New Kent supervisors told to weigh fall VRA borrowing as water system cash tightens

Mike Lang, staff member, told the New Kent County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 29 that the county’s water capital improvement program faces immediate cash‑flow pressure and outlined options to reduce rate impacts while funding two high‑priority projects.

Lang said the top priority is a 1,000,000‑gallon tank for Brickshire and an interconnecting waterline along Route 249. “This is your number 1 water or utility priority right now,” Lang said, adding that Brickshire’s pressure measured 36 psi on a recent morning and that “there really are no suitable alternatives to this project.”

A finance presentation from consultants and county staff framed a near‑term borrowing decision. “If all of that funding occurs in fiscal year ’26, [the utility] would anticipate being below the reserve policy and perhaps would need to spend some of the restricted dollars that are restricted under your bond covenant,” a financial consultant said, urging the board to consider the VRA fall pool. The board was told a local approval on Sept. 8…