Amherst supervisors add Victoria Drive revenue-share match to CIP, approve school capital funds and several land actions

Amherst County Board of Supervisors, Aug. 5 — The Board of Supervisors voted to amend the county's fiscal‑year 2026 Capital Improvement Plan to include the county’s 50% match for a Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) revenue‑share grant for upgrading Victoria Drive and approved a related resolution to submit the final revenue‑share application.

The board approved adding a $261,682 match to the FY26 CIP after county staff reported updated project costs. “The total cost for the project is now $523,364. And the required 50% match is $261,682,” staff member Creasy told the board. Supervisor Martin made the motion to add the match; the board approved it by voice vote.

Nut graf: The action allows staff to submit a final VDOT application due Sept. 15. Staff said the county would later consider a special taxing district ordinance so the county could recoup matching funds from affected property owners; an 84% signed petition from the residents who would be affected was included in the packet. Staff and supervisors said VDOT review raised the project estimate from earlier preliminary numbers and that any special taxing district petition and implementation steps would follow separate public processes.

More on the Victoria Drive request: Creasy said the project cost increase reflected more detailed VDOT review and higher material costs; when asked whether the petition to property owners had listed a dollar amount, staff and the county attorney said they did not see a definitive number on the petition and therefore did not believe the signatures needed to be re‑collected for the CIP amendment. Several supervisors pressed for clarity about when and how the county would commit the funds; staff said the match would be reflected in the CIP and that project start dates are several years out if awarded by VDOT.

The board also approved the resolution (2025‑9‑R) that staff said is a standard VDOT requirement indicating the county is willing to provide the local match; staff noted the board could decline to move forward with a contract if the project were later funded but said the resolution is required to submit the final application.

Other board actions at the meeting included:

- Advertising an ordinance (Ordinance 2025‑3) updating the county transient occupancy tax code to conform with recent changes in state statutory language; the board directed staff to advertise the ordinance for a public hearing on Aug. 19.

- Moving Ordinance 2025‑4 (regulation of wild and exotic animals) to second reading after a motion to proceed; the ordinance would create at least a registration system for exotic/wild animals in the county.

- Appropriating $2,561,003 to the school system’s capital improvement plan for fiscal year 2024–25. A school representative told the board that $2,039,009.29 of that amount is one‑time state construction funds from the 2022–23 return of excess funds and that the remainder is carryover; the school representative said some projects pushed into July/August and that the entire amount may not be spent this fiscal year.

- Accepting an amendment to an existing perpetual open‑space easement to add roughly 28.9 acres purchased by Deborah Spire to an existing approximately 489.483‑acre easement. Staff recommended amending the existing easement rather than creating a new one; the board voted to accept the parcels and directed the county administrator and county attorney to work with the owner on recording the amended deed of easement.

- Allowing the county administrator to sign plats or deeds to vacate or adjust several easements and rights of way: staff recommended vacating a slope easement tied to the Amelon Commerce Center because grading made the easement unnecessary; the board authorized the administrator to sign that plat. The board also approved vacating a portion of a 50‑foot right of way on Goyer Drive (tax map number 147A‑182) where VDOT said the additional easement area is no longer needed, and authorized the administrator to sign the deed of vacation once property lines and title matters were confirmed.

- Approving the reappointment of Kelvin R. Brown to the Central Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program Board for a term ending Aug. 31, 2025.

The board handled multiple routine procedural items by voice vote. Several supervisors asked staff to return with more detail on funding timing and options; staff said it would provide additional financial projections and bring the special taxing district ordinance for public consideration if the board elects to pursue recouping the match from property owners.

Ending: The board moved several items forward on voice votes and closed the meeting after entering closed session on separate legal matters (see related coverage). The board set the Aug. 19 meeting as the public hearing date for the transient occupancy tax ordinance advertising and will revisit CIP and funding questions in its fall budget/CIP work sessions.