Scott County approves $5,000 contingency to Spearhead Trails as authority seeks restored support

Representatives from the Southwest Regional Reclamation Authority / Spearhead Trails presented tourism data and asked Scott County to restore county contributions to the regional trail authority.

Steve Pfeiff and Molly Lane outlined current marketing, permit‑sales and partnership activity. Lane said online permit sales show 62% of purchases coming from south of the trail system and reported that the authority is up "46% year to date in 2025 over 2024" for permit sales and "51% in sales dollars." She also told the board the authority recently received roughly $2,000,000 from the General Assembly to support staffing and equipment.

Pfeiff asked Scott County to consider rejoining the authority’s contribution level that historically ran about $14,000 annually. Several supervisors said county finances are tight — the administrator reported a recent six‑figure deficit requiring withdrawals from reserve funds — and preferred to address contributions in the regular budget process.

After discussion, a motion to allocate $5,000 from the county contingency fund to Spearhead Trails was made, seconded and approved by show of hands. Chair said the board would revisit any larger appropriation during the next budget cycle and encouraged the authority to provide materials for the budget committee.

The authority representatives also described retail partner signage and a resident discount program (a $30 resident discount on annual permits), and said trail connectivity (including a new Hatfield‑McCoy link) is increasing visitor traffic. Staff and supervisors discussed trailhead access, VDOT constraints and potential work with the National Forest and federal partners for future expansion.

The approved $5,000 is recorded as a one‑time contingency allocation; the board did not commit to a larger ongoing appropriation at this meeting.