Soil and Water district asks county to budget a dedicated plan reviewer as workload rises

A representative of the Lake Country Soil and Water Conservation District told the Mecklenburg County Board of Supervisors on July 14 that the district’s erosion and sediment control plan‑review workload has increased sharply and asked the county to consider hiring a dedicated plan reviewer. The district said it performs plan review for Mecklenburg and Brunswick counties and administers the agricultural BMP cost‑share program for the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). "Since its formation in 1996, we've been doing erosion control plans... Today, $3,200,000," the representative said when describing growth in the program’s cost‑share pool, and noted a record 87 applicants last year and 16 plans reviewed so far this year. The district’s representative and board members asked supervisors to consider either creating a county position to assume plan review and inspection duties or sponsoring (part‑funding) an additional employee housed with the district; the county administrator said no such position is in the adopted budget and recommended a multi‑year approach to recruit certified technical staff, possibly working with Virginia Tech or Virginia State to develop a candidate pipeline. Board members and staff discussed interim options, including contracting with outside qualified reviewers or using an existing, unfilled district position to help with workload. No budget appropriation was made at the meeting; supervisors directed staff to keep the request in mind for next year’s budget process and to coordinate options with the soil and water board.