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Board amends CIP to let county apply for VDOT revenue-share for Victoria Drive upgrade
Summary
Supervisors directed staff to add a placeholder in the fiscal year 2025 capital improvement plan for Victoria Drive so the county can apply for Virginia Department of Transportation revenue-share funding; the item passed on a voice vote.
The Amherst County Board of Supervisors voted March 18 to amend the county’s fiscal year 2025 capital improvement plan (CIP) to include a placeholder for Victoria Drive so staff can apply for the Virginia Department of Transportation's (VDOT) revenue-share program.
Tyler Creasy, the staff presenter, told the board that VDOT requires a project to be listed in the current fiscal-year CIP in order to apply for revenue-share funding. Creasy said the amount to be added to the CIP is $223,909.44 and that staff will use supporting documentation, including the CIP amendment, as part of the revenue-share application. "One of the requirements of the ordinance . . . is, for projects they have to apply for VDOT's revenue share program. In order to do that, staff has learned that, the, that project itself must be included in your current fiscal year CIP," Creasy said.
Supervisor Martin moved to direct staff to amend the FY25 CIP to include a 50% match required under the VDOT revenue-share program for the upgrade of Victoria Drive; the board approved the motion by voice vote. Members discussed concerns about setting a precedent for other private-road upgrade requests; Supervisor Pugh said he had "major reservations" and warned the board it could encourage numerous future requests. Supervisor Martin responded that any future requests would undergo screening and that the improvement would be repaid through a special taxing district if that mechanism is used.
Why it matters: Amending the CIP does not itself obligate county funds for construction; it enables the county to apply for state revenue-share funds that require a CIP listing. The $223,909.44 figure will appear in the paperwork submitted to VDOT and will be used to document the county's local match and project scope.
What the board did not do tonight: Creasy and the board noted that the ordinance that would authorize upgrading the private road is not required to be adopted before the revenue-share application is submitted; if VDOT approves the revenue share, the county will return to the board with the ordinance and a concurrent acceptance of VDOT funding.
Next steps: Staff will submit the revenue-share application to VDOT with the CIP amendment documentation. If VDOT approves the revenue-share award, the board would later consider an ordinance and any required special-taxing-district arrangements to fund the county share.
