Water, sewer talks continue
Published: January 14, 2010
Updated: January 14, 2010
The town and county meet again tonight to continue negotiations on the long, thorny issue of water and sewer. The open meeting is at 6 p.m. in Room 104 of the Daniel Technology Center.
When Culpeper Town Council and the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors last met in December on the complex issue of creating a regional water and sewer authority and expanding the town’s geographical boundaries, little progress was made.
Since then, town and county staff have corresponded on the issue while elected officials have held their utility discussions mostly in closed session.
At its Jan. 5 meeting, the Board of Supervisors approved six “tenets of agreement acceptable” to them regarding the utility issue, including allowing the town to take in relatively small areas around Lowe’s and Lake Pelham as part of the initial boundary line adjustment.
Supervisors also stipulated that the town, currently about six square miles, would be limited to 11 square miles in the future; no industrial land could be taken in, and that the town would not pursue annexation for 25 years.
Several councilmen balked at the supervisors’ latest terms, saying that it was an uneven exchange, considering the value of the town’s utility system.
In its official response, the town said it was “not comfortable” limiting its size and that the board’s stipulation for no expansion into industrial areas “substantially reduced” its future opportunities for expansion.
Of the potential 7.24 square miles that would be open to the town for boundary adjustment, only 1 square mile would see future commercial development.
Town Council has said all along that it is most concerned about expanding its commercial tax base and not absorbing residential areas. Council members also indicated they were not comfortable setting a time limit for annexation.
Want to go?
Culpeper Town Council and the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors meet tonight at 6 in the Daniel Technology Center, Room 104, to talk about water and sewer.
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Reader Reactions
A service agreement hasn’t that been tried (several years ago) and didn’t the county sue the town over it, if so what makes you thing a new service agreement would work. I believe its a good idea if you can get the BOS to honor what they sign
It seems that the BOS speaks out of both sides of their collective mouths. They offered lots of land one time and then took it away by removing industrial land. The map in this morning’s CSE is a joke as were the maps shown at the recent council meeting. The BOS offers next to nothing as a boundary adjustment and expects the town to give up all its multi-million dollar water and sewer assests (plus paying customers) to an authority that no one has idea how it will be configured or work. The voters, if they are smart would reject that turnover under these conditions. There is nothing in it for the town by doing so. The town has the water and sewer, The BOS has land, For once Mr. Nixon seems to be representing his constituents (that hasn’t happened often) by suggesting a service district. We have yet to hear from the town’s other so-called “representative” Mr. Walker. The town is part of the county. We all can grow together. Taking land into the town will not reduce county real estate and personal propperty taxes one penny, not one. The BOS gets on its bully pulpit and makes demands. The town council needs to stand its ground. As the BOS knows water and sewer drives growth. The town has that service and the county needs it. The county, again includes the town. The solution, as Mr. Nixon suggested, is simple. By doing so there is no need for a referendum that will not pass anyway. No need for those ridiculous third party agreements. The town has always served customers outside the town’s borders. Nothing has changed. The BOS needs to wake up and stop trying to bully the town. But if the BOS continue to bully, the ytown should just go to court an annex the land and be done with it. We are all in this together. Can’t we all get along?
Steve,
That you did and that would be a simple solution. The problem is that it appears that your common sense solution has no support from the rest of your board. I’m happy to discuss this approach with you any time.
Best,
Chris
Steve,
That is the correct approach, and always has been. I suspect Steve Walker agrees. So what’s the issue with the other five?
I stated at the last meeting that the best solution is for the Town and County to enter a Service Agreement. Where the Town retains its assets and sells water and sewer services to the County.
Chris,
This BOS has been trying to steal our water/sewer infrastructure for more than 3 years. It is time to tell them once and for all, as a team of 9 - Forget it! If they want our water and sewer, fine, but they will do it on our terms.
They have their back against a wall, because of their lack of action. It is totally 100% a county problem. They need to work with the Town, instead of solely for the County, on this one. The county is not in a position to issue ultimatums. The BOS should be made to clearly understand this.
Patefacio,
Thank you for your comments and for paying attention to this critical issue for our town. Your understanding of the issue is apparent. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me any time.
chris.snider@sprint.blackberry.net
Regards,
Chris Snider
Dear Town Council, do not give away our asset. The BOS wants our investment to improve their economic base, yet denies us the same opportunity. One square mile? For the next 25 years? This is outrageous. Don’t they understand that revenues created in the town also go to the county? They are acting like school yard bullies stealing lunch money. And where are our two representatives, Walker and Nixon, in this deal? Why aren’t they looking out for us? If an industry wants to locate in Culpeper instead of China (BOS is dreaming)they can buy directly from the town. The town’s been providing water/sewer into the county for decades. Why complicate things?
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