Category: Local

While I’m on the subject of government debt: Caroline County on its way to being $108,621,556 in debt.

That’s $4,090.13 of debt per citizen.

On June 30, 2008, the county was $92,630,740 in debt with $58,366,658 of that debt being principal and $34,264,082 being the interest.

50.579% ($46,851,746) of the debt was general government related while 49.420% ($45,778,993) was school related.

The county is in the process of refinancing some school related debt via the Virginia Public School Authority (VPSA) as well as borrowing more money for capital improvement projects (more on those projects below). With the new and restructured debt, the county would then be $108,621,556 in debt and the county wouldn’t finish paying off that debt until 2034.

All this debt would push the county to their established maximum debt policy ceiling (which is 12% of total general fund expenditures and school expenditures) for the 2010 and 2011 fiscal years. They would be close to the maximum debt policy ceiling for the 2012 fiscal year as well.

And remember the county is (supposedly) seriously considering borrowing another $4,500,000 next year to expand the County Park at Milford. The county still lacks a public safety building, a new school for the Bowling Green area, as well as a public works workshop. That’s what we call “priorities” folks.

Here are the projects that are being borrowed for this fiscal year, along with some editorial comments:

  • North Anna Boat Access — $50,000 — Wasn’t the State Fair of Virginia supposed to be paying for this as part of their proffer agreement?
  • Dawn Library — $765,000 — The Dawn Library has been in the works for a couple years but it could have probably have waited. Some of the costs for the library were reduced due to the fact that Maxie Rozell donated land for construction.
  • Welcome Signs — $40,000 — We have a massive budget deficit and they want to borrow money for welcome signs? What the heck…
  • County Park — $70,000 — We all know how Percy Ashcraft is obsessed with parks…
  • Farmer Mini Park – B.G. — $75,000 — Again…
  • Dawn Mini Park — $25,000 — And again…
  • Ladysmith Convenience Site Expansion — $100,000 — Needed from what I understand.
  • Radio System — $60,000 — Needed.
  • EMS Equip CC Ambulance #1 — $54,000 — Not needed. This item is supposed to be equipment for an ambulance running out of the proposed Carmel Church Fire Station. All the other equipment — including the station itself — were removed from the budget except for this item. I even e-mail Percy Ashcraft telling him this item shouldn’t be in the budget several months ago; good to see he’s paying attention.
  • Replacement Defibrillators — $31,164 — Needed, presumably.
  • Ladysmith VRS – Replace Unit #229 — $120,000 — Needed, presumably.
  • Frog Level VRS Generator — $42,500 — The rescue chief wanted his leaking roof fixed but instead he’s getting a generator!
  • BG VFD Replacement Air Compressor – Squad 1 — $17,000 — Needed, presumably.
  • Ladysmith Fire Truck — $39,678 — That amount is only to finish paying for the truck. The rest was paid for in the previous fiscal year. I bet the fine folks in Port Royal wish they would get a new truck since theirs was supposed to be replace 10 years ago.
  • Police Vehicle/Equipment — $464,100 — Needed, presumably.
  • Upgrade Sound System CCCSC — $95,000 — Needed, but that’s a lot of money.
  • Roll-Off Truck Replacement #2 — $140,000 — Not a 100% sure what this is. :)
  • Replace Compactor/Dawn — $24,000.
  • Replace Compactor Caroline High School — $20,000.
  • Clerk Computer System — $47,000 — A grant from the Virginia government was originally supposed to pay for this but I doubt that’s going to happen now with all the state budget cuts.
  • Circuit Court Security Area Modifications — $61,593 — Needed badly to improve security in the holding cells. Remember the Circuit Court deals with felons, folks.
  • IT Budget — $140,000 — Maybe they will fix the county’s terrible e-mail server.
  • Roll off Truck — $135,000.
  • 116 units from Municipal Emergency Services — $535,106

Total: $3,151,141

Source: All these numbers are from the Caroline County, Virginia Capital Fund Analysis dated September 23, 2008, prepared by Davenport & Company LLC.

Correction/Clarification: Kathy Beard misquoted by The Caroline [Lack of] Progress.

Kathy Beard, the Director of Tourism, was [mis]quoted as stating that the county received $1,600,000 in taxes from the transient occupancy tax (TOT) in 2007 by The Caroline Progress.

