phrases she particularly enjoyed was "relationships make a difference." On May 2nd she attended a meeting of the Rappahannock Area Agency On Aging where they discussed accessibility issues. On the 8th she attended a Smoot Library Board of Trustees meeting where they discussed fundraising efforts. She finished by congratulating the graduating class of high school seniors, including her son.
Richard Granger's report began with a meeting on May 2nd of the Bay Consortium Workforce Investment Board along with Ryan Gandy, Director of Economic Development. On the 14th he attended the same stakeholder meeting in Dahlgren as Bueche. He then read a resolution of appreciation for Mildred Ashton Holmes which was approved.
The Consent Agenda was approved and the County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.
Thus began the first Public Hearing of the night regarding the proposed Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Secondary Six-Year Plan (SSYP) for FY2019-2024. Dr. Young gave a brief overview before turning over the presentation to Stephen McKeever of VDOT. McKeever reviewed the details of how the formulas were used to determine funding for roads and also highlighted some of the changes. He said the paving of Chatterton Lane is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2019 and the bridge replacement on Ashland Mill Road is already completed. He said the remaining funds from that project will need to stay in the bridge fund as he's not allowed to move it to other projects. McKeever said paving Ivy Hill Loop was moved up to a spot just below paving Peerless Road and would be followed in priority by paving Kings Mill Road. He said that Peerless was identified last year and that Ivy Hill was moved up based on previous discussions. He said that in regards to the plan to use revenue sharing, there may be enough funds to accomplish paving these roads, and maybe more, without revenue sharing.
Brabo said that the Supervisors came to a consensus based on old data, meaning before knowing about the potential of extra money, and asked if there was a possibility of another project being completed. She also asked Gregory how to proceed if the money comes in and the list hasn't been updated. She said that the Board didn't really look beyond the first couple of roads in the rankings because they didn't expect to have enough funds to take care of those projects.
Gregory asked McKeever if there was a deadline, to which McKeever replied no. Brabo asked if there would be a need for another public hearing and McKeever said yes. Granger suggested adopting it now and amending it later.
When there floor opened for public comment, there was none.
McKeever then introduced Dennis Massey as the new Maintenance Manager. He said Massey was hired in September and that he's a native of King George so if the Board had any questions, "he's the one to talk to." McKeever said that Kings Mill Road was discussed but due to costs he may not be able to complete it.
The Supervisors approved the plan and then immediately had some confusion as it appeared that Peerless needed to be added to the SSYP by resolution. Brabo and Gregory discussed how to proceed and it was determined that Brabo could rescind her prior motion. She did and that was approved. Brabo then moved to adopt the SSYP as presented with the amendment of adding Peerless and that was approved.
The next Public Hearing was for the Equalization Rate for FY2018. Mrs. Dodge again approached the podium and again Granger asked her to wait just a moment before speaking. Dr. Young then proceeded to explain in brief why the staff recommends no equalization. The highlights of his reasoning for keeping the same $0.70 per $100 tax rate as last year included mandated expenses, additional County staff that was necessary, additional School Resource Officers (SROs), and a debt reduction fund.
With the floor now open for Public Comment, Kim Dodge finally had her chance to speak. She said we elect our officials to take our interests. Her goal was to keep as much of her money as she could while the Supervisors' goal was to provide services and spend money. In a long and somewhat rambling opinion that continued for many minutes, Dodge's bottom line appeared to be that she was not in favor of the tax rate staying the same. Instead she wanted to see if reduced to an equalized rate of $0.67 per $100 or at least something less than $0.70. She felt the cumulative effect of ever increasing tax rates, homeowner's fees, and water and sewer fees were becoming an undue burden on her.
After several minutes, Granger politely reminded her to try to keep her comments to three minutes. Dodge closed by saying she wanted to limit the cumulative effects and didn't like the distortion of facts.
Next to the podium was Jim Lynch. He said he listened to Dr. Young's presentation and has read various news reports but did not have any problems with keeping the rate at $0.70. He thought Dr. Young made a compelling case on where the money goes and that we're getting a very good value on our tax dollars. He also said debt reduction is a very wise move. Lynch said that people want to move here to work here now. He said that for those of us that have lived here a long time, we have seen the positive changes and that life is better. He closed by saying the Supervisors and Dr. Young do a good job.
