Lunenburg supervisors accept $1.08M from Red Brick Solar, approve higher school local match

LUNENBURG, Va. — The Lunenburg County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved financial measures on July 14 that increased the county’s local funding obligation for schools and accepted more than $1 million from a solar company.

Administrator Tracy M. Gee told the board that the Governor’s final FY2023 state budget added $1,651,088 in state funding for Lunenburg County Public Schools, creating an additional required local match of $57,161. The board voted to adopt the increased local match — bringing the county’s total local contribution for the school division to $4,662,614 for FY2023 — and to appropriate the first six months of that funding through January 2023.

Gee also reported the county received a first siting‑agreement payment of $500,000 from Red Brick Solar, LLC and expects a second payment of $583,000 when the Department of Environmental Quality issues permits. She asked the board to accept $1,083,000 in FY2023 revenue from Red Brick Solar and to allocate the first payment with $100,000 reserved for capital improvements and $400,000 applied to debt service. The board unanimously approved both accepting the revenue and appropriating the funds as requested.

Supervisor Alvester Edmonds moved to adopt the additional local match; Supervisor Mike Hankins seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. Subsequent motions to appropriate the first six months of school funds and to accept and assign Red Brick Solar revenue were also approved without opposition.

The board also entered a closed session later in the meeting for legal consultation regarding pending litigation connected to the Red Brick Solar project under Virginia Code §2.2‑3711(A)(7). The board certified the closed session and returned to open session by unanimous vote.

Why it matters: The state budget increase provided new school funding but also required the county to provide a larger local match; concurrently, early payments from a local solar siting agreement are supplying one‑time revenue that the board directed toward capital and debt obligations. The funding choices affect the county’s FY2023 budget priorities and debt service planning.

What’s next: Administrator Gee said the second siting payment is contingent on DEQ permitting and may occur during FY2023; the board’s appropriation covers the first six months through January 2023.