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02-18-2025 Work Session - FINAL PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS’ WORK SESSION February 18, 2025 VIRGINIA: The Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors' ("Board") Work Session was held on February 18, 2025, in the Board Meeting Room, 39 Bank Street, SE, Chatham, Virginia 24531. CALL TO ORDER (4:00 PM) Tucker called the Meeting to Order at 4:00 PM. ROLL CALL The following Board Members were present: Robert M. Tucker, Jr. - Banister District Eddie L. Hite, Jr. - Dan River District Kenneth L. Bowman - Chatham-Blairs District Darrell W. Dalton - Callands-Gretna District Timothy W. Dudley – Staunton River District William V. (“Vic”) Ingram - Tunstall District Murray W. Whittle - Westover District APPROVAL OF AGENDA Motion to approve Agenda. RESULT: 7-0 (Approved) MOVER: Ingram SECONDER: Hite AYES: Tucker, Hite, Bowman, Dalton, Dudley, Ingram, Whittle NAYS: None ABSTAIN: None NOT PRESENT: None PRESENTATIONS a. County Landfill Update Chris Adcock, Public Works Director, and representatives from LaBella shared that the landfill is currently in phase two, with about 900,000 cubic yards of airspace left. Phase three permitting is underway and expected to be completed by the end of the year, with construction starting in early 2026. Phase three will have a life of approximately 18 years and a total volume of 4.5 million cubic yards. To improve the landfill's financial situation, there is a need to increase the waste intake rate to 1,000 tons per day. The Board discussed potentially adjusting the current tipping fees, as they have not been changed in 7-8 years, and re-evaluating the contract rates with haulers. b. ZiTEL Company Overview/BEAD Application Discussion Rodney Gray shared with the Board that ZiTEL is a small regional provider headquartered in Bedford County, focused on building fiber infrastructure in rural areas. They pride themselves on being flexible and using in-house employees for much of their construction rather than subcontractors. ZiTEL has already built 875 miles of fiber and passed over 15,000 locations in Bedford County, with plans to expand into Pittsylvania County by connecting to their existing infrastructure. They offer competitive, transparent pricing with no special rates for new customers, and participate in programs to provide discounted internet to low-income households. ZiTEL is seeking the Board's support for their upcoming BEAD grant application to further expand fiber access in the County. c. Brightspeed Company Overview/BEAD Application Discussion McKinley Perkinson shared that Brightspeed is a newer company that recently acquired CenturyLink's assets with the goal of replacing all copper infrastructure with fiber. They are a large startup, planning to pass 5 million fiber locations across 20 states, including in Pittsylvania County. Brightspeed has already passed 1.4 million locations and won over $227 million in grant awards. For the County, Brightspeed is proposing to build fiber to 2,888 addresses, enabling 2 Gbps symmetrical speeds. This includes 599 BEAD-eligible locations, plus an additional 2,289 locations that Brightspeed will fund themselves. Brightspeed emphasizes that their fiber network is future- proof and upgradeable to 10 Gbps, and that their company-funded build allows them to significantly leverage any grant funding. They also requested a BEAD Letter of Support. d. Verizon Fiber Internet Overview/BEAD Application Discussion Matt Ogburn shared that Verizon is applying for BEAD funding to serve two ZIP codes in the northern part of Pittsylvania County, with a projected total cost of $8.5 to $11 million. As the current telephone provider in the area, Verizon already has existing infrastructure and right-of-way access, allowing them to build fiber along their current routes. In addition to the BEAD-eligible locations, Verizon plans to do "pull-throughs" to pass and connect additional homes and businesses at their own cost, bringing more competition to the County. Verizon highlighted their advantages, including national pricing, participation in low-income programs, no data caps, and no charges for long drops. He also emphasized their large local workforce of over 1,300 employees dedicated to the fiber and telephone network in Virginia, providing experience and avoiding supply chain issues. They are also requesting a BEAD Letter of Support. Motion to add the approval of the BEAD Letters of Support to the Business Meeting's Consent Agenda. RESULT: 7-0 (Approved) MOVER: Ingram SECONDER: Dalton AYES: Tucker, Hite, Bowman, Dalton, Dudley, Ingram, Whittle NAYS: None ABSTAIN: None NOT PRESENT: None STAFF, COMMITTEE, AND/OR CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICER REPORTS a. CPMT End of Year Report Cheryl Boswell shared that the