[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6320492,"mediaKeyId","2356288-087e18f6e25e1e19716783c0795cefd3","parentId",2356288,"title","Board declares local state of emergency ahead of forecasted storm","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",5314000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2356288-087e18f6e25e1e19716783c0795cefd3&start=5314&end=5314","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2356288-087e18f6e25e1e19716783c0795cefd3/thumbnail_5314000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6320492/Gloucester-County/Virginia/Board-declares-local-state-of-emergency-ahead-of-forecasted-storm","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6320492-39dc5f2d124e5ec6c98541433f1ff395/orig.mp4?Expires=1771183044&Signature=kGW6Gl8uhLEHnHV1cI8pQnRie3wfzRNxKlTNvLRB~k94RYEcPII9Q55squHYyP3kE39l0FVsoeIRk3GXr3Z3K3xS8qbEaAuorPATUQvZ2QIsRPv0ZYfqii7~7en~zD3EcYntXUANjGQXxpfNfbi0f9LfKUwgu5m-aYRkZvN2koYqZELKqq8Sw3KhXrGBshCk6q9~9s39O2lC4Qi2uDfkCQ11elqpj89-9HUlupK3ksWyB5Ix07Wx89DvLtpkDQFBFAztmBdlRtE5~Q2I8DhE-PqbBLlSDDWMT2VGUWcMidHayGikvHY6QGs0cX-2Kxkcep3qULdLQxckgP7a7HCOAw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Gloucester County, VA","date","2025-02-19T13:27:14Z","article","Gloucester County supervisors on Feb. 4 voted to declare a local state of emergency ahead of an approaching storm.

The county’s director of emergency management (name given on the record) asked the board for the declaration “with the impending weather coming in,” saying the declaration would begin immediately after a board vote and continue until the county determines the imminent peril has passed. The board approved the declaration on a voice vote: “All in favor? Aye. Aye.”

The director said the declaration will allow emergency management staff to coordinate response, messaging and operational changes (including possible office closures) during the event. Earlier in the meeting staff had warned the public there was a substantial chance the county offices would not be fully open the next day and advised residents to call before visiting county offices.

No additional funding or ordinance changes were made at the meeting; the declaration was adopted as an operational measure to be rescinded when officials determine the storm threat has passed.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Gloucester County Board of Supervisors Meeting, 2/18/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Gloucester County’s director of emergency management requested and the board approved a declaration of local emergency ahead of expected weather. The declaration takes effect immediately and will remain until staff determines the danger has passed.","taxTitle","Gloucester County, Virginia","taxId",30980,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6320496,"Gloucester supervisors keep practice of reading emailed and recorded public comments at meetings",621,4729000,5350000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2356288-087e18f6e25e1e19716783c0795cefd3&start=4729&end=5350","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2356288-087e18f6e25e1e19716783c0795cefd3/thumbnail_4729000.jpg","/articles/6320496/Gloucester-County/Virginia/Gloucester-supervisors-keep-practice-of-reading-emailed-and-recorded-public-comments-at-meetings","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6320496-1a541d5e5d888f8f9d408072b1c62a21/orig.mp4?Expires=1771183044&Signature=aiOef9MHo4clEL0Kgr~YlmPqNJf0ZSsGZBv0K7Nmi7j7~3MXTbsqAb~5GjogIuKf7C0XDdRaIdpsaYMnAaWT1Bl5W2A9SSdsUzF0v~eLM4PAXsOk2EZKuDI85tgkFIXIlTKcxsJdmOPOJH4b3ga~UIaXETQTKlgb6r~9VaTl9h06cwtlHAM6dtrV5-SCiaLpqRGuEEzhaWkURef~d06iIDzeLM9uNdGyGeCw54M5iPDILHSrUno0rfb4FhFO3L21Dg~zvXuwVFS99HZEOzmbzrmKAb3bY6pYwxb~o39FVae6KCtXe9o32XmdLIlbhrKjiABeZZPujQJnEXhj-4Y1~Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Gloucester County supervisors on Feb. 4 voted to continue reading emailed public comments and transcribed voicemails into the public record at meetings while staff works to improve broadcast technology.

The topic arose after a public concern about a missing segment in the video of a recent meeting. Trish Cronin, the county meeting clerk, explained that the eScribe meeting software runs from her workstation and that intermittent Internet interruptions can prevent continuous recording; she said the county posted two versions of a previous meeting’s video — an original capture and a converted backup — and that she had posted both to county channels. “I wanna assure the members of the board ... that there was absolutely no intention to prevent the broadcast or recording of any public comments,” Cronin said.

During discussion Supervisor Steele and others emphasized transparency. Supervisor Gibson said reading emailed comments publicly strengthens the record and allows those who cannot attend in person to be heard on television. Several supervisors also said the board should not make the clerk responsible for excessive technology work; supervisors directed staff to transcribe voicemails that cannot be heard live and to forward submitted comments directly to board members ahead of meetings.

Board action: A motion to continue allowing submission of comments by email and voicemail and to read those into the record passed on voice vote, “All in favor? Aye.” The clerk agreed to transcribe voice messages received by the 4:30 p.m. deadline and to work with IT staff on a technical fix so comments can be heard live when possible.

What it means: The county will keep its pandemic‑era practice of accepting emailed and recorded comments for reading at meetings. Staff will (1) continue to place submitted comments in the public record, (2) transcribe voicemails that do not play audibly on the live broadcast, and (3) pursue audio and workflow fixes so live broadcasts reliably carry public comment audio.

