By Heather Michon
Correspondent
It was another busy year in Fluvanna County, marked by debates over growth, rising costs, and competing visions of the county’s future.
Here’s a look back at the year that was:
Word of the Year? Tenaska.
No issue loomed larger in 2025 than Fluvanna’s reckoning with large-scale energy and industrial development.
The proposed expansion of the Tenaska natural-gas power plant has galvanized many residents concerned about environmental impacts, water use, noise, and the cumulative effects of industrial growth near residential areas. Public hearings drew packed rooms and extended comment periods, while planning officials were pressed to explain how such projects align with the county’s long-term vision.
At the same time, Fluvanna joined other rural Virginia localities in confronting the rapid spread of data centers. In a significant policy shift, county leaders moved to eliminate by-right zoning for data centers, requiring future proposals to undergo full public review.
Together, these debates forced the county to grapple with a fundamental question: how much growth is acceptable—and at what cost?
Utility Bills Rise, and residents feel the pinch.
Energy costs became a front-of-mind issue for residents across the county.
Both Dominion Energy and Central Virginia Electric Cooperative announced significant price increases in 2025, and Aqua Virginia filed for a fresh rate increase. These increases will become evident in the first billing cycles of 2026.
Rising energy costs are being driven by regional demand growth, limited new generation, and the accelerating build-out of energy-intensive infrastructure across Virginia, a trend likely to continue into 2026 and beyond.
Taxes, Transparency, and Trust
The rollout of the county’s meals tax generated early returns, confusion among some business owners, and scrutiny from residents eager to see how the new revenue would be used.
Meanwhile, debates surrounding the Commissioner of the Revenue’s office brought renewed attention to assessment practices and public access to information.
Citizens have also raised concerns about supervisors signing restrictive non-disclosure agreements that have often prevented them from speaking with constituents about projects such as Tenaska and a new Amazon distribution center on Rt. 15.
In multiple contexts, from budgeting to land use, citizens pressed officials for clearer explanations and more transparent processes. Transparency itself became a recurring theme of virtually every county meeting. Whether this will lead to greater openness is a question for 2026.
Schools Under Strain
Another theme of the year was the mounting pressures on Fluvanna County Public Schools.
At the classroom level, chronic absenteeism is a major concern, with school officials warning that attendance issues threaten long-term outcomes for students.
Budget discussions underscored the difficulty of maintaining staffing and services amid rising costs and uncertain state funding.
An independent study found that the schools could see an influx of 500-700 students over the next five years, mostly in the lower grades. Now, school officials are planning a capacity study to look at where they are going to house all those new little learners.
The year made clear that the challenges facing local schools are not temporary—and not easily solved.
What’s Next?
By the end of 2025, Fluvanna had not settled its biggest debates, but it had named them.
How the county answers those questions in 2026 may determine not just what gets built, but what kind of place Fluvanna becomes.
