Organizational Meeting – January 2, 2008
Organizational Meeting, Wednesday, January 2, 2008, 5:00 p.m. Government Center, Verona, VA.
PRESENT: Tracy C. Pyles, Jr., Vice-Chairman
Wendell L. Coleman
Gerald W. Garber
Larry C. Howdyshell
Jeremy L. Shifflett
Nancy Taylor Sorrells
John C. McGehee, Assistant County Administrator
Patrick J. Coffield, County Administrator
Rita R. Austin, CMC, Executive Secretary
ABSENT: David R. Beyeler, Chairman
VIRGINIA: At an organizational meeting of the Augusta County Board of Supervisors held on Wednesday, January 2, 2008, at 5:00 p.m., at the Government Center, Verona, Virginia, and in the 232nd year of the Commonwealth….
Chairwoman Sorrells announced that David Beyeler was absent due to the death of his sister.
CHAIRWOMAN SORRELLS EXPRESSED APPRECIATION
Chairwoman Sorrells made the following statement:
I would like to welcome everyone here and offer best wishes for a wonderful new year in Augusta County. Before we get on to the business at hand of selecting a new chair and vice-chair, I would like to take just a few minutes to reflect over the past year. I would also like to express my appreciation to the people of Riverheads for allowing me to sit on this board not once, but twice. If it had not been for their support then I never would have been in a position to lead the county during 2007 as chair.
The past year was certainly busy and filled with some very positive events for the people of Augusta County: back in the summer we broke ground on a library expansion on the very day that we handed the reins of the library over to long-time assistant Diantha McCauley. Just before Christmas, we broke ground on a library branch in Craigsville that will be part of the new town community building. We are certainly blessed to have such a fine library system, due in no small part to the wonderful and dedicated professionals and volunteers who staff our libraries.
Speaking of breaking ground and ribbon cuttings – there were just too many to mention each and every one, but surely the highlight was seeing the completion of our new fire training center. The nearly 1,000 career and volunteer emergency personnel in this county, who put their lives on the line for the rest of us, deserve this center.
The year also saw expansion at a number of our industries including Hershey and Hansen. And, although out of sight might be out of mind to a lot of people, the $1.3 million dollar upgrade of the flood control dam at Robinson Hollow was a shining example of local, regional, state, and federal cooperation to benefit the people of the area by protecting them from a loss of life and property during extreme rain events and improving their water quality. The local contractors are to be congratulated for the fine work they did on a very complicated project.
In April, after two hard years of work the board approved a new Comp Plan that is designed to serve as our quality-of-life guide for the next 20 years. We are eternally grateful to the long hours and hard work put in by our citizen steering committee as well as all the county staff but particularly by Jeremy Sharp and Becky Earhart. Approving a “vision” for the county is one thing, however, but implementing that “vision” is another. I am happy to say that as the calendar turned to 2008, we were already hard at work on three aspects of the Comp Plan’s implementation: analyzing our ordinances, developing an economic strategy, and launching our small area plans.
I felt some disappointment late this summer when one item suggested in our newly adopted comp plan and supported unanimously by our new Ag Industry Board – that of establishing a purchase of development rights program – failed to pass on a 4-3 vote. Whether or not we address PDRs in the future is not the subject of today’s meeting. However, regardless of whether or not a board member supported this voluntary program or will ever support it in the future, I feel certain that all members of this board want to support agriculture and know that farming is a key factor in the high quality of life we enjoy in Augusta County. PDRs were not and will never be the silver bullet that saves agriculture. There are many pieces to that puzzle and with a full year of work under their belts, our Ag Industry Board, Ag Director, area ag educators, and Extension personnel are continuing to explore ways to pull together all of the ag forces in our area in order to make sure that farming is a part of Augusta County’s future. We need to continue to dedicate ourselves to supporting ag vitality in our area as a win-win situation for all of our 70,000 citizens. To put it simply, we must insure in whatever way we decide that this seal that we sit in front of is a picture of what Augusta County is, not what it was!
As we have in the previous three years, this board continued to enjoy a good working relationship with our school board. We have a lot to be proud of in our educational system:
recently a number of our schools were named among the nation’s best and we know that our agriculture programs are the finest in the country. It’s always a fine balancing act of whether to commit funding to programs or bricks and mortar and I feel that over the past four years we have been able to dedicate resources in both arenas. This year we saw the completion of long-needed expansions and renovations for Wilson and Stuarts Draft High Schools. This year also saw a new fine arts building at Blue Ridge Community College (BRCC), a public institution of higher learning supported by this board.