Once again, Yvonne Richard gave her comments via remote connection. Due to technical difficulties her short comment was read by a staff member. Mrs. Richard said she is in favor of the Board keeping the same rate of $0.70 and that if funds become available to ask the Supervisors to add an SRO at all schools, including the Preschool and Head Start building.
Bueche then said he wanted to give Dr. Young the opportunity to explain the debt fund to Mrs. Dodge. Dr. Young said the bottom line was the Supervisors are using three tiers of funding to pay down the debt. Some of it will be added to the fund now, some will be surplus funds added later, and some will be reserve funds added later. He said these will establish a debt mitigation fund and it will continue to be fed over the next five years at which time it will be used to make a payment on the County's debt. He said this payment would result in the County saving roughly $3.7 million in interest over the life of the loans. He closed by saying he couldn't think of a better way to invest our tax dollars.
Bueche thanked Dodge and Lynch for their comments. Addressing Dodge, he said we may not agree on things but he does like her passion. He said this was his first budget cycle and it was a learning experience. When he started, he had delusions of grandeur, specifically that the tax rate could be lowered. He said he learned that no matter what you fund or don't fund, there are always needs beyond what we have. He said the Board's job is to not take as much money as we can but "to rather spend wisely and make hard decisions." He said he stands by all of his votes and is proud of the budget.
Granger also addressed Dodge saying he was sorry she felt like there's a divide and a battle between the Board and the citizens. He said his actions on the Board impact him as well and that he's not a fan of paying more money. But he said he wants services that provide health and safety and pay down the debt to save money in the future. He said he's willing to move forward to get those gains. Granger said he hoped Dodge didn't look at it as "us versus you" because we're a team. He appreciated her speaking out at the meetings and liked that citizens were involved as it has an impact on everyone. He also thanked Lynch and Richard for their comments.
Brabo said that from her first day of campaigning in 2011, she wanted people to get involved, even if they had a different opinion. She said the only way officials can develop a community you want is to get involved. She said that County employees suffered immensely in the past because of a lack of tax increases. She said that 911 calls were abandoned in the past or could be put on hold for as much as eight minutes. Brabo said because of a tax increases from the Board in the past, it impacted the lives of employees and citizens. She said some services are mandated by the state and that the County is trying to be innovative in finding other ways to increase revenue.
Cathy Binder thanked all of the speakers for their public comments. She said she had a rude awakening when she learned about the mandated services in the budget process.
No action was taken by the Board.
Ryan Gandy, Director of Economic Development was next to the podium and he presented an update on the Broadband Survey. In short, he said broadband is quickly becoming a necessity instead of a luxury for residents and businesses. He was also careful to clarify that the survey results were the opinions of those in the County, not himself. He asked the Board to take a stance on supporting broadband in one of three ways. The first option was that the County can share local assets only, such as towers, roofs, or land. The second option was that the locality would pay for the capital investment while a private partner would run it. The final option, the one recommended by the committee, was a hybrid approach where the assets and capital investment were shared by the County and a private partner. In essence this is a private-public partnership (P3).
Binder said she had no questions but needed time to absorb everything before making a decision. Granger also said he was not prepared to decide and that discussing it at a work session sounded like the best bet.
Gandy apologized for submitting the presentation so late but that the committee had met the day prior. He said he would like a decision by the end of June in order to capitalize on the grant. The Board decided to add it to the Agenda for the June 12th meeting.
Brabo said she had no problem marketing something through free avenues but did have a problem with the County paying for direct mailings on behalf of a private company. She also said that providing assistance for deployment should be dependent on the County's return on investment.
Tim Ware was next to present and promptly asked if the Board wanted the short presentation or the long presentation. After the laughter subsided, he began by saying his presentation should be easy as he was giving the County something, not asking for it. Ware gave a summary of the plan that was developed to create a rain garden at the Cedell Brooks, Jr. Park. He said there were three applicants for the grant, but two were in state parks. As he preferred to keep the money local, the County was chosen. While the grant will need to be resubmitted, he saw no issue in getting the funds. He said the funds will need to be spent by the end of the year, thus making the completion of the project happen soon. He said the County won't need to spend any money but that they may need to help water the plants the first few years until they take hold. The Board approved the plan.
