Chincoteague Reports: Elected Officials

Ron Wolff County Forum June 15, 2009

Wolff’s Sandwich Shoppe, Atlantic, VA

Meeting began at 7 PM

ATTENDANCE
Presenter: Ron Wolff, Accomack County District Representative
Guest Speakers: Norm Bobczynski, Launch Site Manger, Orbital Sciences
Audience: About 15 members. Audience includes Phil Hickman, Chair, County Planning Commission.

There is no agenda or audio recorded for this meeting.

Opening Remarks:
Mr. Wolff stated it was the 66th County Forum meeting. There has been a great many inquiries from businesses in regard to Wallops Research Park. He indicated if businesses come in it could mitigate the tax increases in county. The overall economic situation is stable compared to other counties and states. He noted Paradiso pizza recently closed.

The broadband initiative is moving forward. It is moving from the south and will go through route 175 to Chincoteague.

The county Board of Supervisors (BOS) enacted a resolution saying all rubbish generated in county must stay in county. This was done so that rubbish did not go to Northampton county landfill. A negotiation was attempted to have rubbish taken offshore. Funds are needed to close southern Accomack county landfill. BOS is negotiating for a trash convenience center in south part of county.

There are some issues with northern landfill and its lagoon. County was cited by DEQ in regard to discharge from lagoon. The leachate is being shipped to Snow Hill. The problem is being worked to eliminate discharge.

Economic Development Authority (EDA) has turned over its waterworks to the county. Pipe from Industrial Park goes up the road to Onancock. The county is in the water utilities business now.

Greenbackville ten-lot development and sewer treatment plant was discussed. The Army Corps of Engineers reviewed the application. Jim McGowan previously indicated to Mr. Wolff that Army Corps of Engineers will be out to Greenbackville to inspect the situation. Due to lack of paperwork, this subject will not be on the upcoming Planning Commission meeting for the county. No info from health department on this situation as of yet. No info from DEQ either. Question from audience member (AM) in regard to petition and where to send it. Phil Hickman was in audience and discussed that petition will have little impact since county does not have right to refuse developer’s application, however, citizens are encouraged to make sure developer follows through with promises and plans. Mr. Hickman indicated it may be a good thing to contact Lynwood Lewis with respect to putting a sewer treatment plant right next to historic homes in Greenbackville. Phil Hickman indicated that the original ordinance that allowed utilities right of ways will be amended to cover situations with sewer treatment plants. AM asked if county will take over utility when developer leaves. Mr. Wolff indicated that this is one possibility.

Guest Speaker
Mr. Bobczynski discussed launches at Wallops Research Park via Orbital Sciences. Big rocket at almost 1 million pounds will be tested soon. The goal is to launch about six missiles a year. Program revolves around COTS which will supply the International Space Station (ISS). In December 2010 the Space Shuttle will disappear. At that point, the USA will need to buy rides from Russia to supply ISS. Mr. Bobczynski started slide show on ISS and the COTS program. He stated that manned shuttle for USA will not be available until 2017.

The plan is to keep COTS a private business venture and not a public government program. One missile is being built in the Ukraine and they are trying to deliver this massive rocket to Wallops. A test run will be made with oversize tank to see if land route or barge will be needed for massive rocket later. A ground breaking ceremony will be held later this month.

AM asked about environmental concerns of propellants. Mr. Bobczynski stated great care is taken to handle propellants and the liquid oxygen and RP1 (kerosene) which can explode, but the byproducts are similar to car emissions.

The massive rocket will be 13 feet in diameter and over 100 feet tall. Issue of weight going over bridge onto Wallops will be a concern and plans are needed to handle them.

Mr. Bobczynski noted that USA only gets 10% of commercial business due to the cost of USA rockets to launch capsules into space. Cost of rocket needs to get down to $50M or even less for USA to be competitive in this market.

Adjournment approximately 8:30 PM

Notes by Tim Getek

N.B. These notes do not constitute the public record of this meeting. The information contained herein is offered in good faith and is presented as accurately as possible. These notes are intended to be a public service devoid of political commentary for those who are interested in following the civic affairs of Chincoteague Island and Accomack County. Notes of the meeting are recorded, transcribed and distributed by volunteers who receive no financial compensation for their efforts.

June 16, 2009 in Elected Officials - Public Comments | Permalink

Ron Wolff County Forum May 18, 2009

Wolff’s Sandwich Shoppe, Atlantic, VA

Meeting began at 7 PM

ATTENDANCE
Presenter: Ron Wolff, Accomack County District Representative
Guest Speakers: Gary White, Organizer of YMCA in Chincoteague
Audience: About 10 members.

There is no agenda or audio recorded for this meeting.

Opening Remarks
Mr. Wolff discussed the tipping fees for the landfills in Accomack County and upcoming county ordinances that may be modified. He also commented on the upcoming rocket launch from Wallops scheduled for May 19 between 7:30 PM and 11:30PM. The fiber optics broadband system is planned to come trough Knots Landing Road via southern route from Norfolk.

Guest Speaker
Gary White discussed the planned YMCA being formed in Chincoteague. He started the YMCA in Pocomoke. The YMCA in Chincoteague would be associated with the Hampton Roads franchise. The CEO of the Hampton Roads area did not believe that Chincoteague had significant population to support a YMCA. Typically a minimum of 25,000 people are need for potential support of a YMCA and Chincoteague has about 4,000 full time residents. Since the Hampton Roads franchise was concerned about the population issue, it was asked of the Delmarva YMCA through Salisbury to help support the creation of the YMCA in Chincoteague. This was ratified by the Board of Directors of YMCA which is situated in Chicago. The funds needed to start a YMCA in Chincoteague are $300K for three years. The deadline for funds is October 1. The beginning Founders Campaign has already netted $65K so far. It should be noted that the YMCA donations stay in the local community; only 1% goes to national franchise once membership sales begin. Activities are run on local interests. A fundraiser during Pony Penning is planned. A mechanical bull attraction will also be utilized. Activities may include square dancing as well. As an example of typical funding, for an $800K budget, half is funded via membership and the other half was through swim lessons and other activities. Membership dues for a family is somewhere in the area of $35. Some of the programs that the YMCA may sponsor include adult knitting, sunset cruises, Thai cooking, and much more. If you are interested in knowing more about the YMCA in Chincoteague, or you wish to support them, you may contact Gary White at 443.783.9209 (cell).

Post-Meeting Notes
Mr. Wolff discussed the recent county increase for personal property tax to 43 cents and the potential to going to a biannual billing. He also noted that in Greenbackville on May 26 at 7 PM there will be a town hall meeting on the proposed water treatment system designed for a 10 lot development in Greenbackville. Meeting will be at the local fire department community center.

Adjournment approximately 8:30 PM

Notes by Tim Getek

May 23, 2009 in Elected Officials - Public Comments | Permalink

Ron Wolff County Forum April 20, 2009

Captain’s Cove Marina, Greenbackville, VA

The Meeting began at 7 PM

ATTENDANCECE
Presenter: Ron Wolff, Accomack County District Representative
Guest Speakers: Tom Larsen, ANEC Electric, VP Engineering, Lynwood Lewis, Virgina House of Delegates, 100th District, Ralph S. Northam, Virginia Senator, District 6
Meeting Coordinator: Lance Stitcher, General Manager, Captain’s Cove Golf and Yacht Club
Audience: About 85 members.

There is no agenda or audio recorded for this meeting.
Note: Ron Wolff arrived late due to budget meeting in Accomac.

Lance Stitcher welcomed the speakers and attendees and introduced Tom Larson of ANEC.

ANEC Tom Larson: He discussed issue of electrical outages in early part of year. New automatic voltage regulators located near Sign Post were installed. This will help in a small way, but a substation is needed. Land for substation has been reviewed near Fleming Road. He noted that there is a plan to add a second circuit into Captain’s Cove.

State Senator Northam: He discussed several local issues. He is a pediatrician in Norfolk. Top three issues in Richmond were budget, budget, budget. Virginia was down $3.7B. Some help was given by stimulus package. The stimulus money is only for two years. His point was the big need is jobs. One way to increase jobs is to bring high tech broadband to get high quality jobs in area. There are some infrastructure monies available, but one should also consider alternative energy methods.

Delegate Lewis: He voiced similar concerns and views to State Senator Northam. Delegate Lewis commented on education and roads. The budget cuts will impact state universities and a cut across the board at the state level needs to be handled judiciously.

County Representative Ron Wolff: He discussed the county budget meeting held earlier that evening in Accomac. Total county budget is $82M and school board gets about $15M. Budget was passed at 7 cents on the property tax side.. Nothing was done on personal property tax at this time. Two cents of property tax is dedicated to EMS. Another two cents is for debt control motions. One cent is for rainy day fund. Each cent is an approximately $360K increase in revenues. It is basically a two cent tax increase. Final vote was 5 to 4. Education in county was leveled funded same as the amount last year.

County Board of Supervisors (BOS) took a cut on health insurance of about $360K . Everybody pays 25% into insurance. Tipping fees was funded up to $200K. It was decided to examine a cut across the board and a 3% cut was made except for some departments where a reduction of staff would occur. It is planned to sign the agreement on May 6 with NASA for Wallops Research Park. Launch is planned for May 5 and later an abort missile test is planned in late May. Marine consortium is planning to rebuild their campus.

Q&A Forum

Audience Member (AM): The comment was made that education was key to county and state to bring in high tech jobs and skills. What is county doing to improve the overall county education? Mr. Wolff pointed out that high tech outfits like Orbital Sciences and Baysys are promoting and teaching local workers for their respective industries. The Eastern Shore Community College is expanding its role to train student for these type of high tech jobs. The state representatives added that this is important for the Wallops Research Park grow and stimulus funds are available to add infrastructure (taxiways) to this park.

AM: What is status of Shore Hospital? This hospital, as pointed out by the state representatives, is located in Nassawandox, and it is considered important to modernize this hospital and maintain the facility for the residents of the Eastern Shore.

AM: It was pointed out by some earlier statements by the state representatives that there seems to be a concern to limit growth in the county, they were asked to comment. The state representatives made it clear that growth was wanted, but the concerns about environment and sprawl were stated. Plans are needed to make sure growth is planned and done in a strategic manner.

Ron Wolff and the speakers were thanked, and the audience appreciated the county forum.

Adjournment approximately 8:20 PM

Notes by Tim Getek

April 28, 2009 in Elected Officials - Public Comments | Permalink

Ron Wolff County Forum April 13, 2009

NASA Visitor Center, Wallops, VA

Meeting Time 7 PM

ATTENDANCE
Present: Ron Wolff, Accomack County District Representative, Dr. John Campbell, NASA, Keith Koehl, NASA, Jason Luftus, NASA Security. Guest Speaker: Norm Bobczynski, Orbital Sciences.
Audience: About 25 members. There is no agenda or audio available for this meeting.

Ron Wolff commented on the county budget. There has been major discussion on trying to get tax increases down. The property tax proposal was reduced from 9 cents to approximately 6.5 cents, and it is hoped with further discussion it may go down to 5 cents. No decision has been made on personal property tax. It was commented that a good deal of tax is used for EMS budget.

Mr. Wolff also mentioned about the issue of prayer and invocation at the Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting. He discussed the actions of the county attorney and the BOS. They decided to keep the invocation denominational. Mr. Wolff commented that Rev. Broad has offered to attend BOS and give the invocation to mitigate any concerns. He expects future comments about this matter.

With respect to construction around NASA facility, building is continuing. Mr. Wolff discussed meeting with federal representatives such as Senators Webb and Warner. Accomack county has support for new funding for taxiway.

