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Madison supervisors endorse priorities for Rapidan Service Authority: EDU sunsetting, service-area mapping
Summary
The Board endorsed five priorities to guide Rapidan Service Authority policymaking, urging adoption of a service-area map, EDU reserve and sunsetting policies, and a focus on health-and-safety projects to shape hookups from a new wastewater plant.
Madison County supervisors on Jan. 28 endorsed five priorities to guide Rapidan Service Authority (RSA) policy as the utility prepares to allocate service from a proposed wastewater treatment plant.
County staff and the Planning & Zoning Administrator asked the Board to direct RSA work toward: adopting a defined primary service-area map; creating EDU management and reserve policies (including a sunset provision to prevent unused EDUs from being warehoused); prioritizing health-and-safety projects in the capital improvements plan; encouraging developer-driven hydraulic modeling; and refining RSA policies and procedures. An RSA board representative, Pete Elliott, told the Board RSA typically sells available taps rather than reserving them but said he supported language tying EDU purchases to shovel-ready projects with an agreed sunset.
Vice-Chairman James Jewett moved that the Board adopt the five priorities in principle as guidance to RSA; Supervisor Mike Snider seconded the motion, which the Board approved unanimously. The Board also asked staff to work through Madison’s RSA-appointed representatives to advance changes and to coordinate potential easement and funding strategies.
Why it matters: County staff flagged about 95 unused EDUs—roughly 25% of capacity—that have limited recent development and can constrain future growth if left inactive. Board members emphasized fairness and financial sustainability: options discussed include requiring unused EDU holders to activate connections or begin paying a minimum monthly fee, and permitting temporary transfers of EDUs for economic-development projects subject to sunset provisions.
Next steps: Staff will convey the Board’s priorities to RSA and coordinate with RSA’s upcoming workshop with Madison and Orange counties so RSA can draft formal policy amendments. The Board asked staff to track RSA’s CIP and funding requests, prioritizing health-and-safety projects for potential county or state assistance.
