Board of Supervisors work session November 7, 2007.
These are not minutes of the meeting. They are the personal notes of a citizen who attended.
The Board started with closed session for Acquisition of Real Property.
Open session:
*Appointment of Advisory Committee for the Future Land Use Map and Comprehensive Plan Kevin Henry asked the board to appoint 6 more people to the advisory committee. The Board agreed to work on that.
*Focus Group Meetings for Advisory Committee for the Future Land Use Map and Comprehensive Plan. Mark Belton talked about the Focus Groups and how they were broken down into 4 groups. Agriculture, Development, Business and Environmental.
*Discussion to the New County Office Building Mark Belton talked about purchasing 10 acres of land along Hwy 211 and Hawksbill Street near LFCC for the new county office buildings. The cost for the land would be $600,000.00. The Rescue Squad may also want to build in that area.
*Update on the Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Commission Activities.
Nora Belle Comer talked about the different concerns of the Commission which include: Water, Clean Air, Transportation, Waste Water, Housing Plans and River Use. Then Maggie Weaver talked about the Valley Commuter Assistance Program. This program helps county residents commute to other areas to work. It includes van pools, car pools and ride share data.
*Pump and Haul Permit Guidelines. Gerald Dovel asked the board to consider writing a policy on pump and haul septic system that would require the owners to give usage updates. Mark Belton said he would work on that policy.
*Health Department Staff Rotations Someone - I didn't get his name. I think he is an Environmental Manager with the state talked to the board about an additional fee of $25,000.00 to be paid from Page County to help support the State Health Department because of budget cuts. He also asked that one employee be transferred to Front Royal to help with septic inspections. The Board did not agree with this.
*Monthly Report from the Public Works Department Henry Mikus talked about tonnage and finances which he said were the usual. He reported that DEQ had done their quality inspection and that they had passed without any negative comments. He also told the Board that he had found a new place to take our paper.
*Solid Waste Policy Henry Mikus said that some people had complained about paying for bringing in clean recycling. The Board discussed dropping the fee in hopes of encouraging more recycling.
*Increase in Cat/Dog Adoption Fees Mark Belton asked the Board to consider raising the cat adoption fee from $20 to $25 and the dog adoption fee from $35 to $40.
*Review of Recent Legislation for CSA Georgia Sours talked about the new legislation which may affect the Foster Care Prevention Guidelines. She said the new policy would be out on November 20.
*Board of Zoning Appeals Appointment Regina Miller said someone from the Board of Zoning Appeals was coming to the end of their term. I believe the issue will be handled after JD Cave takes office since the person is from his district.
The Board went into closed session for Consultation with Legal Counsel and Personnel Matters.
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This is what Page County Watch is all about. Watching the process of our government. This is where the process takes place. At the Board of Supervisors' meetings.
This is who runs our county.
When you read this, do you hear the KaChing KaChing of your tax dollars at work? The Advisory Committee for the Land Use Map of the Comprehensive Plan is a very big deal. This is what will decide many of our future issues regarding our homes here in the land we love. When they talk about Focus Groups for this plan, they are saying that people will be getting together to talk about the vision for the county's future in each of those areas. Who are these people? Are they you, your neighbors, your family, your friends? Whoever they are, they will be guiding and giving input to the direction of the county.
If you care about making the county a good place to live and raise children, WATCH THIS SPACE. It's the devil in the details that make our lives calm and happy, or stressed and burdened. These little details, discussed at these meetings, add up to our quality of life.
If the issues you care about aren't being discussed in these meetings . . . they aren't being addressed by our local government.
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22 comments:
Who owns the ten acres and where did the $600,000 valuation come from? Land in Page County is listed from between $4 and as high as $15K per acre (and admittedly higher when it's a perked riverfront lot.) It seems that only when it's tax dollars does a valuation of $60K per acre materialize. The issue of land being purchased with tax dollars came to my attention about a year ago when a neighbor of mine mentioned that the county was interested in purchasing an acre of land from him for expansion of the technical school- FOR A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS. I expressed outrage and he said he wished he'd never mentioned it...and I was left with the distinct impression that these deals happen relatively frequently, and quietly. You'll never find them on MLS!! Do YOU give our elected representatives permission to pay ((who??)) $60K per acre?? Or $100K??
I had asked similar questions regarding the decision to build two new schools that got buried in the election froth. I cannot see that demographics support this decision, such as a huge population explosion of school age kids in this county, so why are we building two new schools? Again, who owned the land, how much was paid for it, who got the construction contracts?
Page Denizen -- the county office phone number is 743-4142. I don't know the answers to your questions. If you are able to get any of these answers, please post them. It is always possible that the citizen notes are flawed. Maybe it's 100 acres instead of 10. We only post what citizens in the audience hear.