Tomorrow night is a budget meeting for Accomack County. Concerns discussed are school funding and supportive finances to keep them going and the staff.

Q&A Opening Comments

Is there any mechanism for federal stimulus funds to trickle down to county? Mr. Wolff mentioned state turned down $1.25M for state unemployment coffers. There were too many strings attached to funds.

What were some of the specific items county asked for in regard to stimulus money? The taxiway was a proposal and in long term better way to be funded. The community college may have received some stimulus money, but that needs to be verified.

TacSat-3 Mission Brief

Dr. John Campbell, director NASA, and Keith Koehl presented. Also attending Jason Loftus who provides public safety. It should be noted it will be an evening launch.

Dr. John Campbell gave presentation. Air Force is not releasing exact launch time, but it will be around dusk. The agencies involved are Operationally Responsive Space Office, DoD. Also involved is Office of Naval Research and ATK Space Systems. Launch rocket is a Minotaur Rocket. It is a $60M space craft and less than 400 kg. Three payloads: Advanced Responsive Tactically Effective Military Imaging Spectrometer Hyperspectral Imager, Satellite Communications Package, and Space Avionics Experiment.

There are three CubeSat Secondary Spacecraft. Each cube weighs 2 pounds. They are deployed after launch.

Some of the other deployments were developed by HawkSat-1 Hawk Institute for Space Sciences, Pocomoke City, MD.

Another group who made the pods (cubes) was from CP-6 California Polytechnic State University. One experiment will measure the effectiveness of an electron collection and emission device in space, and another experiment will measure the magnetic effects of earth. The third cube is made by AeroCube-3 Aerospace Corp., Los Angeles. Experiment will demonstrate a sun sensor and an Earth sensor. This experiment includes a balloon for easy observation.

PharmSat NASA Ames Research Center has experiments for observing microgravity effects on yeast and antifungal agents. Sensors will detect growth and health of yeast cells.

Rocket to be launched has 4 rocket motor stages. Two minuteman II stages and 2 commercial Orbital Sciences Corp stages completes the rocket. It is 69 feet tall.

Pad 0A is now gone, and new launch pad will be built for end of 2010 for resupply of ISS (International Space Station). Rocket stages placed on pad by cranes.

A discussion of launch viewing safety areas was given. For future launches in 2012, a Minotaur 5 will be used for launches to the moon. Jason Loftus discussed the safety of launches. People will be removed from areas 2 hours prior to launch. Mr. Loftus also looks at possibility of failure and safety impact to public. Public roads closures are dependent on weather conditions the day of launch. The major debris issue is not materials but unignited propellants from rocket.

Q&A on Launch Safety

What is rocket propellant? The fuel is solid fuel, and major failure issue is hydrochloric acid.

What is potential for matter contaminants? Dr. Campbell mentioned there are minor issues since most matter goes downrange rapidly and stages are burned out quickly. In case of failure and explosion, depending on location, there may be chunks and metal fragments.

Note another launch is coming to Wallops late May or June. It will be a Launch Abort System Test.

Further Q&A on Launches

At what height will metal stages burn up? Dr. Campbell mentioned that upper stages will be burned up by atmosphere, and first stage will be an empty tube.

Ron Wolff mentioned Dr. Campbell was involved with Hubble telescope and some of the software written for Hubble.

Guest Speaker: Norm Bobczynski is on site director for Orbital Sciences and he will comment on status.

Orbital Sciences (OS) will be launching Taurus 2 rocket. Big step is to have medium size launch capability. OS is building an integrated horizontal system, and then place rocket on gantry. Launch schedule is December 2010. Need to build liquid propellant container for liquid oxygen (LOX).

Q&A on Orbital Sciences

What is status on protest on OS contract? Mr. Bobczynski has not heard any updates.

What are the materials being sent to ISS? There will be robotic missions to ISS. OS is not working on the return (waste from ISS)

What is the make up of Taurus 2 rocket? Mr. Bobczynski noted it was a two stage rocket that once expended will fall into the ocean.

Adjournment approximately 8:30 PM. Audience applauded presenters.

Post meeting viewing of global sphere in NASA Visitor Center.

Notes by Tim Getek

April 14, 2009 in Elected Officials - Public Comments | Permalink

MARCH 16, 2009 RON WOLFF COUNTY FORUM

The March 16, 2009 Ron Wolff’s County Forum meeting was held in Atlantic, Virginia at Wolff’s Sandwich shop. No agenda was available for the meeting and guest speaker Mack Shelor was in attendance. There was a total of 44 people at the meeting.

Ron Wolff started the meeting at 7:05 by updating the audience on what has been going on since the last meeting. He said that the supervisors had been working on the county budget for the past 3-4 weeks. The budget is a 75-78 million dollar budget and the public hearing is scheduled for March 25. 2009. He stated that 1 cent on property tax equates to $360,000 for the county. He stated that the county is looking at a 4 million dollar deficit from other sources this year. He stated that it looks like the school board budget will remain about the same. He reported that the Omnibus bill that was signed last week will give 25 million dollars to the space project. He reported that last Thursday he and several other county officials went to Washington D C to meet with the 2 U S Senators from Virginia a a representative to secure funds for Wallops Research Park for a taxiway and apron at about a cost of 4 million dollars. Ron felt good about the trip.

Next Ron introduced Mark Schelor with Castlebridge Engineering. Mark gave his credentials as have had engineered solar, coal, biofuels, wind and geothermal energy plants. He has engineered all types of energy plants with the exception of nuclear. He is developing the ethanol plant in Somerset County. He stated that the bayside of Accomack and Somerset counties have the best wind for 200 miles around. It is considered a class 5 wind on the bayside compared to a class 3 wind on the seaside. He said that you would have to go about 12 miles out on the seaside to get the same wind as there is on the bayside.

He stated that a tower is about 300 feet up to the center of the blades and the blades were 140 feet long. He broke down the revenues of the income from the generation as about 10 percent going to the county. He said that class 5 winds will produce about 4.2 million dollars for the county per year at 10 percent of the revenues. He stated that the A & N lines will handle about 5 projects at this time. He said that it takes a 6 mile per hour wind to turn the turbines and that a 18 mile per hour wind will hit peak performance. He said that New Market Loan Fund will provide 30 percent of the funding and sell securities for tax credit shelters and Banks will furnish 70 percent of the funding. The New Market Loan Fund is only available to low income areas and all of Accomack with the exception of Onancock qualifies for the funds. He gave a lot of statistics about windmills but I could only write but so fast.

He said the life of a wind turbine is 20 years plus, but is depreciated over a 5 year period. He said that there is a company in Richmond, Va that just bought Ecno Turbine out of Spain. They currently make steam turbines and is looking for a place in the US to build a facility to manufacture wind turbines. He then opened up for questions from the audience. There was a question on noise and he said that the noise was 100 decimals at the base of the turbine and of course less the farther away that you got. There was a question about electromagnetic field and he answered that it was not a problem with the exception of within inches of a large export line that carried lots of electricity, such as the main line that goes up the west side of route 13. A question of the lead time to get one built and the answer was about 2 years. He said that he was working with Tangier Island on their project and that he hoped that some of the data could be used for the bayside of Accomack County.

Ron stated that The electric bill at NASA was about 260,000 per month and the 2 turbines that they are working on would reduce their bill by about two-thirds per month and have a pay out in about 4 years. He said that it would take about 40 acres to produce the same electric of solar panels as 1 wind turbine. NASA is now about 6 months into the study to get the project started.

There being no further questions , the meeting was adjourned at 8:30.

Notes by Garey Cropper

N.B. These notes do not constitute the public record of this meeting. The information contained herein is offered in good faith and is presented as accurately as possible. These notes are intended to be a public service devoid of political commentary for those who are interested in following the civic affairs of Chincoteague Island and Accomack County. Notes of the meeting are recorded, transcribed and distributed by volunteers who receive no financial compensation for their efforts.

March 16, 2009 in Elected Officials - Public Comments | Permalink

February 16, 2009 Ron Wolff’s County Forum Meeting

The February 16, 2009 Wolff’s County Forum meeting was held in Atlantic, VA at Wolff’s Sandwich Shoppe. No agenda was available for County Forum and there were guest speakers from the Eastern Shore 911 Operations Center. There is no audio for this meeting.

Attendance
Present: Ron Wolff, Accomack County Board of Supervisors; County Forum was attended by approximately 20 citizens.

The County Forum meeting began at 7 p.m.

Public Comments: Ron Wolff
Ron Wolff welcomed all the attendees. He discussed the following topics:
He discussed the economics of the times, and Accomack County having fiscal concerns along with rest of country. Current budget is balanced at this moment. The year 2009 looks bad with respect to fiscal issues and 2010 looks worse. Other states are having problems meeting payroll.

Dan Hillman (consultant) and Mike Mason (county staff) are looking for ways to save money for county. They came up with 400 suggestions to cut costs. Board of Supervisors (BOS) is reviewing top ten ($20K or more).

It was suggested to remove district BOS funds. The district funds were for drainage issues and were about $6K (per annum) for each BOS member and could be accumulated. Some accumulations were high as $60K; accumulated amount occurred due to availability of various pieces of equipment (shared ditch digger). Total amount came to $250K that was saved.

Other cost cutting suggestions was to devalue the health and dental plans for county employees. Consider a higher deductible and review co-pay. Also, county should review health costs for inmates.

The convenience center operations were adjusted to six days a week. One in Horntown will be closed Thursdays.

County could also save by eliminating town tipping fee rebates. Previously, they did reimburse towns for rebates; somewhere in $90K for Chincoteague (still under review). Also county removed some green boxes and altered the amount of poundage at landfills from 400 lbs to 200 lbs for individual citizens.

Consider also increasing permit and inspection fees. They were set previously just to have break even fees.

The top 50 delinquent tax payers (real estate) in county will be posted. Ms Bundick will review the taxes. It did bring in about $100K in late taxes. It was also suggested to contact county employees who are delinquent in taxes.

Mr. Wolff met with Orbital Sciences. There was a protest by a third company with respect to NASA contract. On Feb 23, NASA will discuss the status of protest. Orbital Sciences are moving forward on building.

On daily basis, they are requests for info on MARS facility at Wallops. With respect to Wallops Research Park, county is looking for funds for taxiways for BaySys (company that modifies jet planes for upscale clients).

On Stimulus Package, Army Corps of Engineers will be reviewing several dredging projects locally. The website has wish list for Stimulus Package (locate by Googling was suggested).

Question from Audience: What is status of PSA (Public Service Authority) and schools to enhance incoming businesses? The PSA should be formed and voted on by Wednesday night. This will help incoming businesses and attract them. As for schools, it is difficult with these economic times. However, there is a big chunk in Stimulus Package for education.

GUEST SPEAKER: Jeff Flournoy and Marge Sarran of Eastern Shore of Virginia 911 Center. It is located in Accomac, VA. It serves Accomack and Northampton counties. The town of Chincoteague has its own 911 center. Operations Center has emergency generator. Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) also at 911 operations. EMD can start triage immediately over phone in order to help victims prior to arrival of medical staff.

NOTE: Call the non-emergency number for the 911 Operations Center for open burning questions and start of one. This non-emergency number is 757-787-0911. Also call this non-emergency number when the burn is completed. The radio system is very sophisticated and there are radio frequencies for all types of emergency events. It is also emergency center for major catastrophes such as hurricane.

Voice over Internet Phone (VOIP) has issues with 911. Big issue is losing power and telephone will not work unlike a land line. Also cell phones pose a problem; location can be found by GPS coordinates sent out automatically by most modern cell phones.

