Amherst supervisors commit to VDOT revenue-share application for Victoria Drive; add $261,682 to CIP

The Amherst County Board of Supervisors voted Aug. 5 to amend the fiscal year 2026 capital improvement plan to include a 50% match of $261,682 for a Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) revenue-share application to upgrade Victoria Drive. The change follows staff and VDOT updates that increased the project cost from an earlier VDOT estimate of $447,818.87 to a current total of $523,364, Board member Tyler Creasy told supervisors. Creasy said the county added the match to the FY26 CIP so staff could include the project on this years application list. The board also approved a resolution the county must submit with the final VDOT application, which staff described as a boilerplate commitment that says the county is willing to provide the 50% match. Tyler Creasy said VDOT requires the resolution to file the final application, due Sept. 15. Why it matters: The countys commitment of the match will be recorded in its CIP and affects the countys available fund balance and future budgeting choices, supervisors said. Board members expressed concern about the timing and certainty of funding and asked staff to clarify when funds would be needed and how the county would recoup the expense if a special taxing district were used. Details: Creasy said the original petition supporting a special taxing district had signatures from about 84% of affected residents; he and county attorney Popovich said the petition did not list a dollar amount and therefore did not require reapproval because the petition was not specific to a cost. Finance staff said the $261,682 would be shown in the CIP and would be available for planning, though the county would not know whether the project was approved by VDOT until 2026 and construction would start several years later. Supervisors discussed options to avoid being backed into a corner by multiple revenue-share requests and suggested establishing a revolving approach to recycle repaid funds for future projects. Supervisor Adams asked whether the county would need to hold the funds in escrow; finance staff said the county would pay when required by VDOT but would use the CIP and fund balances to account for the commitment. Action: Supervisor Martin moved to direct staff to amend the FY26 CIP to include the 50% match of $261,682 required under VDOTs revenue-share program for Victoria Drive; the motion passed on a voice vote. Next steps: If the board wishes to move forward, staff said it will present a special taxing district ordinance in the coming months so the county can recoup the match from benefiting property owners if that financing route is chosen.