Commission on Local Government approves Covington–Alleghany growth‑sharing report; member abstains

The Commission on Local Government voted May 9 to approve staff’s review of the voluntary economic growth‑sharing agreement between the City of Covington and Alleghany County, adopting the report with minor edits and additional staff recommendations.

Staff recommended support for the agreement while advising several clarifications, including defining “base value tax,” adding a mediation provision, and removing a requirement that records be forwarded to the Commission. J. David Conmy, the Commission’s Local Government Policy Administrator, presented the staff overview and said the review followed a schedule used for mandatory case reviews even though the review was not statutorily required.

The recommendation drew only minor grammatical suggestions from members. Commissioner Victoria L. Hull moved to approve the report with the discussed changes; Kimble Reynolds Jr. seconded. The measure carried on a 4‑0‑1 vote, with R. Michael Amyx recorded as abstaining because he had not participated in earlier meetings, the site visit, or the public hearing on the matter.

The Commission’s approval records staff’s substantive recommendations for localities to consider when implementing voluntary revenue‑sharing agreements; the report itself remains the Commission’s formal record and will be retained with the Commission’s files.

The Commission did not record additional binding conditions beyond the staff recommendations; no further formal action on the agreement was taken at the meeting.