Greene Supervisors to enter into consent order with DEQ for sewer plant violations

When Greene County took over the operations of the Rapidan Service Authority, they inherited aging equipment and lost personnel who had been performing various tasks. On Tuesday, Supervisors will acknowledge they have to fix a specific problem. 

“The effluent from the County’s main wastewater treatment plant near Ruckersville, known as the Rapidan Wastewater Treatment Plant, routinely exceeds allowable levels of particular regulated contaminants, including zinc,” reads the staff report for a consent order with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. 

Shortly after taking control, Greene County didn’t monitor activities closely enough. The consent order documents a list of repeated violations including discharge of untreated sewage. The county must pay a civil penalty of $6,908.30 and follow a series of corrective actions. 

This item is on the consent agenda, which is a list of items that are not scheduled for a discussion by the elected officials but just a quick vote.

The five-member Board of Supervisors in Greene County meets for a closed session at 5:30 p.m. followed by an open session at 6:30 p.m. They meet in the county administration building in Stanardsville. (meeting agenda)

After a proclamation marking May as Older Americans Month, Supervisors will hold a public hearing on an amendment to the ordinance for temporary events. Changes include requiring that parcels have to be at least five acres and that the permits are only good for 14 consecutive days including event set up and disassembly.  

After that there will be an update from Skyline CAP, an organization that serves as a community action agency for Greene County. They started in 1983 as a transportation services provider for seniors in Greene. They’ve since expanded outside of the county, but served 412 Greene residents in FY23. Skyline CAP also administers 256 housing choice vouchers.

“Skyline is designated a ‘Public Housing Authority’ [and] therefore must provide 75 percent of its vouchers to applicants whose income does not exceed 30 percent [area media income],” reads page 5 of the presentation. 

For Greene County, that cut-off is at $22,699. 

Skyline CAP also runs the Head Start program for Greene. 

Next there will be a briefing on proposed changes to the county code suggested by a firm called Taxing Authority Consulting Services. They’re suggesting five changes with one of them being related to charging penalties for companies that don’t fully comply with the meals tax and the transient occupancy tax. 

There are a few items on the consent agenda worth noting:

• There’s a 60 day extension for the Rapidan Service Authority to continue leasing property owned by Greene County 11235 Spotswood Trail (view the lease)
• There’s a clarification that the increase in the transient occupancy tax rate won’t go into effect until July 1, 2024. Supervisors approved an increase from five percent to eight percent. (resolution)
• Pearson Appraisal will be hired to conduct the real property reassessment for 2025. (view the contract)
• Greene is also working on a temporary renewal permit for the Stanardsville Wastewater Treatment Plant. (review the staff report)

In an action item, Greene Supervisors are scheduled to adopt the budget for FY25. For more details, read the story I wrote earlier this month on the first reading.

In another action item, County Administrator Cathy Schafrik will discuss an upcoming town hall on the county’s water and sewer program.  

Before you go: The time to write and research of this article is covered by paid subscribers to Charlottesville Community Engagement. In fact, this particular installment is from the May 13, 2024 Week Ahead edition of the newsletter.