Culpeper supervisors approve consent items, award roof contract, schedule multiple public hearings; county wins SolSmart Silver designation

The Culpeper County Board of Supervisors on April 1 approved a consent agenda that accepted several donations and grants, awarded a low bid contract to replace the roof on the Galbraith Marshall Building, and authorized public hearings on the county’s six-year secondary road plan and revisions to water and sewer service areas.

The board approved minutes from the March 4 AM and PM meetings and a resolution honoring Oliver Brown for 50 years of volunteer service to 4‑H. The consent agenda also accepted a $2,500 donation from the Rappahannock‑Rapidan Community Services Board (Team Jordan) for crime‑victim witness programs and a victims‑of‑homicide support group; three donations totaling $5,500 for the sheriff’s office; two DMV grants the sheriff’s office applied for (totaling $76,937); a donation of 16 Axon body‑worn cameras and 2 docking stations from the Town of Culpeper Police Department; $6,000 from the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of State Police for the sheriff’s office; and a $20,000 grant from the Department of Criminal Justice Services the county applied for. The consent agenda passed by voice vote.

On a separate motion the board awarded a construction contract to Northeast Contracting (low bidder) for $270,290 to replace the roof on the Galbraith Marshall Building. County staff told the board the work is financed through the capital improvement program funded by daycare receipts and that the contractor’s work is scheduled for May while the school is closed. Staff said six bids were solicited and that references and bid scope were checked; one supervisor questioned why bids ranged widely, but staff said two bids were close and the low bid had been vetted. The board approved the award by voice vote; a roll‑call tally was not recorded in the transcript.

Staff asked the board to set a public hearing on May 6 at 7 p.m. for the fiscal years 2026–2031 secondary road plan. County staff said about $597,000 is available in the plan for hard surfacing and recommended adding two road segments under consideration: Poor Farm Road (along U.S. 29, F721) and a portion of Abaddon’s Mill Road (Route 650). Staff said estimates were revised and that recommended changes may still be adjusted before the May 6 hearing.

The board’s Public Works Committee also moved that the board authorize a May 6 public hearing to revise the current water and sewer service areas; the board approved that motion by voice vote.

In committee reports, the Building and Grounds Committee carried a motion directing staff to pursue courthouse project concepts that would keep the courthouse at or adjacent to its historic location inside the Town of Culpeper. Committee members cited historical and economic considerations for keeping the courthouse in town. Supervisors discussed related costs, including comments that a downtown parking garage could cost about $20 million and that state participation of roughly 25 percent might be available for projects that included a jail, courthouse and parking. Committee members said they have not yet developed a formal cost comparison between locating the courthouse in town and locating it elsewhere in the county.

In the administrator’s report, staff announced that the county has received a SolSmart Silver designation for actions to advance residential and distributed solar permitting and outreach. County staff credited building official Bob Orr, Richard Grace in the building department, and planning staff (Harrison) for improving permitting workflows, updating zoning ordinances and maintaining a distributed solar landing page. SolSmart is a national technical assistance program led by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council and ICMA and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy; the county’s designation applies to residential/backyard/rooftop solar rather than utility‑scale projects.

The board also authorized advertisement for a April 21, 2025, public hearing on the proposed FY2026 budget and a proposed tax rate of $0.44 per $100 of assessed value (advertised as “44¢”), which staff said is 3¢ above the equalized rate of $0.41.

Finally, the board voted to enter closed session under Virginia Code § 2.2‑3711 to discuss: the potential purchase of real property in the West Fairfax District (where open discussion could harm bargaining position); citizen appointments to the Germanna Community College Board and the Board of Zoning Appeals; legal advice and investment of public funds regarding real property in the Cedar Mountain District; and discussion of a potential award of a public contract where public disclosure could adversely affect competition. The board went into closed session by voice vote.

Business not described above included routine committee reports and the invocation offered by Pastor Jackson Morris of Stevensburg Baptist Church.