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Public comment: tribal leader asks for light cost‑share and COVID relief, trucker raises tax complaint, resident cites speeding
Summary
Speakers at the Southampton County Board of Supervisors’ Feb. 25 public comment period urged the county to help pay for a tribal security light, described a neighbor dispute over an adopt‑a‑highway sign, raised a speeding concern on Route 616, and reported a personal-property tax dispute for an out-of-state commercial truck.
Several citizens used the Feb. 25 Southampton County Board of Supervisors public comment period to raise local concerns, from tribal roadside maintenance to speed limits and vehicle tax disputes.
Chief Walt Brown of the Hawkeye Nottoway (self-identified) told the board his tribal group paid $3,259.48 to install a security light on a state-maintained road (Sharon Hocker Drive) in March 2022 and has since paid about $2,520 to Dominion Energy over 36 months. He said the light has reduced litter and vandalism near the tribe’s area and asked the board to consider cost-sharing. “So far, we have paid, almost $6,000, okay, to support the security light and the betterment of Southampton County, for the beautification of Southampton County,” he said. Chief Brown also said he sent the board a letter seeking assistance for COVID-related shortfalls his tribe experienced and had not received a response.
Chief Brown said an adopt‑a‑highway sign his tribe installed in 2007 was removed after a neighbor complained when a tribal member trimmed a limb; he said VDOT relocated other signs and did not reinstall the tribe’s adopt‑a‑highway sign. He asked the board to be aware of the dispute as it may lead to court action.
Jeffrey Lee Brown, a truck driver, told the board the posted 55‑mph speed limit beyond the city line creates a safety issue where traffic transitions from a 35‑mph zone and suggested removing or relocating a 55‑mph sign near the 616/35 intersection to reduce speeding into a safety zone.
Travis Boyd, a commercial truck driver, said his tractor-trailer is registered out of state and he pays personal-property taxes where the vehicle is garaged, but he received county tax bills for 2021–present and said booting of his vehicle and a subsequent felony charge left him unable to work. He told the board he provided paperwork showing out‑of‑state registration and asked the treasurer’s office to re-examine his account; staff suggested he bring proof of tax payments from his leasing company and follow up with county offices.
The board also read an emailed public comment from Ash Cutchins thanking county staff for coordinating with ICE and stating the county “is not a sanctuary county,” according to the clerk’s read-back of the email.
Board members advised citizens on administrative next steps: submitting formal budget requests for cost sharing, routing road concerns through VDOT’s work-order system, and bringing documentation to the treasurer or commissioner’s office to resolve tax disputes.