If anybody out there knows any answers for Page Denizen, it would be nice to post it.
several answers for "Page Denizen" -- we are building two new schools because that is what the people in the county have been asking the county government to do for many years (remember the school referendum in 1999) -- we are not building new schools due to any anticipated "huge population explosion of school age kids" -- we need middle schools now (Page is one of the few remaining counties without any middle school configuration) and we need many improvements to our existing high schools; therefore, for once, we have chosen the best way to solve several problems at the same time -- the Luray HS location is not a good and was not the best location and was chosen for "who knows" what reason -- the construction contracts are public record (as are the land purchase contracts), so contact the school board -- you are totally on target with your comments regarding the ridiculous prices paid by 'OUR" county government for some of its land purchases -- this government is out of control and only citizen protest can possibly change anything - but what did the citizens do on tuesday, basically validate everything the county is presently doing -- so who is at fault?
this 10 acres is prime real estate on he corner of 211 bypass and hawksbill street. 60K is not a rediculous sum for this lot.
people a few years ago paid 100K for one acre lots on 211.
Just my humble opinion.
I guess the question is whether our government buildings need to be on the prime real estate. Isn't "prime" real estate defined as that which is most desirable for commercial use? It's kind of like putting that town office on the middle of Main Street. That's the "prime" commercial location. So don't we want to convince a business to go there, instead of using taxpayer money for the "best"?
I think the county office building would do just fine in some Un-prime location.
Thank you, SJ. No, I'm sorry not to 'remember' what I wasn't out here at the time to have witnessed (a '1999 referendum') and as a part time resident I miss many discussions and issues of the weekly newspaper...and so was just asking to be caught up or filled in...and I AM outraged that our tax dollars are so casually spent and enable some to trade assets at numbers so far over market value it boggles the mind.
Yes, the people spoke on Tuesday, and now it's up to us to get answers to questions such as, where is the documentation supporting $60,000 per acre land? Or even the need for a new building, given the glut of real estate for sale (I can't help but note that some buildings have been for sale on Main Street for years now.) I assume I missed that analysis, too, and do not need to be beaten over the head for it...just filled in if anyone is so inclined.
Again I will apologize for not being 'up' on these issues for the reasons stated above and appreciate any time the people reading and posting to this site take to comment.
Nothing like a doubling of my real estate assessment since I bought three years ago, in a crashing real estate environment, to cause me to take notice of how my money is being spent.
Page, I think people are a little flustered and flabbergasted that anyone would even ask.
It's not good form to question authority figures in Page County.
Nobody's aware that support, analysis, and documentation are required.
Eric I think the county office building would do just fine in some Un-prime location.
It has to be in town, Luray is the county seat. Land in town is more expensive than in the county. It needs to be accessible. There needs to be ample room for existing needs, parking and room for future expansion.
18 parcels of land have sold in the county in calendar 2007 (per MLS, not Massanutten.) The lowest per acre parcel was 50 acres for $85K and the highest was $24K for a one acre house lot on the river. There is NO support for $60K per acre.
"leave it to the people you elected", the county office building does not HAVE to be located in the town of luray or even in the luray area -- however since most of the other county offices are so located, it is common sense to locate the new county office building (which is NOT needed at the moment) in the general vicinity of luray
i'll respond later to the anticipated comments calling me nuts to say we don't need a new county office building AT THE MOMENT
I would imagine this is a deal the Board will attempt to get done before January.
It would seem to me that a rational, thinking, business oriented Board would ask for market pricing on what they spend our money for. Market pricing is not what our appraisals are.
Now I understand how someone was able to buy property in PC for $500.00. All the while I was thinking it was an exchange for silence. Guess I was wrong.
There is something even more ominous lurking in the decision to buy enough land that will permit expansion from the idea of a county admin building to include accommodations for other county functions (i.e. a county office complex.) Can we spell higher taxes?
Here in Oz, a number of things seem unusual, if one wanders from the Yellow Brick Road. That's why many choose to stick to the Path, and not venture off the assigned walkway. If you wander from the worn and tired track, you will be in uncharted and unmapped territory, where be Monsters.
Serious monsters, with names like AJ. And Boss.
So the munchkins stick to the road, and get with the program.
Hope those munchkins have the extra 12 cents per hundred they're going to need on the next tax hike. But I guess it's not a problem.
I plan to call the clerk's office today and find out who owns that property. There are several unused buildings that could be used and I think they should go back to look again at the old Wallace building. What happened to all the plans for tearing down the property across from the courthouse? I know there was a problem with the tree huggers, but what else went wrong?
Chris says Page County is a disaster that will continue that way. No matter what Alice says or anyone else. You want things to change well to late.
Chris, you're young. It's not too late to make positive changes that are good for everyone. It's just slow and it takes fortitude to make a positive change in a "culture." Page County has its own culture. That will be a very strong force to keep things status quo, no matter what good things may need to be done.
Focus on what specific good things need to be done. These elections are over. Now you have people in place who have been elected by the people to those jobs, and YOU are part of the people. They 're not elected just to serve the people who voted for them. They're elected to serve all the people.
Focus now on what you want your elected representatives to do.