Gary Wilson’s response to an e-mail seeking a comment about that claim:

Mr. Watson,

Thanks for your questions regarding the impact of the tourism industry in Caroline County.

The report discussed during the meeting reflected the tourism revenue impact dollars in Caroline for 2007. These numbers are supplied by the Virginia Tourism Corporation and have been tracked throughout Virginia for years. These numbers were not presented as any type of county budget indicator, as they only monitor the income produced by the industry within the jurisdiction.

This table reflects the Caroline County section of the report:

County ($ Millions) ($ Millions) (Thousands) ($ Millions) ($ Millions)
2007 (preliminary) State Tax Local Tax
Expenditures Payroll Employment Receipts Receipts
CAROLINE 70.21 9.78 0.56 3.44 1.61

Caroline County collects transient occupancy taxes at a rate of 5% per each lodging occurrence. These are the only funds that support the Tourism program for the county. The local tax receipt figure reported above by the state for 2007 are a combination of lodging, meals, sales, fuel, and several other types of taxes, generated by that activity, not the amount of funds dedicated to the tourism budget in Caroline County.

Again, thank you for your inquiry regarding the tourism impact in Caroline. Although we will certainly see a decline in these revenue numbers due to the slowing economy, we hope tourism in Caroline County will continue to play an important role in new revenue spreading throughout the county.

Source: http://www.vatc.org/research/2007VACountyEstimates.xls

In English, Director Wilson is stating the Ms. Beard referenced the fact that the Virginia Tourism Corporation estimates the county received $1,6100,000 in taxes from tourism related industries. That would be seen in sales tax, gasoline taxes, and other taxes including TOT.

My follow-up:

Are you stating that Ms. Beard was misquoted by The Caroline Progress?

His response:

Ms. Beard was indeed misquoted.

Weekly News Media Briefs – Week Ending October 4, 2008

From the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office:

On August 16, 2008, Deputy F.L. Brennan arrested James W. Conley, 19, of Rappahannock Academy for being Drunk in Public. Upon further investigation of the incident, Conley was charged with Possession of Cocaine. He was released on a $2,500 unsecured bond and a court date of October 8, 2008 was set.

On September 28, 2008, Deputy S. Mullane stopped Delores M. Baker, 54, of Ruther Glen, for a traffic violation. Upon further investigation, Baker was charged with Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and Refusal to Submit to a Test. She was held on a $1,500 secured bond and a court date of October 8, 2008 was set.

On September 28, 2008, Deputy C.S. Wooldridge was called to assist Caroline Fire and Rescue Personnel. After investigating, Donald R. Jackson, Jr., 42, of Ruther Glen was charged with Being Drunk in Public. He was released on his own recognizance and a court date of October 8, 2008 was set.

On September 28, 2008, Deputy C.M. Polliard stopped Karen B. Warren, 38, of Fairfax, for a traffic violation. Upon further investigation, Warren was charged with Being Drunk in Public, Possession of PCP and Improper Stopping on a Highway. She was held on a $2,500 secured bond and a court date of October 1, 2008 was set. A passenger in the vehicle, Michael A. Coleman, 43, of Stafford, was charged with Possession of PCP and was also arrested on an outstanding warrant out of Stafford County for Possession of PCP. He was held on a $5,000 secured bond and a court date of October 1, 2008 was set.

On September 29, 2008, Deputy D.W. Mundie stopped Stephen C. Boyle, 20, of Mechanicsville, Maryland, for a traffic violation. Upon further investigation, Boyle was charged with Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Driving Suspended and Possession of a Radar Detector. He was held on a $5,000 secured bond and a court date of October 8, 2008 was set.

On September 30, 2008, Deputy C. M. Hall (SRO) observed a male juvenile smoking in the bathroom. Upon further investigation, the 15 year old was charged with possession of marijuana and released to his parents.

On September 8, 2008, Investigator M. M. Ellett was assigned to investigate the larceny of firearms in the Ladysmith area. On October 1, 2008, Warren V. DeLoach, Jr. was arrested on three counts of larceny. He was released on a $1500 bond and a court date of October 8, 2008 was set.

On October 1, 2008, Deputy T.P. Connolly was on patrol when he encountered Billie Jo Williams, 37, of Ruther Glen. Upon further investigation, Williams was served an outstanding warrant for Petit Larceny. She was released on her signature and a court date of October 3, 2008 was set.