Question from Audience: The Accomac center also houses reversed 911 for alerting citizens of impending catastrophes and need to take action. This reversed 911 works on land line phones only. Systems are being developed to cover text messaging to cell phones in cases of emergency. Local schools do have the ability to text parents when school schedules change.

Meeting ended at 8:40 p.m.

Final Comment: It was announced that the April 20 county forum will be held at Captain’s Cove new Marina Building. Mr. Wolff is planning to invite State Delegate Lewis and State Senator Northam to April 20 forum.

Notes by Tim Getek

N.B. These notes do not constitute the public record of this meeting. The information contained herein is offered in good faith, is presented as accurately as possible, and is thought to be a complete account of the proceedings. These notes are intended to be a public service devoid of political commentary for those who are interested in following the civic affairs of Chincoteague Island and Accomack County. Notes of the meeting are recorded, transcribed and distributed by volunteers who receive no financial compensation for their efforts.

February 18, 2009 in Elected Officials - Public Comments | Permalink

January 19, 2009 Ron Wolff’s County Forum Meeting

The January 19, 2009 Ron Wolff’s County Forum meeting was held in Atlantic, VA at Wolff’s Sandwich Shoppe. No agenda was available for County Forum and Cheryl Tyson of Eastern Shore Broadband Authority was guest speaker. There is no audio for this meeting.

Attendance: There were 15 attendees

The County Forum meeting began at 7:00 PM.

Public Comments: Ron Wolff

Ron Wolff welcomed all the attendees. He discussed the following:

Mr. Wolff is no longer chair of Accomack County Board of Supervisors (BOS).
The new chair is Steve Malette vice chair is Ms. Gordy.
Due to volume of topics to cover at BOS meeting, there will now be two county meetings per month with the first being a work session followed by the regular meeting the third Wednesday of the month.

County Fiscal Situation
The first work session was January 14. Its focus was discussing funding for county. Financial study was performed by third party advisors. As expected, there is some bad news and some good news due to current financial situation. Accomack County has been operating with structural imbalance in its finances. The rainy day fund is essentially gone. It was $1.2M and now it has been lowered significantly. Cash flow distribution to departments is down to 2%, and 20% is a typical ideal value. In the past in the county, it has been 9% to 10% due to Accomack County's small population and financial advisors feel that this is a reasonable level.

Fund balance should be around $600K. First time BOS discussed large cuts to education funds. Accomack County believes they will not receive about $2M from state for these purposes.

Some good items, Accomack County has had and has a good credit rating for paying it back. Accomack County could adopt some sort of equity loan of value over $7M for bond issues spread over a three year period. Note this does not mean the county needs $7M but due to its credit rating if need be it could receive a loan up to this amount. The projected fund balance will be $2.6M in the red if no restructuring occurs.

Some plans considered a 10 cent increase on realty; 6 cent and 4 cent over next three years. The purpose of the increase is to increase rainy day fund over a period of time into 2015.

It is important to note these fiscal issues are with all counties in Virginia, and some counties are worse particularly in northern Virginia. Accomack County is looking to cut expenses to bare bones. Studies are ongoing to cut costs in all areas. There is a need to prioritize cuts. Plans are to list top 25 expenses that can be trimmed. One fiscal item to cut could be district drainage funds. There is about $9K for each district. Some districts have saved significant funds over the years that could represent $300K saved.

Audience member questioned cutting particular departments. Ron Wolff experience is in solid waste area. Current situation is that maintaining two landfills are expensive to county. Southern landfill is scheduled to close in 2012. Operational funds of $1.2M will be used and and there is no current means to replace it. Also there are maintenance fees for southern landfill in the future that need to be considered. Discussions have begun on cutting one day from Convenience Centers. Currently recycling is contracted out. The recycling is an even wash with respect to expenses and represents essentially no additional funds for Accomack County.

There is hiring freeze in Accomack County except for sheriff department.

The financial report may be found on line; it is not certain if it is available now. The report is referred to as Davenport Financial Review.

Chesapeake Bay Act for Seaside
Two forums have been planned as informational meetings with citizens. First forum is planned for late January in southern part of county. The second forum will be in northern part of county in early February. See Accomack County website for details.

Sewer Treatment and County PSA (Public Service Authority)
The Utility Committee considered PSA. The study recommended that PSA should be formed for sewage treatment with designated service areas. They discussed the Onancock treatment area for 750K gallons increasing it from 500K gallons. One concern is the volume of rain water that seeps into the treatment steam that may add to costs. Current stage is for PSA not to take over the Onancock treatment plant, but rather have smaller designated areas and treat the sewage in that fashion. Prime designated areas to be considered could be Captain's Cove and Wallops area.

Guest Speaker
Cheryl Tyson of Eastern Shore of Virginia Broadband Authority discussed fiber optics on Eastern Shore. It is planned to send broadband to Wallops via Knox Landing Rd to Rt 175 and then to Wallops.

Accomack County has helped with planning phase and there are no further expenses needed from county for broadband. The Virginia wireless act established Broadband authority. It is a coop situation. It is an economical development program for businesses. DSL is currently prevalent on Eastern Shore. Broadband via fiber optics can be used to significantly speed data transfer. Television could use fiber optics.

Maryland broadband is already into Wallops from north. The exact route into Wallops is not certain and Ms. Tyson plans to investigate route. For Virginia, thee are two funding modes. One over Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel is through NASA, and then from Cheritan to Wallops the broadband is being funded by several economic development groups.

The broadband plan is to work with hospitals and health groups. Telehealth and telemedicine are communication modes that can be used in rural areas. Broadband can also be critical in public safety and homeland security.

An audience member asked for details on getting fiber optics broadband at households. The Broadband Authority as represented by Ms. Tyson is basically a wholesaler. Second party retail groups like COX, Verizon, and others could come onto network. Once these retail groups are on fiber optics, they can bundle packages like phone, internet and television.

Schedule is for backbone to be finished by end of 2009, and maybe as fast as summer. It is planned most businesses will have broadband by 2012. Wireless is an option for isolated areas (for instance on the necks of Chesapeake Bay), but it is difficult to get public funding.

An audience member asked what broadband can do for educational purposes. Ms. Tyson pointed out that it could enhance courses and lessons at every educational level for the Eastern Shore.

Forum ended at 8:30 PM

Notes by Tim Getek

N.B. These notes do not constitute the public record of this meeting. The information contained herein is offered in good faith, is presented as accurately as possible, is thought to be a complete account of the proceedings. These notes are intended to be a public service devoid of political commentary for those who are interested in following the civic affairs of Chincoteague Island and Accomack County. Notes of the meeting are recorded, transcribed and distributed by volunteers who receive no financial compensation for their efforts.

January 21, 2009 in Elected Officials - Public Comments | Permalink

September 15, 2008 Ron Wolff’s County Forum Meeting

The September 15, 2008 Ron Wolff’s County Forum meeting was held in Atlantic, VA at Wolff’s Sandwich Shoppe.

No agenda was available for County Forum and Jim McGowan, Director of Planning Accomack County, was a guest speaker. There is no audio for this meeting.

There were 40 attendees in audience.

Meeting began: 7:05 PM

Introduction and Discussion by Ron Wolff:
Mr. Wolff commented to the audience that the Board of Supervisors (BOS) are still working through a number of Fire and EMS issues, and that the BOS will be sending the County Supervisor a list of requests for information about the property assessment issue. This will be published at the September 17 BOS meeting.

Mr. Wolff turned over the remainder of the meeting to Mr. McGowan, Director of Planning, in order to discuss the Chesapeake Bay Act (CBA) being applied to seaside areas, and its goals and objectives for this seaside CBA ordinance. Briefly stated: To preserve and protect the seaside water quality by managing development and construction in sensitive coastal areas.

McGowan stated that currently there are 17 impaired creeks and 14 impaired shellfish areas, and a total of 2278 acres of water that are considered too polluted for seafood harvesting.

Accomack County enacted the Chesapeake Bay version of this Act on the Bayside in 1989. Northhampton County has already enacted the ordinances on their seaside. Accomack County is now the only seaside county in the State that has not promulgated these ordinances.

At this point, McGowan went through the document (which no one else had) and briefly mentioned the high points. There were a number of questions and comments that were entertained throughout his presentation.

Most of the questions were about impacts on property values of additional restrictions on building.

• Where is the cost/benefit analysis?

• How will the burden for additional septic tank maintenance be borne by low-income folks?

• Why are farmers being singled out as major polluters?

• Why are the big polluters, like the township of Chincoteague, being exempted? The response was that the County has no land use jurisdiction there, but the township of Chincoteague can choose to implement.

• How will the County fund implementation and enforcement? The response was that existing staff will accommodate the implementation of the CBA for seaside areas.

The meeting ended at 9:00 PM.

Post Note: A CBA planning meeting will be held on September 16 at 7 PM at the Metompkin Elementary School, and further discussion on the CBA is expected at the BOS meeting on September 17.

Notes by George Dattore

N.B. These notes do not constitute the public record of this meeting. The information contained herein is offered in good faith, is presented as accurately as possible, is thought to be a complete account of the proceedings. These notes are intended to be a public service devoid of political commentary for those who are interested in following the civic affairs of Chincoteague Island. Notes of the meeting are recorded, transcribed and distributed by volunteers who receive no financial compensation for their efforts.

September 16, 2008 in Elected Officials - Public Comments | Permalink

August 18, 2008 Ron Wolff’s County Forum Meeting

The August 18, 2008 Ron Wolff’s County Forum meeting was held in Atlantic, VA at Wolff’s Sandwich Shoppe. No agenda was available for County Forum and there was no guest speaker. There is no audio for this meeting.
Attendance

Present: Ron Wolff, Chairman, Accomack County Board of Supervisors; Mark Taylor, county attorney, Phil Hickman, Chairman of Planning Commission. County Forum was attended by approximately 25 citizens.

The County Forum meeting began at 7:10 p.m.

Public Comments: Ron Wolff
Ron Wolff welcomed all the attendees. He discussed the following topics:

Captain’s Cove Sewage Permit: Court of Appeals overruled Judge Tyler decision for allowing permit. Although Ron Wolff did not read the entire brief, it was related that there were 6 issues that the Appeals Court disagreed. The court decision was 2 to 1 to overturn decision. According to Mark Taylor, further appeal by Captain’s Cove will go to the state’s Supreme Court. Ron Wolff indicated due to the info on the financial situation at Captain’s Cove, no future appeal is expected. In summary, the permit as it stands is denied.

Legality of BOS Health Insurance: An opinion was sought on the legality of the Board of Supervisors (BOS) of Accomack County to have health insurance provided to them. The state attorney general (AG) concurred that the BOS are entitled to health insurance from decisions made in 1979.

Lawsuit on Tax Levy from Chincoteague against Accomack County: Decision was found in favor of Accomack County based on the proper purpose of the state’s code to form a petition for the tax levy purpose. Mark Taylor indicated an appeal might be made but that is not known at this time.

Assessment Structure: Mark Taylor discussed the overview of the assessment process. If a citizen has questions about assessment, one can still bring the issue to the Board of Equalization.

Public Service Authority (PSA): The water and wastewater authority as defined by the PSA has been tabled and in its place the BOS have formed a Utility Cost Commission (UCC) to explore the feasibility of PSA and to explore water and wastewater treatment needs in the county. The UCC is not an independent authority, and requires the BOS to approve contracts.

As a side bar, Onancock has started enhancement of their sewage system from 500K to 750K gallon facility. Onancock has secured $5M to $7M in loans and federal funds. There is concern that Onancock citizens cannot handle overall costs due to enhancements and the final price tag estimated to be $17M.

New Convenience Center: The center will be located near Saxis and contract is being bidded now. Expected to open January 1.

