Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Local Government Meeting topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bland County supervisors approve school requisition, water plant grant, rescue squad ambulance and rezoning with privacy-fence condition
Summary
At its March 25 meeting the Bland County Board of Supervisors approved a $1.14 million school requisition, appropriated grants for water treatment and disaster relief, authorized an $89,000 ambulance purchase for the rescue squad, and rezoned a parcel to industrial with a conditional-use privacy-fence requirement.
The Bland County Board of Supervisors on March 25 approved a series of appropriations and land-use actions, including a $1,141,146.10 requisition for the Bland County School Board, a $30,000 grant to replace a filter module at the county water treatment plant and an $89,000 appropriation to purchase a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 ambulance for the Bland County Rescue Squad.
Chair Randy Johnson called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. at the Bland County Courthouse. The board unanimously approved the meeting agenda and the consent agenda, which included payroll and vendor payments and departmental reports. The consent agenda also carried the school board requisition for April 2025 in the amount of $1,141,146.10.
The board heard a presentation of the FY2024 financial review and audit from Mr. Gordon Jones. Planning Commission Secretary Joel Cagle summarized the commission's recommendation to rezone Tax Map 77A3-A-46A from Agricultural to Industrial and to grant a Conditional Use Permit on the condition that a privacy fence be installed around the property. The supervisors voted to approve both the rezoning and the conditional use permit; votes were recorded as yea by Supervisors Stephen Kelley, Patrick Groseclose, Keith Costello and Randy Johnson.
County Administrator Cameron Burton presented multiple administrator items that the board approved by unanimous votes: trash adjustments totaling $4,736.33 for Dec. 2024–Mar. 2025; continuation with The Local Choice (TLC) for FY26 health insurance plans and rates; a two-year extension of the fairgrounds lease to Bland County Fair, Inc., through Oct. 2, 2027; and $12,252.09 in pass-through United Way funds for Hurricane disaster relief to the Bland Ministry Center.
The board appropriated a $30,000 grant from the Mount Rogers Planning District to the FY24/25 Bland County Water Budget for replacement of a filter module at the water treatment plant and voted to advertise a public hearing for potential Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding. The supervisors also adopted a resolution certifying a local state of emergency to maintain a burn ban declared March 20, 2025.
Time extensions for zoning projects were granted: a one-year extension to start construction for Tax Map 93-A-27 (Walkers Creek) and an 18-month extension to project completion for Tax Map 32-A-12 (Boy Scout Camp). The board adopted a Memorandum of Understanding with Bland County Schools for the use of school facilities during disasters and appropriated $16,000 from the general fund to the Treasurer's FY25 budget.
In separate votes the board appropriated $15,000 in FEMA funds to Bland County Public Schools to cover adult meals served during Hurricane Helene, $89,000 to the Bland County Rescue Squad for an ambulance purchase and $14,923.81 from the Community Development fund for new self-contained breathing apparatuses at the Bland and Rocky Gap Volunteer Fire Departments.
The meeting recessed to a continued session scheduled for April 9, 2025, at 4:00 p.m.
Votes at a glance: all motions recorded in the transcript carried; several votes were recorded as unanimous. Key financial approvals included the $1,141,146.10 school requisition, $89,000 for the rescue squad ambulance, $30,000 for the water treatment plant filter module, and $15,000 in FEMA funds for schools.