The board also asked staff to forward written comments and voicemails to supervisors before meetings so members can review them without waiting for the minutes.","After tech problems with the Feb. 4 broadcast, the board voted to continue reading submitted emails and transcribed voicemails into the public record and asked staff to improve technology and transcription procedures.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_46":92,"_48":93,"_50":94,"_52":95,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":96,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":97,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6320501,"Gloucester County officials weigh steep water and sewer rate increases to fund aging system",3657,937000,4594000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2356288-087e18f6e25e1e19716783c0795cefd3&start=937&end=4594","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2356288-087e18f6e25e1e19716783c0795cefd3/thumbnail_937000.jpg","/articles/6320501/Gloucester-County/Virginia/Gloucester-County-officials-weigh-steep-water-and-sewer-rate-increases-to-fund-aging-system","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6320501-77d1a114c5355a6be438b090ce1f13a9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771183044&Signature=Rf0G6vZwwR5ntvrC0r9jXNkg14Z71iw-Cq4N-k~1k-BroE~hmQfgv2gWjxtEVsPygWO8mYR~lsHYaG6F2PT3QBEeBA3PDlwa513u1pSDq37SStfEPqq~U8JErp-bQYBQfDqMp1LGwVgaepH-dWxSNINSHCJWYNahE8mHy6pD5n~Cx6wONzxnuyeUlvEQEq06eeGDrG43qNi7wiXWhzZDS3bJBISQRSiZJQ6yFbNIsC1JFUHtXIT2nO8FgNvjQQH-m4x3NVevRMKlFBu~x8EmtxlpB294~~2bSVpdyx8zHEszmi-a0bf75krB3crcYxkxH6-ElruwUZPpnEnTbz0ihg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Gloucester County officials on Feb. 4 outlined a plan to pay for $30 million-plus in water and sewer capital needs and agreed to hold a public hearing in April on a proposed 14% across‑the‑board rate increase.

At a work session, Trish Legg, Gloucester County utilities director, said the county budgeted $11,000,000 in FY25 revenue for utilities but now projects about $9,900,000 and has paused most capital projects to cover operating shortfalls. “We budgeted $11,000,000 and I am projecting 9,900,000.0,” Legg said.

Legg told supervisors the utilities fund has an unrestricted fund balance of $1,640,000 at the start of the year and she anticipates using about $1,612,000, leaving roughly $27,000. She said the FY25 budget had assumed using $1,300,000 of unrestricted fund balance; lower fee revenue forced deeper drawdowns and project pauses.

Why it matters: County water lines and pump stations are decades old in parts of Gloucester. Supervisors were told some mains date to the 1960s–70s, pump stations run through flood zones and collection lines tied to Pump Stations 11 and 13 need inspection and repair. Officials said those conditions pose operational and public‑safety risks and require multi‑year investment.

Legg presented three funding approaches: 1) cash‑fund the capital improvement plan using rate increases large enough to accumulate the cash (a modeled 55% revenue increase translating to an estimated 76% rate increase early in the plan); 2) borrow for the full capital plan (modeled as a lower near‑term rate jump, about 28% in year one and roughly 45% by year two in the presentation); and 3) a “reduced debt” hybrid that would borrow for most projects while applying projected development fees and excess fund balance to reduce borrowing (modeled as about a 28% increase by the end of year two under Legg’s assumptions). Legg said the reduced‑debt option assumes a conservative 10% growth in the development fund (the 10‑year average cited earlier in the presentation is 23%).

Legg outlined specific paused projects: water treatment plant motor control center and SCADA improvements, waterline design and replacement across Gloucester Point and other neighborhoods, lead service line inventory work required by EPA, and pump station construction and collection‑system repairs. She said design work for Pump Station 11 is largely complete; construction is included in the FY27 planning horizon and could cost about $1 million for upgrades with total pump station line projects running into the low millions.

On customer impacts, Legg noted most residential accounts are low‑consumption: 86% of accounts use 5,000 gallons or less monthly and 95% use 8,000 gallons or less. Under the modeled reduced‑debt scenario, a typical 5,000‑gallon household bill would rise from about $50.18 to roughly $64.65 in the near term; the cash‑funding scenario showed larger jumps.

Legal and policy context: Legg said the utility operates as an enterprise fund and the scenarios presented assume no general‑fund (real‑estate tax) subsidy. County counsel confirmed the existing ordinance restricts development‑fund uses to system expansion; supervisors may amend that ordinance if they choose to authorize broader uses of development funds.

Board reaction and next steps: Supervisors debated fairness between utility customers and nonusers who still rely on county services (for example, fire protection) and discussed whether to dedicate some general‑fund revenue to utilities. Several supervisors favored the reduced‑debt option as a balance between immediate customer impact and long‑term needs. The board voted to schedule a public hearing at its first April meeting on a 14% across‑the‑board rate increase, with an effective date in May if adopted. Roll call on that motion recorded several votes: Hudson (No), Smith (Yes), Krisco/Chrisgrove (Yes), Desai (No), McRaeyshev (Yes), Gibson (Yes). The motion passed.

Legg said she will return with more detailed rate ordinances, the Davenport financial model on request, and a public‑hearing schedule that county staff can advertise with the budget public hearings.

The board directed staff to prepare materials for a concurrent public hearing on rates and the FY26 budget so residents can review all proposals at the same meeting.","County utilities staff presented three funding scenarios — cash, full debt and reduced debt — to address deferred capital projects and aging infrastructure. The board voted to schedule a public hearing in April on a proposed 14% across‑the‑board rate increase, with the increase to take effect in May if approved.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board declares local state of emergency ahead of forecasted storm

Gloucester supervisors keep practice of reading emailed and recorded public comments at meetings

Gloucester County officials weigh steep water and sewer rate increases to fund aging system