Wallops Island Research Park (WIRP): Birthday of the Navy is coming soon; planning Navy appreciation day. WIRP is developing and formation of Wallops Research Park Service Authority is ongoing. Northrup Grumman is starting new construction.

Broadband circle has been given $2M by state that will link DC-Richmond-Virginia Beach-Wallops. How to trunk out fiber optics is a concern.

Wallops and NASA: Spaceport and private company (Orbital) is enhancing facilities. There is need to build payload processing facility and other construction to support space effort. This translates to new jobs for area.

On Thursday August 21 in early morning (3 AM to 6 AM) there will be a rocket launch depending on weather.

Strategic Plan for County: Plan was adopted. There was a motion to adopt Cheasapeake Bay Act (CBA) county-wide for Accomack (currently it does not apply on seaside). One big issue is the cutting of woodlands near wetlands. This part of CBA would aid in protecting clam beds. NOTE that incorporated towns are not required to follow CBA. Comment was made that federal funds are needed to restore dunes on Assateague Island due to erosion.

With respect to beaches, a discussion followed where nude beaches can enhance beach business and revenues in coastal areas of the nation. Current county rules do not allow nudity on beaches.

Public Safety: The study for county public safety was reviewed recently. A motion was made for each volunteer fire department to list issues that were common with each in regards to their needs. Ron Wolff stated that more appreciation should be given to our volunteers and other means to support them should be sought.

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) agency was discussed. A training drill will be held county-wide on September 6. Ron Wolff encouraged citizens to become CERT certified. All BOS members are currently certified.

Question and Answers Highlights:
Concerns from the attendees included:
1)    Lawsuits against County: Concern was expressed about time (money) spent on handling tax levy lawsuit. Time (money) would have been better used in policing against crime.
2)    Planning Commission: They will work on getting CBA county-wide.
3)    State Fiscal Cuts: Cuts will translate to lost of some county staff. Ideas were discussed to offset state cuts.

The County Forum ended at 8:40 PM with the attendees applauding Ron Wolff and other county staff for their time and discussions.

Notes by Tim Getek

N.B. These notes do not constitute the public record of this meeting. The information contained herein is offered in good faith, is presented as accurately as possible, is thought to be a complete account of the proceedings. These notes are intended to be a public service devoid of political commentary for those who are interested in following the civic affairs of Chincoteague Island. Notes of the meeting are recorded, transcribed and distributed by volunteers who receive no financial compensation for their efforts.

August 19, 2008 in Elected Officials - Public Comments | Permalink

June 16, 2008 Ron Wolff’s County Forum Meeting

The June 16, 2008 Ron Wolff’s County Forum meeting was held in Atlantic, VA at Wolff’s Sandwich Shoppe. No agenda was available for County Forum; however, it was announced that State Senator Ralph Northam would attend. There is no audio for this meeting.

Attendance

Present: Ron Wolff, Chairman, Accomack County Board of Supervisors; Ralph Northam, State Senator who represents Accomack County. County Forum was attended by approximately 20 citizens. Ralph Northam can be contacted at 757-818-5172

The County Forum meeting began at 7:10 p.m.

Public Comments: Ron Wolff

Ron Wolff welcomed all the attendees. He discussed some positive business ventures occurring in Accomack County. These ventures included the recent awarding to Wallops by Orbital Sciences to begin unmanned launches to the International Space Station starting in 2010.

The Accomack County Board of Supervisors (BOS) authorized the Public Service Authority (PSA). This PSA will create a wastewater treatment facility for the areas of Olney, Accomac, Onancock, and at later date include Parksley. The plan is to utilize the current Onancock wastewater treatment facility which has been authorized to increase its capacity from 500K gallons to 750K gallons. In order to assimilate all the towns appropriately, a wastewater upgrade will be required which will cost between $15M to $17M overall. People who have background in running and managing wastewater treatment plants should send resumes to Ron Wolff if interested in a position in the PSA. The goal is to stop all discharge into Onancock Creek by 2020.

State grant has been authorized in the amount of $2.5M to upgrade and repair the Tangier airport and road system on the island.

From previous May County Forum, a group of Chincoteague citizens brought a lawsuit against the new tax levy (tax rate) for property assessments. A hearing has been set for June 24 in the Circuit Court of Judge Tyler.

The recent sewer outfall permit hearing for Swan Gut in the Captain’s Cove area was held on June 12. From speaking to people who attended the hearing, Ron Wolff suggested that the Supreme Court of Virginia may not make a ruling, and instead send the decision making process back to the Water Control Board. This is speculation at the time.

Public Comments: Ralph Northam

State Senator Northam began speaking at 7:30 PM. This is his first year as state senator.

He discussed two legislative issues that were recently defeated in Richmond. 1) The Homestead Exemption which allowed a 20% tax reduction for homeowners and farmers. This exemption required a state constitutional amendment and due to the state funding issues and concerns from businesses who felt they may be taxed at a greater rate, this amendment was not accepted. 2) The smoking ban in restaurants was also defeated.

For members of the armed forces, an electronic filing for voting will be tested. The process of paper absentee voting is long and labor intensive to the extent the service person may not have enough time to vote within the time span required.

State Senator Northam also discussed the following:

Education: Action is needed to enhance education in Virginia which includes 1) access to quality health care and 2) access to quality education.

Environmental Concerns: Wastewater treatment and run-off from farming chemicals were always considered as two major water polluting factors. But another significant concern when it comes to the amount of nitrogen in the water is the fertilizers used by homeowners in their lawns.

Transportation: Good roads in the Eastern Shore and Hampton Roads areas are important for 1) the Maritime economy which represents 9% of all Virginia’s businesses, 2) safety and for the need to evacuate the areas, and 3) just overall quality of life. Any new road construction in Virginia will be considered as possible toll roads.

State Funding Shortfall: Means to increase the budget include 1) Fuel tax which is considered to be a regressive tax, 2) increased sales tax, 3) grantor’s tax which occurs when you sell your house, and 4) increasing sales tax on cars.

Bond Package for Higher Education: This includes VIMS new lab at $4.5M, the fish market COOP in Melfa, and a spaceport grant.

Question and Answers Highlights:

Concerns from the attendees included:

1) Energy: The need to consider oil and gas drilling offshore, as well as the potential for nuclear power were discussed. The Wallops facility will be putting in one or maybe two windmills to generate electricity that will take care of 60% to 70% of their electrical power needs.

2) Education: The overall quality of local schools was discussed. The thoughts generated indicated a general overhaul may be needed to best teach the varying abilities in the school system. Lumping students together of varying abilities may not be the best way to go. Also a concern was voiced that vocational teaching in schools should be increased and not decreased.

3) Environment: Dumping of outside waste into the Eastern Shore was a concern for one attendee. A better monitoring of chemicals going into the local water and air was thought to be needed.

The County Forum ended at 8:40 PM with the attendees applauding Ralph Northam and Ron Wolff for their time and discussions.

Notes by Tim Getek

N.B. These notes do not constitute the public record of this meeting. The information contained herein is offered in good faith, is presented as accurately as possible, is thought to be a complete account of the proceedings. These notes are intended to be a public service devoid of political commentary for those who are interested in following the civic affairs of Chincoteague Island. Notes of the meeting are recorded, transcribed and distributed by volunteers who receive no financial compensation for their efforts.

June 18, 2008 in Elected Officials - Public Comments | Permalink

June 4, 2008 Senator Northam and Delegate Lewis Town Meeting

Virginia State Senator Ralph Northam and Virginia State Delegate Lynwood Lewis held a Town meeting at the Chincoteague Community Center on Wednesday, June 4, from 7 – 8.30 pm.

Senator Northam gave an up-to-date account of his work in the Senate including legislation restricting smoking in restaurants and his further concerns that smoking is seriously affecting the health of so many people and causing high medical costs. He is very concerned about the condition of the building and services of Shore Memorial Hospital in Nassawadox and the expense of providing emergency services there for people who cannot get local health service due to the low reimbursement of Medicaid to doctors.

He mentioned the need for higher salaries for teachers in our schools on the Peninsula as teachers on modest salaries are attracted away over the Maryland line by higher ones. He stressed his strong conviction that the future employment of our young people depends heavily on their educational opportunities and the need for better pre-school services as well as continual improvement of the K-12 programs. He is supporting legislation connected with these issues.

Senator Northam spoke about the difficult balance of providing transportation funds for maintenance of all State roads and his hope that there will be some interest in providing light rail alternatives to vehicle transportation in areas such as the Norfolk-Hampton roads area, to enable commuters to avoid paying high gas prices. Proposals for adding a new Hampton Roads Tunnel and for adding rail links through other tunnels are caught up in budget issues.

Among other topics, he talked about farm fertilizer run-off into Bay waters from farms around the shores of the Bay, the possibility of developing wind turbines for alternative energy in some areas of the Bay or of the Shore, and discussions with VDOT about the costs for installing the Broadband cable over the Bay Bridge-Tunnel and up the Peninsula, current negotiations for increased research and commercial developments at the Wallops NASA base and his disappointment that the Homestead Act did not survive its second-year hearing through the House of Delegates.

Del. Lewis spoke about his pleasure that the Peninsula Farmers’ Market is finally a reality after 10 years of planning, and, in endorsing all that Senator Northam had said emphasized that Virginia’s balanced budget, while highly respected across the nation, is causing much difficulty in providing services that rural areas need.

In response to questions Senator Northam and Del. Lewis talked about possible increase in State revenue by adding 1 cent to the gasoline tax, tobacco tax and a proposal to increase sales taxes in the Norfolk and Northern Va. areas, the fact that Rt. 13 has the reputation of being one of the most dangerous sections of road in the State and the prospect that the Peninsula needs to and has the potential to attract more higher-tech, higher salary businesses.

Notes by Barbara Thackray

June 05, 2008 in Elected Officials - Public Comments | Permalink

May 19, 2008 Ron Wolff’s County Forum Meeting

The May 19, 2008 Ron Wolff’s County Forum meeting was held in Atlantic, VA at Wolff’s Sandwich Shoppe. No agenda was available for County Forum; however, it was announced that Delegate Lynwood Lewis would attend. There is no audio for this meeting.

Attendance

Present: Ron Wolff, Chairman, Accomack County Board of Supervisors; Lynwood Lewis, Delegate of Virginia’s 100th District which includes Acommack and Northhampton counties.

County Forum was attended by approximately 30 citizens.

The County Forum meeting began at 7:00 p.m.

Public Comments: Ron Wolff
Ron Wolff welcomed all the attendees. He discussed the current budget situation in Accomack county and the state. All counties were required by the state to cut costs by 5% across the board. Unlike some years, there were no targeted cuts. Each county was allowed to reduce the budget by whatever means they saw fit.

Education Budget: With respect to the education, a cut of $1.2M was needed to meet the 5% reduction by the state. This budget cut for education occurred after a request was made to increase the education budget for Accomack county by $5M. After much belt tightening, the county was able to generate $1.3M which covered the shortfall by the state plus $100K for increasing the education budget.

Reassessments: By now most county citizens received their reassessments; reassessments approximately doubled for most. However, in the majority of cases, most property taxes were actually reduced due to the approximate 50% reduction in the tax rate for each district. Appeals through the Board of Equalization are still available for those who want to contest their reassessment. Issue arose whereby a group of citizens may be planning to contest the increased levy (tax rate) and bring a lawsuit against the county. From discussions between Ron Wolff and Mark Taylor, the county lawyer, this lawsuit may be allowable under state law based on the number of citizens’ signatures contesting the levy increase.

