Budget season is soon upon the 95 counties and 38 independent cities in Virginia and the Greene County Board of Supervisors begin their latest meeting with a work session on the Capital Improvement Plan.
“Capital planning and budgeting are central to economic development, transportation, communication, delivery of essential services, and quality of life,” reads the memorandum for the discussion. (read the staff report)
That will begin at 4:30 p.m. in the Administration Building in Stanardsville at which the Planning Commission will also be in attendance.
Greene County has an ambitious five-year plan of $317,353,318, with $111,193,607 of that projected for the upcoming fiscal year. That’s the only one in which elected bodies can set aside money. The other four years are for planning purposes. However, FY29 and FY30 both depend on a higher mix of federal and state grants.
Where is the money going? Of the amount proposed for FY2026, $103 million is for Greene County Water and Sewer. You may recall that the last Greene Board of Supervisors meeting began with a work session on the feasibility of funding that amount. Did anyone write about it? It’s still on my list. This is an important story for the future.
The review is in the draft minutes, though. That’s helpful but not enough to tell a story. Several people spoke at public comment about the project, too. I really hope I can get to this, but time moves fast.
There will be two public hearings.
The first is on a special use permit for an indoor ice rink next to the Food Lion on U.S. 29. These plans were filed last year and The Greene Journal reports that the Planning Commission recommended approval in January.
The second is for the creation of a new Technology, Flex, Research, and Development District to attract new business to Greene County.
“High-tech enterprises such as information technology, national security, biotechnology, advanced specialty manufacturing, and other companies classified as ‘technology’ businesses provide high-paying, low-impact employment opportunities and new revenue sources from economic development,” reads the staff report. “Greene is situated along the Route 29 Corridor and adjacent to the National Ground Intelligence Center and the University of Virginia.”
The staff report states in all capital letters that the proposed district is not about “CREATING A DATA CENTER DISTRICT.” The idea instead is to give the Board of Supervisors more control about that use should a proposal come forward. The relatively recent Comprehensive Plan update called study of this use. There are six pages of public comments received to date.
Supervisors will also get an introduction to Judith Selzer, the new CEO of the Jefferson Area Board for Aging. She said hello to Charlottesville City Council on February 3 and the Albemarle Board of Supervisors on February 5.
After the consent agenda, there will be an action item on approving a Finding of Public Need for the Route 670 Road Project. The Virginia Department of Transportation has allowed the county to take over project administration for the project, which requires this approval. The project is funded through VDOT’s Smart Scale program.
Top Image caption and credit: A concept plan for the 32,000 square feet ice park facility to be constructed in Greene County (Credit: Hinchey & Baines PLC)
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