On October 1, 2008, Deputy R.J. Anderson responded to a Ruther Glen address for an assault call. Upon further investigation, John R. Skinner, 34, of Milford was charged with Breaking and Entering and Assault. He was held on a $2,500 secured bond and a court date was set.

On October 1, 2008, Deputy G.J. Hamilton and Investigator M.M. Ellett responded to a Bowling Green address for a larceny call. After investigating, a male juvenile was charged with Breaking and Entering, Larceny of a Firearm and Grand Larceny. He has a pending court date in Caroline Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. Additionally, Jessica N. Spurell, 22, of Ruther Glen, was charged with Obstruction of Justice. She was released on a summons and a court date of December 2, 2008 was set.

On October 2, 2008, Deputy C.M. Hall responded to the Caroline Middle School for an unknown situation. Upon investigating, Delores M. Baker, 54, of Ruther Glen, was charged with Being Drunk in Public. She was released on a summons and a court date of November 26, 2008 was set.

On October 2, 2008, Deputy P.E. Ford stopped James A. McFall, 39, of Fredericksburg for a traffic violation. Upon further investigation, McFall was charged with Driving Revoked-Habitual Offender, 3rd offense. He was ordered held without bond and a court date of October 3, 2008 was set.

On October 3, 2008, Investigation M.M. Ellett responded to a Ruther Glen address for a forgery and construction fraud call. Upon investigating, Wayne T. Allen, 42, of Ruther Glen was charged with Construction Fraud, Forgery, and 2 counts of Operating without a Professional License. He was released on a 43,500 unsecured bond and a court dte of October 3, 2008 was set.

On October 3, 2008, Deputy P.E. Ford stopped Tamara L. Mariner, 48, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, for a traffic violation. Upon further investigation, Mariner was charged with Possession of Marijuana and Speeding. She was released on her own recognizance and a court date of October 8, 2008 was set.

On October 4, 2008, Deputy P.E. Ford responded to a Ruther Glen address for a trespassing call. Upon investigating, Kunte K. Foxx, 30, of Ruther Glen was charged with Assault. She was released on a $2,500 unsecured bond and a court date of October 7, 2008 was set.

On October 4, 2008, Deputy B.N. Doucet was on patrol in the Ruther Glen area when he encountered Kadeen L. Montgomery, 19, of Ruther Glen. Upon further investigation, Montgomery was charged with Possession of Marijuana. He was released on a summons and a court date of November 7, 2008 was set.

Caroline County Sheriff’s Office Wrap Up

According to Sheriff Tony Lippa, Caroline Deputies made 16 drug arrests, 1 DUI arrest, 17 domestic violence arrests, 163 other criminal arrests and 13 animal control summons or arrests during the past week. The deputies served 272 civil papers, issued 197 traffic summonses, handled 9 motor vehicle crashes, responded to 35 alarm calls, and dealt with 8 juvenile offenders. The Sheriff’s Office Communications Center dispatched 591 calls for service and handled 1,741 telephone inquiries. The CCSO also logged 36 calls assisting outside agencies and had 250 self-initiated calls.

Reporter at The Free Lance–Star ignores the fact that the Henrico County Finance Director said the State Fair brings no money into their county.

In what could only be a paid advertisement masquerading as a news story, The Free Lance–Fish Wrap talks about how the State Fair will be bringing in gazillions of dollars into the county:

Screams from thrill-seekers echo over the State Fair of Virginia’s midway as one ride–the Extreme–wavers from side to side, above the crowds.

Music blasts from various games and vendor booths, while the scent seeps out of a tent housing freshly prepared turkey. Visitors to the rabbits, geese and other caged animals point excitedly and take pictures.

These are the rides, animals, sounds and food the fair will offer next year in Caroline County–but will the screams and crowds follow?

State Fair and county officials hope so.

[blah, blah, blah]

If the lazy “reporters” at The Fish Wrap had bothered to read the Richmond Times-Dispatch yesterday, they would have seen this great gem in a story about the fair (H/t: Tom James):

Henrico won’t suffer financial losses from the fair’s departure, said John Vithoulkas, the county’s finance director. Tax revenues from the fair, which draws about a quarter million visitors each year, are minimal. “It’s just a blip,” he said.

The State Fair of Virginia is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Most of its activities are exempt from income taxes because of its mission to promote agriculture and education.

Yeah, the State Fair is a nonprofit, but its president, Curry Roberts, makes more than $200,000 for working 60 hours a week.