The cost to the county for doing the reassessments was $900K. A review of how the reassessment was conducted by outside contract may be undertaken since several county employees have an assessor’s license. In the future, such assessments may be performed by county employees as a cost saver.

Public Service Authority (PSA): Due to the increase demand for handling wastewater and groundwater, several PSAs may be developed in Accomack county. These PSAs are needed to better plan for the growth of the county and to contend with growing needs of the area.

Some current infrastructure improvements were discussed including the new Chincoteague bridge which was being built at a cost of $70M. The need to improve the safety of Route 13 was discussed along with maintaining parallel roads that could ease the traffic on Route 13 during heavy use. In general, there are no county roads in Accomack county. All roads are maintained by Virginia’s Department of Transportation (VDOT).

Wallops Research Park: Several developments were discussed at the research park. 1) A marine consortium which includes a group from Pennsylvania is budgeting $15M for studies at the research park. 2) An avionics corporation (BaysSys) is planning to start a group at the research park that would retrofit large jet airliners with new interiors targeted for corporate leaders and upscale clients. 3) Virginia is in competition with Florida to launch the next generation of unmanned rockets that would resupply the international space station. If Virginia is successful, this would enhance the overall work force at the Wallops Research Park.

There is a plan to increase the computer broadband capacity of the area, and this in turn would lead to increasing the potential for the research park.

Public Comments: Lynwood Lewis
State Budget: Delegate Lewis discussed the overall budget of the state of Virginia. The total budget is $77B; state law requires the budget to be balanced, therefore, due to decreased revenues a 5% reduction statewide was needed this fiscal year. The major debits for the state are 1) Medicaid and 2) education. One area this past year where the budget was enhanced was the area of mental health assistance, and changes in regulations for gaining assistance for mentally ill persons. This was completed in major part due to the tragedy at Virginia Tech.

Transportation was, and is, a major concern in Virginia. The transportation budget has a separate trust and contributions in part come from gasoline taxes. Local county improvements are needed, but a bigger ticket item for the state includes a $4B bridge enhancement for the Hampton Roads area. With the increase in gasoline prices and more efficient cars, incoming gasoline tax revenues are being reduced which is crimping the road maintenance and new roads budget. For every 1-cent increase in gasoline tax, the state generates another $50M to $60M in revenues. Mechanisms being considered to reduce the transportation budget burden to the state are to have land developers in specific counties contribute to the planning of new roads. Just as an example of common highway costs, a single traffic light costs $250K.

As discussed above, Virginia is in competition with other states for space business, and there is a need to improve the launch capabilities of NASA and Wallops area. Various state bonds have been developed that would give incentives for the new space orbiter to come to the area.

County Forum Discussion with Citizens
Numerous concerns were discussed and some highlights are:

1)    Recent fishing restrictions have resulted in reduced intake of species for the recreation fisherman and the commercial fisherman. Some compensation to commercial fisherman for restricted months of fishing may be considered by the state as related by Delegate Lewis. Overall the decision to restrict fishing is left to scientific staff, and in most cases it is attempted to keep political interference at a minimum. One comment is that due to increase in rockfish, crab population may be diminished and a longer rockfish season may help the crab population rebound.

2)    Offshore drilling for natural gas and oil was discussed. In general, there is a necessary balance between economics and environmental concerns that must be thought through clearly. Delegate Lewis stated that at a minimal, an experimental discovery program should be developed to determine the quantity of gas or oil offshore of Virginia. Offshore platforms, if manned, could also have an impact on the Navy’s and NASA abilities to conduct their business and training in the region. If the cost benefits outweigh the costs, it would take at least 20 years for completion.

3)    Ways to improve the efficiency of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) were considered. Costs could be reduced by an evaluation of VDOT equipment and determining if it is better for the state to own the equipment or have a third party involved. A relative simple idea of planting wild flowers along the roads could reduce the cost and need for mowing.

4)    Probably the most difficult moment of the County Forum was when Delegate Lewis asked the attendees how they would like to pay for their state services. Due to decrease revenues, additional monies may be needed. After going through the critical belt tightening, a hand vote of the attendees indicated that the fairest means to enhance state revenues would be through an increase of sales tax. It should be stated that currently 50% of the state coffers are filled by taxes on individuals. Another approximately 25% of the revenues are obtained by state fees and licenses.

The County Forum ended at 9:10 PM.

Notes by Tim Getek

N.B. These notes do not constitute the public record of this meeting. The information contained herein is offered in good faith, is presented as accurately as possible, is thought to be a complete account of the proceedings. These notes are intended to be a public service devoid of political commentary for those who are interested in following the civic affairs of Chincoteague Island. Notes of the meeting are recorded, transcribed and distributed by volunteers who receive no financial compensation for their efforts.

May 27, 2008 in Elected Officials - Public Comments | Permalink

April 21, 2008 Meeting with Mayor John Tarr and Supervisor Wanda Thornton

April 21, 2008 Meeting with Mayor John Tarr and Supervisor Wanda Thornton

On April 21, 2008, at 7:00 p.m. Mayor John Tarr and Supervisor Wanda Thornton conducted the second in a series of public meetings to discuss current town and county issues of interest to the public and to hear concerns of area citizens. Mr. Robert Ritter, Town Manager, was also present at the meeting. About 60 citizens were present, including a number of town council members.

Mayor Tarr presented current town work items:

• Public Works. April 19-27 is designated as “clean up week”. Special trash pick ups can be arranged though the town office. Church Street is two weeks away from initial base paving. Final street paving should be completed before Memorial Day.

• Zoning. Effective May 1 new state-wide zoning code rules become effective. However, these rules will not be enforced by the town until town officials and contractors receive the state-offered training.

• Roads. Privately owned roads at the Ocean Breeze and Bunker Hill communities have deteriorated to the point that the town is planning enforcement action against the property owners based on life safety issues. The town will send letters to the road owner (Eddie Tull) next week in the hope that they will repair the damaged, worn roads.

Additionally, the Ocean Breeze community mail boxes are so poorly maintained that the Post Office will no longer deliver mail to area residents. All residents must collect their mail directly from the Post Office until the mail boxes are repaired. The Post Office has contacted the Ocean Breeze owner and advised him that delivery will cease until the mail boxes are repaired so as to not be a safety hazard to the mail carrier. Residents asked if they could erect their own mailboxes. Supervisor Thornton agreed to see if this is possible.

Many concerned Ocean Breeze residents were present. They were advised to create a community association to maintain their properties, and to explore the option of hiring an attorney to address the roads and mail box issues. They were also counseled to contact the State of Virginia Homeowners Association for possible assistance. When residents asked if the town could intervene and repair the roads, Supervisor Thornton emphasized that the town cannot spend town money on private property.

Mayor Tarr commented that his staff would work on this issue of road and mail box safety immediately. There are currently 26 miles of privately-owned roads on Chincoteague. Unsuccessful attempts had been made in the past to get Mr. Tull to take action.

• Comprehensive Plan. The current draft is being revised.

• FY 2009 Budget. The new tax rate proposal prepared by staff is .06/100 dollars.

• Chincoteague 100 Year Celebration. There will be an 11:00 a.m. Memorial Day Parade followed by a celebration in the downtown park.

• Curtis Merritt Harbor. The town has applied for a $186,000 grant to construct bulkheads to the inlet. The town will supply $47,000 in matching funds.

• Trolleys. The town trolleys will begin running on Memorial Day weekend.

• Town Stickers. A town resident inquired about the $27.00 fee for the sticker. The mayor stated that the fee had not increased this year and that if the town does not collect the fee the county likely will; county collections will be placed in the “general fund” and likely not be totally available to the town.

• Trash Removal. The FY 2009 cost for trash removal on Chincoteague is $350,000. The contract states that the contractor cannot assess the town an additional fuel charge when diesel costs rise.

Supervisor Thornton presented the following county issues:

• Property Taxes. The current tax rate for Chincoteague is .30/100 dollars. There is a general belief that the recently-completed Chincoteague assessments are too high. Supervisor Thornton stated that while assessments on the mainland are going down, assessments in Chincoteague are rising. Assessments of land are more the problem than assessments of houses. Property on Chincoteague is assessed at over a billion dollars.

The town conducted a workshop to assist about 25 residents to appeal their assessments to the county Board of Equalization. The town will conduct additional workshops in the future to assist local residents in the appeal process. Supervisor Thornton made the point that all appeals must consider the assessment of comparable lots, along with whether a given lot “perks”. It will also be very helpful for the appellant to be present when the Board of Equalization considers the appeal. The town office has copies of the required paperwork.

Tax bills will be mailed in May and due in June.

• Fire and EMS Study. On May 1 at 5:00 p.m. the Board of Supervisors will consider whether the Chincoteague EMS functions will be taken over by the county. If this happens the Chincoteague EMTs may be relocated on Route 13. In the case they are not relocated, town taxes would support the entire county system, and the accompanying bureaucracy required to sustain the function. The three Chincoteague EMTs are currently employees of the town. Residents were encouraged to attend this meeting and present their views.

Presently the town EMS does not respond to 911 calls made from cell phones. This problem will be corrected in about 60 days, at which time the town EMS will respond to emergency calls made from cell phones.

• Broadband. The town is working with the state government to have a fiber optic cable spur off Route 13 to the town. Verizon has supplied the conduit to help the cable span the causeway and bridge into town.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:50.

Notes by Nancy Lane

N.B. These notes do not constitute the public record of this meeting. The information contained herein is offered in good faith and is presented as accurately as possible. These notes are intended to be a public service devoid of political commentary for those who are interested in following the civic affairs of Chincoteague Island. Notes of the meeting are recorded, transcribed and distributed by volunteers who receive no financial compensation for their efforts.

April 23, 2008 in Elected Officials - Public Comments | Permalink

January 14, 2008 Mayor and Supervisor Briefing

Chincoteague Mayor Jack Tarr and Accomack County, District 1, Supervisor Wanda Thornton held their first, joint, quarterly meeting with citizens to discuss issues facing the Town and the County. The Mayor and Supervisor briefed citizens, answered questions and received input from residents and business owners who attended the meeting.

The briefing was held at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers on Monday, January 14, 2008.

Approximately thirty people attended the briefing.

These notes provide highlights of the meeting. The text that follows is not an exact transcription of what elected officials or citizens said during the meeting. No audio recording of the briefing was made.

Supervisor Thornton
Reassessment Activity: The equalization process has begun. Appeals of assessments are ongoing and the results are varied. There are many complaints about the difficulty of reaching the assessment office. Hearings are often scheduled six to eight weeks after initial contact is made. More than 3,000 appeals of the reassessment have been filed. There are some valid reasons for appeals.

The appraisals of property in Accomack County did not take into account the U.S. Geological Survey Soils Maps. This map identifies soil types and used in determining whether or not a parcel may be eligible for consideration for a septic permit.

The County property tax rate will be set by September 1, 2008.

County Comprehensive Land Use Plan: More than 90% of Accomack County land is designated as agricultural. If property with an agricultural designation is not developed, it is taxed at a lower rate.

Increases in conservation easements mandate increased taxes on other land owners.

Chincoteague citizens need to write letters to the Board of Supervisors or attend the meetings to oppose higher property taxes on Chincoteague.

The property tax rate is still under discussion by the Board of Supervisors.

Question: How many more people are required for a town to be incorporated?
Response: 5,000. But counties do no want this to happen because it would diver tax revenue from the county to the incorporated town.

Question: Farms get tax breaks?
Response: There is a federal tax break for farm equipment. There is no tax break for watermen and fishing businesses. Farmers in Accomack County are vocal. Many fishermen are not.