The positives that occurred this year throughout Augusta County did not happen in a vacuum. The quality of life has always been high in Augusta County and we took time this year to celebrate our special history and heritage alongside the state during the 400th anniversary commemoration at Jamestown. As an official Jamestown community we hosted farm tours, developed an educational program about our history, reached out to potential tourists, and showcased Augusta at the National Association of Counties conference in Richmond. But the highlight of the Augusta Jamestown Committee’s legacy projects certainly had to be the commissioning and production of an original musical, called Spirit of Augusta, that told the story of the county’s heritage. If you missed the original performances at BRCC, don’t despair, because there is a strong possibility of another showing, again at Blue Ridge, in March.
Talking about history and heritage, brings up another issue, that of the two historic brick structures that, through a winding set of circumstances over the years, wound up on county property – you all know that I am talking about the Grandma Moses House and the Yount- Gochenour House. Early in January, of course, this board entertained a motion to demolish those houses. As we all know this story is well on its way to a happy ending. The board appointed a citizen committee to study the potential future of these houses and bring back a prioritized list of recommendations. The committee labored through the spring, summer, and early fall gathering facts and information. They did such a thorough job in their analysis and then their presentation that laid out a game plan for adaptive reuse of these brick houses that the board asked the committee to remain on board and help shepherd the county through the process of making sure these houses are a part of our future.
I could go on…and on…but this meeting is not supposed to be a lengthy one. I can’t wrap up, however without expressing my thanks to a couple of people who are not here: Jim Bailey and Kay Frye who were my colleagues on the board for the last four years; Joe Davis who kept the county’s budget in order for more than three decades, and Steve Rosenberg who advised us all in county legal matters. As a woman I have a particularly deep respect for what Kay did for a dozen years and also for her plowing new ground as the first female chair, as well as what Cheryl Miller did before her. Diversity is good for any board and they paved the way and made my presence on the board much easier. Like I said, they paved the way and I get to drive on the road.
Finally I have high expectations for the upcoming four years: we have a good mixture of faces, some veterans, some just getting started, or re-started. I look forward to learning about my colleagues and working together for the good of Augusta County. I know that as we tackle our upcoming work that we will have differences of opinion but I hope that we don’t let those differences create an atmosphere that is unproductive for the citizens of Augusta County. I don’t care how great those differences are; we have one thing in common that is more powerful than anything else. To a person, everyone on this board cares about Augusta County – all of Augusta County, all of its people, and all of its places. We are all here for all the right reasons – because of our love for Augusta County. I hope that we can work together for that common good.
ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN – 2008
Chairman Coleman called for nominations for Chairman for 2008.
Mr. Howdyshell nominated David R. Beyeler, seconded by Mr. Shifflett, Chairman for 2008.
The Chairman called for a vote for David R. Beyeler, Chairman for 2008.
Vote was as follows: Yeas: Howdyshell, Sorrells, Garber, Shifflett, Pyles and Coleman Nays: None
Absent: Beyeler
Motion carried.
VICE CHAIRMAN FOR 2008
Mr. Coleman nominated Tracy C. Pyles, Jr., seconded by Mr. Garber, for Vice- Chairman for 2008.
The Chairman called for a vote for Tracy C. Pyles, Jr., Vice-Chairman for 2008.
Vote was as follows: Yeas: Howdyshell, Sorrells, Garber, Shifflett, Pyles and Coleman Nays: None
Absent: Beyeler
Motion carried.
Mr. Pyles presented the gavel “that she used judicially and well” to Ms. Sorrells.
Mr. Pyles welcomed Messrs. Garber and Shifflett formally to the Board.
BOARD MEETING SCHEDULE FOR 2008
Patrick J. Coffield, County Administrator, advised that the Board meeting schedule and resolution was attached to the agenda, noting that the Board had reviewed the schedule earlier with no comments.
Mr. Coleman moved, seconded by Mr. Howdyshell, that the Board adopt the schedule as submitted and resolution:
SCHEDULED MEETINGS OF THE
AUGUSTA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
FOR THE YEAR 2008
LOCATION: GOVERNMENT CENTER, VERONA, VA
DATES – 2007 Regular Meetings Staff Briefings Wednesday Monday 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 1:30 p.m.