At least that’s what he tells the IRS.

Did Caroline County lose track of $1,300,000 in tax revenue? Correction/Clarification: Kathy Beard misquoted by The Caroline [Lack of] Progress.

Read the follow up post.

The original post can be read below in its original form:

That, or our astute tourism manager doesn’t know how much money tourism brings into the county (The Caroline Progress):

Kathy Beard, County Director of Tourism, spoke about the role tourism plays in county economics. Beard stated that more than $70 million dollars were spent on tourism related industry in Caroline in 2007, and $1.6 million came back to the county in the form of transient occupancy taxes.

$1,600,000 in transient occupancy taxes (TOT) — that’s the hotel tax for the uninitiated — in 2007?

Let’s see, according to the proposed FY07-08 budget (p. 193), in the second half of the 2007 calendar year, the county only brought in $150,719 in TOT.

Assuming that the county brought in the same amount during the first half of the ’07 calendar year (probably not, but let’s assume), that means a total of $301,438 during the whole calendar year.

So, that leaves three possibilities (I’m leaning towards option #2):

  1. The county “lost” $1,300,000 in tax revenue.
  2. Kathy Beard doesn’t know jack about how much money comes into the county, and decided to claim a figure more than five fold higher than the actual number.
  3. She was misquoted (always a possibilities with The Caroline [Lack of] Progress).

In other funny stuff from the Economic Development Office, you gotta love the fact that the e-mail link to Director Gary Wilson that is on the Economic Development Office’s homepage doesn’t even work.

How bad is it for an Economic Development Office to not even have a functioning e-mail link to the Director?

Caroline County government: We don’t have to tell you where your money is being spent.

Here’s a copy of an e-mail that I sent to County Administrator Percy Ashcraft on September 25th:

Dear Mr. Ashcraft,

What was the total cost of adopting the ordinances that vacated Saddlehorse Farms and the other subdivision owned by the Farmers?

This request for information includes, but is not limited to: the cost for advertising the public hearing, any cost for legal services by the county attorney (not asking for the privileged work of the county attorney, just the cost), as well as the waiver of fees to the Farmers for the Planning Commission hearings that had to be conducted.

When will the county be taking action against the other six (or more) subdivisions that were identified to also be in violation of the subdivision code? Surely the Board does not intend to selectively and vindictively prosecute one person.

-Tim

Here’s the response I received from the county attorney, Benjamin Emerson, via snail mail today [emphasis mine] (PDF link):

Dear Mr. Watson:

As I believe you are aware, this firm and I represent Caroline County as its County Attorneys. Your e-mailed request for information to Mr. Ashcraft was referred to me for response as a request under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”).

Your e-mail inquires as to the cost of adopting certain ordinances vacating the Saddlehorse Farms subdivision and other subdivisions being developed by the Farmers, and includes other questions.

Among other things and with certain exceptions and limitations, FOIA requires that public records of public bodies be open and made available to citizens of the Commonwealth for inspection upon request being made for such records with reasonable specificity. It does not require the public body to compile records, to create records that do not exist, or to respond to questions in general that are not requests for specific documents or existing records.

Because your inquiry consists of questions to which you have requested answers, it is not subject to FOIA.

Sincerely,

[signed]

Benjamin W. Emerson

Well, the county just managed to get their butts sued over this issue.

And for the record, anyone think that payments made to The Caroline Progress aren’t public records?

I guess the judge in Caroline County General District Court will be deciding that.

Weekly News Media Briefs – Week Ending September 27, 2008

From the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office:

On September 23, 2008, Deputy M.J. O’Connor responded to a Ruther Glen business to complete a follow-up investigation on a larceny that occurred on September 15, 2008. After investigating, Mary R. Lee, 33, of Ruther Glen was charged with Embezzlement. She was ordered held without bond and a court date of September 24, 208 was set.

On September 19, 2008, Deputy C.M. Hall encountered 3 juveniles, while on patrol at the Caroline High School football game. All three juveniles were charged with trespassing and one juvenile was also charged with Underage Possession of Alcohol. All three juveniles have a pending Court date in Caroline Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.

On September 20, 2008, Deputy G.J. Hamilton responded to a Ruther Glen address in reference to Destruction of Property. After investigating, a juvenile was charged with Throwing a Missile at an Occupied Vehicle and Destruction of Property. The juvenile has a pending court date in Caroline Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.

