Council Asked to Consider Tax Cuts
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SSentinel.com Serving Middlesex County and adjacent areas of the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck since 1896 Vol. 120, No. 10 Urbanna, Virginia 23175 • June 5, 2014 Two Sections • 75¢ Council asked to consider tax cuts by Tom Chillemi told council to be “cautious” about reducing revenue. The Town of Urbanna collects The $13,000 in personal prop- about $6,000 in motor vehicle erty tax revenue seems like a small license taxes and about $13,000 in payback for the amount of work personal property taxes each year, involved, Calves contended. former Urbanna treasurer Bob In comparison, Urbanna’s meals Calves pointed out to the town coun- tax produces an estimated $95,000 in cil during budget discussions on May annual revenue. 27. In an unrelated matter, Heyman Several times Calves has sug- said the Urbanna Town Marina is gested the town eliminate these two nearly self-suffi cient. “The marina taxes. “It’s a huge amount of messy is $13,000 short of paying its own work for the offi ce,” he said, noting bills,” he told council. that the work occurs around Oyster During the public comment period, Festival time. town resident Billy Mayo asked On Friday May 30, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe (toward left, facing) toured the oyster grounds on Fish- One problem, said Calves, is that council to look closer at its contribu- ing Bay with state offi cials, oyster businessmen and members of the press on the Virginia Marine Resources the town staff can’t easily delineate tion to the Urbanna Cup Regatta and Commission vessel “J.B. Baylor.” The shoreline of Fishing Bay is in the background. (Photo by Larry Chowning) which of the tax bill addresses are asked what benefi t the town got from sent to persons who actually live the event. This past May, council within the town boundaries, since allocated $3,000 for a tent and other many people use “Urbanna” as their facilities for the event. mailing address. Council member Barbara Hartley Governor watches as oyster Calves noted that the $19,000 rev- indicated all the Urbanna Cup events enue reduction caused by eliminat- were at the marina and there was no ing the personal property tax and reason for people to leave the marina motor vehicle tax could be offset by and visit the town’s business area. reef is created in Fishing Bay a transfer from the water fund. Heyman countered that “a couple” Mayor Don Richwine contended of businesses said they had a good by Larry Chowning Andy Lacatell, project manager peake Bay. the town is facing expenses for future weekend. with the Nature Conservancy, said Since 2001 Virginia’s commercial water system upgrades. Richwine said the town received A $3.8 million oyster reef is using concrete allows the state to oyster harvest has increased more Council member Joanie Ward said license fees and food tax revenue being created just inside the mouth conserve oyster shells, which are than tenfold. In 2001, only 23,000 that since the town will have a sur- from the event. of Fishing Bay on the Piankatank used for oyster aquaculture opera- bushels were harvested. In the 2012- plus of funds this year, the personal Near the end of the open meet- River. The project is being funded by tions and VMRC’s annual oyster 13 season, it is estimated that nearly property tax could be reduced or the ing, Ward made a motion to go into a public/private partnership between replenishment program. 400,000 bushels were harvested. real estate rate could be reduced by closed session to discuss personnel Virginia Marine Resources Commis- The Piankatank reef is an oyster Just a few years ago, Virginia one or two cents. and consult with the town attorney. sion (VMRC), the Nature Conser- sanctuary and is part of a statewide seafood dealers were having to buy Each cent on the town’s 24-cent The town council will consider vancy, the Army Corps of Engineers project to restore oysters to 10 state oysters from the Gulf of Mexico real estate tax rate raises about approving the 2014-15 (FY15) (ACE), and the National Oceanic tributaries by 2025. The seed from because not enough were being har- $12,000 in revenue. budget at its monthly meeting on and Atmospheric Administration. the Fishing Bay reef will be har- vested here. Now, Virginia oysters Council member Joe Heyman, who Monday, June 16, at 7 p.m. The project kicked off Friday, May vested later and carried to other are helping to fi ll an out-of-state has worked closely on the budget Council also will hold a work ses- 30, at Narrows Marina on Gwynns locations to grow to maturity, said demand. this year, said the town has expenses sion on Friday, June 6, at 3:30 p.m. Island in