Next election is in two years. There are three Board of Supervisors members whose terms are up then. Start working on it now.
Alice
What's the point? The thread is open, now it's closed, now it's open, no , it's closed. Make up your mind! Forgive me if I am wrong, but are you closing it in oder to reveal people's true identity?
What about Petefish opening his own blog, yeah that was a crock, his entire site is down. Guess everyone should just give up, like so many of the elected officials have done. Give up on Page County! I hate to say this but sometimes I wish I had never been born here.
I have told my children to get the heck of this county, there's nothing here for them. I'll just tell their children and their children's children the same, if I live long enough. But, where would they go? Isn't it like this everywhere? The US, and especially Page County is becoming a drug infested cespool. Sad thing about it is the people you think are bringing the stuff in aren't the only ones.
Have you ever thought about the reason why people don't name names is because they feel they could be in danger. Have you personally ever been threatened to "keep your nose out of things that don't concern you, you might end up like someone who is dead?" Well, I have! I've also been told "you better stay away from that person, they're connected with the mafia."
Yes, this is in Page County!
I don't expect you to print this, in fact I'd rather you didn't. Because of FEAR of retaliation.
Maybe people use your site as a sound off, because they feel they have no where to turn, no one to talk to, and no one to trust. there is no one to trust.
I try keep to myself, I trust no one, and I never reveal my sources. People trust me and they talk to me. I try to help the hurting. They feel they have no where to turn. Please do not turn these people away. They need someone who is willing to listen.
I know you must feel unappreciated at times. These are difficult times for all of us. Please give these people a place to be heard where they will feel safe. If nothing else, listen to them, and don't post their comments. You screen them anyway. Please just listen! Like you told Blissful, say with me, I am asking you to please stay with them.
God has given us a gift, people come to us because they trust us enough to listen to them.
I used to be blissfully ignorant to everything that is happening in Page.
Thank you for listening.
No Longer . . .
Yes, I do understand.
Yes, I do know why people don't name names.
No, it's not that way all over the country.
AND, it's not even that way here, if you don't let it be. This is what I'm talking about when I speak of a "culture." This is an extremely difficult thing. In order to talk about it, I may have to say things that could be misunderstood. Things that take a long time to understand. But your post, among all the others, and there are many others, convinces me that I should do that. It needs to be talked about. Not the corruption you refer to, but rather the culture of believing there's corruption. The fear of unnamed boogeymen. The Stockholm syndrome of believing there's boogeymen, but voting for incumbents. If the majority of people in this county believed what you just said, then why would they re elect the incumbents time after time?
Either, the majority of voters don't believe what you said, and don't think like that. OR, the voters think someone can tell who they voted for.
In either case, it brings up a social issue for the county that is very important. I know many people think like you think. I'm receiving piles of pleas for a place to voice this concern. I'm not fully certain what the concern is, but I am certain there is a social and cultural issue that needs to be brought up and talked about by the community.
We have social problems in this community. Some address it with charitable giving and organizations like Page One and Choices. I grew up very poor, in a household that included a passive mother who accepted domestic abuse. As the oldest of five children, I was the one who had to get that straightened out so the children could live in peace. I was 9 years old when I walked into my parents bedroom and told my father if he hurt my mother again, I would kill him in his sleep. Abuse sticks with the children, most of all.
I do know what you're talking about, but you're extending the "attitude" and "culture" outside of the family and into the surrounding community.
It's an attitude that takes two to tango. No one -- let me say that again -- NO ONE, can be your boss without your permission.
So, No Longer Blissfully Ignorant, stay with me. Poverty is as much a thought process as it is a bank account. And abuse requires an unspoken agreement to flourish.
This is not a place that people need to run from. It's a place people need to work with.
Stay with me. We will look for a way to make this county a community that works for everyone.
Alice
This is a message to Chris Says, who can't get himself a free Yahoo account and has to post his messages on the board, when he doesn't even think they'll be posted.
Stay with me.
I'm working on it.
It's complicated.
Alice
Chris says Is fine posting the way I do I have no need for a Yahoo acoount leave well enough alone. I have no clue why I even come here I reckon I like being aroun morons. This county is the worst County on the face of the universe. No I don't want to move or am not gonna leave so the first idiot that says that let me respond now. This County Government is a joke someone needs to change it. Thats's what I'm saying.
UNTIL YOU WORK IN THE COUNTY OFFICE DON'T B---- ABOUT THEM YOU DONT SEE WHAT THE EMPLOYEES SEE.WHY NOT TEAR DOWN THE COUNTY OFFICE AND THE OLD SCHOOL HOUSE? YES THE SCHOOL IS OLD. BUT WHERE IS THE MONEY COMING FROM TO FIX IT BACK UP?? THE WALLACE BUILDING ITSELF WAS HIGHER THAN BUILDING A NEW BUILDING. THEN YOU NEED TO THINK ABOUT THE MONEY TO FIX UP THAT BUILDING!!
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