On September 21, 2008, Deputy W.D. Lipscomb stopped Derrick J, Rippy, 29, of Richmond, for a traffic violation. Upon further investigation, Rippy was charged with Destruction of Property. He was released on his own recognizance and a Court date of November 28, 2008 was set.

On September 21, 2008, Deputy J.O. Cecil responded to a Ruther Glen address for a report of Animal Cruelty. After investigating, William G. Dean, 46, of Hanover was charged with three counts of Failing to Pay License Tax and three counts of Failing to have Dogs Vaccinated for Rabies. He was released on a summons on all charges and a court date of January 21, 2009 was set.

On September 21, 2008, Deputy C.A. Heywood stopped Michael B. Harris, 23, of Ruther Glen for a traffic violation. Upon further investigation, Harris was charged with Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and Fail to Drive on the Right Side of the Highway. He was released on a $2,000 unsecured bond and a court date of October 1, 2008 was set.

On September 22, 2008, Deputy C.M. Hall encountered a juvenile acting disorderly at the High School. After investigating, the juvenile was charged with Disorderly Conduct. He has a pending court date in the Caroline Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.

On September 22, 2008, Deputy C.M. Hall encountered juvenile at the Caroline High School. After investigating, the juvenile was charged with trespassing. He has a pending court date in the Caroline Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.

On September 22, 2008, Deputy C.A. Heywood responded to a Ruther Glen address for an intoxicated person. Upon investigating, Donnie L. Poindexter, 46, of Ruther Glen was charged with being Drunk in Public, Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer and Obstruction of Justice. He was ordered held without bond and court date of September 24, 2008 was set.

On September 23, 2008, Deputy D.W. Mundie responded to a Ruther Glen address for a report of a sexual assault. After investigating, Brian M. Braxton, 27, of Ruther Glen was charged with Sexual Battery. He was held on a $1,500 secured bond and a court date of September 24, 2008 was set.

On September 23, 2008, Deputy K. Digravio-Ferguson responded to a Bowing Green address for a Domestic Disturbance. Upon investigating, Michael W. Henson, Sr., 36, of Bowling Green was charged with Domestic Assault. He was ordered held without bond and court date of September 25, 2008 was set.

On September 23, 2008, Deputy S. Mullane encountered Keith A. Pleasants, 34, of Ruther Glen. Upon further investigation, Pleasants was charged with Driving Suspended, Possession of a Schedule I or II Narcotic, and Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol/Drugs. He was held on a $2,000 secured bond and a court date of September 24, 2008 was set.

On September 24, 2008, Deputy C.M. Pollard stopped Erik H. Ingram, 39, of Port Royal for a traffic violation. Upon further investigation, Ingram was charged with Felony Habitual Offender and Fail to Obey a Stop Sign. He was ordered held without bond and a court date of September 26, 2008 was set.

On September 26, 2008, Deputy C.A. Heywood stopped Basil E. Fountain, 56, of Highland Springs for a traffic violation. Upon further investigation, Fountain was charged with Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol, Refusal to Submit to a Test and Littering. He was held on a $2,500 secured bond and a court date of October 1, 2008 was set.

On September 27, 2008, Deputy C.A. Heywood stopped Christopher R. Cannon, 27, of Ruther Glen for a traffic violation. Upon further investigation, Cannon was charged with Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and Defective Equipment. He was released on a $2,500 unsecured bond and a court date of October 3, 2008 was set.

On September 27, 2008, Deputy C.M. Polliard stopped Ann McCrummen, 48, of Bowling Green for a traffic violation. Upon further investigation, McCrummen was charged with Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and Drive Revoked – DUI related. She was held on a $2,500 secured bond and a court date of October 1, 2008 was set.

Caroline County Sheriff’s Office Wrap Up

According to Sheriff Tony Lippa, Caroline Deputies made 9 drug arrests, 5 DUI arrests, 13 domestic violence arrests, and 70 other criminal arrests during the past week. The deputies served 221 civil papers, issued 264 traffic summonses, handled 6 motor vehicle crashes, responded to 36 alarm calls, and dealt with 12 juvenile offenders. The Sheriff’s Office Communications Center dispatched 548 calls for service and handled 850 telephone inquiries. The CCSO also logged 27 calls assisting outside agencies and had 324 self-initiated calls.

Why can’t Albert Pollard be my representative to Congress?

