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Southampton County supervisors send safety-study requests to VDOT, approve appointments and a FOIA settlement
Summary
At the Nov. 18 meeting the Southampton County Board of Supervisors approved safety-study requests for Lakeside Drive and Bridal Church Road to send to VDOT, adopted a resolution formalizing a FOIA-related settlement with the school board, and confirmed several appointments and reappointments.
The Southampton County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 18 voted to send safety-study requests to the Virginia Department of Transportation for two local trouble spots, adopted a resolution approving a settlement tied to a FOIA lawsuit, and handled a slate of appointments and reappointments.
The board voted to forward a safety-study request for Lakeside Drive after residents from Darden Mill Estates presented a petition with 62 signatures and described sight-line problems at a 90-degree curve about 550 feet from Darden Scout Road. Resident Ash Cutchen told the board that thick holly and bayberry on adjacent property limit visibility and that school buses and delivery trucks have created near-miss situations. The board also approved a separate safety-study request for a right-turn lane off Route 58 near Bridal Church Road, at the request of local residents and after staff outlined the VDOT process.
County staff cautioned that VDOT typically bases recommendations on crash and traffic data and that the county lacks budgeted equipment to work on private property; the board nevertheless instructed staff to submit the studies to VDOT and to record the request in the minutes. Several supervisors discussed volunteers and private-property permission as possible interim steps to clear vegetation if property owners agree.
The board adopted a resolution confirming approval of the settlement agreement reached at the previous meeting concerning a FOIA lawsuit involving the Southampton County School Board. County counsel told the board that the resolution is required under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act to certify conformity with the law; members moved and approved the resolution by voice vote.
Appointments and reappointments approved included the appointment of Kashif Carter to Stop Incorporated and the reappointment of Donny Whitfield and Ernest Claude to the Industrial Development Authority, with members clarifying district and at-large designations before voting. The board also scheduled a work session for Jan. 7 and set the organizational meeting for Jan. 27, 2026.
Finance and treasury staff reported routine fiscal updates: the finance director said auditors completed on-site work and will present the annual report in December, and the treasurer reported collection rates of 99.8% for real estate and 97.46% for personal property along with outstanding balances for solid-waste fees.
The board closed the meeting after brief closing remarks and holiday wishes from the chair.