Next up was Wilma Ward, Director of Finance. She asked the Board to adopt the proposed FY2018-2019 King George County Schools Operating Budget and the Virginia Juvenile Community Crime Control Act (VJCCCA) for 2019 and 2020. The Board approved both.
Steve Lynd, Emergency Management Coordinator, presented the 2018 King George County Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) or the County's disaster playbook as he called it. The Board approved.
Next was Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, and his request to advertise for special meetings. He requested meetings on May 23rd and May 29th in an effort to adopt the County's budget. He said the effort was because of concerns raised by the Treasurer and Commissioner of Revenue. Young said if the current timeline was not altered, the first half tax bills and revenue from them may not be received in time for the County's year-end audit.
The Supervisors then began to check their calendars to find the best date. They settled on May 24th at 5:30pm for the Public Hearing on the County Budget and May 31st at 6:30pm for votes on the Equalization Rate and County Budget. Brabo received prior approval to attend the meeting on the 24th remotely because she will be on travel. The regular schedule of meetings will resume on June 5th with the appropriation of the County Budget.
Dr. Young also asked to add VDOT to the meeting on the 31st so the Board can make a decision on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) about the noise wall and de minimus use.
Brabo asked Gregory about a question that was raised on social media about state law allowing the collection of personal property taxes quarterly instead of twice a year. Gregory said he didn't know but could look it up. Brabo then added a follow-up question for Dr. Young asking for him to find out if it were allowed, how much of a burden, financially and time, it would be for County staff.
Eric Gregory, County Attorney, then presented his update on the sale of the old Passapatanzy Voting Office. Gregory said he would try to make it brief to which Granger replied "that would be appreciated." Gregory said that a deed restriction was found from when the County acquired the property in 1951 but that efforts to reach the heirs were unsuccessful. Therefore the County could sell the property. The Board approved.
Gregory then presented an update on the nuisance or unsafe buildings ordinance. He said there was a question of including abandoned structures in the ordinance. Gregory said the word abandoned is used elsewhere in state code but it applies to ships and water vessels. He did feel the current language was capable of covering the issue. Brabo said a public hearing would be key.
Dr. Young began his report by saying he received correspondence from the Middle Peninsula Alliance (MPA) regarding the PamunkeyNet initiative. The MPA wished to have a representative for an advisory team and Dr. Young requested Ryan Gandy to serve as such. Gandy was approved by the Board with Annie Cupka, Grant Writer, to serve as an alternate.
Young then asked the Board to appoint Jim Howard, former Supervisor, to fill a vacancy on the Rappahannock Area Community Services Board (RACSB). The Board approved.
Brabo then began whispering to Granger and Granger asked Gregory about a potential conflict of interest. He asked if his position as an employee of Dahlgren would impact his voting on the resolution previously discussed in support of Wittman. Gregory said he would need to know more about what Granger does on base. Granger said he works in software development and has nothing to do, that he's aware of at least, with the chem-bio department that is moving. Gregory said it shouldn't impact conflict of interest but the Commonwealth's Attorney is the one to go to for an official legal opinion and that he could only give an off-the-cuff response. Granger said he did want an official response before an official vote. Binder also chimed in to say that she would need to have the same discussion as her husband worked on base.
There being no Closed Session, the meeting adjourned at 11:06pm.
Meeting Attendees:
John Jenkins (Board of Supervisors)
Jeff Bueche (Board of Supervisors)
Richard Granger (Chairman, Board of Supervisors)
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)
Meeting Agenda
Next Meeting:
The Board of Supervisors will next meet on May 24, 2018 at 5:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the
previous Board of Supervisors Meeting.
UPDATE 2018-05-22: A previous version of this article incorrectly reported the next meeting time. The next Board of Supervisors meeting will be held May 24, 2018 at 5:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.
UPDATE 2018-05-25: A previous version of this article incorrectly identified Board of Supervisors member John Jenkins. His first name is John, not Jeff.
