Charlotte County approves $400,000 toward RiverStreet VATI broadband application

The Charlotte County Board of Supervisors voted 5–1 on Aug. 8, 2022 to appropriate $400,000 to support RiverStreet Network’s participation in a regional Virginia Telecommunications Initiative (VATI) application and authorized County Administrator Daniel Witt to execute related documents.

Rob Taylor of RiverStreet told the board the company has design work under way, materials ordered and a laydown yard planned. Taylor said the planned build would serve about 2,285 locations and cover roughly 278 miles of fiber. He estimated customer service would cost about $90 per month once service is available.

Transcript remarks contained two different total‑cost figures for the broader application discussed at the meeting and not reconciled on the record: an earlier discussion referenced a project figure of roughly $2.6 million with RiverStreet covering $673,000 and the county $404,250, while later materials referenced a regional total of $12.6 million with a different breakdown (transcript listed $3.5M RiverStreet, $500k FCC, $1.6M County, $6.8M VATI). The county did not reconcile those numbers during the meeting; county staff should be consulted for the final grant‑application budget.

County Administrator Daniel Witt told the board broadband is the county’s top strategic priority and noted available general‑fund resources and potential replenishment from future solar revenue. Taylor said construction timelines allow up to three years once building begins; he also said the process is continuous after the first customer is connected.

The appropriation motion was made by Supervisor Walter T. Bailey and seconded by Supervisor Robert L. Shook Jr.; the motion passed on a recorded vote with Supervisor Hazel Bowman Smith voting No.

Next steps: Administrator Witt is authorized to sign VATI application documents, and staff will track match requirements and project deliverables as construction proceeds.