Question: Should Chincoteague citizens group into a delegation to attend the Board of Supervisors meetings?
Response: This action is recommended. Northern Accomack County is doing this and the effort has been effective. Their approach has not been in line with Chincoteague Island issues. This is especially true regarding the County Planning Commission. The Board of Supervisors meets at Metompkin Elementary School in Parksley on the third Wednesday of each month. Meetings will begin at 5:00 PM and will go until 6:00 PM for any scheduled Closed Meeting, followed by a dinner break from 6:00 PM until 7:00 PM, and Public Session will begin at 7:00 PM. Public Hearings begin at 7:30. The meetings should be available live on the Internet this year. Any public input during the meetings goes on record and makes a difference.

The community needs a citizens group to be vocal and to get value for tax money we paid for our own green boxes. We are going to get our own oil disposal here. Others have it through the county. Chincoteague Island is not getting the same level of service as other districts.

Proportionately Chincoteague Island and District 2 (includes Captain’s Cove and NASA) have the largest assessed real estate value and land mass. We pay $350,000 in occupancy taxes. No other district pays any occupancy tax. Chincoteague Island has over $1 billion in assessed property at this time. Accomack County land is classified as: 58% residential, 1% industrial, 36.8% crop land and 42% woodland. This is a poor basis for growth and development.

Groundwater: Agriculture uses the largest amount of groundwater in the county. For example, one farm uses 10 billion gallons of groundwater per year. This use is equivalent to the water use of 1,150 homes.

Purdue and Tysons are the largest industrial users of groundwater. They employ 3,000 people. The county cannot sustain another large user of groundwater.

The Town of Chincoteague uses 189 million gallons of water per year.

One nursery in the county uses 150 million gallons of water per year.

Aquaculture: An aquaculture committee has been appointed. Town Manager, Robert Ritter is on this new committee.

Question: Is it possible to make the causeway a no passing zone with a speed limit of 45 mph?
Response: The Virginia Department of Transportation says that the road does not meet the criteria to do this. There have been recent meetings with Fish and Wildlife regarding causeway safety.

Question: Pickup for hazardous materials needs more frequent and convenient pickup schedules.
Response: The next meeting of the Groundwater Committee is January 15. I will bring this matter up.

Mayor Tarr
Question: What about maintenance on unpaved roads? Mason Drive is poorly maintained. Piney Island has private roads but the roads are not owned by the homeowners.
Response: The road is owned by the heirs to the property and is private.

Question: Are the heirs paying taxes on that property? Can that money be used for road maintenance?
Response – Mayor Tarr: The Town cannot use tax revenue to maintain private roads. A civil suit by owners of the property and the owner of the road may be possible.
Response – Supervisor Thornton: Virginia State law prohibits the use of taxpayers’ money on private property.
Response – Mayor Tarr: Chincoteague has approximately 26 miles of private roads. These roads are not constructed to State standards.

Question: What about work along Eastside Drive?
Response: Church Street is being done first because the water line there is the oldest. Pension Street will be done next year. The Town is working with the State on the marshland along East Side Drive. This needs a wider study.

Reassessment: The Town sent a letter to the Board of Supervisors objecting to the method of assessment. Copies of the letter are available at the Town offices. Captain’s Cove got an across-the-board reduction in their reassessment to reflect “fair market” assessment for the current decline in the real estate market.

Sewer Feasibility Study: Work is ongoing on the study. The consultant is preparing a “white paper” to send to the regulatory agencies to explore discharge permits. The Town Council is gathering information on local problems and options to get a permit and maintain sewers.
Response – Supervisor Thornton: Before any septic system installation or repair, lots must be surveyed. I will work to get this changed.

Chincoteague Comprehensive Land Use Plan: State law requires the Town to re-write its Comprehensive Land Use Plan every five years. The consultant is working on the next draft that will incorporate input from the stakeholders meetings held last fall. The new draft should be available in two or three months. The plan will be better if residents come to the planning meetings as Council deals with the next draft and public discussion phase.

Sign Ordinance Draft: The Chincoteague Planning Commission has sent to Town Council a proposed new sign ordinance. After the January 17 Town Council meeting the draft ordinance will go to public hearing. The draft includes many changes from the current ordinance.

Parking Regulations: During the January 17 meeting of Town Council there will be a presentation on parking. The reason for the presentation is the large asphalt parking lot installed to support Sunset Bay Condominiums on South Main Street. The intention is that the Town Council will discuss the issue during its February meetings and take a proposed ordinance to public hearing soon thereafter.

Question: Can another large expanse of asphalt parking lot be prevented when Landmark shopping center is developed?
Response: Landscaping will be requested. Most streetscapes need saving or creating.

Police Department: A grant of $150,000 for a new 911 system has been received. This new addition to the system allows for call-in by cell phone and gives the 911 operator the ability to pinpoint the location from where the call was made. This grant makes it possible for the Town to coordinate its 911 system with Accomack County. Now the Town and County will have 911 mapping systems.

Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and Alternative Transportation: Last week a two-and-a-half day session brought together federal, state, county and town representatives to discuss alternative transportation for the refuge. This effort is focused on bike trails. In addition, the Park Service is also doing a new management plan and the Refuge is working on planning for evacuation of the beach in case of emergency.

100th Anniversary of the Town: Celebration for the 100th Anniversary of the Incorporation of Chincoteague will be held at 5 p.m. on March 13 in the Community Center.

Event Planning on the Island: The various organizations that plan events on Chincoteague will meet on February 28 to coordinate the scheduling of events.

Question: After the new bridge opens will parking be allowed on Maddox and with the road be wider?
Response: Parking will be allowed on Maddox after the new bridge opens but the road will not be widened. A traffic signal will be installed at Maddox and Main. VDOT’s work stops at the west side of Main Street. Supervisor Thornton has been to the State Transportation Committee regarding causeway safety. This needs more support from Chincoteague residents. More speed limits signs have been posted. The Town has asked for more lighting, shoulders and more speed limits along the causeway and new bridge. Nothing has been decided yet. Supervisor Thornton noted that Route 13 is, per mile, the most deadly road in Virginia.

Councilwoman Nancy Conklin noted that the Chincoteague Island Library will break ground on its new building on the same day as the 100th Anniversary Celebration of the incorporation of the Town.

Question: Could the Town Trolleys be used to transport the elderly to the polls on election day and for church services?
Response: The trolleys are funded by federal money. That limits the use of the vehicles. Trolleys can be used for special events, like the seafood festival but only on a standard route. The trolley system is not a taxi service. This year the trolleys cost the Town $3,000. The remainder of the operating cost was funded by grant money and fare box revenues.
Response – Supervisor Thornton: When Wal-Mart opens, Star Transit will run there. There are several other routes available now on an experimental basis. These routes are subsidized by the State.

Response – Mayor Tarr: Spaceport Authority has a small bus used only for space events. It could be used for other purposes, but comes with federal strings attached.

Question: Is there a possibilit4y of repeal of the occupancy tax?
Response: Last year the Town paid $350,000 in occupancy taxes. Fish and Wildlife paid $125,000 in taxes to the County. At the county level there are discussions about tourism – ecotourism vs. family tourism.

Question: What about event gates on the guts?
Response – Supervisor Thornton: We are waiting for a report on a study of these gates. Previously event gates were allowed to protect Misty Meadows and marshes in the center of the Island from flooding by brackish water driven in by nor’easters. The Corps of Engineers required the removal of these event gates. We have tried to get support fro FEMA through their flood mitigation program.
Response – Mayor Tarr: A study of the whole Island would have to be paid for the Town.

Question: Could we approach FEMA for help?
Response: Federal agencies do not work together. This is a case of FEMA vs. the Corps of Engineers. Perhaps we can go through Senator Webb and Representative Drake. We’ll ask FEMA to come back and take a look.
Response – Supervisor Thornton: Elsewhere FEMA is working to prevent floods. We need that help here.

Question: Do residents of Navy Housing send their children to Chincoteague Schools?
Response – Supervisor Thornton: Many families want their children to attend Chincoteague schools. Where these students go is a school board decision. Also, these Navy families cannot afford housing on Chincoteague. Our school population is in decline. Private school enrollments are increasing and so is the older population. And there is no affordable housing for teachers. We need an organized group to lobby the School Board.

Jobs: We are working on Broadband for Chincoteague. This is a long term project.
Response – Supervisor Thornton: Broadband provides the type of job opportunities that are essential.
Response – Mayor Tarr: The County is working on bringing in new businesses.
We need to be able to give incentives to compete in attracting new businesses. We need a strong legislator in Richmond to work for us.

Quarter Newsletter: Mayor Tarr is requesting that a Quarterly Newsletter with supervisor input and Council Issues be developed for Chincoteague.

Notes by Barbara Thackray

N.B. These notes do not constitute the public record of this meeting. The information contained herein is offered in good faith, is presented as accurately as possible, is thought to be a complete account of the proceedings. These notes are intended to be a public service devoid of political commentary for those who are interested in following the civic affairs of Chincoteague Island. Notes of the meeting are recorded, transcribed and distributed by volunteers who receive no financial compensation for their efforts.

January 17, 2008 in Elected Officials - Public Comments | Permalink

December 11, 2007 Briefing by Delegate Lynwood Lewis

Delegate Lynwood W. Lewis Jr. held a Town Hall Meeting in the Chincoteague Civic Center on December 11, 2007 at 7 p.m. Approximately twenty-five citizens attended the meeting.

Delegate Lewis’ purpose in holding the meeting was to brief the community on issues likely to arise during the sixty-day, 2008 session of the General Assembly and to listen to the concerns of the community. He anticipated that more than 3,000 bills will be introduced during the 2008 session.

The Town Hall Meeting began with Delegate Lewis’ summary of the significant issues that face the legislature. The centerpiece of the 2008 session is the State’s two-year budget. This budget-year session will last sixty days. A regular session of the General Assembly lasts forty-five days.
He focused on these points about the upcoming session.

Budget Short Fall
The legislature must address a $640 million short fall in the budget. Two major factors contribute to the short fall. First, the housing downturn has produced less tax revenue than estimated. Delegate Lewis noted that real estate sales are down on average by about 19% statewide and are down as much as 60% in some counties. Second, the expense of tax refunds was under-estimated.

The Governor wants to access the State’s “Rainy Day Fund” in the amount of $300 million to ease the effects of the necessary cost cutting. The Rainy Day Fund currently totals $1.12 billion and is a large as is permitted by the authorizing legislation. The economic triggers that allow access to money in the Rainy Day Fund have all been met. The Governor is empowered to propose use of the Rainy Day Fund. The legislature is empowered to authorize use of the funds.

Delegate Lewis said that he remained skeptical that the current budget short fall was sufficiently large to warrant use of Rainy Day funds. However, he noted, the resolution of the $640 million short fall will likely require significant personnel cuts. The depth and nature of those cuts may force him to change his position on applying Rainy Day funds as a partial solution for the current budget short fall.

Broadband Project
Work on the Broadband Project is anticipated to begin in January, 2008, pending weather. The project will begin at Wallops Island and go south to Cape Charles. The second step in completing the project is to get funding to cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridget Tunnel and tie into the Norfolk region.

Shell Fish Enhancement Zones
The twenty-member technical advisory board for this effort should be in place by the end of the week. All of the community members of this board will be from the Eastern Shore. The process of reviewing the proposal for Shell Fish Enhancement Zones will be long and consultative. Delegate Lewis cautioned patience as the ideas of the Shell Fish Enhancement Zones are considered.