JANUARY 2nd 5:00 p.m.
(SPECIAL MEETING)
JANUARY 9th 23rd 22nd (Tues) FEBRUARY 13th 27th 25th MARCH 12th 26th 24th APRIL 9th 23rd 21st MAY 14th 28th 27th (Tues) JUNE 11th 25th 23rd JULY 9th 23rd 21st AUGUST 13th 27th 25th SEPTEMBER 10th 24th 22nd OCTOBER 8th 22nd 20th NOVEMBER 12th 25th (Tues) 24th DECEMBER 10th JANUARY 2009 7th 5:00 p.m.
(SPECIAL MEETING)
• January 21st – Martin Luther King, Jr. • March 1st through March 5th – NACo Legislative Conference • March 31st & April 1st –Budget Briefing; April 16th Budget Hearing, May 7th Budget Adoption • Model General Assembly – May 19th, 2008 – (Staff Briefing in County Administrator’s Conference Room) • May 26th – Memorial Day • November 9th through 11th – Annual VACO Conference * * *
RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF AUGUSTA COUNTY, VIRGINIA
WHEREAS, § 15.2-1416 of the Code of Virginia (1950), as amended, requires that the Board of Supervisors of Augusta County, Virginia, at its organizational meeting, prescribe by resolution the days on which it will hold future meetings during the ensuing months.
WHEREAS, the Board of Supervisors now desires to establish its schedule for regular meetings during calendar year 2008.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF AUGUSTA COUNTY,
VIRGINIA:
1. The Board of Supervisors shall hold regular meetings during calendar year 2008, in the Board Meeting Room at the Augusta County Government Center, on the dates and at the times set forth on the schedule attached to this Resolution.
2. In the event the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, or the Vice Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, if the Chairman is unable to act, finds and declares that weather or other conditions are such that it is hazardous for members of the Board of Supervisors to attend a regular meeting, such regular meeting shall be continued to the next business day. Such finding and declaration shall be communicated to the members of the Board of Supervisors and the press as promptly as possible. All hearings and other matters previously advertised shall be conducted at the continued meeting and no further advertisement is required.
Vote was as follows: Yeas: Howdyshell, Sorrells, Garber, Shifflett, Pyles and Coleman Nays: None
Absent: Beyeler
Motion carried.
TIE BREAKER
Mr. Pyles advised that in the past it has been the pleasure of the Board not to actually implement a tie breaker procedure, but to rely on the Rules of Order which establishes that a tie vote on a motion is a failed vote.
Mr. Howdyshell moved, seconded by Mr. Coleman, the Board not appoint a tie breaker for 2008.
Vote was as follows: Yeas: Howdyshell, Sorrells, Garber, Shifflett, Pyles and Coleman Nays: None
Absent: Beyeler
Motion carried.
RULES OF PROCEDURE
The Board considered adoption of Rules of Procedure.
Mr. Coffield advised that the “Rules of Order” attached to the Agenda was the version approved last year, noting that there were 12 specific rules that the past board followed.
He suggested that if the Board wished to make modifications, this was the time.
Mr. Coleman moved, seconded by Ms. Sorrells, that the Board adopt the Rules of Order, and, in addition, to have Board members and various staff attending closed session sign and date the Rules of Order annually.
Mr. Coleman commented that he originally proposed that this set of Rules of Order be signed annually. He high-lighted the following:
1. “Although customary, a ‘second’ is not required to have a matter voted upon.” 2. “Statements made and matters discussed in closed session are strictly confidential and should be repeated to no one. This is particularly true of ‘advice from the County Attorney’ since disclosure will result in loss of attorney-client confidentiality privilege.” Vote was as follows: Yeas: Howdyshell, Sorrells, Garber, Shifflett, Pyles and Coleman Nays: None
Absent: Beyeler
Motion carried.
MATTERS TO BE PRESENTED BY THE PUBLIC – NONE
MATTERS TO BE PRESENTED BY THE BOARD – NONE
ADJOURNMENT
There being no other business to come before the Board, Mr. Coleman moved, seconded by Mr. Howdyshell, the Board adjourned subject to call of the Chairman.
Vote was as follows: Yeas: Howdyshell, Sorrells, Garber, Shifflett, Pyles and Coleman Nays: None
Absent: Beyeler
Motion carried.
Chairman County Administrator
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