Board Meeting May 4 2009

Once again, the Board Meeting did not disappoint us - lots of discussion on issues that will affect us for years to come. However, with that said, let me first congratulate Jim Davis, our
Emergency Management Director, for producing a VOIP system that will make Pittsylvania County one of the first localities in the U. S. to use that technology. Thank you Jim!

The most discussed issues of the evening were the Amendment to the County Budget and the resolution to restructure the county's bond debt. Davenport & Company proposed that we refinance the debt over a period of years lasting through 2017...the end results would still be the same - taxes will be raised to 12 or 13 cents - and it was going to cost the county a bundle to refinance. What this would allow, however, was a plan that would basically not hit us too hard for a couple of years, and give everyone time to "get their head around the tax raises." I'm sure this is over-simplifying matters, but you get the idea.

Mr. Davis proposed a substitute motion to take $900K out of the county surplus this year and not have to borrow - at least for this year. Mr. Ecker and Mr. Ingram agreed. In fact, Mr. Ingram pleaded with his fellow board members to see the common sense in this motion. Mr. Snead, Mr. Barber and Mr. Pritchett all agreed however, that it was foolhardy to "dip into the surplus"....that being compared to a savings that you should leave alone. What it all boils down to is the county owes $70M in school bond debt, which was voted on by the majority of voters. So...the county has to figure out a way to pay that debt. It's that simple - just like anyone that borrows - we have to pay back what we borrow - there is simply a disagreement between board members on what is the better way to go about this. So, in the end, the decision was split 3 to 3 and when time came to vote - Mr. Harville cast the deciding vote to restructure the debt.

In other business, the neighborhood of Huckleberry Hills received support from the supervisors to have a "leash law" in their neighborhood, so that one neighbor's many dogs would not be allowed to roam and bother the neighborhood.

A resolution in the form of beautiful plaques was presented to representatives from Hammock Dairy, Mountain View Dairy, Motley Dairy and Vanderhyde Dairy in the formation of Cobblestone Milk Cooperative. Cobblestone recognized these dairies for the finest quality milk products, comparable to any in the U. S. Mr. Roger Jefferson thanked the Board for supporting agricultural growth in Pittsylvania County; due to this support and the formation of Cobblestone, $25M has been generated in taxable revenue, and 60 additional jobs have been created.

Now, here's a little view of the meeting: