By Heather Michon
Correspondent
Following their annual leadership retreat in late August, the Board of Supervisors adopted its two-year goals and revised version of its mission statement during its meeting Wednesday (Sept. 21).
Assistant County Administrator Kelly Harris reviewed the finalized two-year plan – formerly known as the ‘strategic initiatives,’ even though “they were neither strategic nor initiatives,” she noted.
The four-page document lists about two dozen goals under the heading of service delivery, communications, project management, community development and enrichment, and financial stewardship and efficiency.
Many of these items have been on the to-do list for some time, and others are impossible to complete within a two-year timeframe. However, having a compact list of goals and priorities assures that critical issues won’t fall off the county’s radar.
One example mentioned during the discussion was the implementation of a credit card payment system for the treasurer’s office. This is something residents have been wanting for several years, but has not yet been put in place.
County Administrator Eric Dahl said County Treasurer Linda H. Lenherr was looking for a one-step process that integrated smoothly with the county’s existing payment processing system and was planning to reach out to colleagues in other counties to discuss their experiences with vendors and systems.
Supervisors approved the plan by a vote of 5-0.
They did not reach that same unanimity on a revised mission statement.
The mission statement adopted in 2016 reads: Fluvanna County is committed to providing an excellent quality of life for our citizens and businesses through the delivery of competitive public services and programs in an efficient and effective manner.
Draft revised versions following the August retreat all included language about preserving Fluvanna’s ‘rural character.’
The most popular of the four options stated: Fluvanna County is committed to providing an excellent quality of life for our citizens and businesses through the efficient delivery of core services and programs while preserving the unique identity and rural character of the county.
Supervisor Tony O’Brien (Rivanna) felt the language regarding identity and character was unnecessary. “We define the character and the goals of the county in our comprehensive plan that we upgrade every five years, and I just don’t see the point of making the change,” he said.
The motion passed on a vote of 4-1.
Noise
Supervisors also approved the advertisement of a public hearing on proposed changes to the county’s noise ordinance.
The current noise ordinance has been in place since around 2009 and was based on a Virginia Supreme Court ruling that required localities to set new standards on judging noise complaints.
“We adopted a set of standards based on decibel levels,” said County Attorney Fred Payne. In theory, law enforcement could use sound meters to determine whether noise complaints met the threshold.
However, as Lake Monticello Public Safety Director and former Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office officer David Wells explained, the sound meters had proven practically useless in the field and made enforcement almost impossible.
Under the proposed revision, “no person shall permit, operate or cause any source of sound or sound generation that is audible in any other person’s residence with the doors and windows to such other person’s residence closed.”
Supervisors Chris Fairchild (Cunningham) and Patricia Eager (Palmyra) questioned Wells and Payne on how the use of firearms would play into noise complaints.
Wells said the language of the ordinance didn’t prohibit the use of firearms already legal under state law but was instead geared towards “the guys that have probably had a couple of beers and go out at 2 a.m. and decide to go dump a magazine.”
The public hearing will take place on Oct. 19 at 7 p.m.
Other matters
County Registrar Joyce Pace won approval to reclassify a temporary part-time deputy registrar as permanent part-time, a move that will allow the employee some sick leave and paid vacation at an additional cost to the county of about $1,100 per fiscal year.
Following previous discussions on the dangerous traffic conditions around the Riverside Gate at Lake Monticello on South Boston Road (Rt. 600) and an uptick in complaints by residents, supervisors approved a resolution calling on VDOT to conduct a safety study of the Rt. 600 corridor.
Supervisors approved the adoption of an economic strategic development plan by a vote of 4-1 with Fairchild voting nay.