Board Consolidation
The legislature will again consider merging three of the citizen advisory boards within the Department of Environmental Quality. This proposal was supported by the Governor during the last session. The goal is to create a single board that deals with air, water and solid waste. This board would have the regulatory power to create regulations. The Director of the Department of Environmental Quality would have the power to grant or deny permits. This division of effort centers citizen input on the creation of policy and professional input on the execution of those policies.

Immigration
Delegate Lewis anticipates several bills dealing with immigration will be introduced. He asserts this is because many legislators were elected on pledges to do something about immigration.

Competitive Teacher Salaries
Delegate Lewis said that teacher salaries in Accomack County were both low in the State and extremely low compared to those offered by adjacent Maryland counties. He noted that Northern Virginia has received funds to supplement teaching salaries in order that the school systems there can compete with the salaries offered by Maryland. He will submit a bill to extend that same competitive support to Accomack county teacher salaries.

Public Comments and Questions

A number of citizen asked questions of Delegate Lewis. These questions and answers are a sample of that exchange.

Q: What more can the State do to help care for the mental ill?
A: The State currently provides 72 hours for evaluation of a person who is mentally ill. If the shootings at Virginia Tech did nothing else, they made clear that the system of dealing with the mental ill in Virginia is inadequate. The General Assembly will examine this problem during the 2008 session.

Q: What can be done to head off the reduction of state support for public schools that will come because of the reassessment of real estate values?
A: The State formula for determining how much money will be provided to county school systems is based in part on the assessed value of real estate in a county. As the assessed value of real estate rises in a county, the amount of State funds allocated to support public education goes down. Delegate Lewis said that he will introduce a bill to hold harmless Northampton County from the effects of the large increase in real estate values. Accomack County will not be affected by the current reappraisal for another two years.

Q: What is the status of the proposed exploration for off-shore oil?
A: The Governor will support exploration for natural gas no closer than fifty miles from shore. The Navy and the Mid Atlantic Spaceport have both expressed concerns about the proposal.

Q: How safe are the reserve funds of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (CBBT)?
A: There is no current proposal to divert these funds. The entire topic of transportation will have a low profile in the General Assembly. However, the CBBT funds will always be an attractive target and will need to be defended.

Q: What is the status of the Captain’s Cove Sewage Case?
A: The Attorney General will appeal Judge Tyler’s running to the Virginia Supreme Court. Currently a stay order has been issued by Judge Tyler. This means the developer may not proceed with the project. The Supreme Court may decide not to hear the case. If that happens, Judge Tyler’s ruling that threw out the State Water Control Board’s decision to deny a permit to Captain’s Cover will conclude the matter. The process is likely to take a long time. Delegate Lewis was of the opinion that the Virginia Supreme Court will hear the case.

Q: Can the State increase the funding for marketing tourism?
A: Although the State has many attractions for tourists, it spends only $3 million on marketing tourism in the State. This amount is less than what thirty other states spend to market themselves to tourists.

There being no other questions, the meeting ended at 8:20 p.m.

Notes by Bill Troxler

N.B. These notes do not constitute the public record of this meeting. The information contained herein is offered in good faith, is presented as accurately as possible, is thought to be a complete account of the proceedings. These notes are intended to be a public service devoid of political commentary for those who are interested in following the civic affairs of Chincoteague Island. Notes of the meeting are recorded, transcribed and distributed by volunteers who receive no financial compensation for their efforts.

December 11, 2007 in Elected Officials - Public Comments | Permalink

October 16, 2006 Briefing by the Honorable Ron S. Wolff

Supervisor Ron S. Wolff held his month constituent briefing at the NASA Visitors Center. The main topic of the evening was the forthcoming launch of a Minotaur Rocket from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility. Details of this briefing can be found on Chincoteague Reports at this link:

NASA Briefing on December 11 Rocket Launch

Prior to the NASA briefing, Mr. Wolff provided information on three items of Accomack County business.

1. New Work Program in Criminal Justice System
Accomack County will join some western counties of Virginia in a pilot program that permits judges to assign probationers to work picking up trash along public highways. The program has been very successful in the western part of the state. Some jurisdictions have cleared as much as 800 tons of trash per year from public roads. A correctional officer will oversee the work done by those assigned to the program. The program will begin as soon as the correctional officer completes a brief training program.

2. Wal-Mart
The Accomack County Planning Commission has voted to take the Wal-Mart application to public hearing on November 11. The Board of Supervisors will discuss the application during its October 18 meeting. Because Wal-Mart seeks a conditional use permit, the Board of Supervisors will make the final decision on the application.

3. Survey and Evaluation of Public Safety Services
The Board of Supervisors has approved a study of the quality of public safety services in the County. The survey will include interviews with every emergency medical technical and firefighter in the County. The purpose of the study is to create a plan to update public safety services. The work is expected to take about six months to complete.

Mr. Wolff completed his remarks and turned the podium over the Dr. John H. Campbell, Director of the NASA Wallops Flight Facility to deliver the briefing on the Minotaur Rocket launch scheduled for December 11. Details of Dr. Campbell's briefing can be found at the link shown above.

October 17, 2006 in Elected Officials - Public Comments | Permalink

October 3, 2006 Delegate Lynwood Lewis Speaks on Chincoteague

Delegate Lynwood Lewis held a constituents meeting on Chincoteague Island at 7 p.m. October 3, 2006 in the Chincoteague Elementary School.

Attendance
Approximately forty citizens attended the meeting. Among these were many elected and appointed officials of the Town of Chincoteague. Mayor Tarr and Council members Richardson and Wolffe were present. Chairman Rosenberger of the Planning Commission and Commission members Behr and Wolffe were present. Also attending the meeting was Accomack County Board of Supervisors member Ron Wolff representing the Second District.

Delegate Lewis began his presentation at approximately 7:10 p.m.

Recent Appointments
Delegate Lewis announced several appointments of Eastern Shore residents to statewide commissions. Nick Cauada of Onancock has been appointed to the Virginia Arts Council. Donna Mason of Chincoteague has been appointed to the Virginia Tourism Board. Three watermen from the Eastern Shore have been appointed to the Virginia Marine Commission.

Virginia Recognized For Quality of Its Government
Forbes Magazine has rated Virginia as the “number one” state in which to do business.
Governing Magazine has ranked Virginia as the best governed state in the nation.

Broadband to the Eastern Shore
Delegate Lewis reported that the General Assembly had allocated $1.4 million for preliminary engineering design of a broadband telecommunications system on the Eastern Shore that would link with a similar system in Maryland and connect to other systems across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. The system will follow Virginia Department of Transportation rights-of-way along Rt. 13. The major hub of the system will be located at NASA Wallops Island facilities. Delegate Lewis said that implementing this system was an essential component to the future development of the Wallops Island Business Park.

During the next session of the General Assembly an additional sum of roughly $1.4 million will be sought to complete the engineering study. Implementing the entire broadband system will cost approximately $13 million.

During the question and answer period many citizens raised questions about the system. Councilman Wolffe and Mayor Tarr spoke about the need for Chincoteague to connect to the Wallops Island hub of the proposed broadband system. Mayor Tarr said that he had a meeting scheduled on October 6 with NASA to address the connection question. Councilman Wolffe asked if there was any funding source that would help the Island pay for bringing broadband across the causeway from NASA. Mayor Tarr responded that he thought some funding might be available through ANPCD.

There was a general sense within the audience of the importance of bringing broadband communications technology to Chincoteague Island.

Energy
During the recent session of the General Assembly, lawmakers considered energy legislation and passed legislation dealing with offshore and alternative energy. However the Governor stripped out these items during the veto session. At this time Virginia has no updated legislation dealing with energy. Federal legislation now under consideration will apparently move before Virginia can revisit the matter.

Tax Relief
The Assembly passed legislation that eliminated inheritance taxes on all estates with assets of less than $10 million.
Also passed was legislation that provides income tax credits for people who purchase long-term-care insurance.

Transportation
Delegate Lewis said that the largest issue the General Assembly confronted was transportation. He expressed regret that the legislature was unable to reach a compromise on transportation issues and would not be able to revisit the outstanding issues until the General Assembly session in 2008. As a result of the legislature’s failure to address the transportation needs of the State, Virginia stands to lose $65 million in federal transportation funds.

Mr. Lewis spoke about Hampton Roads as a formidable economic generator for the region and entire State. Because the Port is growing, vehicular traffic is increasing. Without adding road capacity to the region, the Port will not continue to grow. That will reduce the economic potential of the region, including the Eastern Shore.

Mr. Lewis also commented that Virginia now spends more on maintenance of existing roads than it does on construction projects. Absent changes in funding, within the foreseeable future there will come a time when the entire transportation budget would be consumed by maintenance. Should that occur, Virginia would lose all federal transportation funds.

Rt. 13 has been identified as one of the most dangerous roads in Virginia. The price tag to bring the highway up to modern safety standards is around $200 million. Funding at that level is not realistic on any practical time scale. Delegate Lewis hopes that small projects will be funded to address the most hazardous areas along Rt. 13.

Delegate Lewis spoke at length about the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. He said that funding of the CBBT was protected this year. However, we should expect that efforts to capture the funding and apply it to the transportation needs of Hampton Roads will be renewed in the future. He provided a short history of the CBBT. The facility was conceived by people from the Eastern Shore. They planned it. They went to New York City to arrange for financing the project. Over the years the facility has been thoughtfully managed. It has created a large surplus of funds that are designated for the construction of two new traffic tubes that are needed both for public safety and to accommodate the growing volume of traffic. It is these funds that many in the General Assembly would like to use in solving the transportation problems of Hampton Roads. The funds will continue to accumulate as part of a plan to open the new tubes to traffic in 2019.

Small Business Development Fair
Delegate Lewis has arranged for a Small Business Development Fair in which State agencies will work directly with small business owners and those who seek to develop small businesses. Business men and women will be able to meet with experts from various State agencies to discuss matters such as taxes, regulations, licenses and other details of starting and developing businesses. The goal is to provide ideas and methods that the business community can use to work most effectively and be as successful as possible.

The fair will be held at Chincoteague Elementary School on Oct. 24. Representatives from State agencies will be available from 4-8 p.m. to answer questions. There is to be no formal presentation. The fair is designed to provide the business community with quick responses to their questions.

Questions from the Audience
Electrical Power Rates. A member of the audience asked about the 25% increase in rates for electrical power charged by Delmarva Power and Light. Mr. Lewis explained that the increase was not due to higher fuel costs. It was part of an agreement with the Virginia Corporation Council that held power rates low for a number of years and provided the power company with an opportunity to make a one time adjustment in its rates to cover rising costs.

The situation developed during the 1990s when many States, including Virginia, decided to de-regulate the electric power generation industry. Virginia accomplished the deregulation but did not permit the power companies to sell their generation plants. That has spared Virginia customers from much higher rate increases. Mr. Lewis expects the Assembly will revisit the deregulation legislation during a future session.

Event Gates. Councilwoman Richardson asked for assistance in getting permits for the Town to install flood gates, now identified as “event gates” by regulators. These gates would be installed at the mouths of creeks and guts and lower when water rose due to storms. Mayor Tarr explained that the permits were issued by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The permits were difficult and expensive to get. The Town would be required to complete a detailed hydrological study of the area. DEQ wants low lying areas to be flushed during storm events. They are not predisposed to issuing permits for event gates.

Beach Replenishment. Councilwoman Richardson asked for help in replenishing sand on Assateague Beach. Mr. Lewis advised that this was a federal matter and would have to be taken up with Congresswoman Drake.

Private vs. Public Roads. Councilman Wolffe asked for help in identifying the current State standard for establishing a public road. Dr. Wolffe said he believed the standard had been recently changed but he had been unable to locate the current text. The old standard required a minimum 30 foot wide paved roadway and 50 foot right-of-way. This scale was both impractical and unsafe in a small community like Chincoteague. Dr. Wolffe expressed the desire that all future road development on the Island could be brought into compliance with the standards to make them public roads if those standards were practical within an environment like Chincoteague’s.

