By Heather Michon
Correspondent
The Board of Supervisors held its first and last meeting of July, focusing on a variety of housekeeping issues ahead of a summer break.
Over an approximately three-hour meeting split into two session separated by a closed meeting, the supervisors:
- Approved a compensation agreement for County Attorney Frederick Payne. The contract rate of $10,000 per month for legal services is unchanged from Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20). Payne has served as county attorney since 1988.
- Renewed the charter for the Columbia Area Renewal Effort (CARE) Task Force through June 30, 2020. CARE hasn’t been able to meet in several months due to the pandemic, and there are currently multiple open seats for citizen representatives. County Administrator Eric Dahl said he was hopeful the appointed country representatives could meet sometime in July to put forward some names for approval when the supervisors reconvene in August.
- Allocated $100,000 from the $2.3 million CARES Act fund to the FROM: Fluvanna Small Business Grant program. Economic Development Coordinator Bryan Rothamel presented the details of the plan, which will be open to 501(c)3, 501(c)4, and 501(c)6 nonprofits in the county. This will augment the $350,000 earmarked for small business grants at their previous meeting.
- Approved the lease for new office space for the county registrar. This move, which is estimated to cost over $40,000 a year in rent, was necessitated by the state’s implementation of no-excuse walk-in for 45 days before a primary or general election. The new office will be located on Turkeysag Trail in the plaza across from Food Lion, and will offer more ample parking, ADA compliant access, and more space to set up voting machines for early voting than its current location in Palmyra. Supervisor Mozell Booker (Fork Union) wanted it noted that they had looked at vacant office spaces in Fork Union, but the part of the county generally lacks the kind of high-speed internet service needed for the office to function. Supervisors also approved the transfer of $20,000 from the Contingency Fund to cover the costs of moving to the new office.
- Approved an updated fee schedule for rentals at Parks & Recreation. Aaron Spitzer, director of Parks & Rec, said fees have not been raised since 2015.
- Approved an interagency contract with the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for a 1.3-mile extension of the Zion Crossroads waterline past its current terminus at Memory Lane on Rt. 250. The DEQ asked the county to partner on the extension, which will serve a group of residents facing groundwater contamination due to a petroleum release many years ago. The cost of the extension is expected to cost $1.5 million, most of which will be paid by the state.
Supervisors also held public hearings on renewing the emergency ordinance allowing supervisors to meet virtually during the public health crisis and to amend parts of the county code to comply with the Code of Virginia.
The next meeting will be held on August 5.