Mathews County when VMRC oyster specialist Jim Weston. In the heyday of the 1950s, Vir- looming in several places (fi xing the The public is invited to both meet- Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe Oysters are fi lter feeders and are ginia waters produced 2.5 million town hall and the water system) and ings. accepted a $500,000 check for the considered to have one of the impor- bushels of commercially-harvested project from Michael Lipford, the tant roles in cleaning up the Chesa- oysters annually. Virginia executive director of the Nature Conservancy. The Piankatank River is one of only a few rivers in Virginia where baby oysters (spat) grow quicker and healthier than in most places. The James River is the main oyster seed growing river in Virginia, and the Rappahannock and York rivers and Virginia’s Potomac River tributar- ies are considered better waters for growing oysters to market size. The Governor toured the Fishing Bay reef site Friday afternoon with a delegation from the Corps, Nature Conservatory and the press in VMRC’s “J.B. Baylor,” a fi berglass deadrise boat. The oyster reef is being made of “clean ground concrete” the size of baseballs. Concrete is being used The $3.8 million oyster reef is being created with pieces of concrete instead of traditional oyster shells at Fishing Bay in Deltaville. The concrete is stored at the old Narrows for “cultch,” which is a foundation Motel property on Gwynns Island and being transported to Fishing created for oyster larvae to attach Bay by boats owned by Kellum Brothers LLC of Weems and Shores and The recently-completed John Andrew Twigg Bridge over the Piankatank and grow. Ruark of Urbanna. (Photo by Larry Chowning) River. (Photo courtesy of VDOT) Both lanes of Twigg What can a PSA do, and not do? The Middlesex County Board of Supervisors absolutely no responsibility to pay for the PSA’s oper- will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, June 10, at 7 ating expenses or debts. In short, a PSA must operate Bridge open to traffi c p.m. in the upstairs conference room of the Historic within its means and pay for its own operations with- Middlesex Courthouse in Saluda to consider adopt- out aid from the host locality which created it. by Tom Chillemi means that one element or more of a ing an ordinance that would create a Public Service bridge needs repair or maintenance, Authority (PSA). • Will the establishment of the PSA cause my county The re-decking of the John Andrew or monitoring. After construction Also, at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 5, the Deltaville taxes to increase and will I be required to pay for Twigg Bridge at Hartfi eld is complete. ends, the bridge will continue to be Chamber of Commerce will hold a public meeting at someone else’s water system? On June 2, traffi c traveled in both inspected every 2 years. the Deltaville Community Association (DCA) build- Walker: Middlesex County has drafted the enabling directions on the bridge for the fi rst The bridge is 2,092 feet long and ing to discuss and answer questions about the proposed ordinance of the PSA to charge it with the authority to time in over two years. That’s good during construction was expanded. It Middlesex PSA Ordinance. The public is invited. (See study the water issue only within certain established news for the approximately 7,245 was 24 feet wide curb to curb and is related story on page A3.) areas of the county. Once it completes its evaluation, vehicles per day that use the bridge to now 28 feet wide. In an effort to better inform the public of what a and if it determines that water is needed and if there is cross the Piankatank River between Bridge deck and bridge superstruc- PSA would entail, county administrator Matt Walker a desire by enough customers to pay for such a system, Middlesex and Mathews counties. ture, which is the portion of the bridge has created answers to the most frequently-asked ques- then the PSA will arrange for fi nancing and construc- Precon Marine Inc. of Chesapeake visible to motorists as they cross the tions regarding the proposed PSA. They are as follows: tion of only the system it can afford to deploy. The started the $10.9 million project in structure, were replaced. county has no responsibility, or currently the desire, to April 2012. The construction strengthened the • What is a Public Service Authority (PSA)? provide funding for these systems or projects. This was the fi rst major overhaul pilings that support the entire bridge. Walker: Many towns, cities and counties have cre- for the bridge, which was built in The project replaced the bridge ated Public Service Authorities for one purpose or • If a water line runs in front of my business or 1952-53.