Wallops Island Coast Guard Station. Planning Commission member Robert Behr advised Delegate Lewis that the Chincoteague Cultural Alliance had worked with community leaders in an attempt to move the abandoned Wallops Island Coast Guard Station onto Chincoteague. NASA wants to get rid of the building and had planned to burn the structure. However, the building is structurally sound. Mr. Behr asked if Delegate Lewis could help to identify funding sources. Mr. Lewis said that he would support the project but that it was a federal matter.

Catch Limits. Supervisor Ron Wolff raised the question of the plans by the Mid-Atlantic States Marine Fishery Commission to impose a catch limit of one or two flounders per fisherman and a minimum length standard of 18.5 inches. Mr. Wolff said that the flounder fishery on the Eastern Shore annually generates about $5.2 million in the economy. If the proposed standard is imposed that figure would drop to about $2 million. He asked what, if anything, Delegate Lewis could do to help prevent the imposition of the new standards. Mr. Lewis said that the matter was largely a federal one. Virginia is part of a regional compact on fisheries and it would be up to the State’s representatives to that body to make the case for more liberal catch and size limits.

The meeting concluded at approximately 8:45 p.m.

Notes by Bill Troxler

October 04, 2006 in Elected Officials - Public Comments | Permalink

August 14 Chairman Donald L. Hart Speaks at Supervisor Ron S. Wolff’s Monthly Meeting

Accomack County Supervisor Ron S. Wolff held his monthly constituent meeting at 7 p.m. on August 14 in Atlantic. The guest speaker was the Honorable Donald L. Hart, Chairman of the Accomack County Board of Supervisors. Approximately twenty citizens attended the meeting.

Mr. Wolff provided a summary of County activity during the past month. Many of his remarks addressed questions regarding the plans of Wal-Mart to open a store in Onley. The regulations that govern the proposed development are somewhat complex because part of the property lies within the incorporated town of Onley and part lies within the County. That part of the property within Onley can be developed by right under current zoning. That part of the property that lies within the County could be subject to a “conditioned use” permit.

The County Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission will hold public hearings on the Wal-Mart development application.

Mr. Wolff noted that this Wal-Mart would not be as large as the one in Pocomoke, Maryland.

Mr. Hart reviewed the agenda for the August 16 meeting of the Board of Supervisors. His remarks focused on four major points: Reassessment of real estate values in the county, annexations under consideration, ground water and the November referendum on the proposed meals tax.

Reassessment
The State has required another round of property value reassessment. As was done last time, it is anticipated that the Board of Supervisors will adjust the tax rate downward so that incremental tax increase will not be as large as the percentage increase in property values. Mr. Hart expressed his frustration that reassessments are completed using an average county-wide increase rather than specifically assessing individual properties. He thought this method to be unfair. He also urged the audience to challenge their assessments if they feel the final figures do not reflect local market conditions.

Annexations
Mr. Hart advised that the towns of Onancock and Onley seek to annex additional land into the boundaries of their incorporated towns. Onancock seeks to annex additional land that would more than double its size and to move the town limits all the way to Rt. 13.

Mr. Hart observed that annexations cost the county tax revenue. After annexation, income streams generated by such economic activity within the expanded town limits such as sales tax, business licenses and others would no longer go to the county but would be retained by the town. He further said that it was possible to negotiate with the towns for a portion of these taxes and fee revenues to be retained by the County. However, neither Onley nor Onancock had suggested any revenue sharing.

Ground Water
Mr. Hart is Vice Chairman of The Eastern Shore Ground Water Committee of the Accomack-Northampton Planning District Commission (A-NPDC). He spoke at length about the condition of the aquifers from which drinking and agricultural water is drawn.

Those interested in the subject of ground water on the Shore should look at the A-NPDC website on ground water. It provides detailed information about how the aquifers work.

http://a-npdc.org/groundwater

Information about ground water can also be found on Chincoteague Reports. Look under the heading “Ground Water” on the left side bar. Or go to this website:

http://www.chincoteaguereports.com/my_weblog/ground_water/index.html

Meals Tax
Both Mr. Hart and Mr. Wolff spoke in detail about the November referendum on whether or not the County should adopt a meals tax. Both men articulated their opposition to the meals tax. The reasons for their opposition are these:

** The meals tax would not apply to restaurants in the incorporated towns and most restaurants that do significant amounts of sales are within incorporated towns. Thus the amount of revenue generated by the tax would be small. Proponents of the meals tax argue that the tax would produce about $400,000 in annual revenue. However, this analysis assumes that all restaurant sales in the County would be taxed and that is not the case. Both men believed the revenue generated by the proposed tax would be too low to allow the tax to achieve its goals. In fact, they believed that the total, net revenue generated by the tax would probably be less than the cost of providing one low income housing unit.

** Although the purpose of the meals tax is to fund, in part, low income housing, the tax would hit those who patronize fast food restaurants, convenience stores and cafeterias the most. A high percentage of low income and fixed income people patronize such establishments.

** Business cafeterias such as those operating within Tysons Food and Perdue would be required to apply the meals tax. Most of those employees have few options for meals and most do not have large incomes. The meals tax would be a heavy burden on them.

** An incorporated town (such as Chincoteague) may enact a meals tax by majority vote of its town council. The County can implement a meals tax only after approval by citizens through a referendum ballot. However, the citizens of the incorporated towns in the County will vote on the proposed tax even though it cannot affect them within their town limits.

** The costs of administration of the tax and policing its enforcement have not been estimated. Both men believe these costs to be proportionately too high to allow the tax to achieve its goals.

A vigorous discussion about the proposed meals tax followed. Mr. E. Phillip Hickman, Chairman of the Accomack County Planning Commission advised that the Planning Commission had discussed recommending a real estate transfer tax to generate revenue that would support low income housing. However, no specific proposal had been agreed upon.

Mr. Hart took questions from the audience on various specific matters. The meeting adjourned at approximately 9 p.m.

Notes by Bill Troxler

August 16, 2006 in Elected Officials - Public Comments | Permalink

July 17, 2006 Supervisor Ron S. Wolff & Senator Nick Rerras Meeting With Constituents

County Supervisor Ron S. Wolff invited State Senator Nick Rerras to speak during his monthly constituents’ meeting on July 17, 2006. The meeting was held at Wolff’s Sandwich Shop in Atlantic and began at 7 p.m. Approximately thirty people attended the meeting.

Supervisor Wolff began the meeting by briefly reviewing the major events that took place in county government during the past month. He focused on three items.

1. Passage of the Interim Zoning Ordinance
Mr. Wolff described the active citizen participation in the joint public hearing held by the County Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors to consider enacting an interim zoning ordinance that would restrict the subdivision of land zoned for agricultural use to one house on ten acres. After several motions aimed at reducing the amount of acreage required for a single house, the Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance which proscribed one house on five acres. Mr. Wolff commented that, while the process to reach the new ordinance was onerous and tense, it was an example of a good democracy working well. The Planning Commission now has eighteen months to update the Comprehensive Plan for land use and zoning in the county and present the recommended document to the Board of Supervisors. When the Supervisors adopt the final document as is or amended, the interim zoning ordinance will be replaced.

2. Captain’s Cove Sewage Discharge Permit
Mr. Wolff described the heavily attended public hearing regarding the application of Captain’s Cove Group, LLC for a permit to discharge treated sewage into Swan’s Gut Creek. He reminded the audience that the final decision will be rendered by the State Water Control Board in early September. While that decision is not yet known, the overwhelming public sentiment was in opposition to the permit.

Mr. Wolff also advised that he had received a letter from the County Administrator reporting that Accomack County is to be the first county in the State to participate in a pilot program for modernizing waste water treatment plants.

3. Convenience Centers
Mr. Wolff announced that the first convenience center he and other supervisors have been working for will open within the next ten days. These Convenience Centers are being created to replace the “green boxes” for recycling throughout the County. The first one opens in Parksley. The second one will be located in Horntown.

Mr. Wolff introduced Senator Rerras who spoke about the most recent session of the Virginia General Assembly. He focused on five points.

1. The State Budget
Transportation: The State Budget passed within the time allotted for the 2006 session of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth. The most significant issue of the session was transportation. The budget has been funding mostly maintenance costs of roads. Funding for new capital projects is limited and far from addressing the needs of densely populated regions in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. While some progress was made, the Legislature will have to grapple with the problem again next year. Senator Rerras speculated that a solution might be to allow Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads to levy additional taxes and retain the generated revenues to fund projects in those areas. Small additions to various taxes in those areas might help to solve the problem. He also indicated that, unless new revenues could be found, the needed modernization of Route 13 along the Eastern Shore would not be possible.

Education: The legislature added $1.5 billion to the state wide education budget.

Chesapeake Bay: The legislature added $220 million to the clean up efforts in Chesapeake Bay. Senator Rerras reminded the audience that the Federal EPA has advised Virginia that by 2010 the State must demonstrate that clean up efforts in the Chesapeake are having measurable and lasting efforts or the State will suffer significant consequences either in the form of fines or loss of federal revenues.

2. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (CBBT)
The transportation problems of Hampton Roads caused legislators to look at CBBT‘s accumulated cash assets as a possible source of funding. These assets have been built up over time in order to finance a second set of tunnels. When these additional tunnels open, all the tunnels of the CBBT complex, as the spans do currently, will have one way traffic. The State provides very little maintenance funding for the facility and no operating funding. CBBT has funded itself through the years with the highest toll of any public facility in the United States. Senator Rerras said that he fought to keep CBBT funding in the hands of the CBBT Authority and not within the reach of other regions. He agreed to the compromise that keeps CBBT independent but makes it part of the regional network of transportation. The compromise wrote into law that CBBT funding was guaranteed to remain under the control of the CBBT Authority. However, Senator Rerras predicts that this fight will likely remain an annual battle until funding issues in Hampton Roads are resolved.

3. Delmarva Power and Light Rates
Senator Rerras explained that the reason the rate increases imposed by Virginia Power and Delmarva Power and Light were only 25% is that, when deregulation was approved, the State required the power companies to retain ownership of their electrical generation plants. He cautioned that he anticipated that the power companies would probably return each year for the foreseeable future seeking 10% rate increases.

4. The Captain’s Cove Permit Application
Senator Rerras stated his opposition to the Captain’s Cove Sewer Discharge Permit. He said that he would call the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to express his opposition and urge DEQ to deny the permit.

5. Students with criminal records enrolled in Virginia Public Schools.
Senator Rerras supported a bill, which passed, that requires school administrators to be notified when students with criminal records enroll in Virginia Public Schools. The issue came up because Delaware and other northern states are sending problematic students to Virginia for rehabilitation. A number of the students arrive following court convictions for various offenses ranging through robbery, drug abuse, sexual crimes and other infractions. Senator Rerras and others felt that school administrations cannot protect the interest of all students unless they are aware of transfer students who are also convicted criminals.

6. Chincoteague Issues
Arts & Entertainment District: The legislature passed a bill designating Chincoteague Island as an “Arts & Entertainment District.” This bill allows the Town Council to establish incentives that attract and retain arts and entertainment businesses to the Island.

The Bridge: Funding for the new bridge to Chincoteague was authorized at the level requested. The project is on schedule.

The Meeting concluded at 8:20 p.m.

July 17, 2006 in Elected Officials - Public Comments | Permalink

Chincoteague Reports

The Journal of Civic Affairs on Chincoteague Island

Categories