His thoughts on the bailout deal in his weekly column (DOC file):

While the leaders of this nation negotiated a new bailout deal over the weekend, things seemed pretty normal on the Northern Neck. I got a chance to see some bald eagles that were on “The Cliffs” of Richmond County, geese were moving South and the weather forced farmers to take a break from long harvest days.

I rarely delve into national policy, but while the bailout deal won’t change whether there is rockfish migration this fall, it will change just about every aspect of American Capitalism.

As I am writing on deadline, I do not pretend to know everything in the 110 page bailout plan, nor do I know if it will even pass in the House of Representatives today. However, there are some things that I do know.

Free markets depend upon risk, reward and failure so that they can make long term efficient decisions. Indeed, the very efficiencies of big picture economic decision making means that – to avoid a future crisis — there must be some losers on Wall Street and in the investment community.

If the bailout bill insures that the people who should lose big do lose big, then it is probably acceptable and deserves passage.

Those people who take the biggest risk of time, talent and capital in the free market deserve to get the biggest return. However, everybody who has ever opened a lemonade stand knows that those who risk the reward also risk getting stuck with some lemons.

It is a firm understatement of fact that $700,000,000,000 (700 Billion dollars) is a lot of money – even judged by federal government standards. And, it is also true that the markets need help – I am not so Pollyannaish as to say that we should let complete economic meltdown occur without any action.

However, those who buy too many lemons – whether for loans or for a lemonade stand – should bear the responsibility they took with that risk. It is not the responsibility of the American taxpayer to reward bad economic decisions – and that is what this bailout deal appears to be, a reward of bad economic decisions.

Meanwhile, the earth as God designed it will move on. Fish will start their fall run, deer will start their rut, and the fields will dry up enough to finishing harvesting the crop. And, depending upon the action of Congress, there may be some extra lemons to go around.

I’m sure as heck aren’t going to get this from my current representative to Congress (Rob Wittman).

My comments to the Caroline County Board of Supervisors at their September 23rd meeting.

At the September 8th, 2008, meeting of the Caroline County Board of Supervisors, the board approved the following item on their consent agenda: Adoption of a Resolution that Revises the June 24, 2008 Budget Resolution to Incorporate Errors and Omission that Were Approved by the Board during Budget Discussions.

Item #2 in the resolution was the following:

Davenport [& Company LLC, the firm hired to help with preparing this year’s budget] learned after the June 24, 2008 Budget Resolution adoption that in July 2007 the Board adopted an increased in the Board of Supervisors’ salaries. Therefore this was not included in the original Budget Resolution.

The resolution stated that this would have the following impact on general fund expenditures:

[…] 1) a $25,518 [possibly a typo and should be $23,518 -ed.] increase in the Board of Supervisors budget to compensate for the increase in the Board’s salaries […]

$23,518 increase. That accounts for a $4,703.60 increase per supervisor. That’s a 26.43% increase in pay compared to last year.

Meanwhile, members of the county staff only received a 2% salary increase this year. So, unless someone on the county staff makes $235,180, not only did the Board receive a bigger percentage increase, the Board also received a bigger net increase as well compared to anyone on county staff.

This pay increase was approved after the tax rate in county was increased by $0.05/$100 during a sagging economy. This pay increase was approved after the supervisors learned there was a $755,321 shortfall from the last fiscal year.

To make this matter even worst — as if that was possible — the board a hour and half later later told the Ladysmith Volunteer Fire Department that the Board and the county had no idea where they would find the money necessary to finish paying for a fire truck.

The cost to finish paying for the fire truck? $25,000 to $30,000 dollars.

Those aren’t the only problems with the pay increase.

According to the summary for the consent agenda item, this pay increase was approved by the Board in July 2007.

However, § 15.2-1414.2 of the Code of Virginia requires a pay increase such as this to be adopted “prior to July 1” of the year that the board will be up for election:

Prior to July 1 of the year in which members of the board of supervisors are to be elected or, if the board is elected for staggered terms, of any year in which at least forty percent of the members of the board are to be elected, the current board, by a recorded vote of a majority present, shall set a maximum annual compensation which will become effective as of January 1 of the next year.

The last I checked a meeting in July isn’t “prior to July 1”.

Thank you for your time.

They didn’t have anything to say about that, by the way.

Remember VSE? That defense subcontractor that Gary Wilson et al. tout as an economic development success?