Community Policy and Management Team ("CPMT") has seen its yearly allocation hover around $6 million over the past few years, with a higher amount budgeted for the upcoming fiscal year. However, the supplemental charge - the additional funding CPMT has had to request from the state - has been growing over the years. CPMT's total expenditures have increased significantly from 2019 to 2024, with a $1.3 million increase just last year. This expenditure growth is largely attributed to a nearly 40% increase in the number of children in foster care over the past two years, as well as rising costs for mandated private day education services. While CPMT serves around 200 – 250 children per year, they currently have 69 children in foster care and 70 receiving private day services, which they are required to fund. Boswell expressed hope that the growth in caseload and expenditures will start to level out, and CPMT is working to serve families and children as efficiently as possible. b. EMS Billing Rate Revisions Discussion Chris Key presented the recommended EMS billing rate revisions for fiscal year 2026, which were reviewed and approved by the Fire and Rescue Association. The key changes include increasing the rates for various EMS services, such as raising the BLS non-emergent rate from $600 to $700, the ALS 1 non-emergent rate from $775 to $875, and the mileage rate from $18 to $21 per mile. The patient refusal rate was the only charge that remained the same at $100. The Board discussed the impact of these rate increases on patients and insurance companies, emphasizing the need to maintain affordability while ensuring fair compensation for EMS services. The Board requested additional information on how the revised rates compare to surrounding localities. CLOSED SESSION Motion to enter Closed Session. The Board entered Closed Session at 5:27 PM. RESULT: 7-0 (Approved) MOVER: Ingram SECONDER: Hite AYES: Tucker, Hite, Bowman, Dalton, Dudley, Ingram, Whittle NAYS: None ABSTAIN: None NOT PRESENT: None a. Discussion of plans to protect public safety as it relates to terrorist activity or specific cybersecurity threats or vulnerabilities and briefings by staff members, legal counsel, or law- enforcement or emergency service officials concerning actions taken to respond to such matters or a related threat to public safety; discussion of information subject to the exclusion in subdivision 2 or 14 of § 2.2-3705.2, where discussion in an open meeting would jeopardize the safety of any person or the security of any facility, building, structure, information technology system, or software program; or discussion of reports or plans related to the security of any governmental facility, building or structure, or the safety of persons using such facility, building or structure. (1) Legal Authority: Virginia Code § 2.2-3711(A)(19) Subject Matter: County’s Cybersecurity Posture Purpose: Cybersecurity Update/Discussion Regarding the Same b. Consultation with legal counsel employed or retained by a public body regarding specific legal matters requiring the provision of legal advice by such counsel. (1) Legal Authority: Virginia Code § 2.2-3711(A)(8) Subject Matter: Solid Waste Contract Purpose: Legal Counsel Contract Consultation c. Discussion concerning a prospective business or industry or the expansion of an existing business or industry where no previous announcement has been made of the business' or industry's interest in locating or expanding its facilities in the community. (2) Legal Authority: Virginia Code § 2.2-3711(A)(5) Subject Matter: Unannounced Prospective Businesses/Industries Purpose: General Economic Development Projects Update RETURN TO OPEN SESSION & CLOSED SESSION CERTIFICATION The Board returned to Open Session at 7:02 PM and the following Certification was recorded: PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS’ CLOSED MEETING CERTIFICATION BE IT RESOLVED that at the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors’ (“Board”) Work Session on February 18, 2025, the Board hereby certifies by a recorded vote that to the best of each Board Member’s knowledge only public business matters lawfully exempted from the Open Meeting requirements of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (“Act”) and identified in the Motion authorizing the Closed Meeting were heard, discussed, or considered in the Closed Meeting. If any Board Member believes that there was a departure from the requirements of the Act, he shall so state prior to the vote indicating the substance of the departure. The Statement shall be recorded in the Board's Minutes. Vote Kenneth L. Bowman Yes Darrell W. Dalton Yes Timothy W. Dudley Yes William V. (“Vic”) Ingram Yes Murray W. Whittle Yes Eddie L. Hite, Jr. Yes Robert M. Tucker, Jr. Yes ADJOURNMENT Dalton adjourned the Meeting at 7:03 PM.