Approve first pay raise for board since 2021
By Heather Michon
Correspondent
Representatives from Dewberry Engineering unveiled plans for a new water system for Bremo Bluff at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Wednesday (June 18).
The project stems from the closure of the Bremo Power Plant and Dominion Energy’s ongoing efforts to move 6.2 million cubic yards of toxic coal ash from covered ponds to a lined and capped landfill, a process expected to take well over a decade.
One major concern with coal ash is that it can seep into groundwater and wells around containment areas. Dominion has committed to monitoring household wells within a 1.5-mile radius of the ponds and eventual landfill for the next 30 years.
Another solution to the problem would be to move those households from well water to a municipal water and sewer line.
Dewberry believed this would be possible with the construction of a water treatment plant in Fork Union. This plant could be fed by a 4.8-mile-long raw water intake from the James River and fed out to customers over about 11 miles of water lines.
The water treatment plant would be equipped with filtration systems designed to remove PFAS, the harmful chemical compounds that are often associated with coal ash contamination.
This type of infrastructure project does not come cheap. Dewberry’s initial estimate for the new system was around $70 million.
However, by using county-owned land for the water treatment facility and tapping into the raw water pumping station currently under construction for the James River Water Project, they now believe it can be done for around $47 million.
That is the amount Dominion proffered to Fluvanna County for upgrades to the Fork Union Sanitary District (FUSD) during the landfill permitting negotiations.
This was a preliminary look at the project, and supervisors will have to decide whether and when to bring the issue back for a vote.
Dewberry believes that the project would take 1-2 years to complete.
Pay increases
Virginia law mandates that members of the boards of supervisors receive compensation for their work and that they must vote on their pay each year. But the fact that it is legally required does not make the annual salary discussion any easier.
Members are currently under pay rate approved in 2021. The chair earns $10,800, the vice-chair $10,100, and other members $9,540. Proposed increases failed to find majorities in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
County Administrator Eric Dahl presented finding from an analysis of 28 comparable localities, and recommended an increase of 34 percent for the chair and vice chair, along with a 29 percent increase for other members.
This would bring the annual pay to $11, 800 for the chair, $11,100 for the vice chair, and $10,400 for regular members.
“To me, this is just not the right year,” said Chris Fairchild (Cunningham), who serves as chair.
He has generally opposed pay increases during his tenure, though they were particularly untenable in a year when the voters faced such high real estate assessments.
Mike Goad (Fork Union) agreed that the optics were not good this year.
On the other end of the spectrum, Tim Hodge (Palmyra) was in favor of the increase because it helps cover expenses and time spent fulfilling office duties.
“My wife always says I’m busier now than when I worked 40 hours a week for the county,” he said. “It’s monumental.”
Mike Sheridan (Columbia) and Tony O’Brien (Rivanna) were also in favor of the plan.
The vote passed 3-2, with Fairchild and Goad voting no.
The new pay rate goes into effect on January 1, 2026.