Yeah, they’re in the process of getting fined $17,400 for violating numerous environmental regulations (Link [PDF]):

SECTION C: Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law

  1. VSE is a publicly traded professional services company that provides engineering and technical support services to the U.S. Government.
  2. The VSE Facility which is the subject of this Order, is the Ladysmith Blast and Paint Facility, located at 17253 Center Drive in Ladysmith, Virginia.
  3. At the Facility, VSE generates waste paint and related material, spent blast media, spent solvents, used wipes, and used personal protective equipment as part of its blast and paint operations.
  4. 4. VSE notified DEQ of the Facility’s status as a CESQG on December 29, 1992, and amended its status as a SQG on August 13, 2007.
  5. DEQ staff conducted a hazardous waste compliance evaluation inspection at the Facility on January 25, 2008.
  6. Waste generation records reviewed onsite at the January 25, 2008 inspection showed that the Facility has been a LQG for at least three years.
  7. VSE notified DEQ by letter dated February 25, 2008, of its current LQG status. VSE also noted in this letter that the Facility had exceeded SQG status in 2005 and 2006, and that VSE was prepared to pay arrearage and current application fees for LQG status at this site as may be stipulated by DEQ.
  8. On May 22, 2008, DEQ issued a Notice of Violation (NOV) to VSE that set forth the following violations of the Regulations observed during the January 25, 2008 inspection:
    • Failure to make a hazardous waste determination in accordance with 40 CFR 262.1 1.
    • Failure to properly complete a manifest in accordance with 40 CFR 262.20(a).
    • Failure to label containers before transportation off-site with the words and information required by 40 CFR 262.32(b).
    • Failure to store waste in containers complying with the requirements set forth in 40 CFR 262.34(a)(l)(i) and 265 Subpart CC.
    • Failure to label waste containers with the dates that the hazardous waste began accumulating in accordance with 40 CFR 262.34(a)(2).
    • Failure to label containers storing hazardous waste with the words “hazardous waste” as required by 40 CFR 262.34(a)(3).
    • Violation of 40 CFR 262.34(c)(1)f or accumulating more than one 55-gallon container of hazardous waste at or near any point of generation.
    • Failure to provide hazardous waste management and emergency procedure training to personnel, failure to make arrangements with local authorities, and failure to have a contingency plan, as required by 40 CFR 262.34(a)(4) and 265 Subparts C and D.
    • Failure to properly close containers holding hazardous waste during storage as required by 40 CFR 262.34(a)(l)(i) and 265.173(a).
    • Failure to inspect areas where containers are stored at least weekly as required by 40 CFR 262.34(a)(l)(i) and 265.174.
    • Failure to label or mark universal waste, and failure to label containers holding universal waste batteries with the date the waste began accumulating in accordance with 40 CFR 273.14 and 40 CFR 273.15(c).
    • Failure to notify the Department of the location of hazardous waste accumulation areas as required by 9 VAC 20-60-262.B.4 and 40 CFR 262.34(c).
    • Failure to notify the Department of LQG status as required by 9 VAC 20-60-3 15.D.
  9. While not noted in the May 22,2008 NOV, the Facility failed to pay the LQG annual fees required by 9 VAC 20-60-1283 through 1285 for the years 2005, 2006, and 2007.
  10. VSE representatives met with DEQ on June 12, 2008 to discuss the violations noted in the May 22, 2008 NOV, and the current enforcement action.
  11. The development and maintenance of a compliance binder as required by Appendix A of this Order, will better ensure that the Facility operates in compliance with the Applicable hazardous waste regulations.

SECTION D: Agreement and Order

Accordingly, the Virginia Waste Management Board, by virtue of the authority granted it in Va. Code §§ 10.1 – 1402, 10.1 – 1405, and 10.1 – 1455, orders VSE Corporation, and VSE Corporation agrees to perform the actions described in Appendix A of this Order. In addition, the Board orders VSE Corporation, and VSE Corporation voluntarily agrees, to pay a civil charge of $17,400.00 within 30 days of the effective date of the Order in settlement of the violations cited in this Order. Payment shall be made by check payable to the “Treasurer of Virginia”, delivered to:

Receipts Control
Department of Environmental Quality
Post Office Box 1104
Richmond, Virginia 23218

The payment shall include VSE Corporation’s Federal Tax ID number and shall state that it is being tendered in payment of the civil charges assessed under this Order.

Bravo.